DAWN OF ARMAGEDDON: Part One
by Phoenixflame
Disclaimer: I own nothing except my own twisted mind. Joss Whedon owns all things Buffy. I do not own Highlander, either. Or Highlander: The Raven.
Authors Notes: This takes place after "Ted". So Xander and Cordelia are together, Angel never lost his soul, and Kendra is still ticking. Faith has been activated. Angel has already given Buffy the claddagh ring.
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Part One
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Buffy came to in something tight and constricting. Confused, she struggled. Finally, she managed to open it, rolled out, and fell onto the floor.
Dazed, she pulled herself up. Numbly, she registered that she was in the morgue. The signifigance of this didn't register until she noticed the little tag tied around her ankle.
She stared at it. She bent down slowly, and pulled it off with trembling fingers. In shock, she dropped it on the floor.
Her legs gave out, and she sat down on the ground with an audible thud. With fumbling fingers, she searched for a pulse. Finding one, she let her breath out in an audible whoosh. Standing up, she made her way out of the morgue.
* * *
Buffy came in through the back of the library, and hid in the stacks. Peeking out, she saw Kendra speaking with Giles. An unfamiliar black man stood nearby. The Slayerettes were gathered around the table, looking much the worse for wear.
Turning her attention to Kendra, she heard what the girl was saying.
"If she is dead, then another would have been called. Why is the Council having trouble finding her?"
The black man shook his head. "The Council has no idea. But the Stone of Destiny is not giving any answers. It is as if the power in the stone has disappeared."
Kendra looked shocked. "How is this possible?" she asked the man.
"Perhaps the magic built up in the stone has been used up. We are still researching."
Willow looked up. Buffy noticed that the girl had been crying. Her eyes were red. "Why would it work for centuries without failure?" she asked the man.
"As I said, we do not know." replied the man. He turned to leave, then paused. "My condolences."
He left the library.
* * *
Buffy stood on top of a hill overlooking Sunnydale. She had stolen the first thing she came across to replace the hospital gown that she had woken in, in the morgue.
The first thing she came across was a white dress. Still, anything was better than the hospital gown.
*I can't go to Angel. He thinks I'm dead.*
She heard a cracking in the bushes. On edge, she whirled around. Her eyes widened when she saw Angel looking at her.
*No! I can't let him see me like this! He'll think I'm a vampire!*
Buffy turned and ran into the woods. She heard sounds of Angel pursuing her, shouting her name. Struggling through a thick bush, she found herself in a cave. She hid there, and waited until all sound of him was gone.
Peeking through the bush, she snuck out. Shaking her head, she set off through the woods.
* * *
Buffy cautiously looked through the window into the front room of her house. Her mother was sprawled on the sofa, asleep. An empty whiskey bottle sat nearby, with a half full glass next to it.
Buffy turned away, and went over to the tree next to her bedroom window. She climbed it up, and saw that her window was open. She crawled through.
She threw together some clothes and other necessities. Going over to her dresser, she found the cross that Angel had given her. She picked it up, and put it around her neck. Next to it was the ring that Angel had given her. She slipped it onto her finger.
Opening her chest, she pulled out some Slaying supplies. Two silver knives, ten stakes, several bottles of holy water, three crosses, and a long bone handled knife went into the duffel, cushioned by her clothing. Noticing her Slayer's Journal, and Merrick's Journal, she put them in on top of the supplies. She covered the books with two dresses she took out of the closet. She picked up her picture of her, Xander, and Willow, and she shoved it in as well.
Zipping up the bag, she pulled out a tank top, some jeans, and a pair of shoes. Putting them on, she stuffed the dress under the bed, and crawled back out the window into the night.
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