End of Days

Day 4

“We found nothing”, Giles said quietly, leaning over the table to speak to Mrs. Gates. “Not a single sign of vampires. No disturbed ground, no bodies...”

“No vampires?”, the older woman asked dryly, sipping her tea.

“Nor that”, Giles admitted. “I spoke to the Sheriff yesterday...or rather, the one remaining deputy, who is currently in command by default. The number of missing people now eclipses 80% of the town. The remaining citizens are beginning to flee. I didn’t want to speak to the children about it. Buffy is already coming undone...”

“Strange for a Slayer”, Mrs. Gates commented. “Strange for such a lively child. But it’s difficult to lose family.” Giles gaze snapped up to Mrs. Gates’ face, and he noted that her warm smile had faded into a mask of pain.

“I suppose it is”, Giles acceded. “The children do seem to regard each other as family of a sort. They’ve faced some truly staggering odds together.” He paused a moment to collect his thoughts, and continued, “Buffy occasionally has dreams which prove...somewhat prophetic. She has it in her head that she had one just before we came here. One that indicates that Willow will eventually kill her.”

“And you don’t believe that’s true.” Mrs. Gates poured a second cup of tea and spooned in a hefty dose of sugar.

“I pray that it isn’t true”, Giles corrected quietly. “I truly hope that Buffy’s rather over-developed fear of abandonment and betrayal is rearing its ugly head. I can deal with the child’s psychological problems. I doubt that I can save her from prophecy.”

“Don’t let Buffy hear you say that”, Oz warned quietly, standing in the doorway. “Willow, either.”

“Oh, Oz”, Mrs. Gates gasped, laying a hand on her chest. “You startled me.”

“Sorry”, the werewolf responded, keeping his measured gaze on Giles. “So what do we do today?”

Giles flushed momentarily, but recovered well. Turning away from Oz, he explained, “Actually, Mrs. Gates, that is the reason I asked to speak to you this morning while the children slept. I have come to the conclusion that it would be safest for you to leave town until the crisis is resolved.”

“You want me to leave you and the children all alone here? I was a Watcher once, Mr. Giles, and I assure you that I am still quite capable of defending myself. I have no need to turn tail and run.”

“Giles is right”, Oz commented thoughtfully. “The rest of us know how to work together. We haven’t had the time to get used to you, battle-wise. It’s too dangerous.”

Mrs. Gates looked back and forth between the two men and nodded shortly. “Alright then. But you should know that I’m going to make my way to England and get a hold of the Council. This is far too big for one Watcher and three children.”

“I agree”, Giles admitted. “I should have suspected that it would be. The Council representative was far to...polite.”

“Always a bad sign”, Mrs. Gates agreed. “Never trust a smiling Limey...no offense, Mr. Giles.”

“Er...none taken, I suppose.” Rupert frowned and sipped his tea.

Oz sat across from Giles and raised a brow. “So.”

Giles sighed and placed his empty cup on its saucer. “So, I shall drive Mrs. Gates to the airport, and the three of you will stay in the house and out of danger for the day. If we leave by noon, I should be able to return before nightfall. Then we will plan our next course of action.”

“Sounds good”, Oz mouthed, standing with lupine grace. “I’ll go get Buffy and Willow.”

Buffy clutched the phone crushingly and stared out the window into the night. “No, that’s okay, Giles. No, you stay in the hotel. It’s too much of a risk coming back this late. We’ll be fine. Yes, we’ll stay inside. It’s okay. Yes. Yeah...” Buffy glanced over her shoulder at Oz and Willow, who were listening attentively to her side of the conversation. “See you bright and early, Giles. You too.” Her hand shaking only slightly, Buffy hung up the receiver and slid off the couch to sit by her friends.

“What’d he say?” Willow asked nervously, toying with a bracelet as she leaned back on Oz.

“He said it took longer than he thought to get Mrs. Gates on a flight, and he’s staying the night in the next town over. He’ll be here as soon as possible tomorrow morning. He has a key, so we’re supposed to lock the doors and not answer them no matter what. He wants us to stay inside and together at all times.”

“Okay.” The redhead relaxed slightly and clarified, “that’s alright then. Giles is safe, we’re safe, and we won’t go outside or wander off. We’ll stay in here and watch TV.”

“No problem”, Oz added.

“As soon as I free the bear, I’ll be there”, the girl assured quickly.

The boy stared at her in disbelief, but tried to reason, “Tia, how do you expect us to get anyplace with a great big bear?”

“Tony, he’s counting on me”, Tia explained pleadingly.

“But this in an emergency. Now come off it, would you, Tia?”

The girl settled into a resolve face and retorted, “We still have to get past the sheriff. Why don’t you start thinking about that?”

Exasperated, the boy heaved a sigh and turned to stand in front of the steel door. Concentrating, he lifted his feet from the floor and floated up to see through the small window into the sheriff’s office....

“I have to go to the bathroom”, Willow interrupted, shifting uneasily in Oz’s arms. The werewolf and the Slayer nodded and began to climb to their feet, but Willow flushed and continued, “um, alone?”

“Willow...”, Buffy began, biting her lip, “I’m not sure...”

“Buffy, I’m not going outside”, Willow ground out, her frayed nerves close to snapping. “I don’t need to be led to the bathroom. You stay here with Oz. Watch the movie. I’m not a child.”

Buffy flinched and settled back, her wide-eyed gaze shimmering with tears that she refused to shed. Willow felt a twinge of remorse flicker in her too-tender heart, but a deeper part of her let the building anger flow out. She loved Buffy like a sister, but sometimes the Slayer was far too needy, far too controlling. Whatever trauma Buffy had suffered for her calling, it was really no excuse. Willow stood and stalked out of the room without another word, noting idly that Oz never protested her departure.

Buffy hugged her knees to her chest, taking deep breaths to fight the urge to cry. She knew that she was being unreasonable...more so than usual...but she felt a presence in the air. As if something was waiting in the dark...

Oz watched the blond carefully, his brow creasing as he picked up the tension rolling off of her in waves. Idly, he wondered if she felt what he felt. As if whatever had taken Xander was close...

Willow looked into the mirror over the sink examining the face before her. She could remember clearly the shy wallflower she had been...with wide, innocent eyes. She was older, of course, and felt much more confident, in herself and her abilities. Her eyes were darker now, full of shadows and secrets. When had she changed so much? Was it normal to feel so old at eighteen?

And why did all the answers come back to Buffy? It was as if life revolved around the Slayer. And Willow admitted to herself, painfully, that it just might. She had always been a nurturing sort. She knew, objectively, that it was the reason for her initial attachment to Xander. He had needed someone to coddle him while his parents abused, and Willow had been ready and able.

Buffy, on the other hand, had been far less needy at first. She had needed people to know what she was and what she did...and for Willow to listen to her nightmares. All of them taking and taking...because other people took from them until they had nothing left to give. And Willow had always been a giver before. But she was almost empty herself after so many years of fighting the darkness.

Biting her lip, Willow turned away from the mirror and looked out the window into the front yard. There was someone standing there, watching the house. Slowly, Willow walked to the window, stepping into the empty bathtub to look out into the dark, and stared in disbelief at the boy on the lawn.

Willow gasped and lay her hand on the glass as she recognized him.

“Xander?”

Oz watched the bear leave the cage and walk toward the children with a slight smile. “I always liked the bear.”

“What?” Buffy looked up at him with confusion written on her face.

“The bear”, Oz repeated. “I know he’s a bit player, but he really puts his heart into the role.” Buffy stared at him incredulously, and Oz shifted his expression slightly to soothing. “She’s right. She can take care of herself.”

“Does that mean you’ll stop taking care of her?” Buffy asked quietly. “It doesn’t make the guilt go away.”

The werewolf cocked his head searchingly. “Guilt?”

“If I’d never met Willow and Xander”, the Slayer whispered, looking away, “Maybe Xander would still be here, and they’d be normal...”

“If they’d never met you, they’d both be dead already”, Oz said reasonably. “Or worse.”

“I don’t know”, Buffy sighed and shook her head sadly, “I keep thinking...” She trailed off as a door slammed upstairs and the sound of running feet traversed the floor and bounded down the stairs. "Willow?"

She and Oz both turned toward the door as they heard Willow run away from the safe, warm den and toward the front door. The Wiccan’s voice rang back to them even as they heard the locks click open and the door fly back to hit the wall. “It’s Xander! He’s here, he’s not--“

Buffy scrambled to her feet in the sudden silence, Oz at her heels, and ran for the door, calling Willow’s name and knowing there’d be no answer.

They burst out through the open front door into the night...