The Coming Storm
By Iceflame55 and Bill Gopher
Disclaimers - Joss and Mutant Enemy owns Buffy and Co & Robert Tabert and RenPics own Xena and Co. I'm just borrowing them for a little while .
Spoilers - Faith never turned evil and worked for the Mayor. After he was defeated Faith left for LA with Angel. Other than that everything else is Canon up to (The Freshman), Season 4.
Feedback - Most definitely we want! Comments, thoughts, questions, criticisms, etc,. All are accepted and you can reach us at asagiri@mindspring.com
[Thoughts]
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Prologue:
Secrets
Beneath Lowell House
“Agent Finn to the Director’s Office, Agent Finn to the Director’s Office” the speaker intoned. Turning around Riley walked back down the gray-walled corridors of the Initiative’s underground facility. A few minutes later Riley stopped outside a brown door with the small black letters that read “DIRECTOR”. Knocking on the door he heard a woman’s voice from inside… “Enter.”
Opening the door Riley stepped into the small, cramped room that was the Director’s office. The gray walls were devoid of any personal adornment or pictures and her steel desk held only an ink blotter, several pens and official papers. Behind the desk sat the Director of Operations for the North West Sector, Dr. Maggie Walsh. A harsh and severe looking woman in her late 40’s, her grey-blonde hair was pulled back into a bun accenting the severe personality that was the Director and the person. Dr. Walsh ruled the Initiative with an iron-fist.
“Agent Finn reporting as ordered ma’am.” Riley spoke as he stood at attention and waited for her to acknowledge him.
After several minutes, Walsh looked up at him. Her gray eyes pinned him as she spoke, “Agent Finn, it has come to my attention that you have made an acquaintance from my Psych 101 class… a Miss Buffy Summers, correct?”
“Uh, Yes ma’am. We met outside of class and things have sort of moved forward from there. May I ask why?”
“It has come to my attention since reviewing the reports on individuals in this town, Miss Summers and her friends may be involved with the HST’s in some fashion. I need you to investigate this and find out what you can. Especially any information regarding The Slayer.”
Walsh stood up and looked at the young agent in front of her. “This is of paramount importance. You are to use “any” means necessary to get this information covertly. I do not care if you have to sleep with any or all of them! Just get me that information! Do you understand me Agent Finn?”
“Yes Ma’am!” Riley saluted the Director.
“Dismissed then.”
[[[***]]]
Summers’ Residence
Buffy opened her eyes to see a large chessboard in front of her and sitting across playing Black was Riley. What's he doing in my dream? She wondered. When she looked at the chess set, something about some of the chess pieces caught her eye; looking closer she gasped. The Scoobs were the chess pieces, or at least some of them!
“Are you going to start Buffy?” came Riley's voice startling her out of her thoughts.
“Uh yes,” she replied and moved the Pawn that looked like Anya, in front of the Queen's Knight or is it Anya I’m moving? And if so what kind of game are we playing? “Pawn to b3.”
“Interesting move, doesn't allow you many options though. Keeps you blocked in.” Riley responded as moved his Pawn to d5.
Buffy looked up at Riley and saw he was wearing fatigues like the commando's she had seen on Halloween. “Who are you? Pawn to d4.”
“Knight to f6. For who you are, you don’t pay much attention to what’s going on around you Buffy. Life is like a chess match; attack, defend, move, lose, gain.”
Buffy frowned as she moved her Pawn to e3.
“Bishop to g4 – Check!” Looking up at her. “See Buff, you gotta pay attention or you lose. And right now, you’re gonna lose.” Riley continued with a smile.
“Knight to f3. Not today and not to you.” Buffy replied.
“Bishop takes Knight.”
“Pawn takes Bishop”
“Knight to h5. See that’s part of your problem Buff, you keep your friends too close and you’re not willing to sacrifice them if you have to…”
“Rook to g1. No, I’m not willing to throw lives away, especially those of my friends Riley.”
“Sooner or later you’re going to have to. Knight to a6.”
“Bishop to b5 – Check. It’s not about sacrificing people to win.”
“Yes it is Buff. Everyone’s expendable, Queen to d7, if that’s what it takes to win.”
The game continued for several more moves until Buffy saw she had Riley’s King cornered. Tipping the King over Riley surrendered.
Buffy heard the low treble of a woman’s voice behind her, “Very good Slayer!” Resisting the urge to turn around she felt pleased at the compliment.
The dream shifted and she found herself sitting at a small table across from Faith, a chess set sat on the table. Buffy reached down and pushed her Pawn to d4. “Faith, what are you doing here?”
Faith’s hand paused for a second before picking up a Pawn and moving it to d5. “Not really sure B. This is your dream, not mine. Playing chess ain’t my idea of ‘fun’.” A wicked grin lit up Faith’s face.
Buffy moved another Pawn, this time to e3. “So are you at home or in someone else’s bed?” she asked with a trace of bitterness she couldn’t hide.
An eyebrow went up on Faith’s face, “That never bothered you before B, why now all of a sudden?” and she moved out the Queen’s Knight to f6.
“I don’t know Faith, it just does…I don’t like the fact that someone’s hands are touching you,” [Don’t you mean you don’t like the idea that someone else is touching her, caressing her, tasting her and it’s not you?] Her little Slayer voice nagged at her. Buffy started fidgeting in her seat as images of Faith lying naked below her crept into her mind. She could hear the dark Slayer’s soft whimpers; feel Faith's sweat slicked skin against hers…
Shaking her head she tried to clear her thoughts of Faith [ENOUGH!!!!] She yelled mentally, and the images stopped. Looking down at the chessboard Buffy discovered her King had been maneuvered into a corner. “Damn.” Buffy muttered as she tipped her King over surrendering the game.
“You still haven’t answered my question B, why’s it bothering you? We’re not lovers now and we weren’t before.”
“Dammit Faith!! Leave me alone!!” She yelled angrily. “I-I never….”
“You never what B? Thought about it or realized you wanted me?” Faith waited until she saw Buffy about to speak, “No B, don’t try giving me an answer, cause you won’t be honest with yourself, so how are you gonna be honest with me?” Faith walked over behind Buffy and put her hands on her shoulders.
“Besides, you’re not ready to answer that question and I’m willing to wait.” Faith leaned in close and whispered softly into her ear. “But we’re meant to be together, we always have and we always will…” With that Faith was gone…
Everything changed and Buffy found herself standing on the side as she watched a chess match between Riley and a part-demon, part-cyborg, part-human “thing”. The match started quickly and ended almost as fast with Riley being pushed back into Check constantly. Finally his King surrounded Riley surrendered, but instead of losing the game, Riley walked over next to the “thing”.
Watching she saw it put its arm around Riley’s shoulders, “Welcome home Brother!!” Disgusted, she turned away, but not before hearing the thing say, “When all is mine, you will be at my right hand; all that you desire shall be laid at your feet.”
The arena darkened and when the lights came on the Slayer saw she had a new opponent. A woman with long, jet black hair dressed in some sort of leather armor with a brass dragon design on it.
“Don’t I fight him?” Buffy asked the woman as she motioned towards the demon/cyborg thing.
Shaking her head the woman replied, “No, it is not time and you are not prepared.”
“Who are you then? The female version of Gary Kasparov?”
The woman smiled broadly and laughed out loud. Turning the woman seemed to look at someone standing next to her, but as far as Buffy could see she was standing there alone.
“Her wit is sharp as yours Little One…yes, yes I know…Very well…” Looking forward again towards her, “Your Trials are about to begin Elizabeth Summers. Prepare yourself well…” With a wave of her hand the chessboard disappeared. “These battles will be but to prepare you, for what lies ahead.”
“HOLD!!” came a voice that seemed to shiver the air. “Chosen!! It is my right to see my opponent once before the Trials begin, I invoke that right, now!”
A large shadowed figure appeared in a bright flash across from where the woman stood, “So you will face me?” The figure asked, as it seemed to size her up. “Your bloodline has thinned after all these millennia Chosen.” Came the deep voice.
“EX-Chosen!! We’ve already had this discussion…” the woman seemed ready to say something more when she stopped herself, as if she had said too much.
“Very well. We will meet again Buffy Summers…”
As the dream ended, and Buffy slipped into a more restful slumber, a pack of wolves loped past a sign that proclaimed “Welcome to Sunnydale!”…
End Prologue
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