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Chapter 25

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“Okay, I never thought I’d want to kiss Quentin Travers, but I sorta do,”Buffy grinned into the phone. “When is that team coming?”

Giles gave her the lowdown on the Council’s plan to terminate the Initiative without prejudice forthwith. “I did suggest to Quentin that some of the more exotic demons might best be removed from the Hellmouth. I think they plan to let the wet works team put most of the hostile…er…dangerous demons down quickly, but the peaceful or benign ones should be released. I was quite clear on your stand where that is concerned.”

“Good. I don’t want to just change jailers for these demons. Wrong is wrong, no matter who’s doing it,” Buffy agreed. “God, I feel so old Giles! Growing up is hard. It’s so much easier when the world is all black and white and you don’t have to think at all. Then you figure out it isn’t that easy, there’s exceptions to every rule, and lots of silly rules besides that. No wonder no one wants to grow up…too much thinking!”

“Fortunately, the Council has enough pull with the United States government to assure us that this won’t just be a temporary shutdown. They have made it explicitly clear that the entire operation needs to be closed, not simply the base here in Sunnydale,” Giles reassured Buffy. “The soldiers will be reassigned elsewhere. Of course they now are aware of the existence of demons, but aside from that they will function the way a normal military would.”

“Not sure I trust governments any more than I trust the Council, Giles,” Buffy admitted. “They tend to just repackage the same old stuff. Spike said this whole Initiative thing started with the Nazis, after all.”

“There are no guarantees, that is true. For that matter, there are plenty of private individuals who might find such research of interest. It isn’t unheard of for scientists to leave the employ of a government and hire themselves out to whoever will pay,” Giles admitted. “But do try to get some rest, Buffy.”

“Will do. Going to check back on Spike and then hit the hay,” Buffy yawned into the phone.

Buffy was finally satisfied with Spike’s condition. The blood was staying in him where it was needed for healing and he was sleeping peacefully. Both would quickly improve his condition. She took a quick shower and changed into her flannel cow pajamas before sliding between the clean sheets of her old bed. Somehow, knowing they were close to ending the abomination that was the Initiative made her feel she could rest peacefully for the first time since she got a look at the misery beneath her town.

~~~

Terrified, the young girl ran, pursued by the strongest warriors of her tribe. They were fleet of foot, but so was she. Sweat ran down her forehead and her breath came in tight, painful gasps. Her own father had delivered her into their hands for the ritual and she had gone meekly…until she heard them discuss what was to come. She ran in no particular direction, knowing she could never go home again. To do so would only result in her being returned to the Shamans with their potions and chants, to the horror they had planned.

Sineya had expectations of rituals when she had her first bleeding, but not one such as the elders planned for her. She was to be prepared for uniting, as were all girls come into womanhood, but this…THIS…was not a uniting but a permanent separating. What warrior would want a mate with the spirit of Tano within? Tano, who had entered the singing contest with death and won the right to champion man against the dark, would share his essence with a mortal girl to fight the darkness on the earth. Sineya did not wish to house part of the ancient god and trickster and so she fled.

The Shamans shook their sacred sticks and called the sacred words to summon the god. Sineya tried her best but had been unable to outrace the boys long used to hard, long pursuits of game. The dark mist swirled about the bound and helpless girl. Now she was to be changed forever against her will. She was to stand alone against the spirits and demons who made prey of her people. She was to fight and die alone. She had only known thirteen summers and now she would know only harsh battles and pain and death. The mist settled over her and tendrils of it entered her screaming mouth and vulnerable woman parts. She felt a power settle in her bones and a thirst for violence that was previously unknown to her.

She had been right. Jibade had rejected her. Her own mother feared her strength and her father turned from her. She was alone against the ever deepening night. Demon after demon came up against her like a pride of lionesses circling for the kill. She took them down one at a time and still they continued to come. An endless series of enemies to kill or be killed by.

One night a young man, proud in bearing, began to battle her. Although not of her people, he looked like the finest of warriors. He fought well and laughed heartily at her missteps. “Little girl, you fight with fire in your belly but not with your mind! Watch your opponent and learn. Not all demons are simple in mind. Observe. Evil knows where evil sleeps.”

Too soon it was clear that the young man was an Adze, a drinker of blood. It was as if this demon/man were trying to make her fight better, last longer. The elders had not done as much. When discussing her lifespan they had only offered the old proverb, “Life is a shadow and a mist; it passes quickly by and is no more.” But this demon, an enemy, seemed to relish her growing strength.

The Adze, Faraji, became a familiar figure as Sineya patrolled the vast landscape of her homeland. He laughed at her and fought with her even as he counseled her in her battles against all manner of demons. It seemed that no matter how strong and skilled she became, she could never quite kill the Adze, nor would he sink his fangs in her tender neck and take her life. Indeed, each encounter with Faraji strengthened Sineya until she began to believe she might be a white hair one day after all.

All this came to an end when the elders discovered them and plotted to destroy the Adze that Sineya was reluctant to turn to dust.

Sineya howled at the skies when she discovered what had been done to her enemy, her friend. She refused to follow their direction any longer. They had taken her last comfort, a comfort she hadn’t realized was there until he was gone. No longer would she put her life, her body, between evil and those who had enslaved her to this mission. If she was to fight and die alone, she would do it in her own way and far from her home village.

She left that night.

Coming to a strange village where none knew the power within her, Sineya settled for a season. There was an ancient among them who had knowing eyes. This seer looked with pity on the wild girl who roamed the land without fear. “Child, you have lost he that was to have been your compliment. The one who would give you peace and be your true other half. You now await only death. You must not dishonor the gift you had for too short a time by abandoning the lessons you have learned. In time you will be reunited, as your life will be short. Do not despair.” Sineya felt herself oddly reassured to think her brief moments of joy might be recaptured in some far land where her spirit would dwell. She was saddened that those who imparted the power to her in order that she might protect them had also deprived her of the only comfort she would have in her harsh life. Such should not be.

~~~

Buffy woke with a start. It wasn’t fair! The Slayer was asked to offer her life on the altar night after night, a willing sacrifice to protect the rest of humanity, and yet they denied her any happiness at all because they disapproved of the source! “Guess the Council has always been the same.”

She knew the dream was a Slayer dream. The originator of her line was trying to tell her something important, vital. Buffy didn’t need a dream interpreter to understand the meaning. She should put aside the issue of vampire and Slayer and look instead at what gave her joy, what strengthened her, what might help her live a longer life. That was clearly Spike. Buffy was determined to grab onto what Sineya had been denied. This time the Slayer would not wait for her death to taste the peace and comfort that was easily accessed while living.

She rolled over to return to sleep with a smile on her face. Tomorrow she would share this dream with Giles and make him see that he needed to recognize and embrace those gray areas that she was now accepting, and that doing so would be righting an ancient wrong.

~~~

Spike groaned as he turned in his sleep. His many wounds were beginning to heal, but he was still far from comfortable. The sharp stab of pain his restlessness had brought about wakened him. ‘She came! She came for ME.’ He was stupefied at the thought. The Slayer had come to his rescue instead of abandoning him to his fate. All she had said about starting over, not holding their history and his past against him had sounded fine but not quite believable. Now her actions had proven them to be the truth. ‘Even the Watcher helped her,’ he shook his head in amazement.

He rose from the cot and moved about slowly, reveling in his freedom. “Maybe I’m not the only one who learned something from Willow’s little spell. Maybe the Slayer has some fond memories too.” He didn’t want to push his luck by trying any tonsil hockey with the Slayer right off the bat but subtle touches might be in order. If she didn’t slap him down, he could push a bit farther and see if Buffy had an interest. She was worth the risk, “She came for me.” That had to mean something.

His foot hit something that he hadn’t noticed in the deep shadows of the basement corner. An open box filled with photo albums had been moved about a quarter inch from its dusty place of repose. Spike gently lifted one from the box and made his way back to his cot.

Picture after picture of a young Joyce and a bubbly little girl graced the album. The pictures chronicled a happy childhood filled with all the standard poses. Young Buffy in a cheerleading outfit, clearly still in elementary school, smiled out at the camera without a care in the world or a clue of her future. He was saddened to see the smiling faces slowly disappear from the two Summers women as time marched on. It was obvious that by the time Buffy was a teenager the mostly cloud-free family was history.

“’S’not right. Slayer has the whole world to protect, all the beasties and uglies to battle,” Spike whispered, “Should at least have a bit of joy in her life.” He’d never really thought about the short life span of a Slayer, being more interested in becoming the cause of said end, but that was before Buffy. Now he only wanted to make certain this Slayer beat the odds and lived to a ripe old age. “Don’t care if she doesn’t want me, gonna make sure she outlives ‘em all,” he vowed. Just being there to watch her back should be enough to tip the scales in Buffy’s favor. If she’d allow him to be at her side, even as a friend, he could commit his unlife to the cause. One way or another, he’d be there, be it in the open or in shadow.

Spike turned the page and found a fairly recent picture of Joyce and Buffy. It was a candid shot taken in the kitchen as both were busily at work frosting cupcakes and laughing. He slipped the picture from its slot and carefully placed it in his wallet. They had a wealth of others to choose from and since the album was consigned to exile in the basement, it wouldn’t be missed. He, on the other hand, would treasure the scene of blissful everyday enjoyment of life that it represented.

~~~

Giles and Buffy stood shoulder to shoulder on the rise watching the official army vehicles as they packed up equipment and personnel in their task of dismantling the Initiative. “Look! It seems the Council didn’t lie about letting the peaceful demons go without any trouble.” Buffy pointed to the small, straggling line of terrorized creatures moving slowly towards the side of town that was home to their kind. She was pleased that she hadn’t had to interfere with the process to make sure the right thing was done. She was equally pleased that she didn’t have to be the one to kill those deemed dangerous. Somehow even the dangerous ones elicited pity from her after their ordeal in the Initiative.

As if reading her thoughts, Giles said, “You would only have had to kill the others in battle sooner or later, Buffy. Injured animals are even more dangerous, so you would have had a hard time with the bulk of them.”

“True. Still, I feel bad there wasn’t another way,” she said sadly. “I can’t help thinking that if Spike were still in there they would have marked him as dangerous too and just staked him.”

“Then it’s a good thing he is currently in the tender care of your mother.” Giles smiled gently.

Riley Finn spotted the pair and moved in their direction, a metaphorical thunder cloud over his head. “He doesn’t look too happy,” Buffy noted.

“I suppose you two are responsible for this redeployment?” His countenance was dour to say the least. “We were doing good work here.” He looked daggers at Buffy. “While you were busy protecting the enemy, we were cleaning them out, ending their reign of terror. Now who will protect the decent folk in this town?”

“I will, the same way I have been for years now. Don’t lecture me on fighting evil and don’t even try to say that what you were doing in there was necessary or good. I have a sacred calling that goes back to before people were writing history books. I know my duty and do it every night. I risk my life every day for the ‘decent folk’, but I haven’t sold my soul to do it,” she huffed. How dare he imply she needed a lecture on how to do her duty!

“Have you been reassigned then?” Giles asked gently. The lad had good intentions, even if his implementation left much to be desired.

“New unit headed for Central America. Doubt I’ll be back this way in the future.” Riley nodded curtly to the older man. He had the feeling that Mr. Giles at least understood the goals of the Initiative. His Council group was very similar from the looks of it. The black-clad members of the Council of Watchers had been quite thorough in dealing with the hostiles they put down. Finn was still confused at the handful they permitted to leave, however. He’d never understand why some people had difficulty in seeing the clear objective of ridding the planet of the threat these things posed. “Plenty of hostiles everywhere, always a need for my training.”

“Yes, so it is with all military,” Giles replied dryly. “Necessary evils.”

“You know, Riley,” Buffy counseled, “maybe you should pay more attention to what you see instead of just listening to what you’re told. You might live longer and learn more.”

As they were speaking, the lavender-haired demon Buffy had wept over came up to them, her child still in her arms, sleeping peacefully this time. “I am told that you are responsible for our release from this hell, Slayer. Is this so?”

“We did the right thing. I’m glad you and your baby are safe now,” Buffy looked at the defenseless toddler and smiled.

The demoness looked at them as if reading their very souls, then nodded as if coming to a conclusion. “I am a Volcor demon. My kind has ways of reading the ether; we see portents and potentials. Humans call it psychic ability. You may call upon me if you have need, Slayer.”

“Thank you, “Buffy said earnestly. “Never know when that’ll help!”

“Heed the coming Dawn,” the seer demon said cryptically and walked off towards Sunnydale proper.

Riley looked at the female in disgust. “You’d trust that thing?”

“Volcors are notoriously truthful, as well as being renowned for their connections to the Higher Powers. Her assistance will be a great help in the fight against evil,” Giles remarked, impressed with the offer they had just received. “They rarely mix with humans though; they find us unstable at best.”

Riley snorted and walked off to rejoin his men.

“Think he’ll ever learn?” Buffy had liked the soldier in spite of his pigheaded stubbornness. After all, she hadn’t been that different from him not too long ago.

“We can all learn, Buffy, even old dogs like myself,” Giles smiled at the idea. “Much as I hate to, I suppose I should debrief with the old guard. Once more into the breach, as they say.” He headed toward the sea of tweed gathered at the entrance to the Initiative labs.

“Good luck with that,” Buffy giggled. She was once more reminded of all the reasons she was glad she had broken the yoke of the Council when she did. Since she had decided to explore what life might offer with Spike at her side, the last thing she needed was THAT bunch looking over her shoulder. There was something to be said about being a free agent. Maybe Riley would come to see that one day and finally serve humanity in a way that was the blessing he wanted to be. She hoped that would be the case.

~~~

Giles regaled Joyce with anecdotes about the Council’s stuffy reaction to the high tech gadgetry they had discovered at the Initiative. “Noticed they pocketed quite a few pieces in spite of all the tut-tutting they were doing,” he laughed.

“Wonder what that psychic demon meant with that warning she gave us?” Buffy thought it sounded ominous at the time, but she had been too distracted by Riley and the dismantling of the labs to give it much thought.

“I daresay each day brings with it its own challenges. I think if it had been something dire she would have been more explicit. That has always been the trouble with oracles--the vagueness of their pronouncements has often made it difficult to understand their meaning until after an event has occurred.”

Giles filed the warning away but was not overly concerned. Let tomorrow’s troubles be in the morrow was his motto. It was enough to deal with today’s in the now.

“Giles, I haven’t said it in a long time, but I’m glad you stayed here when I quit the Council.” Buffy was surprised at the look on her Watcher’s face. He looked inexpressibly pleased and on the verge of tears. Surely he hadn’t thought he was unimportant to her? Time to nip that in the bud.

“I don’t often say it and I’ve been a bit wrapped up in BuffyWorld lately, but I really do need you. You’re not like Travers and those pompous tweedcoats I couldn’t stand. You understand me…you help me, guide me. I couldn’t do my duty without you there to help save the day. I know it cost you to quit the Council, but I’m sure glad you did. I can’t imagine ever being the Slayer without you here.” Buffy was half afraid the ordinarily stiff-lipped man was going to dissolve into a puddle of goo in front of her eyes.

“Why, I…,” Giles choked out, “I can’t imagine being anywhere else. You are a splendid girl, Buffy, and the finest Slayer in history. I’m honored to be a part of your team. I hope you know I’ll always be here for you. You are so much more to me than simply my Slayer.”

“Thank you,” Buffy was sincere in her gratitude. “So, let me tell you about this dream I had.”