The Necromancer: Part Twenty
by J Jericho Born
"Thanks again for the ride," politely said a tired Buffy Summers.

"No problem," assured Cordelia. She parked the latest in a long line of automotive baubles as skillfully as she could.

Cordy added, "I mean, I care about Giles, too. It's not that I'm just using this as an excuse to get out of school for an hour. I care. I do. Just as much as the next gal."

"Don't worry, at least you have a reason to come," comforted Buffy.

Xander leaned in from the back seat.

"Are you saying that I'm usless on this little trip?" he asked with feigned offense.

"No, she's saying that you're just plain useless," answered a grinning Cordy.

"Touche," replied Xander as he let his head drop only to raise it back with a smirk of his own.

"Let's go," said Buffy. Cordy and Xander's twisted form of flirtation was more than she could stomach on so little sleep.

The three made their way to the residence of their friendly school librarian. Buffy tuned out as her companions continued the sniping and giggling they called a relationship. She didn't quite get the whole Xander and Cordy thing, but was learning to live with it. A crazed car alarm jolted Buffy back to the land of the awaken.

Cordelia let out a sigh and grumbled, "I wish I could figure out how to work that thing!" She scurried back to her car to attend to the nuisance. Buffy and Xander continued on.

"So, do you think we'll find Giles with a hangover in a trashed house after an all night kegger?" Xander sarcastically questioned.

"I'd bet on something more like getting carried away in the fascinating world of undead rodents," answered Buffy as she knocked casually on Giles' front door.

An unusually unkept version of her Watcher greeted her with a introspective, withdrawn expression. Buffy and Xander were silent for several seconds as their minds struggled to identify this hobo looking individual as the Giles they all knew and loved. The lack of tweed clothing added a few extra moments to their discernment.

"Giles," uttered Buffy, half as an address and half as a question. She paused to think of what to say.

"You wouldn't happen to have a really bad hangover?" Xander inquired, beating her to the punch.

"I'm sure you're here to find out why I'm not at the school. Don't worry, I'm just a bit preoccupied at moment," slowly enumerated Giles. He turned and gave a slight shove to the door which caused it to start to close sleepily.

Buffy and Xander exchanged looks of concern. Buffy led the way and pushed the door open while Xander followed right behind. They both stopped dead in their tracks as they caught glimpse of the scene inside.

"Hey, I finally figured out how to turn it off-" Cordy cut her sentence short when she entered and felt the stillness of the scene.

"Whoa," she said.

"That's an understatement," said Xander. Everyone was transfixed on the presence of Miss Calendar. Everyone except Giles that is, he turned toward the corner.

"Hey, guys," greeted Miss Calendar familiarily. No gleeful response was given. Jaws hung low as the three visitors looked at her.

Buffy finally spoke, "Giles, don't fall for this. This is obviously some kind of trick."

"Oh, it's no trick. I'm really alive. Nothing is making much sense to me at the moment, but I do know I'm alive," Miss Calendar said.

"This can't be happening," absently said Xander.

No end was in sight to this awkward situation. Giles was content to face the corner and pursue an itch on the back of his neck rather tenaciously.

"I know this is hard to deal with, but reality is staring you in the face," said Miss Calendar.

She looked as honest and sincere as she could and added, "I'm back."

Buffy stared blankly into the ground and tried to think things through in her exhausted mind. She could come to only one conclusion.

"No, you're not," she pronounced gradually with mounting conclusion. That having been said she reached back into her back pack and stealthily pulled out a fine dagger. The weapon caught Giles' eye and he rushed over to intervene.

"Put that away! There's no use for it here!" ordered Giles passionately.

"You gave this to me to slay zombies. I'm going to slay a zombie," methodically responded Buffy.

"This isn't a zombie this is Jenny for God's sakes!" insisted Giles as he gestured toward his protectorate.

Buffy's hardend face cracked with emotion, "This isn't real. Why can't you see that? She died, she can't come back. She can't really come back!"

Giles angrily chastied, "Damnit, Buffy, you don't have to always hurt the ones you love for some greater good!"

Buffy questioned Giles cutting statement with a forceful look.

"I'm sorry, Buffy, but, it's quite common for those who go through a tramatic experience like you have to need to recreate it somehow," Giles explained as he regained his cool.

He continued, "This, now, isn't you and Angel. You don't need to turn this into what you had to once do. Over there is Jennifer Calendar, someone who was-,"

Giles stopped and soured his face as he realized his slip of the tongue.

He corrected himself and continued, "...is very dear to me. Through some miracle she is alive when we thought she was dead. Let's come to terms. Please?"

Buffy dropped the dagger onto a coffee table and shook her head.

"I'm not the one who's blinded by their needs right now. I'm not going to do it, you'll have to realize what exactly is staring you right in the face," Buffy said quietly. She ran out the front door and a concerned Cordelia followed.

Xander was left standing alone. He glanced at Miss Calendar then stared right at Giles.

"Buffy's right. Once someone dies that's it. No man can bring them back, super death guy or not. This necromancer is clever, he knows how to jerk you around," Xander declared. He remained staring just for a few more moments and then stomped off slamming the front door behind him.

Giles slumped down and once again consulted the floor for some kind of answer to the question that was this instance of his life. Lost, he turned and faced Jenny for with a look that begged for assurance.


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