“Mom?” Buffy asked, her mother, “Did you have her fired?”
“Buffy,” Joyce tried to explain, giving Laura a long cold stare, “you were only four when this happened.”
“Don’t try and sugar coat this...” Laura began.
“Shut up!” both Buffy and Joyce snapped.
“Mom?”
Joyce sighed, “Oh, Honey,” she said, holding back her tears, “this was one thing I really wished you never found out. Yes, your father had an affair with Laura, fifteen years ago. She was his secretary at the time. When I found out, I told him to stop seeing her. He did....”
“Oh, you make that seem *so* sterile,” Laura hissed, “So nice and neat. Hank fired me, and I had no job. No job. No money. No place to live! Get the picture now!? All because I had the misfortune of falling in love with a married man...”
“You didn’t love him!” Joyce countered, “Hank was in the position to promote you to Assistant Sales Rep. You did it for the money,”
“You bitch!” Laura spat, pacing the cold floor of the cavern room, “You weren’t me. You didn’t know! I did love him, and you ruined that for me!”
“Might I interject,” Ethan began, so wanting to add fuel to the already burning fire.
“NO!!!” All said.
“But Laura wasn’t fired because of that. Hank was planning on transferring her to another department, but nobody wanted to work with her. She was impossible to work with, arrogant, rude, and cruel to the other secretaries. So, the decision was made to let her go.”
“Do you know how hard it was to get back on my feet?” Laura snapped, “It took me three years before I could even afford a decent place to live. No one wanted to hire me. If it wasn’t for Everett, I would be living on the street.”
Everett Daniels stood in the hallway listening, and smiled at her words. Maybe all was not lost...
“I mean,” Laura continued, “Do you know what I had to go through to convince him to marry me, so I’d have a better place to live. I didn’t even like the man, but he was in love with me. And he was rich, and NOT already married.”
Daniel’s seethed. That traitorous whore used him! After all those years, she never even loved him! She would pay, he swore to himself, they all would pay! He slipped back into the corridor...waiting to formulate a plan for his revenge.
“What ever your own personal differences in the past was, this is not the place to continue them,” Francios said, as he and Karl entered the cave, “We must gather everyone together for a meeting,” then turning to Joao, he smiled, “My love, please sound the call.”
“Percy and Denim are still tending to the fire,” Joao informed, as she rang the bell, “Shall I call them too?”
“No,” Karl said, walking over to the make shift stone table at the far end of the room, “we must always have a guard at the fire. It is the only thing that keeps the Demon at bay. I’ll inform them later.”
Buffy made her way passed Laura and Jarrod, to Francios, “That’s what I want to talk to you about. What’s the deal with the fire. I mean, a big soul eating demon is afraid of a little blaze?” “The fire has magical properties,” Muyhi explained, “We don’t understand it, but it is something we have always held to be true.”
“How did you learn of this?” Giles asked.
Francios looked at Giles and answered, “We learned it from the Druid.”
Giles stopped. “Druid? As in one of the original Druids who cast the Demon into the Gem?”
“The very one.”
“So, this guy might know how we can get out of here,” Buffy surmised, “Now we’re talking. So where’s this Druid Guy? Can we talk to him?”
Karl sat down at the long table and sighed, “I wish that was the case, but no one has seen him in a long time. In fact, none of us here ever has. We think that he might have perished along with his brethren.”
“A victim to the Demon,” Francios nodded, siting next to Karl.
Buffy looked so deflated. She had a glimmer of hope with the idea that this Druid could be their answer. But now, that glimmer faded away into nothing more than wishful thinking. She was the Slayer, and she had no idea what to do next.
“What a minute!” Buffy shouted, “I AM the Slayer!”
“I beg your pardon,” Francios cocked his head.
“Um...well. So much for a secret. I’m the Slayer,” Buffy repeated, “That’s what I do. I slay demons, and vampires, and...”
“Of course,” Joao smiled, coming back from the bells, “I knew there was something special about you.”
“Slayer?” Karl looked confused, “Vas ist?”
“A Slayer?” Joao laughed, “You helped your Captain try and release a demon, and you don’t know what a Slayer is? When I was a slave in Brazil, there was this young girl in the village near the plantation. She was not a slave, but she was just as indentured. She was called upon to fight the evil that threaten to overwhelm the world. She was the one. The only one, with the power to rid the world of the forces of darkness. She was the Slayer.”
Joyce could hear a pin drop in the room, as the young woman weaved her tale.
“One day, I saw her save a villager from a vampire,” Joao continued, “But then, she was no more. Until then, I never realized that she was just as much a slave to her destiny as I was to my master.”
“Yep,” Buffy sighed, “Sounds about right.”
Joao turned to the others and said, “If Buffy is the Slayer, then perhaps she can stop Garoth.”
“No,” Muyhi said, with a bit too much protection in his voice, “Buffy cannot fight the Demon by herself. He’s too powerful. And we don’t know what his weakness is...”
“Didn’t you say he was afraid of fire?” Joyce asked.
“He’s afraid of the magic in the fire,” Karl said, “But that seems to be all.”
“There has to be more,” Buffy folded her arms, as more of the residents filed into the room, “We have to be able to stop it. You said that the Druid may not be dead, right?”
“We don’t know...”
“Well,” Buffy said, “That’s good enough for me. Can I leave the caves to look for him?”
“Buffy,” Giles warned, “I don’t think that would be a good idea...”
“Yes,” Francios nodded, “you can leave the cave, but Mr. Giles is right. It would be too dangerous.”
“What about the other people?” Buffy argued, “Didn’t you say that there were other groups out there? Not in the caves?”
“Yes, but..”
“But, if they are out there, then maybe this Druid guy is too.”
“She has a point,” Joao agreed, “Perhaps it’s time we do something.”
“Then we will bring this to a vote,” Fracios said, as the last of the stragglers entered the room.
Buffy looked around and was amazed at the amount of people in the meeting hall. There had to have been four dozen people crammed into the space. The Slayer couldn’t believe how many people where prisoners in this strange Hell world. And the thought that there were others not in the caves, gave Buffy a chill. If there were so many who haven’t been able to escape, how could they?
Francios stood up and addressed the hall, “Good evening my friends. First order of business is to introduce our new additions. Most of you heard that they arrived earlier today,” then pointing to Buffy and the others, he continued, “This is Buffy Summers, her mother Joyce, Mr. Giles, and Mr. Rayne, and Mr. Daniels, who doesn’t appear to be here at the moment.” He waited until all the citizens were done with their greetings before he went on, “Now, the second order of business, and what may be most important...Miss Summers has offered to help us try and break free of our prison.”
There was a great deal of chatter echoing through the room.
“Please, please,” Karl said, raising his hand, “We must have some order here.”
“How can she help?” one man asked, holding his wife next to him, “So many other’s have failed. And the last time...”
“I remember what happened the last time,” Francios countered, “But she might be the only one who can succeed.”
“And what do we have to do?” a blonde woman asked.
“Nothing,” Buffy replied, “At least until I can figure out how we can beat Garoth. I’ve been told that there is someone outside the cave who might know what we can do. I’m planning on finding him. All you guys have to do is stay put, and keep that fire going.”
“So,” Francios said, “All those in favor of Miss Summer’s plan, say Aye.”
There was a moment of silence, then a resounding Aye.
“Great,” Buffy said, “Then I’m heading out.” she turned to Joao and asked, “So how do I get out of the caves...besides the front entrance?”
“I’ll show you,” Muyhi offered.
Giles began to follow, but was stopped by Buffy, “Giles, I’m going alone.”
“I’m not letting you do this alone,” he argued, “It’s too dangerous.”
“Giles,” she whispered, pulling him close to her, “it’s also too dangerous being here. I need you to protect my mom. You’re the only one I really trust. And with Ethan, Daniels, Mega Bitch and her boyfriend...she needs all the protection she can get.”
“But...”
“Please,” Buffy pleaded.
“You shouldn’t be going alone...” Giles tried to argue
Muyhi stepped forward with a grim look of determination on his handsome face, “She won’t be. I’m going with her.”
“Look,” Buffy sighed, “I really don’t need to be watched over...”
“You don’t know what’s out there,” Muyhi said, looking deeply into her eyes, “And I’m not going to let you get yourself killed, when you might be our only hope. I’ll be your guide.”
“Have you ever been out of the caves before?” Giles asked.
Muyhi turned to the Watcher and sighed, “Yes, a few times. But I didn’t travel far.”
“Why?”
Muyhi began to walk over to the exit, “You’ll understand, when we get there. But we must leave now, the longer we wait, the more of a chance Garoth will catch on.”
Muyhi led Buffy, and the others through a string of tunnels, to a large opening. There, on the far wall were five entrances, to other corridors. Buffy looked at the strange symbols that adorned the top of each tunnel. Why couldn’t anything be easy with her? All she wanted to do was spend some quality time with her mother. Instead, she was trapped inside a crystal, with a demon trying to devour her soul, and the only way to salvation laid beyond one of these strangely marked hallways.
“Someday,” Buffy sighed, “I’m going to have one normal life, doing normal things. No Vampires. No Demons. And NO Magical Crystals!” Then turning to Muyhi she asked, “So, which way do we go?”
“First,” the young man explained, “Let me tell you that what we will find beyond the tunnel, will be like nothing you would expect. This crystal is like a maze, each tunnel leading to another part of the Gem. And each part is determined by you.”
“What do you mean?” Joyce asked, concerned marred her face.
Giles stepped in and said, “The crystal has the power to create a world from our own minds,” he looked a Muyhi, “Yes?”
“Yes,” he nodded, “There are thousands of different possibilities. So, finding the Druid might be impossible.”
“But we have to try,” Buffy said, determined. She walked over to her mother and gave her a small hug, “Don’t worry Mom, I’ll be back. And we’ll get out of this, in time for supper. Just please, listen to Giles, and stick close to him.”
Joyce hug her, not wanting to let go, “Oh, Buffy, please be careful. Please. I wish you didn’t have to go.”
“I know,” she replied, finally letting go, “And, believe me, I wish I didn’t have to go either...but...”
“I know...you’re the Slayer.” Joyce tried to smile, “But it doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
Buffy walked up to Giles, “Remember....watch over my mom.”
“I will...and, Buffy...”
“Yes?”
“Do be careful.”
“I will,” she half smiled, as her and Muyhi walked through the first entrance, disappearing from sight.
Willow knocked on the door for the tenth time. Buffy was supposed to be home. She said she was going to be home...right? So, where was she? And, where was her mother?
Something was wrong.
“Something’s wrong,” she told Oz, “I can feel it.”
“Maybe,” Oz pointed out with his usual stoicism, “Buffy and her mom went out for the day? You know, a mother/daughter thing?”
Willow shook her head, and reached for the door handle, “She didn’t say anything to me about it.” When the door knob turned, and the wooden frame pushed in, she added, “Besides, if they went out...why is the door open?”
Cautiously they entered the house. Oz went in first, keeping Willow close to his side, and listening for any tell tale signs of trouble. They were met only with silence.
“Buffy,” Willow called out, “Mrs. Summers? Is anyone home?”
The two teens made their way to the kitchen, and slowly pushed the door open. There laying on the floor, at each point of a drawn pentegram were...
“Buffy! Giles! Mrs. Summers!”
They looked at the unconscious forms of their friend, her Watcher, her mother, and...
“Ethan Rayne?” Willow cocked her head, “What’s he doing here?”
“Yeah,” Oz agreed, pointing to the strange man at the head of the star, “And, who’s this guy?”
Willow tried to revive Buffy, by shaking her, “Buffy,” she said, jostling her friend, “Buffy, can you hear me?”
“They’re alive,” Oz said, checking each of their pulses, “But they seem to be in a coma. Maybe we should call an ambulance?”
Willow noticed the strangely shaped black crystal in the center of the pentegram and said, “No. A spell cause this. But I don’t know what. If we call an ambulance, then they’ll be taken away, and we might never find out what’s wrong.”
So what are we going to do?”
The young witch thought about it for a moment, and sighed, “We need help. I mean, we can research this on our own, but we might not have much time.”
“Well we can’t assemble the Scooby Gang anymore,” Oz said, “Cordy’s in L.A., and Xander is...where is he now, anyway?”
“I don’t know,” Willow answered honestly, “I haven’t gotten a post card from him in a while.”
“So, who can help? Even Angel’s gone.”
“I think I know someone...”
Wesley Windham-Price paced back and forth in the waiting room. The Council had been in chambers for hours, deciding the young Watcher’s fate. His very first assignment...his very own Slayer...and he failed miserably. And now, he may no longer have a job, thanks to that blunder.
“I don’t understand why this is my fault,” he said to himself, as he continued to wear down the carpeted floor, “I mean, she’s a grown woman. It’s not my fault that she quit. I did everything I could to prevent it,” he turned to the woman sitting at the secretary desk, and asked, “It isn’t my fault...is it?”
The woman looked at Wesley blandly and replied, “It’s not my place to say.” She stopped to answer the phone, leaving him to his worries. She then took the phone from her ear and looked curiously at Wes, “It’s for you.”
Wesley stopped pacing and asked, “Who is it?”
“I’m not sure,” she said, handing him the phone, “Some American girl.”
Wesely’s heart skipped a beat for a moment, thinking it might be Cordelia. But when he heard Willow’s voice come through, he sighed, “Oh, hello Willow. What is it? What? Are you certain? Yes, yes...I understand. A crystal? What color....really? Oh my. No, no, you were right in contacting me. I might have some idea, but I would have to see it first. Yes, of course. I’ll take the next flight out. Right. Just hang on until I arrive. Bye.”
As he turned to leave, the woman called out to him, “Where do you think you’re going?”
“Um...something very important came up. An emergency, really. I have to go.”
“But you have to meet with the Council? This will not look good for you!”
Wesely turned for a brief moment, and felt courage welling from deep inside, “Tell, the Council, that I’m taking a leave of absence.” The next words surprised even him, “And if they have a problem with that...then I will tender my resignation. Good evening.”
Joyce hated waiting.
She always did. Every time Buffy went out, she wanted to curl up inside herself until her daughter came home safely. And now, was no exception. She knew that she shouldn’t worry. After all, Buffy was the Slayer and was more equip to handle this than anyone. But she did worry. She couldn’t help it.
She was her Mother.
She looked over at Giles, who was also trying hard not to show his mounting concern, and smiled slightly at the sight. They almost looked like two worried parents waiting for their child to come home from a...
“Okay, Joyce,” she chided herself, “Stop that, this instant.”
“Did you say something?” Giles looked over to her.
“Ah, no,” she said, avoiding his deep stare, “Just talking to myself. Sorry.”
“I know you’re worried,” he said, “But, Buffy will be all right. She’s quite a capable young woman.”
“I know,” she sighed, “I just wished, she wasn’t so capable. Then perhaps she would never have been the Slayer.”
All Giles could do was look down at the floor of the cave and whisper, “Yes...perhaps.”
Everett sneaked through the halls of the caverns until he reached the mouth of the cave. There, he saw the two men, assigned to guard the flames of their protection. On one side of the bluish/red fire was salvation...the other...destruction. And the only thing standing in the way to both, was two very tired looking men.
This would be easy.
“I’ll teach you all to betray me,” he whispered to himself, as he found a large rock, and readied himself for the pounce, “If I can’t have you Laura...no one will!”
He swung the rock, hitting the first man in the side of the head. The young man went down, unconscious. When the older man saw this, he tried to back away from the crazed lunatic wielding a rock, but found he had no where to go, “Listen Buddy,” he tried to reason with Daniels, “I don’t know what your problem is, but this ain’t the solution.”
“Oh, really?” he said, swinging the rock, and connecting with the man’s face, “I think it is.” The older man fell to his knees, struggling to escape. Everett brought the rock down even harder this time, finishing what he started. “I think it is indeed!”
Everett Daniels, once a prominent businessman, driven to madness over the love for a woman, walked over to the fire, and began to snuff the flames. He could hear the howls of Garoth growing nearer, and a smile crept over his face. Soon, they would all know his wrath.
Soon, they would all pay!
“Something’s happening,” Ethan ran into the cave, “Something really nasty.”
“Ethan,” Giles growled, “don’t you have something better to do than bother us?”
“I’m serious, mate,” he looked around nervously, “There’s a terrible racket outside. Can’t you hear it?”
Joyce cocked her head and whispered, “Yes, I think I....what is that noise?”
At that moment, Joao ran into the cave and shouted in near panic, “Me must leave now! The fire has gone out, and Garoth is coming!”
“What?!” all three shouted.
“Hurry,” Joao insisted, “We must get to safety!”
The four of them raced down the corridor trying to get to the cavern that Buffy and Muyhi left from. All around they could hear the terrified screams of the poor souls that had the misfortune of being in the demon’s path....and the growls, of Garoth was getting nearer!
“Quickly Joyce,” Giles urged, “Stay with me! Don’t let go of my hand!”
As they approached the entrance to the cavern, there was a mass of frightened people clogging the entrance. Giles held on as hard as he could, but the force of the crowds, ripped Joyce’s hand from his, and she quickly disappeared into a sea of panicked bodies.
“Mr. Giles?” Joyce called out, trying to see him in the crowds, “Mr. Giles?!”
“Joyce?!” Giles shouted, as he pushed his way to the sound of her voice, “Where are you?”
“Rupert! Help me! I can’t see you!”
The roar of the approaching demon became deafening, to the point that Giles could no longer hear the frightened calls of Joyce Summers. He looked around in panic, trying to make head or tails of where he was. He couldn’t tell where Joyce was, or any of the exits, for that matter. And the screams of fear and pain filled his ears, blocking out all other noise.
Suddenly he felt a tug on his arm. He turned around and saw Ethan, holding on to him, “Come on, mate,” he said, “this way!”
“Ethan?” Giles said, the feel of his grip brought him out of his confused daze, “Joyce...we must find....”
“She must have went through one of the halls,” Joao said, holding onto both men, “We must do the same, before it’s too late!”
She and Francios lead both men to one of the entrances, and linked arms, “We must stay together,” the Frenchman instructed, “Where we end up, will depend on us being linked. Now, step through!”
The last thing Giles saw before disappearing into the magical hallway, was the hungry stare on the demon’s face, as it broke into the room.
Joyce looked around and noticed that she was in a room. Her room in fact. Was she really back in Sunnydale? Could she be that lucky?
“Where are we?” Laura said, rubbing her head and looking around.
Jarrod helped her up and sighed, “I have no idea.”
“We are away from the demon,” Karl said, “And that is an improvement.”
Joyce sighed inwardly. Nope, she couldn’t be so lucky. “We are in my home in Sunnydale,” she informed the group, “At least what looks like my home.”
“Great,” Laura snipped, “We’re stuck with June Cleaver in her happy little home!”
“Hey, I don’t like this anymore than....June Cleaver?! You’ve got to be kidding me?!”
Karl grabbed Joyce’s arm and headed out the door, “We have precious little time to talk. We must keep moving and find the next exit.”
“Why?” Jarrod asked, as they followed him down the stairs.
“Because,” he answered, “without the protection of the fire, we will be vulnerable. And Garoth will not rest until he has devoured us all!”
Joyce looked back on what could have passed as her home and sighed, “Of course.”
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