Reminding the Fallen
by zenithar
Chapter 4
[reviews]
Disclaimer: Joss owns it all. grrrr
Everything up to the episode Empty Places has happened, just a few changes from the last season. One: Wood and Caleb did not show up. Two: So obviously much changeings to endings of series. Also the weapon that Buffy got is changed to an actual scythe.
While Spike and Faith had gone to burry Kennedy with the other Slayers in Training that had died against the First, Dawn and Willow began getting ready for the Scooby meeting. "Xand says he and Anya will be over in a few minutes," as Dawn passed the phone over to Willow she asked, "Will do you think we could maybe set up a video conference with Giles? I know he isn't too happy with modern tech but it'd be nice to see Giles face if he does actually know something about Buffy."
"I'll try Dawn, but don't count on it," responded Willow and began dialing Giles. "Hey Giles, I'm back. Yes, Buffy had been woken up, and yes we managed to get her back to sleep. We're going to have everyone over in a few, so I would appreciate it if we could do this on a video conference. Yes! I know you don't like it but it would make things much easier". Dawn could hear Willow's voice was getting more strained as the conversation continued, "Just get back to us as soon as you can," hanging up the phone Willow turned to Dawn. "Ok, I think he'll do it. Sometimes Giles is too stubborn for his own good." Getting up to get her laptop and place it on the coffee table.
About five minutes later the door-bell rang. Willow got up to open it finding Xander and Anya waiting on the other side. Xander started with "Hey Will," but seeing Willow's red puffy eyes he changed to, "Whoa, you don't look so good. Dawn told us to get over here as soon as we could, so here we are."
"Thanks, did Dawn say anything else," seeing them shake their heads no Willow continued, "Ok, then I might as well start filling you in on what's happened." Turning and leading the two into the living room. Once there they saw Dawn sitting on the couch with Buffy's head on her lap, slowly coming her fingers through her hair. Not recognizing that it was Buffy Anya opened with "So Dawns finally decided that she wants women for orgasm buddies?"
"What!?" Dawn exclaimed, completely confused. "How did yo- I mean NO! This is Buffy not Fai- umm..." hanging her head in embarrassment.
Xander was just shaking his head "Ann, I told you, no talking about orgasms... Wait! What!? Buffy's here?"
"Yes, and if you'd just sit down I'll tell you what we know." Willow said trying to control the situation.
"Alright, just when did she get back and why is she out cold?" asked Xander.
Sitting down in one of the chairs, "She isn't out because she's drunk is she? Because, we all know she isn't that great to be around when she's drunk." Anya asked in her usual blunt manner.
Glairing at Anya Willow began, "No, she isn't drunk, and she got here just little while ago. Spikes also back in town, in fact he's out with Faith burring..." tears came unbidden to Willows already red eyes. Raising her hands up to dry her eyes she just spat it out: "Ken's dead."
"Oh god, Will. I'm so sorry. What got her?" Xander went over to hug Willow.
Putting her hand up to Xanders chest to hold him off, "That's not the worst part Xand. It... it was Buffy," Seeing his confusion, almost whispering the next few words "She's dead, Xander, she's a vampire now..."
Shock and then sadness came over Xander's and Anya's faces. "Wait then that really isn't Buffy, right?"
Turning to look at Buffy's body, "It is her, just kept asleep. The veil on her face has some mojo in it that keeps a vampire asleep. Spike told us that there is no way a vampire can break free of it other than someone else taking it off," continuing to look at Buffy, Willow continued on, "About three months ago Giles called me saying the council wanted to archive spells that could restore souls. He said he wanted me to do it because he thought I'd be able to tell if the spells were authentic. I knew something was off about all of it but I didn't think it could hurt anything to look for the spells. I think he had wanted me to a find spell that would work so when we would need to cast an ensoulment spell I'd know of one to use. I just found out when Spike got here that Giles had called him just about the same time he called me having a job for him too."
Xander sat down to absorb the new information. "Holy crap, Will. This is a lot to take in, I mean even for us!" Raking his fingers through his hair, "We just found out that Buffy's a vamp, she killed Ken and Giles went behind our backs sending Spike and you on a secret missions."
"And you don't think it's not a lot for us?" Dawn piped in.
"No, I didn't mean that, its just... wow... the bad kind of wow."
"Well, now that Red's got the whole gang caught up I might as well fill in the details," Spike said as Faith went and sat next to Dawn.
"Gah!" having not heard either of their entrances Xander was caught a little off guard. Settling back down a bit, "So, fangboy really is back."
"Yea, and just in time for story tellin'," Sitting down in an empty armchair. "As she was saying, the old 'git did send me out, and it was to find Buffy. Easier said than done. I heard nothing about her in any of the demon bars and the only slayer related rumors were about Faith here. I was in Santa Barbara when I did hear an interesting rumor though. It was about a woman dressed like death, scythe and all, was killing any demon or human that worked with demons that were around her. 'Nother strange tidbit about her was that she seemed to target the strongest demons. Now, unlike the stupid sod I learned this from I didn't actually think death itself had made it self incarnate, instead I thought it was some demon selling herself of as Death. There a drink around here?" pausing in his narration to get up and enter the kitchen. A moment later her returned with a bottle of scotch and sat back down while taking a swig. "That got me thinkin'. I went and found out when these rumors started cropping up about eight months ago. This plus the height of 'Death' was 5' 3'' had me wondering if this reaper was our lost slayer. The only thing that didn't fit was the human killings." While Spike paused once again to take a drink from the bottle the laptop's screen flickered to show Giles.
"Is this thing on?" In the background a voice could be heard saying yes Mr. Giles. "Oh, well, good." Turning to look at the screen Giles opened with "Hello everyone I wish we could be meeting under happier circumstances but fate seems to be against that. Now Willow you said you had Buffy asleep again, is she secure?"
Spike answered for her "Yea, but I have the itching question of when you sent me on my little 'quest' you neglected to say anything about Buffy being in danger of being a vampire, and don't say you had no idea because you had Red looking for soul spells!" he growled out.
Giles grimaces at the accusation, "I didn't know so much as strongly suspected. You all know how vague prophecies can be and I didn't want you to over react."
"Over react!? Even if your prophecy didn't have anything to do with Buffy, you should have told us!" The anger in Willow's face and voice was obvious, "We could have saved her!"
Rubbing his glasses nervously "I understand your concern but I had hoped the council would have been able to stop the vampire that would sire Buffy before she would be in any danger."
"Can we at least see the proph that was jabbering on about B?" Faith suddenly interjected.
As if caught of guard Giles stumbled out, "Yes, yes of course." He disappeared from the screen only to return holding a very large tome. "There are actually two separate prophecies relating to the fallen warrior, as Buffy is referred to. Now I personally did not discover the prophecies, it was a council librarian that found them in an obscure part of the Codex; I did however read them myself and check to make certain they were in fact speaking of Buffy." Opening the Codex to a marked page Giles read out: "On a night of darkest sin the Fallen Warrior of the people will fall further still. The Calming Darkness will take her as its child. As the Fallen Warrior falls so will the light of day follow." Turning a few more pages Giles spoke again, "With the descent of the Fallen Warrior complete she will try to destroy all unless she is reminded. Reminded of whom she was, reminded of who she is, and reminded of who she will be. Only she will be able to quell the furry of the Calming Darkness." A voice from behind Giles tells him that the council requires his aid. Turning Giles nods his head saying he will be along in a moment. "I'm sorry to leave you like this but there are things I must do here that will hopefully in the end help Buffy." With that Giles walked off and the screen went blank.
"Well that was just bloody fucking helpful wasn't it." Spike blurts out getting up and kicking the coffee table's leg.
"It might not have been what we were expecting, but we did at least learn that Buffy was prophesied to die again," Anya added in her unique manner.
Getting up and turning the laptop off Willow looked at everyone, "Look it's late so why don't we just sleep on things for now. Tomorrow we can have Spike finish telling us how he got Buffy and then we can decide what to do. We have plenty of space here so everyone can sleep here." Without even waiting for a response Willow went up the stairs to her bed.
After Willow left Dawn asked to Faith, "Do you think she's going to be ok?"
Shrugging her shoulders, "I don't know D; she just lost her girlfriend and her second oldest friend." Rubbing her eyes wearily, "All what we can do is be there for her."