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Part 2
Stefanie lay peacefully in bed, staring at one wall while waiting for sleep to catch her. During this, she mused on how good life was. She was filled with romantic concepts, mostly due to the wedding ceremony or thoughts of Rhys or the baby. Then, with a smile playing at her lips, she closed her eyes, surrendering to the dream that awaited her.
It began more as a nightmare, in which Stefanie found herself standing in a darkened alley somewhere in Sunnydale, dressed in a sheer white gown. Looking around, she was horrified to find her surroundings in ruins: the street full of cracks and huge gaping holes, the brick walls of the buildings crumbled and worn. Plus, there were all sorts of awful noises going on around her: screaming, sobbing, and a roaring sound she couldn't determine the source of. Stefanie covered her ears to drown it out, tears coming to her eyes.
It was over in the same instant that someone touched her arm gently from behind. With a start, Stefanie turned to look at the surprise vistitor, instantly feeling an ache in her heart. "Rhys!" she cried, her blue eyes filled with love and sadness as they drank in the sight of him. "Oh, my God... How can you be here?!"
Rhys wrapped his arms around her, comforting her. "I said I'd always be with you," he reminded. "As long as you kept me in your heart." Pulling away, he put one hand to her face. "You've done very well for yourself, my darling Stefanie, since I saw you last."
She nodded. "I have everything I've ever wanted," she admitted, running her hands through his dark brown hair and reveling in the feel of him. "Except you... Rhys, I've missed you so much!"
"I've missed you too. More than you'll ever know," Rhys replied, giving her a long and passionate kiss. "But I don't have much time... Stefanie, you... you and everyone you love is in great danger."
Stefanie shook her head. "What do you mean? What kind of danger?" she asked fearfully.
Rhys put one hand to her face. "A very dark cloud is descending on Sunnydale, one that threatens to demolish the town and everyone in it," he replied. "More than ever, you and Buffy and the others are to work as a team if you hope to stop it. But be prepared to make a great sacrifice for it."
Stefanie shook her head, her hands resting on his chest. "How do you know all this?"
Rhys smiled faintly. "I can see it," he replied, wishing he could better prepare her for the events to come. But how could you tell the woman you love that she or one of her friends was likely to die? Taking one of her soft hands firmly between both of his, he added, "I am glad I was given this honor to see you once more, Steffi. I wish I could come back again to aid you through this, but that, unfortunately, isn't possible... Just know that I'll be praying for you with all my might. I love you, Stefanie Marks."
She nodded painfully, leaning her forehead against his. "I love you," she whispered back, her lips finding his a moment later. It felt so good to hold him, and to be held by him, that Stefanie never wanted to let go. It felt so real, this dream, so that when she awoke at last, an overwhelming sense of loneliness caught her and stubbornly refused to let go.
Stefanie spent a few moments reflecting on the poignancy of it, then remembered Rhys' words of foreboding. Abruptly, she threw off the covers, got quite awkwardly to her feet, and walked softly but quickly through the apartment to wake Giles and Jenny...
Across town, at this exact same moment, Buffy also awoke with a start, sitting up in bed and looking around with wide eyes as she shook off the last vestiges of her dream. Angel's eyes opened immediately and he gave her a curious but alarmed look. "Buffy, what is it?" he asked, scooting into a sitting position beside her.
Buffy took another second to get her bearings, then turned to him, looking upset. "I... I was dreaming," she said haltingly. "About my mom." Buffy paused, then leaned over and hugged him frantically, as if he might disappear otherwise. "Angel... She said she came to warn me, said something terrible was lying in store for us."
Angel remained silent a moment, just holding her as she began quietly sobbing, her body shaking from fear. Kissing the side of her neck, he whispered, "It's okay. It was just a dream."
Buffy pulled away, shaking her head. "No," she said. "It was real. Angel, it was her! I know it. And..." She shook her head again, then gazed up into his worried brown eyes. "She said a very dark cloud was descending over Sunnydale."
Angel groaned slightly, ready to deliver a stream of facts over why this dream couldn't be classified as prophetic when the phone rang. Gently, he pulled away from his wife, reaching for the receiver. "Hello?"
Buffy, meanwhile, wrapped her arms around herself, listening in silence to Angel's side of the conversation. After a moment, she turned to look at him, instantly troubled by the conflicting emotions that were playing out over his face. Finally, Angel said something like, "We'll meet you at the library in half an hour," and hung up the phone.
Then, Angel turned to her and said, "That was Giles... It appears that both he and Stefanie have just had similar dreams." He paused, reaching for her hand and providing a little comfort. "We should get dressed. They'll be expecting us," he added offhandedly.
"Right," Buffy said, somehow managing to stand and walk to the dresser. *Why does this always happen?* she wondered as she grabbed a dress to throw on. *Whenever things seem to be going perfectly, there's some new disaster thrown in our faces... Will we ever get a break, or will this be a permanent thing?* Aloud, she said, "So much for the honeymoon."
Despite himself, Angel smirked. "Slay first, vacation later," he joked in an attempt to lighten the mood and was pleased when it brought about the desired effect. He and Buffy dressed quickly, then exited via the entrance to the underground tunnels, slowly making their way to Sunnydale High School and whatever new catastrophe awaited...
They met up with Cordelia, Willow, and Xander, or, as Buffy had dubbed them, The Slayerette Trio, outside the school library. As they entered through the swinging double doors, Buffy was surprised to learn that Xander, too, had had a dream resembling hers, raising the count to four people who shared the same vision. The whole gang got right down to business, settling into their places around the library. To start it off, Buffy gave a detailed description of her dream, listening as Stefanie, Giles, and Xander confirm that, save for the messenger, it was exactly identical to theirs. (For the Watcher, it had been his father, and for Xander, a childhood friend named Jesse.)
With a sigh, Buffy leaned forward, resting her hands on the balcony railing and throwing an anxious glance at the patch of sunlight shining in through the window. "So, where does this leave us, exactly?" she asked. "Doing the usual research as to what we're facing?"
Next to her, Angel shook his head. "No, this isn't the kind of thing we can research. I'd been doing some reading to determine whether or not it was safe for us to leave Sunnydale right now and... The point is, this isn't something that's been foretold. It's a purely random event."
"So, what do we do?" Willow asked quietly, one hand resting on her enlarged stomach. Experiencing a mild thrill at feeling her baby kick, she added, "I mean, how do we fight the unknown?"
"Simple," Buffy replied. "We don't have to... As soon as the sun sets, I'll go out and pound information out of any vampire I can find."
Angel took Buffy aside, a worried look on his face. "Now, honey, let's not be hasty," he said. "You know, there are better ways to get a vampire to talk other than using violence... What I mean is, I think I should be the one to go out for information. The locals, especially the newbies, fear me more than you, and I can be very persuasive when it comes to loosing lips." After a pause, her new husband added, "Besides, I don't want you getting hurt in case something goes wrong."
Buffy sighed, silently conceding to his wishes. She gave a slight nod as an indication, watching as he went back to addressing the group. "I think that under the circumstances, we should all stay in tonight unless it's absolutely necessary to go out."
To this, everyone nodded, agreeing that it was a good plan. Then, Stefanie spoke up, throwing a nervous glance at the clock. "Well, we should call it a day. School's going to start soon, and I know I'll be counted as tardy unless I hurry, which I can't afford." She sighed, looking up at Buffy. "Principal Snyder's been breathing down my neck the past few months, just like you said he would. Plus, he treats my pregnancy like I've committed a major sin!"
Buffy smiled sympathetically. "Well, hang in there, Steffi. Two months from now, you won't have to deal with it again."
Stefanie nodded with a deep sigh, heading for the swinging double doors with Xander and Willow right on her heels. Once they were gone, Buffy turned to Giles. "In the meantime, I think you should pull out all the volumes you have on vampire lore. Be ready for anything, you know?" She paused, taking Angel's hand and watching briefly as Cordelia scurried off for the cellar hidden in the stacks. "We'll be back as soon as the sun sets. And hopefully, it won't take too long to get this threat neutralized..."