Red Dragon of Wales
Part Two by Ahn (aka Mary M.)
[An airport hanger in Greenland]
She watched the large, white beast as it slept. Her eyes blinked as she considered her options. She could attack it, make it tell her where the beast took the One, to the place called Sun-dale. Wrapping her wings around her, more as a protection against the cold, she took a deep breath. Gathering her courage around her, she lifted her head, ready to breathe her flame upon it.
“Hey Clare! Where we gonna put these dragons here? Or we gonna load them up?” shouted a voice. Her sharp ears perked up. There was another dragon here? She didn’t feel another of her kind around. She leaned down to look at the small ones, the ones that were made like the One, beneath her. They were using a big monster to drag a huge cage.
“Yeah, we’re gonna load them up,” shouted a voice. “Just hold on to your knickers a bit, Harry! Gotta go take a piss for now.”
“If you’d not drink so much tea, you wouldn’t have to piss so much!” Harry shouted back as he followed Clare. He used his limb to point at the cage as he stomped away. “We ain’t ever gonna get these dragons here off to the San Diego Cal zoo.”
She perked up. San Diego Cal. Was that the same place the One was at? She watched the men leave, then she carefully glided down to look at the cage that held the dragon. She blinked as she looked at the entwined sleeping figures.
Are you a dragon? she thought as she looked the scaled beast. Are you like me, Elders?
The scaled beasts lifted their heads and blinked as they looked at each other. Then the male of the two answered. No, we are not like you, young one. The two-legged mammals call us that, the Komodo dragon. Our family has not been like yours in a very long time.
Oh, I see, she thought sadly. I thought you were like me when the two-legged mammals called you that.
The male nodded his head in disgust. Yes, the two legged mammals always get things wrong, they do not even know what our family is truly called, any of our families. What is your name, young one?
I have no name yet, she said sadly. The One that was supposed to name me has gone. I seek him across the many waters.
Oh, you poor thing. What are you going to do young one? asked the female. Where are you going to go?
Please, is this San Diego Cal that you go to, is it the same as Sun-dale? she asked.
The female shook her head. No, for the two-legged mammals, they are two different places. But it is across the waters, young one.
How do you get there without wings? she asked.
The male pointed to the great metal beast with his head. That metal thing takes us there. The two-legged mammals take us with that, plane they call it, from place to place every three cycles of the sun.
May I come with you? she asked. She waited as the male and female looked at each other, then the male nodded.
You are welcome to share our space, young one, the male said as he made room. I am Zhar and this is my mate, Zhara. You must hide between Zhara and I if you are to get into the plane. The mammals are most peculiar about others entering it, so we conceal you.
Can you change your size, young one? So that you may come into the cage? Zhara asked.
I think I can make myself longer, Elder Zhara, she thought. Thinking hard, she stretched herself flat. She looked at the two elders for their approval. Elder Zhar looked at her.
You must also make yourself smaller if you are to fit through, young one, Zhar said as he watched the young dragon alter her shape.
As the young one concentrated on making herself into a longer and smaller version of herself, Zhara looked at her mate. Zhar, you must keep watch for the mammals.
By the time the two-legged mammals came back, the young dragon was safely hidden from their view by the bodies of the Komodo dragons.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
[A motel in the city of Brecon, Great Britain]
“Okay, Maudie,” said Herbie as he rubbed his eyes. “So what you’re saying is that you heard through your Bobby friends that there is nothing about a dragon being seen. Or anything of the like?”
After straightening her suit, Maudie nodded morosely. “The dragon’s disappeared and so has Rayne. I made calls to other stations to see if they saw Rayne, and they haven’t seen hide or hair of the man. But I did find something when I was checking his background.”
“So stop dilly dallying and then spit it out, Maudie,” said Jones snorted as he looked at her. “We haven’t got all day and we aren’t here to be lectured, we aren’t your students.”
“And if you were my student, Rhys Jones ap Powyls, I’d have failed you for good,” Maudie snapped back with a glare. She ignored her colleague to look at Herbie. “The man has a record, but he was never charged for anything. Just a lot of suspicions about him, some even starting back in the late seventies, but nothing really to help us locate him. Few Drunks and Disorderly charges, lewd gestures to the police, that sort of thing.”
Herbie nodded as Maudie concluded her report. He looked at the other man. “What did you find when you searched his room, Jones?”
“Nothing much, man cleared out everything he had in the hotel room. Didn’t leave so much as a pence there,” Jones said as he shook his head in disgust. “But I did ask the front desk and barmaids if they saw him or if he said anything that they can remember.”
“And did they?” Maudie asked snidely. “Do quit dilly-dallying, Jones, we haven’t got all day.”
“Maudie, that’s enough,” Herbie admonished. “Did they remember anything about him?”
“The bar maid said that he hit on her and wanted to know if she was up for some fun before he was headed for California and a little mayhem,” Jones said as he shook his head. “I’ve got my men working on all the possible flights to there, but-do you know how many bloody flights there are to the colonies?”
“Well, keep at it,” Herbie said as he stood up. “I’ve got to get back to work, I think I have a lead on the dragon. In Swansea, a man and his family said they saw a huge red bear flying across his pasture a few days ago, then again up in Ireland.”
“If the descriptions are true, then that’s our dragon,” said Maudie as she frowned. “If that’s the case, then…the dragon’s headed towards the colonies, to Rayne.”
Herbie nodded. “I think that when we find the dragon, we’ll find Rayne. We’d better get some tickets ready, just in case.”
“Oh, good, then we can give him a piece of our minds,” Jones said as he clasped his hands in anticipation.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
[8:15 p.m. Sunnydale Waterfront]
He yawned as he took out a handkerchief and dabbled at the blood around his mouth. Then he sniffed as he looked at the remains of the Captain and Chief Engineer. “Well, men. I’ll see the two of you in two or three days. You’ll know where to find me.”
Making his way off the boat, Rev. Theodore Ramsey looked around as he sniffed the air. He felt the malevolent energies of the town calling his demon, but he ignored them. He was not there to gain power, only the Looking Glass. As he walked down the street, he briefly wondered what his whore of a kinswoman was doing with her lover. [The looking glass would still be in her possession. Are they using it as a mere trinket now? Or are they still studying it? Will they try and stop me?]
Then he dismissed the thought; he would not be stopped. It was his destiny to stop Katherine’s death and his duty to make her like him. After all, was not the hallmark of a good Watcher to be able to take care of his Slayer? To make her better than all the rest? With that in mind, Ramsey started planning his future with Katherine. But first thing was first; he had to find the Sunnydale High School. Spying a young couple enjoying the waterfront, he called them over. “Pardon me, do you know where the Sunnydale High School is?”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
[9:30 p.m. Mayor’s office in Sunnydale]
The dark haired girl looked at her nails, picking out the dirt from under them as she put her feet up on the mayor’s desk. She was bored, but since he wanted her there, she was there. No questions asked.
The door opened and a tall man with graying strawberry-blonde hair entered the room. He started out smiling, then frowned. “Ah, Faith. Feet, young lady. That posture is not good for your back.”
Faith immediately got up, and gave him an annoyed look as she ignored the fact that he was acting like a dad from the really old t.v. shows, the ones that the networks show at night, the ones where mommy, daddy and baby were all happy and smiles at the end. The shows that have a family life that really doesn’t happen in real life, with the exception of the Summers house, only because the mom was a complete moron. “You called, there something you want me to do for you, boss?”
“Yes, there is, Faith,” the mayor said as he went over to his miniature refrigerator. Faith grimaced as he took out a carton of milk and two glasses. “There’s a man that was seen coming into Sunnydale, goes by the name of Ethan Rayne. He’s been here several times before.”
“You want me to handle him?” Faith said as she watched him pour two glasses of milk. Oh yuck, she was going to have to drink the moo juice.
“I want you to watch him, see what he’s up to,” the mayor corrected as he turned around and gave her a glass. “Now drink up your milk, I know for a fact that you haven’t had a glass today, and a growing girl like you would need it. Makes your complexion look healthy as well.”
Faith made a face, then gulped it down as fast as she could. Roughly, she handed the glass back at him as she wiped her mouth with her sleeve. The mayor shook his head. “You know, if your drink too fast, you’re going to choke. Now, I don’t want you to kill him, the man’s a good sorcerer that worships Chaos. Not too many of him around, anyway, I just want you to watch him and find out what he’s up to. The boys can watch him at night, but I need a tag on him during the day.”
“Gotcha,” Faith said as she started towards the door. She really wanted to be out of there before he took anything else out and make her eat it. “You know where he’s staying at?”
“I’m getting that right now, so you might want to wait, so let’s have something while we wait,” the mayor said as he put the glass into the mini-kitchenette. He started to take out something else from the refrigerator. “Ah ha! Here it is! Faith, come and have a grilled chicken, spinach and tomato salad with me. And, do stop making that face, you’ll get wrinkles.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
[9:30 p.m. Summers house, Sunnydale]
Everyone jumped when the person at the door pounded on it. Then a voice shouted, “Giles! Buffy! Wesley! You guys in there? We’ve got a stop a crisis in the making! Buffy!”
Buffy rushed to the door, ready for anything. Staying on the side, she flung opened the door, and Xander came tumbling in with Willow and Oz right behind him. Xander groaned from the bottom of the pile, “Ow. Needing to breathe people!”
As Willow and Oz scrambled to get off of him, Buffy questioned, “What’s up? What’s wrong? Xander run out of junk food goodness?”
“I wish,” Xander said as he got up off the floor. He shook his head as he rubbed it. “Want to guess who I saw on the way home from junk food shopping with my mom?”
“I’m thinking that it’s not the Good Humor man,” Buffy quipped as she looked at him. “Demon, vampire or Faith?”
Xander made a buzzer noise. “And she loses the grand prize of Slaying goodness. And to give her a helpful hint, Willow will say what her next question should be?”
“Who’s our favorite mayhem maker that makes chocolate evil and Halloween costumes real?” Willow asked as she looked at Giles. “And who likes to maybe raise demons on the side?”
Joyce placed a hand on Giles’s shoulder as his jaw hardened. “Ethan Rayne. You saw him in Sunnydale?”
“Yep, and he was none too happy about being here when I followed him and saw him checking into Sunnydale’s no-tell motel,” Xander said as he looked at Giles. “Angel’s keeping an eye on him while we scooted real fast to come and get you.”
“He was looking might nervous if you ask me,” Oz said as he looked at Giles. “Kept looking over his shoulder and up at the sky, as if there was something that was going to swoop down and take him.”
“Damn him, what the devil is he doing in Sunnydale?” Giles cursed savagely. His lips tightened and his fists clenched. “He’s here to make trouble, I know it.”
“Rupert,” Joyce murmured as she touched his fist. Blinking, Giles looked at her, as if seeing her there for the first time. “You won’t let him make trouble for us.”
Giles slowly lifted his hand to cup her face, and she turned her face slightly to kiss his palm. Then she smiled at him, all of her love and confidence in him shining through her brown eyes.
He swallowed hard as a surge of protectiveness went through him when he watched at her kiss the palm of his hand. Giles knew in that instant, he would never let anyone or anything, not even his past, harm her. He pulled her close to him, needing to hold her. Before their Scotland adventure in the mirror, Giles knew that he was vaguely satisfied with his lot in life, while at the same time, he was not. He had more than the other active Watchers had. He was busy both as a librarian and Watcher, was comfortably well off and knew the respect of his peers.
Even when he was fired and was replaced as Buffy’s Watcher, he knew that he was still needed, still wanted, if not as a mentor, then as a friend. But for the longest time, since Jenny Calendar’s death, he knew that he wanted someone in his life, find someone to share his life with, yet he wasn’t quite sure on how to go about it, until Joyce.
Suddenly she was just there, no longer in the background, in his life, sharing more of it with him through her daughter and friends. Then, just as suddenly, she was gone. After the night that Ethan poisoned the band chocolates, they both became, through uncontrived efforts on both their parts as well as the Hellmouth’s, just too busy to contact each other, even for a cuppa. Until the mirror closed them off from everyone they knew, and it was just the two of them. Their adventures in Scotland bound them together, and the other Giles, the older version of himself, showed him just how empty he would have been if she weren’t in his life.
Giles held her tighter as he buried his face into her hair, and smelled her sweet scent. No, he wouldn’t go back to that lonely existence before the mirror. He wouldn’t let anything that spouted from the Hellmouth or anyone from his past harm her. Like his older self, he wouldn’t be able to survive it with his sanity intact.
Joyce didn’t know what was going through his mind as he held her, but she knew him enough to know that whatever he was thinking, it wasn’t pleasant. So she did what she knew how to do, she simply held him.
Frowning slightly, Buffy studied Giles as he tightly held her mother in his arms. He had the same look that Angel had on his face when he saw her, when he recognized her after he killed Pete. It was, like one of the stories she had to read for English class, the look of a man who had a glimpse of heaven after being in hell for the longest time. Angel had that look after being there, literally. Giles had that same look on his face as he held Mom, as if she were his heaven after being in hell.
Buffy’s hazel eyes glanced to look at her mother. Mom was just, holding him. And on her face, there was that look. The look that Mom always got whenever someone was threatening her baby. It was the first time that Mom had that look on her face, ever saw it applied to someone other than her. She looked fierce, protective. Her eyes flicked back to Giles, he was still looking at Mom as if she were his Heaven.
As far as she could remember, Dad never looked at Mom that way. Not even in the pics when they were both supposed to be deliriously happy with each other. Buffy wasn’t sure if she wanted things to go back to the way things were, if Mom was happy like this. But what was going to happen to her? Was she going to be thrown out of the picture when Mom and Giles started having little Watcher babies dressed in tweed diapers? Just when she was getting a handle on her own life, Mom and Giles just had to get theirs together, literally. Shaking herself, she did what she normally did when the weirdness of her personal life threatened to overwhelm her, she ignored it. “Giles-“
“Hey Giles, since when have you started with the hugs with Mrs.S?” Xander demanded after being stunned by watching Giles tenderly hold Buffy’s mother. Xander glanced at Buffy’s troubled face, then at Giles’s. “Is something Hellmouthy or Ethan Rayne-ish going on again in here?”
“In a manner of speaking,” Buffy muttered, then winced. Oh, great. Giles was definitely influencing her speech patterns. Aloud she said, “I’m still trying to figure that one out, Xander.”
“Buffy,” Joyce frowned as she pulled away from Rupert, but held his hand. She reached out to her daughter then sighed inwardly as Buffy’s lower lip stuck out a little bit more, a sure sign that Buffy was feeling just a bit insecure. Maybe dinner didn’t go as well as she and Rupert thought. “Come here.”
Buffy hesitated for a second, and then she leaned against her mother’s side. Her mother moved a strand of hair from her eyes, and kissed her on the forehead. She whispered, “We’ll talk about more about this later.”
As Buffy nodded, Joyce smiled. Then she looked at Giles when he looked at her questioningly. She shook her head slightly, and he let it go, knowing that Joyce would tell him later. “They might as well know about us now, darling.”
Giles put his arm possessively around Joyce’s shoulders as he looked at Xander, a proud smile plastered on his face. “Since she accepted my proposal of marriage.”
“You’re getting married to Buffy’s mom?” Willow yelped as she stared at Giles and Buffy’s mother. “Wow, this is so great! I was wondering when you were going to get over your heebie jeebies and ask her out! But marriage! So soon? Where’s it going to be? When?”
Everyone looked at Willow in astonishment. She looked back at them defensively. “What?”
“Willow, you knew that Giles wanted to go out with my Mom? How did you know?” Buffy demanded incredulously as she stared at her friend. “And you never told me?”
“Well, yeah. I mean, I thought you knew. I mean, he was real obvious in an non-obvious sorta way,” Willow stammered as she looked at Buffy. “I mean, he was trying too hard to not be obvious.”
As everyone looked at her with blank look on his or her collective faces, Willow stammered as she explained, “I mean, he was always asking about her in a roundabout way. Then he was always making sure that she wasn’t upset by Wesley and all sort of Hellmouthy things.”
Joyce shot an amused looked at Wesley, who had a blank look on his face. Giles blinked as he thought about it. “I thought I hid it very well.”
“Well, for the most part, you were,” Willow said as she blinked. “But you were always interested whenever Buffy said something about her mom. We won’t even talk about what you said to Wes when he only mentioned that Mrs. S was pretty.”
Joyce looked Giles as his ears reddened. Buffy stared at Willow, as Xander demanded, ”Was that the same day when he acted real pissy about her going out to dinner with that guy friend from college?”
“I think that was a different day,” Oz said with a shake of his head. He cocked his head as he looked at Giles. “I think that it was the day we all went off to get a pizza after the marathon research session. ”
“And to think I never knew,” Joyce murmured with a smile. She nuzzled the side of his neck and gave him a tender look. “Plan on telling me about it later?”
“Definitely,” Giles whispered back, then he looked at the kids, shaking his head at their astuteness. “Well, anyway, we plan to be married soon, and that’s all the news that we have for you children today.” He lifted a hand up to stop the questions. “We’re still in the planning process.”
“Are you going to have a huge wedding and reception? With a gown for you and Buffy?” Willow asked. She looked at Giles, her eyes huge. “Are you going to wear a tux? What kind of cake are you going to have? And ice sculpture?”
Giles sighed as he looked at Willow. “We’re still in the planning stage-“
“Hey, who’s going to be the best man?” Xander demanded as he looked at Giles. “And the ushers? And where’s the honeymoon going to be?”
“You guys need someone for the music?” Oz asked calmly. “Cause I think the Dingoes can do something about that if you want. Especially for the wedding rehearsal or maybe the wedding dinner.“
“Are Angel, Oz and me going to get to go to the bachelor party?” Xander demanded. “Cause there’s not many places that’ll take teenagers. Come to think of it, there’s not-”
“Bachelor party?” Buffy blinked, then looked up at her mom. “Am I going to have to plan a bachelorette or a bridal shower for you? ‘Cause I don’t know if I want to see the peek-a-boo lingerie you’re gonna get.”
“Joyce,” Giles said desperately as he gripped her hand. “Let’s elope.”
“Rupert, stop it,” Joyce chided as her eyes twinkled. “I want a chance to walk do the aisle with you.”
Though his heart warmed at the thought of marrying Joyce, he was more afraid of a phrase at the moment, which was ‘Xander at a bachelor party’. “Yes, but-”
“Before we get into a bachelor party, to which I hope that I am invited to, who is this Ethan Rayne?” Wesley demanded as he looked at everyone. “And why is he in Sunnydale?”
“Bloody hell, I almost forgot about him,” Giles said with a measure of relief. Joyce cocked an eyebrow at him, and he smiled wanly. “This is important, darling. Ethan and impending chaos go hand and hand.”
“And so do wedding plans,” Wesley innocently commented. He only smiled innocently as Giles stared hard at him and Joyce merely gave him an admonishing look. “But back to the subject of this Ethan Rayne-“
“Yes, back to Ethan,” Giles said quickly. He looked at Xander. “Do you know where he is?”
“At the Sleep Away Motel, near the highway,” Xander said. “Just before the O’Brian fresh produce stand.”
“What were you doing there?” Buffy asked curiously. “And how did you meet Willow and Oz?”
“Mom got one of her rare cravings for fresh berries and corn,” Xander said with a shrug. “And I flagged down Will and Oz as they were on their way to their date. Willow called Angel from a pay phone.”
Willow nodded. “Another romantic evening shot down by the Hellmouth. And trouble.”
“But who is this Ethan Rayne,” Wesley demanded in frustration.
Everyone looked at Giles, who looked like he wasn’t about to say anything. Then he stiffened and glared at Joyce. “Ow! What was that pinch for?”
Her face red, Joyce smiled sweetly at her occasionally obtuse husband-to-be. “Tell Wesley what he needs to know about Ethan, Rupert.” She put a finger over his lips, as he was about to protest. ”I refuse to have you and the children deal with him alone.”
“Yeah, Giles. Wesley needs to know what’s what,” Buffy said as she looked at him. “We sort of know what to expect from Ethan, but he doesn’t. And if he’s supposed to get a handle on being an active Watcher on the Hellmouth, he needs the details if he’s going to survive.”
Startled by her declaration, both Wesley and Giles stared at Buffy while Xander and Willow stared at her, openmouthed. Xander turned to whisper loudly to Willow, “Is Buffy making him a full-fledged Scooby?”
“I guess so,” Willow said as she gripped Oz’s hand. She looked at her friend with a slight frown. Something was up with Buffy, something happened to make her more accepting of him, but what? She looked at Wesley; the man had a mixed look on his face, sort of proud, grateful and surprised. And Giles looked shell-shocked.
Wesley waited with bated breath as Giles looked at him. Giles hesitated, then talked to Wesley reluctantly. “Ethan Rayne was once a friend of mine, a long time ago. He worships Chaos, and is always on the look out for a path of power, riches and longevity. He also has a knack for getting in and out of scrapes, usually at an expense of others.”
“I see,” Wesley said quietly. “So then why is here?”
“That is a very good question,” Giles mused as he looked at Joyce.
“Is he after the looking glass?” Joyce asked as she looked at him. “Or is just up to no good?”
“We can’t cross out the looking glass,” Giles said after a moment. “He could be after it, or as you said, he might be looking to make trouble.”
“Well, at least he can’t get to the looking glass, and least not now since Willow has the house spell-protected,” Buffy said with a self-satisfied grin. Then she frowned. “But I still don’t see why the darn thing has to be put into my room.”
“Think of it as a second Mr.Gordo, a magical one,” Joyce quipped. “It’ll watch over you as you sleep.”
Buffy snorted. “Yeah right, Mom. Like a looking glass can protect me from the things that go bump.”
Joyce smiled angelically as Giles looked at her. “You put the looking glass in Buffy’s room? Why?”
“What better way to hide something valuable than out in the open? And besides, who would look for a magical looking glass if it were covered in all those clothes that Buffy throws all around her room?” Joyce said simply. Buffy scowled at her mother as Giles hid a smile and the others made snickering noises.
Then she simply rolled her eyes. “Whatever, Mom. This is your call, Giles. You want to confront him and ask him why he’s here?”
“Yes, let us go see what my old mate is up to,” Giles said as unentangled himself from Joyce. “Darling-“
“I’m going,” Joyce said with a determined look in her eye.
“No, you’re not,” Giles said just as determinedly. “I don’t want you to confront Ethan, Joyce.”
Joyce smiled at the children and Wesley as she dragged Rupert nearer to the staircase. “Excuse us.”
“Wow, I feel honored. Their first spat before marriage,” Xander commented. Then he winced as he felt three smacks on his head. “Ow!”
“I’m going, and that’s final,” Joyce said as she looked at Rupert. She then softened her words as she touched his face. "You can’t worry about protecting me all the time, darling. And I won’t stand being kept in the dark about the dangers you and Buffy have to face, I’ll go mad with worry. We have to face the threats together, else we won’t last.”
Giles kissed her hands as he leaned his forehead against hers. “We will last, darling. But you have to stay here, where it’s safe. Where I’ll know that Ethan won’t be able to hurt you.“ He placed a hand on top of her still flat stomach. He still couldn’t believe that his baby was sleeping inside that slim body of hers. “Especially when you have more than yourself to worry about.”
Buffy watched Giles and her mother through the corner of her eye, and wondered what was going on as Giles placed a hand on her mother’s stomach. She strained to hear what they were saying, but could only hear murmurs. Then she heard her name. “What?”
“Eavesdropping, Buffy?” Xander teased. “Care to tell us what the G-man and your mom are saying?”
“Xander, do stop being a busybody,” Wesley said as he gave the boy an admonishing look. “Now, given the fact that the mirror is here and that Buffy’s mother might stay, we need to have some of us to remain here. Any volunteers?”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
[9:30 p.m. at Sunnydale’s Sleep Away Motel]
As Ethan unpacked his bags, he wondered if he should talk to Ripper tonight. He felt the pull from the dragon, and impossibly, it felt as if she were coming closer. “Bloody hell, Ethan. You just couldn’t leave it well enough alone, could you?”