Chapter 6
London
Giles was sitting in his office alone. It had been several hours since Willow had departed for Rome and he was wondering how she was going to make out with Buffy. He had sent off most of the people working in his office and was left with only one girl to aid him for the rest of the afternoon.
Marina was a nice girl who was much older than most of the new slayers who had come to the council for training. She was nearly thirty-three years old and had recently lost her husband of thirteen years.
She was a tall slender girl with blond hair and deep blue eyes. She felt her life was boring at times and she longed to give her husband a child but she tragically lost that ability at fourteen when she developed a tumor that caused major damage. That all changed the day she received her calling as a Slayer. She was getting ready for work when she felt the sensation wash over her. She had no idea what was going on at the time but that night as she fell asleep she dreamt of the Slayers before her. The next morning she woke with a new look on life, she had a new feeling of strength and stamina in her body and she used it as best she could.
She took lessons in karate and Judo trying to teach herself better fighting techniques not knowing why she really wanted too. Her husband became quite upset at her new found look on life and it caused a lot of arguments that they had never experienced before. She began to go out late at night and stalk her neighborhood. Her husband got suspitious and had her followed only to find out that she was fighting in alleys and parks and coming home filthy and beaten. He started to follow her around keeping a distance at first then he started to aid her in her quest. He didn’t understand why she needed to do this but he loved her too much to allow her to be out all alone. They fought side by side for months until one day they came across their first vampire. It was an awful night, cold and raining, and they had no idea what was in store for them both.
That night changed her life and the council found her a few days after her husbands’ funeral. When they explained to her about her calling and why she did and felt the things she did it was easier to leave than she thought it would be. She never thought she would be able to leave her family but after what she had learned it was safer for them if she did. She said her good byes to her family and friends and left to begin a new life.
Now she was in London working and training with the new Council. She liked Giles most of all and growing up with an absentee father she felt he fit the bill better than most. He was always nice and understanding and stern at times but she was older than most of the girls there and didn’t cause him much concern. She enjoyed learning new languages and history and caught on quickly so Giles moved her into his office as one of his personal assistants.
He had grown quit fond of her and had her around more than all the other new Slayers in his office. When he needed peace and quiet and a helping hand it was Marina who he usually depended on.
This afternoon was all about reflection and planning and if they were going to make it through this he needed all the help he could get. He told all the girls in his office to take the day off and asked Marina to stay and help him. He knew she would say yes, they seemed to be inseparable lately and he was glad to have her company since Willow was gone. He asked her to make them some tea and he settled at his desk awaiting her return. He planned to fill her in on the events leading up to Willow going to Rome and hoped she would be willing to aid in the rest of their journey.
Marina returned a short time later with a tray of steaming hot tea. She sat the tray down on a table and poured them both a cup. She placed the cup in front of Giles but he failed to notice the gesture. He had been sitting back in his chair with his glasses off and his eyes closed tight. She smiled looking at him as she sat in the seat in front of him, crossing her legs and beginning to hum lightly as she sipped her hot brew.
It took him several minutes to notice that he was not alone anymore. He opened his eyes searching for his glasses and straitening his self before his eyes settled on the women across from him. He smiled at her as she was at him and he picked up the cup of tea in front of him sipping it lightly and letting out a brief sigh.
They finished their tea in comfortable silence and Giles was glad for it. He needed to begin the task of telling Marina what she was needed for and he wasn’t sure how to begin. Surly she knew the story of Buffy and Angel, it was legendary in the halls of the new council and all the girls talked about the love and loss of the greatest Slayer ever to live. Buffy was an icon to these girls and her life had been laid out as a lesson plan to the new Slayers’ in training.
“Marina, first I would like to thank you for staying with me today. Second, I would like to thank you for the lovely tea you made us, not too many Americans can make a cup of tea that tasty.” Giles held up the cup as if to ask her for another round. She gladly took the cup and began to pour another for him.
“Okay, I get the hint.” She said as she retrieved the tea for him. “Oh, and your welcome. I love spending time with you Giles, this place had been like home for me and I didn’t think I would ever feel that way in another country.”
“Yes, I am glad to hear that my dear. Now for the real reason I have asked you to stay with me today. You know that for several weeks now Willow and I have been researching a certain prophecy. This prophecy involves a Slayer and a Vampire with a soul. Now as I am sure you know of the story of my Slayer, you must know that we believe it involves her.” Giles took a sip of his tea and cleared his throat.
“That’s….um…so what does that have to do with me?” Marina asked him with a puzzled look.
“Yes, well Buffy and I have not seen eye to eye on a few occasions and our relationship is somewhat strained so to speak. I have sent Willow to discuss this prophecy and see if we can get her to aid us in obverting the apocalypse. I hope that Willow is able to convince Buffy to come here and help us. If she does, Buffy may need your assistance in dealing with Spike.” Giles hoped to be able to explain everything to Marina before Willow called and they had to start planning their next move.
Giles wasn’t sure how much Marina actually knew about Buffy and Angel and he spent the next two hours trying to tell her everything he knew. He told her about the prophecy and the predictions he and Willow had been working on and what they intended to try to accomplish over the next few months.
She sat there trying to absorb everything that Giles was telling her. She felt so many emotions, anger, pain, love, and most of all grief. She had a husband and felt the love and appreciation that came with a relationship between two people that wanted one another. She knew that Buffy had been denied the one thing that she really wanted, Angel. Buffy loved Angel and she wanted to be with him and he with her but the curse on him made it impossible for them to be together. Why would any power want to punish a champion of good this way? After all the good they have done, the battles they have won, and the apocalypses they have overcome, would the PTB want to keep them from having the one thing they both craved so badly. She was upset with Giles at some of the decisions he had made over the years and thought she would have to deal with that another time, maybe after this whole deal was over and they actually lived.
“I want to help Giles. I need to be there for Buffy and for Angel. Tell me what you need me to do.” Marina was convinced; she needed to follow thru with this to the end. She felt that now she had a purpose, a reason for her calling and she would do everything she needed to do to help her sister Slayer.
“I am pleased you agreed to help. I think you are special Marina. There is a reason you have been called at your age. I think you may have more of a purpose then we all know right now. Let’s hope that Willow is successful in her task. We have a lot of planning to do and not a lot of time to do it. So shall we?” Giles got up from his desk and escorted Marina out. They headed back to the library for more research and planning. Giles was feeling better now that he had another ally on his side but in the back of his mind he was yelling at himself for not telling her everything. He left out one part of the prophecy that included a Slayer over three score years of age.
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