Buffy picked up the sword and unsheathed it. Its silver hilt gleamed dully in the light from the lamps around the room, while the ebony blade seemed to simply absorb what light struck it. “As I stated before, the sword was a gift from my father, on my 16th birthday. I believe his words regarding the making of the sword were…” Buffy trailed off, lost in thought. “Oh yes, ‘Forged in the fires of hell, cast from the bones of eternity, and tempered in the blood of a Dragon’s Heart’. He told me the sword has a soul, and I believe it.”
“A sword with a soul. Well, can’t be all that different than a vampire with a soul, now can it?” Xander quipped. “Except I’d warrant the sword is more useful.”
Everyone laughed at Xander’s remark.
“Sure is… at least the sword doesn’t go all pervy around young girls,” Joyce muttered under her breath.
Giles cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. “Now then, ‘Forged in the fires of hell’ is, I’m assuming a metaphor for something?”
“Nope, it means what it says. Father used the very fires of hell to forge the sword, which is why the blade is black. And as you can see, tends to absorb light. Makes it damned hard to see in the dark.” Buffy’s grin was full of mischief. “Gives me a bit of an edge in night combat.”
“No kidding. When she killed that demon last night, I didn’t SEE the sword hit him. All I saw was her holding this silver thing in her hands, and then poof… his parts were falling off,” Xander said, even as he squirmed at the thought of parts being lopped off.
“Right, then. And the ‘cast from the bones of eternity’ I’m assuming means the material from which it was made?” Giles asked, even as he continued to write.
“Yes. When I asked him, he said it was the same substance from which his forefathers had forged the world-heart. This makes the sword unbreakable.” Buffy replied. “Or at least I have never come across anything that can break it, or even chip it. And that includes lasers. Darius tested it. The dumbass,” Buffy muttered under her breath.
Spike glanced down at where Buffy was almost draped over his legs. “Darius? I seem to have heard that name before. Some kind of monk?”
“Sort of. Darius was a student of mine a while back. I found him just after his first quickening. He came to hate the entire ‘lets kill all the immortals’ routine, and retired to holy ground roughly 200 years ago. He was killed 2 years ago by the Watcher’s Council.” Buffy said.
Willow blinked in confusion. “I thought the Council only watched slayers? Why would they kill this guy, Darius?”
“Because he knew things the council didn’t want anyone to find out. Like the real truth of the creation of the slayer, and what the watchers originally were.” Buffy said with a shrug. “The ass who killed Darius was killed by Duncan shortly afterwards.”
“What was the name of this ass—err watcher?” Giles asked.
“James Horton. Apparently his murder of Darius was a means to draw Mac out into the open. He had this theory that Duncan was out to take over the world.” Buffy shook her head in disbelief. “Mac doesn’t want to take over the world. He’d rather brood and tease the old man.”
Tara asked quietly, “Mac? Duncan? You speak of them like they are the same person.”
It was Dawn who answered. “They are. Duncan Macleod of the Clan Macleod. Most people call him Mac.”
“Interesting, very interesting.” Giles muttered as he wrote down everything. “Now the last point. ‘Tempered in the blood of a dragon’s heart’, are you telling me you father hunted down and killed a dragon just to temper your sword?” he asked with some indignation.
“Nope, he didn’t hunt down a dragon. He IS the Dragon. He stuck the sword into his own chest, bonding the sword to his blood. This means ONLY those of his blood could wield the sword. A kind of security feature you might say.” Buffy replied.
Xander gasped, “Your dad was a dragon? Wow. Betcha that shocked the shit outta your mom.”
“My mother knew what my father is, Xander. He offered her the chance to bear his child and she agreed. There was no force, no coercion. My mother was a priestess in the Temple. She could see the things to come, and knew that a child born of her and my father would one day save all our people. She just forgot to mention the fact that I would also be the cause of the destruction of the city,” Buffy replied gently.
Giles queried. “Buffy, you said your father was a dragon…”
“IS, Giles, IS a dragon. And not just any dragon, but THE Dragon,” Buffy interrupted.
“Could you enlighten me as to his name?” Giles asked softly.
“Sure. His name is Draco. He is one of the Elder Gods. And the only one of them to remain behind when the rest left,” Buffy told everyone.
“GOOD LORD!” Giles exclaimed, jumping to his feet. “You mean… you are… oh lord…” Giles fell to his knees, stuttering and stammering. “The Draconis. The Dragon’s Daughter. She who raised up the Four Horsemen and set them on their dark path.”
“That would be me.” Buffy replied with a smirk.
“Of course she is,” Anya remarked with some exasperation. “You knew about the sword, and you didn’t even think to realize who was holding it?” Turning to Joyce, Anya stated, “I hope he’s good at giving orgasms, because I don’t think he’s much use when it comes to drawing logical conclusions.”
Spike stifled a laugh at Anya’s remarks, noticing that the other ‘Scoobies’, as they referred to themselves, were doing the same.
Joyce laughed softly. “Yes Anya, he’s good at a few things. But it’s not nice to laugh at someone because they were in denial.”
Giles simply knelt on the floor, staring at Buffy, a shocked, almost terrified expression on his face.
Xander asked, “So what’s so important about the sword and the whole horse thing? She uses the sword to kill horses?”
Willow turned to Xander and said with some exasperation, “I think Giles means THE Four Horsemen… of the Apocalypse.” She thought for a moment. “War, Famine, Disease and Death… if I’m not mistaken, what with the whole being Jewish thing and not really understanding the entire non-Jewish things.”
Without taking her eyes off of Giles, Buffy said with a slight grin, “Yup, that would be my boys.” She sighed softly. “I miss those boys sometimes, ya know?”
Spike turned to her and quirked one eyebrow. “Boys? You have more kids than Joyce? Or are we talking different kinds of boys here?”
Joyce answered him, before Buffy could say anything. “By ‘boys’ she means students. She taught them almost everything they knew. She led them too, if Methos wasn’t telling tall tales.”
“M-M-M-ethos?” Giles stuttered. “He’s just a myth, a legend. He’s not real. Doesn’t exist.”
Spike snorted. “Yeah Rupes, and neither do I.” Turning to look down at where Buffy was curled up against him, he told her, “He sure didn’t get my sister’s smarts that’s for sure.”
Buffy laughed softly. “Be nice, Spike. It’s not his fault that he thinks Methos doesn’t exist. We’ve done a hell of a lot of work to make sure that people thinks he isn’t real. Or if he is real, that he’s long dead.” She shook her head and continued, “Did a lot of work to make it seem like I didn’t exist either. It’s safer that way, for everyone concerned.”
Xander blinked and looked at Buffy. “Safer?”
Anya glanced at Buffy and answered Xander. “Yes Xander, safer. If other immortals think she’s already dead, or that she never existed in the first place, they don’t seek her out and try to kill her.”
“Why would anyone want to kill her?” Tara asked softly. “She seems really nice, and her aura is so vibrant, like a rainbow.”
Buffy looked over at Tara and smiled gently. “Thanks sweetie. But sometimes, people simply want to kill you because they think they can.” Buffy shrugged. “And if they are stupid enough to attack me, or mine I don’t mind showing them just how stupid they are.”
Joyce nodded as she said, “Yeah, I remember this one time in college. This guy was hitting on me, refused to take no for an answer. She kicked him the balls, and then offered to introduce him to the word no.” Joyce laughed. “I never saw him run so fast in his life. Even with his balls kicked up between his eyes.”
Anya chuckled wickedly. “Oh I’ve seen her do worse. I remember once when she castrated this guy at the dinner table. He had attacked his host's young daughter; I think she was maybe 12 years old. Anyway, she yanked him up onto the table and just sliced his penis off. With the dinner knife. It was so amusing.” Anya grinned. “Of course it also fulfilled the vengeance wish the little girl made against her attacker.”
Xander looked decidedly pale. “Umm Ahn… can we not discuss the damaging of men’s parts, please?”
Spike nodded in complete agreement. “Yes please, let's not discuss the damaging of manly appendages.”
Buffy ran her fingers lightly across Spike’s crotch. “Okay, no more damage talk.”
Giles seemed to be in a catatonic state, still staring at Buffy, eyes wide.
“Joyce, I think you need to do something about your guy there. He’s starting to creep me out.” Buffy said as she eyed Giles with amusement.
Joyce rose from her chair and walked over to where Giles was kneeling on the carpet. She looked at him and then poked him with her toe. “Get up Rupert. You look like a complete fool.” When that failed to provoke a response, she turned to the tried and true methods every mother knows. She grabbed him by the ear and yanked sharply upwards.
“OUCH!” Giles yelled as he rose to his feet in order to keep his ear attached to his head. “That is totally uncalled for, Joyce.”
“Next time, respond when I talk to you and I won’t have to resort to physical violence,” Joyce responded.
“Right then. Where were we?” Giles asked as he straightened his tie and took his seat again.
Dawn piped up, “We were talking about Buffy and her sword. Oh and the fact that she’s the daughter of a dragon. Hey! Does this mean my grandfather is a dragon? Wicked!” Dawn started to bounce excitedly.
“Yes, right. Swords and dragons and…” Giles trailed off once more as his eyes widened in horror. “Oh Lord. I can’t believe it.” Turning to Joyce he asked her in a very tight, very frustrated voice. “Did you know that your mother is one of the most deadly people in history? Are you aware she is reportedly responsible for the destruction of entire cities, if not entire civilizations?”
“Of course dear. Mother told me who and what she is a long time ago.” Joyce calmly responded.
As Giles’ words finally penetrated the ears and minds of the other people in the room, all hell broke loose.
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