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Author's Chapter Notes:
Betaed by the fantastic Flight Of Fancy.
Angel had been in town for hours, and had walked through every cemetery the town had, trying to find a trace of the Slayer. He didn’t sense her anywhere, and the scents he found were several days old.

Now the sun was high in the sky again, and the brooding vampire was standing behind Willow, watching her cast yet another locator spell. The redhead moved a crystal over a map of Sunnydale and then the surrounding area, trying to get a bead on where Buffy was hiding.

“I told you...she’s vanished.” Letting her arm fall down, Willow looked over her shoulder at the vampire that was hovering over her.

“Is there anyone else that she would turn to for help?” Angel looked at the Scoobies. “What about the soldier boy?”

“I don’t think so,” Willow piped up.

“Why don’t I give him a call, just to be sure?” Xander was already looking through his cell phone for the top-secret contact number Riley had left behind. Finally locating the number, the gangly youth escaped to the kitchen for a moment to place his call.

Returning to the living room, Xander updated the group. “She’s not with Riley, and he hasn’t heard from her since he left town. He wants to come help with the search through. He’ll be here in a few hours.”

“What now?” Dawn asked.

“I don’t believe we have any alternative but to wait now.” Giles pulled off his glasses. “Hopefully, Riley can be of some help. If not, then I’m afraid we’ll have to consider the possibility that Buffy has met her third death.”

*************************

“We’re scanning Sunnydale from several satellites in orbit as we speak.” Riley looked over the gathering. The Scoobies were all front and center, joined by a bunch of teenagers who were standing behind Faith. The brunette was giving him a lecherous look that was wreaking havoc with his concentration.

“Will your wife be joining us, Riley?” Giles had noticed Faith’s interest in the soldier, and decided it was best to try and prevent that complication before it became an issue.

“No. I’m not married any longer.” With a grim look on his face, Riley moved to sit down in one of the chairs.

Sighing, Giles pinched the bridge of his nose. A house full of teenagers hadn’t left the Watcher with a single moment alone since Buffy’s disappearance. His body was starting to buckle under the stress, and he’d had a headache since the moment he realized that they’d effectively placed Faith in charge. “When will we know something?”

“Any minute now. I started the scan process as soon as I got off the phone with Xander.” Though Riley knew it wasn’t possible to speed up the scan, he had hoped to have some intel to share when he arrived in Sunnydale.

Xander moved to stand beside the chair that Riley occupied. “Sorry about the wife, man.”

Giving the brunette a nod, Riley responded. “Thanks. We probably married too soon after...”

“Yeah, I know what you mean.” With his hands in his pockets, Xander rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet. “She’s not easy to get over.” They exchanged looks, and understanding flowed between them without anything further being said. They both knew who they were talking about.

Looking up, Xander gazed directly into Angel’s brown eyes. After a second, the vampire’s gaze moved down to connect with Riley. Clearly, all three had come to an understanding. They would work together, regardless of their differences, until Buffy was back where she belonged, or until they had proof that she was no more.

**Bleep** **Bleep**

The sound was loud in the silence of the room. When Riley reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone, the room released a collective sigh, and then seemed to hold its breath as the soldier frowned and listened to a conversation only he could hear. Then, with a final, “I understand, Roger that, Finn out,” Riley folded the phone and returned it to his pocket.

There was a moment’s delay, and then Riley met the Watcher’s gaze. “This building is the only place in Sunnydale where the satellites were able to locate evidence of human life. Buffy has either left Sunnydale, or she’s dead.” His voice was loud and clear, as if he were delivering a mission report to a superior officer.

It wasn’t until then, that the Scoobies and potentials alike started to really consider that they might be facing an apocalypse without Buffy. She’d always come through for them before, and they’d never truly appreciated just how much they relied on her to look out for them and take care of the various Big Bads that came to town.

Silence reigned in the room for a moment, until it was broken abruptly by a series of knocks. Startled, everyone seemed to look about the room, not connecting the noise with someone waiting at the front door. The knocking sounded again, and Giles seemed to suddenly come to his senses.

The Watcher cursed under his breath. “Calm down everyone. Make way...someone is at the door.” He moved to see who was interrupting the Scooby meeting.

A hand on his chest stopped him before he could cross the room. Giles looked into the eyes of the man who had stayed his progress. “It has to be a demon, Giles. Let me open it.” Riley was standing in front of Giles, a hand on his sidearm, ready for action.

“It’s daylight outside, and any demon polite enough to knock can’t be that bad.” Giles pushed Riley’s hand aside and continued past the soldier.

“But the scans...”

“I don’t give a bloody rat’s ass about your scans.” It was Ripper that took the last few steps to the entryway, and the Scoobies could see Giles take a deep breath and make a deliberate effort to get his emotions under control again before he opened the door. Turning the knob and pulling the door open, Giles found himself looking at a shabbily dressed man. Shabbily dressed, and very smelly. Giles stepped back when the pungent odour registered. “Yes? How may I help you?”

“Whistler?” Angel was looking over Giles’ shoulder. “What are you doing here?”

“Whistler? As in, the Representative for the Powers That Be?” Giles looked from the stranger to Angel, and back again, while waiting for a response to his question.

“Yeah, I’m Whistler, and yeah, I work for the Powers. I’m here to see the Slayer. I need to have a bit of a chat with her.”

Giles had seen Angel’s nod of confirmation, and moved out of the doorway, gesturing for the strange demon with the deplorable wardrobe to enter. “She’s in there.” The Watcher pointed to the living room.

Walking past Angel and into the room, Whistler quickly scanned the faces of those present. “Where? I don’t see her.” The demon appeared confused.

Angel put his hand on the stinky man’s shoulder, and turned him to face the dark Slayer. “Whistler, I’d like you to meet Faith, the Slayer. Faith, this is Whistler, the one who started me on my path to redemption.”

Now Whistler looked really confused. “I’m sorry, but I’m here to talk with Buffy Summers, the true Slayer.” He looked around the room again. “I’m at the right house, ain’t I? I thought this was the home of Buffy Summers?”

Angry, Dawn stepped forward. “It’s my house too. Why does everyone call it Buffy’s house, and never mine?” She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot, clearly outraged.

“Oh, that’s an easy question to answer, Dawn.” Anya nodded enthusiastically. “They call it “Buffy’s house” because Buffy is the one that earns the money and pays the bills. It works the same way for “Xander’s apartment.”

“Anya!” Xander exclaimed loudly.

Giles stepped in and addressed Whistler. “You are in the correct place. This is the Summers’ residence.”

“That’s good then. Can you find the dame for me then? I really do need to talk with her.”

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible. You see, she isn’t here at the moment.” Giles took off his glasses, and absent-mindedly began to clean the lenses with his tie, his gaze fixed on the floor.

“Hey, no offense guys, but I’m on a bit of a schedule here. The PTB don’t like it when their messages get put on hold. When is she supposed to be getting back?”

Clearing his voice, Giles finally looked at Whistler again. “We don’t know when, or if, she will be returning. The fact of the matter is, Buffy’s whereabouts are unknown right now.” The Watcher placed his glasses back on his nose. “The rest of us are not without skills, and Faith is also an active Slayer. Perhaps we could help you, if you’d be so kind as to tell us why you’re here?”

“Sure, Watcher-man. The Powers sent me to tell Miss Summers how to stop the First Evil.” The rumpled man scratched his nose and shrugged his shoulders. “To be honest, we thought she was going to take care of this on her own a while ago. We gave her everything she needed to fix the problem but she didn’t go through with it. I lost a lot of money on that bet, too.”

The mood in the room lightened, as people began to realize that there was a way to stop the Turok Han and the First from causing an apocalypse and unleashing Hell on Earth.

“There’s a way to stop the First Evil? How? That is, what is it that the Slayer must do?” Giles felt a strong urge to grab the smelly man and shake the answer out of him in an attempt to get it faster.

The look on Faith’s face was almost pleading, as she stepped up as well. “Give us the answer, and I’ll do whatever needs to be done. Buffy’s not the only Slayer here.”

“I’m sorry, Pigeon, but the info’s no good to you. Only Buffy can stop the First from opening the Hellmouth and ending life as you humans know it.” Whistler really did look apologetic.

Now it was Angel’s turn to speak up. “I don’t get it. Faith is a Slayer, just like Buffy. Why can’t she do whatever needs to be done?” Worried, the master vampire had moved to stand beside the rogue Slayer.

“It was Buffy that was pulled out of Heaven. She was officially out of the game, until someone started messing with powers they didn’t understand. If you think of the battle between good and evil like a chess game, then bringing Buffy back to life was like the good guys putting an extra piece onto the board. A really powerful extra piece...like a queen. Her return upset the balance between good and evil, and the other side was basically able to call foul and say the good guys were cheating by sneaking an extra player onto the field. Once that happened, they were free to go looking for an extra piece to put on their side of the board...and they found the First, ready and willing to play.”

“So, if I understand you correctly,” Giles asked, as he sat down on the couch, “you’re saying that if Buffy hadn’t been resurrected, then the other side wouldn’t have been able to bring the First to this world?”

Suddenly realizing how far-reaching the effects of her spell would be, Willow found herself overwhelmed. “No, no...That can’t be right.” She swayed, light-headed, and sank into a nearby chair. “Are you saying that all of this is my fault?” Tears ran down her face, and she was visibly shaking.

“Sorry Kiddo, accident or no, this mess is all yours.” Whistler was reluctant to confirm Willow’s guess, but didn’t want to lie to the young witch either.

Xander had been silent for most of Whistler’s visit, but something the Representative had said was bothering him. “You said that Buffy was an extra player...that the good guys snuck her onto the field. What in the name of the Great Googlamoogla does that mean?” The carpenter really wanted to go comfort Willow, but just couldn’t move. This whole visit felt unreal and he was struggling to wrap his mind around Whistler’s message. “If Buffy came back, she’d have to be a good guy, right? She’s the Slayer!”

Whistler glanced around the room, refusing to meet anyone’s eyes.

“He doesn’t know shit.” They all turned to Riley, who was looking at his watch. “Come on people, wake up. He’s just a filthy demon. He’s probably making all of this up just to screw with us.” With that, he pulled his gun and marched over to where Whistler was standing.

“Demon? Yeah, I’ve never tried to make you believe I’m anything else. As for the filthy part, well, you’re going to hurt my feelings if you’re not careful.” Looking at Riley, Whistler shrugged the soldier’s comments off without concern.

Angel reached past Whistler, and easily pulled the gun out of Riley’s grip, as the same time pushing the soldier-boy into a chair.

“What the Hell do you think you’re doing?” Riley screamed, as he leapt from the chair and stepped in front of Angel.

“He’s a demon. Deal with it. He works for the Powers That Be, and he’s here to help us. You need to just sit down and shut the fuck up.” Angel’s eyes were golden, and Riley suddenly seemed to realize just who he was talking to. With a soft thud, his ass was planted back in the chair Angel had shoved him into minutes before.

Xander drew everyone’s attention away from the bickering males when he turned to Whistler and asked, “So, is Giles right? Is the First only here because we brought Buffy back?”





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