Author's note: In order to fully understand the premise of The Event, reading the information posted in my profile is essential!

Arranging for Sheba's discharge from the hospital had been a near impossible task. Linda had been forced to backflip through hoops and argue on the phone for hours on end to convince the doctors and the Council that the best place for Sheba to be was at home. A Slayer in a mental institution was a situation nobody took lightly. And had Sheba not signed over power of attorney to Linda before going into the Air Force, she probably never would have succeeded.

But in the end, Linda had won. Sheba had not had a fit for weeks. And she was perfectly harmless otherwise. But the time that had passed before reaching this point had worn on Linda completely. She hadn't been able to turn on her car radio at all this morning, despite the long drive to Snowden—made even longer by her refusal to take the interstate. She had borrowed John's GPS to guide her up the alternate route. She knew that if she turned on the radio, all she would hear was the news. Over and over again, the same reports.

It had been two weeks. Two weeks since the day of the plane crash. And in that time, two more of Sheba's predictions had come true. Despite all of John's phone calls, despite all of Linda's pleas to the Council, they had happened. In Tokyo, a tidal wave triggered by a horrific earthquake. 10,820 people dead, many swept out to sea, never to be seen again. And five days after that, a skyscraper had collapsed in Dubai. A complete freak accident. 461 people dead there. And today was the day of the third. 48 people to die in New York City, in one of the busiest intersections in Manhattan. John had even gone so far as to drive to a gas station pay phone in the next town and call in an anonymous tip to the FBI. Still, nobody had believed him.

Linda felt her hands tremble on the steering wheel. John was on his way to Manhattan right now, despite her pleas, to try and stop the event from happening. They had a clue what was to occur. CNN had taken a break from reporting the chaos to announce a new terror threat for the city. An attack was looming. And John had only one thing to say to her as he had dropped Caleb off at her home early that morning.

"Don't let him listen to the news," he had whispered. Caleb had been distracted with a bowl of cereal in the kitchen. "Take him with you to get Sheba, but don't…"

"I know," Linda had replied, tears in her eyes. "Be careful, John."

"Are you okay, Linda?" Caleb asked suddenly.

Linda glanced over at him. He had been quiet throughout the trip, casually reading a book for school and playing a video game. His eyes were on her now, concerned.

"I'm fine, Caleb," she replied.

"And Dad? Is he okay?"

Linda sighed.

"I hope so."

They had finally reached Snowden. Linda pulled into the near empty parking lot slowly. It was a nice facility, but she hated it with a passion. She was infinitely grateful to John for the opportunity to bring Sheba home.

"This won't take long," she assured as she turned the engine off. "Everything's already settled. And don't worry. Sheba is perfectly safe."

"I'm not afraid," Caleb replied. "I'd be crazy too, if I had to see the numbers like she did."

Linda gripped his hand briefly, then climbed out of the car. A nurse was already waiting for her, standing at the front door.

"Miss Lewis is ready to go," she reported.

"Thank you," Linda replied.

Once inside, it was ten minutes of signing discharge papers and one more argument with the doctor. And then, finally, Sheba was led out to her.

"Hey, baby," Linda crooned, raising her hands to take Sheba's as the nurse led her forward. "Are you ready to go home?"

Sheba looked at her blearily. She seemed to be in fair condition physically. But her skin was pale. And her eyes were all but lifeless. She stepped up to Linda and put her arms around her, but it felt more like a reflex than a gesture of love. Linda kissed Sheba's forehead tenderly.

"The car is right outside," she said. "Let's go."

Linda led Sheba out to the car without looking back. Her daughter's condition had not changed, but still it felt wonderful to have her back. She would do whatever was needed to keep her happy. She had taken extended leave from work just to be home with her.

Caleb was waiting for them when they approached, helpfully opening the passenger door so Linda could guide Sheba inside. She sat down smoothly enough, and allowed Linda to buckle her seatbelt without a fuss. Caleb had moved his things to the backseat. Sheba turned her head to look at him as he and Linda climbed in and shut the doors.

"This is Caleb, Sheba," Linda said. "He's a friend. And he's gonna help me take care of you."

"Caleb," Sheba said softly.

Caleb smiled and waved. Sheba blinked, and turned back around to stare out the passenger window. Linda sighed and exchanged a glance with him through the rearview mirror.

The drive home was long. Nobody spoke, and Linda kept the radio turned off. Caleb played his game for a while, but after about an hour he set it aside and stared out the window. Sheba had fallen asleep. Outside, the air was warm and slightly muggy. A strange haze was visible even when Linda was driving through forest.

Caleb started getting antsy at about 15 miles from home. Linda understood completely. It was almost three in the afternoon, and there was no way of knowing if John was okay, or if Manhattan was in flames. Her hand twitched towards the radio, but she resisted at the last moment.

"I want to know," Caleb protested. "I want to know if Dad is okay."

"Caleb, finding out what happened isn't going to tell us if John is okay," Linda replied regretfully. "Best just to get home as fast as we can and wait for his call."

The boy nodded. And for a few minutes, the car was silent again. Sheba stirred awake and yawned, looking at the clock on the console. Two minutes passed. Then, as the clock ticked to 2:45, she lifted her hand and pointed at the time.

"Bang," she said quietly.

There was no mistaking the meaning behind the word. Caleb cried out, and Linda slammed on the brakes. The car behind her swerved and blared its horn as it sped past. Sheba yelped as she was thrown against the seatbelt.

As soon as Linda had control and the car was safely pulled over, she turned on the radio. Caleb leaned forward, his face paled in fear. Sheba curled up in the seat and began playing with a few locks of her beautiful red hair. The radio was playing a harmless commercial. But then, the commercial cut off.

"Breaking news from New York. Reports are coming in of a subway train derailment at the Lafayette Square station. A train travelling full speed apparently jumped the tracks and collided with another train unloading passengers. Officials at the scene are hurrying to turn off power to the area, as massive electrical surges are being reported all over downtown Manhattan. It is not believed to be the result of a terrorist attack. Repeat, there has not been a terrorist attack."

Linda felt her body grow cold. In the backseat, Caleb was crying. Sheba looked up at her, her face serene.

"Bang," she repeated.

One thing I haven't mentioned yet. Sheba and Linda are characters that were originally created for unfinished Buffy the Vampire Slayer fanfictions from years ago. How Sheba relates to the BtVS universe are explanations that will come in later books. Also, please see the short story "Beginnings", also posted on this account.