Leap of Faith: Part 1
Buffy looked up from her book, searching for Giles. She found him with a customer near the front of the store. The small anxious feeling that had started to grow dissipated. She knew it was silly, but she still got a panicky feeling every now and then if she couldn't see Giles.
As if he could feel her eyes on him Giles looked up, meeting Buffy's eyes. He turned his head a little to the side and raised his eyebrows as if to inquire if she was okay. She gave him a small nod and smiled at him. Giles smiled back and turned his attention back to his customer.
The truth was they'd barely been out of each other's sight since they'd come home from Talna's world. With Dawn having gone to live with her dad, Buffy, on her return, had no home, no clothes, no anything. She'd moved in with Giles, technically on a temporary basis, but they both knew she was there to stay. That first night they'd just held each other until morning, still barely believing the turn of events. That Giles had somehow found her, and that in the finding, they had discovered their love for one another.
The amazing discovery of Buffy's seeming return from the grave distracted the rest of the gang so completely they barely noticed the new relationship between Buffy and Giles. When they did start to pay attention to it they'd gotten so used to seeing them together that it sort of squeaked by without much comment. Something for which Giles was extremely grateful.
Buffy knew Giles was worried about her. She didn't think anyone else had noticed it yet, but not much about her had ever gotten past Giles. She was tired and getting more tired all the time. She couldn't seem to get enough sleep. When he had asked her about it she told him that it felt as if she was being stretched too thin, as if a part of her was being leeched away. A few nights ago Giles had stopped letting her patrol. He had been afraid that she would be overpowered too easily if forced to deal with more than one vampire at a time.
Giles had paid Spike an undisclosed amount of money to take over patrolling until Giles could determine what was going on. Buffy knew he had theories but she hadn't worked up the courage to talk to him about it. The fact that he wasn't volunteering anything worried her because she figured if he wasn't talking, that it had to be bad.
Giles finished with his customer and headed back over to the group. He looked at Buffy and his lips tightened, his eyes darkening with worry. Before Buffy could see his concern he turned and began rearranging the small pewter figurines behind him. A small smile formed on his face as he picked one up and held it in his hands, his eyes thoughtful.
Buffy looked up and saw him. She walked over to him and looked down at the figurine of a small dragon that he was holding. At least once a day she would catch Giles holding the figurine. It bore a remarkable likeness to Talna, and it had become a sort of talisman for him. She reached up a hand to touch the dragon's head. "Are you missing her?"
Giles smiled sheepishly at Buffy. "I suppose I am." He shook his head. "But it's more than that. She's been on my mind so much today. I can't stop thinking about her. I keep wondering if what's happening to you has something to do with …" He stopped, frustrated at his lack of knowledge. Frustrated that he didn't really know what was wrong with Buffy or how to heal her.
Xander only caught pieces of what Giles was saying but it was enough to pique his interest. "Who are you missing, big guy? Who's on your mind?"
Buffy touched Giles' cheek and then turned to Xander, grinning. "His other girlfriend."
Xander's jaw dropped. "He has another girlfriend? Is there no justice in the world?" Xander wasn't really concerned. Giles loved Buffy about as much as any person could love another. He was sure of that.
Buffy responded, her voice teasing. "I'm serious. He was totally gaga over her. If she wasn't this gigantic dragon who lives in another universe I'd be like totally jealous."
Giles rolled his eyes. Then he looked at Buffy, his gaze serious again, his voice so soft it carried only to her. "Buffy, I'm worried about you."
Buffy laid her head on Giles' chest and he wrapped his arms around her. "I know you are. I'm worried too." She squeezed him a little tighter. "You'll figure it out. You always do."
Giles rested his cheek on the top of her head and prayed she was right, pushing away the unbearable thought of losing her again. Behind Buffy's back, his fingers traced the outline of the little dragon.
Xander watched the two of them embrace. He knew something was up, besides Giles having babes in every universe. Giles lifted his eyes and he accidentally locked eyes with Xander. Xander was taken aback by the worry and fear he saw there. He glanced at Willow and saw that she too had caught the look on Giles' face before Giles cleared his expression.
Xander leaned back in his chair, the two front legs lifting off the floor, his toes, touching in front, keeping him from tipping over backwards. He watched as Giles escorted Buffy back to her chair and helped her sit. Xander looked closely at Buffy and he suddenly saw what had Giles so worried. "What's up, Buffy? You don't look so good. I mean you've both been looking tired lately but I figured it was all the bedroom hi-jinks." He frowned and looked at Giles. "It's not though, is it? Is she sick?" He looked at Buffy again, appalled suddenly at how gaunt she looked, and that he hadn't noticed it until now.
Giles let out a breath, looking at Buffy. Buffy put her hand out to clasp Giles' and he sat down next to her. Buffy felt overwhelmed suddenly with her weariness. She leaned forward and laid her head against Giles' chest, wanting to feel his strength and his warmth. She murmured and he had to lower his head to catch her words. "Tell them. We have to talk about it."
Giles wrapped his arms tightly around her and lifted his head to his four young friends. Giles nodded, his face etched with his sense of helplessness. "Yes, she's sick. But I don't know why. Buffy's been getting steadily weaker ever since I brought her back." He rested his head on the top of hers.
Xander raised his eyebrows and fixed his gaze on Giles. "So…this means what? What do you think it is? She'll get better, right?" He cast a nervous glance at Buffy.
Giles put the little dragon down on the table in front of him so he could softly rub Buffy's back, knowing the caress would make her feel better. "I don't know. I have some ideas…" His voice trailed off and he stared into one of the shadowed corners of the room.
Buffy lifted her head and touched Giles' face, bringing his attention back. "What are they? It's worse when you don't tell." She smiled ruefully at him. "Besides, I probably ought to know seeing as it's me we're talking about.
"I would have told you anytime. You just never asked."
Buffy smiled a crooked smile. "I know. I knew it was bad news. I kept hoping that I'd see a different look on your face one of these days. You know, that look you have when you figure it out and it's not as bad as you thought." She sighed and put her head down again. "Even I can't pretend anymore. I know I'm getting worse."
Giles took off his glasses and ran a hand over his face. He hated all of his theories. He put his glasses back on and squinched his face up. "Well, it's possible that something in Talna's atmosphere poisoned you. You were there for quite some time. I made a few phone calls today to see where we could take you to get some toxic chemical screening done. See if there's something in your body that shouldn't be there. I should know more about that tomorrow."
Buffy sat back in her chair, a surprised look on her face. Then she nodded her head. "Okay, poison, big yuck but I can deal." She looked at the expression on Giles' face and bit her lip. "But, I'm guessing that's not what you really think is going on. Right?"
Giles looked at her unhappily. "It just seems as if you'd be sicker if it was poison. I find it unlikely that you'd just be tired."
"So what do you think it is?"
Giles reached for her hand again, lacing his fingers through hers. "I'm afraid that…" He turned his head away for a minute. He started again. "I'm afraid that it has to do with…with you being here, well, with there being two of you, here, at the same time. I'm not sure, of course, it's just a theory."
Buffy's eyes widened and then filled with fear. "You mean, like the dead me and the live me can't both be here in this universe?"
Xander raised his hand. "I vote for getting rid of the dead Buffy." He looked around. "Anyone with me on that?" Anya, Willow and Tara nervously nodded and then looked at Giles.
He gave them a small smile. "I wish it were that easy."
Willow frowned. "Why can't it be that easy? I mean, gross, sure. But we can dig up her coffin and send her body off to another universe." She turned to Anya. "You know, like where we sent your troll boyfriend."
Anya glared at her. "Ex-boyfriend." She huffed in exasperation.
Giles looked at Willow. "Your idea has merit but it seems a drastic step to take until we know more. This may not be what's wrong with Buffy at all."
Xander frowned. "So what do we do in the meantime? Can we research?"
Giles shook his head. "I've looked at all my books over the last two weeks. I'm running out of places to search."
Buffy reached up a hand and tried to erase the furrows between his brows. "I'm sorry."
Giles looked at her. "What are you sorry for?"
"I'm sorry I'm putting you through this."
Giles pulled her in for a fierce hug. Only her Slayer strength kept it from hurting. "Don't you dare be sorry, Buffy. Having you back has been the most wonderful thing that's ever happened to me. We'll figure this out, I promise you. I can't lose you again." He buried his face in her shoulder, swallowing past the tight lump in his throat, needing to hide the moisture in his eyes. Their four friends fought off tears of their own and Xander unhappily stood up and began to pace.
***
Hundreds of magic makers had gathered. They all listened as one by one the masters spoke their portion of the verbal lore that pertained to this situation, trying to find the answer to their quandary. Apprentices hovered near their masters, listening intently, noses quivering as they absorbed and attempted to memorize the information they would at some time be expected to know as if it were a part of them.
Talna and Mabon had spoken late into the night. Something was wrong with the magic. The magic makers were able to perform spells; the knowledge was there. They could feel the power; the ability to harness it intact. The results of the magic were the problem. Too many of the spells were going awry. Beings had been hurt, parts of their planet injured. The risk of attempting magic was growing too great, but Talna and Mabon knew that only magic would fix what was wrong.
Talna looked at the sky. The rift was growing. It had been barely visible a week ago. But now it was easy to spot. From the ground it looked like a constantly shifting cloud laced with energy from a continuous output of lightning. Talna recognized it. It was exactly like the piece of sky that had taken her from her home and thrust her into an alien universe with air that felt like acid to her lungs. Her thoughts grew soft. The place she had met Giles. An unexpected gift from a most troubling time.
Giles had been the focus of many of her conversations with Mabon. He was the only being they knew who could perform magic, outside of the magic makers. He was perhaps their only hope. Talna looked up at the sky again. He knew what this was; he had closed it in his world. She needed him to come and close it here as well. Close it before it opened more fully, bringing potential death and destruction to her planet. She also suspected, as did Mabon, that the rift in the sky was the cause of the magic gone wrong and that it would continue to worsen. Time was of the essence.
She entered the hall and silently watched the magic makers, listening to their attempts to determine how to communicate with someone in a different universe. Her tail was twitching with impatience and she tried to control it, afraid that she might sweep a dozen magic makers out the door. She lay down, wrapping her tail tightly around her, her mind filled with thoughts of her friend, wishing he might somehow sense her and come to her aid.
Her mind was brought back to the meeting when she heard the murmur of voices growing in the hall. She sat up, her eyes searching for Mabon. She found him; he was scampering her way. She lowered her head to the ground so they could talk eye to eye. She spoke first. "Have you found something?"
Mabon's eyes were lit with excitement. His whiskers were twitching. "Yes, I think we have. We think we can do a sending, but it will require your participation."
Talna's eyes filled with hope. "You know I will do whatever it takes."
Mabon nodded. "I know that." He touched her snout with a tiny paw. "It might be dangerous. You know what the magic has been like." He gestured back to the rest of the magic makers. "We will create circles of protection around you and the magic makers who will perform the spell. We will do our best to keep any harm from occurring."
Talna nodded. "Of that I have no doubt. I know you will do your best. That is all any of us can ever do. I will trust, and I will participate. I can do no less."
Mabon turned his head and spoke to a few of the magic makers around him letting them know they were moving forward. In moments the hall was empty as they all left to prepare. Mabon turned back to Talna. "You must go prepare yourself. You must meditate and empty your mind. It must be clear when you send to him."
"May I take you to your destination before I prepare?"
Mabon gratefully pressed both paws to her snout and ran lightly up her neck until he was sitting on her back. Talna stood and carried her impossibly light burden to his own place of preparation.
End of Part 1
Leap of Faith: Part 2
Xander turned to the front door when he heard the bell ring. His eyes widened when he saw who walked in. It was Dawn, her dad's arm wrapped tightly around her shoulder, as if he was supporting her. Xander spoke, mostly to alert Buffy and Giles. "Dawn, Mr. Summers." Giles and Buffy sprang apart, shocked at Xander's announcement. Giles assisted Buffy to stand.
Hank had seen Buffy since her return. Giles had driven her to LA to see both Dawn and her father, after coming up with some unlikely explanation for her continued existence. As implausible as the story had been Hank had not been able to deny that Buffy was standing in front of him, alive and well. Now, Hank watched Buffy as she approached him. After watching Dawn so closely over the last couple of weeks he saw it in Buffy right away. "You're sick too, aren't you?" He looked at Dawn. "She said she had to get to you, to you and Mr. Giles, that you'd know what to do."
They all looked at Dawn. She looked drawn as well. The shadows under her eyes were pronounced and they could see that she was having trouble standing on her own. Hank continued. "I wanted to put her in the hospital but she refused. She said she had to come here." He looked at Giles, knowing he would be the source of any answers he might get here. "Why? Why did she want to come here? What's happening to my daughters?"
Giles gestured with a hand, suggesting Hank escort Dawn over to the table. Xander started gathering up more chairs for everyone. Hank sat Dawn down and Buffy sat on the other side of Dawn, clasping her hand tightly. Buffy lifted her eyes and sent a beseeching glance Giles' way. The fact that her sister was also being affected made the whole thing even more frightening to her.
Giles stood still, hands in his pockets. Willow had beat him to the tea making so he had no momentary distraction available to him as his mind raced to take in this new wrinkle. He desperately tried to figure out what to tell Hank. Reaching for the small figurine he'd left on the table, he began to rub it, turning it around and around with his fingers.
Hank smiled as Willow put a cup of tea in front of him. He didn't usually drink tea but he thought the warmth of it might do him some good. Seeing Buffy looking as ill as Dawn had chilled him. Somehow he'd allowed Dawn's sense of sureness to affect him. He'd been so hopeful that coming here would fix everything. Hank reached around Dawn and placed his hand on Buffy's shoulder, squeezing softly. Buffy reached up with her other hand and rested it on his, smiling at him. Then she looked up at Giles. Hank looked around the room and saw that everyone's eyes were on Giles. Hank looked at him too.
Giles let out a breath. He decided to start by gathering some information. Turning to Hank he asked, "How long has Dawn been ill?"
Hank looked at Dawn, considering. "Over a month, I think. I didn't really notice until a couple of weeks ago but when I thought back on it, I realized she hadn't really been herself for a while. I told myself that it was just the shock of both her mother and her sister dying. I put her in counseling." He looked at Buffy. "She was so happy when you showed up. I was sure she'd start getting better, but she kept getting more tired and then she started losing weight, even though I know she's been eating. I've taken her to the doctor a couple of times but he hasn't been able to figure out what's wrong."
Xander looked at Giles. "If they've both been sick then it sort of blows your theories out of the water, doesn't it?"
Giles looked up at Xander and nodded. "Yes, yes it does."
Hank looked at his daughters and then again at Giles. "Mr. Giles, what's going on?"
Buffy spoke up. "It's just Giles, dad."
Giles paused as Willow brought him his tea. He took a sip and then he looked at Hank. "I don't really know where to start. Do you have any questions, anything specific you want to know?"
Hank blew out a breath. "Yes, I do as a matter a fact. What really happened to Buffy? Why was everyone so sure she died?"
Giles took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. He looked up briefly at Buffy and Buffy nodded. The brief exchange did not escape Hank. Giles sent Hank a hesitant smile. "I'm not sure if you'll believe me."
"Try me."
Giles nodded. "All right. Buffy was dead. She did die." He took in everyone in the room with a gesture. "We all saw her die." At the bleak look on his face Buffy got up and stood close to him, wrapping her arms around him, laying her head against his shoulder. He continued. "I made the burial arrangements, ordered her tombstone." He sent a loving but pained smile towards Dawn. "Dawn helped with that." Giles wrapped an arm around Buffy, drawing her closer. That was not a time he liked to remember.
Hank watched them. Thoughts raced through his head, the majority of which he chose to ignore for the time being. He pointed at Buffy. "So, how…?"
Giles sighed. He had no idea how to take an endlessly complicated and unbelievable story and somehow encapsulate it for Hank so he could both understand and accept it. "Mr. Summers…"
"Hank, please."
Giles smiled. "Hank. Please just hear me out. The story I am about to tell you will seem impossible but it's not, and much of it I cannot prove to you right now, with the notable exception that Buffy is indeed here and quite alive." He looked down at Buffy. "Buffy and I, and in fact, everyone here, have been involved for years in a battle against evil. Several months ago we started fighting against an enemy of enormous power. She created a rift, an opening, if you will, in the sky, a way to move between universes. She needed Dawn to do that; in fact, her intention was to kill Dawn."
Giles looked at Hank to see what sort of expression he had on his face. He mostly saw astonishment there, and the rapt attention of someone listening to a good story. Giles decided it was safe to go on. "Buffy threw herself into the rift, closing it. She saved Dawn; she saved us all. But when the rift closed there was nothing to support her and Buffy fell hundreds of feet to her death." Giles wrapped both arms around Buffy at his words and hugged her tightly.
Giles continued with his story. "Before Buffy was able to close the rift a dragon from another universe flew out of it. It was huge and appeared to be quite deadly. But it flew out of sight very quickly. All of our attention was on the fight before us and then we all were coping with Buffy's death and our grief. To be honest I never gave it another thought until a few days after Buffy's funeral, when I started hearing reports about dragon sightings. Of course, everyone thought it was nonsense but I had seen the beast come through the rift so I began to hunt it, intending to kill it." He had loosened his grip on Buffy by then and Buffy looked at her dad. She decided she should probably go sit by him. Taking the chair next to him she took his hand and then looked up at Giles, gesturing for him to continue.
Giles nodded. "When I found her, she…well…she wasn't the monster I had anticipated. We were able to communicate and I found that she was a gentle and intelligent being, and she was frightened of what was happening to her. I…" He looked around the shop. "I can do magic, real magic." He looked at Tara and Willow. "Several of us here can, as a matter of fact." He paused. "I knew a spell that could send her home. I asked her if I could go with her." He smiled sadly. "I wanted to see her world. I had no reason…" His voice trailed off, not wanting to continue that train of thought. "She agreed and I sent her home, accompanying her."
Giles held out his hand and they all saw the small dragon lying there. Hank's eyebrows rose. "That's the dragon?" That seemed no more impossible to believe as the rest of the story.
Buffy squeezed her dad's hand. "No, but it looks like her. Talna's much bigger." At her dad's look she smiled. "I've met her. And she is pretty great. She and Giles took quite a shine to each other." She flashed Giles an impish smile and he rolled his eyes at her. She just grinned and gestured to him impatiently. "Tell the rest. This is my favorite part."
Giles smiled back. It was his favorite part too. "When we got to Talna's world we were met with the announcement that another human was there. When we finally made our way to the hospital I heard someone call my name."
Buffy couldn't resist jumping in. "It was me. When I jumped in the rift I sort of blacked out. When I woke up I was in this weird place filled with dragons and other assorted creatures. I didn't know what was going on. I thought maybe I'd gone bonkers, or somehow the rift had taken over the world and this was what it had turned into. Then, that day, I heard all this noise in the room next door, and then I heard Giles." She let out an amazed laugh. "I heard him. Clear as day. I called out his name and in a moment there he was, standing in front of me. Like I'd called him from the other end of the store."
Giles picked up. "I couldn't believe it was her. She was dead; I'd watched her coffin being lowered into the ground. But there she was, alive, breathing, calling me." He shook his head, his gaze on Buffy. He turned back to Hank. "All I can work out is that when she threw herself into the rift, that somehow she was split, twinned, I don't know quite what word to use. Anyway, she fell to her death here, on Earth, but she was also sent to Talna's planet through the rift that brought Talna here."
Buffy sandwiched Hank's hands between her own. "Giles brought us home, and you know the rest."
She and Giles both watched Hank as he processed the tale. After a minute he stood, pulling away from Buffy, and stalked over to Giles. "I'm sorry. Do you honestly expect me to believe that story?"
Giles opened his mouth to speak when suddenly he felt a presence in his mind. It was so strong he lost consciousness for a second and fell to his knees before he could catch himself. Pressing his hands to his head he groaned. Buffy raced over to him, her heart in her throat.
***
Talna stood in the midst of eight concentric circles of magic makers. The circle closest to Talna was composed of the magic makers who would be doing the actual spell of sending. Mabon was one of these. The purpose of the next seven circles was to try to prevent anything bad from happening. To help capture any stray magic that tried to escape, and redirect it back to the center.
Mabon had explained what would happen to Talna. Her eyes were closed and her mind empty of all thoughts. At Mabon's direction she thought of Giles, picturing him standing before her. The magic makers in the innermost circle began their chanting.
***