Gift of a Family Ch 13. A Surprise Visitor Arrives Bringing Gifts.

Thank you Sulien for all of your help and for beta reading.

A.N. ok so what has been happening on Angel is part cannon and part AU. I am not following the Connor storyline, and I really like Doyle so he didn't die at the end of season 1. There is not a lot of Angel crossing over into this story at this point so that is really all the relevant info you might need.

recap

Buffy started walking out of the office. "Buffy there is one more thing. This Prophesy says that this ritual will only work once every hundred years."

"Don't tell me it's tonight." Buffy stated, feeling a sense of dread.

"It's tonight." Daniel confirmed.

"I told you not to tell me that!" Buffy stated.

end recap

There was a long moment of silence broken by the sound of a bell. Someone had just entered the closed shop.

Buffy didn't hide the curious and confused expression on her face as she left the office and went to the front of the shop, followed closely by Daniel and Jack.

There, standing at the front of the shop was a young man in a suit. He had dark hair and brown eyes, and there was something about him that reminded Jack of Daniel. He looked like he had once been a pure, dyed in the wool book geek, but was something more than that now. He was a handsome man and Jack wondered if this might be one of the men he needed to keep away from his daughter. He carried a long thin box that usually held long stemmed roses and that mobsters always used in movies to hide guns in. Jack was guessing that they were roses and that the man was here to woo his baby girl.

I don't think so. Jack thought, giving him an evil glare. Daniel found himself wondering if this guy was her boyfriend and wasn't too happy to see him either. The looks Jack and Daniel were sending him were wasted however, as the man seemed to be hesitantly looking at Buffy.

"Wesley!" She cried out happily. "It is good to see you."

He looked surprised for a moment, but then he seemed to relax and smile. He hadn't been entirely certain of his reception and he was very relieved.

Looking over at the two men who had followed the slayer out from the back office, Wesley was surprised. The books spread about the table testified that these were men that Buffy trusted, yet he hadn't heard anything about new Scoobies being added to the pack. He hoped that he could earn her trust, if he hadn't already.

"Please sit down." Buffy offered far more gently than she had ever spoken to him before. She turned and introduced Jack and Daniel, explaining that they were, "in the know." She then turned back and sat next to him taking his hand into her own.

"Wesley, before you tell me what brings you here... Have you heard? About the council?"

He flinched and nodded. He suddenly understood why she was being so gentle with him and, for a moment, he was lost to his grief. His father was there when the council had exploded. He had always longed to make his father proud, but now that would never happen. But then, maybe it never would have happened anyway, even if his father had lived. He just wished that things could have been resolved between them before the end.

"I'm so sorry, Wesley." She stated as she gently squeezed his hand. He clutched her hand without even realizing it, thankful for the support, but also wanting to block off all emotion.

"Thank you Buffy, but for now I would like to stay focused on work. That is why I volunteered to deliver this to you myself," Wesley stated.

Jack and Daniel stayed back at a respectable distance. They both wondered what was going on, but knew that now was not the time to ask.

"Ok, but I want an update on how everybody is doing before you go back to LA, including yourself."

Wesley let a hint of a smile come through. He appreciated her concern more than he could say, but now it was time to get to work. "We were dealing with some rather nasty elements that were trying to end the world. Doyle had a vision from the PTBs that apparently Wolfram and Hart were trying to keep some important relics from getting into the right hands. One of the relics was an urn that we needed to be able to stop what they were planning, so we snuck in and basically raided what they were keeping. We were able to stop the apocalypse, but Lorn insisted that at least part of his vision was so that we could get this to you as quickly as possible. Angel said to tell you that he sends this to you with his love."

Buffy visibly flinched as she remembered the perfect day that Angel had taken back. No one knew that she remembered that day. It was a painful reminder of what she had lost and was enough to show her that she and Angel would never really work out.

"Maybe Angel does still love me, but not enough. It will never be enough. That is something I learned a long time ago, but it's just taking a while to really sink in," she admitted aloud.

It had been a long while since that day that never really happened. After everything that had happened with Spike, she was surprised that the wounds from Angel still hurt, though not as badly as they used to. I've been so messed up for so long that I hurt and used Spike until he was so mixed up that he tried to rape me. That doesn't make what Spike tried ok, but when everybody is so messed up, what kind of relationship can you have but a messed up one? Buffy silently vowed that she would take some time to rediscover herself before she became an official couple with anybody in the near future.

"Buffy," Wesley's voice broke through her thoughts and brought her back to the present. She had been sitting there staring at the long white box for a some time. "I may be mistaken, but I believe you are meant to open the box. I thought all women liked gifts."

"We do, I was just thinking a little too much."

"If it helps at all, Angel told me that it is just what he would have picked out to give to you if he could have given you anything at all."

Buffy arched her brow and pulled the package onto her lap and lifted the lid of the box. Neither Jack nor Daniel could see what was inside of it, but her startled gasp had their curiosity piqued

"It's so beautiful!" She whispered in awe, her eyes twinkling with delight. She turned to Wesley though, when the flash of a camera caught her attention.

"Angel thought you would react like that. He wanted to come himself just to see your face when you opened it, but the sun was still up when I left, so I promised I would take a picture."

Buffy laughed and couldn't help the thousand watt smile that shone from her face. Without wasting a moment, Wesley took another picture.

The fact that Angel knew her so well was somehow comforting. Even though she had accepted that they were never meant to be and were both dating other people, the fact that he was still her Angel was somehow comforting to her. She knew that they would always have a special place in each others hearts, and that was enough.

"Well, what is it?" Jack asked, clearly impatient and dying to know what had caused such a positive reaction from his daughter.

Reaching into the box, she pulled it out. "It's a sword!" Jack cried out in surprise. What kind of person would give a girl a sword? Jack wondered, but seeing the look in his daughters eyes, he knew that it was someone who knew her well.

"That sword has some kind of magical properties, but we weren't able to get it out of the sheath to get a better look at it. Apparently, there is some kind of spell that prevents people from draw..." Wesley cut off speaking as she smoothly drew the sword from the sheath. "Well, apparently it was meant for you," he finished.

"I can feel that. Just holding it, I can feel that this sword is mine. And it is so pretty!" She stated, admiring it's craftsmanship. "Oh, and it says something," Buffy stated, turning the sword to get a better look at where runes were etched into it's blade. "It says, 'I am...'" She gasped and turned white. "That's impossible," she whispered, setting the blade on the table and stepping away as if it were a dangerous snake.

Both Daniel and Wesley rushed forward to read what the blade said. Daniel's eyes grew wide and he stepped back to look at Buffy.

"That's incredible..." He stated, not knowing what to say.

"You can actually read this, Buffy? I never would have believed it. Mr. Giles must be sending you a lot of cookies to get you to be able to read that well."

"What. Does. It. Say?" Jack demanded, wondering why both Daniel and Buffy were acting so shocked.

"Oh, just the swords name. It says that it is Shuhadaku Sa Ninti Ma Sa Mitu. Hmm, that name sounds familiar. I wonder if it is in the Codex, or the..." Wesley never finished his sentence because Jack interrupted him.

"Wasn't that one of those two swords that were unclaimed from the seven Swords of Wales or something?"

"Wayland, Jack, one of the seven swords of Wayland!" Daniel exclaimed

Wesley cried out an inarticulately, then, "One of the Seven Swords of Wayland?!?!"

Buffy's mind was in a whirl. One of the seven swords of Wayland was now hers. All the other swords except one other had stories and legends about their owners. She was suddenly very worried about the future the Powers were planning for her, worried that the powers felt that she had to have the sword because she was going to fail tonight. She couldn't help thinking it should be a relief to have the sword, but it was a burden like her calling, and knew that in time she would come to accept it the way she had accepted her calling. In the meantime, she was really worried about what being the rightful owner of this sword would mean.

Talk about pressure, Daniel thought as he considered Buffy's pallor. "Hey, don't think about the other swords. Try not to worry about it and you will be fine." He tried to be encouraging, but she looked at him like he was crazy.

"They made a mistake." Buffy stated. "This Sudoku sa Ninny Ginsu Sword shouldn't be mine."

"Buffy, it is Shuhadaku Sa Ninti Ma Sa Mitu, it means 'Sword of the Lady of Life and the Dead'. Rather fitting that it should be yours." Wesley corrected her.

Daniel saw that this didn't exactly make her feel any better and decided to put his two cents in. "After everything you have told me that you have faced, I am sure that the sword couldn't be in better hands. It is just a sword, a tool for you to use to protect those who cannot protect themselves."

"Hey kid, he is right," Jack added. "Just think of it as that really pretty sword you were so excited about earlier. Myself, I would have preferred a good fishing rod, but you seemed really pleased when you first saw it." Jack added. "Besides, look at it this way, if by some freak accident the Hell beast gets loose, you now have what you need to save the world."

Buffy took in a deep breath and decided to try and take their advice.

"You will be fine Buffy, saving the world is what you do." Wesley added.

"Yep, I've had lots of practice with the World save-age," Buffy stated, her mask of confidence firmly back in place.

"This all just seems a little too coincidental to me. Just when we find out we need that thing, it appears. Are you sure that it's safe for her to use? What if it's been sabotaged somehow?" Jack asked.

"It isn't coincidental, not when the Powers That Be are involved," Wesley informed him. "She was meant to have that sword."

"Fate isn't something you can deny, but sometimes you can tweak it a little," Buffy stated, remembering her first death at the hands of the Master.

"So Buffy, could I be of any assistance? I would really like to help in anyway that I can," Wesley asked.

"Are you sure?" Buffy asked. "You're not needed in LA right away?"

"I'm entirely at your disposal. Buffy, I failed as a watcher with you and Faith. I was never able to make things right between my father and I. One thing losing him tonight has taught me is to not put things that are important off until later. I would like to make things right with you, and even Faith." Wesley prayed that she would accept him and grant him her trust.

"It's good to have you as a part of the team. Wesley, I've been thinking that I could have been more welcoming to you when you first arrived. I had reasons, but I know it must have made things difficult for you."

"I am actually glad that things turned out the way that they did. If they hadn't, I wouldn't be the man I am today," Wesley admitted, then with a smile he pulled out a pink sugar cookie. "I brought the cookie, so how about you let me be your watcher tonight and we can go over your training."

"Great, I have someone to throw knives at me and I get a sugar cookie!" Buffy stated this as if it was a great thing that she had truly missed.

"Uh, you're joking, right?" Jack asked, a little worried. She didn't sound like she was joking, but no way was she serious.

"No, I love cookies of all kinds."

"I mean about the knife thing." He stated sardonically.

"Actually, I haven't had a real training session since Giles took Wills to England. I do my best alone, but it's kind of hard to throw things at myself and block them at the same time. This will be great!"

They all went into the back room to train and watch the training. Jack was still convinced that they were joking until Wesley threw a knife at Buffy, at which point he charged in and tackled Wesley to the ground. He was certain his daughter was dead before he could get the chance to tell her that he was her father, until Buffy pulled him off of Wesley and asked him not to do that again. The training went fairly smoothly after that. Jack and Daniel watched in awe and they both felt a little better knowing that Buffy had gifts to help her in her calling.

The training concluded, Buffy sat down to eat her cookie and brief Wes on what they had learned.

"Ok, here's the stitch: we have found out about a ritual that the Dragon is planing tonight."

"Good Lord, not the Horcorth Ritual?"

"You know about it?" Buffy, Jack and Daniel all asked at the same time.

"I put extra effort into my studies as a watcher and learned a number of things that are not as well known. I know that the Dragon hopes to accomplish the ritual and recover his fallen armies," Wesley admitted. He had been trying to earn his fathers approval, but no matter what he did, nothing seemed to work.

"It's the Hortoss ritual, alright," Buffy stated, but Wesley only grimaced at her purposefully mispronouncing the name of the ritual. "I haven't been able to locate where they are doing this ritual. I've checked all the usual haunts and beat up Willy the Snitch four times, the only thing I know is that it is over the Seal of Zanzibar and in a big cave."

"Buffy, that is the Seal of Danzathar," Daniel corrected her.

"Yep, what he said."

"Sounds like you need bait for them to catch and lead you back to the cave," Wesley suggested.

"You read my mind Wes, but where am I going to find battle blood bait that knows how to fight vampires that I can trust and risk letting the vamps catch?"

"Bait! This doesn't sound like a very good plan. You only have yourself and the three of us, you can't afford to let any of your backup be incapacitated," Jack growled, knowing that it was too late to get more backup. He would have to make do with what he had.

"I'll be the bait," Wesley volunteered. "I'll hide some stakes and holy water inside of my jacket so I can help out when the time is right."

"Wait a minute, you can't be the bait, can you? I mean, what kind of battles have you ever been in?" Jack asked.

"I went to her graduation ceremony," Wesley answered with a grimace, as if that explained everything.

Merry Christmas everybody and Happy New Year... and Happy whatever you celebrate.

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