Divine Interventions (16/16)
Title: Divine Interventions (16/16)
Fandom: Buffy/Angel
Characters: Dawn, Amy, Cordelia, Ethan, Willow, Kennedy, and others.
Rating: The overall fic will include material up to and including NC-17; most scenes are considerably milder, though.
Warnings: Het, femslash, BDSM, noncon-but none of these as the main focus of the fic.
Warnings for this chapter: None.
Timeline/Spoilers: Takes place after “Why We Fight.” Spoilers up to “You’re Welcome.”
Notes: This fic has been quite an experience. I’d like to thank everyone who’s been reading along, as well as spikendru for her beta. I’ll return to this ‘verse eventually, I promise, although I can’t promise when.
Previous chapter can be found here.
All chapters can be found in my memories.
Chapter Sixteen
Dawn let Giles and her sister into Willow’s house, disheartened by the stern looks on their faces.
They entered the house, and Dawn cast around desperately for something to say. “Please, have a seat,” was all she could manage. “Do you want me to get Willow?”
“That won’t be necessary,” Giles said, sitting down on the sofa. Buffy sat next to him. “Please sit down.”
She sat in an armchair across from the sofa, her heart sinking.
Giles paused, then continued. “The ring you wear,” he said, gesturing to Dawn’s right hand, “represents a sacred duty between Watcher and Slayer. As you know, not all Watchers choose to wear the Ring of Ouroboros. I do not. But every Watcher shares in the responsibility it represents. It is a Watcher’s obligation to protect the Slayer, to guide and to help her to keep the world safe.”
And Dawn had failed. “I know,” she said weakly.
“In the past few days,” Giles said, “you have gone behind my and your sister’s backs, left the continent without our knowledge, and liberated from detention individuals known both to the Council and to you personally to be dangerous. You have played general in a war, sending hundreds of Slayers into battle, many to their deaths. Willow went dark, and a powerful magical rite fell into enemy hands. Do you deny any of this?”
“No.” Dawn shook her head, then fingered her ring, preparing to take it off. It was somewhat of a relief, actually. Never again would she be allowed to make the types of mistakes she had made, to fail so spectacularly. She would never have to march girls into battle again.
“Your sister and I have discussed what type of response this sort of behavior demands,” Giles said. “And we have come to an agreement. It is our plan to recommend to the Council that you be elevated to the position of High Watcher.”
Dawn was glad Giles had made sure she had been sitting. For a moment she just stared at him in shock. “You’re going to . . . promote me?”
“In a manner of speaking, yes.” Giles paused. “As you may know, consensus is not something which is easily achieved on the High Council. Roger Wyndam-Pryce and Lydia Chalmers invited me to join them in restructuring the High Council somewhat out of necessity-I held the trust, for the most part, of the largest group-really the only group-of known Slayers. However, in general, these Slayers are loyal to Buffy, not to the Council, a fact which annoys Roger and Lydia to no end. In order to encourage, ahem, cooperation with the Council, they are therefore willing to make certain concessions, including allowing our contingent to exert greater influence on the High Council. The hope is that by doing so they can engender trust in the Council amongst the Slayers, and thereby defuse the possibility of any type of split between Buffy and the Council.”
Dawn nodded to indicate she understood. The Council was playing their typical power games. But why choose her?
“The one thing they refuse to consider, however, is permitting a Slayer to serve on the High Council. On this point, they are steadfast: the distinction between Watcher and Slayer must be maintained. Your sister and I had already considered your name as a potential High Watcher candidate, but we were uncertain how you would act in a large-scale leadership rôle. Obviously, that is no longer a worry.”
Dawn struggled to regain her voice. “But . . . but people died.”
Giles nodded. “And more will die in the future, every one of them lying upon your conscience. If you didn’t question your ability to perform the job, then I would, Dawn. It pains me to have to lay this burden at your feet. But, in the end, I have no choice.”
“What about Willow? Xander?”
“Willow is far too powerful for us to hope for ever achieving a balance of power were she on the High Council. As for Xander . . . well, his talents lie in other directions. You are the one who has demonstrated that she can be trusted to do what needs to be done, no matter the consequences. Ultimately, you are the only one to whom we can entrust this responsibility.”
Dawn nodded to show she understood. “What’s going to happen now?”
“You’ll return to Italy with your sister,” Giles answered. “You will be able to perform most of your duties just as well from Rome. We will see about getting you your own Slayer to train as soon as possible.”
It was then that Dawn realized that Buffy hadn’t said a word the entire conversation. “Buffy?” she asked.
“Come on,” said Buffy. “Let’s go home.”
* * * * *
Are You satisfied with Yourself now, Osiris? Hecate asked.
Well, I was right, was I not? Osiris answered, The Rosenberg girl is a danger to us.
Hecate had to pause to be sure She understood Osiris correctly. You feel vindicated by recent events? She asked at last, aghast.
I told You the girl was a danger, Osiris repeated. But no one paid any attention to Me.
Hecate took hold of Herself for a moment, pausing before She said anything She might regret later. You declared war on the Slayer line, She said. You amassed an army of undead creatures. One of Your worshippers cast the Rite of Isis, causing the natural balance of the universe to spiral out of control. And You walk away convinced that You were right, because a girl stood up to You?
I don’t know why You are surprised, Hecate, Janus’ Voice wafted through the Otherworld, joining the two other deities. Osiris has always shown He thinks solely in terms of power. If someone else has it, He sees it as a threat-even if it’s just a human girl doing what it is necessary to save the world.
A human girl with powers beyond any that a human should have, Osiris insisted. You know what she did last year. This only underscores the importance of dealing with her now, before she gets any more powerful.
She stood up to You for a few moments, just long enough time to reverse the Rite of Isis, Hecate reminded Him. She’s hardly a goddess in her own right.
Not yet, added Janus. She may yet join Our hallowed pantheon. A fate which Osiris seems to consider an unthinkable travesty. I wonder what He would be thinking if the Rosenberg girl had not been here last year to beat back the First Evil.
We have had these arguments, Janus, Hecate pointed out. I doubt We will achieve anything new from hashing them out yet again.
If Janus’ two faces were corporeal within the Otherworld, He would have nodded in agreement. Too very true, Hecate. If Osiris continues to attempt these half-baked schemes, however, I fully expect We will be having them again.
* * * * *
Madelyn Summers slipped into 1979 and made her way to October. Arriving at the destination she wanted, she found it to be, as she had expected, total pandemonium.
“Ethan, Ethan, Ethan,” she said, looking at the unconscious form of the chaos mage as he lay next to an unknown blonde. “You always were a fool, you know that? And the rest of us have to clean up your messes.”
She knelt down and pried a crocodile-god off of Ethan’s insensible form “Not yet, Ahemait,” she chided the creature. “This is the land of the living.”
Of course, since Ethan had foolishly cast the Rite of Isis, many gods had begun to overstep their bounds, free of the restrictions which had held them. Oh well. The quicker she made things right the better.
“Gods and goddesses of above and below, I revoke your lease to walk this Earth,” she incanted. “Return now to the worlds beyond this world, realms beyond this realm, to the seat of your power where no mortal may tread. Be at peace, and leave these men and women to their destinies uninhibited.”
She gave Ahemait a gentle kick. “Come on, get back where you belong.”
And the world was made right again. For the moment.
Epilogue
Back in Rome, Dawn made her way out of her math class as other students traversed the high-school campus. She made her way towards one particular classmate. “Beatrice!” Dawn called out.
The Italian girl turned around. “Sì?”
Dawn stepped closer, lowered her voice. “Have you noticed anything, you know, strange lately? In the last year?”
Beatrice looked confused. “Dawn, what is this? I do not understand.”
“Things like suddenly becoming inexplicably stronger. I mean, really strong. And flexible. Wounds heal faster than they are supposed to. And the dreams-dreams of women, and of fantastic creatures, and maybe even of things that might have come true later.”
“Madre de Dio,” Beatrice swore. She looked both ways, checking to see if anyone was watching or listening. “How do you know these things? È molto strano.”
“Well you see,” Dawn said, “into every generation a Slayer is born. . . .”
The End (for now)
Fandom: Buffy/Angel
Characters: Dawn, Amy, Cordelia, Ethan, Willow, Kennedy, and others.
Rating: The overall fic will include material up to and including NC-17; most scenes are considerably milder, though.
Warnings: Het, femslash, BDSM, noncon-but none of these as the main focus of the fic.
Warnings for this chapter: None.
Timeline/Spoilers: Takes place after “Why We Fight.” Spoilers up to “You’re Welcome.”
Notes: This fic has been quite an experience. I’d like to thank everyone who’s been reading along, as well as spikendru for her beta. I’ll return to this ‘verse eventually, I promise, although I can’t promise when.
Previous chapter can be found here.
All chapters can be found in my memories.
Chapter Sixteen
Dawn let Giles and her sister into Willow’s house, disheartened by the stern looks on their faces.
They entered the house, and Dawn cast around desperately for something to say. “Please, have a seat,” was all she could manage. “Do you want me to get Willow?”
“That won’t be necessary,” Giles said, sitting down on the sofa. Buffy sat next to him. “Please sit down.”
She sat in an armchair across from the sofa, her heart sinking.
Giles paused, then continued. “The ring you wear,” he said, gesturing to Dawn’s right hand, “represents a sacred duty between Watcher and Slayer. As you know, not all Watchers choose to wear the Ring of Ouroboros. I do not. But every Watcher shares in the responsibility it represents. It is a Watcher’s obligation to protect the Slayer, to guide and to help her to keep the world safe.”
And Dawn had failed. “I know,” she said weakly.
“In the past few days,” Giles said, “you have gone behind my and your sister’s backs, left the continent without our knowledge, and liberated from detention individuals known both to the Council and to you personally to be dangerous. You have played general in a war, sending hundreds of Slayers into battle, many to their deaths. Willow went dark, and a powerful magical rite fell into enemy hands. Do you deny any of this?”
“No.” Dawn shook her head, then fingered her ring, preparing to take it off. It was somewhat of a relief, actually. Never again would she be allowed to make the types of mistakes she had made, to fail so spectacularly. She would never have to march girls into battle again.
“Your sister and I have discussed what type of response this sort of behavior demands,” Giles said. “And we have come to an agreement. It is our plan to recommend to the Council that you be elevated to the position of High Watcher.”
Dawn was glad Giles had made sure she had been sitting. For a moment she just stared at him in shock. “You’re going to . . . promote me?”
“In a manner of speaking, yes.” Giles paused. “As you may know, consensus is not something which is easily achieved on the High Council. Roger Wyndam-Pryce and Lydia Chalmers invited me to join them in restructuring the High Council somewhat out of necessity-I held the trust, for the most part, of the largest group-really the only group-of known Slayers. However, in general, these Slayers are loyal to Buffy, not to the Council, a fact which annoys Roger and Lydia to no end. In order to encourage, ahem, cooperation with the Council, they are therefore willing to make certain concessions, including allowing our contingent to exert greater influence on the High Council. The hope is that by doing so they can engender trust in the Council amongst the Slayers, and thereby defuse the possibility of any type of split between Buffy and the Council.”
Dawn nodded to indicate she understood. The Council was playing their typical power games. But why choose her?
“The one thing they refuse to consider, however, is permitting a Slayer to serve on the High Council. On this point, they are steadfast: the distinction between Watcher and Slayer must be maintained. Your sister and I had already considered your name as a potential High Watcher candidate, but we were uncertain how you would act in a large-scale leadership rôle. Obviously, that is no longer a worry.”
Dawn struggled to regain her voice. “But . . . but people died.”
Giles nodded. “And more will die in the future, every one of them lying upon your conscience. If you didn’t question your ability to perform the job, then I would, Dawn. It pains me to have to lay this burden at your feet. But, in the end, I have no choice.”
“What about Willow? Xander?”
“Willow is far too powerful for us to hope for ever achieving a balance of power were she on the High Council. As for Xander . . . well, his talents lie in other directions. You are the one who has demonstrated that she can be trusted to do what needs to be done, no matter the consequences. Ultimately, you are the only one to whom we can entrust this responsibility.”
Dawn nodded to show she understood. “What’s going to happen now?”
“You’ll return to Italy with your sister,” Giles answered. “You will be able to perform most of your duties just as well from Rome. We will see about getting you your own Slayer to train as soon as possible.”
It was then that Dawn realized that Buffy hadn’t said a word the entire conversation. “Buffy?” she asked.
“Come on,” said Buffy. “Let’s go home.”
* * * * *
Are You satisfied with Yourself now, Osiris? Hecate asked.
Well, I was right, was I not? Osiris answered, The Rosenberg girl is a danger to us.
Hecate had to pause to be sure She understood Osiris correctly. You feel vindicated by recent events? She asked at last, aghast.
I told You the girl was a danger, Osiris repeated. But no one paid any attention to Me.
Hecate took hold of Herself for a moment, pausing before She said anything She might regret later. You declared war on the Slayer line, She said. You amassed an army of undead creatures. One of Your worshippers cast the Rite of Isis, causing the natural balance of the universe to spiral out of control. And You walk away convinced that You were right, because a girl stood up to You?
I don’t know why You are surprised, Hecate, Janus’ Voice wafted through the Otherworld, joining the two other deities. Osiris has always shown He thinks solely in terms of power. If someone else has it, He sees it as a threat-even if it’s just a human girl doing what it is necessary to save the world.
A human girl with powers beyond any that a human should have, Osiris insisted. You know what she did last year. This only underscores the importance of dealing with her now, before she gets any more powerful.
She stood up to You for a few moments, just long enough time to reverse the Rite of Isis, Hecate reminded Him. She’s hardly a goddess in her own right.
Not yet, added Janus. She may yet join Our hallowed pantheon. A fate which Osiris seems to consider an unthinkable travesty. I wonder what He would be thinking if the Rosenberg girl had not been here last year to beat back the First Evil.
We have had these arguments, Janus, Hecate pointed out. I doubt We will achieve anything new from hashing them out yet again.
If Janus’ two faces were corporeal within the Otherworld, He would have nodded in agreement. Too very true, Hecate. If Osiris continues to attempt these half-baked schemes, however, I fully expect We will be having them again.
* * * * *
Madelyn Summers slipped into 1979 and made her way to October. Arriving at the destination she wanted, she found it to be, as she had expected, total pandemonium.
“Ethan, Ethan, Ethan,” she said, looking at the unconscious form of the chaos mage as he lay next to an unknown blonde. “You always were a fool, you know that? And the rest of us have to clean up your messes.”
She knelt down and pried a crocodile-god off of Ethan’s insensible form “Not yet, Ahemait,” she chided the creature. “This is the land of the living.”
Of course, since Ethan had foolishly cast the Rite of Isis, many gods had begun to overstep their bounds, free of the restrictions which had held them. Oh well. The quicker she made things right the better.
“Gods and goddesses of above and below, I revoke your lease to walk this Earth,” she incanted. “Return now to the worlds beyond this world, realms beyond this realm, to the seat of your power where no mortal may tread. Be at peace, and leave these men and women to their destinies uninhibited.”
She gave Ahemait a gentle kick. “Come on, get back where you belong.”
And the world was made right again. For the moment.
Epilogue
Back in Rome, Dawn made her way out of her math class as other students traversed the high-school campus. She made her way towards one particular classmate. “Beatrice!” Dawn called out.
The Italian girl turned around. “Sì?”
Dawn stepped closer, lowered her voice. “Have you noticed anything, you know, strange lately? In the last year?”
Beatrice looked confused. “Dawn, what is this? I do not understand.”
“Things like suddenly becoming inexplicably stronger. I mean, really strong. And flexible. Wounds heal faster than they are supposed to. And the dreams-dreams of women, and of fantastic creatures, and maybe even of things that might have come true later.”
“Madre de Dio,” Beatrice swore. She looked both ways, checking to see if anyone was watching or listening. “How do you know these things? È molto strano.”
“Well you see,” Dawn said, “into every generation a Slayer is born. . . .”
The End (for now)