Beginning Anew
By Melanie Walker
Prologue:
In Sunnydale
After a fierce
battle with the undead skeletons powered by Evil Willow, William and Dawn
finally managed to pull themselves out of their open grave to walk amongst the
sunshine and flowers. Rejoicing in being alive.
At the site of
the newly risen demonic temple Xander held
In the ruined
Magic Box Giles stirred on the floor, Anya rushing to his side. Holding to each
other they limped from the wreckage.
And in a darkened
cave Buffy laid still in the dirt. Eyes closed, her body a mass of bruises and
open wounds her body shaking from the effort of drawing unneeded breath.
The demon walked
toward her. “You’ve endured all the trials.”
A sardonic smile
crossed Buffy’s face as she rolled to her side, forcing her shaking body to her
knees she managed a glare. “Bloody right I have… Now give me what I want. Make
me what I was before so William can get what he deserves.”
The demon moved
closer hand outstretched as it laid it across her chest. “All right… We will
give you back your soul.”
Buffy screamed as
light scorched her chest, back arching as her eyes glowed a bright white then
suddenly it was over and she slumped forward, collapsing on the ground her body
trembling in the aftershocks as she lost consciousness.
“It is done,” the
demon turned moving away, leaving the cave bathed in darkness save for his
glowing eyes. “The path is restored… walk on warrior…”
**************************************************************************************
Chapter 1
Four Months Later:
Dawn stood in the
doorway watching in awe as her brother, who never threw anything away, weeded
through his closet and drawers.
When she’d asked
that morning what he was going to do while everyone was out of the house she
had thought he was joking.
Obviously he
hadn’t been.
“Don’t just stand
there staring Dawnie,” he muttered as he tossed
notebooks in the already packed to gills trash bags.
“It’s just…” Dawn
shook her head as she walked into her brothers sanctuary. He very rarely let
her come in his room. Maintaining that he needed his space, needed something
that belonged to him.
“I told you I was
cleaning.”
“Yeah but I
thought it was… you know dusting, maybe cleaning the dust bunnies out from
under the bed, not…” she waved at the floor of his room. Covered in boxes and
full trash bags. Narrowing her eyes at a familiar item laying on his bed she
walked slowly over to it. William watching her warily as she reached out a
hand.
“I just needed…”
“Needed something
to do,” Dawn finished quietly as she stroked the black leather.
Buffy’s coat.
Left behind after
she had attacked him. For the longest time all he could feel was anger at her.
Anger for pressing the issue even after he had told her they were finished.
Anger that she
couldn’t move on and let him do the same.
But then she had
moved on. And for some reason it had hurt him more than he wanted to admit.
Coming home from
dealing with Evil Willow and seeing her black duster still folded over the
banister had just pushed that point home.
He had taken it, buried
it in the back of his closet. Then dug it out that night because he needed to
feel close to something. Close to her even if he couldn’t, wouldn’t admit it to
her or anybody else.
On the leather of
the coat he could still smell her. Could still smell her cigarettes, a little
mint and it was comforting when nothing else seemed to be.
“I thought she’d
be back by now,” Dawn said softly. She picked the duster up. Holding it tightly
to her she turned to face her brother, his eyes hooded as he stared at her.
“I know.”
“You don’t
think…”
“It’s Buffy,”
Will laughed harshly drawing a hand over his face as he looked away. “She’ll be
here when the world ends. Like cockroaches and Twinkies.”
“I just never
thought she’d just leave,” Dawn murmured sitting heavily on the bed, the coat
in her lap as she stared up at him. “I mean she stayed the whole summer you
were dead, and after you came back she was still here even if she wasn’t around
as much… But I always thought that when she decided to leave that she would…
you know… say good bye at least.”
“She was probably
just in a hurry Dawnie…”
“Yeah to get away
from here before you or Xander staked her because of what she did.”
“Dawn,” Will
sighed. “What happened…”
“I thought she
loved you… Why would she try to hurt you?”
“Things are…
were… complicated Dawn.”
“It’s a grown up
thing right? Something I’ll understand when I’m older?” Dawn asked setting the
coat back on the bed.
“God I hope not,”
Will laughed harshly.
He didn’t ever want
his baby sister to go through anything he had. And that included being attacked
by someone that professed to love them.
“Xander’s bring pizza over,” Dawn walked towards the door.
Turning back to her brother she smiled reassuringly. “I’m sure she’ll be back
soon.”
“Yeah… right,”
Will sighed as he watched her walk away.
He didn’t want to
tell her that Buffy was gone.
“Will its Dru…”
“Dru do you know
what time is it?” he muttered glancing over at the clock at his bedside. The
black leather slipping from the side of the bed as he closed his eyes, rubbing
at his face.
“It’s late I know… I was going to call a
while ago but things have been kind of crazy here…”
“What is it Dru?”
“Did you finally stake Buffy?”
“What?” he barked sitting straight up as
he rolled his eyes. Dru knew that he couldn’t stake
her grandchilde. Not when she was as close to
helpless as a vampire could get.
“I need to know if you staked Buffy.”
“No… Dru we’ve
been over this…”
“I know, I know… it’s just…”
“Dru?” Will sat
up slowly, a sense of foreboding creeping over him.
“I can’t feel her anymore… I haven’t been
able to for a while now… But things have been so crazy that I haven’t had the
chance to call.”
“What do you mean…? You can’t feel her… what’s
that mean?” Will stared down at the puddle of leather on the floor as he
gripped the phone tightly.
“I know you know how vampire bloodlines
work William. I know Rupert has at least told you that much… she’s not there
anymore. I noticed it a few months ago, noticed that she was absent but didn’t
think much of it… It’s been so long since I’ve acted as the head of our line…”
“You’re saying that Buffy is gone…”
“Yes… I’ve been trying to locate Angel… I
have a feeling that he’ll think that you did it and come after you… I haven’t
been able to find him yet…”
“I’ll be on guard… tell the others as
well…” Will said numbly. Why was it when he finally realized that he cared
about somebody they always up and left him?
“Good… I’ll let you know when I find out
what’s happened.”
“Thanks Dru,” he
whispered. The phone dropping from his fingers as he heard the one time love of
his life hang up on the other end.
Will reached out
to touch the coat that Dawn had left on his bed, stroking the leather gently.
Letting it soothe his troubled mind.
This was the last
link he had to Buffy. The last link that Dawn had to her friend. He didn’t know
how to tell his baby sister that Buffy was gone.
Where the others
would rejoice… Dawn had loved Buffy, had truly cared about the blond vampiress. It would hit her harder than it would anyone
else… except maybe him.
Why had he
realized that truth only to not have anyone to tell it to?
He had cared
about her. Had loved her as much as he could at the time, despite her attack on
him before her departure. Maybe given enough time he would have been able to
offer her more. Only there was no more time, and he had only realized his
feelings once she had left. Once Dru had told him
that she was gone.
Love truly did
suck.
**************************************************************************************
Xander
precariously balanced the two sodas on top of the pizza box. Sliding past
She was slowly returning
to normal. Slowing becoming the girl that she had been before the rage and
sorrow had taken over her magic and she had tried to end the world.
“I can carry
something,” she smiled softly at him. “I’m not an invalid you know.”
“I know… it’s
just that I have everything balanced just so that if I move something…”
“You’ll drop it
all.”
“Exactamundo.”
“Did you think
Will was acting a little strange this morning?” she asked suddenly. She had
been meaning to bring it up all day but had kept forgetting. Another side
affect of her magical abuse. Her short-term memory sucked.
“No… seemed
fine…”
“He said he was
going to clean.”
“Well, okay, that
was a little strange… but you know since he got fired from the Doublemeat Palace he’s been kind of at loose ends,” Xander
shrugged.
“I think I heard
the phone ring last night,” she said softly glancing over at her best friend.
“You think he got
bad news or something?” Xander shook his head. “No he doesn’t keep secrets from
us any more… not after that whole mess with Buffy…”
“I don’t know… “
“Hey… precarious
juggling act going on here,” he protested trying to steady the sodas that were
wobbling.
“Xander,” she
muttered staring at the blonde.
“What?” he looked
around. “Who…” his eyes widened as he took in the woman standing a few short
feet away. Clad in a pair of light blue denim shorts and a white tank top, her
blond hair hanging to the middle of her back…
“Oh dear lord
that’s…” he sputtered.
“That’s Buffy…”
**************************************************************************************
“Will…”
“Did you guys
need to fly to
“What…” William
bounded down the stairs. “What’s going on? Is everyone okay?” he looked around
frantically. Checking both Xander and
“We…”
“We what?”
“Buffy,” Xander
said walking toward the kitchen, the others following. “We saw Buffy down on
William and Dawn
both looked out the window.
Bright, sunshiny
day.
No clouds in the
sky.
They both came to
the same conclusion.
Xander was
obviously delusional.
“Uh Xan…”
“Yeah, yeah it’s
day… believe me we know.”
“She was standing
in the sunlight…”
“How…” William
shook his head, eyes narrowing as he searched for the hidden punch line that he
obviously was just missing. “Did she go up in flames?”
“No,”
“That doesn’t
make any sense,” Dawn shook her head. “If she was back in town she would have
come to see me…”
“That’s just it,”
Xander leaned back against the sink. “She walked right past us,
“So we have a
Buffy running around town, in the sun… Gem of Amara?”
William shook his
head. “Dru destroyed it.”
“Then we’ve got a
problem.”
“I’ll call Giles…
and Dru. Maybe they’ll have some answers.”
**************************************************************************************
Chapter 2
Xander tossed the
book in his hands aside in frustration. “Gah! I don’t
even think that one’s in English,” he muttered running his hands over his
bleary eyes. “Why are we doing this again?”
“We’re just
looking for anything that might turn a vampire human… excluding a Mohra demon and Shanshu,” Will
said shooting a glare in Dru’s direction.
Their talk the
night before had centered on those two things, an angry talk that had
deteriorated to yelling when Dru had finally spilled
the beans about her prophecy. The
prophecy that stated that she would become human someday.
Then of course
the topic of Mohra demons had come up. William not
buying Dru’s story of how she knew exactly what the
demon’s blood was capable of… and the whole story had come spilling from her
lips. How the Thanksgiving several years prior had gone quite a bit differently
the first time around. That she had not so successfully defeated the demon and
ended up being turned human. How they had spent the day and night together, how
Doyle had received a vision of the demon not being dead and Dru
had gone to face it again… alone. How she’d gotten her ass kicked and would
have ended up dead if Will hadn’t shown up.
How she’d once
more made decisions for him. Going to the oracles to ask them to take the day
back, to make her a vampire once more and how the memories of that day had been
wiped from his memory and she’d let him go… again.
“Maybe it’s just
a girl that looks like Buffy… I mean a look-a-like… it happens,”
“This is the Hellmouth… home of not so coincidental coincidences,”
William murmured closing his own book, he relaxed back in his chair.
“William’s
correct,” Giles nodded pushing his chair back he stood removing his glasses as
he rubbed at the bridge of his nose he stopped suddenly. Staring at the front
of the store.
“Giles? You
okay?”
“Does one of you
work here?” a familiar English accented voice sounded from behind them.
“Dear lord,”
Giles breathed as the others turned in their seats. William slowly coming to
his feet as Anya plastered a smile on her face and stood.
“I do,” she
offered. “What can I help you with today?”
The girl smiled
softly. “A friend of mine called in an order…”
“Oh…” Anya glanced
back at the occupants of the table that were still gaping at the blonde as she
led her away. “What was the name?”
“Seti Anmarrylis…” Anya nodded
kneeling under the counter. She found the bag under the counter and remembered
the faintly African sounding young man that had called the order in. He’d been
in here before, buying similar items. But even without looking she could hear
the unspoken plea from the group at the table for her to wring as much
information as possible from the girl. “I don’t see it… maybe he put it under
your name since you were picking it up…?”
“Oh,” she
frowned. “I thought for sure…” she shook her head. “Try Bethany Davis,” she
offered.
“Here is is,” Anya said triumphantly ripping the tag with Seti’s name off she dropped the bag on the counter, Beth
frowning over her shoulder at the group at the table gawking at her.
“Are they okay?”
she asked softly. “They keep starin’ at me…”
“You’re new,”
Anya said brightly. “We don’t get many first time customers in here.”
“Oh… actually I
was going to go to the magic shop by the university,” Beth shrugged her
backpack off, setting it on the counter she unzipped it rifling through for her
wallet. “But Seti’s been here before and he’d already
phoned the order in…”
“You go to
Sunnydale U? I know some people that go there…”
“Yeah… I
transferred here about three months ago from University in
Anya laughed
handing her change over the counter, folding the bag and shoving it across.
“Tell Seti that we look forward to seeing him again,”
she smiled.
“Thank I will,”
Beth shoved the bag in her backpack, change in her pocket and with one more
glance at the table of assorted people that were still staring at her she shook her head and turned away. Departing
into the bright sunny day, pushing sunglasses on, backpack slung over her
shoulder the bell ringing as the door shut behind her.
“Oh my god,”
“That….” William
started shaking his head as he moved slowly to the front of the store. His eyes
following his old lovers steps down the street. Down the sunlit street.
“That was Buffy,” Dru
said stiffly her hands clenching and unclenching at her side as she stared at
nothing, trying to make sense of what was going on.
“How can you be
sure?” Giles asked shoving his glasses back on and turning his attention to the
ensouled vampire.
“She still smells
the same,” when everyone stared at her in incomprehension she sighed. “Her
scent, the way she smells to us, to me… it’s the same.”
“But she’s human…
I mean…” Xander waved his hands in the air. “We saw her, walking in from the
sun, no blanket in sight.”
“She’s human,” Dru agreed folding her arms over her chest. “Heartbeat and
all. And whatever made her human… well it must have took her memories as well.”
“What do you
mean?” Giles asked curiously.
“You didn’t see
it?” Dru muttered. “She didn’t know anybody in this
room, when she looked at us there was no sign, no spark of recognition on her
part… it was like she was seeing us all for the first time.”
“Bethany Davis…”
“What is it
Will?” William walked back to the table.
“I’ve heard that
name before… Anya didn’t she say she was going to Sunnydale U?”
“Yes… transferred
there three months ago from a University in
“I think she’s in
one my classes,”
“See what you can
find out about her then…”
“How do you
propose I do that? Walk up to her and say hey… I think I knew you when you were
a soulless vampire… how’ve you been?”
“I don’t know…
make friends with her or something… She said she was new in town…”
“Make friends?
With Buffy?”
“She’s not Buffy right
now Will, right now she’s
“Why don’t we
send Anya? The two of them were really hitting it off before she left,” Xander
muttered under his breath.
“Xander,” William
threw a glare in his direction. “Now is so not
the time to be bringing that up.”
“Okay, I’ll try
to make friends with the newly human vampire… but if she kills me I’m holding
you personally responsible for my
death. And I will come back and haunt
your ass.”
**************************************************************************************
Bethany Davis
frowned as she jiggled her key in the lock to her apartment. She knew Seti was in there. She could in fact hear the television going. But did he come to open the door for
her? Nope.
“Seti? I’m back,” she called as she dropped her keys on the
table by the door shrugging her backpack off.
“In here,” she
heard him call from the kitchen. Walking through the small two-bedroom
apartment she dangled the bag from her hands and smirked as she saw him
standing at the oven stirring some unrecognizable substance in a pan.
“I’m never going back to that magic store
again,” she said emphatically as she plopped her backpack on the table,
dropping herself into a chair she studied her best friend. The one that was
grinning at her.
“You didn’t like
Anya? I know she can take a bit to get used to, she’s sort of direct and all.”
“No Anya was
fine,” Beth sighed running fingers through her hair. “It was the other
customers…”
“Did they make
fun of you sweet?” Seti grinned as he turned his
attention back to his pot. Frowning as he realized that it wasn’t doing what it
was supposed to.
“No… they were
staring at me… You’d think by the way they were gawkin’
and all that they’d never seen a British female before.”
“Maybe they
haven’t.”
“Funny pet,” Beth
scowled. Stretching in her chair she crossed her arms on the table resting her
head on them as she watched Seti mutter at his pot of
whatever.
“Tired?”
“Not really… just
feel off or somethin’… Maybe I’ll go for a swim.”
“Good… I should
have this done when you get back… we’ll get rid of those nightmares yet,” he
promised.
“Thanks Seti,” she said softly a wry smile crossing her face
suddenly. “I don’t deserve a friend as good as you.”
“Yes you do… your
mum and dad asked my dad to look after you. Now that he’s gone it’s my turn.”
“Sometimes…” Beth
stood shaking her head, memories flickering in and out of her head.
“Sometimes what?”
he asked opening her backpack and removing the bag as he studied her. Her eyes
distant and hazy as she shook her head, trying to retain the fleeting vision.
When she sighed again, her shoulder slumping in defeat he felt a twinge of
sadness for her.
“I wish I that I
could remember them, wish I had more than photos and your stories to remind me
of who they were.”
“The doctors all
said it would take time,” he crossed the room to her, wrapping his arms around
her still frame drawing her into a loose hug. “You’ll remember them in time
“Sometimes I
wonder if I’ll ever be…” she said mumbled into his T-shirt rubbing her forehead
against his shoulder.
“Of course you
will, just don’t rush yourself. You’ll remember everything in time,” Seti backed away from her cupping her cheeks in his hand.
“I have faith in you.”
“Thanks Seti,” she smiled softly at him. “I don’t know what I’d do
without you.”
“Well luckily you
won’t have to find out cause I’m not going anywhere,” he kissed her forehead
before turning and pushing her towards the door. “Now go take your swim, I’ll
finish my tea thing, we’ll take care of your nightmares and everything will be
fine.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
**************************************************************************************
Seti Anmarrylis
lived in hell.
He was absolutely
sure of it as he listened to
He was betraying
a woman that he had become quite attached to over the course of the last three
months.
Every time he
picked up the phone… as he was currently doing.
And dialing the
number, concentrating intently to make sure he got the country code correct… as
he was currently doing.
He was betraying
the young woman who even now was shrugging off her robe and diving into the
pool. The woman that trusted him with her life.
“It’s me,” he
said softly as he glanced towards the closed front door. Crossing with the
cordless phone in his hand he secured the lock once more.
“Mr. Anmarrylis… how is your young charge?” the faintly
sarcastic voice came across the phone.
“She’s fine… she
went for a swim…”
“Good and the
first phase?”
“Is complete.”
“And how did it go?
Did they recognize her? Did she recognize them?”
“From the way she
behaved I would say that they recognized her, she refuses to return to the
Magic Box,” Seti stated quietly.
“And the girl?
Did she recognize them?”
“No, but…”
“Excellent, then
we can continue on with Phase 2.”
“Do you believe
it wise sir? To confront her with Angelus so soon after…”
“I make the
decisions in this matter Mr. Anmarrylis, do not
forget your place like your father did.
A lot of time and energy has gone into making sure that the vampire
formerly known as
“Yes Mr.
Travers.”
“We will proceed
as planned. The Clan of Aurelius is aware that a member of their family is
gone. Mr. Giles has reported that Druscilla is in town on a personal matter, I
believe that personal matter to be this newly discovered look-a-like to their
lost ‘family’ member,” Quentin laughed harshly. Seti
wisely bit his tongue to keep himself from reminding Travers that Rupert Giles
was once more a member of the Watchers Council. “Angelus has also gotten
information that a look-a-like to his lover is in Sunnydale.”
“You believe that
he’ll attempt to turn her again.” Seti stated. A fact
he knew and didn’t like.
“Yes, I believe
that he will also be unsuccessful, you’ve said that Ms. Davis has retained her
strength and agility.”
“I reported that
she retained most of her strength and
agility… But not nearly enough to fight a vampire, especially not one reported
to be as strong as Angelus is.”
“Your objections
are noted Mr. Anmarrylis but we will proceed.”
“Mr. Travers…” he
protested pacing in front of the couch.
“If you in any
way, shape or form try to interfere you will be removed from your position as
Watcher to Ms. Davis. The Watcher’s Council will not have a repeat of the
debacle of William Summer’s Cruciamentium… Have I
made myself clear?”
“Yes sir.” Yes you’ve made yourself abundantly clear.
**************************************************************************************
Because
regardless of what Seti said she knew that forcing
herself to remember her past was the only way she was going to remember it.
At night, when
she was asleep, in her nightmares she had visions of blood, gore, viciousness.
Of white fangs sinking into pale skin. Of pain, humiliation.
Then she had
dreams. Highly erotic dreams of a man with chocolate brown eyes that watched
her with a mixture of adoration and anger.
And a different
man with eyes as blue as the ocean, his eyes filled with lust and hatred.
Both touching
her… neither loving her.
And even to
herself she couldn’t decide which she loved or hated the most.
For a while now
she had the strong suspicion that her nightmares had nothing to do with what
had happened to her parents, to her baby sister as she had been told.
She’d had the
strong suspicion that Seti was lying through his
teeth to her. And for the life of her she couldn’t figure out why.
Unless she’d had
something to do with what had actually claimed the life of her family… she
couldn’t figure out why Seti would lie to her.
She had to
wonder, at times like this when she felt so disoriented, if anything she had
been told since regaining consciousness in a hospital in London had been even
close to the truth. Because she knew without a shadow of a
doubt that she had not been injured in London.
And she’d
realized that long before she’d tuned into the nurses babbling on about her.
And then there
was this town.
Sunnydale
California.
Just the name had
filled her with a sense of foreboding that she couldn’t shake as soon as Seti had told her where they were going. What college she
had been enrolled in.
The nightmares
she’d had prior to coming to this godforsaken town had been few and far
between. The first night they had spent here she had spent in a constant state
of hysteria.
Hysteria which
she had gotten quite good at masking since she didn’t trust Seti
as much as she used to.
Another feeling
she didn’t like.
She had no one
that she trusted at the moment.
Her best friend
was quite possibly using her… or at the very least involved in covering up what
had really happened to her and her family.
She didn’t think
she’d ever felt this alone.
The feeling that
she was being watched came on suddenly, so suddenly that she stopped midlap, treading water as she scanned the fence line around
the pool, the doors the building, the balconies of the apartments.
Eyes narrowed,
darting into every possible crevice that an attacker could come from.
She found
nothing, moving slowly to the ladder she pulled herself out of the water.
Nonchalantly she walked from the edge of the pool to where she had laid her
towel and robe. Toweling herself off as she continued to look around.
Finding nothing
she shook her head. Maybe she was just overtired. The constant strain of her
nightly nightmares not dissipating she had instead taken to staying up as late
as possible. Tiring herself out by working on schoolwork, doing laps in the
pool, working out in the little gym the apartment building offered.
Sometime she even
surfed the net on the computer that Seti had bought
as an early birthday present for her.
Pulling her robe
on she carried her towel loosely in one hand and walked toward the door slowly.
Her gait easy and casual as she rubbed her hair with a towel.
Of course maybe Seti’s little potion would actually work tonight and she
wouldn’t have to do any of that stuff.
**************************************************************************************
Chapter 3
William watched
as she slowly walked inside the building. He knew that she’d sensed him, had
watched from where the trees hid him from her view as she scanned the area. Her
posture stiff and unyielding she had seemed to relax but he knew that it was
just a front.
She could sense
him just as he could sense her.
A not unpleasant
sensation of tingling along the skin. A feeling that someone was there even
when they were not within view.
To say he’d been
surprised when he’d seen her in the Magic Box would have been a gross
understatement. But he had no better word besides maybe shock to explain his
reactions.
When he’d seen
her walked into the store from the sunlight, glasses perched on the tip of her
nose, backpack slung over her shoulder looking every bit the College student
that she claimed to be.
He’d thought that
that he couldn’t be any more surprised until he’d arrived at the address that
Anya had given him in confidence and saw her doing laps in the pool.
Watching her
slice evenly through the water he had to wonder if there was anything left of
the vampiress that had once claimed to love him. That
had attacked him.
Because looking
at her, seemingly relaxed, her body tan and fit; water dripping from her skin
he couldn’t see the Buffy that he thought he’d known. The Buffy that had been
his lover and who’d sworn that she would never leave.
Until she had.
Casting one more
look at the now quiet building he sighed, turning on his heel as he prepared to
leave.
He knew without a
shadow of a doubt that Dawn would be anxiously waiting for any information on
the vampire that she had claimed as a friend.
Even her attack
on him had only quelled Dawn’s feelings for the chipped vampire for a few short
months.
Whatever bond had
been forged while he’d been dead was true and strong and he only hoped that
Buffy in the guise she had assumed would still feel those emotions for his
sister.
The walk to his
house was quick, his mind filled with possible scenarios of what had happened
to Buffy when she’d left Sunnydale.
At first he’d
thought that perhaps she’d made a wish to the newly re-demonized Anyanka.
Had actually
pulled the vengeance demon aside and accused her of that very thing.
But Anya had
sworn up and down that although she’d attempted to get Buffy to make one,
hoping that she’d give Anya what everyone else wouldn’t.
A wish for
something foul to happen to Xander. All of this said, of course, with narrowed
eyes glaring directly at her ex-fiancé.
Will had to
wonder if Xander even knew how close he’d come to actually being cursed.
Because Anya had
admitted that Buffy had almost made they wish Anya was looking for. After
Xander had attacked her with the ax, after Buffy had told both Xander and Anya
that William and she had been lovers, after Xander’s
harsh words and his own she had been so close.
But Anya had
stopped her.
William had made
her stop her storytelling right there. That night was a sore spot with many
members of the Scoobies.
Including him.
The fact that Buffy
and Anya’d had sex that night had made him slightly
more jealous than he would ever own
up to.
Although from the
look that Anya had cast at him he had a feeling that she, at least, knew that
he cared more than he would admit to.
“So? So?” Dawn
flung open the door attacking him as he walked up on the porch. “Was it her? It
was, wasn’t it?” she chortled excitedly bouncing from one foot to the other as
she followed him back into the house.
“Dawn,” William shook
her off. Smiling wryly he entered the living room. He was unsurprised to see
their entire collection of friends spread out around the room.
They all had to
know where he would disappear to as soon as Anya had supplied him with the
address.
Dru arched a brow as he flopped down on the
couch, running his hands through his hair he avoided looking at her.
Even though they
were no longer together she could still read him like a book and the jumbled
tangle of emotions lodged in his chest was confusing enough to him.
He didn’t need Dru or anyone else trying to tell him how he felt.
He was an adult
he should at least be able to muddle through this by himself.
“So?” Giles
queried from where he was sitting in one of the dining room table chairs that
had been pulled into the living room.
William frowned
at him, then glanced around the room. The conglomeration of people in his home
were all staring at him expectantly. Some with apprehension, some with
excitement.
Actually only
Dawn was looking at him with excitement… and maybe Giles but that was most
likely just because this was a once in a lifetime situation for the Watcher.
Vampire turned
human. He was probably writing his paper in his head right at that moment.
Everyone else
though was eyeing him as if wondering if he had staked her immediately upon
finding her.
“What do you want
to know?”
“You found her
right?” Xander asked stiffly his eyes remaining locked on his best friends.
“What did she say? Did she tell you how she became human?”
Near him Anya was
fidgeting nervously. Probably wondering what Xander would do if he found out
exactly where Buffy was staying.
“Yeah I found
her…”
“And?”
“And what? You
just wanted me to walk up to some poor girl who has absolutely no clue who the hell I am and ask her how she became human and why she changed her
name?”
“So you didn’t
even confront her,” Dru stated quietly her eyes
steady on Will’s face.
“No. I figure
Willow’s going to do the friend thing and we’ll go from there.”
“I can’t believe
you want me to make friends with her,” Willow muttered. “That’s going way above
and beyond the call of friendship.”
**************************************************************************************
Gone was the red
and black that she normally wore. Right now the vampire, former, was wearing a
pair of blue denim shorts and a sky blue tank top.
Sneakers instead
of combat boots.
And the bleach
blonde hair had, it looked like, been changed back to what her original hair
color had been. A sort of light brown.
All in all Beth
was a far cry visually from Buffy and Willow had to keep from openly gaping at
the transformation.
Because she
looked normal. She looked like someone that Willow might even have been friends
with if she didn’t know about her past.
Plus she was
really smart.
She answered the
questions asked of her with ease and comfort. Jotted notes in her notebook and
paid strict attention to the instructor at the front of the room, her attention
never wavering.
Willow didn’t
know much about Buffy’s life before she had been turned. Had ever really been
interested in what Buffy had been like as a human.
But she had to
wonder if she hadn’t been a scholar or something. Back in the 1800’s when she’d
been turned women had normally not been educated to the degree they were in
current times. But she also knew from things that Dawn had let slip that she
had been a poet. And for the life of her Willow couldn’t wrap her mind around
Buffy the poet and Buffy the vampire.
They seemed to be
two totally separate entities.
As class ended
Willow hung back, shoving her books in her bag she tapped her fingers on the
desk as she waited for two males that had approached Buffy/Beth as soon as
class had ended.
Watching her
interact with them Willow could tell immediately that while the men were
interested Buffy/Beth was so not.
She smiled as she
talked to them. But that smile didn’t reach her eyes and she busied herself
with packing her stuff up as they finally took the hint and left her alone.
With a heavy sigh
Willow pushed herself to her feet and slowly approached the girl.
“Hi,” she smiled,
Beth looking up at her. “You probably don’t remember me… I was in the Magic Box
yesterday…”
“Oh…” a wary look
crossed her face as she looked Willow up and down.
Willow frowned
inwardly as she cursed. Remembering that they had all been
stunned the previous day. Staring at the girl as if
she was on display. Silently she berated herself as she plunged ahead
hurriedly. “Yeah… I wanted to apologize. You know for how we all acted… it’s
just you look so much like a… girl that we used to know that it kind of floored
us. Then I remembered you telling Anya that you were going to school here so
when I saw you I thought I’d just… you know apologize… so you know that we’re
not insane.”
“We’ve been in
the same class for three months.”
“I know… I’ve
kind of been strictly focused on just getting through my classes. Last year
was… my girlfriend died and things have been… hard, awkward.”
“I’m sorry…” Beth
smiled softly. “I’ve been the same way.”
“You lost someone
close to you?”
“My family… my
parents and sister were killed a few months ago,” the smile faded from Beth’s
eyes as they took on a haunted look.
“I’m…”
“No… I didn’t say
that so you could…” she sighed as she slung her backpack over her shoulder.
“It must have
been hard,” Willow said softly.
“Yeah, it was.”
Beth looked down before returning her gaze to Willow as she forced a smile to
her cross her lips. “I had Seti though, and his
father before he passed away. So at least I wasn’t alone.”
“I had my
friends… and my family… Enough depressing stuff,” Willow grinned trying to
banish the thoughts of Tara that were currently flooding her mind.
Willow followed
her as they left the classroom, walking silently down the hall side by side she
struggled to find something to say that wouldn’t have one or both of them
sobbing in the bathroom.
“So… why
Sunnydale U?”
“What?”
“Sunnydale’s not
really the tourist capital of the world, we don’t normally get a lot of out of towners.” At least
not human ones, she added silently.
“Seti… the company he works for transferred him… he and his
father had been taking care of me since the car accident so when he moved I did
to,” Beth shrugged.
“Well why don’t
we go get a cappuccino and you can tell me all about living in England… I’ve
always wanted to go.”
“Great… I’ll just
warn you now though… I really don’t remember much.”
**************************************************************************************
“Seti I’m home,” Beth called tossing her keys on the table
as she closed the door behind her.
“How was your
day?” Seti grinned from his position in front of the
TV.
“Probably no
where as productive as yours was…”
“American soap
operas…”
“Did you tape
Passions? If you forgot again…”
“No, no I taped
it… I think there’s some subliminal programming going on with these soaps
though. I’ve never watched one before I came here and now I have shakes if I
miss it just one day.”
“Yes but fortunately
pet,” Beth dropped her bag on the floor by the couch as she flopped down next
to him. “If you miss one day it doesn’t matter much in the scheme in things. I
missed Passions for months while I was in the bloody hospital and when I
finally got to see it again not much had changed.”
“And then there’s
those magazines that tell you everything that’s going to happen… So how were
your classes.”
“They were good…
made a friend today,” she murmured laying her head against the back of the
couch. Eyes closed she tapped her foot on the floor, trying to relax… because
all of a sudden her skin was crawling uncontrollably.
“That’s good,
it’s about time you pulled yourself out of this funk you’ve been in.”
Beth cracked one
eye open and managed a glare that had Seti squirming
in his seat.
“I’m just saying,
since your family’s deaths you’ve managed to shut yourself down. It’ll be nice
for you to have someone besides me to talk to.”
“Right, because I
just have so much to talk about,” she muttered sarcastically.
“Eventually your
memories will come back, it might be better for you when it happens for you to
have someone that didn’t know your family to talk to about them.”
“What aren’t you
telling me Seti?” Beth asked quietly.
“Nothing… I just…
forget I mentioned anything,” Seti sighed stretching
his arms over his head as he stood. “Are you hungry?”
**************************************************************************************
He knew the
moment she had been changed.
Knew the moment
that the path that he’d so carefully set about destroying had been repaired.
Darla and
Druscilla may have not believed that his Wild One had a greater destiny. They
had not believed that she was anything more than a toy. A toy designed to keep
him occupied when both of them were and could not tend to him.
The first time
he’d seen her he’d known her destiny. It glowed brightly within her, managing
to even shine through the pain she was in at the time.
And she had no
clue. No idea of what she would have accomplished if he hadn’t taken her in
hand.
Hadn’t changed
her path and lined her with him.
It was a secret
that he had never shared with anyone. Not Darla, not Dru.
The two that he had shared so much with he had not told a whisper of the path
to.
But someone had
undid all his precious work. Had realigned her path… a path that would lead her
once more directly into the Slayers life… and quite possibly his arms.
Unless the path
was once more undone.
With a thin smile
and narrowed eyes he gazed up at the window that currently housed his lover.
For the Slayer
life was about to get very, very interesting.
**************************************************************************************
Chapter 4
Beth waited patiently
outside the small two story suburban house. Whatever had possessed her to agree
to a study session with Willow had now passed. Leaving her
feeling slightly apprehensive.
Shifting
uncomfortably on her feet she debated the wisdom of just fleeing and telling
Willow at their next class that she had forgotten about.
She’d only rang
the doorbell once. The chances of someone decreased with every passing second
and for a moment she hoped, seemingly futilely that Willow had forgotten.
Futilely because as
soon as she had made the decision to turn on her heel the door was flung open
and a young man, with the most incredible blue eyes… she knew those eyes from
somewhere… was staring at her.
Actually gaping
at her might be the more apt description she decided as she pushed aside the
recognition she felt upon seeing those eyes.
“Um… hi…?” she
smiled weakly at him. “I’m… I was supposed to meet Willow for a study session?”
“Oh… oh yeah,”
William had to forcefully shout at himself to shut the mouth he knew was
hanging open. And he only hoped that he didn’t look as stunned as he thought he
did.
Great first impression… You idiot! he berated himself.
He’d seen her
twice in her new guise. Hell when they’d been lovers he’d seen her in nothing
and never been as tongue-tied as he was right at that moment.
She was actually
here. Standing in front of him.
Waiting
for her to let him into his house so she could study with Willow.
“She’s upstairs,”
he mumbled holding the door to allow her to move past him into the house. He
only felt a momentary twinge of shock when he realized that she was standing
right behind him.
In a fit of anger
after everything that had happened he’d had Giles do the disinvite
on the house again.
And now finding her
standing behind him, shutting the door as she slid her backpack off her
shoulder was disconcerting to say the least.
She was really,
truly human.
“I’m Beth,” she
smiled extending her hand as she dropped her backpack on the floor next to her
feet. Her smile wavered as he continued to stare at her, and as she moved to
drop her hand back to her side just as William reached out to take it.
“William,” he
tried to smile back at her, he really truly did. But from the expression of
concern on her face he had to wonder if he looked ill or something. And then
all thoughts flew from his mind as he felt the sharp bolt of electricity as
their hands met.
“Static,” she
mused rubbing her hand against the rough jean material of her shorts. “Are you
okay?” she asked quizzically her eyes narrowing as she studied him.
“No… sorry… it’s
just,” he waved a hand at her as he realized that he sounded incoherent even to
his ears. “You just look exactly like this girl I used to know.”
“I’ve been
getting that a lot lately,” she grinned wryly. “Hey Willow,” she waved as the
redhead moved down the stairs. “I’m a little early.”
“I see that… Did
you two meet?” Willow glanced anxiously between the two. While she saw no
visible sign that Beth had recognized William, Will on the other hand looked as
if he was going to go fall into a fit of apoplexy.
“Yeah we did…
shook hands and everything,” Beth picked her backpack up and followed Willow
into the dining room where she had all her books spread out. “Are you sure he’s
well?” she asked softly as she set her bag on a chair and began pulling her own
books out. “He looks kind of ill.”
“He’s fine,”
Willow said anxiously glancing over her shoulder at where William was hovering
in the doorway. Arching her brow at him she jerked her head in an unspoken
signal that indicated that he should go away before he made Beth any more
suspicious.
**************************************************************************************
“Did you know
that she’s downstairs in our dining room studying with
Which she’d
decided to do, he’d at least be good for an explosive reaction to Buffy/Beth
being in their house. But she’d been standing in his doorway for a good ten
minutes, waiting for some small sign that her brother was even aware of her
presence.
Which he
obviously wasn’t because she’d been forced to watch him stare blankly at the
wall. When she’d spoken his head had actually jerked in surprise.
And it definitely
wasn’t easy to sneak up on the Slayer.
“She doesn’t
remember anything,” he said softly. “Not a damn thing about everything that
happened between us.”
“That’s a good
thing… right?” Dawn asked quietly moving into his room. Perching on the bed
next to him she studied his face.
He seemed almost…
disappointed in the fact that Beth Davis remembered nothing about her life as
the vampire Buffy.
“I mean… things
were never that great between the two
of you. At least this way you can start over with a clean slate.”
“What and pretend
that the last couple of years didn’t happen?” Will asked in disbelief.
“Do you really
want her to remember what she did as a vampire? Remember what she did to you? I
mean she attacked you Will…” Dawn muttered picking at the comforter adorning
her brother’s bed.
“I honestly don’t
know,” the bewilderment at how he felt was prevalent in his voice and on his
face. “I just… I thought she’d at least remember something… god I sound like an idiot even to my own ears.”
“She didn’t
remember me either Will… when I came in and Willow introduced as she just
smiled politely and went right back to her books… I mean I didn’t get a ‘how
you been Niblet’, ‘what have you grown another two
inches pigeon’ nothing at all…”
“And that doesn’t
bother you?”
“Sure… but I know
that somewhere in there is Buffy and when she works through whatever happened
to her she’ll remember us.”
“And what if she
doesn’t? What if Buffy never comes back and we have Beth forever?”
“Well then that’s
good to right? I mean at least she’s still here, she can’t help you fight like
she used to but at least she’s not dust either.”
“I guess.”
“You just thought
it would be easier to pick up where you left off if she at least knew who you
were…”
“Who said I wanted
anything to do with Buffy? Maybe I haven’t forgiven her yet?” he asked sharply,
glaring at the little sister that was even now laughing at him.
Dawn shot him
what he affectionately called her ‘duh’ look. Funny but it was cuter when it
wasn’t aimed directly at him. “Please… you forgave her months ago Will. Besides you can’t tell me that the moment that you
knew for sure that she was human, that it wasn’t some sick joke that the
thought didn’t cross your mind. I mean there’s nothing standing in your way
now. No bad memories, no ‘she gets that chip out she’ll kill us all’, no ‘she’s
an evil, soulless vampire’, no ‘she’s tried to kill me more times that I care
to count’…”
“I think you
covered that one under the ‘evil, soulless vampire’ one,” Will interjected with
a thin smile. “It’s just it’ll all be different now… At least with Buffy I sort
of had something in common… I mean it was a weak something but it was something
at least… but with this Beth…” he shook his head sighing loudly. “She seems to
be really smart, at least that’s what Wills says.”
“Well you won’t
know unless you actually talk to her,” Dawn said pushing herself to her feet as
she held out her hand. “Besides it’s time for dinner, you can order pizza,
invite her to stay, strike up a conversation… maybe ask her out on a date…”
“Dawn…” Will started warningly.
“What?… I’m just saying…”
**************************************************************************************
“I meant to ask
you yesterday but I forgot… you were in the magic shop buying supplies and all,
are you a practicing witch or something?” Willow asked suddenly. Wincing as she
realized how brittle her voice sounded to her ears.
“Me?” Beth
laughed dropping her pen on the table as she leaned back in her chair staring
up at the ceiling. “Yeah right… my friend Seti does
some little stuff. Minor spells and such… why are you?”
“Not any more,”
Willow said softly rubbing her hands together uncomfortably under the table. “I
used to though…”
“Seti, he only does small things, potions and the such. He’s
working on one now to help me with nightmares…”
“You have
nightmares?” Willow asked in surprise.
“Yeah, the car
accident,” Beth glanced over at her new friend her eyes haunted. “I’m told it
was brutal although I don’t really remember. Don’t really remember much of
anything. Anyway I was in a coma for a while after, then physical therapy.”
“I’m sorry,”
Willow said softly. “It must have been horrible.”
“Yeah…”
“Hey Will you hungry?
Dawn says it’s time to order pizza,” William said as he and Dawn walked into
the dining room. “You’re welcome to stay,” he directed at Beth. Frowning
slightly when she shook her head.
“I should really
go anyway, Seti’s cooking and I’m already going to be
late as it is,” she said as she gathered her books, shoving them into her
backpack.
“Are you sure?
You can call if you want, tell him you’re eating here,” William offered, hoping
that the desperation to keep her there just a bit longer wasn’t obvious in his
voice.
“Thanks anyway…
maybe some other time?” Beth asked as pushed her chair back.
“Sure,” Will
nodded, ignoring the grin lighting Dawn’s face in favor for rushing forward.
He could see it
happening almost a split second before it did, saw Beth grin and push herself
to her feet, saw her sway slightly as she pressed a hand to her forehead, saw
her crumpling even as he caught her within the safety of his arms. Lowering her
slowly to the floor.
“I…” she started
as she shook her head. “So sorry… don’t know…” she was saying as she looked up
at him, their eyes locking as she trailed off her mouth hanging open as voices
assaulted her.
His voice.
“I’m using you…”
“Not really complaining here…”
“And you wonder why I could never love
you.”
“Beth?” William’s
worried face swam before her eyes as he knelt before her. He had never, ever
looked at her like that.
Like he cared.
That’s all she’d
ever wanted… some tiny indication
that he cared about her. That he could at some point and time let himself go
enough to love her as much as she loved him.
But he never had.
She shook her
head again trying to rid of it that errant thought. She didn’t know him. Why
would she think she loved him?
“Are you okay?”
she heard Willow’s voice from far away.
“Oh god,” she
uttered as she pushed William’s arm away attempting to stand by her volition.
“Beth… are you
okay? Maybe you should sit back down,” he clutched at her arm. Holding her
upright as her legs threatened to give out from under her again.
“I’m fine… stood
up to fast or somethin’,” she mumbled.
She didn’t know
him. She had never before set foot in this town else Seti
would have told her.
Would he? A small voice whispered in the back of
her mind. You know he’s keeping secrets
from you. What’s one more?
She didn’t know these people. Couldn’t know these
people that lived in this crazy town. She’d never been here before so she did not know this man, with his beautiful eyes
and gentle hands that was acting as if he cared for her.
But every
particle of being her body insisted that she did.
She knew him very
well.
“I have to go,”
she backed away. Her vision still hazy, her legs still weak she keenly felt the
loss of his hands as they dropped from her arms. He’d never touched her with the gentleness that had been evident in that
one touch.
What the bloody hell was going on here?
“Beth I think…”
“I’ll see you
later,” she muttered to Willow as she turned and fled. Moving as fast as
wavering vision and legs that felt like they were made of pasta would let her.
“Well…that was
interesting,” Dawn said softly.
“Will what do you
think…?”
“Call Giles… I
think… I mean I can’t be sure but I think she might of had a flash of a memory
or something,” Will said absently staring out the open door.
**************************************************************************************
Beth flew through
the apartment. Seti nowhere to be found and for the
first time she had only a momentary thought of where he could be in a town full
of people he didn’t know.
Slamming the door
of her bedroom shut she collapsed against the door, sinking to the floor as
tears that she’d been holding back finally fell from her eyes.
She was not that
person. That thing that she’d seen in
her memories even as she ran from the Summers’ home to the apartment.
How could he even
stand to touch her after what she’d done?
Her backpack slid
from her hands as she crawled across the floor, staring at herself in the door
length mirror that hung outside her closet.
“Who are you?”
she whispered.
Her reflection of
course did not respond.
**************************************************************************************
Chapter 5
The remaining Scoobies and Dru’s group gathered
around the dining room table in the Summers’ home as
William,
Giles held
forgotten glasses in one hand as he watched his Slayer pace circles in around
the table.
“You’re sure
that’s she’s beginning to regain her memories?” he asked again. Frowning as he
saw William roll his eyes and glance over at where
Willow and Dawn were sitting.
“We’re not sure,” William stated waving his hands in
the air. “But…”
“Well did she say
anything?”
“Like what? I’ve
remembered that I used to be a bloodsucking demon that killed hundreds of
people… No she didn’t say anything.”
“Then what led
you to believe that…”
“You didn’t see
her face Giles,” Willow said softly. “She looked terrified… besides she
couldn’t get out of here fast enough. She could barely stand but she bolted
before we had a chance to stop her.”
“Do you think
she’ll try to hurt herself?”
“Buffy was never
one to hurt herself, she would take her pain out on somebody else,” Dru interjected. “But this Beth that she believes herself
to be… she might…”
“We need to find
her then… if she is indeed regaining her memories she’ll need to be someplace
safe, among friends that can help her, that understand her.”
“And that’s us?”
Xander scoffed. “Why don’t you just let her buddy… what’s his name… Seti take care of her? He at least can call himself her
friend.”
“I agree with
Xander,” Cordy muttered. “If we were meant to help her don’t you think I would
have gotten a vision telling us to?”
“Or maybe the
powers that be thought that we were good enough that we would actually extend a
helping hand to someone that so obviously needs our help,” Willow said with
narrowed eyes. “Besides he could be involved in whatever happened to her.”
“You talked to
her Willow. Did she say anything that
would tell us what happened to her when she left Sunnydale?” Giles asked as he
took a seat at the table.
“That’s just it… whatever
messed with her memories… it took out her old ones and replaced them. Before
Will and Dawn came down she was telling me about these nightmares she has,
about the car accident that killed her parents and her sister. She was in a
coma, had to learn how to walk again. That’s not how I remember Buffy’s parents
dying,” Willow turned to Dru for confirmation.
“You’re right… we
killed her family after Angelus turned her.”
“Willow maybe you
should call her? Find out if she made it home safely,” Giles said as he stood
once more.
“Already did,
that guy… Seti told me that she was sleeping. That
he’d give her the message when she got up.”
“Good then we…”
Giles was cut off by the sound of Cordy’s cry as her
chair skittered backwards and her body fell to the floor in convulsions.
“Oh god!” Dru rushed to her side, Giles and William a split second
after her.
When the seers’
body stopped shaking, when her eyes slowly opened she gazed up at Dru with panic stricken eyes.
“Buffy…” she
gasped, clutching at her neck. The vision had been so real, so vivid that she
had a feeling that if she drew her hand away she would find twin pinpricks from
vampire fangs and blood. “I saw a vampire attacking her, killing her.”
“Did you
recognize the vampire? Where the attack was taking place?” William asked
evenly. He’d known that he should never have let her leave the house.
Beth seemed to be
just like Buffy.
Destined to wind
up in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“It looked like
an alley, maybe that one behind the mini-mart… and the vampire…”
“Did you
recognize who it was Cordy?” Dru asked even as she
was standing. The unspoken words filling Cordy’s eyes
answering her question before she even got the words out of her mouth.
“It was Angelus…
Angelus was attacking her.”
**************************************************************************************
Someone really
didn’t like her much Beth decided as she clutched the bag containing her carton
of ice cream to her chest.
She was almost
sure she was being followed. Could feel someone silently behind her even though
when she turned there was no one there.
And to think that
the evening’d had such a promising start.
She’d cried for a
while and by the time Seti had returned home she’d
had her emotions under firm control again. A bit of Seti’s
special tea, a quick cat nap and the world once more had resumed its natural
order.
Vampires? And she
had actually thought that she was one. Or had been one.
With a shake of
her head she banished that thought, vampires were imaginary monsters. The real
ones were drunk humans that ran a family car off the road.
Killing the
entire family with the exception of the eldest daughter.
Stilling suddenly
she whirled quickly her eyes darting into the crevices of the alley she was
walking through.
She knew that
she’d heard footsteps.
Maybe she should
have listened to Seti and ate first.
Then at least she
wouldn’t be out at night by herself.
Stretching she slid out of bed, glancing
out the window she saw that night had fallen while she had been sleeping. She
was a little surprised that Seti had let her sleep as
long as he had.
Normally he woke her to eat, complaining
that she was to thin, needed to put some meat on her bones.
“Nice nap?” Seti
grinned as she wandered into the kitchen stifling a yawn behind her hand.
“Yeah…” she shrugged, wrinkling her nose
as she sniffed the pot of soup that he was cooking. Frowning she moved over to
the freezer.
She was in the mood for ice cream.
“Hungry?”
“Not for that,” she rifled through the
boxes and packages shelved in the compartment. “Smell’s like old socks.”
“It’s chicken noodle soup…” Seti glared at the pot. “At least it was supposed to be,
maybe the can was expired.”
“We have any ice cream?” she queried as
she turned back to him. “I’m in the mood for ice cream.”
“Think we finished the last of that box of
mint chocolate chip last night.”
Glancing at the pot that Seti was still busy over she gnawed on her bottom lip. “I’m
going to run down to the store, pick some up… Will that hold ‘til I get back?”
“Yeah I s’pose.
Why don’t we eat first then I’ll go with you?”
“It’ll just take a minute… I’ll be back
before you know it.”
“Alright look
here,” she started. “I’m really not in the mood to do this, my ice creams meltin’ and dinners waitin’.”
“I think that
you’ll be just a little late for dinner,” a tall dark haired man separated from
the shadows. Moving forward until he was standing before her he studied her
face. “My poor Buffy… so confused…” he said as he reached out a hand to stroke
her cheek.
“That… that’s not
my name,” she protested backing away. Shock covering her features when her back
hit the brick wall, eyes flitting desperately as she tried to inch her way down
the wall.
Away from him.
“Not any more,” he
agreed as his other hand shot out and gripped her arm, stilling her movements.
“But once it was,” he pressed the line of his body against hers. The hand that
had been stroking her cheek dropping to her hip. Holding her tightly against
him. “And it will be again.”
“I think you’ve
got the wrong girl,” she said desperately struggling against him. Surprised
when she actually was able to loosen his grip on her momentarily.
“No,” he pressed
his lips against her cheek, nibbling a path down the line of her jawbone,
settling on her neck. “No I don’t think so.”
She stiffened as
she felt him lick her neck, her hands moving to his chest preparing to push him
away.
The driving pain
of teeth in her neck shocked her and she cried out, pushing with all her might
against him. With a final shove she drove him away and her hand went to her
neck, he had bit her.
He had drawn
blood from her.
“What the hell?!”
she yelled. “Are you nuts or something?!” Backing away from him she idly
realized that she had dropped her bag somewhere, then her eyes widened in shock
when he moved once more out of the shadows.
Ridges in full
view, lips drawn back so that razor sharp fangs were exposed.
“Oh my god,” she
gasped out, turning on her heel to run. Stopped by a hand on her arm she pushed
him away, the fact that she had been strong enough to do so not even
registering in her mind.
A few more steps
had dizziness assailing her and she cursed herself. She had no idea how much
blood he’d managed to take before she’d pushed him away the first time.
She slid down the
wall her vision hazy as she watched him climb to his feet, stalking back over
to her.
“Angelus!” she
heard a female voice call just as her eyes fluttered shut and she slumped to
the ground.
**************************************************************************************
William hadn’t
felt that particular thread of terror coursing through his body since that
fight with Glory. Since he’d gotten to the top of the terror only to find that Doc
had already sliced into his baby sister and she was bleeding.
He had been
terrified then. And his only thought had been of saving Dawn.
But the run from
his house to the alley, Dru on his heels he had been
terrified.
And angry.
What was the
point of making Buffy human if they were just going to allow Angelus to turn
her again? Was it some cruel joke? Were the powers even now laughing at him?
When they’d got
to the alley and found Angelus stalking towards her, saw her on the ground her
eyes wide in shock, one hand pressed to the neck that he just knew was bleeding
he felt fury unlike any other.
He vaguely heard Dru shout at Angelus through the roaring in his head before
he growled and ran, stake in hand at the vampire male.
Only to be shoved
aside by Dru. He crouched low as he Dru stood between him and her childe, her hands out in
front of her as she faced him.
“What are you
doing?” he snarled. “He bit her!”
“I know he bit
her Will, I can smell the blood. But I also know that he didn’t turn her, her
hearts still beating. Now if you’ll just calm down we’ll find out what’s going
on,” Dru stated calmly.
“This wasn’t the
way things were supposed to be,” Angelus said from behind her, his voice said
and slightly disturbed. “She was supposed to be mine… My little warrior
princess… but now everything’s gone back to the way it was supposed to be.”
“What do you mean
Angelus?” Dru turned slightly touching her distressed
childe.
“They tricked
her… she passed their tests and they were supposed to give her what she wanted
instead they made her what they wanted.”
“Who Angelus?”
“Them.”
William rolled
his eyes as he pocketed his stake once more, “spare me the rationalizations.”
He crouched down by Beth. Her pulse steady and true his eyes widened as he reached
out to touch her already healing bite marks.
The only sign
that she’d even just recently been bitten was the blood on her neck. “How…”
“They made her
what she was supposed to be,” Angel said from behind him. Too close for Will’s
comfort. “They restored the path. It’s not fair Dru.”
“I know,” she
soothed him, both vampires watching with narrowed eyes as William gathered Beth
up in his arms. Easily lifting her as he stood.
“I’m taking her
to the Magic Box,” he stated as he ignored them and walked out of the alley,
leaving them to follow. “Giles will know what to do.”
**************************************************************************************
“I have no clue
what to do,” Giles said with a measure of bafflement in his voice. He was staring
down at the young woman currently unconscious on the couch in the training
room.
William had
cleaned and bandaged her neck, then stood guard like a protective watchdog,
refusing to leave her side as long as Angelus was on the property.
“Angelus said that
she fought him off?”
“How many times
are we going to go over this Giles?” William snapped in exasperation. “He
attacked her of course she fought him.”
“Yes but if
Angelus is to be believed she fought him,
demonstrating more strength than a woman of her stature should have.”
“Adrenaline.”
“And her neck? He
bit her, drew blood from her. Yet there is no visible sign that the attack just
happened. The bite mark on her neck looks as if it’s days old not just an
hour.”
“I’m sure there’s
a reasonable explanation for it.”
“She could be a
Slayer.”
All eyes turned
to where Anya was standing in the doorway.
“Slayers are male
Anya, not female.”
“That’s not true.
I mean they’re not normally female because males slayers are so much stronger, but
there have been female slayers,” she said as she calmly moved into the room all
eyes on her progress as she walked across the floor to stare down at Beth.
“Giles?” William
turned to his watcher.
“I… are you sure Anya? I’ve never read anything that
would support that.”
“Normally a
female Slayer is only called if the balance between sides is thrown to far off.
She helps the male Slayer get things back on track and the line dies out. The
few times the powers have called a female Slayer they’ve chosen a lover of
their male Slayer, or a child of his. Back in the 1300’s there were three
female Slayers called right in a row. The Slayers wife, and their two
daughters. Then the line died out. Maybe the line was restarted by whatever
happened to make Buffy, Beth.”
“Angelus said
something about her having passed tests, that they were supposed to give her what she wanted but instead they
made her what they wanted,” William
said quietly as he slowly turned back to the woman lying motionless on the
couch.
“A female
Slayer,” Giles said breathlessly. “I don’t…”
“Oh my god Beth!”
a young black man rushed into the room.
“Seti,” Anya said smoothing her hands down her skirt.
“What the hell happened to her?” Seti yelled. When no one answered him, instead all
studiously avoided looking directly at him he yelled again. “Well?”
“Seti?”
“Beth… oh my god
are you okay?” he asked rushing to her side. Pushing William out of the way in
order to kneel by her.
“I…” she pressed a
hand to her head as she attempted to sit up. “I…” her eyes widened as she
surveyed the room and caught sight of Angelus standing beside Dru. Both vampires faces blank as they watched her. “Oh my
god…” she gasped scrambling backwards as far as she could get on the couch.
“Beth… Beth its
okay,” William said softly. Glancing over at Angelus he fixed his gaze back on
her face. “He won’t hurt you.”
Beth’s eyes flew
between the two men.
“I have to find my fun somewhere Buffy…
you take like ashes to me.”
“You can’t love without a soul.”
“Oh we can you know… we can love very
well… if not wisely.”
“Seti,” she moaned, pressing her hand to her head as she
swayed. “Seti I want to go home.”
“All right, it’ll
be alright,” Seti said softly helping her to stand,
supporting as she swayed in his arms. “We’re going home right now.” The
expression on his face defiant as he dared one of them to try and stop him from
taking her.
The group all
stood motionless as he led her from the room.
“So… female
Slayers huh?” Willow asked from where she had been sitting silently through the
entire thing. “I’m guessing research.”
“Research,” Giles
confirmed absently as he stared after them, his eyes widened as he realized why
Seti Anmarrylis’ name had
sounded so familiar. Why the young man looked so familiar. “Oh dear lord.”
“Giles are you
okay?” William touched the Watchers arm.
“He’s a Watcher…
if Anya’s right the Council has their hands on the
first female Slayer to be called in over 700 years.”
**************************************************************************************
Chapter 6
“You’re sure
that Seti Anmaryllis is a
watcher?” Dru asked softly. The group had moved from
the training room to the round table in the store once Buffy had fled the
premises with Seti in tow.
“I’m positive…
I’ll have to make some phone calls though,” Giles removed his glasses rubbing
his eyes with his free hand before replacing them. “I went through training
with his father, he was very liberal minded, always wanting to change the
system for something or other. I just can’t see him agreeing to take on
something like this…”
“And he hasn’t… but that doesn’t mean that
the Council wasn’t able to get to his son,” Dru
murmured as she leaned against the counter.
Angelus was
sitting on the steps leading to the second level of the store watching the
group sitting at the table with narrowed eyes.
“Angelus knew what she was, knew what she was
chosen for… I can’t believe he never said anything to either Darla or I.”
“He might
have had incentive, you were never secretive about your dislike for Buffy maybe
he feared what you would do if you found out about her true destiny.”
“You’re
right there,” Dru sighed. “If I had known, back then,
that the human that Buffy was had been chosen to be the first female Slayer in
a new line I would have killed her. I would have staked her even after Angelus
turned her.”
“Why? I mean
she would have been a vampire,” Giles questioned curiously.
“Did you
ever wonder why you don’t hear about Slayers being turned Rupert?”
“I just figured
that the Council had them killed if it ever became an issue… Why?”
“I don’t
know about the female Slayers. But Slayers once they’ve been called they can’t
be turned… not successfully anyway. They retain their souls, portions of their
humanity. I don’t know why I never figured it out before… Angelus kept her away
from us for a few weeks after she was turned, I just thought at the time that
he was playing with his new plaything but now…”
“Now you
think he was molding her, changing her into what he needed her to be,” he
finished staring at the vampire in question. “How could he do that? I mean
change a person’s personality like that.”
“Pain, fear…
they’re powerful tools when used correctly. He probably used a regimen of both,
plus some hypnosis to make her into the vampire she ended up being.”
“I’ll make
some phone calls,” Giles decided. “I’d keep Will and Angelus on separate sides
of the store unless you want to clean up after the inevitable fight.”
“Be quick Rupert…
I don’t like leaving Buffy in the hands of the Council any longer than we
absolutely have to.”
“You sound
almost worried about her?”
“I’ve seen
what the Watcher’s Council does to Slayers that are supposed to be on their
side,” Dru scowled as thoughts of William’s Cruciamentium and the assassins sent after him and Franklin
flooded her mind. “I’d hate to think what they’d do to Buffy should William and
the others be right and she’s got her memories back.”
“I’ll be as
quick as I can… and Dru…” he started waiting for the vampiress to make eye contact with him. “I think she’s
somewhat safe with Seti at the moment; he seems very
protective of her. I don’t think he’d be that way if he was just planning on
hurting her in any way.”
“Still…”
“Make sure nobody
disturbs me… I’ll let you know as soon as I find something out.”
**************************************************************************************
Giles took a
deep breath as he began dialing a number he hadn’t had reason to call in years.
“Stop
looking at me,” he could hear William snarling at most likely Angelus out in
the shop. Holding the phone to his ear he stood and crossed to the door, firmly
shutting out the background noise.
“’ello?” he heard a sleepy British voice on the other end.
“Lydia?”
“Rupert? Do
you know what time it is?”
“Not
really,” he glanced over at the clock hanging on his wall trying to get his
tired brain to wrap around the time change and give him a number. “I have a
slight problem that I thought you might help me with.”
“Rupert we
need to get you a life over there if you don’t have anything better to do than
call me at 5 am for help.”
“I have a
vampire that has somehow been turned human,” he stated bluntly. When silence
emanated across the line. “Lydia?”
“I’ll call
you back in ten minutes,” he heard her say quietly.
“Lyd…” he frowned at the phone when he heard the click.
“Okay then.”
Setting the
phone back on the receiver he crossed his hands together on the desk and waited
for the call back.
**************************************************************************************
Buffy lay
curled in a ball in the middle of her bed. Tears that had long since stopped
falling dried on her cheeks and she stared unseeing at the wall in front of
her.
She knew now
why she had hated this town.
Sunnydale
California was the sight of some of her most spectacular falls from grace.
Here she had
lost Angelus three times.
The first
time she’d lost him when Druscilla had returned and she had found herself
confined to that damned wheelchair. She remembered hating the Slayer with a
bloody passion. If it hadn’t been for him Dru would
have remained an ensouled weakling and her Angel
would have stayed with her.
The second
time she’d lost him because she’d aligned herself with the Slayer against him
and Dru. He hadn’t understood that she didn’t want to see the world end. She liked
this world.
The third
time she’d actually chosen the
Slayer, the bane of their existence over him.
He’d come back for her and she’d chosen the Slayer
over him. What the bleedin’ hell had she been
thinking?
If she had
it to do all over again…
She sighed
unable to finish that thought as she rolled onto her back. If she had it to do
all over again she would still do it the same. Would still choose William over
Angelus. She loved him… had loved him she corrected herself. She didn’t love
him anymore. Couldn’t put herself through that pain again because she didn’t
think she’d survive another go round with the Slayer.
Especially seein’ as how she was bleedin’
human now.
Frowning she
sat up on the bed… she was human… how
the hell had that happened?! She’d
passed Lurky’s little tests, all of them so why
hadn’t she gotten what she’d wanted?
Pushing
herself off the bed she moved to the full length mirror hanging on her closet
door, standing before it she stared at her reflection.
The woman
staring back at her, face apprehensive as she cocked her head to one side,
didn’t even resemble the human Elizabeth that she’d once been.
She could
hear Seti moving about the apartment and she scowled.
She knew that his story was a lie. He hadn’t grown up with her, hadn’t even met
her until after she had woken in the hospital. So what was his game?
Fixing a
determined expression on her face she raised her chin. No one made a fool of
Elizabeth the Bloody and got away with it… unless they were the Slayer of
course. And at one time Angelus.
But not
anymore. Straightening her back she prepared herself and went to confront her
‘friend.’
**************************************************************************************
“How do you
feel?” Seti asked concern lining his voice as he
watched her stalk into the kitchen. Her face was a picture of… well something
he couldn’t place. She reminded him right at that moment of Buffy.
“Fine,” she
muttered stiffly. Crossing her arms over her chest she stared at him.
“Are you
sure you don’t want to go the hospital? I mean that guy attacked you…” he
started shifting nervously on his feet. The way she was staring at him, her
eyes narrowed tracking his movements. He felt like prey at that moment, and she
was the predator.
“Yeah he
did,” she murmured softly. “But there’s not a mark on me now,” cocking her head
to one side she still stared at him. She didn’t have to be a vampire to scent
the fear rolling off of him. “Why is that Seti?”
“You… uh…
you heal fast?” he offered weakly as he backed away from her, wincing as his
back came into contact with the stove he frantically looked for any means of
escape. Because the woman that was supposed to be his best friend, the former
vampire that was supposed to have no memories of being said vampire… obviously
had regained those memories… and she looked positively murderous.
“I do don’t
I,” she smiled thinly. She moved so fast that he barely had a chance to eep out a yell before she had twisted him; hand around his
neck holding him firmly to the wall next to the stove. “Now why don’t we have a
little chat Seti? And you can tell me the truth about
my life.”
**************************************************************************************
Giles jumped
as the phone rang, fumbling as he picked it up he felt undeniably nervous.
“Lydia?”
“You’ve seen
her? You’ve actually seen her alive?”
Lydia asked abruptly. No time for pleasantries it seemed Giles frowned at the
receiver.
“Yes… we’ve
all seen her. Do you want to tell me why we’re
seeing her alive when she’s supposed to be a vampire?”
“He did it,”
Lydia whispered. “The bastard really did it.”
“Lydia? What
the hell is going on?” Giles muttered. “I have a vampire that is now human, who
the first time we met her had no memory of any of us.”
“Quentin
found a journal, a Watcher’s journal… one that left him with the belief that
the vampire know as Buffy, the human formerly known as Elizabeth Winters was
just days away from being called as the first female Slayer when Angelus turned
her.”
“You’re not
serious?”
“I’m quite
serious… it’s left him quite unpopular. He’s lost some major supporters over
his theory… but if she’s there… alive…”
“So this
doesn’t have the sanction of the Council?”
“No… they
decided that it would be too dangerous. That the vampire was too unpredictable.
But if Quentin has done it…”
“Then he has
the first female Slayer in over 700 years under his control.”
“Maybe not,”
Giles murmured softly.
“What do you
mean?”
“There’s a
chance that she has begun regaining her memories.”
“But that
can’t be… Jenfar wouldn’t have allowed it…Of course
he’s dead so…”
“I had heard
he died… but I thought he hated Quentin? Why would he work with him?”
“He does. He
voted against taking any action. But if he knew that Quentin was going to try
something he might have gone along with him just to keep the girl safe… you
know he feels about innocents… and once she became mortal again, human, she
would have been an innocent.”
“You said
that you thought she was regaining her memories?”
“Yes… we had
an incident… she was, well attacked by Angelus… William and Druscilla arrived
before he was able to turn her again.”
“He wouldn’t
have been able to anyway… Female Slayers… they, well once they’ve been called
they can’t be turned. She’ll be human until the day she dies a mortal death.”
**************************************************************************************
Buffy
released Seti slowly her expression one of horror as
she backed away.
“What if I
don’t want to be human? Hated it the first time round… not really lookin’ forward to another go at it.”
“I’m sorry,”
Seti whispered.
“You took
away my choice,” she mumbled as she continued backing away from him, eyes wide
she shook her head in denial. “I didn’t want this… This isn’t what I asked
for…”
“But it’s
what you deserve,” Seti said quietly. “The chance to
live the life you should have lived had Angelus not interfered.”
“I… I can’t
do this,” she whispered. “I can’t.”
“Beth…Buffy,”
he amended when she flinched. Moving forward, one hand rubbing at his neck the
other outstretched to her. “I’m still your friend.”
“My friend?!”
she asked in disbelief. “My friend?!
You lied to me Seti! You used me!”
“We did what
we had to. Mr. Travers he has great plans for you…”
“Great plans
for me,” Buffy laughed harshly. “I’ll just bet he does. So I can’t be turned…
can I die?”
“Yes… of
course but…”
“Then tell
your Mr. Travers that I’m truly sorry but I’ll have to respectfully decline his
invitation to fight for him… You see I remember what he did to the Slayer and
I’ll not fight for anyone that attempts to murder people that I care for.”
And with
that Buffy whirled on her heel and stormed out of the apartment. Seti calling her name desperately from behind her.
**************************************************************************************
Chapter 7
William
paced the length of the kitchen in agitation.
Twenty four
hours.
She’d been
with a Council Watcher for twenty four hours. God only knew what Seti Anmaryllis had managed to do
to her in the short period of time that she’d been under his control.
Giles had
insisted that Buffy wouldn’t allow herself to be controlled by anyone. Least of all someone with ties to the
Watcher’s Council.
Xander had
been the one that had pointed out that for at least six months Buffy hadn’t been Buffy.
She’d been
Beth Davis, sole survivor of a horrific car crash that had claimed the lives of
her entire family. A young British female that had to learn to walk again, who
lived with close friends of her family, who moved to the US to go to school.
So it had been
decided that they would give Buffy a few days to come to them voluntarily
before they sought her out.
He hadn’t
liked that plan. In fact he’d wanted to go out and kill something or at the
very least get Buffy out of the apartment she was now residing in… complete
with Watcher and Council interference.
Or at the
very least Quentin Traver’s interference.
Which in
William’s opinion was bad enough.
If he had
just a little less respect for his Watcher’s
judgment William would have been over at Buffy’s apartment dragging her back
into the Scooby’s lives whether she wanted it or not.
But he did
respect Giles’s judgment. So when the Watcher had insisted that Buffy seemed
safe enough with Seti for the time being, especially
since she seemed to trust the young Watcher William had bowed to his mentors’
decision. But he’d still had a bad feeling about leaving her there.
And if he’d
had a bad feeling about leaving Buffy with Seti,
Angelus had been even worse. So bad that Dru’d had to
chain her childe up in the training room of the Magic Shoppe to keep him from
going after his little ‘princess’.
That alone
had made William mad as hell. What right did Angelus have to worry about the
now human female Slayer? He’d been the one to leave her, had abandoned her.
He’d been the one that had triggered Buffy’s decision to return to Sunnydale in
the first place.
Of course
she had just returned to kill him but it had been Angelus’ actions that had
forced that decision. And he’d put a
concrete block over what had caused Buffy to flee Sunnydale this last time.
They’d have
enough time when they got her free of the Council, Travers and Seti to work through their multitude of problems.
“William
pacing a hole in the floor won’t make me change my mind,” Giles murmured into
his cup of tea.
“I don’t
like this Giles… Don’t like it one bit…” William muttered waving his hands in
the air. “What do we really know
about Seti anyway?”
“What do you
propose we do then? Kidnap her from her own home… she feels safe with Seti right now and if you are correct and her memories are
returning then she’ll need someplace where she feels safe in order to deal with
everything that she’s been through and done.”
“And you
think leaving her in the hands of the Council is going to accomplish that? How
do we know that she hasn’t been remembering all along and Seti’s
just been drugging her somehow?”
“We don’t
Will… we just have to trust Buffy’s judgment in this…”
“And Buffy’s
such a great judge of character,” Xander mumbled ignoring the glares shot at
him by both William and Willow.
The door
bell ringing interrupted William’s retort.
“Pizza’s
here…” Dawn raced into the room. “Who’s paying?” she held out her hand looking
from adult to adult, with a grimace Giles removed his wallet.
“I hope that
you at least got something that I’ll eat,” he complained as he withdrew a few
bills and handed them over.
“You can
just scrape it off like you normally do G-man,” Xander grinned.
“It’s pretty
much plain Giles,” Willow rolled her eyes. “We only got extra cheese and
pepperoni…”
Dawn giggled
as she bound out of the room, hand outstretched she threw open the door and
stopped suddenly. The smile fading from her face as she saw Buffy leaning
heavily against the doorjamb. Breathing labored, her body visibly shaking, eyes
closed, one arm wrapped around her body as the other attempted to keep her
upright by clutching at the jamb.
“Buffy?”
Dawn asked quietly, eyes wide as took a step toward the young woman. Forgetting
that this was supposed to be Beth. That they didn’t have any proof that Beth
had indeed remembered that she was Buffy.
At the sound
of her real name and the voice of one of her dearest friends, her lil’ bit Buffy’s eyes opened slowly. Dawn’s frown deepened
as she saw her try to force a shaky smile onto her face.
“Hey bit…
Slayer ‘bout? Seem to have found myself in a spot of trouble,” the former
vampire mumbled her eyes drooping shut again.
“What
happened…?” Dawn started, her voice drawling off as her eyes finally took in
the bruises spotting Buffy’s face and arms, in one hand she was clenching
something so tightly that small rivulets of blood were running from the
enclosed fist.
“Bit?” Buffy
mumbled as she lurched forward, Dawn rushing forward to attempt to catch her
friend in her arms.
“William!!”
she screamed her body crashing to the floor under the dead weight of Buffy’s.
Squirming she managed to maneuver her body to the side turning Buffy so that
she was cradling the smaller female within the protective circle of her arms.
Kicking the
door closed she screamed for William again all the while keeping her arms
locked tight around her friend.
“Buffy?
Buffy talk to me,” Dawn sobbed tears welling in her eyes as she lay unmoving. Only
the feel of Buffy’s heat beating under her hand kept her from really freaking out.
“Dawn
what’s…?” William rushed into the foyer, Giles and Xander right behind him. His
posture defensive his eyes searched the shadows for a demon that had managed to
enter his house with him unaware. He stopped dead in his tracks as his eyes
widened then rushed to his sister and Buffy’s sides.
“Oh my god,”
Willow breathed, her hand flying to her mouth as she took in the unmoving
former vampire.
“What the
hell happened to her?” William crouched beside his sister and lover. Touching
Buffy’s face gently he winced at the bruises there.
Once he had
been the one to put the bruises there and at that time he had not even cared so
frozen inside he was. At that very moment though he wanted to destroy whoever
had put the new ones on her newly tanned flesh.
“I don’t
know…” Dawn shifted slightly allowing William to take her burden from her. “I
opened the door and there she was, she asked for you said that she had found
herself in a spot of trouble… she called me bit Will,” the teen managed a
watery smile through her tears. “She remembered me Will.”
Will spared
a smile for his sister before turning to his Watcher. “I thought you said she
was safe Giles? I thought you said that Seti wouldn’t
hurt her?”
“We can’t be
certain that Seti is the one that did this to her
Will,” Giles kneeled beside his Slayer; with ever gentle hands, that he never
thought would be used in conjunction with Buffy, he turned her head slightly,
studying the bruises that marred her once perfect skin.
Already
those bruises were fading, a brilliant yellow where at one time they must have
been a vibrant purple.
“She heals
as fast as you do,” he commented absently, frowning as he saw the bloody
clenched hand.
“She has
something in her hand Giles,” Xander commented from behind them.
“Yes I see
that Xander,” Giles gently unfurled the damaged hand,
plucking the small object he pressed a damp towel that Willow handed him onto
the cuts. Indicating that William should hold it in place he turned the small
dart over in his hand.
“Isn’t
that…?” Willow started her eyes widening darting from the closed door to
Buffy’s still form.
“It’s a
tranquilizer dart,” Giles stated. “I think it’s safe to say that the Council is
aware of Buffy’s returned memories…”
“Giles?”
William met his eyes.
“We can’t
keep her here. This is the first place they’ll look for her,” Giles continued.
“And where
do we take her? They know all of us,” Xander exchanged a look with Willow before
returning his attention to the Watcher.
“We could go
to LA,” William murmured closing Buffy’s hand around the damp cloth.
“I’d safe
it’s safe to say that they’re aware of Druscilla’s presence in Sunnydale, if we
leave that would be the next place they looked for us,” Giles shook his head.
“It would have to be someplace that they’re unaware of…”
“Oz,” Willow
mumbled.
“Oz?”
William cocked his head as he studied his best friend. “What about Oz?”
“He sent me
a letter a few weeks ago… he’d heard about Tara’s death wanted to offer his
condolences. He’s in Colorado; at a retreat there… we could…” Willow trailed
off, shrinking back in on herself as they all continued to stare at her.
“That would
work,” William smiled softly at her, a smile that she returned after a moment
visibly relaxing. “Thanks Will.”
“Do you have
an address?” Giles asked as he pushed William out of the way, lifting Buffy in
his arms he walked the short distance to the living room settling her on the
couch as Dawn pulled the curtains.
“Upstairs…”
she grinned, racing up them with a smile on her face a slight skip in her step.
Grateful that for once she could help as opposed to being protected as she had
been for the last six months.
“What about Dru?” William asked sitting on the end table in front of
the couch. Lightly touching Buffy’s hand he watched her, waiting for some sign
of movement.
“I believe
that Cordelia is at the Magic Shoppe with her, she’ll have her cell phone I’ll
call and send them back to LA.”
“Angelus is
going to love that idea,” Xander smirked. “Sending William off with Buffy, and
sending him to LA with Dru…”
“William is
not going alone…” Giles sighed. “The council seems to want her quite badly; if
we leave anyone behind that they can tie to us they’ll use them as bait to lure
us back.”
“So road
trip huh? We’re going to need more than one vehicle,” William murmured pushing
himself to his feet.
“Please,
please not another camper,” Dawn pleaded. “I don’t think I can handle another
road trip by camper… especially if we’re going to be followed by people wanting
to kill or capture us.”
“Just look
at it this way Dawnie,” Xander patted her on the head
as he moved to leave the room. “At least you’re not the one they want this
time.”
**************************************************************************************
Quentin
Travers sat docilely in his faded, comfortable cloth recliner.
His future
was almost set.
His legacy
almost ready to be released on those fools that thought themselves to be above
him.
When he’d
first found the diary he’d thought it nothing more than another worthless
Watcher diary. Every watcher kept one… hoping beyond hope that one day theirs
would be the one that future generations read to find out about the Slayer of
their generation.
More often
than not the diaries were worth nothing more than the paper they were written
on.
He’d only
flipped through the diary to check dates… a few passages, written in red ink
(no one wrote in red unless it was to document the death of a Slayer) had jumped out at them.
From that
moment his path was clear. It had taken him almost three years to get
everything in place. When he’d been in Sunnydale to bring the Slayer back into
the fold he’d almost grabbed the girl then. Forced her to undergo the tests and
trials to make her human… and a Slayer once more.
But he’d
bided his time. When William Summers had died he’d waited… she hadn’t left
Sunnydale after all, had stayed to protect the sister and the friends, when he
was ready to proceed he knew where to find her.
But then
everything had fallen to dust.
The Slayer
had returned from the dead, then within eight months had managed to drive the
girl from Sunnydale. It had taken his loyalists almost two days to track her to
the small African village that she had retreated to.
When it
became obvious what her intentions were Quentin had interfered. He hadn’t made
all his plans, waited all this time for Elizabeth the Bloody to have her chip removed
and once more be out of his reach. He’d called in favors, pleaded with sources
and traded one demon with another.
And he’d
gotten what he wanted even if the girl hadn’t.
She’d passed
the tests and trials that the powers and the demon had required in order to
restore the path as Quentin desired.
But it
seemed he hadn’t gotten everything he wanted either.
He’d wanted
a biddable female Slayer, with no memories of her past friendships and
relationships with William Summers people to replace his not so-biddable male
Slayer and he’d seemed to have that.
So he had
rushed things. Rushed her initial meetings with her peers in Sunnydale, with
the vampires of her former line and now he was paying the price.
For Beth
Davis was no longer. A human Buffy walked the Earth in her place.
The phone
ringing interrupted his musings and he growled at the receiver.
“Tell me you
found my girl.”
“I’m sorry
Mr. Travers,” the humble voice came from the other end.
“I don’t
want apologies… I want the girl.”
“We’ve looked
everywhere in Sunnydale… it’s like she’s vanished into thin air.”
“You’ve
checked the Summers residence…? That crypt that she used to live in… the Magic Shoppe…?”
“We’ve
checked all those places. The girls missing… but so are the Slayer and group.”
Quentin
growled at the phone anger overcoming him momentarily before he tamped it down,
taking a deep breath he forced himself to relax. Getting agitated with
accomplish nothing.
“What about
LA?”
“The vampire
Druscilla and her childe have returned to LA, but the Slayer and his friends
were not with them.”
“Keep the
residence in LA under surveillance,” Quentin forced out. “Find her now! No excuses, I want to see results.”
“We’ll find
her Mr. Travers,” the man on the other end promised. “What do you want us to do
with Mr. Anmaryllis?”
“You leave
young Mr. Anmaryllis to me… your only task… find the
girl.”
**************************************************************************************