“Hello” She tried to sound more cheerful than she felt.
“Buffy. Hello. How are...How is London? Are you still enjoying the …umm that is, is everything…”
“I’m fine Giles.”
“Oh…good, that’s…good. Are you…have you made any decision about when you will be coming home? Not that I’m…”
“Not yet.”
“Oh, well that’s fine, Buffy, that’s… as long as you’re…”
“I’m fine.”
“Right. Buffy…”
She could tell by his change in tone that Giles was going to try once again to talk with her about what had happened. She wasn’t ready. “Giles, I can’t really talk right now. I’ll call later.”
“All right.” He sighed, reminding himself not to push.
“Tell everyone…tell them I love them.”
Buffy hung up the phone and headed into the kitchen. She cooked last night, or tried to anyway, and there were dishes to clean out of the sink. Maybe I can become one of those people who find cleaning all relaxy, she thought turning on the water.
She was putting away a glass when she saw him. Out of nowhere, a man or something that looked like a man had appeared in her kitchen. Her instincts kicked in, immediately the glass was replaced with a knife.
“Who are you? And what do you want?” She pointed the knife towards him menacingly, though she doubted it would have any affect. She knew he wasn’t human, the doors were locked. There were also magical shields to keep everything else out. All that told her was that whoever and whatever this was, it was strong.
“Well that’s complicated.” He spoke in a strangely smooth and completely unaccented voice.
“Uncomplicate it.”
The man chuckled. “It’s also unimportant.”
Something about his laugh made Buffy want to shiver. “My house, I decide what’s important.”
Another chuckle, “You can call me Malach.”
“Is that your name?”
He shrugged.
“What do you want?”
“Actually the question is what do you want?”
“Aside from wanting you to leave?”
“You’re not what I expected.”
“Sorry to disappoint you. Oh wait, no…I’m not.”
“Yes. Charming. I still don’t see how you’ve managed to inspire such loyalty.”
“What?”
“You can put down the knife; it wouldn’t make any difference.” He demonstrated by waving his hand through the table.”
“The First.” Buffy’s eyes widened as she took a step away from the man.
“No. There are other beings that appear as incorporeal on this plane.”
“Huh?”
The man sighed deeply, shook his head and spoke with deep condescension. “Go-through-able-other things are go- through-able.”
“Fine. What kind of things?
He grinned. “Things like me.”
“And again I ask, What. Do. You. Want?”
“As I said the question is what you want and I am merely here to ask it.”
“To ask what I want?”
“Exactly, will you be maintaining or relinquishing your claim?”
“What claim?” She scrunched her forehead in confusion.
“Your claim on the soul, the situation is highly irregular.”
“You’re here to find out if I want to keep my soul?” For the first time Buffy wondered if she had fallen asleep and was dreaming. She looked down at her body as if she could physically check that her soul was in place.
“The other obviously, not the one originally given to you.”
“I have another soul?”
“Well you apparently hold the claim to another soul, as I said the situation is highly irregular.”
“I don’t…”
“I was afraid of this. You were not aware of the claim,”
Buffy shook her head.
“Seems to me if she’s not even aware of the claim.” He’d looked away when he’d spoken that time as if there was another person in the room.
Buffy turned cautiously, but saw no one.
Malach made a face and continued speaking. “As you wish.” He turned back to Buffy. “Normally a claim is built or developed based upon one’s actions on this plane. Each side presents its case and the side with the stronger claim takes the soul, becomes its final destination.”
“You’re talking about like heaven or hell.”
“That would be a common simplification. Occasionally one side or the other can claim a soul at its inception. In those cases the actions on this plane are irrelevant, unless the side with the claim relinquishes the claim, the soul belongs to them.”
“So there is no free will?”
Malach looked surprised, though Buffy wasn’t sure if his surprise meant he thought she was clever to ask or an idiot to not know the answer.
“In those cases, and they are rare, the actions on this plane are freely chosen, the final destination is not.”
“All right, I still don’t see where I have a claim-I’m not…”
“Yes, the circumstances are highly peculiar. I’ve never heard of another case where this…typically of course the soul is installed pre-consciousness. A person does not have the opportunity to choose for themselves the final destination of their soul, except of course by their actions.”
“Unless there was like a prior claim thingy.”
“Right. This case is unique I believe because the soul was installed or more accurately reinstalled in to an entirely conscious person. Since this is not a normal occurrence we were really quite unaware that a person would be able, if focused strongly enough, to choose their own final destination. In this case you. Although I have suggested that such a claim could not have been deliberate, since he could not have been cognizant of the possibility.” He looked away for a moment and nodded. “I have, however, been over-ruled and therefore I ask whether you will be maintaining or relinquishing your claim.”
Buffy stared at him wide-eyed and gripped the counter for support. “Spike.”
“Yes, I believe that was one of his names.”
“You’re asking me if I want Spike’s soul?” She asked quietly.
“No. I am telling you that he has apparently already given it to you, such as it is, and I am asking whether or not you plan to accept.”
“His soul?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t understand. Where is his soul now?”
“It’s waiting as all must until its final destination is determined. Do you wish to relinquish your claim?”
“Then what would happen? What happens if I accept or whatever?”
“If you relinquish your claim then the party with the next strongest claim will obtain the soul.”
“Spike’s soul”
“Yes.”
“And who has the next highest…would he go to heaven?”
“I cannot say.”
“Can’t or wont?”
“Either one.”
“And what if I accept it? What actually happens?”
“Then we shall return his soul to this plane for your keeping.”
“How can you …just his soul?”
“And here I heard you had some sort of preference for the soul.” He chuckled. “We will restore his body as well, if that is what you are asking. The soul cannot exist without containment on this plane.” He smiled. “Unless you would prefer a different container?”
“No, I…you can just make him be alive again because I have a claim?”
“If you choose to maintain the claim, his destination shall be you, wherever you should be.”
“So if I die?”
“The claim will be maintained.”
“And his soul would go with me?”
“Yes.”
Buffy looked down for a moment thinking. “Can I choose a location for the soul, like can I decide to send him to heaven?”
“Quite caught up on this heaven thing aren’t you? That is not how it works. You can either accept the claim or relinquish it. I really must ask that you make a decision; this whole thing has put me quite behind schedule. Do you wish to relinquish the claim?”
Something about the way he kept asking that was seriously creeping Buffy out, she shook her head. “No, I don’t relinquish my claim. I want…”
Malach sighed. “Very well.”
[Reviews - 113]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Chapter or Story |
Chapter or Story | 
Chapter or Story
Has been viewed 6160 times
- Text Size +
Banner by the Awesome C.C.
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Chapter or Story |
Chapter or Story | Chapter or Story - Text Size +
Banner by the Awesome C.C.