Replacement by sus

Author: sus
Summary: They were meant to be. The council thought they knew better than The Powers, as well as her friends. An enemy from the future changes the past.
Author's Note:
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Violence, Adult Language, Sexual Situations


Chapter 2: Replacement

Giles worked until late in the morning, unpacking the books he needed now, and trying to find more about the prophecy. He didn’t have any luck. Sleep, that’s what I need, in a bed for a couple of hours before I continue my search.

When Giles got up, the first thing he did, was to put water on to make tea. He started to unpack the last books, while he waited for the water to boil. He loosely started to sort out the rest of the books, while drinking his tea, to find out which to start with. After several hours, he was forced to take a break, his body demanded it. He went into the kitchen to make something to eat, and a new pot of tea. As the sun went down, he started to realize that he wouldn't find anything in his books. He started to pile the books up along the wall, out of the way.

If I knew how I’m standing with The Council, I would have called them, but they might not even take my call. Maybe I should risk the humiliation? Yes, that is what I’ll do. Better to be safe, than sorry.

They took Giles’ call. He had to talk to one of the younger watchers. They called him back within an hour. As he suspected, there was no ritual mentioned anywhere. They had researched since he told them about the prophecy. After tidying up, he got out a bottle of liquor and a glass. He took it to his comfy chair, stared strait ahead without seeing anything. He sat there until there was a knock on the door. It was Angel. As he was letting Angel in, the phone rang. It was Xander calling, asking if there was news.

"No, not yet but Angel has just arrived, maybe he has some news." He looked at Angel, who just shook his head.

"If Willow is up for it, perhaps we should get together, and maybe then we can find a solution." Giles waited while Xander talked with Willow.

"She says that she’s okay, so we’ll be right over." They both hung up.

Giles looked at Angel. "You look tired."

"I haven’t slept yet." He let his body fold itself into a chair, took the drink Giles offered. They both sat quiet, just waiting. It didn’t take long before Willow and Xander rushed through the door.

Xander couldn't wait until he had taken a seat. "What do you know? Have you found her body?" he asked impatiently.

Giles looked up. "Sit down, Xander." He waited until they both were sitting, before asking: "Do you want something to drink before we start?"

"No, thanks, Giles, I'm good," Willow said from her place on the couch.

"I'm good too," Xander said. "Maybe now that the pleasantry is over, you’ll tell us what you know." Xander looked from Giles to Angel.

Giles met his eyes. "I guess, I'd better start: We have to accept that Buffy is dead. Because of the call from The Watcher’s Council, that informed me that a new slayer was called. So we went out to find Buffy’s body. We came to a cemetery where we believe that she helped somebody, and escorted them out of the cemetery. And then there was no trace of her. None at all."

"You said, you could trace her!" Xander screamed agitated at Angel. "You claimed, you could track her like a dog. You can’t even do that. You are a worthless thing!"

"We believe that she was transported away in a car," Angel defended himself.

Giles got up to refill their glasses while he asked: "What did you find out last night, did you find the Master's lair?" He sat down before Angel started talking.

"Yes, I found the lair but there was no trace of her, she has never been down there. No smell from her. And by the way, I saw the Master down there, he is still trapped. He started yelling at me, where that damn slayer was, that was supposed to free him with a sip of her blood."

Giles’ glasses were off so fast that you couldn't se it. "You mean to say that because she didn’t go to the Master, he is still trapped?"

"I mean." Angel hesitated before he continued." The prophecy not only foretold Buffy’s death, it was also a tool to free the Master."

"That’ll say that if Buffy had gone down there she would have died, drained by the Master, and he would have been free from his prison when he tasted her blood!" Giles said quietly as if he was talking to himself. The Council was right, prophecies can be changed.

"But where is her body? What has happened to her?" Willow asked.

Giles sat down with a notepad and a pen. "What we need to find out, is who transported her away from the cemeteries and why, and last but not least: Where is her body? What we do know, is that there is no ritual involved with freeing the Master. I have checked my books, and to be sure I called The Council, asked if they knew anything about a ritual. They informed me that they have researched since I told them about the prophecy. They didn’t find anything out of the ordinary, just a normal prophecy. Not to say that prophecies are normal, well you know what I mean." Giles stopped writing and looked up. "Does any of you have anything to add?" Nobody responded.

"What now?" Xander asked.

"Now we need to find the answers to the questions we asked before," Giles answered.

"Can’t we use magic to find her body?" inquired Willow.

"No! It can’t be used to find a dead body." Giles started to scribble again.

"What if she’s alive?" Xander said with hope in his voice, "couldn’t The Council have made a mistake, Giles, and the girl that they say is a new slayer is just a very strong girl?"

"I’m sorry, Xander, but I doubt it very much. I have always seen The Council as very competent. As far as I know there have never been mistakes made by The Council." They all sat there staring at nothing.

There was a mumbling. Giles looked at Angel." What was it you said, Angel?"

"I said that maybe there have been mistakes, but they didn’t want others to know about it," Angel said a little louder. "Is there anyone you can ask, Giles? Somebody you trust inside The Council."

"I don’t know. I’ll have to think about it."

"Why not just try it?" Willow interrupted.

"Try what?" Xander asked." What are you talking about?"

"A spell! A location spell," Willow said excited.

"What should that help? Giles says that they don’t help with finding dead people," Xander explained.

"Willow is right, Xander, but you are also right," Giles said thoughtfully, polishing his glasses." It wouldn't hurt to try a location spell." He got up to find the right book. He went on, to find the supplies, he would need for the spell.

"Can you do the spell, Giles?" Willow asked excited. "Can I help with the spell?" She was almost jumping in her seat of excitement.

"Yes! I can do the spell. As a watcher you learn to use spells. And I did a little dabbling, when I was young." He returned with the supplies and the book. "Yes, Willow, you can help me set it up."

It didn’t take them long to set the spell up. "Now we just need something of Buffy’s. Do you have something here, Giles?" Willow asked, as she checked the other items off on her list. "It’s the only thing that is missing for us to do the spell."

Giles shook his head. "No! She was never here, we always met at the school."

"What now?" Xander asked.

"We need something that belongs to Buffy, and we can’t just go to her home and ask Mrs. Summers for it. She’ll think that we are weirdos!" Willow explained.

"What about at school?" Xander suggested. "There must be something in her locker. Do you know her code, Willow?"

"No! I don’t, but there is her change of clothes in the library. Would that do?" Willow inquired.

"Yes, it certainly would!" Giles answered with a little smile. "Good thinking, Willow."

She blushed.

"I’ll go get it," Xander interrupted.

"Not alone, Xander," Giles said turning to Angel.

"I’ll accompany Xander." Angel got up.

"I’ll find my keys." When Giles finally found them in his coat pocket, he gave them to Xander. "Be careful. The Master might have sent out minions looking for Buffy, or somebody who they think can help them find her."

"And hurry back," Willow told them.

It didn’t take long, before they were back.

"We got some well-worn tennis shoes, and pants with green goo on. The shirt I think, is soaked in blood."

"Let me see it, Xander." Giles held out his hand. "We can’t use the shoes or the pants, the goo might lead us to some demon that has escaped Buffy. And for the shirt I don’t know. Angel, could you help me out here?"

"How can I help?" Angel asked, as he came to stand beside Giles.

"Can you tell me if this is Buffy's blood?" He held the shirt up in front of Angel.

He vamped out. "Sorry, can smell better if I vamp out," he apologized, when he saw them pull back. He accepted the offered piece of clothes from Giles. "Yes, it’s her blood, but there is also something else on it. Perhaps something from a demon."

"Damn! Just bad luck the last couple of days," Giles cursed.

"Try looking in her pocket," Willow suggested.

As Angel was the only one standing with the clothes, he put down the shirt and picked up the pants. He looked funny at them. Then he used his index finger and his middle finger to search through the pockets. It didn’t take long before he revealed a hair band.

"That was her favorite band," Willow cried out, "oh no, I have already accepted that she is dead." She started crying. It sounded loud in the silence.

Xander placed his arms around her. It soothed her a little. "But we can do the location spell now, right? With the hair band."

"Yes, Xander, that we can do," Giles replied. "I’ll start on it now."

Giles got up to take the band from Angel’s hand. Then he went over to the circle, they had drawn on the floor. There he sat down exactly in the middle, with his legs crossed. He laid the band next to the bowl, then started chanting, while he lighted a candle, then mixed the herbs in the bowl. He carefully straightened the map before he set fire to the herbs in the bowl. He then collected the crystal on a string, that laid ready beside him. He finally started to move it over the map. The chanting got louder by the minute. He started to shake. "They were right," he muttered over and over, "there is the proof, she is dead." He lowered the crystal, not getting up from the floor. Just sitting there in the middle of the smelling herbs, with his head bowed. "I have lost my slayer. She is gone."

The only sound heard in the silence, was Willow weeping.

It felt like hours before they started to move again. Willow got up to blow out the candle, and Xander took a firm grip on Giles’ upper arm to guide him to his chair, while Angel poured him a large drink.

He coughed as he gulped down too much in his first mouthful. "Take it easy, Giles, maybe it's better with a cop of tea." Xander looked at Willow.

"I'll make it," Willow offered, and went to the small kitchen. It didn’t take long before Willow was back with a tray, with a cup of tea for all of them. They sat in silence, sipping their tea, for a long time.

At some point Giles drove Willow and Xander home.

The next days Giles was indisposed. The first day, he was drunk. The next he got a letter from The Watcher’s Council, he was fired. As he was sitting there trying to decide to either keep on drinking or not, the phone rang! It was Snider, asking why he wasn’t at his post. Why not! As long as they’ll let me stay, I'll stay.

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The phone was ringing in the quiet house on 1630 Revello Drive, the answering machine started up. The caller asked Mrs. Joyce Summers to call back, as quick as possible.