Banner by Selene
Banner
by Selene
Chapter 22: We Are One
Spike watched Dawn slowly ascend the stairs until she
was out of sight. Then, he turned to the assembled group in the front entry.
They all stood there in awkward silence until Giles spoke.
“Let’s go in to the office, shall we? I have my research set up in here.”
Giles gestured to a room off the front entry. “Wesley, I take it that you
brought what you’ve been able to find out about Buffy’s attacker?” Wesley
nodded and indicated the satchel he had slung over his right shoulder as he
preceded Giles into the office. Fred and Angel trailed behind him, followed by
Spike. Giles walked in last and shut the door behind him.
Wesley and Fred took the two seats in front of the desk, while Angel propped
himself up against the wall, arms folded over his chest. Giles went around the
desk and sat down. Spike stood behind him, adopted a stance similar to
Angel’s.
“So, Wesley, what have you been able to find out?” Giles asked. Wesley
started speaking as he began pulling texts, papers, and other research items out
of his satchel.
“Based on the drawing Angel was able to recreate, we’ve been able to
determine that Buffy’s attacker is from the Draemuir dimension. They’re a
hierarchical-based world ruled by draelorns. They’ve been content to stay in
their own dimension, thus far. We still can’t fathom why they would venture in
to our world, but we’re still researching.”
“Why would they want to try and come here? Haven’t they heard about the
sudden over-population of slayers?” This from Spike.
“It makes no sense to us either,” Fred said. “If they wanted to attempt
expanding their empire, they should have tried it before now.”
“So, we need to find out why they’re suddenly interested in our world.
There’s got to be a reason for their sudden interest. And, even more
troubling, what makes them think they have any hope of succeeding,” Giles
said. “I’m assuming you all will be here for a while?”
“Until it’s fixed,” Angel spoke from his space by the wall.
“Right. Then, you’ll need a place to stay. I’m sure we can find some room
for you here.”
“That won’t be necessary. Wolfram & Hart owns a hotel in the city.
I’ve booked us rooms there. We can shower and change there then come over here
to research. I don’t want to disrupt things any more than they are,” Angel
said.
Spike pierced his Grand Sire with a look. “We can make room. She’ll want to
see you,” he said quietly.
“See me she will, but we’ll stay at the hotel,” his quiet tone brooked no
argument. Spike just sighed and nodded.
“Now that that’s decided… Why don’t you all go get some sleep and well
get a fresh start in the morning? I’m sure your body clocks are all awry after
that long flight,” Giles said. They all agreed to get some rest and meet back
there first thing in the morning. Well, before sunrise, as to account for
Angel’s safe passage. Then, the three visitors were gone, leaving behind the
research they had brought with them. There was no sense in lugging it back and
forth from the hotel.
~*~*~*~*~
Spike went upstairs to keep vigil over a sleeping Buffy, leaving Giles once more
alone in the office. He took off his glasses and set them on the desk. Using his
right hand he pinched the bridge of his nose as he leaned his elbow on the desk.
He had deliberately avoided mentioning the prophecy that he was researching in
front of the others and tried to get them to focus on Buffy’s attackers. He
feared the two items were directly related and he needed as much information as
possible about this draelorn demon before he voiced his concerns to the others.
For now, he went back to researching. He was desperate to prove himself wrong
about this prophecy, Buffy’s fate, as well as the line of the slayers. He had
seen a lot over the last seven years first as her watcher, then her mentor. The
heartache she’d endured. Betrayals she’d overcome-some by him. The failed
relationships. The death of her mother. Her dying, twice. Then, getting
resurrected the second time, torn out of Heaven by her well-meaning friends;
attempting to get used to being back on Earth again. If what he thought came to
pass it was going to be a long while before she saw Heaven again. ‘Don’t
think negatively. Look through the books and find a different answer.’
~*~*~*~*~
She awoke to feel the cool sand beneath her bare feet; a white, calf-length
dress billowed about her legs from the gentle breeze. Buffy took a moment to get
her bearings then realized she was immersed in a slayer dream. “Great! As if
the last one wasn’t bad enough,” she mumbled under her breath as she started
walking through the darkened desert. A full moon provided the light necessary to
guide her on her way.
Buffy arrived at the cave, unerringly. She took a deep breath before walking
inside; there was just *something* about a slayer dream that made you want to
delay putting off the inevitable. As she expected, a fire provided the only
means of light. What she didn’t expect was to see the first slayer walk out to
calmly sit beside her. Last time, it was all about the skulking through the
shadows, lurking behind the flames, and paint-covered face as she pranced around
in the latest “cavewear.”
The woman before her stood tall, proud, shoulders thrust back in a regal
bearing. Her face was scrubbed clean to reveal her beautiful ebony skin, high
cheekbones, and wide lips. She wore a simple dress that blazed with vibrant
colors of green, red, blue, purple, orange, and yellow. A blue turban the same
shade as the color on her dress covered her once-matted dreadlocks. On her feet
was a simple pair of leather sandals. She was stunning!
“Welcome, Buffy Summers,” she said in a melodious voice. The raspy, cryptic
voice was a thing of the past.
“Uh… hello. You’re the first slayer, right? What’s with the new look?”
The first slayer flashed a wide smile and took Buffy’s hand in hers. “My
time is nearing an end. Soon, someone else will take my place as guardian of all
who will come after. This,” she said, gesturing to her clothing, “is my
burial wardrobe. It is the custom of my people to celebrate death as life.
Vibrant colors are worn to celebrate a new life in the hereafter.”
“But why?”
“Why are you asking me questions for which you already possess the answer?”
“But…it’s just. I know about the whole death being my gift thing. But why
now, why me? I don’t want to be the… Haven’t I don’t enough?” she
cried.
“Buffy, you sealed your fate when you reclaimed our weapon, the slayer’s
weapon. It bonded to you in ways you cannot begin to fathom. When you used the
scythe to release the potentials allowing them all to become slayers, a part of
you went to each of them. You are tied to them, and they to you. This is the
reason.”
Buffy just looked at the first slayer, stunned. She had no idea that this would
be the consequence of working that spell. Sighing, she got up to leave, allowing
the other woman to finish her preparations. From the looks of things, it meant
that Buffy didn’t have long.