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When they reappeared, they were surrounded by snow again. And mountains. And ski cabins.
"Dis is Colorado." Kendra informed them. She pointed to a large cabin, and they went from the snowy mountains to a warm, cozy room.
"This is better than how Ms. Calendar got around!" Xander quipped, rubbing his eyes absentmindedly.
"Mommy! Daddy!" Came two voices. Two small boys bounded down the stairs behind the ghosts and ran to a couch. There they shook the couple that had fallen asleep on it awake. "Mommy! Daddy! Santa came! He left us chocolate, and" one boy stopped so the other could continue. ", And toys, and money!" The couple on the couch smiled at their sons and got up.
"Oh, Cordelia!" proclaimed the young woman, looking through the ghosts behind them. The spun around and Angel was the first to ask, "That's Cordelia?"
At the base of the stairs stood a teenage girl with flowing brown hair who was smiling at the behind the ghosts.
"Weird, huh? She has no make-up and that robe's not one-of-a-kind!" Xander tried to laugh at his joke, but his eyes were transfixed on his girlfriend.
"I'm going to speed dis up. And Xander? You have a string of drool down your chin." Kendra informed him. She clapped her hands and the scene with the boys, the parents and Cordelia sped up. Kendra clapped her hands again, and now the room had more people in it: an elder woman sitting on a walker, the young couple and the boys, an elder couple (obviously Cordelia's parents) and Cordy herself holding an unwrapped present. She pulled out a dark blue, pink and purple knitted sweater and held it up.
"Oh Nana, I love it!"
"I knitted it myself!" The old women replied, smiling through chapped lips and gums. Kendra waved her hand behind Cordelia, the air rippled, and suddenly her voice could be heard.
'I wish I could actually wear it to school. It's so beautiful and Nana spent so much time on it! I wonder what everyone's doing at home…I wonder what Xander's doing…' Xander's eyes went wide. "She wonders what I'm doing? I'm floating around in my pajamas behind her with a dead slayer, Dead-boy, and our two friends!"
"Come. Let's go see someone else, shall we?" Angel, Buffy, Xander and Willow held hands again and there was the colored light, then they disappeared. Cordelia looked behind her to the stairs. "Did you guys hear something?"
"Like what, darling?" Cordelia's mother asked.
"I thought I heard X-some one say my name. Oh well."
They reappeared in another warm room, but this one wasn't as happy as Cordelia's cabin. The windows were covered in a black shroud and the only light came from a fireplace, in front of which were two figures.
"Is this place giving you the wiggins too, guys?" Buffy asked, uncomfortably holding her arms to her chest and looking around.
"W-why is a vampire over there?" inquired Willow, pointing to the demonic figure in the corner.
"Luv, can I open my presents now?" asked a female's British accent.
"In a minute pet. They just have to get wrapped." Replied a male's voice.
"Goody. I hope Santa brought me what I've asked for. I was a good girl, I ate all my cake and drank all my tea…" the girl looked behind her so the five by the other wall could see her face, and their eyes popped and their mouths hung wide.
"Drusilla?! What the hell are we doing at Drusilla's?!" Buffy demanded.
"Showing you not only humans celebrate Christmas."
"Isn't Christmas technically religious?" Willow asked, her voice high with fright.
"What is it, pet?" Spike spun around and started playing with her hair.
"Don't you feel it? The power? We are being haunted. By daddy and the slayer…" Dru dawdled, closing her eyes.
"Dru, the slayer's not dead. Neither is Angel, well, permanently anyway."
"Sure, make fun of my living status you peroxide-high son of a- "
"-Angel?" Buffy questioned, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Sorry." Angel apologized.
"I found you." Drusilla called. They looked back and saw Drusilla draw close. She walked along the line of ghosts and revealed who it was. "The red girl, pretty thing. Her hair reminds me of strawberries. The boy. His big ears made me laugh."
"What's wrong with my ears?" Xander asked, putting his hands to his lobes.
"Then there's the slayer. Again. Stupid thing, she ruined our ceremony. And here's-" Dru smiled as she closed in on Angel. She grabbed him by the arm of his coat and flung him into the room. "-Daddy!"
"Angel!" Buffy dove after him and ran into Dru's back, knocking her down too.
"Is there ever a day when we don't have to kill vampires?" Xander sighed, jumping onto the floor.
"I thought Christmas was supposed to be a happy day!" Willow said, following him. Angel got up, and along with Buffy, backed up to Xander and Willow.
"Kendra, why can they see us?" Buffy asked behind her.
"I know I'm supposed to fade, but not this quickly. Hold on, I'll get us out of here…" Kendra replied, unseen to any of them.
"And the other slayer. Is your throat okay, luv? I hope you like the after-life." Drusilla dawdled again.
"Because your friends are going to join you." Spike finished. He was vamped-out and advancing.
"Kendra!" yelled the four as Spike dove for Buffy. But she disappeared before he reached her, along with the others.
"What the bloody hell was that?!" Spike demanded, getting back up and looking for his prey. Drusilla pouted and started crying fakely. "Oh Dru. Don't worry, let's go open those presents." Dru looked up happily. "Goody!"
"That was close!" Buffy sighed when they materialized in another large room. This one had another fireplace, the fire burning bright. The light reflected off a brilliant crystal chandelier in the middle of the ceiling. By the fireplace was a beautiful Christmas tree lit with small candles. Buffy, Xander and Willow walked around in amazement at the room. In one corner was a case that could be opened, and inside was a thick and dusty book marked "Watcher sign-in" in elegant gold letters.
"So this is the watcher retreat." Xander observed. A door closed down the hall, startling them.
"Yes. Merry Christmas to you two, Iris." Said a voice. Then there were soft footsteps and through the corridor to the left came a man in a tweed vest and pants.
"Does Giles know of anything else than tweed?" Kendra asked.
"Nope. Never has, never will." Xander replied as Giles walked towards them. He brushed Angel just barely and stood in front of the tree, gazing at the light and smiling.
"I always loved Christmas here." The librarian said to himself. "Perhaps when Buffy outgrows her slaying, I'll move back." Giles chuckled to himself and started for another hall, passing through his slayer. The air rippled around them as he stepped through her transparent body, and he stopped and turned around to face the opposite hall. "Odd. There's nothing there. Unless…" Giles stuck his hand out and touched Buffy. Her eyes went wide and she slapped his hand, making it recoil. Giles looked frightened for a second, but shook his head and turned back headed down the hall. "Too many late nights researching, that's it. No sleep." He mumbled to himself as he turned into another hall and disappeared.
"Giles is moving back to England?" Willow asked to no one.
"He said 'perhaps' Will." Buffy replied, walking to them. "What happened. Why did the air to that shudder thing?"
"My powers are weakening. My time must be almost up." Kendra told her, gesturing to the fact, like Ms. Calendar, she had grown slightly transparent.
"What happens after your powers go?" Xander asked.
"I leave, and da Third comes."
"What's 'the Third'?" Angel inquired, adjusting his leather jacket on his shoulders.
"Da last ghost. Da Ghost of Christmas Yet-To-Come." The slayer replied,
fading with each second. "We've got to get going, unless you four want
to spend Christmas with Giles and the other watchers." The others shook
their heads, saying "Uh-uh. No way." and Kendra told then to hold each
other's hands, tightly. She clapped her hands repeatedly before the
colored light enveloped them. She continued to clap until they
dissipated intirely.