- Dream Weaver
Chapter 16: The Battle of Apopka
Buffy and Angel looked into each other's eyes as they thought how this moment might've never happened. They tearfully embraced as the rest of us clapped our hands. "I came to Orlando because I knew I'd find you here", Angel said. "But how did you know?", Buffy asked. "My resources at the Wolfram and Hart law firm had informed me that you were here in the Orlando area", Angel told Buffy. "I'm so happy to see you, all of you", Angel said. Then Angel turned to me and said, "Hi, Reyes, I haven't seen you in a long time". I replied, "Nor have I", I replied. "Still doing security?", Angel asked. "Nope", I replied. "Who's this fine young girl?", Angel asked. "Nikki Lindholm of Sweden", Nikki replied. "Welcome to America", Angel said and introduced Lorne and Kate to all of us as we in turn introduced ourselves to them followed by a group hug that made Kate giggle and blush saying, “I’ve never had these many hugs before all at once” while Lorne felt immediately at home saying, “It feels great to get all that love energy from you all”. "According to my resources, I have understood you're all staying at a hotel in Apopka", Angel said.
"Everyone except me, I live here", I told Angel. "The trailer park nearby", Angel told me. "That's correct", I affirmed. From there we boarded the bus and told Angel, Kate and Lorne all the events that unfolded up to the point when we met Angel again with Kate and Lorne. Angel was very astonished at the news of Emilie's death and resurrection as a human immortal. "You mean to tell me you came back as one of those people from "Highlander"?", Angel asked Emilie. Emilie shrugged and said, "I guess, more or less!" with a smile on her face. Angel was also told about the dream with Anya and Spike, which made him think a lot. Meanwhile, at a cemetery in Apopka a couple of blocks behind the Masonic Temple. Drusilla was conducting an ancient Viking ritual to bring about a giant troll called a Jotun to wreak havoc and destroy the slayer.
After the proper ancient incantation and prescribed ritual were conducted, The Jotun appeared fierce and growling. These giant ogres had the ability to shift shape into wolves and eagles. "Praise thee unto Loki, God of the Jotun race for sending me one of your emissaries to undertake the task at hand", Drusilla intoned. "Why has thou invoke me?", The Jotun demanded. "To destroy the slayer and vanquish her allies", Drusilla the vampire queen said. "Very well, but where is my offering", growled the Jotun. Drusilla produced an ornate drinking horn of mead and gave it the Jotun which was one ugly ogre. After the Jotun finished his mead, Drusilla commanded, "Now find the slayer and destroy her". The Jotun did as commanded and turned himself into an owl to find Buffy. Meanwhile as we were on the bus heading north to Apopka, we found ourselves someone I heard of but had not yet met.
Buffy and the Scoobies couldn't believe their eyes to see who else was in town, an old friend who hasn't been seen in Sunnydale for years hitchhiking on Orange Blossom Trail. "Stop the bus!", Buffy commanded Principal Wood. It was a young red-haired guy with a backpack wearing jeans, army boots and a "Dingoes ate my baby" T-Shirt. Willow had to cover her mouth as she gasped. It was Oz. Oz boarded the bus, shaking hands with the guys and hugging the girls especially Willow. Oz was introduced to me, Emilie, Principal Wood, Giovanni the Magician, Dr. Jacobi, Andrew, Kate, Lorne and the other slayers whom he needed to be acquainted with. "I notice you're not a werewolf and it's a full moon out tonight", Willow said. "Well that's why I went to Tibet, some Tibetan Buddhist monks taught me how to control it, to control the inner beast in me", Oz said.
It ain't too late to go out and celebrate your being here with us", Willow said. "My being here with all of you is celebration enough", Oz said. "By the way, I was going to Sunnydale when I heard it through the grapevine there was nothing left to return to, in fact I'm so happy to have found you all again", Oz said. "Hey there's a park on Park Ave. in Apopka, if you guys want to go there and chill!", I said. "Yeah, the night is young and perhaps we'll find some excitement hanging around a small town park in the middle of the night", Xander said sarcastically with a humorous tone. We finally arrived to the park on Park Ave. in Apopka. We found a vacant lot of a nearby church to park the vehicle and we all got off to stretch out and take a break from riding around and be a nit more secluded so we can gather and talk.
We all began to recap on our lives, an owl began to descend on the lawn not far from where we were and as the owl landed, it turned into a wolf and began charging at us, it was the Jotun ready to fight Buffy. Oz changed himself into a werewolf and both wolves began to fight one another fiercely. As the two beasts fought valiantly, Giles pulled out his laptop which had satellite internet access via cellular antenna and looked into the archives to see whether or not it was a regular werewolf. The Jotun then shape shifted into it's bestial ogre form showing it's true troll nature. Nikki immediately recognized it was a Jotun and promptly informed Giles. As Giles kept searching for an online solution, Angel called Wolfram and Hart to find a way to vanquish the Jotun.
Angel from his cellphone ordered Wolfram and Hart to email a copy of the banishing ritual and send the Jotun back to his parallel world in Jotunheim or destroy the Jotun outright. An email notice immediately appeared on Giles' laptop while Buffy, Faith and the other slayers were helping Oz fight the Jotun. Giles opened the e-mail and found that the ritual required the invocation to Thor, the Viking thunder god and vanquisher of giants, trolls, ogres and Jotuns. Principal Wood looked at the screen and realized we had neither the time nor the tools and ingredients, Giovanni the Magician looked at the screen and pulled everything that was needed out of his hat as Dr. Jacobi helped coordinate the ritual.
"Good thing, we've got a magician and a doctor on the team!", Principal Wood exclaimed. Everything was set in the picnic table to Giles who reviewed everything needed to conduct the proper ritual. The battle between the Jotun and Buffy, the slayers and Oz was beginning to take it's toll while the Jotun showed no signs of exhaustion nor was it even slightly tired as it kept fighting to accomplish it's evil task. Willow touched the screen of the laptop and immediately ran to help us properly set up the space needed to undertake the task at hand along with Giovanni, Dr. Jacobi, Angel, Principal Wood, Andrew, Kate, Lorne and I. Once everything was set, everyone assumed their stations. The ritual called for the power of three girls, which were Willow, Emilie and Nikki who held hands and formed a triangle. The ritual called for a Scandinavian girl to call down Thor from Asgard, the world of the Aesir Gods.
Nikki recited the incantation in Swedish out loud and as Oz and the slayers were beaten and bruised, a thunderclap was heard and lightning thundered in the night sky. Drusilla came out of the darkness of the night to observe what was happening. Lightning struck the ground and a goat drawn cart materialized manned by a huge fearsome giant of a man, with fire red hair, beard and mustache. His piercing eyes glowed like embers with a horned helmet and dressed as a Viking God with an iron mitt holding and wielding a hammer, it was Thor.
As the Jotun lifted his club to kill Buffy and the exhausted slayers, Thor immediately lifted his hammer and struck the Jotun to smithereens leaving nothing but a pile of ashes in a burnt crater. Nikki then recited the banishing prayer to send Thor back to Asgard. Thor looked to the slayers, our friends and then turned to Nikki and smiled at her when she finished. Thor then lifted his hammer to receive a bolt of lightning and in a flash, Thor was gone. Drusilla from a distance whispered, "This isn't over, sweetie, pretty, sweet girls! But for now I shall leave it be until we meet again", and then withdrew into the night. We all packed our stuff as Giovanni waved his wand and made everything he made vanish into his hat and we noticed that the ground was strewn with dead rabbits. We left the park and went back to the hotel and from there we retired for the night.
The next day it was time for Nikki to go touring the rest of the United States before eventually returning to Sweden so we took her back to the Orlando International Airport and gave her our farewell hugs and a going away present from all of us. When the plane began to fly we all waved goodbye from the windows in the airport lobby. We too returned to the school bus and departed from the airport. "Now that our promise has been fulfilled, it's time for us to go too", Buffy said. "Thank you, thank all of you for being with me and giving me all your solidarity and support", I said to them. They dropped me off at home, where we all had a great big group hug and exchanged our farewells and parting presents.
Angel was absent as he was seven years ago for he left the night before along with Kate and Lorne, Angel bode Buffy farewell. I wished I could've been with them forever but destiny had been cruel to me as it always has and I hated long goodbyes. "You know I'm going to miss you all and I don't know when or if I'll even see any of you again", I said tearfully. Buffy, Willow and even Xander hugged to comfort me along with Giovanni and Dr. Jacobi. "Reyes, the most difficult thing in life is to live it", Buffy said. "We'll always remember you, Reyes!", Willow said. "Reyes, do yourself and all of us a favor, be happy. I know you'll finally find it someday", Dr. Jacobi said. At that, Buffy, Willow, Dawn, Faith, Emilie, Faith and all the other girls overwhelmed me with kisses and hugs until I had lipstick all over me. There was finally another group hug from everybody.
We looked at each other like family for that is what we were, a family. Buffy gave me two stones, one was white and the other was black. I asked, "What's this?" and Buffy replied, "They're the Urim and Thumim, these stones will guide you on your life's journey. Whenever you have a question or you're in doubt about something , use these stones. Black means yes while white means no!". I said, "Thank you, Buffy" and we made a final embrace. Without further ado everyone boarded the bus except Dr. Jacobi, Giovanni, Emilie and me. Dr. Jacobi, Giovanni and Emilie climbed into the 1932 Packard Roadster and cranked the engine and proceeded to drive away as they waved goodbye at me, then the bus door closed while everyone waved bye at me with smiles. Buffy and Willow winked, blowing kisses at me. I waved back and kept waving until the bus drove away and disappeared following the 1932 Packard Roadster. I said, "Farewell to Buffy and her friends. They saved the world. A lot." I pulled out my journal, the very one that Buffy and the Scoobies then known as the slayerettes had given me seven years ago at the train station. I began to write the epic saga of Buffy the vampire slayer and I so that we'd never be forgotten.
Days and nights have gone by since the slayers and company have departed, since everyday they always come to mind. I didn't know whether or not I'd see them again, but I knew they were out there somewhere fighting the forces of evil out there in the world as I've fought my own demons. Buffy and the Scoobies will always live on in my memory. They not only saved the world, they changed the world and forever revolutionized my life. I wish them all well wherever they are and I'll always have a place for them in my heart. My life has had it's ups and downs, as I look forward and face a challenge, I will always ask myself, "What would Buffy do?". They're the greatest people I've known, people who I never quite knew before nor am I ever likely to meet again. I turned on the radio and Michelle Branch sang, "Goodbye to you" as I drove through Orlando reminiscing forever for Buffy will never be forgotten. I thought a question and pulled out the Urim and Thumim that Buffy had given me out of the lambskin pouch they came in, the black stone came out and a smile crept on my lips.