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When nothing else plagued her for the next week save for a flu bug that had been sweeping through Sunnydale, Ivory very nearly wrote off the incident as being nothing. However, while on a routine patrol, munching on saltines to soothe her upset stomach, Ivory was caught off guard when it happened again.
She couldn’t be sure of when or how, but sometime during the fight, Ivory noticed when her hands morphed into claws once more, followed by a growth of fur up her arms. She was quick to drive a stake into her opponent’s chest, while he stared at her in disbelief. Afterwards, the Slayer turned her gaze onto herself, more scared than anything else. “God, what’s happening to me?” Ivory murmured, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw it was going away.
When she arrived at home, Ivory shared few words with her family, merely telling them how the evening’s patrol had gone. After, she fled to her room, grabbing her diary from the nightstand and flopping down on her back on the bed. She had just opened her journal, had barely begun to write, when a bout of fatigue caught her.
Ivory yawned, struggling to keep awake and continue putting her thoughts to paper. But the next thing she knew, it was the middle of the night and she was settled comfortably into the mattress, journal lying open across her stomach and the pen held loosely in one hand. As if that wasn’t bad enough, she also felt quite sluggish; it was a miracle her eyes were open at all.
With a moan, Ivory stretched to try and wake herself up a little more, but couldn’t quite lose the feeling of being snug. Drawing in a deep breath, then letting it out again, she sat up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. And she simply sat there, waiting until she felt alert enough to move.
While this was going on, Buffy took the opportunity to enter, carrying a glass of water. “Oh, you’re up,” Ivory’s mother said, alerting the young Slayer.
“Barely,” Ivory replied tiredly, rubbing at her eyes. “Man, I don’t think I’ve ever been this sleepy.”
Buffy set the glass on the nightstand, kneeling across from her daughter in worry. “Well, maybe you should take it easy for a few days. Maybe you’re just not rested up fully from that flu bug. If I’d known, I would have persuaded you to skip patrolling tonight. I could have taken over.”
Ivory half smiled. “Maybe you’re right,” she replied, working her eyes open and fixating on her mother’s face. A pause, then, “This is nice, you know? I like having you fret over my well being. I’m sorry we had to miss so much of it.”
Buffy nodded. “Me too,” she answered, reaching out to touch her daughter’s face. “But I’m glad we have this now... I’ve had a lot of time to imagine what it would have been like to raise you, to play over pretend conversations we would have. But none of that was as good as the real thing.” Buffy leaned forward, hugging Ivory tightly. “Now that I see you face to face, I couldn‘t be more prouder of you, Ivory,” the elder Slayer murmured. “You’ve achieved everything I could have hoped for and more! That gives me some hope, you know, that you’re destined to be better than I was. And that you won’t make my mistakes.”
Ivory bit back tears, feeling a wave of pride at her mother’s confidence in her. “I love you, Mom,” she said at last, stifling a yawn.
“I love you too, sweetie,” Buffy replied, planting a kiss on Ivory’s forehead, then gently pushing her back onto the bed. “Now, you should get some rest. We can talk more tomorrow.”
Ivory nodded, closing her eyes and clasping her mother’s hand for a moment. Drifting off, she was vaguely aware of when Buffy set her journal on the nightstand and left her to sleep and dream...
At the end of the week, Ivory found herself at the Bronze dance club with her friends, minus Kenyon. While Jesse and Risa were up on the dance floor on a date (or, in Risa’s terminology, not-a-date), Hannah and Ivory sat at their usual table, where the young redhead was lending a sympathetic ear to the Slayer.
“Kenyon’s been really upset the past few days more than anything else,” Hannah said in answer to Ivory’s question. “I think he really wanted things to work out between you... Can you believe the guy we used to view as being a sleazebag actually had such a soft spot for you?”
Ivory smiled weakly. “Way to make me feel guilty, Hannah,” she replied gently. Sighing, she added, “I didn’t want to hurt him the way I did. But I couldn’t go on lying, couldn’t keep secrets.” Ivory looked up at her friend. “What did he tell you, about why we broke up?”
Hannah took a quick sip of her cappuccino. “He said it was because of Chase, but he wouldn’t tell me much beyond that... Look, Ivory, you don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to, but I am kind of curious... What happened between you two?”
Ivory’s brow furrowed. “Me and Kenyon, or me and Chase?” she responded.
“You and Chase,” Hannah amended quickly.
Ivory bit her lip, mulling this over, but ultimately decided it might be better to tell Hannah the truth. “We, um... We slept together,” she admitted with difficulty.
Hannah’s eyes widened, her mouth hanging open for an instant. “No way!” she said slowly. “When?! How?!”
Ivory bit her lip, hugging herself uncomfortably. “It’s complicated, Hannah. Let’s just leave it at that... In either case, I couldn’t have screwed up more. I only lost both of them, maybe for good.” She paused, tears appearing at the corners of her eyes. “Everyone’s been telling me that relationships can be wonderful, but they can also hurt, you know? After the mess with Chase and Kenyon, I think I’ll steer clear of dating for a while.”
Hannah reached over, grasping one of Ivory’s hands. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I shouldn’t be so excited about this, I guess.”
Ivory grinned. “You’re just being you,” she assured. “Don’t ever change, Hannah, at least not too much. I might need you as a sounding board quite often the way things are going.”
Hannah smiled as well, casting a glance towards Risa and her brother on the dance floor. “Yeah, especially with the way those two are all over each other. I don’t care what Risa says. I think they’re definitely on their way to couplehood.” Hannah giggled briefly. “Now if only I could get her to admit it...”
“Dare to dream, Hannah,” Ivory replied with a big grin. After a moment, she got her purse, standing up. “Well, I’d better get going. I was gonna do a quick sweep around town, then head for home... How about you? Want to join me?”
Hannah politely declined, saying something about how she was hoping to run into a boy from school here this evening. Ivory teased her about it briefly, then went on her way, exiting the club into the cool night air.
Once again, Ivory did her little morphing act during a routine slaying, but fortunately, it distracted her opponent enough that she was able to slay him in no short order. With a deep sigh, Ivory went to sit on a nearby bench, burying her face in her hands and crying tears of frustration. She didn’t understand what was happening to her, nor did it appear she was going to. *And,* she mused, *I can’t keep this from everyone forever... God, Leeloo thinks she’s a freak just because she sports fangs even in her human facade. So what does that make me?*
Ivory dried her eyes, instantly getting the sense that she wasn’t alone; she could literally feel someone approaching her from behind. Calming herself and moving as quick as lightning, she whipped out a stake, maneuvering to somersault backwards over the bench. She was lucky to catch her prey in the chest with a kick, sure he’d be sprawled on the ground when she landed. However, Ivory was very much surprised when that proved not to be the case.
“Whoa,” the man before her stated, holding up his hands in a sort of surrender. “Let’s not be hasty.” He paused, staring at her with wide eyes. “I’m not a vampire. And believe me, I’m glad for that. You would have made short work of me otherwise.”
Ivory relaxed her stance slightly, eying him in slight suspicion a moment. After all, it wasn’t everyday you ran into someone with an appalling, out-of-date fashion sense. “Dare I even ask who you are,” she said in a slightly haughty tone. “And what’s with the throwback to the seventies outfit if you’re not a demon?”
He smirked slightly. “Never said I wasn’t a demon,” he replied, going on quickly when Ivory raised the stake in a threatening manner. “Cool down, Slayer. I’m one of the good guys. Just here to help.”
“I don’t need your help,” Ivory blurted out, not quite trusting him. “I’ve been managing the past few months fine without it.”
As she turned to walk away, the stranger’s next words froze her in her tracks. “Oh, really? You’re managing so fine that you think you can handle these transformations on your own? Look, kid, I know you’re scared by what’s happening to you. Why else haven’t you told anyone, not even your family?”
Ivory turned back slowly. “What do you know about it?” she asked in a low tone.
He shrugged. “Just what the Powers That Be, or the Fates, if you prefer, tell me. Call me a messenger for them.” A pause, then, “My name’s Whistler, by the way... Anyway, they’ve looked into your future, and they know you’re going to need help. If you continue with the secrecy act, someone’s only going to get hurt.”
Ivory took a step towards him. “If you know what’s happening to me, just spit it out.”
Whistler eyed her seriously. “You were part of a ritual, kid. One that called for the most dangerous of magicks. No mortal could expect to walk away from that unchanged.”
Ivory fought to keep cool, her fear stirring below the surface. “So, what are you saying? That I’m turning into some kind of monster?”
Whistler shook his head. “Not a monster. An immortal, like Chase... You have vampire blood running through your veins now, from three different sources. Your mother, father, and Leeloo. All of them are a part of you, your parents even more so than before... You have power now, kid, power you haven’t even begun to tap into. You’re going to need someone to introduce you to it, to show you how to harness it.”
“And that someone would be you?!”
Again, Whistler shook his head. “Not my place. I’m not exactly the resident expert on shapeshifting.”
Ivory stared at him in disbelief, her fear quickly being replaced by anger. “Great,” she said sarcastically. “Then the Powers That Be only sent me someone who’s wasting my time.”
Whistler stopped her before she could storm off. “I know someone who is... someone who came to me for protection,” he said quickly. “Look, all I can tell you is that she’s a shapeshifter, has been one since birth, and she’s in trouble. Would meet you right now except that she felt it was better to hide out. So, I’m giving you a choice, kid. You can come with me to see her, decide what you want your future to be... or you can go home and keep dealing and hoping you’ll get the nerve to speak up one day.”
Ivory remained silent for a long while, mentally weighing her options. Much as she favored the option to just go home, another part of her argued that she shouldn’t turn her back on an opportunity like this. Looking up, meeting Whistler’s eyes, she said simply, “Show me...”
He ended up escorting her to a rundown factory (Sunnydale had quite a few of them) on the outskirts of town. In a bedroom lit only by scented candles located on the basement level, Ivory got her first glimpse of Gisselle Ryan, the shapeshifter. Gisselle was quite tall and lithe, perhaps in her mid-twenties, with burgundy red hair and navy blue eyes enhancing her otherwise pale features. And, much to Ivory’s surprise, her companion was pregnant as well, perhaps five or six months.
Gisselle was silent for a long while, then, patting her abdomen, started off the conversation with, “My husband’s work. For most married couples, it’d be a blessing. Not for me though. I’m willing to kill the bastard over this, if I had the power.”
Ivory hesitated. “I don’t understand,” she started.
Gisselle shook her head bitterly. “Of course you don’t. I’m sorry. I should be explaining this better.” She sighed, going to sit on the bed. “In short, I married the wrong man. I was in love with him once. He was sweet, charming, at first. But after I got with child, he changed. Into my third month, I got an inkling of the truth... Oh, God...” Another pause, then, “Travis practices black magic, and is in league with some demon or other. I don’t know the name. And that last night was the worst... I wish I could spare you the ugly details, but that’s not possible. Travis came after me with a knife, said he was going to cut the baby out of me as a sacrifice to his lord.” Gisselle’s voice was shaking, and Ivory soon realized that she was as well. Still, Gisselle went on. “I transformed into a panther to escape. Gave him a few bad scratches, but he deserved it, don’t you think? In any case, I spent the next few weeks wandering, trying to stay out of my husband’s path. Yet he always seemed to find me, and I’ve always narrowly escaped.”
Gisselle looked up at Ivory with haunted eyes. “Whistler, an old family friend, picked me up off the streets a few days ago, offered me sanctuary. But, he didn’t feel he could protect me all by himself. He has other obligations, you know? So...”
“So that’s why I’m here,” Ivory filled in, turning briefly to look at Whistler. “But, why me? Surely there’s someone else...”
“Because you can help each other,” Whistler filled in. “While you act as a guard for Gisselle, she can in turn help you with the shapeshifting thing. The way I see it, this is a purely win-win situation. The only downside is that the two of you would have to go into hiding for a while, at least until Gisselle’s baby is born.”
Ivory shifted her gaze from the badly-dressed demon to Gisselle when the girl spoke again. “I plan to give the baby up for adoption, after Whistler casts a spell that would prevent my husband from ever finding him or her. After that, we part ways if all is said and done. And you can go back to your family knowing they’ll be safe since you’ll have this power under control.”
Ivory bit her lip, a lump forming in her throat. “Do I want to leave them? That’s the question.” Off of Gisselle’s uncertain look, the Slayer added, “I care that you’re in trouble; how could I not? But I just got my parents and my sister back after being apart from them many years! Damn it, this isn’t a fair trade! There has to be another way!”
Gisselle remained silent for a bit, then leaned forward. “I know how you feel. I can’t contact my family either because of what Travis is doing. The one time I did, my mother thought I was crazy and tried to convince me to go back to him... Life isn’t fair, Ivory, but sometimes we do what we have to do!” She sighed. “All I’m asking for is a few months. After that, my baby is out of harm’s way and maybe.. just maybe, things between Travis and I will go back to the way they’d been.”
Ivory shook her head, quiet for a long while. Looking from Gisselle to Whistler and back again, she said at last, with a sigh, “I’ll think about it.”
Gisselle settled back against the headboard of the bed, her expression even. “Thank you, for giving me a chance, at least.” She paused, a faint smile appearing on her lips. “So, what are you hoping for, boy or girl?”
That question caught Ivory off guard. “Well... Neither! I mean, I’m not... I can’t be.”
Gisselle froze. “Oh, God... You didn’t know?!”
Ivory paused again, her gaze going down to her own stomach. And after some thought, she realized it was certainly possible. She and Chase hadn’t used protection, and the symptoms were certainly there. Resting one hand over her abdomen, her head reeling with the possibility, she whispered simply, “Pregnant?!”
Gisselle could only stare at Ivory with a mixture of regret and awkwardness. “I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I should think before I say anything... I knew from the moment you walked in. You spend a lot of years shapeshifting into a variety of animals, you get to acquire their instincts. I could sense it.” She paused, throwing a brief glance at Whistler. “If I may ask, do you know who the father is?”
Ivory nodded numbly, her eyes misting as she thought of Chase. “Yes, I know... But he’s in the hospital in a coma, as the result of trying to save my life. Doesn’t exactly know about this, and I doubt he ever will.”
Gisselle bit her lip, feeling a wave of sympathy towards the young Slayer. “Do you love him?”
Ivory froze at hearing those words, lost deep in thought as she considered her feelings. But at last, given enough time to think it over, she came up with answer. “Yes,” she said softly. “For everything he’s done, despite everything he’s done, I’m in love with him... And I would move heaven and earth to bring him back to me...”
Over the next day or two, Ivory went on with her life as if everything was normal, even though she took a home pregnancy test in secrecy to confirm that what Gisselle said was true. But, once it became a reality, her pregnancy became as much a secret from her friends and family as her newfound powers. And as the hours wore on, she still came no closer to a decision on what she should do.
Ivory was out walking one Thursday morning just weighing the seriousness of her situation when inspiration hit her. It had been awhile since she and her foster mother had gotten together to talk, quite ironic since the latter had raised the Slayer for more than half her life. But ever since Buffy had come back... With a sigh, Ivory began to regret her own selfishness, abandoning one mother for the other. Maybe it was time to rectify that situation.
So it was that the early afternoon sun found Ivory outside Stefanie’s door, knowing that Risa and Jesse would be out on a picnic at this hour. It took a few moments for the elder woman to answer, but she invited Ivory in in no time at all.
“Ivory, hi!” Stefanie said, escorting the young Slayer to the living room and inviting her to sit. “It’s good to see you! What brings you by?”
Ivory smiled at her foster mother as the elder woman sat across from her on the couch. “I just realized I missed seeing you, talking to you... It’s been a while.”
“Yes, it has,” Stefanie agreed. “But I understand why you haven’t. You and your parents must have tons to catch up on. I know if it were me, having a reunion with my family... Never mind. I lost all rights to my parents when I became a Slayer, let alone a vampire, but not you. You’re the lucky one, Ivory. You get to have it all, and for that, I couldn’t be happier for you.”
Ivory looked up to meet Stefanie’s eyes. “Thank you for believing in me. I would never have gotten this far without your love and support.”
“Anytime, sweetie,” Stefanie answered, raising one hand to touch Ivory’s face. “You’re like a daughter to me, you know, the sister that Risa never had. I’ve always known that you were special, and I don’t just mean because you’re the Slayer. You have a big heart, Ivory, and I’ve watched you looking out for your loved ones. And then recently, I watched you protect even people you didn’t know against the undead. That’s your gift.” Stefanie paused, then added, “I’ve never seen you turn your back on anyone who needed you, not deliberately.”
Ivory gave this a lot of thought, then thanked Stefanie for the talk and got up to leave, but not before giving the elder woman a big hug. Afterwards, the Slayer resumed her walk, thinking long and hard over what Stefanie had said. And the more she mulled it over, the more obvious the answer became.
She would have to leave Sunnydale and her newfound family after all...
Ivory went to Gisselle and Whistler right away to tell them her decision, shortly leaving Gisselle to pack up and make arrangements. Once that was accomplished, Ivory went home to pack up her own belongings, somehow managing not to arouse the suspicion of her family. She even walked out the front door quietly with her bags, feeling a twinge of regret as she did so.
Ivory stopped at a post office briefly to pick up some stationery, envelopes, and stamp, then wrote out a few letters in a nearby restaurant and mailed them right away. She knew it would take a few days for the letters to reach their destinations, but at least it would ease her loved one’s minds once they got there.
From there, Ivory’s second-to-last stop in Sunnydale was the hospital (she would go to the bus station where Gisselle and Whistler had arranged to meet next). She rode the elevator up to the fourth floor, and within moments, she was entering Chase’s room.
Ivory set her bags aside while she went to sit on one side of the bed, reaching out to brush a lock of blond hair from Chase’s face, careful not to disturb the breathing tube stuck in his nostrils. For a long while, she said nothing, then, “God, I wish I was sure that you could hear me... I have to go away for a while, Chase. Months, maybe even years. There’s been... Something’s happening to me as a result of the ritual. I... I’m changing, growing stronger. I don’t know how, and I don’t understand it, but I know I have to go away to figure it out.”
Ivory sighed, a stray tear running down her face that she quickly brushed away. “But that’s not the only reason I’m going,” she added, leaning slightly closer. “I’m pregnant, Chase, with your baby,” Ivory whispered against his silent lips. “I’m not ready for anyone else to know that yet. And if I wait too much longer, then it’s going to be painfully obvious to everyone... Especially Kenyon, who will fully get the sense of how much I’ve betrayed him... Because it basically come down to the fact that I can’t have an abortion, and I can’t give the child away when it’s born. Right now, it’s all I have left of you... I love you, Chase.”
Ivory bit her lip, watching his prone face as if hoping for a reaction. When none was forthcoming, she reached for his hand. “Goodby...” she started, and that was as far as she got.
Ivory gasped at the sudden sensation, feeling as if all the air was rushing out of the room, at the moment she clasped Chase’s hand in hers. Dizziness assaulted her quickly, and, although she tried to fight it, Ivory soon collapsed on top of her boyfriend...
When she came to, if that was the right term, Ivory found herself standing in the middle of an open field, with tall grass reaching almost to her knees and the fragrance of flowers on the wind. It was so real that even the crisp air was making her break out in goosebumps. Yet, a part of her argued that it was real; there was no way she could have gotten here. She would have remembered.
Looking around to orient herself was what caused Ivory to catch sight of Chase. He sat a few yards away on a large boulder, looking as alive and healthy as she had recalled him being. There was a long silence between the two of them as they stared at each other, then Ivory asked, “Am I dreaming?”
Chase smiled faintly, but shook his head. “Dreams never offer you this much clarity,” he replied, getting off the boulder and taking a step towards her. “No, this is different. Call it the prison of my mind, if you will.”
Ivory’s green eyes clouded with confusion. “I don’t understand,” she protested.
“I do,” Chase said, stopping an arm’s length away from her. “You’re a stronger immortal than I am, Ivory, than I’ll ever be.” Off of her shocked look, he added, “I could hear you talking to me, don’t worry about that. And I can understand you having to leave... But I also know that you hold more than one power inside you. Why else would you be here now, talking to me?”
Ivory’s lips parted slightly in wonder. “I can communicate with people in comas?” she asked hesitantly, unsure of this new ability.
“Not just them,” Chase told her. “Anyone whose soul is trapped within their body, who is there and simply unable to reach the outside world, if I understand correctly... I did some research into all psychic abilities once I became aware of mine, so at least I have some understanding of this.” He took another step forward, laying his hands on her arms and sending a chill coursing through her. “I know it’ll take time for you to harness these powers, as it did for me But you’ll see, they’ll go a long way towards aiding you in your fight.” He paused, eyes darting briefly towards her flat stomach. “They’ll keep you and our baby safe.”
Ivory’s eyes misted once more. “I don’t want to lose you, Chase,” she blurted out, her desperation showing.
“You won’t,” he promised, pressing his lips to hers in a deeply passionate kiss. “I’ll never stop fighting to come back to you one day, Ivory. I have the incentive to ensure that will happen, thanks to you... I love you more than I’ve ever loved anything. I know you’ll get the opportunity to remind me of that for years to come.”
“I love you too,” Ivory choked out, placing one hand against the nape of his neck. “Thank you, Chase, for everything, but most of all for saving my life at risk of your own.”
“I wouldn’t give anything less,” he answered, his voice thick with passion. On the heels of this, Ivory and Chase kissed once more, one that was filled with all they felt for each other and that seemed to go on forever. It probably would have, but for the fact that Ivory could feel someone shaking her back into wakefulness.
Ivory let go of Chase’s hand as she sat up straight, in the hospital room once more. Looking around, she saw a nurse standing to her side with a concerned look, inquiring as to whether or not she was all right.
Glancing back at Chase, feeling a wave of peace descending on her, Ivory answered simply, “I am now.” She waited until the nurse had left, then went to gather her bags. Before she departed the room (and soon, Sunnydale as well), Ivory walked towards Chase once more, placing one more kiss against his lips. “I am going to hold you to those claims. Come back to me soon,” she whispered. “I’ll be waiting until you do...”
To Be Concluded in Volume Three: Black Knights, White Warrior
Author’s Notes: Finally, another long-winded story done! This particular piece of fiction has been a long time in coming, and it’s hard to believe the date of completion is finally here. Nevertheless, for those of you who will be anticipating Volume Three as of this point, let me just say right off that I don’t know when I will get around to starting it. There are several other stories I wish to place between True Colors and the next installment, stories that center around Stefanie and Leeloo respectively. Also in the works is a vignette series inspired by Angel’s new show, but I don’t expect that to take up too much time. In closing, I just want to say that, for those of you looking forward to Black Knights, White Warrior, trust me when I say it will be well worth the wait. Love, Ivory.