Betaed by Maria and Flight Of Fancy.


Later that day, Buffy and Merrick went out, deliberately absenting themselves from Giles’ home when they knew the Scoobies were due for a meeting. Buffy didn’t want to deal with Angel’s sulky attitude, now that he had realized he wasn’t the most important person in Sunnydale. Willow as well, with her sweet face and scheming mind, and Xander, with his ‘demons must die’ outlook. It was all just too much for her to deal with right now.

Buffy was glad that she had the sense to disguise herself before returning to Sunnydale. If her friends had recognized her, she was certain they would have tried to take control of her, and the situation, already. That’s why they were so upset last night...they weren’t in control and they didn’t like the feeling.

With nothing in particular to do, Buffy and Merrick were currently wandering though one of the many parks in Sunnydale. “Merrick?”

“Yes, Buffy?”

“Can we go see her?”

“Who is it that you would like to see?”

She looked at him, suddenly shy. “Buffy. I mean, I’d like to see the Buffy from this time.”

“The Buffy from this time?” Merrick stopped walking, his brow wrinkled. “Why on Earth would you want to visit her? She’s not there anymore, Buffy. It’s just a body that will die if you decide not to take it over.”

Buffy looked down, embarrassed. “I don’t know, Merrick. I think seeing her, the other Buffy...I think it would make this feel real.”

Merrick looked at her, sympathy written on his face. “You’re having a hard time believing this is real?”

Buffy nodded, and started to move again. “Yeah. I mean, think about it. When have the Powers ever done anything good for me?”

Merrick thought about it, and quickly realized that Buffy was right. By unspoken agreement, they both turned and began walking toward the hospital.

When they reached the entrance, there was a moment when Buffy wasn’t sure if she’d be able to enter the building. It was a combination of the antiseptic smell, and the memories that assaulted her mind. She had been here so many times, and each occasion brought with it a special and specific kind of grief. The worst memory was when her mother was sick, and then later, when she died. Though everyone had grieved the gentle woman, it was barely a week later that Buffy had been told to get over her sorrow and get on with her life. She should have seen what was happening then. It was clear in hindsight that the Scoobies saw Buffy as a tool, not a living and breathing person. Buffy reluctantly smiled when those thoughts brought her to memories of Spike and his Buffybot. He’d had such crazy ideas sometimes. Buffy shook her head, returning to reality when she heard Merrick ask the front desk clerk for the room number of Buffy Summers.

It wasn’t long before they were standing beside a bed, looking down on the body of a younger Buffy. “I don’t understand why she isn’t dead yet, if her soul is already gone,” Buffy commented to Merrick, wondering if he knew how the body was being maintained.

“I don’t really know the details of the process. I do know that the Powers had to react very quickly, to ensure that your body would be maintained on this plane for a while. They actually had to freeze time, until they found a solution to the problem.” Merrick smiled at Buffy’s surprised look.

“They froze time? How did they do that?” Buffy asked.

“Again, I don’t know all the details. From where I was watching, it looked almost like someone pushed the pause button on a TV screen. Everything just stopped. It would have been funny, had it not been for your death.” Merrick laughed at the memory of birds frozen in the air and strange expressions caught on peoples’ faces.

Buffy scowled at Merrick. “I hope you’ll pardon me if I don’t see anything funny about my death.”

“I guess you had to be there.” The Watcher just smiled at Buffy’s bad mood.

Feeling a connection with the girl lying in the hospital bed, Buffy reached out to stroke her hair. “Let’s get out of here. We don’t want to have to explain ourselves if anyone else shows up.”

“You can stay longer, if you want,” came a voice from the doorway.

Together, Buffy and Merrick turned to face the open door, and the elderly nurse who was speaking to them.

“Poor girl doesn’t get many visitors. Only her mom, in the evenings. She stays for about an hour, talking to her and brushing her hair each night.” The nurse checked the machinery that was hooked up to the body in the bed.

“What about her friends?” Buffy dared to ask the nurse.

“There were a few, but they don’t come anymore. I guess they had to get on with their lives, so now it’s just her mother.” The nurse wrote down some information on the clipboard at the end of the bed, and then left the room.

And there it was: pain so sharp that Buffy could only squeeze her eyes together and wait for it to pass. Seeing her grief, Merrick helped her to a chair, and knelt in front of her, watching with worried eyes. Unable to contain herself, Buffy leaned forward, and cried on her Watcher’s shoulder as he held her close and tried to soothe her, telling her that everything would be okay this time.

After a while, Buffy seemed to gain some control, and moved out of Merrick’s arms, looking up at him. “Now do you see it? They always abandon me. I’m just a tool to be used, and then discarded when they think I’m broken.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t believe you before, Buffy. I understand now though, and I’ll do whatever I can to help you find happiness if you decide to stay here. We can start by finding you a house, if you’d like.”

“I’d definitely like that.” She smirked at him. “Let’s get out of here.”

Walking down the long hospital corridor, something suddenly occurred to the Watcher. “Have you thought about how you’re going to explain things to your mother? I’m quite certain that she’s not going to approve of her young daughter moving out and living on her own.” Merrick was a little worried that he might be involved in that conversation with Joyce.

“Giles isn’t stupid, and you said he was hinting that he thought he knew who I was. Either way, when we go public, I’ll just let him handle it. He was her Watcher, after all.” Buffy couldn’t help but smile when she imagined Giles trying to explain things to her mother.

Going around a group of people standing in front of the hospital, Merrick asked, “Well, Buffy. Have you given any thought as to where you’d like to live? Which part of town, I mean? Though I suppose we should first make sure the Council is willing to pay for your accommodations, before we put much effort into finding something.”

“It doesn’t really matter whether the Council is willing to pay up or not. It would be nice, but I don’t exactly need their money. It’s only fair. If they want me to stay here, then they should compensate me for what I had to leave behind, as well as the mental torment I’ll go through by reliving this time again.” Buffy frowned at the Watcher.

“Wait a minute. How can you not need their money? I distinctly recall that when we were in LA, you didn’t have a penny to your name.” Merrick was starting to think that curiosity was going to be a permanent aspect of his relationship with the Slayer.

“I don’t have any money, but I can get it. It’ll just take some work.” Buffy had a secretive look on her face.

“I take it that you don’t intend to share your plans with me then?” It was easy to see that Buffy was enjoying her secret just a little too much.

“Got it in one, Merrick. You’ll have to wait and see.” She grabbed his arm. “This way.”

“Where are we going now?” While he was travelling with the Slayer, there were some areas of Sunnydale that the Watcher would prefer to stay out of, simply for safety’s sake.

“I want to go look at a warehouse.” Buffy dropped his arm, now that they were headed in the right direction.

“Explain yourself please.” Merrick’s feet stopped walking, as he tried to figure out this latest puzzle from his charge.

Buffy walked back to where he was standing, and then continued forward once more, arm in arm with her Watcher. “Let me tell you about my vision for the future.” She quickly checked to see if he was listening. “I’d like to live in a warehouse, renovated so that I have an apartment on the top floor. The rooms will all be big, with high ceilings and lots of space. The lower floor will be a training room, a rec room, a kitchen, and a few extra bedrooms for guests. What do you think?”

“I like your plan, and I bet that you’ve already found the warehouse, haven’t you?” Merrick smiled affectionately at Buffy. She was quite the whirlwind when she got started with a plan.

Buffy laughed. “Got it in one. I remember, way back in this time, I hunted a demon into a warehouse that would be just perfect for what I want.” She looked around. “Over there. I’m pretty sure that’s it.” She pointed. “What do you think?”

Merrick looked at the derelict warehouse. “That one? Are you sure? It doesn’t look like it’s been used in a long time.”

“You’re not wrong about that, but I can get it cleaned up again. It won’t take long, especially if I have help.” Buffy smiled at Merrick, and he knew that he’d been had.

Merrick walked to the building and tried to look through the dirty windows. “Is it empty?”

Buffy joined him. “I’m not sure. It was empty when I saw it, but that’s a couple of years from now. It felt long abandoned then, so my guess is that it’s empty now.”

“Who owns it?” Merrick gave up trying to see through the dirty pane of glass, and turned back to Buffy.

“I have no clue, but it shouldn’t be too hard to find out. I just hope it’s for sale.” They turned around and started walking back to Giles’ home. “Do you think it’s safe at Giles’?” Buffy asked.

“Wondering if the Scooby meeting is over yet?” Merrick teased.

Buffy pouted. “I know it’s silly, but I’m afraid that someone will say something and I won’t be able to keep my mouth shut. I’m still so angry that it’s hard not to lash out at them whenever they’re near.”

Having a bit more background information now, Merrick could definitely empathize with the angry young woman he had brought back from the future. “I understand your feelings.” Merrick thought for a moment, and then continued. “What you have to remember, is that they aren’t those people who betrayed you, yet. They might never be, if you’re able to effect changes now.”

An indelicate snort escaped from the Slayer. “Sure, Merrick. That’s easier said than done.” Suddenly, she grabbed his arm and pulled him behind a truck.

“Buffy? What’s happening?”

“Shh...look,” she whispered. Nodding her head, she gestured down the street, on the other side of the truck.

Merrick carefully peeked over the hood.

The Watcher’s eyes widened, as he noticed Spike and Drusilla leaving a warehouse, and making their way down the street. The couple was arguing as they approached the hidden pair. Merrick and Buffy slowly circled the truck as the vampires passed, staying out of sight, but still keeping an eye on the bloodthirsty couple. From what Merrick overheard, Spike was after Dru to share something she had seen in a vision. She refused, telling him that the time wasn’t right, and he wasn’t ready. As they passed the truck, Drusilla turned her head and looked directly at Buffy for a moment. The brunette vampire smiled and gave a little nod, and then hurried to catch up with Spike.

After seeing Spike for the first time in so very many years, Buffy was nearly overwhelmed. Oh Spike, I miss you so much. I can hardly contain my happiness, seeing you alive again. I wish I could just run into your arms, and never leave them again, but I know the time isn’t right. It’s too soon, and you don’t love me yet. Right now, I’m just another notch on your belt, a third Slayer to kill. I’ll have to wait, and hope, that things will work out this time.

“Well, that was strange. Clearly, she knew that we were here, but she didn’t try to attack us. Didn’t threaten us at all.”

Buffy smiled softly. “She knows, Merrick.”

“She knows? Clearly she knew we were here. In fact, that was my point.” Merrick was surprised at Buffy’s response.

“No, not about us being here. I mean, yes, she knew that. Duh.” Buffy hated it when people thought she was too stupid to understand things. “Merrick, she knows why I’m here. About the Light.”

Now Merrick was confused. He looked at Buffy, who was wiping her cheeks.

She looked at him with teary eyes, though there was a gentle smile on her face. “Dru has visions. She can see what’s to come, and she knows that there’s a chance that he’ll love me. She understands what’s happening, and accepts it.”

“How on Earth could you possibly know that?” Merrick asked.

“In the future, after...after Spike was gone for good, I meet up with her every few years. She was a part of him, and she loved him in her own way and mourned his loss like I did.” Buffy looked down, embarrassed and afraid that Merrick would think her foolishly sentimental.

Acceptance was easy for the old Watcher. “I understand,” he said, sending a supportive smile her way.

----------------------------------

Earlier in the evening, while Buffy and Merrick were out, the Scoobies gathered at Giles’ home to hear the latest news. Angel was there as well, and was not happy when Giles told him about Merrick’s status as a Representative from the Powers That Be, and a Warrior for Good.

How many Warriors for Good do the Powers need, anyway? Angel thought, sulking once again.

“So, when are your guests planning to honour us with their company?” Xander asked, in that sarcastic voice that just seemed normal for him lately.

Giles sighed, while the others in the room just looked away, embarrassed. Since Giles had started correcting Xander when he was out of line, the others in the group had started to notice his behaviour and found that it made them uncomfortable.

“What?” He looked around, noticing that everyone was deliberately looking elsewhere. “What is wrong with everyone? I just asked when they were joining us. It’s not like I was rude or anything.”

Joyce looked at Giles, as if wondering what could be done with Buffy’s young friend. “While we wait, would you mind if I made us a pot of tea, Giles?” Joyce asked, as she got up and moved towards the kitchen.

“We’ll help.” Kendra and Willow both got up and joined the Slayer’s mother in the kitchen. Angel wandered over to a window, and Oz moved off to intently study Giles’ book collection.

Giles turned his attention back to Xander. “It’s not what you said, rather it’s how you said it,” Giles told him. “Everything out of your mouth lately is either sarcastic, condescending, or just plain hateful. You cannot continue to act this way and expect to remain a part of this group, Xander. Your behaviour is alienating people, pushing them away from you and this group. Please, think before you speak next time.”

“What the hell is your problem? You’re always on my back lately,” Xander said, enraged. “I haven’t done anything to anyone. If people can’t take the truth, that’s not my problem.”

Giles was rapidly losing his temper. “You’re not speaking the truth, you’re speaking like a fool, running about trying to get everyone in a panic. Like yesterday, when you were accusing Merrick of being a demon, waving a stake in his face before you bothered to ask any questions. Now I won’t say it again. Sit down, be quiet, and don’t say anything unless you can do it without sounding like an idiot,” Giles snarled at the oblivious youth.

Xander jumped up from the couch. “Better safe than sorry. At least I’m prepared. As for driving people away, nobody has left yet. I don’t know what your problem is, but I’m tired of it.”

Xander waited, confident that Giles would give in and apologize to him.

Giles closed his eyes for a moment. He knew what Xander expected, but he wasn’t going to give in to the youth’s demands this time. “You’re going to lose a lot if you don’t deal with your issues, Xander. And to answer your question: No, my guests will not be joining us this evening.”

Xander opened his mouth to respond, irked that he had gone to the trouble of attending this meeting when the people he wanted to speak with weren’t going to be in attendance.

Just at that moment, Joyce appeared at the kitchen door with a tray. “Who wants a cup of tea?” Joyce poured while the two girls helped pass out cups, and offered milk and sugar.

“I don’t understand, Giles. Why won’t they be joining us?” As expected, Angel had refused the tea, and instead remained on the other side of the room, clearly holding himself separate from the others in the room.

Rather than respond directly to Angel, Giles looked around at the group. “Now that everyone is here, we can get started. We know that the Light has lived this time before and, from what I understand, the Light knows us all personally.” They all looked surprised. Giles was pleased at their reaction, because it meant that nobody else had any idea who the Light might be. If I’m right about who it is, then I’m beginning to understand why the Light might be reluctant to stay here. I believe if I were the Light, I wouldn’t stay at this point either, if given a choice. “There’s something else for us to think about. We don’t seem to bring the Light any happy memories. In fact, I think we might have hurt it badly at some point in time.”

Xander’s response was swift. “The Light must be a demon then. We only hurt demons, so it makes sense.”

“And again, Xander, there you go leaping to conclusions and assuming people are demons without proof.” By now Giles had his glasses off. “Merrick and his companion won’t tolerate your attitude, and I can’t blame them. We have to find a way to get the Light to stay in this time, not drive it away. It is vital that we support the Light, and assist it to become complete, if we can.”

“What do you mean, Giles?” Joyce asked. “Please explain how the Light can become complete.”

“Does everyone remember the glimpse of the future that we were shown?” Giles saw them nodding. “For that not to happen, it’s not enough that the Light stays here. For the world to be safe, the Light needs to become complete.”

“How are we going to stay updated, if your guests refuse to meet with us?” Angel asked, straightening up against the window frame.

“I will make it a priority to keep everyone informed when I have news. It likely won’t be every day though. Is that acceptable to everyone?” The Watcher looked around the room, where everyone was nodding their agreement.

“This isn’t right.” Xander was irritated now. “What if I’m right and the Light is a demon? This could all be a setup to get you alone and kill you.”

“People, please remember, the Light works for the Powers That Be, as does Merrick.” Giles was so tired of Xander’s stubborn determination to believe the worst of everyone. “I’m sorry, but it’s late and I’m very tired. I appreciate you all taking the time to meet tonight, but I really must be getting to bed.” He knew his conversation was bordering on rude, but he was exhausted and knew tomorrow would be a busy day as well. Giles needed to figure out what had to be done to convince the Light to stay in this time. Maybe I should just play hardball with them? I can tell them that I’m tired of all this mystery that surrounds them, and that I’m not going to help them unless they come clean with us. Giles continued mulling the situation over, while he got ready for bed.

It was late when Giles heard them come in.

Though they did their best to be quiet, Merrick cursed when he bumped into something in the dark. It was late, closer to morning than evening. Dawn would arrive soon, and everyone needed their rest.