Time of your Life - Part Two

Plot

Note: because of the convoluted Fray slang, the original terms are given in brackets where needed, so everyone can follow it…

New York, in the future:

Erin (Fray’s sister, who looks uncannily like Buffy here) and Fray are on the hunt, which means Erin is flying a kind of motorbike while Fray has picked a flying van as her target. That is the nest; she can smell it. Fray takes her scythe. Erin is not quite sure this is a good idea. Fray does not need her help anyway; she should just brake when Fray tells her.

Fray slices open the side of the van, which is full of vampires.

Fray thinks for a moment and asks her sister whether she can jam their steering system. Erin, panicking, asks for a minute. A minute? Okay, says Fray, and simply jumps over to the van and grabs one of the vampires.

Does she always have to do that, Erin sighs. Then she sets about disabling the van’s steering system.

Meanwhile Fray has grabbed the vampire, threatens him with the wooden shaft of the scythe and asks him where “he” is. Where is Harth, she specifies.

The van crashes into a large statue and explodes, while Fray lands with the bloodsucker on the roof of another vehicle. The vampire babbles fearfully that this should not be happening. He promised them the whole world and said the mad woman would save them! Tough luck, says Fray, and asks again: “Where?” and “What woman?” She raises the scythe… The dark-haired one who has lived for centuries and speaks in riddles and very strange voices. “He” (Harth) calls her the dark hope and said she has even more power than he does, the vampire answers, and then begs Fray to spare him. She stakes him and says, disgusted, that begging is so weak. Elegantly Fray jumps back to the flying vehicle where Erin is waiting nearby.

Does she have any idea whom the vampire could have been talking about?

A little later the two are in a room that looks like a library, with a hammock strung up and all kinds of junk lying around. Erin remarks that there is plenty of room here and she still lives in this place… Fray explains that this is her home – the place somehow welcomes her. There is history here and these journals – and since Harth (her brother) has her Slayer memories, she needs the books – and anyway: would Erin really want to share her home with Gates? As for their topic: it sounds somehow familiar; she has to search the journals for it.

Fray rummages through the books while Erin is greeted by Gates, a demon who jumps down on her and startles her. Erin plucks him off her shoulders. “Gates?” she asks, setting the creature down. Like the last great Watcher, who sacrificed himself in the “Battle of Starbucks”, Fray explains. Erin asks where that is supposed to be, but her sister has no idea – she is only slowly working through the old records, especially since they are all written in “old American”. But she knows she has read something about a mad woman before…

With Harth, future:

He hands a woman in a long, old-fashioned dress a cup, or rather a goblet, with a steaming liquid. He remembers fighting her – in a dream. She hurt him… not only in the fight… she has a connection to someone he loves. And in this dream he is the Slayer. The Slayer of all Slayers. She is the one who will come here. Tonight, answers the woman with the long dark hair. The princess leaves her kingdom for the dark “now-woods”.

Harth, who has stepped onto the balcony, turns and looks at the woman. He never asked her why she wanted to bring her here and why she wanted his sister to find her. Are the two of them together not a threat to them?

But he would like to know, she notes.

Their plans are well thought out – they keep their “troops”, the vampires, mobile and spread the wonderful infection all over North Am… that is how they begin to slowly destroy the roots of the world. Of course there is nothing a Slayer cannot handle, the mysterious woman adds.

So why bring in another one, Harth repeats his question.

Vampires draw strength from each other, but Slayers do not, she explains. What happens in this time will lead to this time dawning… does he understand?

“I…”, Harth begins.

The woman turns and goes inside. Ripples, she explains. Everything is in motion.

In New York, present day:

Willow blames herself. While Kennedy is being treated by another Slayer, the demon that appeared in Buffy’s place is trapped in an energy field, guarded by two armed Slayers.

Kennedy, held by Willow, says that is not true – it was her own mistake, but she will be fine. Although a really caring girlfriend would have killed the thing, she teases Willow. First she has to clear up a few things, says Willow. She steps up to the demon. It was not a transmogrification, which is already a huge relief. Why, Kennedy asks.

Is she joking? Buffy has a life crisis over a pimple – if she were stuck in that body, she would kill herself!

Willow believes their new friend comes from the future and Buffy has probably swapped places with him. And Kennedy thought this whole temporal business was supposed to help them. So did Willow – which is why it is her fault, she says, dejected.

In Scotland, present day:

The castle is badly devastated and there are fires everywhere – and the flames are green. Xander kicks in a door to the command centre, where he sees a few Slayers amid the devastation tending to an injured girl. Rowena is organising the others’ escape from a console. Xander asks her for a status report. Most squads have escaped through the tunnels. “Most,” Xander repeats. The west tower has collapsed – at least seven. Xander wants to know whether she has any idea what hit them. Rowena fights back tears and does not answer. Xander reminds her that soldiers die – they do it all the time. This place is done for anyway; they will not call for help, he says. He grabs Rowena by the shoulders and makes her look at him.

Whatever it was, it was mystical in origin, because flames are not bright green… he looks over her shoulder. And by the way, flames do not look like soldiers with cobra faces either.

More and more of these creatures form out of the flames, causing even more destruction with their weapons and coming towards them. “Into the tunnels, now!” Xander orders. Rowena obeys. She sees Xander hit in the shoulder by a poison-green burning arrow and wants to help him, but he only tells her to get the Slayers out. “Sir…”, she begins. They could of course discuss the pros and cons and hold a vote, Xander says sarcastically, and then shouts at her to go. Rowena obeys. Xander pulls the arrow out of his shoulder while one of the flame creatures is already very close. Xander babbles, but he simply cannot think of a joke, he notes meekly as he stares at the creature.

Dawn (a centaur, remember…) comes leaping in and simply tramples the creature.

She should not be here, Xander thinks. You’re welcome – and by the way, these creatures are forming all over the grounds. She asks how bad it is, as Xander practically collapses onto her horse body. Xander sees no way out of here, except the very dubious one of collapsing and throwing up his way out. Well, then he will just have to… ride her, Dawn says quietly… “What?” Xander asks, until it dawns on him what she just said. Dawn looks away, embarrassed, as he shrieks in horror.

Shortly afterwards they charge through the ranks of the flame creatures towards the woods. Xander clings to Dawn, who yells at him because he is pulling her hair. Why, he is only holding on to her mane. But her mane is her hair, she reminds him.

New York, in the future:

Erin and Fray are at the place where, according to the books, “the last girl” (Slayer) was when she was transformed.

Erin does not think it is a good idea. As if it ever is, Fray thinks.

It is said that the mad woman’s power reaches through time and has changed it. Sounds like nonsense, but it is worth a try. If there is trouble, Fray will contact Erin.

Fray finds the demon that later appears in present-day New York and fights it…

New York, present day:

Willow explains to the others how she understands this “translocation”…

…Somewhere in the future someone recruited their ugly demon friend here to go after the Slayer (Fray), probably to draw her out. Then that person opened a portal and sent the demon through – and apparently not entirely voluntarily, judging by what the demon says.

Whoever is responsible has far more power than Willow, she explains. And he or she is making that very clear – to the magical community, to all of Willow’s allies and to herself. They are only pawns.

The point is: they know nothing at all about this person, or about this future Slayer. So the question is what awaits Buffy in the future. And how do they get her back before something happens to her?

New York, in the future:

Buffy is standing on the roof of the tower block and is immediately attacked by Fray, who grabs her and throws herself down with her. Buffy crashes onto a flying limousine, while Fray lands elegantly next to her and goes for her again at once. Stop, Buffy calls, and finally holds Fray tight. Fray struggles – the “shifter” should let go of her! Buffy makes clear that she is not a shifter. That is a “spin”, Fray retorts angrily – does she take her for a “slack”? Buffy says she is talking nonsense – would she please start sorting out her language!

The two face each other. Buffy notices that they both have scythes and are both good at martial arts.

Turn-offs are definitely smokers, insensitive men and vampires – does she agree, Buffy asks cautiously.

But that is impossible, says Fray.

They are standing on a flying car! A lot of things are “impossible” right now, Buffy thinks. So what is this – the future? An alternative, much cooler reality?

Fray tries to sort it out: Buffy Summers… present day, Buffy answers.

But Buffy Summers is dead… Yes, every now and then, Buffy answers. Okay, this has something to do with the future thingy Willow explained, Buffy notes.

She takes her scythe back, looks down from the car and says to herself that she really has a thing for tall buildings lately – and wow, it is a long way down…

Buffy Summers has been dead a long time, Fray states categorically; for about two centuries, maybe longer.

Buffy asks the other girl her name. Melaka. Cute, Buffy thinks, and then adds that she has travelled through time. Why, Fray wants to know. Buffy had sort of hoped she could tell her that. Can they talk somewhere she will not get travel-sick? Buffy should follow her… and the next moment Fray has already hopped quite a way off from one “car” to the next.

She cannot do that! Never! Um… “Hello…?”

A little later the two are walking down on the street. Everything is run-down and pretty grimy.

So she is still in Manhattan? Haddyn, Fray corrects. Yeah, right. That is how she always imagined it anyway. Buffy tells her that Willow – her best friend, whom she has probably read all about already – explained that this temporal phenomenon is somehow supposed to help them. Apart from being really pretty, by the way, she surely has enough going for her to defeat Twilight, Buffy notes.

“Uh… ’Merican?” Fray asks, not understanding a word.

Buffy explains that in her time the Slayers have only just been called, so the whole thing is still a bit of a gamble. At least she would like to know how organised they are now…

“They?” Fray asks, surprised.

Okay, sorry, slowly. How many are there, Buffy specifies. How many Slayers worldwide?

One. One and a half.

Buffy looks at her, baffled.

Fray takes Buffy to a building. As they go in she explains: for two centuries there was no Slayer. She is the first to be called since Buffy’s time.

And what is with the half, Buffy asks, confused. Well, Fray has a twin. His name is Harth, and he was born with the Slayer memories – Fray has books and old Watcher journals, but he… knows more.

He was turned, she explains, looking out of the window. He is a lurk. He has everything that should have helped her and uses it to gather them around him. To kill her, Fray says sadly. Buffy puts a comforting hand on her shoulder. She is sorry, she says. Then she asks what a lurk is.

Buffy and Fray are in an almost dark room. Buffy sums up what she has understood so far: lurk means vampire, spin is a lie… this English is going to drive her to despair!

Meanwhile Fray looks at the floor, hands on her hips, and calls for Gunther. She can hear him down there, so he should switch on the light! Under the floor is a kind of huge water tank in which a demon swims – Gunther. He looks up at the two of them. Melaka has brought a friend, the creature notes.

Buffy asks Fray how long he has been down there. Meanwhile Gunther is interested in the orange polka dots. Buffy shrieks, presses the skirt of her short dress (under which Gunther has been looking from his position) to her and calls him a creep. Fray explains to her boss that this is Buffy, another Slayer – so he should not behave like an “aquahog”.

Another Slayer? From the past. Some time nonsense, and she does not know why. He has nothing to do with magic, Gunther adds.

Fray just replies that nothing happens in Haddyn without him hearing about it – so someone he knows surely knows something she needs to know. Gunther just stares at Fray. She goes on to say that she has heard rumours about a mad woman who has teamed up with Harth. If he has not heard about it yet, he will soon. Fray thinks she may be the “key card” to all this.

Gunther does not care about her hobbies. She cannot expect him to… He does not have to lift a fin, Fray retorts; she just wants to know what he has heard.

He has heard a little. A woman. She has lived since ancient times.

Lurks do not age, says Fray. But what is her trick? Does she at least have a name?

Meanwhile Buffy is sitting on the floor (holding her skirt firmly, mind you) trying to grasp that all this is really happening.

With Harth, future:

Harth looks down from the balcony at the hectic activity. It is beginning, says the mysterious woman. It will be a battle, he replies.

“No…” she just says. Buffy is starting to feel the pressure, the loss of the world, her failure. She sounds sad, Harth thinks.

And that surprises him?

But it will be a great day for her, Harth reminds her.

Why does he have to destroy his own sister, the woman asks him.

She is the last thing he ever loved. They are connected. Her pain is his joy. It is something like true love. And what could be stronger than love?

Dark Willow steps out of the shadows. Time. Only time, she answers.