Willow, Xander, Kendra and Giles sat around a table, not really paying attention to the open books in front of them. They were silent at first.
"I still think we should have gone after her," said Willow. "She might do something irrational."
"What makes you think that?" asked Xander.
"She's Buffy, that's why," Giles said. He tapped a finger nervously. "Let's try not to be too worried. Buffy's level headed." Everyone stood silent, knowing how hollow Giles words were.
Just then, Ms. Calendar walked in. she noticed all of the worried expressions.
"What's wrong?" she asked, already knowing the answer.
"It's Buffy. We all figured out Kendra's prophecy and why Angel had gone bad. Buffy's upset," Giles explained.
"Oh." Her stomach churned. She hated lying to him. "Where is Buffy?"
"We don't know." Miss Calendar looked into his worried eyes. Her heart went out to him. She loved him, but she was lying to him. Everytime he called her Jenny and she responded, she was lying to him.
"Did you need anything?" he asked.
"Oh, yeah." She handed him a piece of paper. "I got this e-mail from a friend of mine."
Giles skimmed over it. "Oh, my."
"What is it, Mr. Giles?" Kendra asked.
"It's a prophecy from the Saden, a partner of the Codex." he read the e-mail. "The imbalance of good and evil at the center of hell shall cause the mouth to open. A new evil is revealed who will control the forces of darkness supplied by hell and destroy the good, who will be blinded by good and will not see the dark until there is light."
"And that means..." Xander prodded.
"Well," said Willow thoughtfully. "I guess that it means some new baddies are coming to town and we won't know who it is until it's too late."
"Hey, that's not so bad. We just don't let new people into the club. I mean it's not like it says someone from the inside is going to betray us, right?"
"No," said Willow.
"Of course not," echoed Giles.
Miss Calendar looked at her feet. I wonder if that prophecy means they've already been betrayed... by me.
"Everyone just has to be careful of who they trust," said Kendra.
* * * * *
"What?" Buffy asked.
"I can help you," repeated the old woman.
Buffy smiled politely. "I think you're confused-"
"I feel it. You have strong powers. And your heart... it burns."
Buffy's eyes widened, slightly curious.
The old woman continued. "You have been through a lot and have survived, but what breaks you is... love. I can help you."
"I..." Buffy was speechless. She couldn't understand everything, but one thing was clear to her, she could have her Angel back.
"Come with me," the old woman said as she stood and begun walking. Buffy was hesitant. The old woman turned back. "Come," she commanded. Buffy got to her feet and followed.
"Where are we going?" The old woman was silent. She continued on at a consistent pace. They walked down a few blocks, farther than Buffy expected, in silence. Finally, they arrived at their destination. It was one of those houses you saw in story books. It was a quaint one level with a white picket fence and the sun was shining down on it.
The old woman continued her lead and motioned for Buffy to follow her inside.
The inside was different from the outside. It was dark, with lit candles from corner to corner. The scent of incense filled Buffy's nose. She felt something brush against her ankles and let out a small cry. She looked down to see a snow white kitten and bent over to pet it. The cat purred in response. Buffy noticed it's incredibly green eyes. It bore into Buffy's, like it actually had thoughts behind it's eyes.
"Come." Buffy looked up. The old woman was beckoning her once again. She took Buffy into a room deep in back. This room only held one single candle.
"Sit."
Buffy did as was told and fumbled blindly for a chair with her hands. Her leg bumped against a chair's leg and she reached for it, then sat down.
The one candle sat across the room. The old woman stood next6 to it. The flame made dancing shadows across her crevices and wrinkles.
Her voice spoke again but it sounded different than before. It felt soothing but distant.
"Your angel has become you devil."
Buffy's head felt light.
"Your guardian angel is no longer there to guard you."
Buffy's breathing became slow and heavy.
"His heart still lives in yours..."
Her eyelids drooped, but she tried to stay conscious.
"...but your heart no longer lives in his."
Buffy felt her muscles go limp.
"And you caused it all."
Buffy's mind fell unconscious.
* * * * *
It was the middle of the day. The students of Sunnydale High were spread out across the campus having lunch and catching up on the daily gossip. All the students were too busy with their lives to notice a new figure on campus.
She was a beautiful blonde, but did not desire attention, so she had dressed in baggy clothes and sunglasses adorned her creamy face. Her light backpack was slung across her right shoulder and her arms were crossed in a defensive manner. She walked to her destination with swift grace.
The double doors of the library were unlocked and she invited herself into the currently empty room. She noticed the many stacks of books of demonology as she walked past them, fingering a few. Voices entering the room caught her attention and she stayed hidden within the stacks to listen.
"I haven't been able to find her anywhere," a female voice said.
"Yeah," a male voice spoke. "It's like she's pulling a Marcie and gone invisible.
"Oh, God. Don't even mention that psycho." It was a different female voice, more snobby.
"We don't have to worry, she can take care of herself," said an accented female voice.
"Y-yes, she is a capable person." This voice was a British male accent. "No need to worry.
"But we have to worry, we're her friends, it's in our job description." This voice was female and was the most softess of all.
Who are they talking about, the blonde wondered.
The first female voice spoke again. "We have to find Buffy soon. We have to tell her about the prophecy so she can keep watch for new vampires in town.
Vampires? The girl carefully peeked past the edge of the bookshelf. She saw four teenagers and two adults. Among the teens she saw a female red head and an African female, who both leaned against the counter. Also, there was a boy and a female brunette, who sat at a table. The two adults, female and male, simply stood.
What about vampires? she wondered.
The red-head spoke. "Do you think Buffy's able to handle this? I mean, uh, everything that's happening... with Angel... and stuff." She was the one with the soft voice.
"That's why I'll have to be extra strong," said the African girl. She had an accent. "For the both of us." Everyone nodded their heads in agreement.
"But still," continued the red-head, "Where could Buffy be? Kendra's already been by her house, nobody's there."
Kendra? The girl peered at the African girl more closely. She wondered why she had not noticed her before.
So, Kendra's here too. It'll be nice to see you again. She smiled to herself. We'll finally renew our battle to the death.
* * * * *
Buffy awoke with a throbbing in her head. She was laying on a bed, vaguely remembering where she was. The room was dark, but she recognized the candle beside her. She was still in the same room.
She attempted to sit up, but instead received a dizzy spell. A bony hand pushed down on her shoulder.
"Lay down," the familiar voice said. Buffy did as commanded. "I have seen your dreams. I have seen the one your heart longs for. Your memories of him still linger in your mind." From the flame of the candle, Buffy saw the eyes of the old woman flicker to her neck.
"He gave you that cross. You treasure it always." Faster than a blink of an eye, the old woman's hand snapped the necklace away. Buffy moved to take it back but found that she couldn't. Her limbs felt lifeless.
She heard the necklace drop into a liquid but could not see what it was. She strained through the corner of her eye to see what was happening. The candle's light reflected on the cool silver metal of the cross. It dangled from the chain in the old woman's hand. She brought it over to the candle's flame, which cause the spitter and spatter of liquid and fire. She let the cross linger there until the flame died out. It was then completely dark.
"W-what's going on?" Buffy asked, scared.
The candle was lit again.
"Sit up."
Buffy did so and fought against the dizziness in her head.
The old woman held out the cross in front of Buffy's eyes. "here is the key. Wear it always, as you always have. The second time you encounter him, give it to him."
"Why the second time?"
"Because the first time is too soon. Now go."
Buffy left the house. It's eeriness spooked her and she relieved to leave.
It was nightfall. The night air felt cool on her skin. Her stomach growled and she finally realized she hadn't eaten all day. Sighing, she walked to the library, all the way wondering if she should tell the others of her day.
* * * * *
"Spike," Drusilla purred as she stepped through the doorway of the warehouse. "Mummy's home."
Spike wheeled over to meet her halfway. A bemused expression lay across his face. "Where have you been pet?"
"She sauntered over and sat in his lap. "I brought home a present." She motioned towards the door.
Angelus walked in. Spike's eyes widened in shock.
"What the bloody- what are you doing here?!"
"Spike," Angelus chuckled. "Is that how you greet old friends? Tsk tsk. I came down her expecting such a warm welcome."
Drusilla giggled with glee within Spike's lap like a little girl. "Angel's come home. The Slayer gave her to us." She leaned in and whispered in Spike's ears. His confused eyes slowly filled with realization.
Drusilla stopped her whispering and looked up at Angel. "We're a family again."
"Well, Angelus, it's good to have you back with the bad guys. I gotta tell you man, you and that slayer were really beginning to make me wanna puke."
"Yeah, well, it has the same effect on me too," Angelus sneered.
Spike turned back to Drusilla. "So, pet, was this why you hadn't come home this morning?"
Drusilla growled. "That little slayer tried to take him back. She and the other little slayer." She began to whimper. "They both trapped us all day."
"Oh, luv, that's all right. You see, I already knew all of this."
Drusilla looked at him bewildered, as did Angelus. "What do you mean?" she asked.
"I have a surprise too. Someone else wants to cross over too. She visited this morning while you were out." He nodded his head towards a figure who stepped out of the shadows.
Angelus and Drusilla turned to see who it was. Angelus grinned devilishly while Drusilla's eyes lit up again with glee.
"Oh, goody, won't this be fun!"
* * * * *
Buffy walked to the school, still hungry, and tired. She had the sneaking suspicion that she was being followed, but no one was there. It sadly reminded her of the times when Angel had followed her.
"Meow."
Buffy looked down and saw the same white cat she had seen earlier.
"What are you doing here?" Looking into it's eyes, she felt the same feeling she had the first time they had met.
"You're different..." she mumbled. The cat clawed at Buffy's cross. "You like it, huh? I do too." She picked the cat up and carried her with her.
Buffy arrived at the school and saw another shadow lurking in the halls. It was a man who looked suspicious enough for her to follow. He went to the computer lab, where Buffy noticed Miss Calendar was. She watched as the man crept up behind Miss Calendar and startled her from what seemed to be a very focused upon research.
"Yana," the man said.
Yana?
Jenny jumped out of her seat, surprised, knocking over her chair. She turned to face her visitor.
"Brother," she said, not very happy to see him. "What are you doing here?"
"Can't I visit my sister without an ultimatum?" Jenny simply glared at him. "The question is, what are you doing here?" His eyes flickered to the screen. Jenny quickly flipped the switch which would turn the monitor off.
He chuckled. "You are trying to bring him back, eh?"
"I do what I am expected to do," she said evenly.
"Expected by whom? Your people, or those who actually believe you are Jenny Calendar?" Jenny remained silent. Buffy's mind spun.
Her brother eyed her. His expression was glum. "We had such hopes for you, Yana," he said with a sour tone. "You would have been a powerful elder of your Gypsy clan, but instead, you choose to betray us for a life that does not exist."
"I was not the one who ended Angel's curse," she replied flatly.
Buffy came into the room. "I was," she said. She looked at Miss Calendar. "So, Miss Calendar, if that's your real name, which I suspect isn't, care to tell me what's going on?" Jenny opened her mouth to speak but Buffy stopped her. "You have a secret too, huh? I guess that's something we have in common. I have a secret too." Her tone became cold. "The difference is, I trusted you with mine."
Jenny lowered her eyes to the ground, speechless.
"How could you do this to me? Y-you knew! The whole time you knew what would've happened with Angel and you couldn't tell me?"
"Buffy, I-"
"Save it. I've heard enough." She turned and stalked out of the room. Jenny watched as she left and saw a kitten where Buffy had stood. It had piercing green eyes. It seemed to be showing sympathy to her, like she understood, like she knew everything.
For those of you who have never heard of Christopher Pike, he's a young adult writer who writes horror and suspense fiction. One of his books, "The Last Vampire", is about, well duh, a vampire. Her name is Sita and she is in a way, a different breed of vampires. I can't really explain it all. Just read the story and you'll learn the first part about her in this part of the story. The rest will come later.
And now on with the story.
Seething with anger, Buffy stormed into the library. Willow, Xander, Cordelia, Giles and Kendra were gathered in Giles' back office, their faces serious as they spoke.
As she started over to them, a slight movement up in the stacks caught Buffy's attention. Instantly, Buffy's body tensed, ready for a fight. Quietly she climbed the steps up to the top level of the library and made her way through the tall bookshelves.
Suddenly, a hand shoved Buffy from behind. With a crash she hit the bookshelf, causing several books to thump painfully down on her.
In a flash, Buffy jumped up. "Hey!" she yelled, as the person who had pushed her leapt down the stairs. Rushing to the railing, she was just in time to see a girl with long golden blonde hair run out the doors of the library.
Hearing the commotion and Buffy's shouts, Kendra and the rest of them russhed in from the back office. Their faces revealed they were relieved to see Buffy again, but confused and worried.
"Buffy!" cried Willow. "You're okay!" Her eyes narrowed a bit. "What's going on?"
"There was a girl hiding up in the stacks!" replied Buffy.
"A girl?" Xander paused. "Was she cute?"
"Do you think she's a spy of Spike and Drusilla?" asked Willow.
"I don't know," said Buffy. "I've never seen her before. She had long blonde hair."
Kendra's eyes narrowed at Buffy's words.
Noticing her reaction, Viles turned questioning towards the other slayer. "Kendra? Do you know who this girl may be?"
Everyone stared at Kendra, who shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny. "I-I'm not sure," she said. "Last year I encountered a vampire named Sita who had long blonde hair. She was very powerful, and extremely cunning. And she was stronger than any vampire I had ever faced. She-she could go into the sunlight."
"What!?" Buffy exclaimed. She turned to Giles. "How is that possible? How can she go into the sunlight and not turn to dust?"
"W-well, I-I don't know," stuttered Viles. He looked back at Kendra. "And you're sure she was a vampire?"
"She fed off of humans and drank their blook," replied Kendra. A look of puzzlement came across her face. "But she never killed them. She would drink just enough blook to make them pass out. Then she would leave and they'd wake up with nothing but a bad headace."
"Did she make any other campires?" asked Willow.
"I cannot be sure. But as of my knowledge, no. At least not lately," said Kendra.
"Hmmm. Yes, Well, I must consult my books, see what I can dig up," said Giles.
Buffy stood up. "I'd better go patrol and see what's up. Maybe I'll run into Sita again. Or Angel, she thought, fingering the cross that the old woman had out a spell on.
"Yes. Good idea," said Giles. You and Kendra hunt, and Willow, Xander, Cordelia and I will research." He glanced down at his watch. "We'll meet back here in an hour and see if we've got any new information by then."
Nodding, Buffy and Kendra turned to leave the library. "Hey!" exclaimed Buffy as she spotted a pair of green eyes staring at her near the doors of the library. "That cat!"
Everyone turned to stare at the white cat.
"Oh, how pretty," cooed Willow.
Buffy stared into the eyes of the cat, curious. Did she follow me?, she wondered. Suddenly, she got the strangest feeling of dejá vú again. There was something about the cat's eyes that was so familiar... but what?
Shaking her head, she suddenly remembered her earlier encounter with Miss Calender. With the whole Sita commotion, she had completely forgotten. She looked up at Giles. "Giles?"
"Hmm? Yes?' She looked into his hazel eyes and debated whether or not she should tell him.
"Never mind," she said reluctantly. She grabbed Kendra's arm and pulled her out of the library. "Come on," she said grimly. "We have work to do."
* * * * *
Phew! That was close, thought Sita as she ran out of Sunnydale High. Glancing up at the clear night sky, she breathed deeply and closed her eyes. She concentrated as hard as she could, trying to detect their presecence. Finally, a smile spread across her face and she opened her blue eyes. Turning, she strode purposefully towrads the right, onto a street that just happened to lead to a deserted factory...
* * * * *
"Wait!" Why do you want to go to the factory so badly?" asked Buffy as she struggled to keep up with Kendra.
"I have a feelin' somethin' is up," replied Kendra.
Buffy sighed irritably. "You and your feelings," she said. "How come I'm not getting any feelings?"
Kendra ignored her and kept walking. Buffy reluctantly followed, still grumbling to herself. Neither she nor Kendra noticed the white cat that was trailing persistently behind them.
"And what exactly are we going to do when wet there? Just walk on in and announce we stopped by for a visit?" asked Buffy sarcastically.
"Of course not. We'll sneak in and see what they're doing. Something is goin on, I'm sure of it."
Buffy rolled her eyes and said nothing. For some reason she was feeling very tired and cranky. Suddenly, everything started to spin and Buffy felt her knees buckle. Gasping, she fell to the ground. Kendra was at her side in a flash.
"Buffy! Are you all right?"
Buffy rubbed her forehead and stood up with Kendra's help. "Yeah. I'm fine," she replied. "I-I jst got dizzy. It was... weird."
"Maybe you should lie down," said Kendra, concerned.
Buffy shook her head. "No. I'm okay now, really." She mustered a smile for Kendra's benefit. "Besides, I'm not letting you go to the factory alone."
Stepping away from Buffy, Kendra looked closely at the girl. She appeared to be regaining her strength, although she wtill looked a bit dazed. "Well, okay," said Kendra slowly. "Can you walk?"
"Yeah," said Buffy. "No problem." As if to prove her point, she took a few steps. "See?"
"Very well," replied Kendra, apparently satisfied. "Then let's go." The two girls started walking again, and soon they reached the factory.
Staring up at the building, Buffy began to get a bad feeling. She couldn't explain it, but whatever was causing it definitely wasn't good. Whatever was causing it definitely wasn't good.
Kendra quietly opened the door and motioned Buffy inside. Swallowing her fears, Buffy stepped cautiously inside the factory.
"This was," whispered Kendra. Together the two crpet down a dark hallway which led to the main part of the factory. Buffy could hear a low murmur of voices, and instantly she recognized one of them.
"Andgel! Kendra, Angel's in there!" Buffy whispered.
"I know," replied Kendra. She listened intently. "So are Spike and Drusilla."
"What about Sita?"
Kendra shook her head. Grabbing Buffy's arm, she pulled the girl through the doorway into the main part of the facotry. The two quickly crouched behind some crates.
Lifting her head slightly, Buffy got her first alimpse of Angel since he had turned on her that dark night. Tears came to her eyes as she stared at his face. He lloked as handsome as ever, and yet the evil sneer on his face was horribly out of place.
"Everything is under control," said Angelus.
"But how do we know if we can trust her?" asked Spike.
"We can," spoke up Druscilla soothingly. "She is not the person she was. Something has changed her..."
"Do you think they're talking about Sita?" whispered Buffy to Kendra. When Kendra didn't reply, she started to turn around. "Kendra?"
Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed her by the shoulders and flung her over the crates and out into the open. "Ooof!" Buffy fell to the ground hard and rolled to a stop at Angelus' feet.
"What did I tell ya?" He pulled Buffy roughly to her feet. "Everything is under control."
He smiled evily at Buffy and gave her a hard kiss. "So-how have you been?" he asked converstationally.
"Peachy," replied Buffy as she shoved her fist into his jaw. Breaking free of Angelus' grip, she spun around. "Kendra!" she screamed. "Run!"
Kendra stepped directly in front of Buffy. Staring into her friend's eyes, Buffy felt a chill rush up her spine. Kendra's eyes were absolutely empty.
"Kendra?"
Jumping high into the air, Kendra kicked Buffy in the jaw. Frantically trying to recover from the blow, Buffy backed up and took her fighting stance. Raising her fist, she was just about to deliver a well-aimed punch when a wave of dizziness washed over her.
"Oh no," whispered Buffy as her vision swarm before her eyes. "Not again." Moaning, she grabbed her forehead.
"Something wrong, Buffy?" asked Kendra saracstically. She eyed the other slayer as she collasped on the ground. "Feeling a little dizzy?" Reaching over, she grabbed Buffy and pulled her up. "Maybe this will help." With that, she dove her fist in Buffy's stomach, and then slammed the girl into the wall. silently Buffy slid to the floor, unconscious.
"Ooooh! Well done, well done!" exclaimed Drusilla as she waved her arms crazily in excitement.
Before her eyes flickered out and the sounds around her faded into silence, she briefly saw a glimpse of another tall blonde with piercing blue eyes heading straight towards her...