Fic: Convergent Slayers (5/?)

[annelise@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Fifth Part of a First Attempt At BuffyFic. *sigh*
Comments/Flames/Etc. to: ladyvyxen@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

#INCLUDE <Disclaimer.txt>

Anne-Lise.

--

"Tell me you haven't harmed her," the child sighed.
"Oh, she's fine." Tara replied. "I just had to keep her quiet."
She dropped an unconscious Joyce Summers onto the floor in front of 
the master.
"The anointed one," the master whispered. "My, aren't we blessed."
The demonic horde burst into laughter.

*

Buffy chewed her lip. She could do this. Years of training had 
honed her skills. She knew martial arts and demonology. Surely she 
could handle her mother.
"Hello?" Buffy's eyes peered nervously around the door. "Mom?" She 
took in the destroyed furniture. "Mom!"

*

Xander paced about in Giles' home while Giles called the Council.
"Well?" Xander asked when Giles hung up. "What did they say?"
"They knew only to there being three Slayers including Faith, but 
they did confirm Faith died in 'unusual circumstances'."
"So," Xander said, "something I want to know..." He stopped 
pacing. "Why aren't there more Slayers running around out there?"
"Hmm?" Giles raised an eyebrow.
"I mean, if you can just make new Slayers by giving them near-death 
experiences..."
"Complete death experiences," Giles amended.
"Whatever, I mean, couldn't we make an army of Slayers by using 
Buffy and a small bucket of water?" Xander paused while Giles 
goggled. "Technically, I mean. Not that we would."
"I don't think it works that way," Giles replied. "I think there was 
a magic in Buffy, a magic that was waiting for a trigger to be 
released. The trigger, of course, being her death."
Xander nodded. "I think I actually understood that."
"So when Buffy... died... Kendra was called. And when Kendra died, 
the magic leapt into Faith."
"And now Willow. So, if its not so simple, how come there're another 
couple of Slayers out there?"
"According to the Council," Giles replied, "they knew to only one 
other active Slayer, and it was her death that gave the calling to 
Buffy. Her name was Kyoko."
"Nice name," Xander commented. "So, what's her deal?"
"A few years ago her whole family was killed by a particularly 
vicious vampire and she was powerless to prevent it happening."
"Major mind job," Xander agreed. "So, that's when she nearly died?"
"Er, no. That's when she actually died. According to the Council, 
Kyoko was taken by the vampire Angelus and became a vampire herself."
Xander tried to piece it together. "Angel? But... Angel?"
"It doesn't make sense," Giles agreed. "Angel had his soul when he 
first met Buffy, and he claimed not to have killed for at least 
eighty years before that."
"Dead boy. His story just gets better and better." Xander clenched a 
fist. "Man, I hate that guy."
"Anyway," Giles didn't have the strength to play devil's 
advocate, "for some reason Kyoko still has her soul." He 
frowned. "There seems to be a lot of that going around at the moment."
"A Slayer with an aversion to sunlight? Scary!" Xander commented.
"Indeed."
Xander looked thoughtful. "Is Willow getting 'the call'," Xander 
made quote marks in the air with his fingers, "anything to do with 
her being shacked up with Buffy?"
"I shouldn't think so," Giles frowned. "I think its more likely to 
be because she's become more powerful with magic."
"A Slayer lovin' a Slayer," Xander mused, unable to get the thought 
out of his head.
"Rather poetic, wouldn't you say?" Giles put in.
"Nope. That's what you'd say," Xander pointed out. "Me, I'd 
say, 'Where can I put the camera?'" He grinned.

*

"Buffy?" Giles answered the door and instead came face-to-face with 
a grim-looking Willow. "Ah, Willow, come in."
Willow glided in exhibiting a poise and grace completely unlike her 
old self. "Hi Giles."
Giles shut the door. "How do you feel?"
"I feel fantastic! Oh, hi Xander." Willow treated them both to a 
dazzling Willow smile.
Xander gave her a nod. "Good to see you up and around. Feel any 
different?"
Willow concentrated, and a six-foot bo staff leapt from its rack 
into her hand. Experimentally, she gave it a spin, changing hands 
with dizzying speed, weaving the bo in a figure-eight that seemed 
almost solid. As both Xander and Giles watched, astonished, she ended 
the display with a flourish that deposited the bo back into its 
rack. "I guess." she admitted.
"Oh my," Giles commented.

*

"Kyoko?" Kobo's voice rang out from the communal room.
"Gomen, sensei." Kyoko hurried in. "I was just preparing food for 
you."
"Kyoko, the Council have been in touch with me while you... slept. 
The other Slayer's Watcher knows of your presence in Sunnydale so 
there's no longer a need for us to hide. We shall go visit this 
Watcher, and his Slayer, and prevent the prophesies foretold by 
Basho."
Kyoko's face betrayed no emotion. "Hai, I will polish my katana. I 
fear it will be needed this night." A blood teardrop fell from her 
eye and she turned away. "First though, let me complete your repast." 
She hurried out.
Kobo suddenly felt as old as he looked. "Arigatou, Kyoko-chan."

*

"Our time is at hand!" the master cried, his cherubic face only 
partially visible in the candle-light. "For behold, the anointed 
one!" Cheers rang out. "And the Slayer will not know her, will not 
stop her; And she will lead the Slayer into Hell!" The cheers rang 
out louder still.
"The speech is getting old," Joyce Summers snarled, yellow eyes 
glowering from a purely evil, vampiric face. "But it will be my 
pleasure all the same!"

*

"Buffy?" Giles answered the door and came face-to-face with a grim-
looking Slayer. "Please, come in."
"They've taken my mother." She said without preamble. "Giles, we 
have to do something." She caught sight of a subtly-transformed 
Willow standing behind her Watcher. "Willow!" she breathed, 
committing the image of her beloved to memory. Willow stood, one foot 
slightly in front of the other, dressed in tight-fitting clothes of a 
fairly consistent callisthenic theme.
"Hi Buffy," the redhead smiled, oblivious to the emotions roiling 
within her lover. "Let's go get your mom."
"Need any help?" Xander asked before the implications set in. "Or 
any bags carrying, doughnuts fetching, a wheelman...?" He gave them a 
lame smile, "Hey, I'm your backup guy!"
"We'd like that." Willow said, her eyes not leaving Buffy's.
Giles cleared his throat. "You're going to need a plan. We still 
have no idea where the new master could be hiding."
"We could try Willy's place again." Buffy offered.
"Worth a try." Willow nodded. "But no beer!" she admonished, raising 
a finger.
Buffy considered pretending to look offended but her heart wasn't 
in it. "No beer," she agreed.
With his usual tact, Xander added, "Trust you pair to bail when its 
your round." He gave an expressive sigh.

*

As Giles drove, Xander sat cramped in the front checking the 
weaponry. Studiously, the two men ignored the back-seat activity 
where Buffy and Willow shared a moment, although Giles acted through 
quiet English reserve whereas Xander just wanted to not be hit again.
"I have a favour to ask," Buffy whispered to her lover as she 
cradled Willow in a gentle embrace.
"Ask away." Willow kissed Buffy's neck softly.
"If they've turned my mother," Buffy shivered, "I want you to stake 
her. I couldn't do it and that might get us both killed."
With quiet resolve Willow murmured, "If it needs to be done, I'll 
do it. But let's not count chickens before they hatch."
Willow felt Buffy go limp in her arms and gave comfort when she 
realised her lover was silently weeping. "Everything'll be okay," she 
whispered, hiding her own doubts.
"We're here." Giles voice cut through the charged atmosphere as they 
pulled up outside Willy's Bar.
Xander handed crossbows to the subdued Slayers who'd finally 
managed to struggle upright in the back.
"I really hope he decides to play dumb," Buffy stated as she checked 
the sighting on her crossbow. "I need the target practice."
Giles considered counselling his charges against violence to the 
living, but wisely decided that now was not the time.
Xander checked the safety on his appropriated Smith and 
Wesson. "Hell yeah!" he exclaimed as he cocked the gun. "Lock and 
load!"
"Are you sure you're safe with that thing?" Giles wondered.

*

"I can't help you!" exclaimed the weaselly bartender. "I really 
can't," he whispered under his breath.
Buffy raised her crossbow. "That is so the right answer."
"Wait!" exclaimed good-cop Willow, "Well, actually, no. I hate being 
the nice one. Let's just shoot him anyway." She raised her own 
crossbow and aimed it point-blank at Willy's face, who panicked.
"Ladies, please! If they find out I told you anything, you know what 
they'd do to me?" Willy clasped his hands together in supplication.
"Something worse than a bullet in the eye?" Xander interjected, 
raising his own weapon.
Willy paused. "Well, probably not. They're in the old factory, you 
know, where Drusilla used to hang out."
Buffy nodded and turned to leave.
"Hey! Can one of you guys please hit me? I have a reputation to 
maintain." Willow shot him through the shoulder with her crossbow, 
and Willy dropped to the ground in agony.
"Wasn't that a bit extreme?" Giles asked as the scoobs filed out.
"Accident." Willow said. "You'll have to show me how to use one of 
these things sometime."
"Hey, watch where you're pointing that thing!" Xander's voice echoed.
Willy got to his feet and poured whiskey on his wound. "I hate 
those girls," he muttered.

*

End Part 5.