Buffy placed the items on the table. Gwendolyn searched through the items to make sure that they were all there.
“Is this the lot?” She asked
“The whole caboodle,” Buffy replied, “So when do we do the ritual thing?”
Gwendolyn gathered the items and placed them in a bag.
“Tonight,” she said in a soothing tone, “The ritual need to be performed right on the stroke of midnight.”
Gwendolyn walked around the table, which was set up in the lobby of the Hyperion, and stroked Buffy’s shoulder.
“You’ve done amazing work. I would have been proud to be your watcher.”
Buffy smiled at her.
“Thanks,” Buffy replied, “What now?”
Gwendolyn folded her arms and leaned against the table.
“The day is young,” she replied looking out the doorway to Danny who was waiting on the front step, “and it looks like your gentlemen friend is waiting . . .”
Buffy and Danny walked slowly along the beach. There was a silence between them that had started from their trip from Sunnydale. Buffy looked at Danny and frowned awkwardly then looked away. The guilt welled up inside of her every time she looked into his giving face. What was she doing him? This wasn’t her she never did anything like this before. Buffy made a promise to herself there and then that, after she gets rid of her powers, she was going to make it up to him some how. Buffy didn’t know exactly how but she was going to make it up soon.
“It . . . it’s a nice day.” Buffy said
“Definitely,” Danny replied, “I think it’s the sun and the heat that goes with it.”
Buffy nodded anxiously.
“The heat is good it makes things less . . . cold.”
Danny smiled lightly,
“Thank god we watch the weather channel or else this conversation would go nowhere.”
Buffy joined him in the light smiling. They continued walking in silence for a few minutes more. Finally the guilt got too much she had to say something.
“Listen, Dan, there’s some I need to . . .” she started
“Wait,” Danny said, “I wanna say something first.”
Danny gestured over to a bench nearby they walked over and sat down and looked at each other. Danny took a deep breath and looked at her.
“I’m sorry.” He said
Buffy looked at him confused
“Come again?” she asked
“Back in Sunnydale I sought of . . . flew off the handle at you and I shouldn’t have . . .”
Danny stood and started to pace.
“. . . I’ve only been in your world a few weeks and I haven’t seen half the stuff you probably had. I shouldn’t have criticized your methods without understanding why you were doing them. I mean, you see all this crazy stuff and have to deal with, like, death and mayhem all the time. I made a judgment call and I’m sorry.”
Buffy blinked at him. This came from so far out of left field and she felt dizzy from the breeze. Slowly she got to her feet and looked him curiously. Buffy moved in put her arms around him. She kissed him passionately. Suddenly things around them evaporated. And for that short time the only thing that mattered was them.
Later that evening Gwendolyn and Ethan began to organize the supplies. Ethan looked at the Prophet Stone and smiled smugly. Gwendolyn got off the phone and approached him.
“Everything’s arranged,” she said sitting next to him “We have the buyers lined up and ready.”
“I think this Bei Wen Ji is going to be extremely successful don’t you?”
“As long as I get my share I’m fussed about the rest.”
“Like I said you will get what you’re after once we finished what we started,” Ethan replied, “I’m going to get the altar ready it’s almost time. Call Buffy.”
Gwendolyn nodded and headed over to the phone.
Buffy and Danny lay together in Buffy’s bed. She stroked his arm lightly as she smiled at him warmly.
“That was nice.” She said sweetly
Danny pouted
“Nice?” he replied in mock annoyance, “and I was shooting for wild and animalistic.”
Buffy laughed and snuggled in closer.
“Well we could keep trying till we get to that level,” she replied mischievously, “may take four or five times.”
Danny smiled at her and kissed her lightly. Suddenly the phone rang. They both looked at it as Buffy got up and answered it.
“Hello?” she asked
Buffy’s faced dropped. She looked over to Danny.
“Okay, be right there.” She said as she hung up.
Danny shuffled over and looked at her.
“What?” he asked
“It’s time.”
Gwendolyn placed the last item in a circle in front of the altar as Buffy and Danny arrived at the hotel. She noticed them and smiled.
“You’re here,” she said, “good the hour has almost arrived.”
“That it?” Buffy asked as she gestured to the stone tablet mounted on a stand containing the scepter
“Yes, this is the Musuru Alter. It travels from realm to realm making it hard to locate at times. This was the final ingredient we needed for the ritual.”
Gwendolyn walked up to her and put her hands on Buffy’s shoulders.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Gwendolyn asked
Buffy shrugged
“As long as I don’t have to dance naked in the moonlight I’m cool . . . I don’t have to right?”
Gwendolyn laughed lightly.
“No, no. it’s not necessary I just want to make sure you’re clear on what you are doing.”
Buffy pursed her lips and stared at the altar. Suddenly a small twinge of doubt entered her mind. She folded her arms tightly.
“Can I have a moment?”
“You don’t have much time.”
Buffy nodded then turned to face Danny. Danny looked at her curiously.
“You alright?” he asked
“I don’t know,” Buffy replied awkwardly, “I know this is what I’ve wanted for a while but now . . .”
Danny smiled at her. He moved in and put his arms around Buffy.
“What ever you decided to do I want you to know I’m behind you one hundred percent.”
Buffy rested her head on his shoulder. This made the decision a lot easier
“When this is over, when I’m normal gal again, we should go do something.” She said sweetly
“Whatever you want Anne.”
Buffy looked up at him happily. She was now more determined then ever that she was making the right choice. Buffy kissed Danny lightly then turned her attention to Gwendolyn.
“I’m ready.”
Gwendolyn nodded and leads Buffy to the circle she laid out on the floor. Buffy sat cross-legged in the center and Gwendolyn handed her the Prophet Stone.
“When I tell you,” Gwendolyn instructed, “Place the stone on the altar.”
“Will it hurt?” she asked
“It might sting a little, remember, we are forcing the power out unnaturally. It’s time.”
“Okay,” Buffy replied, “let’s do this.”
Buffy closed her eyes and relaxed. Gwendolyn walked over to the table and picked up the book. She walked behind the altar and focused on the slayer.
“ Anangi mud zalkur imdara luur ,” She chanted, “ Musuru ud liumu sz udugan egus . . .”
The items surrounding Buffy began to glow. The energy streamed up in a column of orangey white light. Buffy began to breath heavily. She felt the energy enter her body. It passed through her making her entire form tingle.
“ Di minitu muszig munana eba mas numaal ki kudaa hebara ig diraka baggat sagudi! ”
Buffy tensed up. The energies became stronger and more focused. Buffy gritted her teeth.
“Now! Put the stone in!” Gwendolyn yelled
Buffy forced himself back onto his feet. She lifted the stone up and slammed it into the tablet. The runes began to glow. Gwendolyn smiled. Buffy was right where she wanted her.
“ Dolor sit amet! ” Gwendolyn called out
The orb on the end of the scepter began to glow. It shot a bolt of energy into the base of the stone. The rune’s glowed brighter and brighter. The energy shot out and pierced Buffy and she began to glow a brilliant white. She screamed as it felt like her insides were turning inside out. Buffy flew backwards and hit the ground. She looked up to see a ball of white energy hovering. Buffy knew instantly what it was . . .
. . . The power of the Slayer . . .
. . . Buffy watched as the power sailed up and begin it’s journey. The journey to the next potential that was to take her place. Buffy paused for a moment and wondered who it would be. Hopefully, whoever it was, she will have better luck with the power then she did. Whatever happened next she knew she didn’t have to worry about the power any more . . .
. . . That was before she saw the power take a sharp left and head for the staircase at the front of the lobby. It picked up speed until it entered the Sphere or Altera which rested comfortably in Ethan Rayne’s hand. Ethan smiled smugly as he slowly made his way down the steps.
“Thank you so much my dear,” He said, “you have been most accommodating.”
Buffy looked at Ethan angrily.
“Ethan,” Buffy growled, “You don’t know how much pain I’m gonna deliver to you.”
Buffy tried to get back onto her feet but found she couldn’t. All of a sudden she felt very drained.
“I’m sorry, feeling a little woozy are we? Maybe a little weak perhaps?”
“What did you do to me?”
“Exactly what you asked for,” Gwendolyn replied smugly, “we removed your power . . .”
Buffy looked at Gwendolyn in shock. Gwendolyn walked up to her and knelt down.
“. . . A word to the wise deary. If a deal sounds to good to be true look into it.”
Buffy couldn’t believe it. She was played from the word go. Ethan made his way down to the center of the lobby.
“I’m actually rather offended,” he commented looking at the sphere containing the power of the slayer, “this was to easy to acquire.”
Suddenly he drew a gun from the back of his pants and pointed it at Danny who was trying to sneak up on him with a piece of rubble he found near by.
“Ah, ah, ah. Now is not the time to play the hero Danny boy.”
Danny dropped the rubble and stood still. Ethan motioned him to move into the center of the room. Gwendolyn pulled the scepter out of the alter and joined Ethan on the front steps. Danny dropped down and Helped Buffy sit up. Buffy growled at the both of them.
“You better not hope I see either of you again because if I do you I’m gonna kill you both to Death!” She said viciously.
“Some how I don’t see that being a problem,” Ethan replied, “Oh, and there’s one more thing I should mention. That little ritual you just performed just before you put the prophet stone in the tablet wasn’t to remove your powers.”
“Then what was it?”
“Well for the next few hours you are, how can I put this, a vampire magnet. Every vampire within a five block radius knows where you are and is coming for you so you two have fun and try to stay dead this time. As for us well this baby has a date with the Bei Wen Ji.”
Gwendolyn pointed the scepter at the tablet. She yelled the Latin word again and another bolt of energy shot out. Danny and Buffy ducked as the tablet exploded taking the Prophet Stone with it. They look up to find Ethan and Gwendolyn had disappeared. Danny quickly helped Buffy onto her feet.
“You alright?” Danny asked
“Yeah,” Buffy replied, “I’m just a little . . .”
Suddenly Buffy’s knees buckled. Danny put his arm around her and supported her weight. She looked at him seriously.
“ . . . We gotta move.”
Danny helped Buffy out the door. They scrambled around the corner and started to bold down the street.
“It’s okay Anne! We’re gonna be okay my car is . . . “ Danny said anxiously
They both came to a screeching halt and stared at the car.
“ . . . completely covered in vampires.”
The Dozen or so vampires leaped off the car and growled at them. Danny turned and bolted as fast as he could while still supporting Buffy. The chase seemed to go on forever. Danny and Buffy weaved in and out of side streets as the vampire force grew in size. After a long time running Danny ran into an alley and, about half way down, he collapsed onto the ground. They both swung around and stared at the on coming force. Buffy looked up at Danny with tears in her eyes.
“I-I’m so sorry.” She said
Danny pulled Buffy up into a hug and they waited for the force to arrive. Suddenly, from behind them, they heard the sound of a pickup truck driving up to them. The both of them opened their eyes in time to see a couple of vampires explode into dust as the crossbow bots hit them.
“Yo vamps!” a strong voice yelled out from behind them.
Buffy and Danny turned to see Charles Gunn and his crew sitting on Gunn’s pickup. Each of them holding various vampire hunting weapons. Gunn smiled at the vampire hoard as he held his sharpened baseball bat.
“This a private battle or can anybody jump in?”
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