Buffy: King of the Dark Chapter 8

7/31/2019 Buffy: King of the Dark Chapter 8

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Sixteen Days

Sunnydale January 6, 2016

They all sat still for a long moment, time stretching out slowly, each second seeming tolast a minute, an hour. Surprise registered on all of their faces, except Laura, who fought not tofrown as she took in Riley s enraptured gaze.

Rachel blinked at Buffy, standing there large as life, her hand in Xander s, and felt her heart do a sickening twist. Youre alive. Youre alive! It was all just the worst dream ever!Youre alive! She sighed. And I still cant ha ve you.

Riley couldn t believe his eyes. He pinched himself with the hand Laura didn t clasp, butBuffy didn t vanish. She didnt die, he told himself. Laura might just survive this.

Michael looked at Akilah, who shared his gaze, and they both turned to consider Buffy.So this is the great slayer, Michael thought, the one they all talk about like she was some kind of God. Shes prettier than I thought shed be. And smaller.

Akilah rubbed her neck. Awfully quiet in here. Youd think Muhammad had come back toredeem all of us, they way theyre acting so shell -shocked. She began to speak when Billyswatted her leg.

Slayer, you fooled everyone. Bravo. Question is, now what? He put down his drumstick to take a close look at Buffy. She hadn t aged much; blonde hair in a tight ponytail, maybe awrinkle or two around her eyes, but nothing else to belie the passage of a decade or so. Kind of

glad Angelus and I didnt kill her right about now. Buffy, Pike acknowledged. I think I speak for everyone when I say this is more than a

little surprising. Shelley stood up and moved over to Buffy. The Slayer looked up at the older woman, and

Shelley embraced her, hugging her tightly. Buffy returned the gesture. I don t care why youwent away, Shelley spoke. I m just glad you re back.

Thanks, Buffy replied, awkward and nervous. She hadn t counted on so many peoplebeing here. She looked around the assembled; she knew most of them, but a few of them werenew, and she nodded as her gaze swept by them.

One young woman with flowing blonde hair stared daggers at her. The girl shiftedunconsciously closer to Riley and continued to glare at Buffy.

Buffy glanced at Xander. Who s she? New slayer. Name of Laura. Field reports say she s pretty good. Buffy nodded. Um, hi everyone, she repeated. Not that we aren t glad to see you, Riley mentioned, because, hell, we really are. But,

um well, where did you go for all this time? We really could have used your help, Akilah put in. Xander offered, Maybe we should save the pointed questions until after supper, okay? Buffy met his eyes. I told you this was a bad idea, she murmured, softly, so that only he

should hear her.Rachel stood up. What would have been a good idea? That you hid away forever in your

little castle across town while the rest of us bled and died doing your job? She moved towardBuffy, skirting the table until she was free of the others. You think that was a stroke of genius?


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Rachel, Buffy began, but the taller woman shook her head. See this? Rachel snapped, raising her elbow and pointing it at Buffy, revealing the

bandage there. I got this Riley got shot, Billy all of us got messed up last night by a bunchof vampires. And you know why?

Buffy barely shook her head no.

Because we were protecti ng a real slayer, someone who s out there fighting vampires,not someone who s hiding away somewhere letting other people do her job! Buffy backed away from Rachel, tugging Xander with her.Rachel, that s enough, Riley cut in. She whirled on him. It s not enough! she yelled at him. We all thought she was dead.

And she knew we all thought that. She wanted us to think that, so we would go on without her.Rachel set her hands on her hips. Well, Buffy, you want to be alone so bad, don t let me stopyou! She turned around and bounded up the stairs, feet thunking heavily on the wooden steps.Michael jumped up immediately and followed her.

I m going, Buffy told Xander. You coming? Buffy, Riley called to her, standing up. She had forgotten how tall he was; it was

strange to see him so much older, so much more experienced. Don t go. Why not? she shot back. Riley gestured behind him. This is Laura Kane. She s been a slayer for eight months.

She s pretty good at it. He turned around to look at her, then turned back to Buffy. I don t wanther to die. Help me. Help me protect her, help me keep her alive.

Buffy gazed at him skeptically. I haven t known a slayer since Faith, she mumbled. Riley practically beamed with pride. I guarantee you ll get along better with Laura, he

smiled.Buffy raised an eyebrow. You re her watcher, she realized. Riley nodded, still grinning.

No, theres more there, Buffy saw.Xander squeezed her hand, and she looked at him.Okay, she agreed, reluctantly.

*Rachel Michael spoke softly, barely tapping on the bedroom door. Go away, Michael, she hissed. Her voice broke, however, and he could hear her crying. I can t, he responded. Not until I know you re okay.I m okay, Rachel lied. Just please, go away. He pushed the door open slowly; Rachel stood at the foot of her bed, facing away from

him, arms wrapped around her midsection, shoulders shaking as she cried.I told you, he murmured, I can t. Not until I know that you re okay. I m okay, she squeaked, her voice high, distorted by the crying. Now would you

please just leave me alone? He moved inside her room; he d never been in Rachel s bedroom before. It was cluttered;

a worn leather jacket hung over the back of an office chair, and her desk was laced with variouspieces of computer equipment, some of it looking ancient, some of it brand new. A second chair,near the closet, held a growing pile of shirts and jeans, and Michael spotted a lump of torn and


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bloody clothing pressed up against the hamper. We sure as hell pay a price, dont we? herealized.

No, he answered, stopping a few feet behind her. He continued his survey of her room.Her bed was large and unmade, a comforter bundled up along the bottom edge. A single slipperlay on one side of the bed, and her Sharks jersey hung from one pole of the tall wooden

headboard. A few novels lay scattered along the top of the frame, and an alarm clock. Michaelwas surprised to see a faded grey teddy bear, old, but obviously in good repair, propped upbetween two stacks of novels. The night table held only a lamp, another novel, and a photographof Buffy, much younger than she was now, a wide smile on her pretty features, her arm aroundRachel as they stood together on a beach somewhere. Was there maybe more to this than I thought? he wondered.

I won t leave you alone, Rachel. I guess I haven t been clear on that, but -- Her shoulders still shook. No, you ve been clear. You ve been a regular pain in the ass

about it. He moved closer to her; the need to scoop her up in his arms, to hold her, nearly

overpowered him. He felt his heart race in his chest as he spoke, I didn t ask to care about you,

you know. It just sort of happened. His hand shook as he reached up and touched her on th eshoulder; the limb still trembled even after he made contact. But I m not sorry, not for a second,that it did happen. He swallowed, fear threatening to immobilize him completely, his heartracing, his mouth suddenly dry. I care about you, Rachel. I k now that bugs you for some reason,but --

She turned to face him and he stopped, his hand dropping from her shoulder. Tearsstreamed down her face, and she snuffled as she considered him. Why do you care about me?

Michael swallowed again, though his thr oat was parched. Because I love you, hemanaged, his voice quivering.

Rachel bowed her head and sighed, still crying softly. She shook her head back and forthand reached out and took his hand. I know you do, she mumbled. I ve seen how you look atme. I hear how your voice warms up when you talk about me. She flashed him a sad smile. Iknow you love me.

Rachel, I -- She interrupted, And I won t do that to you. She ran a thumb across the back of his

hand, smiling inside at the way he quivered -- quaked, really -- at her touch. I did it to Victor,and it wasn t fair.

Victor? Michael wondered. She kept playing with his hand. I mean, I did love him, but She shrugged, looking

away.Michael s dark eyes flicked to the nightstand. Not like you love Buffy. Rachel tried to smirk but couldn t. What can I say? The heart wants what it wants. Were you happy with him? Michael asked. Rachel nodded. Yeah. He mostly made me forget about Buffy. She sighed. And where

did I run to right after he died? Michael took her hand in his. That s perfectly natural, you know. She stared up at him.Your husband dies and you run to the one person the vampires can t kill, the one person

who can protect you no matter what. He shrugged. Makes sense to me. I never thought about it like that, Rachel admitted.


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Michael remained silent.But I think part of me wanted to see if we could be, you know, more than friends. She

closed her eyes. It s stupid, I know, Buffy isn t interested in women. She never was. But Ithought maybe, because we would be so close all the time, you know?

Michael blinked. You feel like you settled for Victor when what you really wanted was

Buffy. Bingo, Rachel agreed. It s okay, he assured her. Rachel raised an eyebrow.It s okay, he repeated. Maybe you did cheat Victor a little. He sounds like a smart

guy, from the little you told me about him before. I m sure he knew. Rachel considered that. You think? I didn t know him, Michael allowed. But if he felt anything for you like I feel, he d be

willing to settle for being second place in Rachel Wagner s heart. Because that s a lot better than being first in anybody else s.

No, she told him. No, no, no. You can t say stuff like that, Michael. It s not fair.

It s how I feel, he spoke softly. It s the truth. He slipped his hand away from hers and put it up on her shoulder again. I know you don t feel like I do, Rachel. If you did, we wouldn t be standing here now like this. He sighed. I know you ll always carry a torch for Buffy, andthat I ll never compete with that. He closed his eyes. I don t care. I ll be happy to come insecond.

I won t, she reiterated. I can t do that to you, Michael. You re too nice, too sweet.You deserve somebody who will feel the same way about you as you feel about them.

Maybe, he allowed. But like you said, the heart wants what it wants. And my heartwants you.

She let out a little sob and held him, suddenly, embracing him, pulling him to her. Youknow I can t do this, she mumbled into his shoulder. I d always wonder if I was hooking upwith you just to avoid being depressed about Buffy.

Michael pulled back. So what? So what if you are? She shook her head, unable to break away from his gaze. I can t do that to you, she

repeat ed. It s not fair. He put his other hand on her other shoulder. What wouldn t be fair, Rachel, is if I had to

go through the rest of my life without this. He leaned in and kissed her, passionately, tenderly,and Rachel could feel his whole body shake as they touched. For a moment she let him kiss her;and then she kissed him back, surprised that it felt so good. I havent kissed anyone since Victor died, she realized as Michael pressed his tongue against hers, and this feels pretty nice. After along mo ment they came up for air; Michael s eyes almost glowed with joy and need.

Rachel sighed inside. Ill never love him like that. I cant do this to him. Ill just end upleaving him in the end, and--

She reached up with one hand, pulling him toward her, kissing him hungrily.

*All throughout the meal, Laura remained quiet, but she shot surreptitious looks at Buffy

the entire time, and occasionally glanced at Riley to see how he reacted to her. Riley, for his part,seemed animated and jocular, warmer than she thought he should be, and by the time most of the


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chicken had been finished off and Xander had dug into the side dishes with relish, Laura hadgrown sulky. I dont like Buffy, I dont like being second fiddle, I hate this. I knew it would belike this. She frowned at Riley. Look at him smiling. Look at the way he looks at her. He used tolike her; maybe he still does.

This guy s bad news, Billy relayed to Buffy, about the King. Conversation had been

stiff and awkward through most of the meal, no one being willing to ask Buffy all the questionsthey really wanted to know: where she had been all those years, why she had hidden, why shehad faked her own death, why, with so much at stake, she had been content to sit back and justlet everything unfold around her.

The King? Xander asked for clarification. As soon as he had realized that Buffy wasgoing to be barely more than taciturn, Xander had jumped in with forced cheer and tried to helpher, talk for her. He wasn t sure if she just wasn t used to being around people, or whether shewas just hostile toward slaying talk. He didn t care; his heart sang like a choir every time helooked at her, and she had flashed him a single shy smile earlier that he thought would make hishair fall out.

That s him, Ak ilah agreed. She proved to be the most surly of them who actually

spoke; the young slayer glared more, but Akilah was quicker with the verbal barbs. Lacking hernormal support mechanism of Rachel and Michael, she had grown more caustic as the dinner hadprogressed. Real bad ass. She looked at Buffy. He kicked some serious werewolf ass inBoston. Killed like a thousand of them.

There are a thousand werewolves? Buffy inquired, aiming her words, like she had mostof the evening, at Xander.

There are a lot more than that, Riley provided. He had met Xander in the enthusiasmdepartment and raised him one, and a high percentage of the conversation had been those twogoing back and forth at it, filling in awkward empty spaces and covering for unpleasant glances.But they re scattered. They tend to congregate in tribes in certain areas, so you have high

populations of wolves in some cities, and then whole regions where there aren t any. He sippedon his coffee. But you can ask Oz when he gets here. He s the real expert.

Oz is coming here? Buffy inquired. Should be here pretty soon, Pike put in. Well, by pretty soon, I mean tomorrow. They

said they would be down as soon as they could, but they wanted to spend a few days with thekids.

Buffy blinked and looked at Xander. Oz has kids? she mouthed. Oz and Willow, Xander informed her. Twins. Though I ve never met them. They re the most adorable kids, Shelley relayed. I hope they bring them. They

probably won t, but... She sighed. They re just darlings. Wonderful kids. She smiled.They re the kind of kids who make you wish you had some of your own.

I ve never met any kids like that, Billy commented. Xander laughed, and the vampiregave him a double-take.

Akilah stood up suddenly. I m gonna go check on Rachel and Michael, she offered asshe left the room. Buffy watched her depart, relieved that the young woman was departing andtaking her hostility with her.

So, Buffy, Billy began, what s the plan? She shot him a blank look. Plan for what? Billy polished off his last chicken leg, licking the bone dry. Seems to me you came back

here for a reason. You couldn t ve been doing too bad at Angel s old place, or you would have


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come down from the mountain earlier. He eyed her critically. So what s next for all of ushere?

I don t know, Buffy admitted. I didn t really think all this through. She looked atXander. Xander just told me you would all want to see me, and since you knew someone was inthat house with him, I d have to come out and show myself. She looked at her shoes. I didn t

get past that part. We can figure out something, Riley assured her. The important thing is that you rehere, Buffy, that you re willing to help us. He gave her a long, lingering look, almostsuspicious . You are here to help us, right?

Like I said, Buffy repeated, I haven t gotten that far. Laura stood up stiffly, staring daggers at Buffy, and headed out into the den, slamming

the door behind her. Riley stood to follow her, then sat down.Go, Buffy urged him.He nodded and moved off after the young slayer.Maybe we should too, Buffy suggested to Xander.

*Riley clicked the door closed softly. Laura sat on the couch, and she stared up at him as

he entered.Go ahead, say it, she sulked. I m acting like a baby. You re not acting like a baby, he reassured her. Laura sighed. Yes I am. Because it s all true, all of it. Everything I told you that would

happen, it s happening. Now that they have their savior Buffy back, who needs me? S he shook her head. Why do we have to be here any more, anyway? We found the other slayer, right? Solet s go do our jobs. Let s go kill something evil.

Riley walked slowly over to her and sat down; Laura shifted to face him. You knowwhat the first thin g that popped into my head was when I saw Buffy?

Laura shook her head, brown eyes wide. Oh, God, I so dont want to hear this Riley made eye contact with her. The first thing I thought was, Thank God, Buffy s

here. Now I know Laura can survive the King . She blinked. You did not think that, she protested. He nodded. I did. Really. She threw her arms around him, clutching him to her. You see why I like you so much?

she whispered to him.He broke off the embrace. There s more, he told her. Laura inched away from him. Is this gonna be the part I don t like? she wondered. That depends on you, Riley told her. She bit her lip nervously.Riley reached over and held her hand. Seeing Buffy brought back a lot of memories,

most of them good, he admitted. I didn t know her that long, but we were really close. Our lives just weren t meant to be together, though, and she ended up with Xander. He smiled. Shereally loved him, Laura. Like crazy. In ways she never loved me.

Laura nodded, hanging on every word, eyes huge.But she can fight vampires like nothing you ve ever seen -- hell, she s as good as you

are. And she s got a lot of experience, too. I know working with her isn t going to be easy for


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you, but I need you to do it. She frowned, and he continued, It s for your own good. I want youto live at least as long as she did, and your chances to do that are a lot better if you learn fromBuffy. She s been a slayer for twenty years, Laura. That s more than twice as long as anyoneelse. He squeezed her hand. I know she has a lot of stuff she can teach you, lessons that ll helpyou survive the war against the vampires.

Laura nodded in agreement, but could not hide her pout.Hey, he spoke softly, gently raising her chin. She met his eyes.I m not just sayin this because I like to hear myself talk, he pointed out. Have I ever

given you bad advice as a slayer, or steered you wrong? No, she admitted. He softened his voice. Have I ever once given you advice that wasn t in your best

interest? Have I ever not put you first? No, she repeated, guilt creeping up on her face. Then do me a favor and listen to me now, he enjoined her. Because, you know, if I m

gonna be your boyfriend, I don t want that to be some short term thing. I m gonna wan t you to

be around a while, because -- Her lips pressing his cut him off; Laura nearly climbed atop him, her hands gripping hisshoulders, her legs straddling his waist. She kissed him so ardently and so long that after a spellRiley wondered if he might faint. Finally, gasping, she broke off the embrace, but the smile onher face was so wide, and her eyes sparkled so brightly, that any misgivings he had about beingthere for her evaporated.

I love you, she told him, her voice so warm she almost broke in to laughter.Riley slid a hand down her back. You know something? Don t hit me for this, but when

I saw Buffy again, I realized I love you too. He kissed her on the nose. And not like your daddy.

She pressed her face to his neck and hugged him; he grunted lightly as she knocked thewind out of him.

*We really should be going, Buffy stated. She and Xander stood in the doorway; her

hand had once again found its way to his, and he smiled as he clutched it.Billy nodded. Don t disappear for eight years again, he admonished her. I m gettin

tired of carryin this lot along. Pike and Shelley chuckled. Seriously, Buffy, it was good to see you again, Shelley

assured her.More than half of you didn t seem to think so, Buffy pointed out. Pike spoke , Laura s just scared, Buffy. She s a good kid, she really is. But she s just

afraid because, you know, chosen one, the whole gig, no one in the world like you and then,hello, Superman isn t dead. He gave her a half -smile. And you re still intimidating.

All five foot three of me, Buffy replied, but she smiled just a little. Bein short never stopped you from kickin ass, Billy reminded her. You just rest up

in that little castle tonight and make sure you come back tomorrow, hear? I hear you, Buffy said softly.


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The door to the den opened, and Riley emerged, Laura trailing behind him, holding hishand. Riley had composed himself, but the young woman wore a smile so bright and wide it wasobvious what had transpired between them. Buffy! Riley called out. You re leaving already?

It s almost eleven, Xander answered for her. You know, early to bed, early to rise, thatkinda thing.

Well, in that case, Riley said, stepping forward and offering his free hand, don t be astranger. Buffy took it and gave him a handshake. You might want to do something about that,

she commented dryly, inclining her head at Laura.Riley raised an eyebrow.She seems sort of attached to you. Laura beamed up at Riley. I am. Buffy managed -- just barely -- to avoid rolling her eyes. Well, goodnight everybody.

Tell Rachel I said it was nice seeing her again, for all of twenty seconds. Buffy turned andheaded out, Xander in tow. The door clicked shut, and Pike, Shelley, and Billy turned to Lauraand Riley.

Okay, you two, what s up? Shelley wondered. What? Riley questioned them. What? You two were sequestered in there a long time, Pike pointed out. Laura still smiled as she answered, I was upset about Buffy. I was kind of jealous of her

coming back like that and all. But Riley showed me that I didn t have to be, that it s a good thingthat she s here.

And you got lipstick all over his cheek, Billy pointed out, moving back toward theremains of dinner. He must have been very reassuring, I bet.

Riley flushed a dark crimson.I think it s sweet, Shelley murmured, wandering off to follow Billy. Laura blushed as well.I think you two oughtta start doing some research on a little thing called age of

consent, Pike barbed. Not that I mind -- hell, I think you make a cute couple -- but I think youmight wanna tone down the PDAs, especially outdoors. He sauntered off after Shelley.

See, that wasn t so bad, Laura told Riley. Riley shook his head but squeezed her hand.Akilah came down the stairs. They gone? she asked the assembled group. Various nods and grunts assured her that Buffy and Xander had left.Man, Akilah drawled, I go up there to hide out from Supergirl and her little puppy and

what do I find? Rachel and Mikey t ongue wrestlin . Can you believe it? Pike glanced back at Riley and Laura. We can believe it. Akilah spotted them holding hands; her mouth formed a little round o . Them too?

Jesus, what is this place, the love shack? Careful, love, Billy teased her. I m the only one not spoken for at the moment. Aside

from you, that is.

*The walk back to Buffy s place took over an hour. Buffy didn t drive, and Xander s car

sat in its parking spot in L.A. Briefly he thought about his job, and how he had probably lost it


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already, but oddly, that didn t bother him at the moment. He had Buffy; that was all thatmattered. He squeezed her hand and she looked up at him, an eyebrow raised.

Nothin , he confessed. Just insanely happy to be near you. They came up to the wall that surrounded her place. Xander had only exited the place

once, and he didn t care for the method. Buffy had boosted him up, tossing up the twenty feet or

so with just enough force so that he could land atop the wall, holding on for dear life. Then,nimbly, she would hop over the structure, landing lightly; then he would maneuver himself sothat he was facing the other way and drop down; she would catch him and set him down. Whenthey had left the last time, he had been slightly embarrassed; when Buffy caught him this time,he merely smiled at her.

They moved inside the house and Xander asked, How do you get food in here? Groceries, she answered. I have this really big sack I leave on a tree outside, and when

I get back... she shrugged. I know, it sounds weird, but it was the best way to make surenobody got in. Nobody.

You let me in, he charged. You snuck in, she corrected him. That doesn t count.

You let me in just now, he amended. She turned to face him. Xander, we have to talk. He flashed her a smile. We ve been doing a lot of that lately. She nodded. But this is an important one. He frowned. Important good or important bad? Just...important, Buffy averred. Maybe we should go sit down. Important bad, Xander mumbled as she led him over to the couch. They sat down.She looked him straight in the eyes and spoke, You seem to have certain expectations

about where this is going with us, she stated. Way to not soften it up or anything, Buff, he replied .This is your heart I m talking about here, she told him. That s too important to play

around with. He found he had no answer for that.You said you were still in love with me, she spoke. Did you mean it? Every word, he breathed. Good, she sighed. That s good. He felt his heart pump a little faster. Buff? She tilted her head.Do you... I mean, are you still in love with me? She closed her eyes, looking down. I ve been asking myself that all night, ever since we

got to Rachel s place. She looked up at him. I mean, it was easy to hide behind you, youknow? I know they had a lot of questions that they wanted to ask that they didn t. And a lot of that was because I was quiet, but I think some of it was because they saw that you and I weretogether, and that if that was the case, then I must be okay.

Is that the case? Xander asked, afraid of the answer. Do you want it to be? she asked back. I mean, really, really want it to be? Yes, he admitted. More than anything, yes. She stood up, and his eyes followed her. I don t know that I m ready to be the super -

hero again, she admitted. I got kind of comfortable here just, you know, being Buffy. He stood up. You never had to be anything more than Buffy for me.


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She smile d. I know. But they expect more of me than that. You re not going to be living with them, he pointed out.She arched an eyebrow. You think you re moving in here? I think you re moving out, he stated. Buffy folded her arms. What makes you say that?

Xander gestured to the house. You know what this place is, Buffy? It s a tomb. Dead people lived here. They pretended to be alive, but they weren t. They only played at it. Hemoved toward her, taking her hands. You re done playing. It s time to be alive again.

She shook her head. You don t know why I did this, why I locked myself away, why Ihid. I--

He kissed her lightly, quieting her. I don t care. It doesn t matter. It s over now, that sall that matters. He smiled at her. I love you. You don t have to explain yourself to me. Heheld her. I accept you, Buffy. I always have. No matter what you do, I accept you. And I forgiveyou for anything you ve ever done wrong.

She pushed him away gently. How can you love me that much? That unconditionally? He shrugged. Because you re Buffy.

She hugged him again, pressing herself to him, and sighed. I don t know if I deservethat, she admitted. You got it whether you deserve it or not, he assured her. Well, if that s the case, she murmured, then I better love you back, right? It d be a

shame to let that go to waste. He squeezed her tight, and Buffy smiled, burrowing her face in his sweater.

I would be the Queen of all stupids to let you go, she knew. She looked up at him.Xand? she wondered.

His heart nearly burst with her use of her old affectionate nickname for him. Buff? She swallowed, her eyes meeting his, and whispered, I love you too. He picked her up off the floor and held her so tightly that she thought he was trying to

crush her.Down, boy, she teased him. Don t have to act so happy to see me. Xander jerked a thumb at the door as he set her down. I can leave, if you want. I m sure

Rachel has a spare something I can sleep on. Buffy gathered up a handful o f sweater. Come here, you.

*It s been a while since we were here, Willow mentioned, looking up at the tall rows of

oaks that grew along the main strip at UC Sunnydale. Seems like a lifetime ago. Oz nodded, steering the Lexus slowly past the admi ssions office and the library. Much

as I love the place, Sunnydale has always been bad news, he concurred. It s not even that, Willow spoke, though, you re right, there is that. But it s just... I

mean... you know, since we moved to L.A., my mom neve r comes to visit, and your folks don tlike to travel much... Willow stared out the window at the empty sidewalks and well -manicuredlawns; with school not in session, the campus had a useless, empty feel to it. No doubt universityworkers toiled within, preparing for the end of winter break next week; but to Willow the schoollooked hollow, barren. It s like we don t fit in here any more.

You re uncomfortable, Oz spoke.


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Willow glanced over at him. He knows me so well, she thought, reaching over and takinghis free hand. I m never uncomfortable when you re around, she told him. But I don t likecoming back to Sunnydale. I know Riley and his new slayer need our help, but there s a reasonwe left, and reasons we don t come back.

I miss the kids too, Oz related. We ve been away too much lately.

Willow nodded in agreement. Izzy wouldn t let go of me this time. She just keptcrying. She sighed thinking about it; it had only been a few hours ago, and the young girl s tearshad caused some of her own to flow. Danny always seems to handle it so much better.

That s because Danny likes it at Ken and Maureen s more, Oz noted. He s got all of Jordi s old toys to play with.

Speaking of, Willow said, changing the topic to avoid getting depressed any furtherabout being away from her children, I hope the crown prince enjoys having the run of the place.Must be a nice change from his apartment, and with no kids to watch. She noticed out thewindow they had slid away from the college toward the downtown area; the place where theDragon s Cove had once stood had been rebuilt, and now featured a music store, with a neat littlerow of saxophones on display in the window. Idly Willow wondered what Danny would look

like with one of the brass instruments strung around his neck. Maybe he and Amy can patchthings up. I think he and Amy are past the patching things up stage, Oz noted.Willow looked over at him. They re over? Oz nodded. I d bet. Willow hmphed. I thought they made a nice couple. They did, for a while, Oz allowed. But Jordi s got too much wolf in him. He can t

settle down. Not yet, anyway. He s still way too interested in playing the field. Oz flipped onthe blinker and made a turn. Most wolves are, really. It seems I m the exception.

Willow smiled. You better be. I tend not to fix what isn t broken, he reminded her, and she leaned over and kissed

him. She noticed he had taken them out of the downtown area into the residential section. Areyou lost? she asked softly.

Oz shrugged. I can t remember the address, he admitted. I was trying to find Rachel shouse the wolf way. Willow knew immediately what he meant; as Oz s wolf senses had grownstronger with the passage of time, they had in certain cases taken over for his human senses.While her husband had never possessed a keen sense of navigation, he d gotten terrible with it --from her point of view -- when he had started relying on his wolf senses. Wolves didn t searchfor things logically, by using addresses and maps. They let their noses do the work. This way of navigating proved to be little problem in L.A. -- Oz already knew where everything was. But inan unfamiliar city, like Sunnydale, he could tend to wander a bit before he found his destination.On the other hand, as she had herself seen, that tended to work very well when fightingvampires, which, she mused, was probably the whole point of it.

You just go past Revello until you get to Omlid, and then you take a right on Hutchins,she reminded him. It s about halfway down, if I remember correctly. Little brick place.

How do you suppose she s doing? Oz wondered. Rachel? Willow asked. They hadn t seen her since Buffy s funeral. I know she

probably took a long time getting over Buffy. But if she s got Riley and a slayer staying at herplace -- not to mention Pike and Shelley -- I d say she s probably back to fighting form. Shelooked at Oz. Why do you ask?


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No reason, he admitted. I just know she took Buffy s death really hard, that s all. And she might have issues about that, maybe. Throw a new slayer and an ex-boyfriend -- howeverbrief -- of Buffy s in there, and maybe Rachel might not be dealing with things so well.

Willow frowned in thought. I hadn t considered that, she admitted. Wel l, Pike andShelley can handle her. We can all do the research -- maybe that will occupy Rachel, you know,

give her something to do. Willow glanced out the window, noting that Hutchins Street wascoming up. Here s our turn, she announced. Oz took the right and rolled down the window slightly; he inhaled, sampling the air, and

pulled over in front of a small red- brick house with white shutters and a white screen door. Thisit? he asked.

Willow checked the address on her eyephones. That s it. She sli pped the glasses off into her purse. They got out of the car, Oz pausing to take a deeper breath as he closed his door.Willow retrieved the ancient book from the back seat and moved around to join him. What swrong? she asked at his perturbed look.

Something smells funny, he told her. Funny how? she asked. Funny like a vampire?

Vampires aren t all that funny, he replied. Willow gave him a stern look.Sorry, he grinned. There s a vampire in there, which I m guessin is Billy. But there s

another smell too. Familiar, but I can t place it. But I ve definitely smelled it before. Hmm, Willow remarked, taking his arm in hers. Only one way to find out. She led

him up the short concrete path to the front door and rang the bell. A few moments later, Rachelanswered.

Willow, Oz, she greeted them. Something obviously bothered her; even without awolf s intuitive senses, Willow could see that.

Rachel, it s been a while. Hope everything s well, Willow offered. Everything s strange, the brunette managed. Why don t you guys come in and see

for yourselves? The two redheads exchanged a glance, and then they entered Rachel s small house, where

they stepped into the living room and turned to look straight into the face of Buffy Summers.Hi, Buffy said softly. I don t believe this, Willow hissed. Oz leaned in and whispered, Told you I smelled something funny.

*So what happened to the being dead business? Willow inquired. Rachel had taken their

coats and provided tea and generally kept out of the way. Her small house had not been built toaccommodate a platoon, and so many people were there now it had become hard to sort them allout. Michael and Akilah had left to go to work; but amazingly, no one else had jobs. Willow hadrequested an extra week of vacation, and Oz could vary his schedule as he liked. But thoseremaining -- still too many for Rachel s taste -- found the place more than a little cramped,especially given the fact that Rachel insisted on snubbing Buffy whenever she could. Pike andShelley had talked to her about it, but the only person she seemed genuinely interested inconversing with was Michael.

It was time to not be dead any more, she answered, looking at Xander.


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I should have known you d have something to do with this, Willow shot at him. Xander raised his hands. This wasn t my fault! Though everything sorta turned out

super- good for me, so I ll take the credit. He gestured at Riley. He came knockin at my door with a shiny new slayer and wanted me to help him. I was perfectly content be ing L.A. s worstcabbie.

You live in L.A.? Willow asked. And you never looked us up? I was kinda tryin to leave that whole life behind, Will, he admitted. Willow folded her arms. And hooking up with Buffy, that s the best way to do that,

right? She shook her head. You could have at least told me, you know, she shot at the Slayer.I thought you were dead!

Will, I m sorry, Buffy apologized. It was necessary. Why was it necessary? Willow pressed. Hmm? Buffy shrugged. It s kinda hard to explain. I ll say, Rachel commented from the kitchen. Buffy frowned. I didn t mean to hurt anyone, she assured them. The road to Hell is paved with good intentions, Willow pointed out. Why d you do

it? Absently Buffy played with her ponyt ail. Remember about five years ago? Those witchhunts that went on all over the place?

You re asking me? Willow inquired. I lost a lot of good friends in those barbarictrials. A lot of good people died.

Buffy nodded. During that whole time, did you ever think, You know, I wish I wasn t aWicca?

Sometimes, Willow admitted. So? So, you know how easy it is for you to not be a Wicca? Don t throw any spells. And

nobody notices you re a witch. Buffy gestured to herself. Me, it s not so easy. I wanna quitbeing a slayer, you know what? I cant. There is no retirement package, no old age home forslayers. There s just fight, fight, fight, and die. And that started to lose its appeal pretty quick.She shrugged. The vampires don t stop coming, and pretty soon just about everybody startscoming to you with their problems. Buffy met Willow s eyes. The Watchers. You guys.Anyone who s ever heard of me. I end up becoming this answer to everyone s problems, except,you know, no one ever gives me any answers.

Buffy sighed. I just got burned out. L ife kept taking and taking and taking, and it hadalready robbed me of everything I had loved. I lost Giles, I lost Angel, I lost Xander... Shestared into Willow s green eyes. I didn t have anything left to lose, Will. You had Oz -- youalways had someb ody. I was alone and I was tired of it. She sat down. I was tired of giving, of sacrificing, of never getting anything back.

You didn t have to be alone, Rachel told her from the kitchen doorway. All of uswould have been there for you, if you had j ust asked.

I couldn t do that! Buffy rejoined. I couldn t ask any of you to sacrifice your lives likethat. If you wanted to give them up to fight evil, fine. But I couldn t ask you to do that for me.It s not fair. Being the slayer is my gig, not yours.

And you walked out on it, Laura charged. Buffy whirled on the young slayer. What would you know? You ve been doing this for

what, six months? Eight? You don t know anything. You try being the slayer when they takeRiley away, when vampires ruin everything you love. Then you can tell me how to behave. Let


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them just screw up your life and take everything away, and then tell me how it feels to watcheverything you love get ruined and destroyed. Then tell me how much you want to be a slayer,when your whole world has turned to shit and there s nothing left to live for.

Shelley shifted uncomfortably on her seat. Why didn t you tell us? How were you going to understand? How could you possibly? She shook her head.

You had Pike. Everybody else had someone to help them deal with their lives. She sat down.All I had was me, and I just got tired of it. They took everyone I had ever loved from me,and... Buffy sighed, her head hanging low. It was just finally too much.

You could have told me, Rachel spoke, moving to Buffy s side. I would haveunderstood, Buffy. I lost Victor, I lost a lot too, you know. She knelt down next to Buffy. Youwere there right after I lost Victor. You know what a mess I was. I would have been there foryou, and you k now it.

Buffy looked at Rachel with eyes so sad that the other woman caught her breath.Suddenly Rachel understood. It was me, she breathed. Holy shit, it was me. I did it to

you. Rachel backed away from Buffy, moving toward the couch. It was my fault, she hissed. I didn t say that, Buffy told Rachel. I never said that.

Willow frowned and looked over at Oz, who shook his head.Look, Oz spoke up, I m not even gonna pretend to understand all the backstory andundercurrents here. We have a lotta people in pain, and that s never good. But I can tell you this;we re all here for a reason, and whatever happened in the past, we have to get through it, get over it, because if we don t, that bastard out there, he s gonna have us all for dinner.

You don t get it! Rachel yelled at Oz. She locked herself up because of me! Because Ineeded her! Because I wanted her.

I get it, Oz responded. But Buffy s here now, isn t she? Rachel nodded.Oz looked around the room. I don t know most of you all that well. And I know most of

you don t know me all that well, either. But everyone here, and I mean everyone, he looked atWillow, has to let go of whatever baggage they are holding onto, and I me an now, or we willnever get it together in time to beat this guy.

They all looked at each other, guilty, hurt eyes casting long glances back and forth.Oz is right, Pike seconded. We either pull together now, or the King s gonna tear us

apart.

*Michael arrived later that afternoon at Rachel s house only to find the air so thick with

tension that he could almost cut it with a wave of his hand. Willow, Pike, Shelley, and Rachelhad sequestered themselves in the den, researching the ancient tome Willow had brought withher, trying to translate it. Rachel excused herself as soon as Michael came in and clasped hishand and took him upstairs.

Oz, Laura, and Riley sat in the living room, discussing strategy and the King and howthey would approach him. Michael noticed that Buffy and Xander had left. When he inquired of Rachel, as they climbed the stairs, she told him only that Buffy and Xander were neither of themall that good at research, and since neither of them wanted to talk about the King, she hadsuggested they go. Buffy had seemed all too eager to leave, and Rachel had been glad to get herout of the house.


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When they reached Rachel s bedroom, she shut the door behind them and turned toMichael, holding him tightly. She kissed him briefly, but mostly she just wanted to be held, to becomforted. She sighed as he took her into his arms, and then, despite herself, she began to cry.

What s wrong? Michael asked her. She wiped her nose and looked up at him. Tell me you love me.

You know I do. She nodded. Good. Because I really need someone who loves me right now. Michael held her close. You got me, right here. Rachel nodded, burying her face in his neck. It s my fault. It was me. It was all me. Michael stroked her hair. What was all you? Buffy, she croaked. She... I made her do it. I was the reason she closed herself off.

Because I needed her. She cried, I was the thing that drove her over the edge. That s nonsense, Michael assured her. Did she say that? She didn t have to, Rachel told him. I knew. Then you can t be sure, he pointed out. Rachel snuffled. She didn t deny it. She began to cry.

Michael wrapped his arms around her. Rachel, you know, what if it is true? I mean,think about it, what if it is true? It s all I ve been thinking about, she informed him. So, what, Buffy goes and hides for, what was it, eight years? All because you fell in love

with her and you needed her? He stroked her shoulders. That s pretty selfish. It s not selfish, Rachel sighed, still crying. She just couldn t give any more. I wanted

something she couldn t have given me anyway, but I wanted it at the very time she just couldn tgive anything to anyone. Her sobbing increased.

Michael gently scooped her up and set her down on the bed, never taking his arms fromaround her. You know what I think?

She shook her head no, red, wet eyes looking up at him.I think Buffy would have gone over the edge all on her own. You didn t do it, and she

didn t jump when you pushed her or anything like that. But I think something would have gottento her eventually, Rachel. If not you, then Billy, or someone, somebody close to her. He wipeda tear from her cheek. Buffy s broken in ways you could never have fixed, Rachel. And deepdown, you know that.

She sobbed again, but she nodded her agreement.So let Xander worry about fixing her. You just concentrate on taking care of yourself.

That s our job. She looked up at him and tried to smile, but she just continued crying.Hey, he spoke softly.Rachel nodded in acknowledgement.Buffy s an idiot if she didn t want you. A complete, one -hundred-per-cent idiot.

Because the person who gets your love is the luckiest person in the world, Rachel. And if theydon t realize that, then they don t deserve you.

Stop, she creaked. I mean it. You know that. He kissed her moist cheeks. Look at yourself for a minute.

You reached out to Buffy because you loved her, right? Rachel nodded.And she bricked herself up in a jail for eight years.


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Rachel opened her mouth to respond when Michael shushed her. And look at you. WhenI came to you and told you that basically I would give you the whole world if I could, that Iloved you with my whole heart, what did you do?

She shrugged.You accepted that love, he reminded her. You could have told me that you didn t

share my feelings, and you could have sent me away, but you didn t. You opened up your heart alittle bit and let me in. Rachel nodded. And boy, am I glad of that now. But Buffy rejected you when you did the same thing, he told her. So you tell me,

who s got the greater heart? Who really deserves to be loved? Rachel kissed him, pulling him close. You re really good for me, you know that? He smiled. That means I m doin my job right. She managed a smile through her tears and kissed him again.

*Is she gonna be okay? Willow asked of Rachel after she had left the den. Shelley looked up from her flattop. What do you mean? No offense, but she seems a little unstable. First there s the whole thing with Buffy, and

she was more than a little distracted in here today. Willow sighed. I don t want to sound likethe herald of doom here, but Oz is right. The King is headed here, eventually, and if we don t getoursel ves ready for him soon, he ll rip us to pieces.

Is this guy really that bad? Pike inquired. Willow nodded. He ambushed Oz and an army of werewolves in Boston and essentially

kicked their asses. Not too many people came back alive from that one. The King just completelywasted the werewolf army. She sighed. Since then, Oz has been almost afraid to face himagain. He s led some raids, and he s instructed some other people on how to do the same. Shesat back in her chair, eyes roaming around the den. He met with some other wolf leaders a fewdays ago. Turned out it was an ambush of the King s. Oz was the only alpha werewolf that gotout alive. She shook her head. So, yeah, this guy is serious bad news, and we have to find away to beat him.

I just wish Atlantean wasn t so goddamn hard to read, Shelley groused. Wayland s oldGaelic is bad enough, but at least you can make out what he s trying to say. Mostly. ButBriareus... she sighed. Man, that is tough going.

The werewolves helped found Atlantis, Willow told her. I know that much. That Ifound out on my own. And we also know they were a sort of beta-test for the slayers. What wedon t know is who all this champion of light stuff is talking about. Could be a werewolf, couldbe a slayer. Could be someone else entirely.

I d say it s a safe bet this champion of the dark that Wayland talks about is the King,right? Pike offered.

We re screwed if it s not, Shelley blurted. Bad enough this guy is running around.There s somebody else on top of him we need to be worried about?

Willow nodded. It s him. Wayland says that the champion of the dark will assail the beacons of the light, one after another, until he has devoured seven of them. Willow glanced atthem both. That has to mean slayers. We know the King has been hunting slayers.


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Once the light of the seventh is extinguished, then the champion of the dark willbecome invincible. No blade forged of man may harm him; no rod or weapon or shaft will stophim; and his followers will grow bold and attack all humanity. Once he has ascended to his dark throne, there can be no withstanding him. If he can achieve his goal, darkness will prevail, andthe Earth be plunged into despair. Pike stopped reading, looking up at the two women. He s

gotta kill slayers to get his magic powers. And we know where both of them are, Willow commented. We re going to have to protect Laura, Shelley noted. And Buffy, Pike added. Willow made a face.What? Shelley wondered. I doubt we need to protect Buffy. She s plenty good at that herself. Pike turned to face Willow. You heard what your husband said, Willow. And he was

right. We have to let go of all the baggage we re carrying. Everything. Or we don t stand achance.

Oz doesn t stand a chance anyway, Willow commented bitterly. Don t get me wrong,

I love him more than I love anything else in the whole world, except our kids. But Boston beatthe fight out of him. She looked out the window. Oz isn t a warrior. He was never meant to be .And now he has to be this William Wallace of the werewolves, and, well, he s not up to it. Shefaced them. God forgive me for saying this, but if Oz is the champion of the light, we rescrewed. He can inspire the wolves, and he can handle his own in combat, but no way, no way,can he lead an army of wolves against the King. He s got too much guilt from what happened inBoston, and all those lives weigh heavy on him. She shook her head. So keep reading and tellme there s another clue we missed that says it s Buffy or Laura or one of you guys or something.

Pike and Shelley both blinked at Willow.Like I said, she continued, I love Oz enough for two lifetimes. But loving someone

shouldn t make you blind to them. I ve never seen anyone better in my whole life with children.He can just sit there for hours and play with them. He s never too busy for them -- or me. Shesmiled. In so many ways, he is such a perfect guy, and there s not an hour that doesn t go bythat I m not glad I married him. But he is not a hero. She looked at them both. Don t ask himto be.

What are you saying? Pike wondered. Willow leaned forward in her chair. I m saying, if those books say that the king of the

werewolves has to save us, we re not going to be saved. She g estured to the heavy tome she hadrescued from the demon in Seattle. I m saying it has to say in there that a slayer will lead us tosalvation, or whatever.

We can t just make it up, Shelley countered. The hell we can t, Willow responded. What do you think Wayland did? You think he

had divine visions? That s what the text says, Pike pointed out. Willow looked at them both. You seriously think the Powers That Be tapped Wayland

on the shoulder and had him write all this down? Pike and Shelley exchanged brief looks. Maybe. Willow chuckled. Do you know how we got vampires in the first place? Pike shook his head. Shelley frowned.


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Willow pointed to the window. Because that guy, the King, who s out there? He already believes in all of this.

How can you be so sure? Shelley challenged. He s killed six slayers in a row. He s gunning for number seven. She sighed. He s got

pretty much the same magic books we do, and he s read them. Willow furrowed her brow.

That may just give us an advantage, because we know what he ll be expecting. But if the champion of the light is a werewolf, just for argument s sake, Pike began,and the King has read this stuff, won t he know that?

Won t he just go for Oz, in that case? Shelley suggested. Willow folded her arms. He might. Probably, he will. She smiled a wicked grin. But

he ll have to get through Buffy first. They looked at her.Hey, I may be angry as sin at her, but she s hell on the battlefield. We hope that s still true, Pike murmured. It s like riding a bicycle, Willow mentioned. You don t forget some things.

* The next two days passed quickly; Michael worked and slept and spent the remainder of

his time with Rachel. He had never been so happy, and she found after getting used to theoddness of being close with someone again that it was nice to be touched and held and kissed.Michael clearly wanted more from her, but he refused to push; whatever Rachel would give of herself was what he would accept. Rachel knew on some level she was taking advantage of him,

but she couldn t help it; he did love her, and that felt surprisingly good.Riley and Laura spent most of their time away from the small house, training. Riley had

filled Wesley and Sam Zabuto in on what they had learned, and the Englishman promised to beon the first plane to Sunnydale that he could. As it turned out, that would be the tenth of January,tomorrow afternoon. After he had filed that report, Riley had made sure he d kept Laura busymost of her waking hours. He showed her the Hellmouth during the day and taught her what heknew about it; he made sure he shared whatever discoveries about the King and the ancientbooks Willow, Pike, and Shelley made with his slayer. He very much wanted Buffy to give hersome pointers, but he could tell the older slayer had no interest in that, even when she did showup, which wasn t as frequently as he would have preferred. But he couldn t control Buffy; no onecould. Now more than ever, she did as she pleased and they would have to accept it.

Oz spent much of his time on the phone, speaking to other werewolf leaders, trying to getthem to buy into his plan of meeting the King in Los Angeles, an area they would have theadvantage in. Oz knew that he would have to face the King and his vampiric army again, but hewanted the battle on his terms, at a place of his choosing, where he could direct events the wayhe saw fit, as much as possible. When he wasn t negotiating with other alpha wolves, he wasspending time with Willow. They took walks around Sunnydale when she needed a break fromresearch, taking advantage of a warm spurt in the weather to visit a lot of places they used tofrequent as kids. While much of Sunnydale had changed, enough had remained the same so thatit was in fact a stroll down memory lane for them. Oz reflected on happier, simpler times, but atheart he was glad to have moved on. He loved Willow and he loved Daniel and Isabel, far morethan anything he had loved in Sunnydale. That point was driven home in unexpectedly dramaticfashion when he and Willow passed by the spot where the Bronze had been one evening, only to


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find it had been closed for several years. For a while, apparently, someone had turned it into acostume shop, which Oz found amusing. Willow felt minor disappointment that the place wherethey had first really gotten to know one another was gone forever.

Buffy and Xander spent the next two days getting reacquainted. He didn t have much tosay about their years apart, nor did she. He told her about visiting her grave, about how upset he

had been, and she had held him and comforted him for a little while, apologizing. He told her hedidn t care -- he was just glad she was back. Buffy reflected that Xander seemed so happy withher, so pleased to be near her, just to hold her hand, that it made her smile. Their first nightsleeping together had been awkwa rd; she couldn t figure out what to wear, and no one had seenher body in many years. Though she had gained no weight and had kept remarkably fit, Buffyhad become self- conscious in a way she never had been when younger. She d settled on a longnight shirt and Xander had worn a pair of baggy shorts. She had forgotten how much body heathe shed, and while Buffy had long since stopped feeling the cold at all, his warmth feltreassuring, and she cuddled up next to him. Neither one of them spoke about sex; just being inbed with someone else again was enough of an adjustment, and Xander seemed satisfied withholding her close and kissing her cheeks. Buffy had woken up that next morning momentarily

afraid that it had all been a dream; but Xander s long arms aroun d her had proven otherwise, andshe d had to fight back tears of joy that he was back in her life. They dropped by Rachel s place periodically to see if they were needed, but Rachel s continuing cold behavior irritated Buffy,and the slayer generally wanted to stay away. Xander seemed not to care what they did so longas they stayed together, and by the end of their fourth day together, Buffy had begun to noticethat his constant support and love had begun to thaw her a little bit. When she d realized that, she d turned and kissed him passionately, leaving him speechless as she gave him the look thathad always made his knees shake.

Akilah felt left out and dejected. Michael seemed to have eyes and ears for only Rachel,and Akilah wasn t close to anyone els e in the group. She spent a little time with Riley and Laura,but the way the young woman looked at the older man with such devotion and affection began toirk Akilah. She hung with Billy one night, at his crypt, an odd experience. He told her tales abouthis time as a vampire, about his run-ins with Buffy and Faith, and how he and Angelus had triedto kill the lot of them. Akilah could see that he was truly sorry for what he had done; the death of one Rupert Giles seemed to weigh heavily on him. She found she liked it in Billy that he neverheld back, never prevaricated. She could ask him anything and he would tell her the truth. Heknew a lot about Buffy and Xander and he had no problem sharing that information, telling herwhat it was like in the old days, when he had collected the Judge for Druscilla, and when he hadraised an army to get her back from Buffy, only to have that explode in his face.

Pike and Shelley, for their part, spent most of their time researching and translating.Often Willow would leave them alone, and Pike found himself occasionally just watchingShelley. He wondered if all the budding romance in the air weren t catching, because he haddiscovered his anger toward Shelley had all but vanished. He fetched some soda in the earlyafte rnoon and sat down next to her on Rachel s couch, not the easy chair where he had sat allday. A few minutes later he was running his fingers over Shelley s arm as he read a passage inWayland s ancient tome; he looked up to find Shelley watching him inten tly. He apologized andremoved his hand, but to his surprise she replaced it and told him not to stop. A few momentslater they were kissing, emotions they had bottled up for too long bubbling to the surface.Shelley admitted that she missed him and apolog ized for being so cool to him recently. Buffy sreturn had made her realize that she ought to treasure people while they were there, and she


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treasured Pike far more than anyone else on this earth. He, for his part, reiterated that he wouldnever love anyone or anything like he loved her, and they had abandoned the books for a largepart of that afternoon, just talking about themselves and each other and what they might want thefuture to hold for them. Close to suppertime they got back to work, but now Shel ley held Pike shand, like they used to when they would research, pinkies intertwined.

That Saturday evening Willow had suggested everyone gather together after supper soshe could share the results of the research with the group and they could formulate a plan of attack. The entire gang crowded into Rachel s living room, some of them seated on the floor, andWillow opened up the discussion by pointing out that they hadn t made their way through bothvolumes yet, but that certain tendencies had begun to crop up and she felt sure that everythingwas pointing to the conclusion that the champion of the light had to face the champion of thedark in combat, and the winner would determine the fate of the earth, pretty much. Willow beganto elaborate when Oz s cel l phone rang; it was Jordi.

Cuz, the younger wolf spoke. Little busy right now, Jordi, Oz responded. He glanced over at Willow, mouthing,

Jordi.

Then I ll be quick, the younger Osborne snapped. The King s in Denver and he sraising an army. Probably on his way here. The Denver wolves are gonna see what they can do tostop him.

No, Oz growled. He looked at the others assembled in the cramped living room. Tellthem to clear out. Tell them to retreat, now. He mad e eye contact with Willow and shook hishead.

Man, Jordi shot back, when are you ever gonna get over Boston? That was like over ayear ago. I know it was a bad time, and I m glad you made me sit that one out. But we can t keeprunnin away from the guy forever, you know? We gotta take a stand.

You re right, Oz told him. We do have to take a stand. But not now and not inDenver.

Denver? Willow echoed. On the other end of the connection, Jordi exhaled in exasperation. You lost more than a

battl e in Boston, Cuz, he asserted. You lost your balls, man. You re our leader, Oz. You can tcrawl under a rock every time this guy shows up. We gotta get him.

Oz nodded to Willow in confirmation of her question. Jordi, listen to me, Oz orderedhim. We do have to get him and he does have to be stopped but trust me, there s more going onthan you know. We ll get this guy and you ll be there when we do but please, Jordi, just holdon. Just wait for us to get back and we ll take care of this.

What s going on in Denver? Riley wondered. Willow shrugged her shoulders up and down as if to say I dont know. I m tired of waitin for you, Jordi huffed. How many times are we gonna sit this one

out , Oz? Until this guy take everything from us and we got our backs against the wall? Jordi paused. We re wolves, man. We hunt. We re predators. Skulkin isn t what we re built for.

It s the King, Buffy realized, speaking softly. The King is in Denver. Jordi, listen to me, Oz spoke in a calm voice, nodding in agreement with Buffy s

words. Do not go to Denver. Don t. You ll have your chance to play hero, but not yet. It s atrap. Trust me on this. He paused for a second. Please, Jordi, please. Just wait until I get back.You ll have more action than you can handle.


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Jordi let out a long sigh. Okay, Cuz, okay. You got it. I ll hang here for you. I don t likeit, but I ll do it.

Thanks, Jordi, Oz breathed. I promise I ll explain everything when I get there. He blinked as Jordi pouted, Ok, an d broke the connection. Oz removed his eyephones.Trouble? Rachel inquired.

Oz nodded. Jordi s going to Denver to take on the King. He said he would wait for me, but I know him, he won't. We have to stop him, Willow stated. Oz sighed. I just tried. I don t think I did much good. He seemed pretty determined. What do you suggest, Oz? Pike asked. We have to go to Denver, Laura spoke up. Nobody wants to, I know that. I don t even

want to. But if your cousin is walking into a trap, he s going to need help. And there s no oneelse but us.

The room went silent, each of them considering what it would mean, what it might costthem to go into battle against such a powerful adversary before they were really ready.

Laura s right, Riley volunteered. We need to be there. Now.

So, let s go, Buffy announced, after a pause.

* * *

Buffy: King of the Dark Chapter 8

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Transcript of Buffy: King of the Dark Chapter 8