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Author's Chapter Notes:
many many thanks to Dusty273, Ariadne, all4spike and the ever faithful Cordykitten for their reviews. they really make my day
Buffy went through a huge oak door that led into a huge room that reminded her of Giles’ study. It was filled with leather chairs and occasional tables. There were lights over the chairs allowing the occupants to read, while still leaving the room in semi darkness. The fireplace was huge and marble. It looked so big that the house must have been built around it.

The Watcher led Buffy over to a small group of sofas and chairs grouped around a small coffee table.

‘Please make yourself comfortable Ms Summers, while I ring for refreshments.’

Buffy sat and watched as the tweed covered man picked up an old fashioned telephone and requested ‘Tea for two and a pot of coffee in the main library please.’

The man bustled over to where Buffy was sitting and sat in the chair opposite.

‘Now young lady, perhaps you could explain to me what I can do to help you?’

‘Firstly, could you tell me who you are and how come I’m being treated so nicely?’ Asked a very confused Buffy.

‘I’m so sorry my dear. My name is Septamus Pratt, and I’m head of the Overseers Council, in charge of the Council of Watchers, and the Council of Seers and Witches…’

‘So you’re like the Big Big boss of everything, including Quentin Travers?’

‘Quentin is a fine young man, a little rash and certainly full of self importance, but he is only head of the Watchers branch, and technically you’re his boss,’ Septamus explained gently.

‘What?!!’ Exclaimed Buffy. ‘I’m his boss? I think someone should tell him that, he’s been nothing but a pain in my butt since I got called.’

Septamus looked puzzled. ‘He is supposed to help you, provide anything, everything you need…’

‘Everything I need?’ repeated Buffy.

‘Yes, of course, anything you need.’ He repeated.

Then he looked at Buffy’s face, a mixture of confusion and anger, and remembered this was a slayer in front of him. The one with the sacred duty to protect the world, and hoped that anger wouldn’t be turned against him.
Buffy noticed the glimmer of fear on the old man’s face and deliberately tried to calm herself down.

‘I certainly didn’t need the Cruciamentum he put me through. I didn’t need him hiding information we so desperately needed about Glory, but I could have done with help when my Mom died and I was brought back from heaven. Instead I was left to deal with a hellmouth on my own and raise a teenager. If it hadn’t been for Spike…’ Buffy’s voice caught on the name, tears coming unbidden to her eyes. ‘If it hadn’t been for Spike we wouldn’t have survived any of it.’

Septamus wasn’t stupid. He knew who Spike was and he caught that Buffy had spoke of Glory in the past tense.

‘What year is it Buffy?’ He asked gently.

Without thinking she answered, ‘2006.’

Septamus looked at the woman in front of him. ‘You aren’t our Buffy, are you?’

‘No, I’m not. I’m from about 4 years in your future and was sent back to talk to you and a witch called Morgana. A messenger from the higher powers sent me, and gave me the code word. She said I was to ask for you especially.’

Septamus looked hard again at Buffy. He hadn’t risen to where he was in the council by being stupid. Everything she told him had the ring of truth. Ring, he noticed the ring, sitting blazing its light on her left hand.

‘Does your fiancé know you’re here? Know what you are?’ He asked.

‘He knew I was the slayer, but he died, died saving us all in an apocalypse. It was over two years ago and I miss him so much,’ she whispered.

Truth again.

They were interrupted by the arrival of tea. A huge trolley wheeled in with cakes, English biscuits, scones, tea and sandwiches. There was also a silver coffee pot steaming gently, sending the aroma around the room.

‘Could you ask Morgana to join us?’ He said to the waiter who gave a little bow and left, shutting the door behind himself.

‘Will you be mother?’ Septamus asked Buffy.

Buffy looked at him in horror and burst into tears. Septamus didn’t know what he’d done.

‘What did I say?? Miss Summers?’ He handed her a huge square of white linen from his pocket. ‘Now my dear Miss Summers, what on earth did I say to make you cry?’

‘You asked, oh I’m sorry,’ Buffy made the effort to try and pull herself together. ‘You asked me to be mother.’ Buffy sobbed.

‘Yes, it means will you pour the tea,’ he explained gently.

‘I’m sorry,’ Buffy snivelled again, ‘but we found out that someone had poisoned me two years ago and I lost my baby.’

‘Oh my dear child. I had no idea.’ Septamus was disturbed by the door opening to reveal an incredibly smart looking woman. Chanel suit and coiffured hair: she looked like she’d stepped from the pages of Vogue, 1950’s Vogue, but Vogue.

‘You wanted to see me, Septamus?’ Her voice sounded melodic. The woman took in the whole picture with one look. Septamus looked overwhelmed, whoever the girl was she was crying hard, and poor Septamus looked lost. Morgana felt sorry for him: he never did deal with female emotional pain very well.

‘Buffy, this is Morgana, the other person you wanted to see.’

Buffy looked up with red rimmed eyes. ‘Hi: sorry, I’m not usually such a watering pot.’

‘It’s alright my dear. Your soul looks like it’s taken a bit of a battering recently.’

‘Just a bit,’ agreed Buffy.

‘Now you came a long way to see us, so, tell us what we can do to help.’
Morgana looked like the sort of woman you could give your heart and soul to and it would be safe. Cleaned and polished, but safe.

‘You’re not what I expected for a witch,’ Buffy tried to smile.

‘And what were you expecting my dear?’ Morgana smiled at her.

‘Well, flowing robes and long hair in a messy style.’

‘Ah, the old fashioned, lives in a cottage and dances at midnight kind,’
Morgana laughed.

‘Yep, sort of, my friend Willow is sort of like that. I don’t think she notices what she’s wearing, but she’s powerful, she did the spell to bring me here, and oh,’ Buffy reached into her bag, ‘she told me to give you this, it’s the spell to get me home. I was told you could do it. You need this as well.’ Buffy handed over the vial with a teaspoon of Dawn’s blood in it.

‘Thank you. Now you tell us what has happened to make you take on such a journey.’

‘Everything. My watcher Giles has turned evil, he has put a spell on all of us, a huge spell, we forget everything evil that he does every time we go to sleep. He has turned some of the slayers against us, we don’t know who is friend or who is foe. We know he killed Anya, will kill Anya at the closing of the hell mouth and Spike, my other half, my soul mate, he kept us apart and tried to kill him. If he’d succeeded we would have lost the fight at the hell mouth.’

‘How did you do with Glory?’

‘We won, Giles wanted us to kill Dawn so she couldn’t be used as the key, but instead I died and Spike looked after Dawnie all summer, then Willow bought me back, she thought I was in hell…’

‘But Giles would have known you go to heaven: all slayers do, that’s where they come from, they are angels on earth, they simply return home when their time is over.’ Septamus spluttered.

‘It wouldn’t surprise me, nothing would any more,’ Buffy said morosely.

‘Things must have been hard.’ Morgana sat closer to Buffy and held her arms open. Buffy curled into those arms, grateful for the comfort and continued.

‘When I got back it was so hard, I had no money, there were bills from my mom’s illness, and the house. I had been ripped from heaven and everyone expected me to be cheerful about being back, and I had a teenager going off the rails. I was terrified that they were going to take Dawn away from me, she was all I had left. Willow and Tara had been living in my house but hadn’t paid any bills. Then the only job I could get was at the Doublemeat palace…

‘I was expected to go out slaying and the only time I felt alive was when I was with Spike. No one approved of our friendship, they just were nasty to him all the time. He tried so hard, and I was so horrid to him. I beat up on him, and was cruel, so how you can call me an angel I don’t know. I came back so wrong, and I was exhausted.’

‘I can call you one and I will. You came back in turmoil: I’m not surprised that you took it out on someone. Even if it was William the Bloody.’ Septamus said with a smile.

‘You know who Spike is?’ Buffy looked up at the elderly watcher.

‘I’ve known about him for a long time, Buffy. And, although I don’t approve of a slayer getting involved with a demon, I can understand you wanting a man who is your equal. Most women would, and I’m told by my granddaughter he is quite the, uh, hottie: have I used the word correctly?’

Buffy looked a little wide-eyed at the older man. The last thing she’d expected was him to use the word ‘hottie’ about Spike.

‘In fact I think you might have met my Lydia, she’s with Quentin’s team in Sunnydale as we speak.’ He continued.

Buffy thought back to the female watcher who had blushed every time Spike had looked at her.

‘Yes I have, and by the way,’ she stared hard at Morgana, ‘how come I’m letting you in on every secret there is?’

‘Ah yes, well, people tend to tell the truth when I’m around. It’s supposed to be part of my charm. And we thought it might make things a little easier for you. However I promise there was no spell, and after what you’ve told me about Giles I’m glad I didn’t put one on you. I think you have been exposed to more than enough magic.’ The exquisite woman answered.

‘Now we have to go over everything and the easiest way would be for us to come to you. Where and more importantly when are you?’ Septamus asked.

Buffy spent the rest of the evening filling in both Septamus and Morgana about everything that had happened. They were most distressed to hear about the death of so many girls and watchers, but knew they couldn’t interfere with history. That way leads to all sorts of problems and paradoxes. What they could and did do was organise for all the council books to be copied and sent to a safe storage area in America.

It was late evening when Morgana read aloud from the spell that Willow had given Buffy and sprinkled the blood on a cupboard door. Buffy stepped through to see Willow and the others waiting for her back in the Hyperion.

‘Is everything all right?’ asked Willow. ‘You were gone twenty five hours.’

‘twenty Five hours? I was only there for about three hours,’ Buffy said as she sat down ready to fill them in on everything that had been discussed.

That’s time travel for you, I expect that they didn’t want you to crash into yourself coming back.

'First thing we need to do is free Faith and Wood from the memory spell, I know you can do it from a distance Willow, then we wait. We have visitors arriving in a couple of hours and they’re bringing books.

'Oh wonderful, a research party' whinged Xander.





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