Prelude 2: Further Selections

Disclaimer: Dear Santa, I've been a very good girl this year, and I haven't made any money off of other people's characters. Please send me a double-jointed super model with an open minded twin sister. Of course, if you do send me that for X-Mas, I guarantee I'll be on the naughty list next year.
Love,
brujahchilde
PS: I'd be willing to settle for a house-elf to do my laundry and shovel dog poo. Rottweilers are BIG dogs.


Point Place, Wisconsin-February, 1980

“Oh shit.” Steven Hyde held on tightly to the steering wheel as his car slid over a patch of black ice, through a guard rail, and off the side of a bridge. When the car hit the water, his face slammed into the wheel and his glasses shattered. His last conscious thought as darkness overtook him: ‘Damn, now my stash is gonna get wet.’

“Steven.” Hyde rubbed his eyes. “Wake up Steven.”

“Urrrgh. What the hell hit me?”

“Wake up dumbass!”

Hyde jumped to his feet looking around for Red Foreman. Instead he saw a man with a heavy beard in a toga. “Who the hell are you?”

“Dionysus, God of wine.”

“Right. And I’m Eric Clapton. Nice to meet you.”

“No, you’re Steven Hyde, and you’re dead.”

Hyde patted himself down. “Funny, I don’t feel dead.”

“That’s because you don’t have a body at the moment. I yanked your soul out of your body right before you died from a combination of hypothermia, blood loss, and shock.”

Hyde scratched his head. “Huh. I always figured it’d be Kelso’s fault that I died.”

“Well, it kind of was. He’s the one that spilt the Slurpie that froze on the street and made your car skid off the bridge.”

“That sonovabitch.” Hyde looked around. They appeared to be at the Hub, but it was empty aside from the two of them. “So is this the afterlife?”

“No, this is an artificial re-creation of a diner in a temporary pocket dimension designed to prevent you from freaking out.”

“Huh.”

“How’s that working out for you?” Dionysus started munching on some French fries from a basket that appeared on the table next to him. He sat down at the table and started drizzling ketchup on them.

“No idea. Still working on the ‘I’m dead’ part.”

The god of wine gestured at the chair opposite him. “Have a seat. Eat some fries.”

Hyde sat and ate a few French fries. “So why’d you pull me out?”

“I have a proposition for you.”

“I’m dead, don’t know what I can do for a god.”

“Here’s the deal. You’re familiar with the Greek Pantheon?”

“Zeus, Aphrodite, Hades, big on incest and togas?”

Dionysus frowned and reached for a bottle of beer that had appeared on the table. He passed it to Hyde and took another for himself. “Not the way I would describe us, but yeah.”

“Ok, what about them?”

“Some of us are making a bid to regain power in the mortal realm. To that extent, we’re recruiting the recently deceased to be reincarnated as Champions, so they can restart our cults.”

“So, you want me so start a cult that gets wasted instead of praying?”

“Pretty much.”

Hyde drained his beer in one long drink. “How do you feel about herbal libations?”

Dionysus handed him a bong and a Bic. “My interests also include partying and merriment.”

Hyde looked at the bong, then at the god. “What’s the catch?”

“You have to be rich and British.”

“I’m in.” Hyde flicked his Bic.



Sunnydale, California-May 2003

Faith Lehane stood in the Sunnydale High School Library, looking and feeling very confused. This wasn’t the library of now, but the library of four years ago. Before Graduation, and the death of Mayor Richard Wilkins III. Long before the current fight with The First Evil.

“Um, hello? Anybody here?” Faith wandered through the room, slightly concerned as to why she was here of all places. “Slayer dream,” she muttered. “Gotta be.”

“In a matter of speaking, yes it is.”

Faith spun around, muscle memory dropping her body into a combat ready stance without her having to think about it. Standing across the room was a woman with long red hair wearing a toga and sandals. A bandoleer of wooden stakes hung from her shoulder.

“Who the hell are you?”

“I am the Goddess Cardea.”

“Never heard of you.” Faith relaxed her stance and crossed her arms over her chest.

“This is unfortunate, but not surprising. My worshipers were few, and my powers limited.”

“What exactly are you a goddess of?”

“My portfolio includes thresholds, door hinges and handles, and--”

“You’re the goddess of doorknobs?” Faith snorted.

Cardea ignored the interruption. “—and I am also tasked with protecting children from vampires and witches.”

“Kinda dropped the ball here on that one didn’t ya?”

“As I said, my powers are limited. The powers of the Hellmouth  block most of my influence, but with the presence of so many potential slayers here at one time, I was able to project myself into your dream.”

Faith’s forehead creased in thought. “What do the potentials have to do with your power?”

“What child has more need of protection from vampires than a potential slayer?” Cardea sat on one of the tables the Scoobies used to use for research parties. “And with all of them gathered here in one space, it gave me the slight boost I needed to manifest myself thusly.”

“That covers the how….” Faith said.

“And now you wish to know the why.”

Faith nodded.

“I am here to offer you a trade of services.” Cardea explained. “In return for my assistance in the battle tomorrow, I want you to become my Champion.”

“Why me? Why not Buffy?”

“Because you are The Slayer.”

“I’m a slayer. And if everything happens as it should tomorrow, there’s gonna be a shitload of us.”

“You are The Slayer. Buffy died. Three times. She is no longer directly connected to the slayer line. You are the current slayer. And when you die, it will go to Rona, making her The Slayer.”

“Rona? Really?” Faith pondered that for a moment. “So what would being your Champion entail?” Faith gave the goddess an appraising look. “You’re not one of those goddesses that requires their followers to be virgins are you?”

Cardea laughed. “As I acquired a large portion of my power as payment for ‘personal favors’ given to another god, that would be rather hypocritical of me, so no. Under normal circumstances, it would entail fighting for those causes that come under my jurisdiction.”

"Why do I get the feeling that this isn’t going to fall under normal circumstances?”

“Because you are more intelligent than you allow others to perceive.”

“Never claimed to be stupid, just to have done some really stupid shit in my time.”

“As you say,” Cardea responded. “If you agree to my terms, I will remove your soul from your body a fraction of a second before you die. Your soul will be reincarnated into another body, in another universe. You will remember nothing of this life until your tenth birthday. At that time I will appear to you again and teach you what you need to know to become my Champion and Priestess.”

“That’s twice you’ve mentioned me dying. I’m not gonna make it tomorrow, am I?”

“No. Many will fall before victory is achieved.”

“And if I don’t agree to this?”

“Your soul passes on for Judgment.”

“I don’t see me coming out ahead in that scenario.” Faith paused. “Will I still have my slayer abilities when I’m reincarnated?”

“Some of them, I cannot tell you now exactly what you will retain. And as it was in this life, they will not manifest themselves before your fifteenth birthday.”

“Ok, I’m in.” Faith sighed. “Anything else you can tell me about tomorrow?”

“Only two things that will be of any assistance to you. First, tell the others to secure any of their belongings they wish to keep outside the city limits. The closing of the Hellmouth will cause destruction beyond anything they have experienced before. And second, tell Willow to call upon me when she empowers the potentials. This will allow me to keep closer watch on those called, and to cleanse the demonic taint from the slayer line.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Faith tucked her thumbs into the pockets of her jeans. “Now what?”

“Now my young Champion, you awake and prepare to do battle in my name.”

Faith sat up, her halter top clinging to her sweat covered body. “Holy shit.”