The next night, after the other witches arrived, everyone once again assembled in the den. Anita hadn't said a word to anyone. Marianne introduced the three witches as Autumn, Merry, and Vee. They were from her coven, in their forties, and looked like housewives. Autumn paired with Dru, Merry with Fred, and Vee with Marianne. The teams moved to the gym to start training, realizing that time was running out.
"Okay, everybody needs to get used being able fight around the protection spell. The casters need twenty-five minutes total, then you need to join energy and teleport your group here. Will everyone have enough power?" Buffy asked, trying to read each person's face, particularly the new witches.
"Let's go through this group by group. Team one you're up." Buffy commanded, pointing to Dru's team.
Dru and Autumn immediately started working together, falling into an easy rhythm. Dru took her stance, starting the ceremony while Autumn enclosed them in a protective bubble. Buffy nodded signaling the others to attack. Warwick, Nathaniel, and Zane worked as a single unit, blocking blows, easily filling in wherever openings appeared. Warwick swung his sword and hurled fireballs simultaneously. Twenty-five minutes on the dot, Dru and Autumn clasped hands, teleporting team one out of the gym. Several minutes later, they walked back into the gym, greeted by claps and whistles from the other teams.
"Very good. Dru, you and Autumn should practice teleporting to your destination and back several times. Add a team member each trip to make sure that you're up to the final trip." The dark haired vampire smiled at Buffy, nodding happily.
"Okay, Team Two your turn." Buffy turned to Fred, waiting for her to step forward.
After the teams completed their training, Fred asked, "Buffy, what about you? Who's protecting you?"
"Don't worry about me, Fred. While the power funnels through me, I'll be okay, promise." Buffy patted the brilliant Texan on the shoulder.
Lorne looked at Buffy over Fred's shoulder. She shook her head at him. His eyes grew large as he gave her an answering nod. The green demon watched the tiny blonde leave the room, then followed right behind her. "Hold up there, my little golden twinkie."
Buffy stopped, glancing around to see if anyone could around overhear them. "Not here, Lorne. Follow me, so no one can hear us." They quickly made their way to Buffy's study where she soundproofed the room after locking the doors.
"What's going on, moonpie? What is your part of this magic eight ball from beyond that we don't know about?" Lorne demanded, pacing the room, wringing his hands.
Buffy had never seen him like this. "Lorne, what I said is mainly true, no one's going to want to touch me. All that power is going to be funneled through me to send out to the girls. Mostly, no one will be able to touch me, Lorne. I'll be in the middle of the alignment. So, no matter what happens to anyone, I won't be able to stop once the spell starts. I'll be able to see and feel everything that happens to everybody on that night - good and bad. That's the price for using the power. I'm safe, but I will know every soul we touch personally, one week from tonight," Buffy explained. Her eyes held more pain than someone her age should know.
"Pudding, are you sure? Your husbands know about this, don't they? Of course they do, you wouldn't ask them to watch over you and not tell them what is going to happen. Moonpie, for such a tiny girl, you have the biggest shoulders I've ever seen. Will your parents be there to help you through this?"
"They can't while it's happening, but they will be afterward. Probably the whole family will show up. I guess that I will have to explain them and me to everyone. Dru already knows, Mother's been talking to her for a while."
"That sly puss, so much of what she says makes sense, now. My little licorice stick has known your Mom all along, huh? I can't wait to meet her. I understand that she is gorgeous." Lorne wiggled his eyebrows at her. Buffy giggled, glancing behind Lorne and winked. "Sweet pea, you are working too hard. We are the only ones here. Are you winking at the wall?" His red eyes peered at her with concern.
"My daughter is winking at me, Krevlorne of the Death Walk Clan," a gentle voice whispered.
Lorne jumped, turned around, turning a pale green as he clutched his chest. There stood a beautiful, dark haired woman with stars in her hair and eyes the color of moonlight. He elegantly bowed to her before kissing her hand. "It is and honor to meet you, Selene, Goddess of the Moon," Lorne said humbly.
"My, what pretty manners you have." Selene smiled at the anagogic demon.
"Hello, mother." Buffy stepped forward to hug the tall goddess.
Selene wrapped her arms around the child who stole all their hearts, especially hers. "How are you, little star?" She asked, kissing Buffy's brow.
"Tired, but it comes with the job, not to mention two mates." Buffy grinned with a twinkle in her eyes.
"You have spent too much time with 'Dite, my sweet. We were watching everything come together. Everyone agreed to allow you to use their power on the full moon. As always, you have the moon's power at your disposal. Hephaestus sent you some presents as well." Selene waved her hand and several large boxes appeared. "He said to be careful and enjoy them, and that you would know who to give each to. That man is too cryptic. I hope you understand all that." Selene pouted at her daughter.
Lorne smiled, realizing that it was an exact duplicate of Buffy's. Man, this was better than watching the soaps.
"Will you be here when it's all over?" Buffy whispered.
She brushed the hair from Buffy's face before embracing her. "Nothing could keep me away." She said fiercely. "I will be waiting for you with open arms, promise. I better go, you need to rest. You've trained enough, little star. Meditate, prepare your mine, heart, and soul for what's to come. Spend time with your friends and mates." Selene advised before turning to Lorne. "It was nice to meet you. Watch over my little girl." She disappeared amidst flashing silver lights.
"I gotta say, sugar lips, you come from great DNA. Your mom is VAVA VOOM!" Buffy raised an eyebrow at him. "Okay, enough of that. Are you going to do what she said? If you don't, I'll tell on you." Lorne stuck his tongue out at her.
Buffy started laughing and put her hands up in surrender. "I give. The teams only need to work on teleporting. Oh, wait a minute." She jumped up, running to the boxes, digging through them. "YES!" She jumped five feet into the air, waiving something in her hand.
"What is with the Olympics, Xena?" He tried to see inside the boxes.
"Hephy created necklaces from Pegasus' wings." Buffy grinned at Lorne.
"Hephy? You mean Hephaestus, the blacksmith of the Gods?" Lorne's eyes grew large with wonder.
"Yeah, he's such sweety and makes the coolest stuff. He's one of my bestest buds."
"Buffy!" Lorne exclaimed, cutting off her rambling.
"What? What's wrong, Lorne, are you okay? You look like you swallowed a bug." Buffy wrinkled her nose at the thought.
"Just how many gods do you know, or are related to, and what the hell will wings do for you?"
"Well, I know pretty much all of them, I think. There are probably some minor ones I haven't met yet. I'm related to them all, but I only claim a few. You'll meet them, eventually. Oh, and, oh yeah, Pegasus wings. Well, Peg is a sweety. His wings allow flight, sooo. Hephy used them as a base for the amulets. They will let everyone return here after the big hoedown. Won't have to worry about not having enough juice, or someone sniffing out our magic trails from the portal," Buffy explained it all as if it was something Lorne should have known. She shrugged her shoulders at him.
"Pumpkin, I need a drink or twenty. We can let everyone know to ease off on the training and focus on other things. Ta." Lorne quickly left the study to search for liquid oblivion.
Buffy went back to digging through the boxes. It felt like Christmas Day. Her mates found her bent over a box with her rear in the air.
"Mmmm, this looks promising," Damian said, eyeing his mates' pert rear wiggling as she strove to reach another weapon.
"I agree, mon ami, our chère amour has left us alone too long. She must pay for that." Asher entered the room, closing the door behind him.
They advanced on Buffy, who was smiling to herself. This day just keeps getting better and better. She mentally locked the door and wiggled a little bit more, causing her mates to groan before they pounced on her.
After several days of rest and meditation, Buffy gave everyone the amulets, explaining their use. She went through the boxes with Asher and Damian deciding who they believed each item would best fit. Carrying the boxes into the gym, Buffy asked everyone to gather around while she handed out the weapons.
"A friend created some special weapons to help us fight. After careful discussion with my mates, we decided what weapon best fits each person. These weapons are finely tuned and will react to the user. They also work in unison with the others on your team. So, step up here and I will start handing these out. Team one: Warwick - lance, Nathaniel - mace, Zane - pike, Autumn - athema, Dru - stiletto; Team Two: Wesley - sword, Jason - short sword, Jamil - broadsword, Merry - athema, Fred - Bowie Knife; Team Three: Jean-Claude - rapier, Edward - katana, Anita - pikes, Vee - athema, Marianne - crystal; Team Four: Damian - golden hammer, Asher - golden saber, Buffy - large crystal that resembles a diamond."
"Okay, everyone break off into your teams. Put as much distance between you and the other teams as you can. Defense teams, shut your eyes and try to sense where your team members are. Use your weapons to reach out to theirs. They're tuned to each other, listen to them." Buffy barked out orders, promptly falling back into the commander role. "Casters, your weapons should be calling you. That only leaves our girls. The athemas have been blessed. They're made from the purest silver and won't break. If you have to use them, you will understand when and how. They'll guide you."
"Buffy, these weapons are amazing. Where did they come from?" Wesley asked with a huge grin on his face.
"A close friend of the family created them," she said giving him a Cheshire cat smile. "Come along, my loves, we need a private place to practice our weapons." Buffy purred to her lovers.
They joined her in the bedroom locking the door behind them. "Where did our weapons come from? They weren't in the boxes." Damian asked, holding up his golden hammer.
"Athena delivered them this morning."
"Is this what I think it is?" He swung the hammer around, feeling power surge through his body.
"Yep, that's Thor's hammer. Before you ask, blondie, that's Athena's very own saber. Don't get too attached, boys, they want their toys back. Oh, and this pretty bauble is Gaia's tear. It's supposed to help me channel the power. What do you think, too big for a ring?" Buffy laid the diamond on her hand, covering it completely. "Maybe, I could stick it in my belly button and do a hoochie coochie dance." She wiggled her eyebrows and rolled her hips at the same time.
Damian and Asher exchanged looks before tackling her onto the bed. Their laughter could be heard down the stairs.
Night of the Full Moon:
"It's almost time, are we set?" Heads nodded throughout the crowd gathered around the room. "Everyone, remember just focus on what you have to do, leave everything else out of this. We're going to open the portals. When the spell is over and the protection goes down, use your amulets to return here as quickly as possible. Good luck, and remember the most important rule - don't die. Love you guys." Buffy's eyes started glowing, a portal opened up, and Jean-Claude's team stepped through. Fred opened a portal to Texas as Lorne opened one for Dru's team to Alaska.
Buffy turned to Damian and Asher. "It's our time, sweethearts. Bye, Lorne." A portal opened to South Dakota and they disappeared through it.
At one minute to midnight, the teams got into position. Protection shields immediately went up surrounding Dru, Fred, and Marianne. Their defensive teams stepped into place to guard the women inside the shield with their lives if it came to that.
On a mountaintop in South Dakota, the planets came into alignment. Buffy kissed her mates; her eyes glowed increasingly brighter as a golden glow outlined her body. Wind started to blow around her lifting her into the air until she was in direct alignment with the moon and other planets. Buffy's body glowed as brightly as her eyes now, and she held Gaia's Tear near her heart. The diamond seemed to pull the light from the other planets into it and straight into Buffy. On the ground, Damian and Asher watched Buffy in awe. The heard rustling among the brush. Nodding to each other, they stood back to back, as the shadows started moving. Damian lashed out with his hammer, thunder and lightning shout out from the golden weapon as the hammer before returning to his hand. Asher moved in a golden blur; the saber was an extension of his body, it cut through the attackers like butter. He grinned, flashing fangs and growling, kicking, slicing, and punching anyone who came near him and his bond mate. He felt Buffy above him, but knew that he couldn't think about her now. He hoped that Damian was having as much fun as he was.
High above them in the sky, the light grew brighter. It shot out from Buffy in three different directions. Dru, Fred, and Marianne stiffened as the intense light hit them. They continued to chant for several minutes before extending their hand out to their sides. Amber light shot from each hand to meet the same light sent by the pinnacle point to their left or right until all sides met. A wave of power rushed across the country. It touched every vampire and wereanimal in its path, seeking out those it would free, gift, or judge. Dru, Fred, and Marianne had never felt anything this intense or wonderful before. They felt it spread across the country like a warm wave.
Buffy felt ever person touched by the wave. She saw their souls; could touch, and feel them. The joy of freedom, the awe of the gift, the horror of the punishment, the evil in those turning their backs on it all. It was like living the greatest pleasure to the most intense pain the next. She screamed until she was hoarse, cried, laughed, and then screamed silently. Finally, it was over, Gaia's tear winked away, and Buffy steadily began to descend.
Damian and Asher waited for her below, with blood tears streaming down their faces. Once the wave moved through the country, the remaining fighters ran, especially after Buffy started screaming. They grabbed their heads as if she was inside their minds. Buffy finally landed in her waiting mates arms; she smiled at them weakly, before fainting. Clasping their amulets, they vanished, reappearing back in their bedroom.
Asher laid Buffy on the bed as Damian helped him undress her. He ran to bring cool rags to bathe her face. "Please, mon chère, wake up," he pleaded; the blood tears never stopped falling when she didn't respond.
Lorne stuck his head in and quietly asked, "How is she?"
Their pale faces marred with red streaks told him the answer. "You knew what she had to do?"
Lorne nodded sadly. "Is Selene here? She told Buffy that she'd be here."
"And I am," the moon goddess said from beside Asher. Asher never took his eyes off Buffy, who still hadn't moved. "Don't worry, she'll recover. The price she paid was a high one, but she is very strong. The Powers are very pleased with her and promise her a time of rest as a reward." Selene told them with a happy smile.
"Well, change my name to Kermit. You mean the Powers really do reward people," Lorne snorted in disbelief. Selene sent him a disapproving look. "Well, I guess I better go find that darn pig. I'll be leaving now. Family times, bonding, nope, don't want to interrupt that." He quickly left the room, closing the door.
Selene laughed at his antics. "I came to warn you that her father and the rest of the family will be dropping in as well, so be prepared. Oh, which room is mine?" She smiled at her sons-in-law.
"Buffy said that you decorated the last room on the left for yourself. So, I guess it's yours." Damian gave her a half smile.
"My little star is a clever girl isn't she?" Selene brushed the hair away from Buffy's face.
Zues appeared in the room with a thunderous look on his face. "Of course she is, she's my daughter," his voice rumbled. He sat on the bed, holding Buffy's hand in his much larger one. "She should wake up soon. My children are made from hardy stock."
'Dite appeared amide chiming bells and pink lights. "But, her heart is tender. She needs time to heal from feeling so many souls at one time."
"It wasn't the tear was it? It didn't make things worse. I believed it would help her." Hephaestus appeared, concern, and sorrow written on his face.
"Sweety, you didn't do anything wrong. The tear was a great idea. Buffy wouldn't have used it if it wasn't." 'Dite kissed him tenderly.
"You need to give the girl some air. Its not good to hover over her. Let me look at her to make sure everything's okay." Apollo, the god of healing and the sun, told the others.
"He just wants us to move so that he can hover." 'Dite pouted, but moved so that her brother could see to Buffy.
Apollo checked on Buffy. "I don't see any lasting damage. She needs to rest, so why don't we come back in smaller groups."
Dru, Fred, and Marianne came walking into the bedroom with Anita bringing up the rear. The Executioner wasn't sure why she was following the others, but decided to see where they were going. They stopped dead in their tracks as their mouths fell open. It looked like a Greek fresco come to life standing in Buffy's bedroom. Five Greek gods stood beside Buffy's bed. Damian and Asher sat on the bed by her side never taking their eyes off her.
"Mother Moon," Dru squealed, rushing to Selene and hugging her. The other looked on in confusion.
"W-who are you?" Fred stammered. "What have you done to Buffy?" Her voice took on a sterner tone as she advanced into the room.
"Fred, chère, it is all right. Be at ease. This is Buffy's family," Asher reassured her.
"But, I thought her family was gone?" Fred's brow creased in confusion, trying to understand what she'd just been told.
"It's a long story, and not mine to tell. Believe me they are her family. They're here to check on her because the spell took a lot out of her. There was a price to pay. You know how she is, Buffy chose to pay it. Until she has recovered, you will have to wait for answers to your questions. Selene will be staying with us until Buffy is back on her feet. As for the rest of her family, they will probably pop in from time to time, so just warn everybody, oui. I'm sorry to rush you away when you have only just arrived, but she needs her rest." Asher ushered them out, although Dru left reluctantly glancing back at Selene and Buffy.
When the door closed, Fred attacked the willowy vampire. "Dru, what do you know?"
"Tick a lock, tick a lock, and throw away the key." She sang happily, skipping away from the aggravated woman.
"You won't get anything from her, but crazy rambling," Anita said as she leaned against the wall. She tried to act as if she didn't care what was going on inside Buffy's bedroom or with the small blonde herself.
"Oh, really, smarty pants, who was it that kept talking about the Moon Mother and the little star? Dru. She just ran to that woman and addressed her by the same name. So, I'm thinking maybe she's smarter than all of us. When she doesn't want to answer us, she does, but its in a rhyme that we ignore as ramblings. She knows this, so she just skips happily away. Dru doesn't lie to anyone because no one takes the time to listen to her except Buffy and Warwick, who strangely enough understand everything that she says." Fred gave Anita a loud 'humph' before stomping off to find Wesley.
"Anita, you sure know how to make friends." Marianne smiled at the dark haired woman who didn't know to interact with people.
"I wasn't trying to pick a fight, just stating a fact." Anita shrugged, leaning back to close her eyes. She didn't know why it bothered her that she upset Fred.
"Don't worry dear; I don't think she's really mad at you. I think her feelings are hurt because she wasn't told something that her other friends understood," Marianne explained.
"Marianne, did you recognize those people?"
"I'm not sure," Marianne hedged, looking away. The Earth witch wasn't a good liar and it showed on her kind face. Luckily, Anita wasn't actually expecting an answer, already lost in her own thoughts.
"There's something about them that's bothers me. It will come to me," Anita said, talking more to herself than to Marianne.
The next morning, Buffy started to stir. Damian and Asher moved closer. They had stayed awake throughout the night, watching over her. Selene appeared in the room, with Zeus following close behind. The room stood quiet, as they waited for Buffy to come fully awake. She looked up into pale green and blue eyes. Smiling, she tried to speak, but her voice was raspy from screaming. "Hello" Her mates took turns kissing, then nuzzling, her neck. Buffy noticed her parents and waved them over to the bed.
"I told you that I would be here, little star," Selene whispered, bending down to kiss Buffy's forehead.
Zeus smiled down at her. "You aren't supposed to make me worry about me, young lady," he growled then winked.
"Did everyone make it back, no injuries?" Her voice was a raspy whisper that almost hurt to hear.
"Yes, everyone's safe, little goddess," Damian answered, gathering her between him and Asher.
Buffy leaned her head on his shoulder. "I'm glad." Her eyes closed for an instant as if she'd already ran out of energy.
"Some of your friends came in last night when we were here little one," Zeus told her apologetically. "Who?" Tilting her head back further, she peered up into Asher's icy blue eyes.
"Fred, Dru, Marianne, and Anita."
"I have no problem with the first three. Planned to tell them anyway. Now, Anita, not sure if that isn't going to cause trouble or not." Buffy sighed.
"Just get well child. Everything else will work itself out," Selene advised. "We will leave you with your mates and drop in to check on you. If you need us to be here when you tell your friends let us know." In a flash, they both vanished.
"So, who is going to be the nurse and who is going to be the doctor?" Buffy wiggled her eyebrows at them, wetting her lips temptingly.
"Non, chère ami, you will rest until you get your strength back, then naturally I will be the doctor," Asher scolding turned into a promise to look forward to.
"That's only because I have better legs than you!" Damian smirked, sticking said legs out to admire them.
Buffy cracked up laughing, but groaned from the aches from her still tender body. Her mates glared at her. "What? You did it to me." She pouted at them. "I'll rest all day only if you stay with me. Then tonight I guess, I should explain my life to everyone. I'll have to decide about Anita though. Forrest is a no. What do you think about Jean-Claude? I think yes?" She looked at them and they nodded.
That night Damian carried Buffy downstairs while Asher followed close behind. Buffy looked better though still pale. The three witches, Autumn, Merry, and Vee, flew back to New Mexico only a few hours ago, wanting to return to their families. Everyone except for Anita and Edward waited anxiously in the den to see Buffy. Those who remained mostly represented the original teams. Damian laid Buffy on the couch, tucking blankets around her as she fussed at him. She stopped when he gave her a stern look mirrored by Asher. Her mates moved to stand behind the couch showing a united front to the others.
"Hey, guys. I'm glad that you made it back safely." She smiled at each person, letting them know that she meant them specifically. "I'm sure you've each got some questions for me. I'll try to answer those first, and afterwards I need to tell you some things that I haven't been able to tell you before."
"Buffy, what happened to you? They said that you had to pay a price. What was it?" Marianne asked; her mothering instincts as well as Wiccan beliefs coming to the fore.
"In order to use the power, I had to take everything into myself. Not only the power, but everyone it touched. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen and the most intense pain I'd ever felt. I saw, touched, tasted the evil and good in their souls," Buffy answered, her voice expressed her feelings eloquently.
No one said a word in the room as they looked at the tiny woman sitting in front of them. How could she endure that much pain?
"Mon Dieu," Jean-Claude whispered, her sacrifice humbled him.
"Buffy, who were those people in your room?" Fred asked, not sure if she wanted to know, but her curiosity prevented her from ignoring it.
"That's a long story. I've told you some of it. Others already know that part so I will tell you the remainder. I will ask that you don't tell what I'm about to tell you to anyone. Wes, some of this will be tough for you, but please bear with me."
Buffy explained about Zierra's spirit, her being the Guardian, her being responsible for the creation of this world, choosing to come here, her parents, and her training. Finally, she explained the tasks that she accepted from the Powers. She looked directly into Jean-Claude's eyes when she explained the first two tasks. He looked away from her when she continued onto the last task.
"I'm sorry that I couldn't take each of you into my confidence from the beginning. It takes time to create a family. I hope that is what we are. My other family will pop in from time to time, but you're mine because I chose you through love, not circumstance. You each bring something different to my life, and I don't want to lose that." Buffy had tears in her eyes as she spoke.
"Moon pie, you're not gonna lose us. We're like gum; you're stuck with us, right guy?" Lorne said, looking at the others, who stood up to hug Buffy.
"I do have good news. We get a rest as a pat on the back from the Powers for a job well done. Don't know how long it will last. So, we oughta enjoy it. Cuz, ya know we still got Europe to tackle." Everyone threw pillows at her. "Hey, no fair pummelin' the sick girl!" She pouted at them with her eyes twinkling merrily.
~ The End ~
Final Note: This concludes the Guardian Books, which was in fact the first full-length story that I ever wrote. I hope that you enjoyed reading the series it as much as I enjoyed writing it.