Apparitions of the Past -- by Caleigh


Rating: PG-13

Description: Someone's past is revealed as a new evil arrives in Sunnydale.

Spoiler: Season 4

Disclaimer: The only thing I own is the "girl", everything else belongs to Joss. So don't sue! Unless you want a ball of lint…


Don't be dismayed at good-byes.

A farewell is necessary before you

Can meet again.

And meeting again,

After moments or lifetimes, is certain

For those who are friends.

~R. Bach


Part One

Buffy shivered as a cold cloying mist seeped through her fleece-lined knee length coat. "C'mon you dumb vamps. Get out here so I can kick your asses and not freeze mine off." The slayer muttered bitterly wishing she was back at her dorm room, warm. She spun the wooden stake in her hand absent-mindedly as she wove her way through the headstones in the cemetery. The hairs on her neck prickled sensing someone watching her and she gripped the stake tightly in her hand. "You know it's not nice to spy on people!" she called spinning around on her heel, preparing to pierce the vamp's heart with the stake. But there was no vampire. Nor a demon. Just a ghostly image of a young girl about 16 years of age. She looked like she was Chinese, but was dressed in an red wine coloured, old English style gown made of a velvety material, with a fitted top fastened by laces and a flowing skirt with gold embroidery along the hem. A white strip of fabric lead down the front of the dress. Her long dark hair was curled at the ends and two braids from the side of her face were fastened at the back of her head. A gold necklace hung from her neck and upon it a delicately carved gold cross. "Who are you?" the slayer demanded of the girl falling into a fighting stance.

"I won't harm you. I only wish nothing but to warn you," the girl said in an english accent that reminded Buffy of Spike's.

Buffy narrowed her eyes, "Warn me about what?"

"He's coming, and powerful as ever. You must take caution. It's the slayer's blood which he seeks."

Buffy shouted in frustration, "Could you be more cryptic? Who is he?"

"He's coming. Be careful, gather allies as it is they who will make you stronger." The girl faded into the thick mist like the embers of a fire dying out.

"Wait come back!" Buffy sprinted to the where the girl once stood and spun around, but she was nowhere to be seen. She shook her head, exasperated, "That's it! I'm going home and taking a nice, long, warm bath." She turned to walk away, but her feet remained frozen to the ground. "What the hell?" She struggled to move her feet.

"Slayer..." a gravely voice whispered. A black shroud immerged from the cold mist, "Time to die..." it cackled raising its scaly arm bringing down a glinting silver sword down on her.

Buffy shot up in her bed and gasped clutching her bedsheets tightly to her chest. Her heart raced as she quickly glanced over her surroundings her eyes struggling to adjusting to the darkness. She ran her hand through her damp hair breathing deeply regaining her composure. It's ok. I'm still in my dorm room and Willow's right beside me and there are no demons. No demons. Everything's fine. But no more spicy pizza right before bed. She thought falling back on her pillow.


"Hey Buff! You ok?" Willow adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder and looked over to Buffy. "You have the dark circles around your eyes."

Buffy smiled at her friend picking up her own bag and smoothing her jeans out, "I'm fine Will. I just had some way funky dreams last night."

"Ooh!" Willow jumped excitedly, "Prophetic-y dreams? Should we research?"

Buffy couldn't help but laugh, "I think you need to get out more Will 'cuz you're acting like Xander. You're getting way pumped over nothing."

Willow grinned sheepishly as they headed out of the room, "Sorry. It's just that there's been a . . . lacking of demony butt to kill. But not that that's bad or-"

"Hey Buffy! Willow! Wait up!" Riley called running out of their psych class. "What's up? Whatcha talkin' about? Looks kinda serious here."

"Riley! No! No serious stuff here. We're just talking about . . . stuff." Buffy babbled, she bit her lip in embarrassment.

He looked at her strangely, stuffing his hand into his pocket, "Ok . . . So . . ." He trailed off.

The trio looked at each other nervously.

"Oh wow!" Willow spoke up, "Look at the time! I should be. . . . elsewhere . . . Bye!" she quickly ducked away and vanished behind a corner.

"So, hey Buffy?"

"Yeah?" she asked expectantly smiling warmly.

Riley stuck his hands into his faded jeans pockets, "Do you want to go catch a movie or something tonight?"

Her eyes lit up, "I'd love to!"

"Great! So you want me to pick you up at 7 or something?"

"Yes!" she nodded enthusiastically, then she remembered, "Oh wait, I'm sorry. I promised my...mom that I'd have dinner with her tonight." Buffy lied. She was actually scheduled to train that night with Giles. Arg! Why does Giles have to be on a train-a-more-efficient slayer kick? He's not even a watcher anymore, or a librarian for that matter.

"Oh." Riley sighed dejectedly. "Well may be some other time. See ya!" He patted her gently on the shoulder and hurried away disappearing behind a down the hall amid the masses of students.

"Ugh, Giles you always pick the worst nights..." she muttered bitterly stalking away with her books in hand.

"Buffy." A girl's voice whispered from behind her.

Buffy's head snapped around and saw the girl from her dream standing in a darkened corner of the halls, "You. What are you want?"

"Hey Buffy!" Willow stepped up beside her, and she jumped in surprise. " Did Riley finally ask you out?"

"Willow! You scared me!" Buffy brushed a stray lock of hair from her eyes turning to look at her best friend.

"What were you looking at?" Willow's brow furrowed with worry.

"That girl over there." She turned and pointed to the corner but the girl was no longer there, only a large garbage bin sat there.

Willow looked to over to the corner seeing nothing but the grey garbage bin, "What girl? Buffy, are you sure you're okay?" she placed her hand on Buffy's forehead to check her temperature.

"I'm fine!" Buffy shrugged Willow's hand off, "but she was right there!" she stood on her tiptoes and scanned the halls finding nothing that even remotely resembled the girl. "Something weird is going on." The now familiar sinking feeling she got whenever trouble was coming, made an appearance in her stomach.

"Something bad?" Willow questioned with a worrying tone creeping into her voice, knowing that the slayer never acted like this unless something was big.

"I don't know." Buffy grabbed the red head's hand and lead her out of the building, "May be Giles can make sense of this."


"Come on! Give me the bloody remote!" Spike shouted trying to snatch the tv remote away from Giles. "I'm going to miss 'Passions'! I want to see if Theresa can manage to come up with another lie to convince that ninny Ethan that she has a boyfriend and if Tabitha and Timmy can finally get rid of that brat Charity."

"Oh sod off! This is my home and we will watch what I choose to watch!" the librarian retorted holding the tv remote out of the vampire's reach. "I refuse to watch some half-baked soap opera which you are so obviously obssessed with!"

The bleach blond vamp growled indignantly and sank back into the worn sofa, arms crossed. "I can still hurt you, you know."

"Oh really? How? You going to try to lick me to death?"

"Getting lazy watcher. You used that line already." Spike snorted smugly.

"Do SHUT U-"

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK. Buffy rapped rhythmically at the door. "Giles! Open up!"

Giles pushed himself off the sofa, keeping the black remote in his right hand. Turning the iron doorknob, he swung open the door the heavy door. "Buffy. You're early. You're almost never early, what's wrong?"

"Ghost." She replied putting her bag down on the counter.

"Could you at least just give me the remote! I'm going to miss Passions!" Spike shouted turning around to face the three standing by the door.

"Shut up Spike. Believe it or not, this is serious." Buffy glared at him angrily.

Spike snorted, "Yeah sure. Everything's serious with you." He continued imitating Buffy in a high voice, "Oh Riley's never going to ask me out, Riley and I can never talk truthfully because I'm a slayer, and oh my life's so sad!"

"Grr!" Buffy growled in her throat and clenched her fists. Giles quickly grabbed the riled slayer's arm before she attacked the blond vampire. "Hey! Let go Giles! I promise there won't be to much blood shed." She said sweetly struggling to get away from Giles.

"Hmph! Like you could." Spike scoffed.

"Why don't we talk outside." Willow intervened quickly.

"Yes, lets." Giles agreed quickly dragging Buffy out of the apartment before she and the vamp could exchange anymore words.

Willow snapped the door shut behind them and they each took a seat at the wrought iron table in the courtyard.

"I hate him! Why can't I just kill him? We got all the information we need. He's useless to us now." Buffy shouted in frustration. "All he does is talk and talk and talk. He is so....UGH!" she pounded her fist on the table, startled the Briton.

"Buffy, calm down." Willow patted Buffy cautiously on the back. "Don't let him bug you."

Giles took off his glasses and pulled out a crisp white handkerchief, wiping the lenses absently, "I swear you to act like an old married couple."

"Hmph! Me," she put her hand on her chest, "married to THAT?" she gestured to the apartment, "Yeah right, that's not even funny Giles."

"Yes well I'm not a comedian. Besides, I take it you did come here to just bicker with Spike, hmm? No what this ghost were you talking about?" Giles folded the handkerchief carefully tucking it away into the front pocket of his polo shirt and pushed his glasses on squinting slightly.

Buffy sank back into the uncomfortable chair, "I don't know what ghost. Like it's this girl, she's like chinese or something and she was in my dream last night too."

"Your dream?" Giles questioned scratching his chin gently converting into watcher mode. "Was it prophetic?"

"I wasn't sure at first, I mean I thought it was just the pizza I ate before bed, but then when I walked out of psych class I saw her again."

"Do you see her as well Willow?"

"Uh uh." She shook her head, "I wasn't with her."

"Interesting. Hmm. Well what did she looked like?"

"Well like I said, she was oriental, she had like long dark hair, dark eyes, and she had on this old style gown like I wore on Halloween. Oh! And she was wearing a gold necklace with a carved cross on it." Buffy recalled. "And she was also warning me about something evil coming, but she wouldn't say who, and then later in my dream black shroud came at me with a sword and I couldn't my feet. It was way creepy. I was helpless."

"She doesn't sound familiar to me nor does the demon you mention, but why don't we do some research tonight and see if we can find any mention of her and the demon. The sun should be down in a few minutes so instead of you going patrolling I'll send out Xander and Spike, we'll need you identify the girl and the demon." Giles stood up from the table and stretched his arms.

"Xander and Spike?" Willow asked uncertainly. "Those two will kill each other! Besides how do we know Spike won't run off. He's not exactly reliable."

"Yeah," Buffy agreed, "He won't kill his 'friends'"

"Well right now we are Spike's only means of survival. He can't fight and he can't feed, so he knows better than to run off." Giles explained.

"And the Xander problem?" Willow asked. "Those two are almost as bad as Buffy and Spike." She looked pointedly at the blonde.

Buffy sat up straight, "Hey!"

Giles and Willow ignored her, "We'll just have to hope for the best won't we?"

"I guess. Let's assemble the scooby gang." Willow managed to say cheerfully.


Faith may be defined briefly as an

illogical belief in the occurrence of

the impossible.

~ H.L. Mencken


Part Two 

"I can't believe they forced me to come out here patrolling!" Spike griped broodily, "and with you no less." He glared at his bumbling companion, Xander.

Xander stood indignantly with his hands on his hips, "Look buddy, I would much rather be inside researching with everyone else than be out here with you," he jabbed his index finger into Spike's chest, "But unfortunately we are stuck out here patrolling, so why don't you just keep your distance and not talk." He glared at the vampire, daring him to make a response.

"Whatever." The vamp rolled his blue eyes mockingly.

"Good." Xander strode further away from the new designated "deadboy". Stupid vamp he thought. "Oof!" His sneaker clad foot caught on an exposed dark tree root tripping most ungracefully over it, and landed hard on his chest.

Spike rubbed the bridge of his nose groaning, "Oh bloody hell." He shook his head at the fallen Xander and strolled away with his hands in the pockets of his leather duster. 'I can't believe this. I'm William the Bloody for god's sakes and I'm stuck in this hell hole helping the slayer and her half-wit friends.' "Arr!" He kicked a discarded coke can into the bushes surrounding a stone mausoleum in frustration. "This is bloody large pile of . . . SHIT!"

"Uh uh uh. Temper, temper." A voice sounded from above him. Sitting in the crook of a large, twisted willow tree was the girl, the ghost, hidden in the shadows. Her red skirt draped off the branches and swayed in the cold wind.

Spike's head snapped up. "What the hell?!" His squinted in the darkness of the tree's shadows trying to see the owner of the soft voice. He slowly walked in closer, his duster blew back as he neared the tree. He felt drawn towards it, as if it had an invisible string tied about him. The image of the girl grew clearer and he saw her with her arms crossed across her chest, her whole body slightly translucent in the moonlight. He blinked twice and shook his head, I must be imagining things, he thought. He glanced up again and she remained perched in the crook of the branches. "What the HELL, is going on here?!" he demanded.

Xander climbed to his feet and dusted the specks of dirt and leaves off his khakis muttering incoherently. "Hey! Where'd that vamp go?" He looked around the cemetery and ruffled his brown hair. He spotted the vampire standing below an old willow tree, "How'd he get that far." Xander slowly jogged over to Spike and tapped him on the shoulder sharply. "What are you looking at?" he panted slightly from the the minimal exertion.

"What?" Spike spat glaring at Xander venomously.

Xander raised his eyebrows and jumped back instinctively, "What's your problem?"

"You." He muttered under his breath. Glancing up at the twisted branches he saw nothing. No girl, not even a bird. "Damn it! She's gone!" Reaching for a sturdy branch above his head, he stealthily pulled his lithe body up into the tree without any sign of strain. He searched avidly among the long branches to see if she still remained in the tree.

"Hey what are you doing?" Xander questioned, puzzled over the vampire's stranger than usual behaviour. 'This guy just gets weirder and weirder'.

"Ugh!" Spike jumped down from his perch and landed gracefully beside Xander. "Gone. Fuck."

"Whoa! Watch the language buddy." Xander chided in his best mothering tone.

Spike's jaw clenched with anger, "Let's go. We're done patrolling for EVER!" With that, he sprinted off, not slowing down as he pommeled himself over the low limestone walls surrounding the cemetery.

"More running?" Xander complained chugging off behind Spike.


"Well, well, well. So this is what's become of the earth." A demon growled from the edge of a forested area on the outskirts of Sunnydale. A long, layered, black hooded cloak covered it whole leaving only its glowing yellow eyes visible. It's eyes held a flame of evil behind them. "So many changes here, but still a slayer remains. Show me her." A swirl of blue light exploded from his fingers becoming a floating screen of light. "Show me." Colours of blood red and indigo spun hypnotically forming a blurry image that grew clearer to show the blonde slayer. "Hmm, that girl is pint sized yet she has incredible power. No matter, I'll destroy her all the same." It snapped its fingers and the screen vaporized into nothingness. "She has never met my kind of power before, and she'll stand helpless. I have been denied the blood of a slayer for far too long." It stalked along the edge of the trees in the night shadows. "I will gut her open and drink her blood and it shall me impervious and invincible. I will rule this town and then the world and all shall tremble before me." Laughing with venom it turned and vanished deep into the forest. "Pity those poor fools. They have no idea that their measly lives shall be erased."


"Hey Will, find anything 'bout that demon?" Buffy looked over Willow's shoulder studying the glowing computer screen.

Willow sighed tiredly, leaning back against the hardwood chair back, "Nope. Nothing but some not so helpful info. Any luck with finding out who the girl is?"

The slayer snapped shut the leather bound book she was flipping through, shaking her head, "Ten books and not one thing!" She propped up her elbow on the tabletop resting her head on her hand. "It's like this girl is non-existent. You know may be she's just like something from my imagination."

Willow smiled sympathetically, "Don't get discouraged Buff. She probably does exist. We just have to find her. Here," she reached over to a brown book resting on the shelf beside her, "may be you can find something in here."

"Ohh," Buffy groaned tiredly rubbing her eyes, "I don't have the energy to even open this book. May be Giles found something."

The two girls exchanged a look, "GILES!" They shouted in unison.

Giles immerged from his own personal library in his darkened room with several weathered journals. "Yes? What's the problem?"

"We're coming up with nothing," Buffy explained, "In fact we're coming up with less than nothing. We've got zilch!"

Willow rose from her seat in front of her black laptop and made her way through the masses of books lying on the hardwood floor to Giles' side and selected a book from his arms, "What are these? The watcher diaries?" She opened the cover and gingerly touched the paper yellowed by age.

Pushing his glasses back up with his index finger, he nodded, "Yes, they are. Some watchers are exceedingly longwinded and not to mention incapable of writing legibly." He placed the pile carefully on the table among the books Buffy had discarded and took the one at the top. Engraved upon its leather cover was the owner's name, Blair Thomas, in gold leaf.

"Who da thunk it." Buffy laughed raising her eyebrows. "Hey! Giles where's yours? I've never even seen it."

Giles cocked his head and looked sternly at the blonde, "And for a very good reason. It's kept far, far away where you can't read it."

"Hmph! Fine." Buffy stood and groaned as she stretched her legs, cramped from sitting for a long time. She walked past the table and plucked a diary from the pile. Plopping down on the sofa, she sighed at the softness of the furniture.

"Move over Buff." Willow mumbled sitting down beside her, engrossed in the writings of the book. Her fingers grazed over the lines written in the most beautiful slanted cursive, telling of all the slayer's exploits under the advisement of the watcher.

Buffy was having a more difficult time with her reading and she frowned at the pages, "Hrm. This guy's got ink blotchies all over the page." She slowly flipped through the pages of the diary trying to decipher the poor excuse for writing. "Giles, what's a somnambulist?"

"Hmm?"

"A somnambulist."

"Oh, it's a sleepwalker."

"I see. Why didn't they just say that?" She turned back to the book and wrinkled her nose at the words. "Oh eww! This is disgusting! This watcher says here that there was this guy in like the 16th century who was a sleepwalker and while he was asleep he walked around the town and ate raw pig brains. Ick!"

Willow expression was one of distaste. She tried to block the gruesome image out of her mind, "Gross squared."

"Oh!" Giles exclaimed completely oblivious to what Buffy had just said flipped through the diary in his hand stopping abruptly on a dog-eared page. "No wait, wait, wait.... Yes, Buffy, is this the girl you've been seeing?" Giles pushed out his chair, which screeched loudly against the floor and walked over to the two girls sitting on the sofa. He perched on the arm and held the diary in front of her eyes.

She took the old and creased diary from Giles' hands looked at the small but defined portrait drawn in ink on the open page. It was of the girl. Only in the sketch she smiled happily, unlike the solemn girl Buffy saw. "Yeah that's her. Who is she?" she handed the book back to Giles.

"Oh dear." Giles once again rubbed the bridge of his nose unconsciously, "This," he paused, "is Alyssa Standish, she lived around the 19th century. She was also the strongest vampire slayer in history."


And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

~unknown


Part Three

"A slayer?" Buffy's mouth hung agape, eyes wide open, as did Willow's.

"Yes. She was the strongest slayer ever activated, until you of course." Giles leaned against the window, a thoughtful expression on his face. "I can't believe I didn't think of her. I haven't heard much about her, the council was pretty quiet about her for some reason. I don't believe I've even read this diary."

Buffy closed the diary she was reading and looked over to Giles. "What happened to her?"

"She was killed by a vampire I believe." Giles moved over to the sofa and sat between Willow and Buffy. "Let's see here." He flipped over the page and breathed deeply. "Hmm... well she was born to Chinese parents who immigrated to England when she was about 4. Her parents died not soon after they immigrated and she was taken in by a wealthy couple who lived near Manchester. They found her by the side of a dirt road."

"Umm Giles, could you give us some useful information. 'Cuz I don't think that how she was adopted will help us figure out anything." Buffy said attempting to take the book away from Giles unsuccessfully.

Giles looked at her disapprovingly, "Be patient Buffy. Now where was I?" Buffy rolled her eyes. "Ah yes, here we go. She grew up accepted by the townspeople because of her adoptive parents stature, and was actually bright, studying in a prestigious private school for girls."

"Ugh! That's it Giles! We don't need to know all this stuff!" Buffy quickly snatched the book form his hands. She hastily skimmed the pages, before coming to a stop on one of Thomas' first entries. "Aha! Here is what we in America call 'useful' information." She spoke pointedly, earning a mocking smirk from Giles. Resting the aged diary on her lap, she began reading the watcher's entry.


November 21st, 1897

It is the eve of the new slayer's 15th birthday. I have been instructed by the council to hold watch and wait until tomorrow to call her as a slayer. She's nothing more than a wisp of a girl, hard to believe that she will become one of the strongest slayers ever. Nevertheless, Alyssa Standish is destined to be the new slayer, but a slayer with a horrible fate.

Blair Thomas


Buffy came to the end of the entry, and all three sat wordlessly, yet eager to continue on to the next entry. Gingerly, she turned the page and began to read.


November 22nd, 1897

Today was the day and I approached her in the woods behind her manor. She was wary at first, much like all slayers when they are first called, and tried to walk away. I continued on, attempting anything to convince her of her new responsibility and she eventually gave in, quite reluctantly might I add.

I decided to test the extent of her strength and abilities, and threw some punches and kicks her way. She blocked every last one and followed up with a roundhouse kick that literally sent me airborne. I can only hope that she will be able to use her strength effectively against the evils.

Blair Thomas


"Hmm . . . this is almost the same thing that happened with me," Buffy stated with a low chuckle, "Only Merrick threw a knife at my head." She smiled at the memory though unsure of why she remembered it so fondly.

"That must have been fun." Willow elbowed her lightly.

Buffy smirked, "Hardly."

"Aren't you forgetting about how you nearly went into shock after I showed that book your first day at Sunnydale High?" Giles inquired trying to hold back a laugh.

"Haha, Giles. Very droll." Buffy said turning back to the diary, "Well let's what else this watcher had to say . . . er write . . . oh whatever." She skipped past several entries with disregard, not seeing anything of interest. She paused as she came across an entry bookmarked by a red ribbon.

"What's that?" Willow craned her neck to view the marked entry.

Buffy shrugged, unsure, and once again began to recite the written lines at a moderate pace, soon lost in the words.


January 17th, 1898

I'm proud of Alyssa, in only about 2 moons, she has defeated the master vampire around this area. Her behaviour has been quite unusual, she seems to be growing more despondent with each passing day. She has missed several training sessions, and is neglecting her duties as a slayer somewhat. The fire that she had in her eyes has dimmed, but hopefully it shall spark up once again. And soon. Perhaps her behaviour is related to the prophecy in 'The Book of Spirits'. It was stated that on the blue moon, a magician's apprentice will arrive and aid the slayer with her duties. The blue moon is this very night. I shall hope for the best.

Blair Thomas


Buffy immediately turned to the next entry, without so much as a breath, engrossed in the writings.


January 18th, 1898

He arrived. Just as the prophecy stated, shocking, no? I had hoped he would come and he did. Michael-William Beckham, his name is. Strapping young lad, most likely 23 or 24 in age, he is quite powerful. His magic, his power, emanates from him. He arrived on the seven-0'clock train and had the unlucky misfortune of being attacked by a group of vampires. Thankfully, Alyssa was tracking them, together the two off them staked every last one. Michael-William created fire in his hands and dusted two vampires! Never in my life have I been told of such power being released from an apprentice, let alone a mortal. Hopefully he will prove most helpful in our crusade against the evil forces.

Perhaps with a tad bit of irony, he's boarding at Alyssa's manor. Apparently, he's one of her father's new law clerks, strange I must say. Nevertheless, Alyssa and I conversed with him, told him of the vampires and demons. He accepted their existence easily, though convincing him that a vampire slayer and the Watcher's Council exist proved more difficult. In the end we managed it, and he has agreed to help us. May be he will be able to prevent Alyssa's fate.

Blair Thomas


"Her fate," Buffy murmured quietly.

Willow rubbed her eye unconsciously, "He keeps writing about that."

"Fate." Buffy repeated, "Wait, Giles. Dead fate?"

"Possibly." He responded quietly.

The diary slipped from Buffy's hands landing on the floor with a soft thud. Buffy was overcome with a feeling of familiarity, "That happened to me Giles. The same thing. With the master and that prophecy."

Giles wrapped his arm around her shoulders and squeezed the comfortingly. "Willow, why you continue reading."

Willow nodded somberly, and bent over retrieving the fallen diary, "It's okay Buff. What happened to you is over." She whispered, wishing she could do something to soothe her friend whose eyes watered silently. She turned the pages to one of the later entries, and began to read, her voice shaky.


August 28, 1898

Over the many months, Alyssa and Michael-William have proved to be a formidable team. Vampires have diminished somewhat, and the death toll has lowered, things are as good as they could be. Unfortunately, those two together, have the mental maturity of a small child. They act like your average overprotective brother and the lively younger sister. William has been teaching Alyssa magick; conjuring, telekinesis, and spells. Not good for me though, she hasn't quite grasped how to control the powers but under William's tutelage, she has developed much power. Certainly it will help her fight providing a back up plan, I just hope that she learns how to control the power and stop inflicting pain on me with it.

Blair Thomas


Willow couldn't help but smile at the last line, "Hey Giles," she said, "aren't you happy that I have control over my powers and spells?"

Buffy's eyes danced with amusement, "Control Willow? Are you forgetting a certain spell that had me in love with Spike?" she smiled at the thought of the bleached blond vampire . . . with the beautifully sculpted cheekbones and mischieviously cocky grin . . . his image was beginning to form in her mind and she hastily reprimanded herself, 'Whoa Buff, this is Spike you're thinkin' about. Bad thoughts. Bad.'

"No, I have not forgotten about that," Willow stated, "but I apologized profusely and baked you lots of cookies, so let's not think about that again. Let's keep reading."

"Good idea, " Giles smiled thankful Buffy seemed to be perking up once again.


November 2, 1898

I have been sensing evil approaching, and I fear that it may take Alyssa. Savage killings have been sweeping the country side, two vampires. We have been researching day and night but we still have no idea who they might be. The only piece of information we do know is that they are a male and a female. Quite helpful, no? But alas that is not all that's been troubling me. Alyssa has been having nightmares of a demon with glowing yellow eyes and the two vampires, she tells me that she can't move. The demon stands far in the distance, only its eyes visible, as does the female vampire. Alyssa tries to get away from the male vampire only to run into another one. And she can't fight him. It bites her and starts to drain her blood and then she wakes up. She says that their faces are obscured by the mist and she cannot identify them. I am scared, her dreams always come true, not once have they proved false. I cannot even fathom what Michael-William and I shall do should she die.

Blair Thomas


Willow proceeded on to the next entry, saddened by the words woven by the watcher, as were Buffy and Giles.

Buffy felt as though a weight sat on her chest, she didn't want to hear anymore . . . but she did simultaneously. She met her friend's eye and motioned for her to continue.


November 21st, 1898

It has come on the eve of her birthday. The two vampires have made their way to our small town. They made their move last night, and fortunately were unsuccessful. Alyssa and Michael-William were walking through the alleyways and were approached by the two vampires who kept their faces hidden by cloaks. They both arrived on my doorstep battered and out of breath, and told me everything. They were fighting an unwinnable fight, neither side gaining the upper hand for long the vampires were too strong, so they ran. I bought out my weapons chest and armed them each with swords, crossbows, holy water, everything you could ever imagine. Michael-William even presented Alyssa with a gold cross, engraved on the back were the words, 'Don't Die'. After the attack, he thought that it might be better that he give it to her now. Of course Alyssa laughed and told us both that she is not going to die, but it still doesn't stop me from worrying.

Blair Thomas


She turned to the next entry, "This is the last one. Last entry." She turned the pages quickly all of them blank after the entry.

"Let me read it." Buffy said softly.

Willow nodded slowly and handed the diary to Buffy, who sat rigid and stoic.

She studied the yellowed page, the ink was blotched by Thomas' tears presumably. The page was crinkled by the watcher's pain.


November 23rd, 1898

It is all over. She is gone. I still cannot believe it, it all happened so quickly and on the day predicted, Alyssa's 16th birthday. I'm unsure of what exactly happened, she forced me to go into hiding when the vampires struck, but learned enough from the aftermath. The male vampire, he turned Michael-William. He was absent from the meeting we had planned to decide how we should go about killing the vampires, so Alyssa went back to her home. She found William, but he was already turned. The male and the female were there with him and they had killed all the maids and her parents and she came running back to my home on horseback. She told me to perform a spell that would 'uninvite' Michael-William from my house. She took one of the Celtic spellbooks, and I asked why she was taking it. She simply told me 'I'm going to try and bring him back.' I suppose that it might have been one of the spells that the two of them were creating to make vampires human again. And she left. I don't really know what happened after that, all I saw was the out come. I found her dead the next morning in the manor's gardens. Her blood was drained, and her face ashen. She hardly even resembled the slayer I trained. Dried blood and bruises covered her arms and face, she was gone and I ran. Ran back to the council and resigned. I don't know where I'll go, but anything is better than having to go back and bury her, she was like a daughter to me, and I can't put her in the ground.

Faithfully,

Blair Thomas


Silent tears ran down Buffy's face, and realization dawned on her, "Oh god. Can't believe we didn't realize."

Willow's brow furrowed, "Realize, what?"

"Good god." Giles took off his glasses and rubbed his temples, "Michael-William is-"

"Spike." Buffy finished, closing the journal. "William the Bloody. He killed . . . he killed-"

"Alyssa." Spike's accented voice sounded from the doorway, Xander standing behind him, quiet for once.

Buffy turned around, and stood clutching the diary tightly in her small hands, "Spike. Didn't hear you come in."

A lump rose in his throat, remembering the dead slayer, his friend, his victim, and the reason it was impossible for him to kill Buffy. "You are just like her you know." He bit his lip and tried to hold back the tears that welled in his sad blue eyes.

Giles rose off of the sofa nervously, and walked over to the kitchen counter. He poured a cup of tea, spilling it over the edges, unable to keep his hand steady. Hastily, he grabbed a cloth and wiped the lukewarm liquid.

"You," Spike said, "remind me of her."

Buffy pursed her lips, "Really? You going to kill me too?"

"That's not fair slayer. You don't know the whole story."

"I heard enough." She replied stiffly. "You killed her, that's all there is to it."

"You don't know anything."

"Neither do I," Xander spoke up, completely confused, "What's going on? Who died?"

"Xander . . ." Willow motioned for her best friend to sit on the sofa, "shh. Tell you later."

He nodded though confused, and hurriedly made his way to Willow and sat down.

Buffy and Spike remained with their eyes locked, "Then why don't you tell us what happened." She stated emotionless.

"Fine! You want to know what happened." Spike growled, tears beginning to fall, "I'll tell you."

To be continued…

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