The Wind Beyond the Walls of the
Mind
Chapter 4
The Preparer of the Way
by Gaius Petronius
DISCLAIMER:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all the characters that appear on
the show are the exclusive property of Joss Whedon, the WB, Fox
and Mutant Enemy, Inc. This story can be read on its own or as
a sequel to H. P. Lovecraft's "The Haunter of the Dark"
from which the Ancient Ones, the Shining Trapezohedron and the
character of Robert Blake are derived.
The Wind Beyond the Walls of the Mind is set
roughly in mid-season four shortly following the death of Doyle
but before the creation of Adam and the death of Maggie Walsh.
* * * * * * *
Giles' apartment was rarely this quiet with
so many people scattered around its cramped living quarters. Giles
himself puttered back and forth in the kitchenette preparing a
pot of coffee. Briefly he glanced out the window over the sink
as the first rays of sunrise played across the countertop. He
half imagined that now, after everything he had gone through with
his slayer over the last three years, he was stuck running the
Sunnydale equivalent of a youth hostel.
Xander and Anya, both asleep, lay sprawled
across the sofa, Xander sitting up and Anya stretched out with
her head in his lap and her arms wrapped around his waist as if
it were a pillow. A pile of open books lay scattered on the floor
by the side of the sofa.
Buffy and Willow sat slumped down at the small
dining room table near the serving window from the kitchenette,
their faces plopped forward in their arms which were spread out
over the open books on the table in front of them. Every so often,
Willow gave a little snoring snort which caught Giles' attention
and made him raise his eyebrows in surprise at the indelicate
noise.
Spike, the only other one still awake, slouched
in a chair directly in front of the television, his attention
riveted to the action on the screen. Wearing a set of headphones,
he never turned away for a moment from the All My Children tape
running on the VCR.
"Aww come on, Edmund! Make yer move on
the bird!" he muttered as Giles glanced at him from the kitchenette.
"You know you want Alex so bad you can taste 'er!"
Giles brought two mugs of coffee out of the
kitchenette and placed them on the table in front of the sleeping
forms of Willow and Buffy. He returned to the coffee maker, collected
two more mugs and set those on the coffee table next to Xander
and Anya on the sofa. He then slowly walked over to the telephone
on the front door stand, picked up the receiver and dialed. He
listened briefly as the call went through.
Good morning," he said quietly so as not
to disturb the others. "This is Rupert Giles. . . . Yes,
that's correct. . . . I'd like to come over shortly and bring
a visitor. . . . You'll have her up and ready? Good. I deeply
appreciate your assistance. . . . Thank you, we'll be there within
the hour."
Giles gently returned the receiver to its cradle
and stood motionless in a shaft of morning sunlight that poured
in through the front window. He ran his hand across his face and
rubbed the skin as if he were still half asleep, trying to massage
some degree of wakefulness into his exhausted frame. He took a
deep breath as he stared out the window at what appeared to be
any ordinary day in Sunnydale.
At the table near the kitchenette, Willow began
to stir. The strong smell of the coffee hit her nostrils which
twitched slightly as she groaned, sat up and stretched.
"Mmm, oh man, that smells good,"
she said, still groggy.
Willow bent forward and took a sip from the
cup but puckered her lips and made a face at the bitter taste
of the black coffee.
"Uuugghh!"
"Cream and sugar?" Giles suggested
gently from across the room.
"Yes, please."
Giles returned to the kitchenette, retrieved
a creamer and sugar bowl and placed them on the table in front
of Willow and Buffy. Suddenly the phone rang, its sharp piercing
clatter causing Buffy to sit up sharply, alert but still groggy
with sleep. She quickly looked around the table but was reassured
by the familiar surroundings. As Giles picked up the phone, Buffy
nestled her head back in her folded arms on the table.
"Good morning," Willow said to Buffy
as she sipped her coffee.
"Hello?" Giles answered the phone.
"Angel? . . . What's happened?"
Buffy's head suddenly popped up, and Willow
stared at Giles apprehensively.
". . . oh good lord! " Giles exclaimed
as he realized at the same time that both Buffy and Willow were
listening to the conversation intently. "You're both all
right? " he continued. "Where are you now? . . . No,
no, no, stay put! We've had some developments on this end as well.
We'll have a better handle on the situation later this morning."
Buffy and Willow stared in astonishment at
each other. Anya began to stir in Xander's lap. She poked him
playfully in the side causing him to sit bolt upright, nearly
pitching her off the sofa onto the floor.
Giles turned away from the others and tried
to lower his voice.
"She's fine," he said in hushed tones
into the receiver. "She's right here with Willow, Xander
and Anya. . . . Angel! Stay put! We'll be all right! . . . I know
this thing is horribly dangerous, and it's even more serious than
you could possibly know! "
Anya sat up while Xander shook the butterflies
out of his head. Willow and Buffy couldn't break their frightened
gaze at Giles.
"Angel, I've received a communication
. . . from a Guardian!" Giles continued with growing agitation.
"I know they're only supposed to be legendary, but the code
words are all there! . . . Well it looks like The Powers That
Be are facing something a tad more than even they can handle!"
All the while, Spike's attention was riveted
to the soap opera playing on the VCR.
"Ohhh come on Alex, give 'im a little
candy! He's only yer dead husband's brother!"
"As far as I can tell . . . it's an Ancient
One!" Giles' words sent chills down Buffy's spine. She wasn't
exactly sure what it was but the tone of Giles' voice was so ominous
she couldn't help but shiver.
"It's the Messenger and preparer of the
way, Nyarlethotep . . . you know what that means! Right, we're
meeting shortly so I'll call you as soon as we know more . . .
and stay put! . . . yes . . . I'll tell her."
Giles hung up and turned around to face Buffy,
Willow, Xander and Anya.
"Oh, good morning! Glad to see you're
all up," he said putting on a cheery smile.
"Giles!" Buffy growled.
"The phone call? Oh, that was just Angel.
He's here in Sunnydale. He says 'hello,'" Giles answered
as he desperately struggled to maintain the phoney grin.
"GILES!" Buffy now snarled through
gritted teeth, barely able to contain her fury.
Giles looked down at the floor briefly, then
back up at Buffy. His face broadened into a full smile that even
he imagined must have been nauseous to look upon.
"More coffee?" he said to Willow
and Buffy.
A half hour later, Giles' Citroen with him
at the wheel, drove down the streets of Sunnydale through the
light early morning traffic. Buffy was the only passenger. For
a few moments, she stared straight ahead out the windshield and
was virtually oblivious to the world of Sunnydale passing by the
car. Finally, she turned to look at Giles.
"So . . . you still won't tell me where
we're going?" she said coolly.
"We'll be there shortly," was his
dry response.
". . . Or why you're taking only me?"
"We'll catch up with the others at MacDuffie's
shop," he said trying not to reveal any of the emotions or
fears that he was sure would alarm his Slayer. "But we have
to make this stop first."
Both were silent for a few moments more.
"Giles . . . I don't like surprises."
"I know. But this was the only way I could
get you to come."
He paused, then began speaking again.
"This entity of yours, it first appeared
about a week ago?"
Buffy was puzzled by the obvious question.
"Yeah, you know that. What gives?"
she replied.
"Well, something else also occurred at
about the same time," Giles continued as he took a deep breath
and turned the steering wheel sharply as they rounded a corner.
"I've waited this long so as to be sure. You and I both know
there are no coincidences in this business."
"What was it?"
"Ah, here we are," Giles said, ignoring
her question.
Giles steered the Citroen into a large circular
driveway that led up to a sprawling one floor building. As the
car approached the building entrance, Buffy read an ornate sign
on the front lawn, "SUNNYDALE CONVALESCENT HOSPITAL."
She turned to Giles, her face a mask of confusion.
"What the hell are we doing here?"
she asked. She could feel the same chill running up her spine
that she experienced when she first heard Giles mention the Ancient
Ones.
Giles stared straight ahead and didn't answer.
* * * * * * *
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