It wasn't until 3 AM when Buffy finally walked into Giles' apartment. Tiredly, Arthur rose from the sofa along with Whistler. Buffy silently stared and the man and the demon and then headed towards the bathroom. Without a word, Arthur and Whistler followed.
"Can't a girl take care of herself without two men watching over her?" Buffy asked a bit tartly.
"Buffy," Arthur said quietly. "Something came up." He waited until he had the Slayer's full attention. "The Watcher's Council is gone."
Buffy looked sharply at the Watcher. "What are you talking about?"
"Someone or something massacred all four hundred present at the Gathering."
Buffy was almost afraid to ask. "What's a Gathering?"
Arthur started pacing, his movements limited by the hallway. "It's a meeting for all Watchers that takes place every summer. It's the only time we all get together to discuss issues regarding the Slayer."
"We think Remington and Juniper did this to them. But it wouldn't make sense. A massacre of that size cannot be pulled without some sort of pact. The rules are quite explicit," Whistler said.
Buffy gave the two a long look. "I met them," she said shortly.
Arthur's eyes nearly popped out of his sockets. "What! When?"
"Tonight. I was in a cemetery doing my rounds when they popped out of nowhere. Said they wanted to speak with me."
"You've met those two and walked away from it?" Arthur said incredulously.
"Well, if I heard the story right this morning, didn't you do the same?"
"Buffy," Whistler interrupted. "Would you mind telling us what Juniper and Remington wanted."
Buffy shrugged. "They wanted to see what they were up against. We pummeled each other a bit and then they told me to tell you-" She looked at Arthur "-something like they missed you at their party and that the Director arranged good entertainment for them."
Buffy saw Whistler's face go dark. "I'll be damned," he said.
"So you are. Come on, Whistler, whatever it is that you're thinking, spit it out."
Arthur, however, spoke first. As soon as Buffy had repeated the message, a lot of things that had happened between him and the Director made sense. "The Director's body was the only one recognizable according to the news today…" He looked sharply at the demon. "You're saying that the Director of the Watcher's Council made a pact with Juniper and Remington."
"I didn't say anything, Arthur," Whistler said testily. "But yeah, it could very well may be. Especially with what Buffy just told us."
"What sort of pact?"
Whistler's face was a thundercloud. Buffy couldn't remember him being so angry. "I doubt Remington and Juniper were concerned with the actual carnage. I know their aspect and they would be more interested in souls than anything else."
"Aspect?" Buffy wondered.
"Every demon has an aspect, kid. It's like a birthmark-but not. Rem and June's aspect is that they eat and kill souls."
Buffy definitely did not like the sound of that. "I thought souls were eternal."
"They are. No matter how many times you *kill* or shred a soul, it would eventually reform itself. Rem and June spends an eternity murdering souls over and over again and make those souls feel as if they die hundreds of horrible deaths." Whistler frowned. "Or was that a thousand?"
"Okay, I get it. Big unfun for the soul. What's your aspect? Besides meddling in people's lives?"
"You know, Buffy, one day you're gonna stop being so darn cynical and the world is really gonna come to an end."
"Then I should I keep that up, shouldn't I?"
Arthur, at that point, stepped into the conversation. "Um, I, uh, I believe that we went astray somewhere in this?"
The demon and woman glared at each other until Whistler finally spoke again. "Right. Where was I?"
"I'd like to know what sort of pact the Director could've possibly made with Remington and Juniper," Arthur supplied.
"Yeah, well, Rem and June are powerful enough demons to change a human being to a demon."
Arthur felt his heart skip two beats. "You think he pledged over four hundred souls just to turn himself into a demon?"
"That's kind of standard for June and Rem, Arthur. It's the only thing I can think of. Besides, this wouldn't be the first time they've done something like that. And don't bother asking me for other examples. That's not relevant to all this."
Giles' dad willingly sold his soul to become a demon? Buffy was so tired she could barely think. Maybe when I wake up tomorrow, all this would go away, she thought. Wordlessly, ignoring both man and demon, she headed for the sofa and fell asleep.
* * *
Her world was so very white. It looked like a blank room but Buffy wasn't very sure. It was too bright for her to be certain. She turned and looked at the incandescent place in wonder. Then she found herself staring into deep brown eyes. Startled, Buffy jumped back.
"Calm down, Buffy." Jenny Calendar smiled. "It's just me."
Instantly, Buffy felt relaxed. "I thought you were dead."
"Just a part. But the rest lives forever. Walk with me?"
Buffy and Jenny started walking. "Destiny's a tricky thing, you know," Jenny said suddenly.
"Ms. Calendar?"
"Please, call me Jenny."
They walked on in silence. Buffy felt comforted. "What do you mean tricky?"
"Deep down inside, you know your destiny. Sometimes, you can't ever reach it until after you leave."
"You mean, after death."
"There is no death. We continue on and on and on…" Jenny's voice trailed into silence. They continued to walk. Idly, Buffy wondered if there was ever going to be a change in the scenery.
"I'm not really good with riddles, Jenny."
She laughed. "Well, neither am I."
* * *
She was barely aware when Jenny left her and Buffy had continued to walk through the white. Soon she saw a figure crouched in the distance concentrating on something.
"Xander!"
Xander looked up from his work. "Oh, it's you." He then continued to whittle a piece of wood.
Buffy felt a bit taken aback. "Aren't you glad to see me?"
Xander shrugged. "Yes, no, maybe so. You know, I was hoping for some frolicking nymphs of some kind but all I get is this." He waved his hand at the vast white blankness.
"It's better than other things," Buffy said.
Xander snorted and continued to whittle.
"Xander, why are you making a stake?"
"I'm not. I'm making a really small wooden fence."
"I'm sorry, but this is all really confusing for me-"
"Oh, I remember," Xander said, looking up at Buffy. "I'm suppose to tell you in a cryptic way that sometimes you have to die in order to live."
Buffy gave Xander a strange look. "That was more weird than cryptic. Kinda straightforward, actually."
Xander looked pleased and then continued to whittle. "Well? What are you standing there for? You have to meet one more person before you wake up. Shoo!" And Buffy continued to walk.
* * *
"Angel." Buffy walked into his arms. She felt warm. "I haven't seen you in years."
"It stands to reason, I suppose," he murmured.
"Why am I meeting dead people?"
"Are you sure?"
Buffy frowned. "Aren't I?"
"Perhaps. Or maybe they just wanna see you. Or you wanna see them."
"What about yourself?"
"Both."
Buffy and Angel continued to hug. "Willow and Cordelia are in trouble," Angel whispered.
Buffy looked up at Angel and blinked. "What?"
"So am I. So is everyone else."
Suddenly, the vast whiteness began to drain away. "Angel, what are you talking about?" Then Buffy watched on in dismay, as he too, started to melt away like ice cream under a hot sun.
Buffy found herself face to face with a tall pale woman with incredibly long black hair.
"Come," she said. Then she clapped her hands once.
* * *
Buffy's eyes fluttered open.
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