Chapter Two

Standard Disclaimer Applies.

Hope everyone is having a good week. = ]
Expect another update within the next four or five days, Yom Kippur is coming up though.

~~

Giles had been avoiding Dawn for the past two days, knowing that as soon as she got him alone the two of them would be having a conversation that would likely change not only the shape of his world, but likely the universe as well. He knew, instinctively, it was only a matter of time, but he still preferred the bliss that ignorance afforded him. It wasn’t watcher-ly, it didn’t mesh with his usual attitude, but still he avoided her.

He wasn’t sure when most of the changes had began; certainly after Joan had originally contacted them, but when specifically was a mystery. Buffy was gradually letting Dawn step up and assume the leadership position. He’d asked her about it, briefly, but the conversation had left him more then a little confused. She’d rambled on about chosen messengers and leaders, and how she wasn’t going to be there for much longer. At one point he felt she was discussing her own death, which was ridiculous. Buffy wouldn’t know ahead of time what would kill her for the third (and likely) final time. Did she?

He looked around the empty porch, enjoying the last of the days sunshine. A cup of tea sat abandoned next to him, on a small side table that Xander had made for one of the newbie slayer’s birthdays. She’d been forever complaining about having to hold her frappachinos when relaxing, and well, her whining had finally driven Xander insane.

Giles still wasn’t sure how they all managed to live together in this tiny compound. He knew the main house was full to the point over over crowding and could only assume the two nearby houses were in worse shape. He wanted to help the girls build extensive dormatories with training rooms and plenty of bathrooms, but it wasn’t feesable yet. While Willow could help out with the travel expenses, with her teleporting, she couldn’t magic up hotel reservations or food money. Well, she probably could, but at this point the scoobies were staying as inside of the law as they could. No need to get unwanted attention when they could easily avoid it.

He was still contemplating the housing situation when he felt the bench swing slightly. Look to his right, he sighed indelicately and frowned. Dawn had finally caught up with him.

“I’ve been avoiding you,” He complained, “Fairly well, if I don’t say so for myself.”

“I know.” Dawn agreed, kicking her legs listlessly. “But we needed to talk. It’s time. Past time, actually.”

“So, how is my world going to implode now?” Giles continued whining. “I realize that this is important, it’s just...I have this strange feeling about Buffy, and you now. It’s almost as if I should be preparing myself for her to-”

“Don’t say it,” Dawn replied, forcefully. “If you don’t say it, then maybe it won’t really happen, and she’ll still be here.”

“It doesn’t work like that.” He shook his head. “What else did you need to tell me? You have my complete attention, for what its worth.” Giles found himself being more then a little sardonic. Really, what was his attention worth? His slayer was going to die--they could all feel the energy that was gathering, Dawn had probably gotten confirmation of it from Joan--that would explain her odd behavior regarding certain things. It would certainly explain her current leadership skills--they’d need a new general once Buffy was gone, and Dawn was the most likely candidate. Joan felt comfortable with her, she was smart and capable in front of groups--the new slayer’s defininately respected her, called her their friend.

“LA.” Dawn responded. Giles thought back to their previous discussion. Dawn had mentioned something about LA and the ‘Fang Gang’ as Xander currently called them, but he couldn’t remember the specifics.

“Remind me?” He asked.

“They’re going to have an apocolyptic event. We can’t help them. As a result, the world is going to majorly find out about the supernatural, and we have to figure out what, if any, information regarding Slayer’s we should dissiminate.”

“Dissiminate?” Giles questioned, raising an eyebrow, “looks like you’re using that ‘word a day’ calander Wood got you.”

Dawn cracked a smile and laughed lightly. “May 24th, actually. It means to spread about, mostly used with information.”

“Good, good.” He almost wanted to pat her shoulder, comfort her during this difficult period, but he knew that it would be viewed harshly. “So, the world is going to find out. Dear G-d.”

“Kinda sucks, huh?” Dawn smiled once more, “But at least we have warning, ya know? We can tell the government through Riley, although we might want to keep it on the D.L. because if we tell people ahead of time they’ll just get in the way.” Dawn began rambling, “but if we don’t tell them ahead of time, and they find out that we knew, it’ll be bad. Like, majorly bad.”

“Yes, well.” Giles took his glasses off and absently reached to his pocket, grabbing the handkerchief that was always present. “We should talk with Riley, get his opinion. Maybe if we explain the situation fully he’ll be able to tell his bosses in such a way that they’ll know not to get involved.”

“Or maybe he’ll freak out and tell someone who wants to try and stop it with the freaking army!” Dawn replied, her voice showing her agitation.

Giles sighed once more. The decisions were becoming harder and harder to make as time pressed forwards--this was not what he had signed up for, all those years ago. The Council was supposed to be strong and endure, the slayers were supposed to be docile. He’d come to love Buffy and the others as though they were his own children, but he really was no more qualified to make these decisions then the others were.

“Maybe we should try trusting Riley,” Giles spoke softly, trying to believe in the words as he found himself saying them, “after all, he has always tried to do his best by us, and he is a friend, after a fashion. Isn’t that why you called him down here?” Giles questioned.

Dawn breathed deeply and shook her head, “I called the three of them down here so they could prepare. We need to disappear, it’s becoming more and more evident, and there needs to be someone there for the new slayers. People to keep this compound running, make it turn into what all the paperwork says it is. That way The First will pass it over.” Dawn explained.

“But won’t The First notice them slaying, during patrols? How can we even attempt to hide this much power?”

Dawn steeled herself, waiting for Giles anger, while she answered the question. “They won’t be slaying, at least, not until the final battle. We’ll have to set up an apartment with a couple of the Sunnydale slayers and let them patrol. This compound will become exactly what we said it was.”

“Not let them slay!” Giles practically shouted, “that’s akin to torture for a slayer. The need for the hunt, the kill, it’s in their blood.”

“Yes, well, I’d rather they still have blood in their vains, albeit it torturous blood, then have them killed off, or worse,” Dawn replied. “You forget, I’m friends with these girls. I go to school with them. I chat with them, check out guys with them. I’m the last person alive who should be deciding what’s going to happen in the next few months but I need to. Someone needed to step up, and I got the short straw.”

By the time Dawn had finished her imprompto speech, Giles was again silenced, this time by her maturity. She was stepping up to the table, willing to negotiate the hard questions.

“You never said where you’re going to be during all of this,” Giles commented seconds later. If she was going to turn herself over to who he thought she was...

“Don’t worry ‘bout me, Giles,” Dawn smiled. “I’m a big girl, but I’m not 18 yet. I can move to Spain for a bit, yell at my dad a lot. It’ll be fun, almost.”

Giles stared at her, in shock. To willingly ship herself off the the man that had all but abandoned her and her sister during the past seven years. Dawn continued to amaze him.

~~

Contrary to popular opinion, Buffy wasn’t an idiot. She was capable of adding two and two, even when sometimes in her world they needed to equal five instead of four. Joan had to have a reason for running all the information through Dawn, after the initial conversation. Which lead her to think that maybe she couldn’t hear the information for some particular reason.

And the only reason she couldn’t hear the information first hand would indict that someone would listen in at the same time. At first she’d thought that The First had some how tapped her brain, trying to keep an eye on the enemy. After that thought was pushed aside by further information (that The First wouldn’t rise for nearly two more years), she’d wisened up. It had to be The Power’s that were evesdropping.

And with that realization, Buffy’s world crumbled. Not that anybody actually knew it crumbled, Buffy was smart enough to keep her thoughts to herself, but it still crumbled. Everything she’d been fighting for was suddenly questioned. Why would Whistler want the world to remain in a balance? Why would The Power’s want the world to remain in balance, when good could finally take over? It didn’t make sense.

But she would figure it out. She had to, the other’s were relying on her. They needed her. Which, ironically, was why she needed to leave. Why she needed to pack a single bag and “steal” some funds and disappear to Colorado to play bimbo girl once more. She would do whatever was necessary to protect Dawn. She had to, Dawn was part of her, the good part.

And the other’s....she’d brought them into this fight. She needed to ensure that at least the majority of them lived through it. So, they’d figure things out with Joan’s help, and put Dawn in charge when Buffy left, and hopefully things would work out. They had to, the world was depending on them.