They walked, rather than took a car. Petrol had been conserved for emergency vehicles, so there were very few cars on the road. The few that were driving were not the sort to pay attention to rules about conservation: the rich, the young, and the rebellious.

As the sun went down, they were accosted by nothing nor any one. The vampires that remained were keeping a low profile. Only the stupid and arrogant killed anyone these days. The smart ones simply drank a little and moved on quickly.

"Buffy, if the locals should prove hostile please only disarm them and try not to hurt them too much," Giles said with a smile.

"Okay, talky day, no slayey day. Got it," She said with a bounce in her step. Giles looked at his Slayer and knew something was wrong. He had known her for almost two years and there was something she was not sharing. He suspected it had to do with Angel avoiding her. The vampire was avoiding all the Scooby Gang. The guilt of what he had done in the few months of lacking a soul must have been near crippling for the creature. As much as Giles held in his rage, he allowed it to show for Angel. Though Giles knew there was a clear difference between Angelus and Angel logically, he couldn't help his rage towards Angel; knowing what that creature was capable of was horrifying. And it could happen again at almost any time. The curse depended on sorrow and regret for his actions. Every moment he spent with the woman it loved, might bring about the moment of true happiness everyone so feared. Perhaps if Giles had months to deal with the idea, he could have dealt with his memories of torture and Jenny, but it was all too fresh in his mind.

When they reached the Mansion the outside was kept by a perimeter of Initiative agents armed with the new electrical weapons. Xander was already calling them blasters and it had already taken off. Even Colonel Hennessey was referring to them as blasters and they had not known the existence of the weapons more than a few hours ago. The agents parted and waved the Scooby Gang through. Just inside, Team 3 escorted them to the strangers.

"Buffy Summers right?" The Scoobies looked up to see Riley Finn extending a hand to the blond girl. "I am Agent Riley Finn. These are Graham and Forest. I never got to thank you for saving our butts the other day."

"Hey, no prob. Just doing my job!" She said with a perky smile. She was still in love with Angel, but Riley was a cutie too. She turned to Graham: "How's the shoulder?"

"Healing well. I'm restrained to doing paperwork until the docs say I'm better," the agent said, showing off his sling.

"And he's been using it to pick up girls ever since," joked the tall Forest.

"Hey, you use what you've got! I haven't been able to use the 'man-in-uniform' shtick since I joined up with you idiots," he said with a smirk. Buffy snorted. In their own way, they were as close to each other as she was to Willow and Xander.

"Ignore these two," Riley said, rolling his eyes at their antics. "Just go on in. They're in the living room. If you need someone, just holler."

"Thank you Agent Finn," Giles said formally. Xander pushed his chair into the room. Giles looked around with a wince. Only a few short days ago he had been tortured nearly to death in this very room. As an accommodation to the locals it had been stocked with furniture and decorations and a blazing fire burned in the fireplace. Buffy glanced around, noting that Acathla had only been pushed into a corner and appeared to be a common statue. The hole of the sword was still there.

When they saw the new people enter the room, Dove's adventurers stood up to greet them. She was confused that three of the four were teenagers. She had been in enough waiting rooms to know she was being ignored by the leader and the meeting had been passed down the line. She wondered who she was meeting. The man in the strange chair with wheels held out his hand. Noting similar customs in other cultures, she grasped his hand and shook.

"And here we come to a veritable conundrum, you cannot understand me and I cannot understand you," Giles said in a friendly tone, making sure to smile. He motioned towards the long dining table in the other room. She seemed to understand the motion and her people moved to the table, two of them helping the dark elf with his crutches. When everyone sat down, Giles motioned to himself and said his name. He nodded to the Scooby Gang and they did the same, pointing to themselves and introducing themselves. The locals apparently understood and followed suit.

"Hmm…so your name is Dove. It is a pleasure to meet you even if I have no clue as to what you are saying," Buffy giggled a little at this. Giles shot her a look that made her at least keep it inside. Giles looked back over his shoulder and motioned to a guard to bring the food. The guard and four others pulled in trolleys of meat, fruit and vegetables. After it was placed on the table, he encouraged the locals to eat.

"Giles, what is this? It doesn't taste like beef," Xander asked, admittedly a little confused.

"Emu." Everyone turned to look at Oz. He nodded sagely and tapped his nose.

"Emu," asked Dove, as she pointed to her nose.

Buffy shook her head and pointed to the meat. Dove nodded and pointed to the bird. "Emu."

Buffy pointed to the fruit. "Fruit."

"Fruit."

After that it became a game. The Sunnydalers would say something in English and the locals would repeat it. Then the locals would say something in their language and the Sunnydalers would repeat that. This went on for much of the meal. Giles noticed that the young man with black skin did not seem to be a part of the same group. He did not take part in the game out loud, but still quietly memorized the words for future reference.

It was about then that Spike walked passed the room. Buffy jumped up from her seat and glared at him. "What are you doing here Spike?"

"Bloody Hell Slayer! You almost made my fangs fall out," Spike said with a bit of surprise. "Just going back to get a few things. Dru and I found a nice little crypt over in the graveyard over by Weatherly Park. I'm just packing up our stuff. Dru always wrinkles the shirts. Great girl Dru, but she can't pack for the life of her."

"You harm these people and-"

"Yeah, yeah Slayer, I'm dust. Heard it before. Hey, is that an elf?" Before she could say yes or no, the vampire walked over the Kellindil and started up a conversation in fluent elven. They spoke for several moments, exchanging greetings and making a few comments and the elf introduced the vampire to his companions and Drizzt who followed the entire conversation. Soon Spike said his goodbyes and was about to leave before being stopped by Buffy again. "What? You goin' to dust me because I said hello?"

"Spike, how do you of all people speak Elven?" Giles asked with some irritation.

"What? Just because I'm a vampire I can't like Tolkien? Bloody good writing the Hobbit," the blond vampire mused. "And for your information I speak several languages including High Elven and Fyarl. Well then, got to go. Dru said she'll have Chinese ready for dinner."

"Spike, remember if I find you've killed anyone, you and Drusilla are both dust," Buffy said, using Mr. Pointy to illustrate her point. "Get the point?"

"No killing, fine. Now I really have to go, Dru gets testy if I leave her too long," Spike said, sticking a cig into the corner of his mouth. The vampire walked out and soon passed by with a neatly packed box whistling a tune.

A long stunned moment passed the Scooby Gang as they absorbed the information. Then Oz said something rather profound.

"Should we have kept him here to translate?"

"Sir, I'm still a little confused as to why you chose the Slayer and her friends to be our diplomatic face," the mayor's deputy asked with his clipboard close to his chest. The mayor had been deep in concentration for some time, but the deputy knew when it was time to speak again.

Looking up from his work, Richard Wilkins the Third smiled brightly. "It's very simple, Mr. Finch! When they are in a diplomatic meeting I know exactly where they are and can finally get some work done."

"But they are hardly a problem," said Mr. Finch as he handed the mayor a writing implement.

"Gosh, Mr. Finch, we can't just let them run wild now can we?" The mayor took the knife and carved runes on the struggling orc bound to the sacrificial altar. The deputy had to run away and throw up. The mayor only shook his head and went back to work. "So hard to get good help these days." The mayor looked down at the struggling orc with a frown. "Now, now, if you struggle, it just makes it hurt more."

"This makes no sense." Fret said the words they were all thinking. "How can one of them speak High Elven when they can't even speak Common."

The meeting had ended well. After playing the word game a little more, the dinner had ended and it was getting late. After the blond girl had helped Drizzt back to his bed, they had left, saying only what the locals could assume was their goodbyes.

"At least we have a way of communication now," said Gabriel. He was getting twitchy. He had been cooped up in the house for far too long and he was ready to start moving again.

"I feel that person, Spike, was not well liked," Dove said after some thought. "The blond warrior, Buffy, was not pleased at his presence. And I felt…strange around him. He had an unpleasant aura about him."

"Perhaps he is of a different cast?"

"No Fret, this is clearly not a cast system, the tension feels much more personal, more like McGristle's feelings towards Young Drizzt," Kellindil commented. Drizzt looked up from his seat. The older elf just smiled kindly. "I only mean that there seemed to be an enmity between them."

"Perhaps they were enemies who are now forced to work together?" Eyes turned to Drizzt. He shrugged when they looked at him confused. "It is not that uncommon for yesterday's enemy to be today's ally. It happened all the time in Menzoberranzan."

"Oh, so that is the name of your city," Dove commented.

"Not my city, nor that of any male. We are simply allowed to live there by the matron mothers," Drizzt practically spat out the last phrase. "Little more than playthings. My own mother sacrificed my father because I lied about not killing a elven girl on a raid. She said that it would gain back Lloth's favor."

Kellindil's eyes widened at this news. "Tell me, young one, when did this raid take place?"

"Some ten years ago and more," Drizzt said, glancing over at the older elf. Kellindil noted the purple shade of his eyes. "Why?"

"No reason, I was just comparing the dates to the last Drow raid on the surface," the light skinned elf replied serenely. Dove raised a questioning eyebrow, but Kellindil simply smiled back.

"I didn't kill anyone on that raid. I couldn't ever bring myself to kill children," Drizzt said in a miserable tone. His guilt would not be assuaged any time soon.

Far away, Dove's magical animal messenger arrived in Silverymoon, the city known by many as the Gem of the North. The sparrow chirped until a beautiful silver haired woman walked over to it.

"Well, what have we here little one? What trouble has my dear little sister been up to these days?" Alustriel caressed the laden sparrow under the chin. She deftly pulled the scrolled paper from the bird's leg.

"Dear Sister," she read. "I am sure you have heard of the disturbance to the east. The destruction seems to be a side effect of a new city arriving from another plane. We encountered them while tracking a dark elf accused of murdering a family. We are currently guests in their town, but we are unable to leave. They are trying to learn as much about us as possible while we do the same. Language is a serious problem as we do not speak a common language save for one individual who speaks an archaic version of High Elven. We have not been harmed, but have been instead fed and given shelter. These two days have not been unpleasant.

"There are some interesting individuals. Buffy is a young warrior woman with an unexaggerated strength of ten or more. Giles seems to be her teacher, a skilled scholar who seeks to learn the common tongue. Spike is odd. He speaks the archaic High Elven, but his hands are cold and his eyes are soulless. I fear he may be an undead, but I cannot be sure at this time. There is much hostility between him and Buffy. Buffy reminds me much of myself when we were younger. Her friend Willow reminds me much of Laeral. You'll know what I mean when you meet her.

"The Drow is here, with us. His name is Drizzt Do'Urden and he hails from Menzoberranzan. He is not hostile to us, nor was he guilty of murder as had been suspected, and Kellindil reports that he is quite young, despite his combat prowess. His leg was broken by a stone giant's barrage and he currently recuperates in this mansion. He has a strong will, but is rather quiet. He also has a panther companion we have not seen in some time, although we have noticed paw prints in some rather odd places some mornings. Whatever the creature is, it excels in stealth.

"They have survived an attack by orcs and have most masterful weapons, not unlike those Lantan creations we have heard about in the South. Arquebuses, I believe they are called. They have a rate of fire that outstrips an experienced archer and can create wounds as sever as any sword. I feel these people would be better suited as allies rather than opponents. Perhaps they could even become the bastion you are looking for in the eastern Marches?

"As I know you, you have already sent out a party to investigate. Please call them back in and arrive yourself. Be prepared for debate and discussion. I feel you will be pleasantly surprised.

Sincerely with love,

Your Sister Dove.

Alustriel Silverhand caressed the sparrow under the beak. "Now little one, please tell your mistress I shall be there soon. This calls for a dramatic turn of events." The Sparrow chirped once and fluttered off towards the east. Dressing in her traveling clothes, she summoned up her friend and companion, Taern Thunderspell.

"Taern, I shall be traveling for some days now," the Chosen said simply as she fastened her cloak.

"Ah, where will you be going, my Lady?"

"To the origin of the disturbance which hit Sundabarr. It seems my sister has discovered the arrival of a new city from another plane," she replied, flicking her hair back behind an ear. "She has bid me come and play diplomat."

"Ah, so Dove," Taern said, as if that alone spoke volumes.

"Are you so surprised?"

"Considering some of your sisters, I am rather surprised they are not at fault," Taern joked as he passed her a spell book. "So I am to look after your city for a few days? I expect it shall still be here when you return."

"I would certainly hope so," she replied with a smile. Striding out onto her balcony she spoke a mystical phrase and summoned up a flaming chariot and a team of flying horses. "Oh and there's a Zent agent staying in The Red Goat Tavern and Inn. I've been scrying him for the past few days. Track him to find who he is working with."

"Will do, my Lady," Taern said as he waved goodbye. She shook the reins and the chariot of fire flew off into the sky.

Dove Falconhand received the sparrow the next day. The poor little bird was so tired it had fallen asleep in her hand the moment it got back. After hearing her sister's message, the Chosen of Mystra ran to the guards.

"Giles."

"Ma'am, Do you mean that you are asking for Rupert Giles?" The woman nodded and repeated the Watcher's name. Agent Riley sighed. He motioned for the woman to pause and called up on the phone. "Ma'am, one of the local's wants to speak to Giles."

"Is it the woman with the white hair?"

"Yes, the one called Dove," the woman was practically jumping up and down. "It seems to be urgent."

"I will get word to him.," Walsh replied.

"Understood, Ma'am," Riley said before turning back to the local woman. "Giles-here-soon." The woman bounced once and jumped inside. Riley turned to Forest. "I hope she understood."

"Hey, if she doesn't could you get her back out here to bounce around a little more?"

"Forest, you're a perv."

"No denials here."

That night Giles went the mansion alone. He wanted to try a few things that he didn't want Willow to see. He was worried about her obsession with magic. He knew from experience that it was a double edged sword. The more you learned, the more you used it as a shortcut for things that worked just as well by hand. Eventually it seduces you in ways you just cannot understand until you have fallen into the trap. Giles' tattoo burned under his shirt at the thought.

He walked in to find the men situated around the sitting room talking. The light elf was talking to the dark elf in hushed tones in some deep conversation. The other two listened closely and occasionally made comments. When they saw him, they pointed him towards the library.

Dove was sitting there reading the Lord of the Rings. Giles chuckled at the idea of a woman from a fantasy world reading a novel about a fantasy world. She never heard him as she read about the breaking of the Fellowship and the walk towards Mordor. Giles never said anything, only sat in a chair and watched as the sun went down. She kept reading past when most people would have turned on a light. When there was no longer enough light she closed the book with a sigh. Giles turned on the light, startling the white haired ranger.

"Giles!" Her surprise was gone in an instant, replaced by excitement and aggravation as she tried to convey that her sister would be arriving soon. It was such a hard concept to relay without a common language. She glanced around for props. She could use books. Pulling seven of them off the shelf, she put them in front of her on the table. She spoke her sisters names in order of birth. "Seylune." She said dropping the first volume of the Lord of the Rings down. "Alustriel" she said as she set down the second book. "Dove" she said, finishing the trilogy. She looked at his face as she put down the other four. He didn't understand. Frantically, she pointed to the third book and herself. He nodded. Good, it seemed he understood. She then pointed to the second book. "Alustriel," she said again, then pointed to the sky and then to town.

"I am sorry, but I do not understand." She sighed. She put up fingers, saying her sister's names again in order. Then grabbed her third finger and pointed to herself, saying her name again.

"Dove is three," Giles mimicked her.

"Alustriel is two," he said mimicking her again. He thought he understood, but he wasn't sure. Pulling out a piece of paper he drew a triangle and a circle connected by an equals sign. He pointed to the circle. "Dove, Buffy, Willow." She seemed to understand and pointed to the triangle.

"Giles, Gabriel, Kellindil, Fret." He smiled when she understood that the triangle meant male and the circle meant female. He then drew a line for children with seven sections. Dove took the pencil and drew seven circles and pointed to the third and said her name again. Giles nodded. She pointed to the second circle and said "Alustriel." She then pulled out "Sunnydale, a History," and opened it to the page that showed the mansion. "Alustriel."

Giles suddenly understood that Dove's sister was coming to Sunnydale.

Buffy and company is owned by Joss W. and Mutant Enemy.
The Forgotten Realms and such are created and owned by Ed Greenwood and Wizards of the Coast and the various authors of the fiction.
Ranma 1/2 is owned by Rumiko Takahashi.

Thanks go to Janessa Ravenwood for editing this massive literary beast.