A week went by for the group of friends. When the school teacher and students alike were forced to focus on the horror that was that years 'Career's Fair'. Willow was happy to sign up and see what possible careers she could have in the future that fit her. Xander, Buffy and Colette sat at a far round table. Xander hopelessly filling out his form.
"Are you a people person or do you prefer keeping your our company?" he asked.
"I like both," Colette said looking around seeing Willow she waved the girl to their table.
"I agree on that. What if I am a people person who keeps his own company by default?" Xander continued.
"So, mark 'none of the above'," Buffy offered as she stared at her own form.
"Well, there are no boxes for 'none of the above'. That would introduce too many variables into their mushroom head, number-crunching little world," Xander ranted as Willow sat down at the table.
"I'm sensing bitterness," Willow joked.
"No, it's just these people can't tell from one multiple choice test what we're going to be doing for the rest of our lives," Xander continued his mini-rant. "It's ridiculous."
"I'm kind of curious to find out what sort of career I could have," Willow said happily.
"When I was in school we had to sit with the head of the house and they would predict what we would be good at," Colette offered. "I got the job I wanted."
"What, and suck all the spontaneity out of being young and stupid?" Argued Xander. "I'd rather live in the dark."
"We're not going to be young forever," Willow looked at Colette and smiled.
"Yes, but I'll always be stupid," Xander stated.
"I could tell you what you are going to be," Colette said. "That is if you want," all three shook their heads.
"Ok, let's not all rush to disagree," Xander remembered what he had just joked.
"You're not stupid," Buffy said.
"I agree, foolish, male and a teenager," Colette listed. "But not stupid."
"I aspire to help my fellow man," Cordelia's voice travelled across the room. Xander looked up. Colette watched Xander. Cordelia was walking while checking off boxes with a group of her friends. "Check. As long as his not smelling or something gross," The girls laughed as they passed by the table.
"Cordelia Chase always ready to give a helping hand to the rich and the pretty," Xander's words stopped Cordelia's group.
"Which, lucky me, excludes you…. Twice," Cordelia spit back at Xander before she walked away.
"Is murder always a crime?" asked Xander.
"Under French law, you can sometimes get off murder due to the plea that is was a crime of passion," Colette said. "But, I don't think that applies here."
"Do I like shrubs?" Buffy asked talking out loud.
"That's between you and your god," Xander joked.
"What'd you put?" Buffy looked over at Willow's paper.
"I came down on the side of shrubs," Willow said. Colette nodded in agreement.
"Go, shrubs. Okay. Oh, I shouldn't even be bothering with this," Buffy looked down at the paper. "It's all mootville for me. No matter what my aptitude test says," Buffy looked up. "We already know my deal."
"Yep. High-risk sub-minimum wage," Xander agreed.
"Pointy wooden things," Buffy joined in.
"Then why are you taking the test?" Colette asked. "It's not mandatory."
"It's Principal Snyder's Hoop of the Week," Buffy stated.
"I really do not like him. I predict that one of these days he will be eaten by a demon, in one bite," She acted out her prediction with her hands the table looked at her in stock. She stopped talking but had a slight smile on her face thinking about it.
"He's not happy unless I'm jumping. Believe me, I would not be here otherwise," Buffy continued.
"You're not even teensy-weensy bit curious about what kind of career you could have had?" Willow asked curious about Buffy's answer. "I mean if you weren't already a slayer and all."
"Do the words sealed and fate rind any bells for you, Will?" demanded Buffy. "Why go there?"
"Buffy, just because you are a Slayer there are many careers you can go into," Colette said in support of her friends.
"You know, with that kind of attitude, you could have had a bright future as an employee at the DMV," Xander waved his pencil that Buffy.
"I'm sorry," Buffy apologised to Willow. "It's just unless hell freezes over and every vamp in Sunnydale puts in for early retirement, I'd say my future is pretty much a non-issue."
"I am going to leave you, Rupert wanted to show me something in the library," Colette rose from her chair. "I'm sure whatever this test comes out with that you know that you do not have to follow the path it sets. Your futures are always being written even for a slayer." And with that, she was gone.
"There s something odd about that one," Xander laughed. Buffy and Willow followed him. They were starting to get used to Colette's weird ways. They put it down to her being European and hundreds of years old. They were still unsure about her in a relationship with Giles not wanting to hurt either of the pair.
Colette bumped into Principal Synder.
"I hope you are not getting too involved in the little lives of the students?" He pronounced in a severe voice.
"No, Mr Synder," Colette replied artfully. "I was just reminding them that we in the library will be there to support and guide them."
"I hope not too much," dismissing her. She smiled at him and continued to the library.
Next day saw Colette and Giles getting a new delivery of books for the library. Colette helped by taking half of the pile and Giles the other. They walked them from the front desk to the library.
"I think Buffy is looking for you Rupert," Colette said. She knew that he had been checking up on Buffy after homeroom. As they stepped into the library placing the books ready to be catalogued into his private catalogue. "Do you want me to start with this lot?"
"If you would," Giles managed to sort of place his pile of books on the table. "Ahh," they started to fall but was stopped. "Oh, Buffy. Thank you. I've been, uh," Giles could not get his words out. "indexing the Watcher diaries covering the last couple of centuries," Buffy sat down and looked up at him. "You'd be amazed at how numbingly pompous and long-winded some of these Watchers were," He looked over to Colette who had giggled a little he stopped when he glared at her.
"Colour me stunned," Buffy agreed with Colette.
"So, uh, I trust last night's patrol was fruitful?" Giles asked. He was not going to say what he had done the night before.
"Semi. I caught one out of two vamps," Buffy said not looking at either of the two but down at a book. "After they stole something from this jumbo mausoleum."
"They were stealing?" asked Colette.
"Yeah. They had tools, flashlights, the whole nine yards," Buffy reported. "What does that mean anyway? 'Whole nine yards.' Nine yards of what?"
"I think it is an oddity of the English language. I am French so sometimes I mess up," Colette said. "But I think its do with old measurements and ships but I might be wrong."
"Urg, now it's gonna bug me all day," Buffy said. Both women looked at Giles who was pacing. "Giles, you're in pace mode. What gives?"
"He only does this when it's serious," Colette remarked.
"Um, the vampire who escaped," Giles continued to pace. "Did you see what he took?"
"No, but," Buffy stated as she gathered her thoughts. "I can take a guess and say it was something old."
"You made no effort to find out what was taken?" Giles quietly demanded wide-eyed.
"Have a cow, Giles," Buffy retorted. "I just figured it was your everyday vamp hijinks."
"Well, what if it wasn't? This could be very serious. I mean, if-if you'd made an effort to-to be more thorough in your observations…" Colette tried to calm Giles down in his rant to Buffy. It was not working.
"If you don't like the way I'm doing my job, why don't you find somebody else?" Buffy argued. "Oh, that's right. There can only be one. As long as I'm alive, there is no one else. Well, there you go."
"I thought.. never mind me," Colette whispered to herself.
"I don't have to be the Slayer. I could be dead," Buffy continued.
"That wasn't terribly funny," Giles remarked. "You notice I didn't laugh."
"Wouldn't be much of a change. Either way, I mean I have only seen you laugh really with Colette," Buffy freely speaking. "I'm bored, contracted, I never get to shop."
"We are going shopping this weekend," Colette added in. Buffy nodded in thanks but ploughed on.
"And my hair and fingernails still continue to grow. So, really, when you think about it, what's the dif?"
"Do we have to be introspective now?" asked Giles. "Our only concern is to discover what was stolen from that mausoleum last night."
"Are we going a field trip out?" Asked Colette her lighting up with joy and play.
"I think we are Colette," Buffy let out a breath.
"I thought we were not going to get on Principal Synder's bad side?" Giles asked both Colette and Buffy.
"Buffy, get a flashlight thingy I think we are going out," Colette stood up and kissed Giles cheek. "Are you going to come honey?"
"I think we should wait," Giles tried to get out as he hopelessly watched Buffy and Colette get ready and march out of the library. "I have really missed this," he muttered under his breath before rushing out to find the two. The library would need to be closed for a couple of hours.
Colette followed Buffy as she pushed up the graveyard gates.
"Buffy, slow down, please!" Giles called to them jogging to keep up with.
"Giles, we have work to do, remember?" Buffy said forcefully slowing a little down. "Get with the program."
"You both are behaving remarkably immaturely," Giles gasped out of breath. Colette glared at him.
"You knew why?" Buffy demanded. "I am immature. I'm a teen. I've yet to mature."
"I was simply offering some constructive criticism," Giles pointed out.
"No, my love, you were harsh," Colette stated.
"God, you act like I picked this gig," Buffy used the torch to point at herself. "But remember, I'm the picked."
"What you have is more than a gig," Giles argued. "It's a sacred duty," he looked over at Colette who smiled back. "Which should not prevent you from eventually procuring some more gainful form of employment," he stammered the last words. "Such as I and Colette did."
"Hey, Giles, it's one thing to be a Watcher and a Librarian. They go together like a chicken and…" Buffy looked between Giles and Colette. "Another chicken or two chickens or something. You and Colette have… You know what I'm saying! The point is no blinks an eye if you or Colette wants to spend all your days surrounded by books. What am I supposed to do – carve stakes for a nursery?"
"I was a nurse once," Colette whispered. Buffy and Giles looked at her. "I was. And a governess."
"Moving on. Point taken," Giles said to Buffy. "I must admit, I've never really…" His mind brought up what Colette had just said. "Well, now there's a thought. Have you ever considered law enforcement?"
Buffy stopped dead. Giles and Colette turned to face her. Buffy was not enjoying people bring up a career in law enforcement. She noticed the mausoleum from the night before.
"What?" both Giles and Colette asked. Buffy motioned with the flashlight the spot. They turned and saw the giant mausoleum in front of them.
"Oh!" gasped Colette. They walked towards the door. Buffy first.
The mausoleum was dark inside little to no sunlight get in. Colette who had never been a fan of the dark took hold of Giles' hand tightly. He looked down at her and guided her down keeping her close to him.
"May I?" Giles asked for the flashlight from Buffy.
"Be my guest," she handed him the torch.
Flicking it on Giles searched the tomb. There was a broken open hole and the three moved over to it.
"It's a reliquary," Giles said out loud.
"It used to be one," Colette added.
"A reliquary houses items of religious significance. Most commonly a finger or some other body part from a saint," Giles continued his mini-lecture to Buffy.
"Note to self: religion, freaky," Buffy thought out loud. Colette nodded in agreement. She turned away from the reliquary to the name of the individual's tomb this was.
"du Lac?" Colette questioned. Giles moved the light to see the name. "I have read that name before."
"Oh, dear. Oh, dear," Giles repeated with calm panic.
"I hate when you say that," Buffy said.
"Josephus du Lac was buried here," Giles remembered. "He belonged to a religious sect that was excommunicated by the Vatican at the turn of the century."
"Excommunicated and sent to Sunnydale. There's a guy big with the sinning," Buffy tried to lighten the mood.
"You remember the book that was stolen from the library by a vampire a few weeks ago?" Giles asked.
"There was a book stolen by a vampire?" Colette looked worried.
"Yeah," Buffy replied to the original question.
"It was written by du Lac," Giles stated. He looked at Colette who had paled at the knowledge. "Damn it!" Colette jumped closer to Giles. "I let this slip my mind with all the excitement of you Colette being back and…"
"I'm guessing it wasn't a Taste of the Vatican cookbook," Buffy half-hearted joked. Colette shook her head.
"No, the, uh, the book was said to contain ritual and spells," Giles said and pulled Colette towards the doors of the mausoleum. "That reap unspeakable evil."
"I rad that it was written in archaic Latin that very few people can read," Colette stated.
"That's correct only the sect members could understand it," Giles continued. "Well maybe you, my dear but…" They left the tomb.
"So everything 's cool then?" asked Buffy. "If no-one can read it."
"It's not," said Colette and Giles together.
"First the book was taken from the library, and now the vampires have stolen something from du Lac's tomb," Giles listed.
"You think they figured out how to read the book?" Buffy questioned.
"Something's coming, guys," Colette whispered.
"And whatever it is, we can guarantee it's not good," Giles followed her thread.
Back in the school's library, the group were seat around the study table.
"So Giles is sure that the vampire who stole his book is connected to the one you slayed last night?" Willow asked. "Or is it slew?"
"Both are correct," Giles said. "And, yes I'm sure."
"Du Lac was both a theologian and a mathematician. My father with him just before he was excommunication. Said that the man was both mad and clever. In equal measure. Rupert read this," She handed him a copy of National Geographic. He quickly read it.
"This article describes an invention of his, which he called the 'du Lac cross'," Giles read out loud walking down the stairs followed by Colette.
"So why go to all the trouble of inventing something and then giving to a weak name like that?" Xander jokingly asked. "I mean, I'd have gone with, uh, Cross-o-Matic, or, uh, the amazing Mr Cross."
"Both Xander are already taken," Colette said.
"The cross was more than a mere symbol," Giles passed over the magazine open to an image of the cross. "It was used to understand certain mystical texts, to decipher hidden meaning and so forth."
"So you are saying these vampires went to all this hassle for your basic decoder ring?" Buffy asked.
"Yes," Colette simply stated.
"Actually, yes, I suppose we are," Giles expanded.
"According to this," Willow read. "du Lac destroyed every cross."
"Apart from the one burned with him," Colette finished for her.
"Why destroy your own work?" questioned Buffy Colette and Giles.
"Perhaps he feared what might happen if it fell into the wrong hands," Giles said.
"A fear we'll soon get to experience for ourselves up close and personal," Xander added.
Giles was worried and he could feel Colette's panic coming off her. He needed to plan and stop whatever was going to happen.
"Unless we can preempt their plans," he said taking off his glasses he was getting a painful headache from the stress.
"How?" asked Willow.
"Uh, by learning what's in the book before they do," Giles paced. "Which means we can expect to be here late tonight."
"Goody," Willow excitedly said looking forward to the late night of studying.
"I love a good old fashion research party," Colette said out loud and whispered to Giles. "It's just like when we first started dating. But with more people."
Giles laughed and blushed red in the face. The three student's looked away for the couple.
"A research party!" Willow nodded her head a little giggy.
"Will and you too Colette, you both need a life in the worst way," Xander pointed to Willow. Colette laughed and stick out her tongue to him.
"Speaking of, I really have to bail," Buffy rose from her chair. "but I promise I'll be back bright and early tomorrow and ready to slay."
"This is a matter or some urgency, Buffy," Giles warned her.
"I realise that," Buffy replied. "Well, you have to admit I kind of lack in the book area. You have Colette and Willow on that. I mean, you guys are the brains. I'd only be here for moral support anyway."
"That's untrue. Buff. You totally contribute. You go for snacks," Xander argued.
Buffy looked to Willow for some support.
"She should go," Willow said. "You know, gather her strength."
"Perhaps you're right. There may be fierce battles ahead," Giles agreed. Colette took his glasses from him and muttered a cleaning spell. Before handing them back. No-one noticed. Buffy had almost run out of the library as Giles had spoken.
"But Ho Hos are a vital part of my cognitive process!" called out Xander to Buffy's back.
"Sorry, Xand," Buffy turned her head and said. "Someplace I have to be," and with that, she was gone.
"She's going ice stating with Angel," Colette said dreamily. "And Xander in the cardboard in the office is some biscuits and snacks and there are cold drinks too."
"What do you mean she going on a date with Angel?" demanded both men. Willow and Colette smiled and shook their heads at them both. Before everyone started their tasks.
Around two and half hours later Buffy was back in the library having just slayed a vampire set out to kill her and helped Angel. She returned with the ring that the vamp had been wearing. Giles studied it through the magnifying glass.
"This guy was hardcore, Giles," Buffy spoke has Giles looked at the ring in detail. "And Angel was power-freaked by that ring."
"I'm afraid he was not overreacting. This ring is worn only by members of the Order of Taraka," Giles explained. "It's a society of deadly assassins dating back to King Solomon."
"And didn't they beat the Elks this year in the Sunnydale Adult Bowling League Championships?" Xander joked.
"Their credo is to sow discord and kill the unwary," Colette said her head in her hands.
"Bowing is a vicious game," Xander continued his bit.
"That's enough, Xander!" Giles barked.
"Xander this is not a joke," Colette warned.
"I'm sorry," Giles said understanding why Xander was trying to do. "It's just not the time for jokes. I need to think."
"These assassins, why are they after me?" asked Buffy.
"Cause you're the scourge of the underworld?" Willow replied with another question.
"I haven't been that scourge-y lately," Buffy smiled slightly.
"I don't, I don't know, I don't know," muttered Giles. "I think the best thing that we can do is to find a secure location. Somewhere out of the way you can go until we decide on the best course of action."
Buffy rose from the steps she had been sitting on. "Okay, now you and Angel have both said to head for the hills." Now standing in front of Giles. "Are you saying I can't handle this? That I'm not strong enough to fight these people?"
"They are a different breed of vampire or demon, Buffy," Colette explained. "Unlike vampires, they have no earthly desires…" She stopped and looked at Giles.
"But to collect their bounty," Giles finished. "They find a target and, uh, they eliminate it. You can kill as many of them as you like. It won't make any difference. Where there's one, there will be another. And another."
"They will not stop coming until the job is done," Colette continued.
"Each one of them works alone his own way. Some are human, Some … are not," Giles explained. "You won't know who they are until they strike."
"Buffy I think that it would be best if you do not return home of a couple of days," Colette said calmly.
Next evening most of the group were still researching in the library. All on very little sleep. Colette put the kettle on again for what seemed the million time in the office for hot drinks for the group. Giles kissed her on the top of the head in thanks and for support.
"I wish there was more we could do," Said Willow looking up from a book.
"We're doing all that we can do," Giles said looking through his files a pencil between his teeth. When there was a bang from the office and a flash of light.
"Colette?" Willow and Giles called.
"I am fine," She called back. "I'm calm, I'm calm," she repeated to herself. "My head Rupert."
Rupert picked her up and laid her down on a sofa.
"Is she ok?" asked Willow shocked.
"She will be fine. She just worried and scared but with rest and us finishing she will be fine in a while," Giles tried to sound hopeful. The last time Colette had been ill was a couple of years ago and then she was taken from him. "Back to the other matter at hand. The only course of action is to try and find out what was in that stolen book."
"I've never seen Buffy like that and Colette," Willow said. "Buffy just taking off like that."
"Well, she didn't go home," Xander said walking into the library. "I let the phone ring a few hundred times before I remembered her mom is out of town."
"Well, maybe Buffy unplugged the phone," Giles tried.
"No, it's a statistical impossibility for a 16-year-old girl to unplug her phone," Xander explained. Willow nodded in agreement.
"Well, perhaps my words of caution were a little too alarming?" Giles questioned himself but knew that he had been correct in warning Buffy.
"You think?" Xander demanded.
"It's good that she took you seriously, Giles," Willow said calmly. "I just wish I knew where she was."
Giles nodded and continued to search the card catalogue.
"Rupert, Willow, Xander I knew where Buffy is," They all looked at Colette. "She went to Angel's place."
"While at least she will be safe," Xander said.
"Colette, what I have I said," Giles hugged Colette close.
"Not use too much," Colette whispered back. Willow and Xander heard her though. "I just… she's my friend."
"I know but the last time…" Giles stopped talking.
"This is different people are after Buffy, not me," Colette said weakly. "And I want to help."
"Before you ask," Giles hugged Colette into his side handing her up. "Colette is able to sense where a person is but not where they will go later."
"Ok," smiled Willow a million questions rushing through her brain. She filed a few for later decisions with Colette.
"I am going to make Colette her tea and then continue searching," Giles moved Colette to the office. "Xander and Willow if you want you can go home and sleep," Giles called.
"I am going home and wait for any news," Xander said Willow nodded and continued reading.
A couple of hours later Colette woke in a panic but feeling well rested. "Rupert!" she called out. "Angel is not with Buffy."
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"Both are in danger," Colette whispered. "Call Xander."
"Of course," Rupert took off his glasses and picked up the phone. He remembered Xander's home number and duelled it. The phone ring in connecting and it took one ring for Xander to answer the call. "Xander? No-no, I-I haven't heard from Buffy yet. Look, look, I-I think you should go to her house and check on her. Well, ri-right a-right away," Colette placed a hardback open in front of him. Giles put his glasses back on. "Oh, I don't know. Get Cordelia to drive you," he slammed the phone down. And followed Colette out of the office the book in his hands.
"Has Willow been here all night?" Colette asked. Willow looked peaceful her head resting on her hands. "We should wake her," gently patted Willow on the back. "Willow."
"Don't warn the tadpoles!" Willow spring awake.
"Are you all right?" Colette asked.
"Colette, Giles what are you doing here?" Willow said half-asleep.
"It's the library, Willow. You fell asleep," Giles said worried about the young girl.
Willow looked around shocked and annoyed that she had fallen asleep. "Oh, I…"
"' Don't warn the tadpoles'?" questioned Giles.
"I… I have a frog fear," Willow explained. "I'm sorry. I conked out."
"Oh, please," Giles sat down next to Willow. "You've gone quite beyond the the-the call of duty," he looked over at Colette who nodded and smiled at them both. "Bu-" he stammered. "Uh, fortunately, I think Colette might have found something. Finally."
"You did?" Willow looked over at Colette.
"While I was asleep I went through Rupert's catalogue and remembered that book," she pointed to the book in Giles' hand. "It had a short description of the works of du Lac."
"The missing manuscript, it's a ritual, Willow," Giles looked down and read. "Now I-I-I, I haven't managed to decipher the exact details," he looked over at Colette. "Colette were you able?"
"It's like someone is blocking me for the knowledge," Colette looked ashamed. "But what I was able to read it's purpose is to restore an ill or sick vampire back to health."
"A vampire like Drusilla?" Willow asked.
"Exactly," Giles answered. "We just need to know how."
"Who sired Drusilla?" Colette asked. "I can guess. Willow do you want anything to eat?"