Buffy gave a tired nod to Willow, acknowledging her friend’s desire to make amends, and then she turned to her Watcher. “You don’t have to worry about whether or not I’ll do it Giles. I would have thought you’d know by now that I’ll do my duty, even when it hurts. As for how a marriage can avert an apocalypse, it all has to do with how I was resurrected. Returning to this plane of existence as the Slayer was the equivalent of returning a white queen to the giant chessboard that the Powers That Be play on...a retired queen that didn’t belong in the game anymore, but still belonged to the Powers. When I marry, I’ll belong to my husband, and my presence on the board won’t mean so much anymore. When that happens, the other side will have to retire the extra queen they grabbed in retaliation, the First Evil, and things should go back to normal.” At that she turned to Faith. “When that happens, it will all be yours, Faith. For years you’ve wanted to be the only Slayer...to have my life, my friends, my calling. Congratulations...your dreams are about to come true. You’re about to become the only thing standing between the forces of evil and all the innocent lives on Earth.”
A smile bloomed in Buffy’s eyes when she watched a brief expression of panic cross her sister Slayer’s face as the brunette shook her head in denial. “No...no...I don’t want it anymore...I can’t do it.” Fear was evident in Faith’s voice but, to give her credit, she didn’t try to run away.
“Can we at least help plan the wedding?” Dawn desperately wanted to do something to make up for the way she had acted when she’d lost faith in her sister’s ability to lead them. Once again taking a quick dip in the Nile, she adroitly avoided apologizing and admitting she’d actually done anything wrong, and tried to go straight to the distracting fun stuff.
“No.” Buffy’s answer was very clear. “My marriage will be a private thing between my future husband and myself.” At the crushed look on her sister’s face, the blonde relented a little. “But you could get me something to eat and drink, if you wanted.”
“But...aren’t you coming back with us? To the house?” A pout was forming on the teen’s face.
Buffy shook her head. “Not yet.”
“But...who is going to take care of me? You’re the only family I have!” Now Dawn’s voice was taking on an unattractive whine that made the vampire in the room wince.
“You heard what Willow just said. She’ll take care of you, and I’m sure Giles can help her figure out how to keep the bills all paid up until I’m back.”
“How long will you be gone, Buffy?” Willow waited anxiously for an answer from her friend. Sure, she’d promised to try to make amends, but she hadn’t really expected that Buffy would refuse to come home and would actually leave her to take care of things on her own.
“I don’t know, Willow. I’ll be gone as long as it takes.”
Straightening her shoulders, Willow realized that Buffy wasn’t joking, and it really was time that she grew up and shouldered some responsibility. She moved over to Dawn, and gently put her arm around the teen’s shoulders. “Why don’t we head back to the house and make a few sandwiches for Buffy?” Reluctantly, the youth let the Wiccan lead her to the ladder and then up and out of the lower chamber.
“Yes, well...I’ll stay at the house until such time as you are ready to return...whenever that may be.” With those words, Giles followed Willow and Dawn up the ladder.
One by one, the rest of the Scoobies and Potentials left the lower chamber of the crypt. Buffy could tell by the way Faith’s footsteps dragged that the other Slayer wasn’t really happy with the way things were going. She’d hoped Buffy would at least be jealous of the close relationship she had with Angel, but the blonde Slayer hadn’t even blinked an eye. She hadn’t mentioned stealing Wood from the senior Slayer’s side, but it was clear that Buffy didn’t really care about that either. It looked like all the effort Faith had put into displacing Buffy from her own life had been successful...but now Faith wasn’t sure she wanted what she’d stolen. Feeling irritated and trapped, the brunette Slayer decided that a patrol might be the thing to ease her frustrations.
Riley had hoped to catch up with Faith as they left Restfield, but the Slayer’s frustration had her moving at a speed that a mere human couldn’t hope to keep up with. Instead, the soldier settled for walking back to Revello Drive with Xander, who was still shaking his head in denial of all they had heard.
Not far behind the two men, the Potentials were walking together in a big group, their voices buzzing like a swarm of bees. Who was the love of Buffy’s life? Would they be allowed to attend the wedding? Would Buffy’s marriage really put an end to the First? On and on the questions went, but nobody was able to provide them with any answers.
The last one to leave the crypt was Angel. While everyone else departed, he stayed, quietly brooding, standing beside the bed and trying to find the right words to express himself. Finally, he decided to get directly to the point. “So...When are we getting married?”
Looking at Angel with disdain, Buffy responded, “I didn’t say WE were.” She rolled to her side, away from the vampire with a soul, and pulled the covers up once more, whispering for a final time, “Get out.”
“What? But...I’m the love of your life, Buffy. Everyone knows that!”
Whistler interrupted Angel. “Look pal. You’d better do what the Slayer says. Let her rest and you can talk about this again later, okay?”
After a final glance at Buffy’s swaddled form Angel realized he wasn’t going to make any headway that night. He left the crypt and wandered out into the cemetery, trying to figure out what Buffy’s last comment might possibly mean. He was so focused on his brooding that he almost missed his demon howling at the brightening of the eastern sky, and was forced to run the full way back to the house on Revello Drive in order to avoid the deadly rays of the rising sun.
About an hour after the Scoobies left the crypt, Whistler heard voices in the upper chamber once more. He quickly climbed the ladder, and found Willow and Dawn, carrying a small cooler filled with sandwiches and fruit juice for the Slayer. To their disappointment, he refused to allow them access to the lower room, telling them that the Slayer was sleeping and it was better if she remained undisturbed. Reluctantly, the two girls left after Whistler reassured them that when Buffy woke, she would be told of their visit and asked to give them a call on Whistler’s cell.
Returning to the bedroom, Whistler placed the cooler on a small table near the bed, and then sat down to continue his watch over Buffy. Her sleep wasn’t as peaceful as Whistler expected, given the future now in front of her. As near as the smelly demon could figure, Buffy Summers had won the jackpot. Not only did she get to marry the love of her life, but her friends and family would be forced to accept her hew mate and their relationship, unless the group wanted the First Evil to take over the world.
Suddenly, a short scream from the bed forced Whistler’s gaze to return to the small, blanket-wrapped bundle that contained the girl who carried so much of the weight of the world on her shoulders. The girl who was currently sitting up, tears running down her cheeks as she gasped for air. The demon’s sudden movement drew the Slayer’s attention, and she automatically prepared for attack until she realized who was near.
Falling back to rest once more on the bed, Buffy closed her eyes and tried to relax. Moments later, she gave a small growl, realizing that sleep would not be returning immediately. The Slayer turned to Whistler, propping herself up against the headboard and loosely surrounding her drawn-up knees with her arms. The pictures from her dream were haunting her and she was hoping the demon would prove sufficiently distracting.
Sensing the Slayer’s need, Whistler quickly approached the cooler, fetching Buffy a sandwich and a small bottle of orange juice. Nodding her thanks, Buffy immediately opened the bottle, gulping down half the cool fluid in an attempt to soothe her dry throat. The Slayer closed her eyes in delight, relaxing and enjoying the feel of the cold juice hitting her stomach. The sandwich was unwrapped and consumed in three or four giant bites. Gratefully, she again nodded her thanks when Whistler passed her a second sandwich. Quickly gobbling down her meal, the Slayer finished off her drink and then rose from the bed. Giving her muscles a quick stretch, she started walking toward the shadowed end of the room furthest from the ladder.
“Where are you going?” Whistler was standing beside her.
“To the bathroom,” the Slayer replied, before moving off to her intended target. Spike had built a bathroom into his home for the express use of the Slayer, though he’d been quick to take advantage of the hot water and shower facilities himself. Deciding a shower sounded good, Buffy stripped off her clothes and turned on the taps in the large shower stall. Relaxing under the warm water, she allowed the pulsating flow to wash away the fear brought on by nightmares of Spike’s final death, as well as her own, at the hands of her so-called friends. She couldn’t help but wonder if they were Slayer dreams of the future, or if they were showing her what would have come to pass if she hadn’t convinced Spike to leave Sunnydale when he did.
Drying off after a long soak, Buffy realized she didn’t have any fresh clothes to change in to. With a grimace, she once again donned her jeans and sweater, making a mental note to ask Willow or Dawnie to pack her an overnight bag the next time she saw them.
Returning to the bedroom, the Slayer decided to confront Whistler. “The Powers said that he was on his way, and that he’d be here in just a few days. It’s been more than just a few days now, but still...no Spike for me. What’s going on?”
Scratching his head while somehow managing to keep his hat on, Whistler was unable to give Buffy an answer.
“Whistler...is it...is he...Doesn’t he love me anymore?” The Slayer finally choked out her question in a soft voice.
“What? No...That’s crazy-talk, Slayer. It’s nothing like that at all. We just had a hard time convincing him to return to Sunnydale. The guy kept insisting that he’d made a promise and wasn’t going to break it. You’ve found yourself one stubborn vamp, but we finally managed to convince him. He’s on his way...wouldn’t be surprised if he got into town tonight even.”
“You’re sure?”
Recognizing the fragile look in the Slayer’s big green eyes, the demon hastened to reassure her. “I’m sure, Buffy. I’d bet my hat on it.”
His comment earned him a rare smile from the blonde on the bed. “Do you know where he was?” she asked.
Whistler couldn’t help but smile, as the Chosen One, Slayer of any and all who presented a risk to humans in this realm, acted like a young girl with her first crush. She was fiddling with her buttons, and her bare toes were making lines in the heavy dust on the crypt floor as she peeked up at him from beneath her long blonde bangs. “Nope, sorry Doll-face. I don’t get any more information than I need to have, and all I need to know is that he’s heading in this direction as quickly as he can.”
“I just wish he would get here soon.” Buffy’s arms wrapped around her torso, and she rocked gently as she sat on the bed. “I miss him so much.” A tear ran down one pale cheek.
“I know, Kiddo...you just need to hang on a little bit longer.” Whistler placed a comforting hand on her knee, and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
The pair sat in silence for some time, Buffy lost in memories of her time with Spike, and Whistler lost in his surprise that Buffy had managed to tame the missing master vampire. The demon couldn’t help but wonder if there was some sort of congenital flaw in the Aurelian line that made the male vampires all susceptible to falling in love with Buffy Summers.
It was a shock to the demon’s system when Buffy’s head suddenly flew up, her hands grasping the blanket on the bed as her eyes shifted to the hidden sewer entrance at the side of the chamber. Her Slayer senses were screaming that a master vampire was approaching, moving rapidly through the tunnels...a master vampire that felt very familiar to the Slayer.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Betaed by Flight Of Fancy.