Angel did have a guest for the full moon. He rang after he'd
spoken to Nina. He even thanked me for 'knocking some sense into him'. It turns
out that she'd been on the verge of leaving town completely, having some idea
of living in the wilds somewhere so she wouldn't hurt anyone. Angel knows as
well as I do that that wouldn't have helped. Werewolves can cover a lot of
distance quickly, and empty as parts of this country are, you don't have to go
that far to find people.
I've seen him a couple of times this past couple of weeks too, and he's looking better. I don't
know if he finally told Nina the whole story, and I get the impression that,
for now at least, their relationship has gone back to largely professional, but
to be honest, I think Angel needs a romantic relationship about as much as I do
right now.
In other news, well, I've been wrapped up getting the
apartment ready for Dawn coming back. I've got her set up to start her senior
year at a local school, and she seems excited at the prospect.
Because of that, I missed the early clues. And when I did
realise that something was wrong, I had no idea of the scope of the problem. I
did spot that Giles was worried about something, but then it became all but
impossible to talk to him so I didn't get the chance to push him on what was
going on. Neville told me that it couldn't be important or Giles would have
told me, but I knew better.
So, when I got the call early this morning, I knew it was
bad news. Apparently, there are no Slayers left in the
"And why am I only hearing this now? Surely you should have
called as soon as you knew what was happening?"
"Buffy, well, at first, I thought it was an isolated
incident. And then, when it wasn't, I was concerned that making the situation
public would just encourage someone to take advantage of the situation."
"So what's changed?"
"What's changed is the fact that there's no way we can keep
this quiet now. Slayers are disappearing faster than ever, and we still have no
idea of what's behind it."
"Ok, so tell me the whole story," I suggest.
"I've already arranged for a courier to deliver the full
report to you. They should be with you by tomorrow morning. In the meantime, I suggest
that you just take special care."
"So, how's it happening? What sort of precautions do I
need?"
"Well, that's the problem. To be honest, I don't know. The
first few to disappear did so when apparently alone. There was some evidence of
Fyarl demon involvement in a couple of cases. However, as the rate of abduction
has accelerated, the method of abduction has changed. I arranged for several
active Slayers to remain together with their Watchers as a precaution. All five
girls just disappeared, despite their Watchers'
presence. They
believe that the girls were teleported away, but we've been unable to trace a
destination."
"Teleportation? Surely there's something you can do about
that? Willow ..."
"... is already with the Coven working on just that. They're trying
to find a way to block further teleportations, but so far, they've come up with
nothing."
"And the girls come back without their powers?"
"And without any memory of what happened. Our best guess is
that someone has found a way to harness that power in some other way. Again,
the Coven is working on possible mechanisms, but so far, nothing."
"Look, how about I come over and ..."
"No. I was serious when I said that I don't want Slayers
involved in this investigation. I've already got people working on this –
Watchers mainly, and I've got to trust that they'll find something."
"But ..."
"No, Buffy. I mean it. At the rate it's going, you'll only
be safe in
I decide not to argue any more. I know I won't change his
mind, but that doesn't mean that I've changed mine.
"Buffy," Giles interrupts my thoughts.
"Yes?"
"I've got a lot of other calls to make. I'll keep you up to
date, and I know that I don't need to ask that you read the full report and see
if it doesn't spark anything for you or Neville."
"Research Girl, that's me," I quip, but somehow it's not a
quippy voice. This is serious, and it feels personal. I didn't go and share my
power with all those other girls just so it would be taken from them. I hang up,
then give Neville the bits he missed. He's just got to the shocked,
open-mouthed stage when my phone rings again.
The woman on the other end isn't American, and she's not
English either, but it's an old voice, and there's something about it that
convinces me she's not selling anything.
"Miss Summers, you don't know me. My name is Moira
McConnechie. My husband worked for the Council of Watchers for many
years."
"You're not English," I say, still wondering at
the accent. It reminds me of something, but it's not Giles or Spike.
"You're quite right, my dear. I'm a Scot and proud of
it. However, there have always been people from all over
"Oh," I mumble. I'm just musing on where I might
have heard that accent when I realise that she's still talking.
"I'm sorry," I apologise. "I missed
that."
"Interference on the line, I expect," she says.
"As I was saying, for many years, there has been an annual memorial
service for the Council. It's a religious service that's held in
"I see," I say, not seeing anything at all.
"I spoke to Mr. Rupert Giles some weeks ago, and he
agreed that I should organise this year's service. I'm calling to ask if you
will attend. We know that our great loss last year was due to forces that you
were personally more than instrumental in defeating. It would mean a great deal
to many survivors and the families of those who died if you could."
"I ... I'm not sure. I mean, I'm not religious. I'm not
even sure I believe in ... God."
"I can assure you that that is unimportant. Many in the
Council follow no particular faith, and others follow faiths which, well, let's
just say are considered more crackpot
than real by most of society."
"But ..."
"Please, don't answer now. Think about it. The service
will be held on 1st July in West Kensington Parish church at three
in the afternoon. As a guest of the Council, all your expenses will be paid out
of my organising budget. I'll arrange a hotel in Kensington, or elsewhere in
Something occurs to me then. It just seems like rather too
much of a coincidence that I've just had a call from Giles that makes me want
to visit him, and then I get just such an invitation.
"Tell me, does Mr. Giles know you've invited me?"
"No, my dear, no. Mr. Giles is much too busy to concern
himself with such matters. He will, of course, attend, and he will say a few
words, but he is content to leave the actual details to me."
"I see." I'm looking at the date on my calendar, and
then I realise that Dawn's due back here on the third. "Ah, I'll have to
decline, I think. My sister is flying back from
"Ah, your sister. Yes, Rupert has mentioned her. How is
she?"
"Fine, I think."
"But young to be travelling so far alone."
"I suppose so, but ..."
"But don't you see? This is perfect. If you come to
"I don't know. It's ..." I almost say tempting because it is.
It's a chance to find out everything I can about the original
disappearances. Once I've read the full
report, I'll know exactly where to look when I get there. But I decide to be
cautious for now, saying, "Well, I'll think about it and let you know."
"Splendid, my dear. I'll just give you my phone
number."
She does that, and I scribble it on the pad on my desk. The
pencil comes up and the end goes into my mouth almost without any conscious
effort on my part as soon as I've hung up.
"You look thoughtful," Neville comments from his
desk across the room.
"Mmm," I agree. "Tell me, you've been working
for the Council for a while. What do you know about an annual memorial service
for Council members?"
"That? Oh, that's a very old tradition. A lot of people
were very upset that it was cancelled last year. There were good reasons - I
mean, the headquarters had been destroyed, and many Watchers killed. The whole organisation was in chaos. If it hadn't
been for Rupert Giles ... and the rest of you, of course, the Council would have
been a spent force. Why do you ask?"
"I've just been invited to attend."
"Oh, I'm glad it's back this year. I doubt I'll be
allowed to fly back for it, of course, but ... I wonder. Who's organising it this
year? It always used to be Quentin Travers' PA."
"It's a ... Moira McConnechie," I answer, my tongue
trying to mimic the way she said the name, but I know I'll never master that
'ch' sound she made.
"Moira McConnechie?" His 'ch' isn't much better
than mine. "Well, that's ..."
"That's what?"
"I've heard tales of her - mainly from my father. Her
husband - Duncan - he was a major force in some areas of the Council when my
dad was a young Watcher. He was very respected - especially among the field
operatives - more so than the likes of Travers, because he seemed to be more in
touch with the real world. He liked the trappings of tradition as much as
anyone, but he wasn't afraid to throw such things out if he felt they were in
the way. He never made it to the most senior positions in the Council. My dad
reckoned it was because he wouldn't kowtow
to history for the sake of it. They used him, though. His wife -
Moira - well, there were rumours that she used ... magic, and at that time, such
things were not considered entirely respectable. Some of those who wanted him
held back claimed that she controlled her husband with it, but ... when the
Council needed her help, she was there. She set up the initial contacts with
the Coven in
That's quite a history. "Why would she be organising
the service? I mean, she sounded quite ... old."
"Well, she's no youngster, although I think she was younger
than her husband, but she's also a force of nature. My guess? She's bullied
Giles into giving the job to her. Duncan McConnechie was a major figure in
Giles' early days as a Watcher.
There were suggestions that the reason Giles didn't get on faster within the
Council was that he had been too close to
He watches me as I take all that in. "So, are you
going?" he asks at last.
"I don't know. I'm tempted ... especially since these
Slayer disappearances started over there."
"They may have started over there, but they're
happening over here now. Maybe you'd
learn more staying here."
"Somehow that smacks of just waiting for the
inevitable. Not my style at all. I've got to do something, and maybe this is my
chance."
"Giles probably wouldn't be happy if you went."
"True, but then Giles probably wouldn't be happy if I
went to take a look at the most recent disappearances either. In some respects,
if whoever it is thinks they've cleared all the Slayers out of
"Up to you. But if Giles should ask, I didn't know what
you were planning."
I grin at that. "Ok. I'll remember that."
When I get home, I check out the possibilities. Later, when
I know she'll be up, I call Dawn to see what she thinks. To my surprise, she
seems pleased. I had thought that suggesting that we do the transatlantic leg
together might be seen as 'fussing' over her, but the prospect of spending a
couple of days in London, or even travelling around the UK seem to be welcome.
Fortunately, her ticket can be changed, and I make up my mind to arrange all
that as soon as I've had a chance to speak to Moira again.
The more I think about it, the better I like the sound of
going to