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Buffy and other characters belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, 20th Century Fox, Warner Brothers, et. al and used without permission. No copyright infringement intended & no money earned.
Buffy stood back while Jason and Damian moved the coffins. She decided she had shared enough secrets today. No one needed to know she could have easily moved the coffins, besides what woman would pass on the chance to watch two gorgeous men flex their muscles on her behalf. Even though Jason was a real hottie, she couldn't seem to keep her eyes from lingering on the smooth alabaster skin and blood red hair belonging to a certain Nordic vampire. Buffy quickly averted her eyes before she was caught staring like a teenager with her first crush.
She giggled softly imagining a certain French vampire's face when she decided to unveil her hidden talents. The fireworks would light up the sky and she would have endless fun putting him in his place, literally. Refocusing on the present, she noticed that Jason and Damian had finished moving the coffins. They stood staring at her as if she had lost her mind.
"Sorry, private joke." Buffy smiled at them bashfully. She pointed to where four coffins stood with their flat sides aligned to create a large flat surface. "Damian, please lie down on your left side."
Damian did as ordered, propping his head up with his hand and waited in stoic silence. Over a thousand years of ingrained control almost shattered when Buffy aligned her small, yet powerful, body next to his on the coffin mattress. His heart quickened as if he had recently fed. As he stared into her eyes, they started to glow with power. He had expected this, and didn't feel the same shock he did the first time it happened, although he couldn't suppress the wonder his mind felt at seeing magic such as this. No, it was the sensual heat of her power pulsating from her, as it danced across his skin that had his Viking ancestry rearing its head, and demanding he worship at the feet of this tiny Goddess. Damian worked hard to shake free from his wandering thoughts to listen to Buffy's words.
"Concentrate on the vampires in your kiss, the shared oath to Jean-Claude as your Master, which binds you as a family," Buffy said, her voice low and soft, her words slow, almost sibilant. She stared directly into Damian's pale green eyes, drawing him further into her sensual magic as she continued to speak. "No matter what happens, keep your eyes on me, gaze directly into my eyes and don't look away. Even though you don't need to breathe, match your breathing to mine, slowly in and out. That's right, good."
She reached out and swept her hand down his arm, intertwining her fingers perfectly into his large hand. Damian found himself captured in her eyes, and yet knew he wanted no rescue. When they breathed as one person, one body, he watched her power flare higher, removing the final trace of deep green from her eyes as they started to glow a brilliant royal blue.
Buffy concentrated on Damian's bond with the missing vampires. She found his soul and the shear beauty of his aura breathtaking. His aura swirled with a kaleidoscope of ambers, mauves, pumpkins, golds, dark brown, delft blue and pinks, each unique and wonderful as they blended into each other. She reluctantly pulled away, hoping for the chance to explore their nuances later.
She followed the blood bond to a large stone mansion. The vampires' coffins sat propped against the wall held closed with chains and weighted down with crosses. Buffy heard their terrified screams coming from the reinforced torture chambers. Unfortunately, she couldn't help them; for now, she would gather as much information as possible.
Buffy pushed the bond further, following the higher bond the Council shared with every line. She saw further into the room to where a chair resembling a throne stood. The Traveler, one of the Council's most ancient and powerful members, sat upon it, with the Master of Beast, a younger, but still powerful Council member, stood beside him. A beautiful smile spread across her lips. She had the proof the Council was responsible for the kidnapping, exactly as she had suspected.
The Council always worked in threes, although they never actually sent three Council members. Only two came in person, with the 'third' member sending an envoy with their full power backing them. Now, let's see who sent an envoy. She caught movement in the corner. A vampire hid in the shadows, and only moved into the light when the Traveler called him forward. It allowed Buffy to get a better look at him. His hair literally glowed like spun gold under the light from its brilliant blonde color. He used it artfully and masterfully to hide the scars that covered half his face.
Oh, goodie, the Vampire Council saved me the trouble of having to travel. Mmm, the blonde must be Asher; I'll have to take a closer look at him before passing judgment. Something tells me there's more to him than meets the eye, too bad I can't read him this way. Ooh, we have another player on the field.
Through the connection, Buffy watched a tall blond female vampire, with short hair and violet colored eyes, walk toward the Master of Beasts. Uh-oh, someone's been a naughty girl; I'll have to ask Damian for names. I'm betting she's one of the missing vampires. Wonder how she managed to escape the lovely accommodations the others are enjoying?
Buffy's eyes stopped glowing, when she released Damian's hand. He blinked owlishly; his eyes appearing like he had just risen. He desperately wanted to pull her close and never let go. Damian realized he felt famished like he hadn't fed for days. He turned to Jason with hunger-filled eyes, and the blonde wolf crawled forward to bare his throat obediently.
Buffy watched this in horror. She shouted, "What the hell do you think you're doing!?!"
"The spell took much from me. I need to feed," he calmly replied.
Buffy's eyes narrowed and again flashed blue with power, this time in anger. "And you just expect him to bare his throat for you whenever you please! You don't ask or expect resistance?"
"No," he stated, confused at her questions. "It is how we have lived for centuries."
"Well, it doesn't mean its right." She advanced on him, moving faster than the preternatural of their world, to stand before him, poking him in the chest with her finger after each word, as she literally growled. "You should ask permission, buddy, and if he agrees, then that's all fine and dandy, but if not, then you had better find some other McDonalds to drive thru!" She screamed up at him.
Jason wasn't sure what to do. He wanted to laugh at the tiny woman pushing around the much larger vampire with only her finger as she told him off, but he also worried that Buffy's interference would lead to punishment for both of them.
"Buffy, it's okay, I don't mind, really. Truth is, I enjoy it," he explained, stepping closer with a smile to reassure her.
Buffy looked from him to Damian. Her flashing eyes again had them stepping back unsure what she might do next.
"Fine, do what you want. I'm not going to stay here and watch. I'll go tell the others what I found out, catch up after you wipe your chin."
She whirled around, with her eyes still aglow as she removed the protection barrier. Buffy was standing before them one moment, then opening and slamming the door with a loud bang the next. It was the last they saw of her. Damian and Jason stared after her, before turning to each other unsure what to do.
Richard turned from Anita and Jean-Claude's squabbling to see Buffy stomping into the room and slamming the door. He grinned when the other two jumped at the sound and turned around.
"Are you two still snipping at each other?" Buffy asked in a mildly aggravated voice.
Anita scowled at the small blonde, crossing her arms over her ample chest. "How did it go? Did you find them? Are they still alive? How far away are they? Do you know who's behind this?" She asked in the rapid-fire style of an interrogation.
"Man, I thought my friend Willow could babble. Although with the whole scowl and professional voice, I'm sure you don't call it babbling." Anita sent her a patented death glare. "No need to turn your x-ray vision on me. In the order you asked, the answers are fine, yes, yes, not sure and mostly." Buffy schooled her face into an innocent expression as she answered the Executioner.
"What? That's all the information you're going to give us?"
Buffy laughed at how easy it was to upset Anita. She was more fun than trading insults with the vamps back home. "No, just waiting for the rest of the team. Is there somewhere we can go that, oh I don't know, has seats?"
"You can sit on my bed, ma lune sorcière," Jean-Claude purred, putting his full seductive powers into his voice.
Buffy stared at him then prowled toward him. She leaned forward to whisper huskily, with the full might of Aphrodite's skills and teachings guiding her. "Jean-Claude, if I decided to crawl into your bed. I wouldn't idly sit and you wouldn't walk for days." She turned and walked over to Anita. Her gently swaying hips mesmerized the men and her words sent their imaginations into overdrive.
Jean-Claude shivered as he felt himself grow hard as her words washed over him and he watched her walk away. He thought she moved with the same predatory grace as a proud lioness. Richard tried to hide his smile at watching the small blonde turn the tables on the seductive vampire, along with his own reaction to her charms.
"Is there an office around here or what, girlfriend? I have some info to share," Buffy asked Anita, linking their arms together, pulling the shocked woman into the hall.
Richard looked at Jean-Claude whose face still looked bewildered. "Ready to join the ladies, or do you need a moment alone?"
He sent the Master of the City a wicked grin, before moving out the door to follow the women. He found Buffy and Anita, with Damian and Jason quickly approaching them down the hall. They both tried to talk, racing to get their explanation out first. Buffy raised her hand, stopping them cold in their tracks.
"Don't say anything; I owe you an apology. I butted into something that so wasn't my business…yet." The word hung strangely heavy in the air, as she continued speaking. Damian and Jason were the only ones who took notice, and would remember the warning in the coming months. "Sorry, let's just forget about it and not bring it up again. We're going to go talk about what I saw."
They entered the office and each found places to sit, as they waited for Jean-Claude to join them. He entered the room with his usual flare, gliding across the floor to sit behind the elaborate desk as though the previous moments, and the reason for his tardiness, had never happened. His elegant hands waved at Buffy to continue with her findings. She rolled her eyes at him, while Richard and Anita worked hard to choke back their laughter.
Jason looked at them in amused confusion. He hated being left out of joke and asked, "What'd I miss?" Richard and Anita lost control and burst out laughing. Buffy's lips twitched upward into what could only be called a smug smile. "Come on tell me. It had to be good." The hyper wolf was practically bouncing on the couch.
Jean-Claude irritably exclaimed, sending his power out into the room, "Enough! There was nothing to miss."
Jason cowered back into the couch, whimpering as he curled into his Ulfric. Anita reached for her gun. Buffy glared at the angry vampire then shrugged when she felt him rescind the surging power. She figured she had probably pushed him far enough for the moment. It didn't mean she wouldn't smack him around if he went all high and mighty again. She had been there done that and didn't even get a stinking t-shirt. She so wasn't going there again.
Jean-Claude smoothed his shirt, straightened his lace cuffs, as he prepared to speak. "After you left, I received a phone call from the Traveler. He and several other Council members have my people and will give them back, if I agree to a Council hearing, regarding the Eathmover's death."
"They're inviting you to an execution not a hearing. Travel Dude is here, with Beasty Boy and Asher. They have the missing vamps and weres, and some female vamp was working with them. Think she's local, because she didn't act like one of theirs. She's tall, with short blonde hair and violet eyes," Buffy explained coolly. No one thought to ask how she knew the Council Members and Asher by sight.
"Liv." Jean-Claude named the woman from her description. "She works against me. Helping to enslave her own kiss. She will pay for this," he growled, standing up in one boneless move as if he meant to take care of Liz this very moment.
"She's the least of your problems. You're supposed to bring Anita right?" Jean-Claude nodded. "The Council thinks she's your human servant, in every way. Asher wants to destroy her to hurt you, while Travelman wants to reward her with some frequent flyer miles. He's smacking his lips thinking about all that yummy power over the dead. Gotta say, the visuals are just, eew."
"Why take the weres? Why my pack?" Richard asked his voice heavy with concern.
"You really are a boy scout, aren't you?" Buffy asked in wonder. A snort came from the back of the room. "This is about power and forcing people's hands. The Council always sends three representatives, two members and one surrogate. Beasty Boy has to show his power over those below him. He's proving to you and everyone else that your beasts, pack and pard are his to rule, along with every other lycanthrope. They're pawns, simple cannon fodder. He forced them to kill the vampires, and later to cover for the traitor. The Council sees power and takes it, no matter the consequences. They can't conceive of anyone not thinking the way they do. They believe you've created a Triumvirate, and Beasty Boy plans to control Richard and Anita through the joined marks. Course, you guys aren't stupid enough to do something that reckless."
Anita, Richard and Jean-Claude glanced at one another guiltily and then quickly away, each unable to hold Buffy's hard gaze. It showed her how close she had arrived in the timeline prior to their joining. She knew in that moment she had chosen the right time to enter their lives, and also knew who the protagonist was in pushing for the trio to become a Triumvirate. Her emerald green eyes glared at Jean-Claude who fought the urge to squirm. He sat up straight when he realized what he was doing.
Who is this little witch to come here and chastise me? I am Master of this City. Richard is my animal to call, the Ulfric of the wolf pack. It is my right to join us together, to marry our powers. And, for me to have Anita, as my human servant would elevate me to one of the strongest Master's in the world.
No, duh, fang face. Why do you think they're so pissed? You think they care about Earthmover's death. No, it only means more power for them. But, you had to try to show them that your willy's bigger than anyone else's, and now they have performance anxiety.
Jean-Claude jumped as he turned to stare at Buffy with wide-eyed wonder. She giggled, sending him a naughty wink. Buffy stood and started to pace as the Guardian overtook her body. The muscles in her body visible tightened.
"Ok, the question is how do we get everyone out without anyone dying?"
Anita watched the change in Buffy, not sure, what she was seeing. She hadn't seen this side of the blonde, not even at RPIT. "If you know where they are, there isn't much doubt that we have to show up. Maybe how and when can be up to us. The only surprise we have on our side is Buffy. How can we use her to our advantage?"
"They're in an old mansion about two miles on the outside town. They locked the weres in the basement and the vampires are in cross-laden coffins in the main hall," Buffy said as she continued to pace.
"The next question is how do we team up? Since they think we are in a Triumvirate, Jean-Claude, Richard and I should deal with the Council. That way Buffy, Damian and Jason can free the weres without alerting the others."
"Anita, it's too dangerous. Didn't you hear Buffy? The Traveler wants to take over your body," Richard exclaimed, he stepped closer as if his presence alone would somehow influence her decision.
"Richard, I'm going, end of discussion. They set me up for those kills. Not to mention, who's going to stand up for Jean-Claude? He doesn't deserve to die for what happened. I won't let them execute him for something I helped him do."
"Uh, gang, can I make a suggestion? I'll take her place, and after she helps get the weres out, then she can back us up while staying far from the Council's reach," Buffy announced hesitantly, knowing she was about to set off Anita's temper.
"It would never work. I'm in the papers constantly, plus Liv knows me. You could never pull it…" Anita stopped speaking when Buffy morphed into her, right before her eyes.
"It's called glamour. They won't be able to tell the difference. The only way it will break is if we touch or I break it." Buffy walked over to Anita to stand mere inches apart. She appealed to her, hoping to get through to the stubborn and angry woman. "Anita, I know you want to support Jean-Claude. He did the right thing by doing away with Earthmover. But sometimes, you have to do what will do the least harm to yourself and others to get the job done. If Travel Dude jumps you, he could use your powers to do major damage. The question is do you want to become trapped inside your body as the host to the big daddy vamp, with him in control, with you helpless to stop him? Please, think with your head not the need for revenge." Buffy's voice was whisper soft, but every person in the room heard the passion and meaning behind every word.
Sighing heavily with resignation, Anita replied, "Fine, I'll help the others then come back you guys up. How will you keep the Traveler from jumping into you?"
"I'll need to do some rituals before we leave. Also, I can give Jason and Richard talismans, to protect their beasts from the Animal Kingdom. Asher's the wild card here, Jean-Claude, can you handle him?"
Jean-Claude sadly nodded his head. He hated to think about confronting his former lover in an all out battle, but knew he would do what had to be done to protect his own.
"Buffy, do you even know how to use a gun?" Anita asked rudely. She eyed the outfit the small blonde wore, and couldn't see where she could hide a weapon.
Grinning wickedly, easily reading Anita's thoughts, Buffy replied, "Oh, you'd be surprised how easy it is to hide weapons. I've used guns and they have their place, but I prefer knives."
With a flick of her wrist, Buffy's silver athema appeared. It went streaking across the room followed by two others. Everyone watched the knives hit the target in a tight cluster of the "o" on the poster on the wall for the Circus of the Damned.
"Guess that answers that," Jason whistled, and wagging his eyebrows flirtatiously said, "I'd love to search for all the places she hides weapons."
"We have 24 hours to respond, will it be enough time?" Jean-Claude asked, looking toward Buffy.
"Are Richard and Jason the only weres coming with us, or will others need talismans too?"
"We'll need three more for Jamil, Shang-Da and Sylvie," answered Richard. "Is that too many?"
"No, it's fine. Anita, can you come with me to get ready? There are some things I need for the glamour at my house. I can give the amulets to you for when we split off into teams. "
Anita reluctantly agreed, wondering where the blonde witch lived. The men watched the two women leave and couldn't help noticing the differences in the way they handled themselves.
"I thought ma petite was complicated. She's an open book compared to the petite sorcière. Damian, what happened during the spell?"
Damian looked at Jason then at Jean-Claude. "She used our links to find the ones missing and see what had happened to them. I do not remember anything more, we were in a trance and she told us what to concentrate on. We could feel the connection, but not see what she saw."
Jason shook his head agreeing. Jean-Claude and Richard couldn't smell a lie from either of them and therefore dismissed them. Jason and Damian looked at each other sharing a small smile.
"She's quite a woman, huh," Jason whispered.
Damian nodded in agreement. His head still filled with thoughts of golden hair, deep green eyes while the feel of her warm sensual power called to his soul.
Buffy and Anita arrived at a large house in the upper-class part of St. Louis.
Anita whistled, "Are you rich or something?"
"Or something…I inherited enough money from family to live comfortably," Buffy blushed with embarrassment.
Silently cursing 'her parents', she wasn't used to wealth and didn't know how to handle it. She saw her house for the first time with Anita. Well, here goes nothing. Buffy opened the front door to a spacious home with numerous windows, tiled and wooden floors done in rich vibrant colors. It was elegant, yet inviting, the perfect reflection of its owner.
The moment she entered the house Buffy's mind filled with the intimate details of the house. She sighed internally with relief. It would have been embarrassing to open and close doors, trying to find the bathroom, not to mention explain to Anita why she didn't know her way around her own home. She led Anita straight to the study situated near the front of the house right off the entry. It had midnight blue walls, rich golden oak floors, floor to ceiling bookshelves on the side walls, with the back wall featuring a table that stretched across the entire wall filled to overflowing with herbs and crystals. Chairs sat next to the front wall, which held an amazing display of antique swords. The room's most fascinating feature was the skylight that illuminated the entire room in silver moonlight. If a person took in every aspect of this room, they would have insight into each of the aspects of Buffy's personality, the sum whole of the woman and the Guardian.
Walking to the table, Buffy picked up several ingredients before sitting in one of the chairs. "Please, sit down, Anita. We need to talk. The shields that surround your power need reinforcement. And, I know you have several questions you'd like me to answer?"
"How do you know they need reinforcing? Jean-Claude couldn't get in, no matter how hard he tried." Anita eyed her suspiciously, wondering yet again whether she could trust the blonde witch.
"That's because those are the ones I put in place and they're temporary. I can put your shields tightly in place, keeping anyone else from marking you or entering your mind. If you decide to let Jean-Claude give you another mark, then he can do so. I can also teach you how to shield yourself if you would like to learn."
"How soon can you teach me?" Her impatience at having to rely on someone else showing in her every mannerism.
"We can start training after this business with the Council is over. Come, sit with me and we can start."
Buffy moved them to the center of the room to sit on the floor directly under the skylight, where the moon shone down on them. She created a circle of salt around them, then sat down directly across from Anita, the south to her north.
"Please, close your eyes and breath deeply, empty your mind, think of nothing, just float. Give me your hand; I need to prick your finger."
Anita raised an eyebrow, looking at her suspiciously before complying. Buffy used her athema, slicing Anita's finger, then her own. She pressed their fingers together as her eyes started to glow. She quickly went to work strengthening and reinforcing Anita's shields. Before closing them, she looked at the Executioner's aura. The colors she saw terrified her; they were dark - black, gray, pinks, red and claret. The common theme was one of aggression and anger in equal measures. As she closed the other woman's shields, Buffy hoped there was more to Anita than what she had seen. She continued looking at Anita silently praying she wouldn't screw up anybody's life this time. Not like, she had with Willow. She remembered Selene's words about taking the responsibility off everybody else's shoulder, and putting it on her own. Okay, Summers time to kick your ass into gear.
"How do you feel?"
Anita opened her eyes and blinked several times. She could have sworn she had seen a golden glow around Buffy. She closed her eyes tightly then opened them; it was gone. It must have been a trick of the light.
Searching her inner self, she exclaimed with a voice full of accusation and suspicion, "I feel different somehow, what did you do to me? Why don't I feel the same as I did before I went to the Circus?" Anita automatically reached for her gun and pointed it at Buffy. "I should have known better than to trust you. You didn't use some fancy spell did you? You're working for the Council to help take out Jean-Claude and me, you bitch!" Anita rolled to her feet, cocking her gun.
"Oh, for goodness sakes, as a royal bitch once told me, spank your inner Muppet and get over yourself already." Buffy rolled her eyes as she stood up, hands on her hips. "What's with you? I'm trying to help you, lady. I know what it's like when everyone wants you dead. Actually, died a couple of times, but that's a different story."
Anita's eyes grew large with anger then went dark and dead as she shot at Buffy's head. Buffy's eyes glowed and she raised her hand. The bullets sped toward her, but a moment later, they turned into doves. Anita stepped outside the salt circle, wondering if it would contain Buffy. She pulled a knife to slash her hand, hoping to use necromancy on Buffy, since she claimed to have died before.
Buffy flashed a sad smile. "It won't work Anita, don't hurt yourself for nothing. Yeah, I died before, but then I got better. Please, just sit down. I'll tell you what I can, so you'll stop freaking out, plus there are some things you need to know about yourself."
Cautiously, Anita backed up to sit in a chair with the knife still drawn between them.
"I'll stay inside the circle if it helps you feel safe. There's a red book on the third shelf to the right, I want you to look through."
Anita found the book she indicated and returned to the chair. The entire time never turning her back on Buffy.
"Look under 'How to Read Auras.' I know you can feel magic, but I don't know if you can read anything else. It explains what you'll see when I lower my shields completely." Looking at her with utter seriousness, she said, "This stays here. Whatever happens here is between us. When I lower my shields, you'll feel the truth about my purpose. I've warded the house; no one outside will feel what happens inside. Do you agree?"
Anita put her knife away, but drew the short sword from her back. She placed the book and sword across her lap. She started to read the book when her head jerked up. The hairs on her body stood on end as Buffy lowered her shields. Anita caught her breath when she saw Buffy bathed in a golden glow; her aura swirled with vibrant colors of silver, royal blue, blue, lilac, yellows, gold and cream. It was the most beautiful thing Anita had ever seen. She didn't know what Buffy was, but she was telling her the truth. She recognized the vast power hidden in the deceptively tiny body and realized Buffy could have killed her anytime she chose, but hadn't, thinking back to their altercation at the police station.
Anita put the short sword back in its sheath. They needed Buffy's help against the Council. It bothered her that she couldn't stop feeling resentful toward the woman. There has to be something more going on here. Nobody helps people they don't know from the goodness of their hearts. She'll eventually show her hand and I'll be ready for her.
Buffy sighed, reading Anita's expression and closed her shields. "Sorry, I couldn't give you the 411 sooner. We were just having way too much fun getting to know each other I couldn't find the right time to spring it on you. So, have you given your inner Bitch a talking to?" Buffy grinned hoping to break the ice.
Anita gave the blonde a death glare, before finally relenting and returning the smile with something closely resembling a smirk. "Okay Barbie, let's rock and roll."
"Why don't you spend the night here? We can run by your place tomorrow night before we go to the Circus to meet up with the boys. Besides, I need you for the glamour anyway. There's a large tub in the guest room, with herbs to help your body and mind relax. Get as much rest as you can, tomorrow's going to be exhausting."
Thinking it over, Anita surprised Buffy by accepting. She showed her to the guest room. Afterward, Buffy returned to the study to ponder the coming battle.
She sealed the door, before walking over to stand directly under the skylight. Her head tilted back as she gazed up at the moon.
"I see the moon and the moon sees me. I bless the moon, will the moon bless me?" A brilliant light shimmered through the skylight bathing Buffy in a silvery glow. Selene unexpectedly appeared in front of Buffy causing her to jump. "Don't do that. Can't you ring a bell, or do that weird beaming sound like on Star Trek?"
Selene's laughter filled the room with tinkling bells. "Is that better, Daughter? My Child, you're such a delight; you make me wish I gave birth to you and you were the child of my body, and not just my heart. Are you sure, you want to remain as the Guardian? You could come live with us on Olympus?"
Buffy shoulders dropped as doubt filled her eyes. Selene suddenly wished she could take back the words.
"What is wrong, Daughter?" Selene asked, gathering the tiny Guardian to her.
"I don't know if I can do this. Are you positive they picked the right person? Maybe Willow with her mega-Wicca powers, or even Faith, they voted for her when they kicked me out. I just know how to kick ass, kind of a go to girl. All this magic and other stuff in my head, I know it's because of Zierra's training, but it just isn't me. What if I screw this world up? Ya know I didn't do too great with my own life. How am I suppose to teach the Zombie Queen how not to become a sociopath, plus protect the whole freakin world?" Buffy asked in rush of words that ranked a ten on the babble meter.
Selene looked into Buffy's mind and saw the memories of her friends and family blaming her for the choices she had to make during her time as the Slayer. The anger she felt at seeing how they treated her, judged and even condemned her had the moon goddess fuming. Selene realized she must choose her words carefully.
"Please listen to me, my child. You're the only one worthy of this task. Those other people weren't capable or even considered. You have the courage to keep going no matter the cost to yourself. You load yourself needlessly to protect those you consider your responsibility. You almost destroyed yourself trying to shield everyone from the burdens of your duty. You recognize each beings worth not based on what they are, but who they are. Two vampires fell in love with you and were Champions of Light because of it. Tell me who is worthy, if not you?"
Buffy looked into Selene's glowing eyes and smiled, and then embracing the offered comfort admitted, "I guess I was just wiggin out. Guess I don't have time for a tantrum, huh? There are bigger problems to deal with than some old insecurity. Ok then, back on track. Would it tip the scales too much if I took out the two Council members already here?" she asked hopefully.
Selene shook her head thoughtfully and admonished, "You'll have to do it carefully. Removing two members will alert the other Council members, before Anita's people are ready to face them. Perhaps, one wouldn't be missed, depending on his lineage."
"That's what I figured. So, I can cancel the Travel Agents frequent flyer miles, if he doesn't have too many in his family tree. The weres might feel it too much if I took out Beasty Boy, and there's no telling how many he has hanging out on his tree, since he's such a little bitch. Since I can't kill him, yet, can I at least make him jump through hoops of fire?"
Buffy pouted prettily at her surrogate mother. Selene threw back her head and laughed, the sound of tinkling bells once again filled the room.
They turned in unison when lighting flashed in the room and a golden-skinned man standing about 6'5'' with silver hair and beard, sky blue eyes, and a muscular body that exuded power, appeared in front of them.
He walked toward them, and Selene bowed her head at him, sending him a glorious smile. "Zeus, what brings you here?"
"I decided I wanted to meet our daughter, even though she didn't want to come to Olympus."
He looked sternly at Buffy. She crossed her arms; send him an equally hard glare. Zeus looked at the tiny blonde before him. The little warrior showed no fear of him, the King of the Gods, the ruler of mount Olympus, and the god of the sky and thunder. Buffy eyed him up and down, and thought he looked like a big gruff teddy bear. "Hi, ya big guy. How am I doing so far? You're not gonna fire me are you?"
He saw his beloved Zierra shining from her eyes, her indomitable spirit blended with this tiny girl's powerful soul. He had never seen a soul so full of love, hope, strength, courage and duty blended into one small body.
"Well, are ya gonna say something? Cuz, you're starting to give me the wiggins."
"It is a pleasure to meet you at last golden warrior. You are most worthy of my daughter's spirit," Zeus bowed his head. "No, I am not here to fire you. You are doing well. We are glad you have doubts. They keep you from taking your powers for granted. Remember, never take away someone's freewill and you will do fine. You were tempted to fix Anita's aura were you not? What stopped you?"
"Her aura startled me and kinda scared me too. I did think about giving her aura a nice little bath, but it just didn't feel right. I knew I couldn't fix her problems that way. It reminded me too much of Darth Willow, using magic for anything and everything to fix all life's little problems. It's hard when you can easily fix something, cause it probably means you aren't really fixing it, huh." Buffy wrinkled her nose trying to say what she thought and felt.
"Buffy, you did the right thing. The Powers don't expect you to fix Anita. They only want you to keep her from causing great harm, help her to control herself and her powers. If she is able to learn control, she will be allowed to live," Selene explained gently, the rest implied by what she didn't say. She laid a calming hand on the small woman who held her daughter's soul.
"I told you. I don't believe in killing people. My definition just got broader coming here. I'll do everything I can to help her. If she can't learn to control herself or becomes dangerous to others, then I'll bind her. She deserves every chance, and I mean to see that sure she gets it," she said, turning away to pace the room.
The two gods realized Buffy wouldn't accept any argument on the matter. She had decided to help Anita, and she would do just that.
"Better get busy on those talismans for Richard and his guys to keep the Lion King from putting his whammy on them. Maybe, I can make them strong enough to give the weres better control over their beast. It would start them in the right direction without moving toward independence too soon. Everyone needs to play on the same team to fight the Council, and I need to see that I don't somehow end up becoming Sheena of the Jungle. Talk about an Excedrin moment," Buffy babbled as she paced the room, talking aloud to herself.
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