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Part One
The two slayers stood back to back, both alert for any move the vampires surrounding them might make. In their present positions, neither Buffy Summers nor Stefanie Marks were left blind to an attack, and that gave them a deadly advantage.
Seeing that none of the vamps in her line of sight were daring to advance, Buffy turned her head slightly to whisper in Stefanie's ear. "We strike on three... One... Two..."
Before Buffy could finish, one vampire got gutsy enough to come in for the kill. In the blink of an eye, the clever blonde slayer whipped out a stake, plunging it into his chest and watching as he turned to dust.
She quickly looked up at the ones who remained with a smirk. "Well, who wants to go next?" she asked in a cheerful tone. "Don't keep my friend and I waiting."
Buffy and Stefanie killed off their remaining adversaries one by one, eleven in total. That done, the two girls relaxed and moved to face each other. "You did good," Buffy told her young/old friend. "And we get better at this every time. Another year, and we may even get to retire permanently."
Stefanie looked up, blue eyes shining. "That'll be the day!" she said with a laugh. "Do you really think that would happen?"
Buffy smiled. "With all the bloodsuckers we've dusted, it just possibly might." She took a deep breath. "And after that, we could concentrate on finding a way of making you and Angel mortal again."
Stefanie felt thrilled at that thought, for she would give anything to be freed from a life as a vampire. And a slayer, for that matter. She had never asked for nor wanted either role, and the possibility of a normal life appealed to her greatly.
Stefanie had been made a vampire almost forty years ago, but it was her status as a slayer that set her apart from the rest. She had both retained her humanity and been powerful enough to prevent the demon from taking her. She still had a need for blood though, but minus the instinct to take a human life.
Angel, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky, as his soul was given back to him through a gypsy curse but he still remained a demon at the core. He had been struggling with the two conflicting sides for as long as Stefanie had known him.
Buffy, however, was madly in love with Angel, and vice versa. According to her, Angel was gaining better control of his instincts the more time they spent together. Stefanie guessed it was better than nothing though.
She and Buffy began to walk to their car then, deciding to call it a night. As they wandered into the nearby parking lot, Stefanie found herself thinking of Rhys, the kind, tortured young man she had become romantically involved with a few months back.
Their doomed-from-the-start relationship had begun when Rhys had approached her in a night club with an offer to dance. It had been love at first sight for her.
It broke her heart later when she discovered that he was a vengeful spirit brought back from the dead (by a crow of all things) to slay the three vampires who had murdered him and his family years earlier. When Rhys had finished what he had meant to, he'd had no choice but to go back where he belonged.
As if picking up on her friend's sad memories, Buffy pulled over to the side of the road, shifting into park and looking at her. "You're thinking of him again, aren't you?" she asked softly.
Stefanie nodded. "I miss him so much, Buffy," she said, looking back at her friend. "More than anyone else I've lost... I never told you, but he was the only guy I ever truly loved. I would give anything just to have a few more precious moments with him."
Buffy smiled slightly as she thought of what could cheer Stefanie up. Changing the subject, she said, "I was going to wait until your birthday next month, but I guess now would be a good time... Look in the glove compartment."
Stefanie hesitated, giving Buffy an odd look, then moved to do so. Slowly, she pulled out the small black velvet case, then opened it.
There lay a beautiful pendant: a rounded smoky quartz crystal held inside an intricate silver bird's claw. Stefanie removed it from the case in awe, tears coming to her eyes as she gazed at it. "It's lovely," she told Buffy.
Buffy smiled. "I found it a few days ago, and I thought it was something you would like, because it reminded me of Rhys. This way, whenever you look at it, you'll always remember the love you two shared."
Stefanie managed a small grin, then asked Buffy to help her put it on. "It was nice of you," she said, lifting her light brown hair so Buffy could work at the clasp. "Thank you so much. I'll never take it off."
The two girls moved to hug each other then, holding one another as if they'd never let go. Finally, Buffy pulled back, shifting into drive and continuing the journey home...
Following his discovery of the dismal forecast, Giles had promptly placed calls to his wife, two of Buffy's friends, and Angel, telling them that he had to see all of them right away. He preferred Stefanie and Buffy to be at this meeting as well, but Angel had informed him that they were out at the moment.
For now, all Giles (and the individuals who had come) could do was sit and wait for the others. But it had been half an hour, and the two slayers were showing no signs of entering the library.
Finally, the conceited Cordelia Chase walked over, facing Giles angrily. "Tell me I did not give up a hot date tonight for nothing!" she snapped, an annoyed look on her pretty face. "I don't even know why I need to be here for this anyway!"
Giles cast a silent concerned glance up at her. He and Cordelia had never gotten along that well, but his revelation tonight made him realize just how much he cared for her. Everyone included in Buffy and Stefanie's circle of friends had become like family to him, and it would hurt Giles to lose even one of them.
At this, Giles decided to clue them in as to what was so urgent. He sat up straight, looking around at everyone. "I invited you here because this concerns all of you," he announced in a soothing British accent. "I don't want to go into details until everyone is present, but suffice it to say that every single one of us is in an equal amount of danger."
That got them into an uproar, and Giles' attempts to calm them proved futile. Even Angel, who had first hinted at the menace, looked concerned. It was the sound of wailing that brought silence among the group, and Angel went to the source: the wicker basket on the table where his and Buffy's baby daughter, Ivory, had been sleeping.
Angel picked Ivory up, holding her close and whispering words of comfort to her. Then, rocking her gently, he glanced at Giles, prepared to speak when the library doors swung open.
Buffy walked in with Stefanie right on her heels, waving a piece of paper in her hand. "Okay, Angel. I got the note you left. Now what's so important?" she blurted out, breaking off when she saw the stricken expressions on her friends' faces.
Buffy froze, a wave of anxiety descending over her. "What is it? What's going on?" she asked fearfully. When no one answered, she fixed her gaze on her mentor. "Giles?"
He took a deep breath, holding up the Codex for her to see. Buffy knew all too well what the book was and what it stood for, and her legs threatened to give out at the sight. Yet somehow, she remained strong.
"What did you find out?" she asked as peacefully as she could, but her voice betrayed how she felt anyway.
Giles paused, then motioned for her to sit down. When she had, he went back to addressing the whole group. "With this particular prophecy, it doesn't say that only Buffy and Stefanie's lives will be in the balance, but also... Well, perhaps I should read it aloud for you all to understand."
Giles cleared his throat, lifting a piece of pale blue stationery to read. He threw glances at the silent, scared faces as he did so, wishing he could take this all away, prevent it from happening, but such thoughts were useless.
"'In this time, the slayers will kill a group of twelve,
And it shall gain the attention of a vampire king.
This king and his mistress will seek out the slayers
With the intention to destroy.
Two friends shall become pawns in a deadly plot
While one slayer falls and the other rises.
In the light of destinies forever altered,
One will die and the other will fade into darkness...'"