***
"Okay, what's going on here?" Cordelia snapped, balled up fists resting against silky red p.j. bottoms. Her eyes, circled by a thin layer of cream -- scanned the white, featureless surroundings with displeasure.
Giles looked up, flustered by the absence of his regular tweed armour.
Bad enough that he was devoid of its comforting... boringness, but being
dropped into the middle of a situation that just screamed Hellmouth
in nothing but his night clothes was far from comfort inducing. "Ah...
We may be in the Dreamscape..." Giles stated finally as he riffled through
his vast mental catalogue.
"The what?" Xander asked, inching towards Cordelia. His arm wound through hers, and she smiled at him briefly. "Not that I'm complaining -- I'd welcome just about anything that would get me out of that damned bed for a while," he concluded.
"The Dreamscape," Giles repeated, absently reaching up to tug off his glasses. He paused, his hand hovering indecisively when he recalled that his glasses were at home resting next to his bed. He sighed and let his hand drop back to his side. "Some people have spoken of a place where our consciousness sometimes reach when we sleep. It is a... higher plane, if you will."
Furiously tugging at the hem of her t-shirt style nightgown, Willow glanced around uneasily. "But why are we here, Giles?" she asked. "And did I have to be in our nightclothes?" she added, flushing as she caught Spike's appreciative smile.
"Hey, I'm enjoying it!" Xander grinned.
"You would!" Buffy snorted, before turning her attention back to Giles. "Is it dangerous, you think? Anything slay-worthy?" she asked, her eyes nervously scanning their surroundings.
"I don't know," Giles responded to both girls' questions. "I... I don't think that we're in any immediate danger," he added after a long, thoughtful pause.
"No, I don't think so either," Willow said softly. Her head tilted, her teeth digging into her lower lip. She could feel something... a power shifting through their surroundings. It was strangely familiar, tugging at her memory insistently.
"Willow?" Spike said, his hands resting against her shoulders. "What is it, luv?"
She glanced up at him through lowered lashes. "Someone's here," she stated.
"I don't see anything," Angel said, looking around warily. He shifted, his body tensing as he prepared for whatever was to come. Instincts honed for over a century were not easily cast aside for the opinion of two people alone.
"Someone's here," Willow insisted.
"Perceptive child!" a pleased voice exclaimed. The small cluster turned with varying degrees of grace to face the man who had spoken.
Spike stiffened, growling softly as yellow eyes landed on the slight form before them. He slid around so that he stood between Willow and the stranger, and glowered at the calmly smiling man. Something about his utter lack of concern caught something within Spike's distant memories.
"No need for that Spike, Angel," the man said. He merely shrugged when neither vampire allowed their game faces to slide out of sight. "I'm not here to hurt anyone. In fact, I'm here only to help. I'm sure that there are some questions that you would like answered...?"
"Who are you?" Giles asked, the first to cast of his confusion at the man's presence. "_What_ are you?" he amended. A possible answer was already creeping into the forefront of his mind, but he _needed_ confirmation. 'It can't be... They've never met with our kind directly...'
"Mortals," he said, "always needing to name things. I've had many of them... but you may call me Gaebril"
Giles was staring at him, wide eyed, mouthing the name silently after the stranger. A look of awe was blossoming on his face. 'It is! It is! Good God, this is unbelievable!'
"And as for what I am..."
"A Guardian," Giles said breathlessly.
"A Guardian!" Angel repeated, his eyes going wide.
"A bloody _Guardian_," Spike grumbled. "Just what we need around here. More trouble."
"I thought you liked trouble," Willow whispered.
"Only when I'm making it."
"Um... as fascinating as this is -- which isn't much, if you ask me -- what's a Guardian and why do we care?" Cordelia asked irritably. "And the answer better make up for me loose a huge chunk of sleep."
"Cordelia!" Giles gasped in protest, looking at the Guardian nervously. He ran a shaking hand through his hair and drew in a deep breath. "Guardians are said to be the ones who observe the mortal realm to ensure that... fate... destiny... prophecy unfold as they are meant to."
"So what does this have to do with those of us who aren't Slayers?" Xander asked.
"Slayers aren't the only ones who play a vital role in the proper path of prophecy," the Guardian stated serenely. "Every one of you has their own part within the world that the Guardians guide through time."
"Why are you speaking with us?" Giles inquired, eagerly clinging to each bit of information. "I've never heard of a case where a Guardian actually spoke to mortals."
The Guardian shrugged, looking faintly annoyed. "That's because none of the others have ever encountered such difficult subjects before. "Dying, going to Hell, resurrection, magic, burnout... It's a full time occupation looking after the lot of you."
"You were there!" Willow gasped
Gaebril smiled at her, affection shining in his eyes. "Indeed I was, child. I've been with each of you for a very, _very_ long time. As Rupert told you, it is our place to ensure that certain events unfold as they are meant to." He stepped forward, ignoring Spike's small warning growl as he caught Willow's hand. Her fingers clenched instinctively as she felt the familiar weight of her ring against her palm. "I believe that this is yours," he told her before backing away.
Spike gripped Willow's wrist lightly, staring at the plain black ring that rested in her hand. The sense of distant recognition that had been tugging at Spike's memory since he had first seen Gaebril crystallized. "That was you," he said, his head turning so that his eyes met ancient ones.
The Guardian's eyes crinkled in a smile. "As I said, it has been a _long_ time." He looked at Spike as he spoke.
Willow's hand crept into Spike's. "What is this?" she asked, the ring comfortably sliding back around her finger before winding together with Spike's.
"It is a symbol of a bond of caring and affection. Unspoken words, heard and received." The Guardian's seemingly frail shoulders lifted into a gentle shrug, a smile pulling at his lips. "It also served as something of a beacon for him," he said, his chin jutting in Spike's direction.
"Enough with this!" Cordelia snapped, her tanned arms crossing beneath her breasts. "Fine, there's destiny, you're a really old guy who gets his kicks watching us. Which, need I say, is more disturbing that I care to think about. Does that about cover it? Good. Because I was having a _very_ pleasant dream before we got dragged over here--" she looked at their rippling white surroundings with distaste.
Gaebril was unruffled by Cordelia's irritated rant. "You are all that we hoped you would be, indeed, Cordelia. And, forgive this 'old man' his theatrics, children. Immortality grants few pleasures. We Guardians are working towards an end at odds with that of the servants of darkness. Even as we attempt to guide our Chosen along a beneficial path, the Dark Ones attempt to divert or destroy them. The closer we come to the final confrontation, the more dangerous the loss of one of our own becomes."
"So everything that's been going on recently, that's just some bad guy's attempt to mess up your plans?" Buffy asked, nibbling at her lip uncertainly. "And I thought it was aggravating when we just had demons trying to _kill_ us," she muttered sourly.
Gaebril nodded. "There are things that each of you must do in your lifetimes, and the success of much of those actions depends upon your friendship with each other. I believe that your caring and love is strong enough to withstand the maneuvering of the Dark Ones, but I was not willing to risk leaving that to chance." His eyes hardened marginally as they swung between each of the friends in turn. "I will not, I can not allow the bonds between you to be disturbed. Had I found there need to wipe free your memories of the past few days... I would not have hesitated to do so."
Spike stiffened, snarling slightly. Willow spoke above the vampire's wordless warning. "But... you aren't?"
"No, child. There is tension amongst you, but not the permanent tear I had feared possible. You have done well, each of you, against forces which have attempted to the best of their abilities. I find myself facing the future with greater hope at this moment than has been the case in a very long while. Be well," Gaebril finished as their surroundings surged around them.
Willow spoke quickly, seeing the others fading away, falling back into their own dreams. "Thank you!" she called out. "For the magic boost. For Spike."
~end~