Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer is copyright © Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, UPN, and Fox. The New Beginning Storytellers are in no way making money off of this. This is purely for fun. All new characters are copyrighted to their rightful owners. * "I really needed that," Raven said upon her return. She ran up the stairs to her room and opened the door. She stood completely frozen as she noticed a figure standing there. He had blond hair and was quite handsome. Raven bit her lip. The young man looked at her with a smile. Raven began to smile for a moment and then remembered he was an intruder. * Raven stood motionless. She was now in the desert. And where was Gabe? What was going on? * Raven’s eyes fluttered open slowly and connected with Gabe’s. Raven glared at him. She quickly turned her attention away from him and looked around. She was still in the desert. She sat up, slowly. No pain. She looked at her arm. No cuts. She looked at her side. No wound. She began getting to her feet. Gabe stretched out his hand to help her up. She looked at it but got to her feet on her own.
"Morning, Beautiful," the girl said as she winked to herself in the mirror. She laughed for a moment and walked back into her bathroom towards her vanity. Her long black hair was dripping wet from her shower just moments before. She sat down, and picking up a brush, she began to run it through her hair. She then proceeded to apply her make-up, paying special attention to her brown eyes. She examined her reflection and smiled. She was on her way to the closet when the phone began to ring.
"Nancy will pick it up," the girl said to herself as she began searching for the perfect outfit. Her task was interrupted by a knock on her door.
"Raven, a Miss Carla is on the phone for you," Nancy, her maid, said. "Oh, and I’m going to the store. I’ll be back in about 2 hours."
"That’s fine, Nancy. Thanks," Raven replied and picked up the extension by her bed. "Hello? Oh, hey, Carla, what’s up? I don’t know how much more clubbing I can take," Raven said with a laugh. "Really? I don’t know... David will be there? I’m not interested in David… I’m not interested in Brad either... I don’t care if they are interested in me; I’m not interested in them."
Raven sat down on her bed, she had a feeling this might last a while. She distractedly began picking at her nail polish.
"No, I don’t need a boyfriend. I don’t understand why I have to have a boyfriend… No, Carla, I am not a lesbian." Now she was getting annoyed. "I just don’t want to rush into anything, especially with a guy I don’t even like… Yes, I’m sure I’m not one." Raven shook her head and sighed. "I have to go. I’ll talk to you later."
Raven slammed the phone down and then folded her arms across her chest. She looked at a picture next to her phone. It showed a younger version of herself and another young girl. The two girls looked very happy and had some similar features.
"I need to go for a walk. I can just wash my hair again later," she said with a sigh.
Raven threw on a pair of black running pants and a white sports bra, grabbed some socks and her tennis shoes, quickly fashioned her hair into a ponytail, and grabbed her keys while running out the door.
"Who the hell are you?" Raven yelled. "What the hell are you doing in my house, and what the hell are you doing in my room?!" She walked over to her cordless phone and picked it up. "Never mind, I’m giving you 10 seconds to get out my house, or I’m calling the cops."
"Raven Celeste Winters," the blond haired young man said. It was definitely a statement rather than a question.
"That’s me. Now, get out of my house." She gave him a stern look as she pointed out the door. "Out, out, out, get out my house!"
The young man smiled and began moving towards her.
"What are you doing? No, no, no! Do not do that! Get out my house!"
The man almost laughed. This girl was quite amusing. Raven glared at him. She clutched her phone even tighter.
"Desperate times call for stupid desperate measures." Raven thought to herself. "Now, all I have to do is club him over the head with my phone, call 911, and it’s all good." She nervously smiled at him.
"Raven, I’m not here to hurt you," the young man said.
"Oh yeah, that’s what they all say," Raven replied.
"Before what?"
"Before you end up six feet under, that’s what."
The young man shook his head. "I’m not here to kill you either."
Raven crossed her arms, unconvinced. "Then, what are you here for, and why the hell are you in my room? And, how the hell did you get in anyway? The house was locked," Raven said with a glare.
"Raven, you’re the…"
"And, how do you know my name?!"
"Can I please explain without being interrupted?" The young man inquired calmly.
Raven looked at him for a moment. Well, if he was going to do something, I guess he would have done it by now, she thought to herself. "Go ahead. Finish."
"My name is Gabe, and I’m an angel," he said. "Well, really a fallen angel, but that’s not important." Raven raised an eyebrow at him. "I’ve come here, because you are the next slayer. We need your help."
"Slayer? Help? What are you talking about?" Raven asked anxiously.
Gabe walked toward her, and she began backing away. He stopped.
"I’m not going to hurt you," he said. He gave her a reassuring smile, and she found herself smiling back.
"So, what is this nonsense you were talking about again?" Raven asked.
"You are the slayer, the chosen one. Well, there are three now." Gabe said with a half smile and then shook his head. "Into each generation a Slayer is born. One girl in all the world, a Chosen One. One born with the strength and skill to fight the vampires, to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their numbers."
Raven stood staring at him for a moment. She didn’t know what to say.
"A vampire slayer?" She said, laughing. "I get it. I must be dreaming, or maybe I hit my head during my walk. You know, like, I tripped and fell or something."
"Raven, this is real. This is not a joke," Gabe said sternly. He looked at her seriously. She looked back and sighed. She couldn’t decide whether to believe him or not. This was too farfetched for even her to believe, or was it? Raven stared at him for a moment.
"We don’t have time for all this small talk. There is a great evil threatening this dimension, and we need all the help we can get. And you are definitely not ready to face the Big Bad, yet," Gabe said, holding out his hand.
"You still haven’t told me everything, anything, yet," Raven said, refusing to take his hand. "And who is we."
"I’ll explain on the way," Gabe said. "You need to be trained."
Raven was so confused, and this was all going too fast for her. "Why can’t you answer me?"
"You’ll know soon enough. Please, trust me," Gabe said, still holding out his hand.
Raven looked at his extend hand. She looked up at Gabe’s face and then again at his hand. For some reason Raven felt that she had to trust him. There was something about him. But, she was still confused and didn’t understand what was happening.
What did he mean by training? And did he really expect her to believe in vampires? Vampires were the stuff of legend, only to be found in books or movies. Weren’t they? Raven thought to herself. She felt she had no choice but to go along with Gabe. She reached for his hand. There was something inside of her, reassuring her, telling her that he would take care of her. She smiled and clasped his hand.
"Have I been dreaming? I must be dreaming," Raven thought to herself. She heard a voice call her name and turned to look into the eyes of another girl…a brunette. The girl had a few cuts and bruises on her arms, neck, and face. She was a little taller than Raven and seemed very confident.
"I hope you’re ready to fight," the girl said.
"What are you talking about?" Raven asked.
"Aren’t you the new slayer?" The girl asked with a grin. Raven thought about it for a moment. That was what Gabe had called her.
"Yes," she finally answered.
"Good," the girl said, her grin suddenly becoming malicious.
Raven’s heart jumped, and she knew the girl could feel her terror. She watched as the girl picked up a sword. Raven looked around frantically and saw another sword nearby. Before she could pick it up, she felt herself fly back into the air and land on her back. The girl walked over to Raven and raised her sword over her head, ready to plunge it into Raven.
"Oh, by the way, I’m Faith!" The girl said, her face marred by an evil grin.
Raven screamed as the sword came flying down. She threw her two hands together, catching the sword between them before it could penetrate her heart. She had surprised herself…and Faith. Raven stared at her, unsure of what to do next.
Faith was turning red with anger. She pulled the sword back from between Raven’s hands. Raven cried out as the blade cut into her left hand. She struggled beneath Faith until, finding an advantage, she managed to kick her opponent away, sending her flying through the air. Raven ran to her sword, picked it up, and turned to face Faith.
Faith had one of her eyebrows up and was in a stance ready to fight. Raven’s breath came in shallow, ragged gasps. She raised her sword defensively. She was scared and confused, and she wanted to hurt Gabe very badly. Most of all, however, she just wanted to go home.
Faith smiled and charged at her. Raven stepped back as Faith’s sword struck hers. Raven grimaced in pain as she felt her hand start to throb where she had been cut. Faith laughed at Raven as she saw how easily she could make her feel pain. Faith raised her sword and sliced into Raven’s left arm. Raven screamed in pain and tripped while trying to make a hasty retreat. She rolled out of the way as Faith tried to hit her with the sword once again.
"What the hell is going on here?!" Raven yelled as she stood up. "Are you trying to kill me?"
Faith just laughed. Raven’s eyes hardened as she looked at Faith. She was getting sick of being sliced up like a zucchini, and she just wanted to go home.
"This has to be a dream," Raven said in denial.
"This isn’t a dream," Faith laughed. "It’s really happening. You are the slayer. Gabe, or whatever he calls himself, brought you here to fight me, so I could "train" you and "teach" you. He didn’t realize that I was gonna kill you. There is only room for one slayer in this world. After I finish with you, Buffy’s next."
Raven stared at her in disbelief for a moment.
Was this girl a slayer too? Who was this Buffy? Raven thought to herself. God! Can she just stop with the laughing?!
Raven knew that if she didn’t do something, she was going to die. Faith swung her sword once again. This time, Raven ducked under it and made a retaliatory strike. Faith yelped as the sword cut through her shirt and into her side.
"You little bitch!" Faith screamed. She ran forward, but Raven stood her ground. Their swords made a loud noise as they clashed.
Faith kicked Raven in the stomach, causing her to double over and drop her sword. Faith then raised her sword, ready for impact, but dropped it when Raven elbowed her in her wounded side. Raven stood up and punched Faith in the face.
Thank goodness for those self-defense classes, Raven thought.
Faith grunted and then laughed. She glared at Raven and then swung at her. Raven blocked the first punch, but when Faith swung at her again, she wasn’t quick enough. Faith’s fist made contact with Raven’s nose. Raven clutched her nose. It was bleeding. Taking advantage, Faith kicked Raven in the stomach, sending her flying.
Raven landed next to her sword and picked it up. She ran at Faith and sent her sword slicing into Faith’s arm. Faith just laughed. Raven could only stare at this obviously disturbed creature before her. Faith charged into Raven and knocked her to the ground. Raven kicked Faith from atop of her. Faith was able to recover her sword, and both girls stood up in a defensive stance. They glared at each other. Both were bleeding and in pain. Faith started laughing again.
"What is your childhood trauma?!" Raven yelled.
Faith smiled and charged once more at Raven. Their swords clashed. Faith kicked Raven, sending her sailing backward. She ran to Raven and brought down her sword, slicing into Raven’s left arm once again. Raven cried out in pain. Faith tried to swing again, but, suddenly, she felt Raven’s foot collide with her face. Raven stood up quickly and sliced at Faith’s right arm. She then kicked and knocked the sword from Faith’s hand. Faith stumbled back and tripped over the stump of an old cactus. Raven held the sword to Faith’s throat.
"Get it over with," Faith said with a smile. Raven lowered her sword. She just couldn’t kill another human being. Faith stared at her in surprise.
"What’s the deal? Are you all noble or just a coward?" Faith asked. Raven didn’t answer. She just turned and began to walk away.
"Actually, you’re neither. You’re just plain stupid!" Faith laughed and ran after Raven. Raven turned around just in time to watch as Faith’s sword plunged into her lower body. Raven’s mouth opened in horror. Faith smiled as she removed the sword and watched Raven fall to the ground.
"It was nice meeting you, Raven," Faith said with a smile. "Really it was."
Faith walked away. Raven groaned in pain as she tried to get up. The pain was unbearable. Her nose was broken, her arms cut up, her eye bruised, and she had a big hole in her side. It hurt to move, it hurt to breath. She lay motionless.
"I shouldn’t have trusted him," Raven whispered to herself.
"What happened to my injuries?" Raven asked.
"I healed you," Gabe answered.
Raven stared at him for a moment. "Where is Faith?"
"I took her back."
"Back where?" Raven asked, raising an eyebrow questionably.
"Jail," Gabe replied.
"Was she a slayer too?"
"Yes," Gabe said quietly. "She is still one, but she has some issues."
"That’s an understatement," Raven said, turning away from Gabe.
"I’m sorry about what happened," Gabe said apologetically. He had been shocked by the condition he had found her in. Left for dead, he thought. She had been covered in blood and bruises.
"I just want to know what is going on," Raven said as she turned back to face him.
Gabe nodded and motioned for her to sit on a nearby boulder. He then proceeded to tell her everything; about himself, Faith, Buffy, the Scoobies, old demons, possible new threats…everything. Raven listened attentively throughout.
"Gabe, I just don’t know if I can handle all of this," Raven said, her fear and self-doubt clearly visible in her eyes.
"Don’t worry. You’re a strong woman, Raven Winters. I know you can handle whatever life throws at you, even something as bizarre as this. And I’m here to help you in any way I can," Gabe said.
Raven smiled. She realized he really wasn’t that bad.
Gabe helped her up from the rock. "Ready to go home?"
"Yes," Raven replied. She reached for Gabe’s hand, and they were transported back to her house.
"Gabe, before you go, I just wanted to tell you something," Raven said quietly. She looked up at him. It was the first time since she had regained consciousness that she had actually really looked at him. "Thank you."
"Don’t thank me yet."