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Author's Chapter Notes:
Betaed by Maria and Flight Of Fancy.
Giles worked until late in the morning, unpacking the books he needed now, and trying to find more information about the prophecy. He didn’t have any luck. Sleep, that’s what I need. Just a couple of hours in a proper bed before I continue my search.

When Giles got up, the first thing he did was to put water on to make tea. He started to unpack the last of the books while he waited for the water to boil. As he drank his tea, he began to sort out the rest of the books, trying to find a place to start. After several hours he was forced to take a break; his body demanded it. He went into the kitchen to make something to eat and a new pot of tea. As the sun went down, he started to realize that he wasn’t going to find anything in his books. He started to pile the books up along the wall, out of the way.

If I knew my standing with the Council I would have phoned them, but they might not even take my call. Maybe I should risk the humiliation? Yes, that’s what I’ll do. Better to be safe, than sorry.

Surprisingly, they took Giles’ call, but he had to talk to one of the younger Watchers. They called him back within an hour. The Council had been researching since Giles called about the prophecy and, as he suspected, there was no ritual mentioned anywhere. After tidying up, he got out a bottle of liquor and a glass. He took it to his comfy chair, settled himself down, and sipped at his scotch while staring vacantly ahead. He remained motionless until there was a knock on the door. It was Angel. As he was letting the vampire in, the phone rang. It was Xander calling, asking if there was news.

"No, not yet, but Angel has just arrived. Maybe he has some news." He looked at Angel, who just shook his head.

"If Willow is up for it, perhaps we should get together and maybe then we can find a solution." Giles waited while Xander talked with Willow.

"She says that she’s okay, so we’ll be right over." They both hung up.

Giles looked at Angel. "You look tired."

"I haven’t slept yet." He let his body fold itself into a chair, and took the drink Giles offered. They both sat quietly, just waiting. It wasn’t long before Willow and Xander rushed through the door.

Xander couldn't wait until he’d taken a seat. "What do you know? Have you found her body?" he asked impatiently.

Giles looked up. "Sit down, Xander." He waited until they both were sitting, before asking, "Do you want something to drink before we start?"

"No thanks, Giles, I'm good," Willow said from her place on the couch.

"I'm good too," Xander said. "Maybe now that the pleasantries are over, you’ll tell us what you know." Xander looked from Giles to Angel.

Giles met his eyes. "I guess I'd better start. We have to accept that Buffy is dead, because of the call from The Watcher’s Council, informing me that a new Slayer was called. Angel and I went out to find Buffy’s body. We tracked her to a cemetery, where we believe that she helped somebody and escorted them out of the area. From that point on, there was no trace of her. None at all."

"You said that you could trace her!" Xander screamed, at Angel. "You claimed you could track her like a dog. You can’t even do that. You’re useless!"

"We believe that she was transported away in a car," Angel defended himself.

Giles got up to refill their glasses while he asked, "What did you find out last night, Angel? Did you find the Master's lair?" He sat down again before Angel started talking.

"Yes, I found the lair, but there was no trace of her. She’s never been down there. And, by the way, I saw the Master down there, still trapped. He started yelling at me, wanting to know where“that damn Slayer“ was. He seems to think that she was supposed to free him with a sip of her blood."

Giles pulled his glasses off so quickly that it was hard to believe they didn’t arrive in his handkerchief by magical means. "You mean to say that because she didn’t go to the Master, he is still trapped?"

"I mean," Angel hesitated before he continued, "the prophecy not only foretold Buffy’s death, it was also a tool to free the Master."

“So, the prophecy said that Buffy would die at the hands of the Master, but neglected to tell us that he would break free from his prison when he tasted her blood. Neither event happened, though. While Buffy is dead, the Master did not kill her, and he certainly didn’t drink her blood.” Giles spoke quietly, as if he were talking to himself. The Council was right, prophecies could be changed.

"But where is her body? What’s happened to her?" Willow asked.

Giles sat down with a notepad and a pen. "What we need to find out is, who transported her away from the cemetery, and why. Last, but not least, we need to know where her body is. What we do know, is that there is no ritual involved with freeing the Master. I have checked my books, and to be sure I called the Council and asked if they knew anything about a ritual. They informed me that they have been researching since I told them about the prophecy. They didn’t find anything out of the ordinary, just a normal prophecy. Not to say that prophecies are normal, well, you know what I mean." Giles stopped writing and looked up. "Do any of you have anything to add?" Nobody responded.

"What now?" Xander asked.

"Now, we need to find the answers to the questions we asked before," Giles answered.

"Can’t we use magic to find her body?" inquired Willow.

"No, I’m afraid it can’t be used to find a dead body." Giles started to scribble again.

"What if she’s alive?" Xander said with hope in his voice, "couldn’t The Council have made a mistake? Maybe the girl they say is a new slayer is really just a very strong girl?"

"I’m sorry, Xander, but I doubt it very much. The Council is very competent and, as far as I know, has never made a mistake when identifying a new Slayer." They all sat there, staring at nothing.

There was a mumbling. Giles looked at Angel." What was it you said, Angel?"

"I said, that maybe there have been mistakes, but the Council wouldn’t want anyone to know about them," Angel said a little louder. "Is there anyone you can ask, Giles? Somebody you trust inside the Council?"

"I don’t know. I’ll have to think about it."

"Why not just try it?" Willow interrupted.

"Try what?" Xander asked. "What are you talking about?"

"A spell! A location spell," Willow said excited.

"What would that help? Giles said that they don’t work for finding dead people," Xander explained.

"Willow is right, Xander, but you are also right," Giles said thoughtfully, polishing his glasses. "It wouldn't hurt to try a location spell." He got up to find the right book, and then went to find the supplies he would need for the spell.

"Can you do the spell, Giles?" Willow asked, excited. "Can I help with anything?" She was so eager that she was almost jumping out of her seat.

"Yes, I can do the spell. As a Watcher you learn to use spells, and I also did a little dabbling when I was young." He returned with the supplies and the book. “Willow, why don’t you come over here and mix the herbs for me?"

It didn’t take them long to set the spell up. "Now, we just need something of Buffy’s. Do you have anything here, Giles?" Willow asked, as she checked off the other items on her list. “It’s the last thing we need, and then we can do the spell.”

Giles shook his head. "No, she was never here. We always met at the school."

"What now?" Xander asked.

"We need something that belongs to Buffy, and we can’t just go to her house and ask Mrs. Summers for it. She’d think that we were weirdos!" Willow explained.

"What about at school?" Xander suggested. "There must be something in her locker. Do you know her combination, Willow?"

"No, I don’t, but she has a change of clothes in the library. Would that do?" Willow inquired.

"Yes, it certainly would!" Giles answered with a little smile. "Good thinking, Willow."

She blushed.

"I’ll go get it," Xander interrupted.

"Not alone, Xander," Giles said, turning to Angel.

"I’ll go with Xander." Angel got up.

"I’ll find my keys." When Giles finally found them in his coat pocket, he gave them to Xander. "Be careful. The Master might have sent out minions looking for Buffy, or somebody they think can help them find her."

"And hurry back," Willow told them.

It wasn’t long before they were back.

"We found some well-worn tennis shoes, and pants covered with green goo. The shirt, I think, is soaked in blood."

"Let me see it, Xander." Giles held out his hand. "We can’t use the shoes or the pants, the goo might lead us to some demon that has escaped Buffy. As for the shirt, I don’t know. Angel, could you help me out here?"

“What can I do?" Angel asked, as he came to stand beside Giles.

"Can you tell me if this is Buffy's blood?" He held the shirt up in front of Angel.

He vamped out. "Sorry, I can smell better if I vamp out," he apologized, when he saw them pull back. He accepted the shirt offered by Giles. "Yes, it’s her blood, but there is also something else on it. Perhaps something from a demon."

"Damn! We’ve had nothing but bad luck the last couple of days," Giles cursed.

"Try looking in her pockets," Willow suggested.

As Angel was the only one holding Buffy’s clothes, he put down the shirt and picked the pants up. He looked at them oddly for a moment, and then used his index and middle fingers to search through the pockets. It didn’t take long before he was successful and revealed a hairband to the group.

"That was her favorite hairband," Willow cried out. “Oh no, I’ve already accepted that she’s dead." Willow started to sob loudly in the silent room.

Xander placed his arms around her and did his best to soothe her. "But we can do the location spell now, right? With the hairband?"

"Yes, Xander, that we can do," Giles replied. "I’ll start on it now."

Giles got up and took the band from Angel’s hand. Then he went over to the circle they had drawn on the floor. Once there, he sat down exactly in the middle and crossed his legs. He lay the hairband down in the circle next to a bowl, then started chanting, as he lit a candle and mixed herbs in the bowl. He carefully straightened the map on the floor before he set fire to the mixture of herbs. He then collected the crystal on a string, that lay ready beside him. Finally, he started to move it over the map. The chanting got louder by the minute. He started to shake. "They were right," he eventually muttered. "Here is the proof that she is dead." He lowered the crystal, not getting up from the floor. He just sat there, in the middle of the smelly herbs, with his head bowed. "I have lost my Slayer. She is gone."

The only sound heard in the silence, was Willow weeping.

It felt like hours before they started to move again. Willow getting up to blow out the candle, and Xander taking a firm grip on Giles’ upper arm to guide him to his chair, while Angel poured him a large drink.

The Watcher coughed as he gulped down too much in his first mouthful. "Take it easy, Giles. Maybe it would be better with a cup of tea?" Xander looked at Willow.

"I'll make it," Willow offered, and went to the small kitchen. It didn’t take long before she was back with a tray holding a cup of tea for each of them. They sat in silence for a long time, just sipping their tea.

At some point after sunrise, Giles drove Willow and Xander home.

Giles was indisposed for the next few days. The first day, he was drunk. The next he got a letter from The Watcher’s Council, telling him that he was fired. As he sat at his table, trying to decide whether to keep drinking or not, the phone rang. It was Snyder, asking why he wasn’t at his post in the library. Why not? As long as I have a job, I'll stay.

-----------------

The house at 1630 Revello Drive had been silent until the phone began to ring, at almost the same time that Giles received his call from the school Principal. After three rings the answering machine responded to the call, and a rushed voice left a message requesting that a Mrs. Joyce Summers please call back as soon as possible.







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