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Unexpected Arrival	By : neen Category: > Buffy/Spike(William) > Buffy/Spike(William) Views: 5816 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BtVS), nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 22
- 23
Chapter 23

Ok it was official, she was bored, who would
have thought it, but it was true Dawn Summers was in Europe, and she was bored as hell. Stifling a yawn she shuffled uncomfortably on
the hard wooden chair in which she was currently sitting. Oh the morning had started out ok, until
Giles had told her it was time to leave for the council headquarters. They had left the hotel and walked up Regent Street, before turning into Charles Street and heading into St. James Square, Dawn memorizing the streets as they went so
she could tell Buffy all about it when she got home.

They had come to an older style building; Giles
had muttered something about it being the new buildings even
though they had been around before Spike was born. The inside was surprisingly modern, even if
the furniture was antique and uncomfortable.
Squirming she was relieved when Giles came to stand before her. �Mr.
Travers has kindly allowed me to show you the archives. It seems that Uncle Samuel can�t be located
at this time, and he though perhaps we would have better luck.�

Dawn sprang up. �Ok which way,� she rubbed
absently at her numb backside.

Giles guided her to a discreetly hidden
elevator, ushering her inside he pressed the ground button.

�Umm Giles, we�re already on the ground floor.�

Giles smiled, his face lightening from the dour
expression that had settled across it when they had entered the building. Dawn watched in amazement as Giles continued
to punch buttons in a seemingly random pattern, until finally a small panel
slid open revealing another plain gold button.
Giles sighed in relief as he pressed the final button and their descent
began.

Dawn stared at the smooth metal of the elevator
doors, as they seemed to travel downwards forever. Finally the motion of elevator stopped with a
small jerk; she felt her stomach settle into place seconds later. Dawn grimaced at the sensation. She never did like traveling in the �small
metal boxes of doom� as she called them; something about the idea of her
insides being not quite where they should be gave her the wiggins.

Dawn gasped as the metal doors slid open to
reveal a massive room. Books lined every
wall from floor to ceiling, large wooden ladders reaching up into the
stacks. Enormous mahogany tables were
dotted around the room; watchers huddled around them with large leather bound
tomes open as they silently made notes.

Dawn noticed an older man pushing a small
trolley of books around stopping occasionally as he carefully slid one into its
home; she tugged on Giles�s sleeve and motioned in the man�s direction.

Giles shook his head, and led Dawn through the
room towards a door at the far end.

Dawn idly looked around as they entered a long
sloping hallway, portraits adorning the walls.

�Past watchers,� Giles informed her as they
wended their way slowly downward.

�Where are the slayer�s portraits?" Dawn
asked puzzled after they passed picture after picture of dour tweed-clad
watchers, �And where�s yours?�

Giles cleared his throat in embarrassment, �Umm
well mine would be here.� He absently
waved his hand towards a darkened corner near the door at the end of the hall.

Dawn leaned forward, carefully studying the
pictures before her; a small frown marred her brow as she finally found it
hidden low on the wall slightly obscured by the open door. She cocked an eyebrow at Giles in silent
question.

Giles shuddered at her resemblance to Spike as
a small smirk crossed Dawn�s face.

�Not too popular I take it?�

�Yes well�� Giles pinched the bridge of his
nose. �These things are unimportant in the grand scheme of things,� he began to
mutter quietly.

Dawn hooked her arm through his, �It�s ok
Giles, WE think you�re important.�

�Thank you Dawn.� Giles patted her hand lightly
before moving them forward through the open door, �And this is the secondary
library.�

Dawn�s eyes widened as she realized that the
room was identical to the first, even down to the elder man replacing books.

Giles noticed Dawns puzzled look. �Twins,� he
supplied before pulling her further into the room, �Our journey isn�t finished
yet I�m afraid.�

�There are more books?� Dawn squeaked

Giles chuckled at her shocked expression, �This
IS the Council Dawn. We have an
extensive collection gathered for centuries from all around this dimension and
a few others I dare say�.�

�Ok, Ok, I get it, lots of musty old books
collected by men in Tweed for hundreds of years.� Dawn cringed at the
thought of the history lesson she was sure she�d just avoided.

Giles led her through the room, this time
leading her towards an unobtrusive alcove where a plain wooden door sat hidden
in the shadows. Opening it Giles grabbed
a flickering torch from the wall. �There�s no electricity from here on I�m
afraid.�

Carefully edging forward he lit two lamps just
inside the doorway to reveal wide stone steps leading down into the
darkness. As they moved on Giles would
light the lamps that were dotted regularly along the walls.

About half way down Dawn realized that the
texture of the walls seemed to change; it seemed to be made up of raised wooden
squares about the size of an envelope.
Peering closer she gasped when she realized that each held a picture of
a girl.

�The Slayers.� Giles offered by way of
explanation.

Dawn felt anger welling inside of her. �I see,
the watchers get lovely big portraits in a well lit hallway, and the ones who
actually save the world, who go out and fight for their lives every night, get
a tiny little afterthought of a picture hidden away in the dark.� She began searching the small frames,
�Where�s Buffy, I�m not leaving it here.�

Giles shuffled his feet slightly before
answering quietly, �There isn�t one Dawn. The Slayers picture only gets hung
after she is no longer . . .ummm active.�

Dawn stared at him in horror. �Don�t you mean
dead Giles?� Dawn moved back to where the surface of the wall had began to
change moving her torch from one wall then across to the other until she found
what she was looking for. There nestled
at the end of the right hand wall was a small picture, a small silver plaque
was fixed to the lower part of the frame, its engraving was simple but to the
point: �Kendra 1997 � 1998.� Beside it
sat a photograph of a redheaded girl, �Samantha 1996�. Dawn stared intently at the picture through
the gloom this was the girl who had died so that Buffy would become The
Slayer.

Moving slowly down the staircase Dawn felt the
tears well in her eyes as she read name after name and date after date,
sometimes there would be a small cluster of pictures all bearing the same
year. Those girls had survived mere
months or maybe even days after being Chosen.
Stopping short Dawn realized that she was standing in front of pictures
dated in the 1800�s. She began her
search again until she located the small frame she was searching for. Reaching up Dawn gently lifted it from its
place on the wall, wiping her hand across its dusty surface, �Rebecca 1872 �
1876.� Gently she slipped into her purse.

�We�re almost there Dawn, keep up I don�t want
you to fall.� Giles waited impatiently for her at the base of the stairs.

Dawn hurriedly made her way to his side. They made their way to the small door that
was now visible through the gloom. Giles
swung the door open stepping through and blocking Dawn�s view momentarily. When he stepped aside Dawn squinted at the
sudden brightness. �I thought you said there was no electricity down here,� she
waited for her eyes to adjust to the light.

�There isn�t.� Giles motioned around the room,
�We are in the catacombs now; the walls are encrusted with some form of illuminating
crystals.� He watched Dawn as she
stepped further into the cavern before them, eyes wide as she looked about.
�The council never has been able to figure out exactly what they are, but they
serve a purpose.�

Dawn began to take note of her surroundings. They were standing in a huge cavern, tunnels
seemed to twist off into the light from every wall, and there was even a large
hole in the floor. Creeping closer she
noticed that it contained more stone steps, she cast Giles a weary look, �Let
me guess, we�re not there yet.�

Giles laughed, �No we�re here; now all we have
to do is find Uncle Samuel.�

Dawn sighed in relief and moved to sit in an
oversize, although extremely dusty chair that sat to one side. Coughing lightly at the small cloud of dust
that circled her as she sat Dawn took time to really study what was about her,
concentrating on memorizing a clear picture so that she could open a doorway to
the room if they needed to.

Glancing at the wall behind her Dawn realized
that instead of the large wooden bookcases that she had seen previously, the
cases were in fact carved into the stone.
Books lined the walls in surprisingly neat rows reaching up almost to
the roof.

Giles moved slowly round the cavern softly
whistling until he stopped in front of a small tunnel and listened
intently. An answering whistle came
drifting down the passage, slowly getting louder, until a figure emerged to
stand before Giles.

The man stood shoulder to shoulder with Giles,
his body thin and wiry, reminding Dawn a little of Spike. Dawn studied the two men intently; she could
see the resemblance between them, same nose, same eyes, and even similar
glasses perched on their noses. She felt
she was looking at an older, grayer version of Giles, and then she remembered
that Houston also looked a lot like Giles.
�Gotta love those Giles family
genes�.

�Uncle,� Giles moved forward to give the man a
warm hug.

�Rupert my boy, how have you been?� The older
man�s voice was strong and clear, no hint of the fact that he was over 100
years old. Turning his attention to Dawn
Samuel moved forward, �And who is this beautiful young woman?�

Suddenly remembering his manners Giles hurried
forward to introduce the pair, �Uncle Samuel I would like you to meet Dawn
Summers; Dawn this is my Uncle Samuel who I spoke about.�

�Summers?� Samuel fixed Giles with an assessing
look, �Any relation to that young Slayer of yours?�

�Buffy�s my sister,� Dawn offered helpfully.

�Ahhh I see, well it�s a pleasure to meet you
Miss Summers,� Samuel extended his hand to Dawns shaking it lightly before
bending to place a soft kiss on her check �So you�re the key?� he whispered
before pulling back and giving her a wink.

Dawn gasped, glancing worriedly at Giles.

Giles was completely oblivious to what was
happening; he was busy trying to figure out how to explain their situation to
his Uncle and elicit his help. �Uncle
Samuel there is a matter of some importance that I must discuss with you.�

Samuel dismissed him with a small wave of his
hand, �I think its tea time,� turning to face Dawn he drew her up from her
chair. Linking his arm through Dawn�s,
he began moving towards one of the tunnels. �Have you had a proper English tea
yet young lady?� He turned them to the
left then right as they walked slowly along, �Come on young Rupert don�t
dawdle, can�t have you getting lost again now can we?�

Samuel winked at a bemused Dawn before
continuing, �After all you can�t tell me that Quentin Travers is an evil demon who is using the council and The
Slayers to further his own evil plans, and that I am in fact also a demon
closely related to, but not the same as Mr. Travers, and that you have finally
realized this and would like my assistance in stopping him and therefore save
the world, without a proper cup of tea now can you?�

�How�what�huh?�
Giles channeled Buffy momentarily, stunned that his Uncle had summed it all up
in one, if not long winded sentence.

�Oh really Rupert,
did you think I could get to be this old with out working out a few things?�
Samuel stopped them before a blank wall, devoid of any books.

Dawn looked around
in confusion, �Where are we?� She hadn�t even noticed the change in scenery;
looking back she tried to find the entrance to the cavern, after all they had
only been walking for a few minutes.

�Oh we are somewhere
under Holburn, quite close to the Tottenham
Court Road tube actually.� He chuckled
at the confusion marring his companion�s faces.
�The catacombs are full of small portals, much like what you can create
young lady.� Samuel pointed at Dawn. �I use them to get around the place
quickly; otherwise you could be wandering around down here for hours.�

Dawn giggled at the expression on Giles�s face
when he realized that he had, in fact, been lost down here on several
occasions.

Samuel stepped forward and gently stroked one
of the illuminating crystals on the wall in front of them. �It�s ok they�re
friends.� The wall began to shimmer, as the crystals seemed to vibrate rapidly,
causing the stone to part in front of them allowing entrance to the room that
now stood open before them.

Samuel urged them to sit down on the
comfortable and surprisingly clean chairs that sat around a small table. He crossed to a small bench and began to
prepare the tea, pushing the plug of the small electric kettle into one of the
crystals on the wall.

Giles stared in shock as the kettle began to
make a soft rumbling noise, indicating that the water was beginning to
heat. �Uncle what are those
crystals?� He moved forward eyes
transfixed, as the crystal seemed to pulse lightly.

�The crystals are in fact a sentient race
called Solartians. They can generate
heat and light and manipulate the environment around them. They have lived in these catacombs since the
beginning of time and only reveal their true nature to those deemed
worthy.� Samuel placed a small plate of
biscuits before them. �They will aid you in your fight if you so wish it, after
all if you are deemed worthy enough to protect The Key then you must be worthy
of their trust.�

Giles stared at his Uncle, his shock evident as
he tried to form words. He had come here
thinking that he would have to broach the subject lightly, convince his Uncle
that what he said was the truth and hopefully gain his assistance. Instead his Uncle seemed to be waiting for
him to arrive and knew most of what he had to say already. Everything but one small fact, �Uncle Samuel
your offer of aid in our time of need is greatly appreciated, but there is
something else I must discuss with you.
It�s a family matter in fact.�

Samuel regarded him for a moment, �I know that
my mother, Katherine, was not my
natural mother. Although I feel certain
that she was family, that you are all my family.�

Giles felt his
regard for Samuel grow. All these years
he had known that he didn�t quite fit, that he wasn�t really who or what he had
been raised to believe. All that time
when he could have rebelled, striven to find the truth and inadvertently
exposed innocents to the evil of Quentin Travers, he had instead kept silent
and waited patiently for the time to act.
�Uncle you are correct, grandmother was not your natural mother; she was
in fact your aunt.�

Samuel startled
slightly a small tear gathering in the corner of his eye, �So I was right, you
are all my family.�

Giles nodded,
resting his hand on the older mans shoulder, �Your parents were Rupert and
Sarah Hoston, and there is something I must tell you about them.� Giles tried to gather his thoughts, �Have you
ever heard of a place called Midian?�

Samuel nodded, his
eyes drifting to the rear of the room.

�Your parents fled
to Midian for protection, Uncle Samuel, they�re still alive.� Giles waited for
Samuel�s reaction, somewhat fearful that his revelation would be too much for
the older man.

Instead Samuel rose
and moved through the room, �I have something to show you.� Once again the Solartians began to shimmer and vibrate,
parting another entrance through the rear wall to reveal another huge cavern
filled to the brim with books.

�Over the years I have carefully removed
anything from the main libraries and archives that may lead to Travers
discovering and destroying the secrets they hold.� He picked up a small leather bound diary,
�Including many of the old Watcher and Slayer diaries that he tried to have
destroyed. He didn�t realize that those
held in the main libraries were in fact copies, and the originals were stored
down here. I saved as many as I could,
as well as books from the demon councils and anything that mentioned Midian and
other safe havens.�

Giles stared at the wealth of knowledge before
him. �Uncle this is just�.� He began to reverently pick up book after book,
running his hands lightly across their covers. �The knowledge that we could
gain from these�.� He reached for a large leather bound tome opening it and
scanning its pages, �Look here Dawn.� He thrust the book under her nose
pointing to a page written in some strange language, �This is written in
ancient Slic�ta�nere a language so old that it was thought lost.�

Dawn peered down frowning, �So if it�s lost,
how do you know what it is? And how come
you can read it?�

�Well I can�t, but I�ve seen snippets of it on
parchments under glass in the main library.
To translate this would be a life�s work�an academic achievement of the
highest�.� Giles trailed off as he was distracted by another book.

Dawn turned to stare at Samuel a finger
pointing at him accusingly, �You did this, now he�s going to want to catalogue,
and research and translate, and � and�who do you think he�s going to force to
help him?� She jabbed her finger into her chest, �ME that�s who.�

Samuel smiled, he liked this young girl; she
had spunk. If all The Slayers family and
friends were like young Dawn then he was confident that they would defeat
Travers. He placed a calming hand on her
arm, �I�ve already catalogued and translated a large portion of them, if that�s
any help.�

Dawn huffed, crossing her arms over her chest
and displaying her best pout, �It�s something I suppose.� She then blushed brightly as her stomach
rumbled loudly, �Oops.�

�Rupert I think perhaps you best take young
Miss Dawn out for something more filling then a few cream biscuits.� Samuel
tried to draw his attention away from the books before him.

�What?� Giles looked up startled his glasses
slightly askew, Dawns stomach protested loudly once again. �Oh yes lunch,� he
glanced at his watch, �Oh my is that the time?�
Looking about him Giles tried to gain his bearings and find the exit,
striding forward he began to move back towards the small outer room when Samuel
stopped him.

�Don�t go that way, there�s a much quicker exit
from here.� Samuel led them to another wall and waited for the Solartians to
open them a passage. As they stepped
through Dawn realized that they were in a small wooden room, an arched doorway
before them. �This is that secret
passage you were always looking for, if you want to reach me from now on just
come here and put your hand here� Samuel pointed out the small crystal that was
hidden amongst a vivid painting of a saint that covered the wall they had just
passed through �The Solartians will recognize you and open the passage.�

�Cool,� Dawn liked the idea of secret passages
and clandestine meetings; it made her feel all special-agenty. She was the first to open the door before
them, stepping out she realized they now stood inside a church, glancing around
she noticed some people who she assumed must be tourists, milling around and
taking photos. One looked surprisingly
familiar, �Anya?�

The young woman turned around, giving a small
squeal of delight when she realized who had called her. �Rupie!� Anya wrapped
herself around him, before pressing a passionate kiss to his mouth. �How did
you know where I was? How did you get
here? You�ll never guess what this place
is called.� Before either of them could
answer Anya stepped back, throwing her arms wide as she announced brightly, �St
Giles in The Field, when I heard the name I just couldn�t resist.�

�Wow Giles you have a church named after you,�
Dawn gave him a teasing smile.

�Yes, well I�m sure that�s not truly the case.�
Giles began to get flustered

Anya interrupted, �But how did you get
here?� Giles began to explain about his
uncle, who had quietly slipped away, and the catacombs and secret passage.
�Won�t the council realize that you didn�t leave the way you came in
though?� Anya interrupted.

�Oh Bugger,� Giles sighed as he realized Anya
was correct, �We�ll have to go back.
Dawn do you think that you could open a doorway up in the cavern so that
we don�t get lost in the catacombs?�

Dawn nodded, moving with Giles back into the
small room at the rear of the church, Giles telling Anya that they would meet
her back at the hotel shortly. Dawn was
just about to step back through the temporary doorway she had created when she
realized that they would emerge at the bottom of the long staircase, �Oh Damn.�
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Unexpected Arrival