Part XVII - Ritual Interuptis

[The more the merrier]
[Never a spare slayer when you need one]

"I should have called them sooner," Willow said, staring down at her injured slayer, sleeping in her bed. For a slayer the injuries weren't life threatening. The broken arm, sprained shoulder, and cracked ribs would be healed in a week. But that was a week where Dawn couldn't fight.

"How could you have known?" Tara asked softly.

"It's my job to watch out for things like this," Willow said, keeping her voice low. "Sunnydale sits on a Hellmouth. It's a big evil magnet."

"It's been quiet for almost a hundred years. Why would you expect anyone to try to open it now?" Tara asked.

Willow shrugged, unable to give her a good answer. She knew there must have been some sign, some portent that she'd missed in her complacency. And now they were going to pay for it. Beth was missing, kidnapped by whatever creatures had attacked Dawn. Buffy had disappeared while tracking them down. The only bright spot in the whole thing was that the other Guides had agreed to bring their slayers to Sunnydale.

"When are they arriving?" Tara asked, following Willow out into the kitchen.

"Their flights get into LA around noon." Willow said, leaning over the stove to turn on the water. "They should be here before dinner."

"What are they like?" At Willow's puzzled look she added, "these slayers?"

"I suppose they're typical slayers. Arrogant. Deadly. Single minded."

"Dawn isn't typical?"

"You've met her sister." Willow said, grabbing several large mugs from the cupboard above the sink. "Give her a couple years to become comfortable in her skin, then she'll be typical. But probably not as bad as some. That kind of thing wouldn't last very long around her sister."

"Oh." Tara murmured. "What about their Guides?" she asked.

"I think you'll like them," Willow said. "Fred is a skinny thing. She sounds like she's still in Texas though she's been with Billie in Scotland for the last decade."

"Scotland?"

"Haunted castle. The walls between dimensions are very thin there."

"Like an open Hellmouth?" Tara asked,taking a cautious sip of her tea.

"Nope. That one is kind of neutral. They're there to keep people from entering it. I would love to see it," she said wistfully. "But the Coven said no, unless it was an emergency."

"Why not?"

"Some ancient legend about slayers and portals." Willow shook her head. She hadn't thought about it in a while.

Out of the corner of one eye, Willow watched the two slayers, A and B, prowling around the library. They'd calmed down a little since seeing Dawn but they still seemed to have a huge amount of energy for people who'd spent hours traveling thousands of miles and half a dozen time zones. Shaking her head, she turned her attention back to the other Guides. Neither one of them had chastised her for needing their slayers in Sunnydale, though she was sure the Coven Elders would have something to say about it. Assuming they survived whatever was headed their way.

"So, Dawn's sister is missing and the demon hunter who went to look for her is also missing."

"Buffy isn't a push-over," Willow said. "Something must have happened to her."

"Well, she isn't a slayer. It wouldn't take much." X said, shaking her head.

Willow held her tongue. From what she'd seen of Buffy in action, she suspected that Buffy could have beaten a slayer in a fight, but antagonizing the rescue party wouldn't help.

"Have you scry'ed for them?" Fred asked.

"Yes." Tara said, entering the room with a tray of steaming mugs. "We know they are both somewhere in Sunnydale but something is blocking us. I couldn't get any closer than that."

"You think someone is going to try to open the Hellmouth?" Fred asked.

"That's what Buffy claimed." Willow said nervously. "And there are some strange things going on around here that seem to be related."

"Are we sure this Buffy isn't behind this whole thing?" A asked suddenly, standing in front of Willow for a moment and staring intently into her eyes. "Not very many competent women demon hunters."

"Yes." Tara answered for her. "I did a reading when she first arrived. She's not evil."

"You don't have to be evil to have an agenda." X murmured.

"She's one of the good guys." Willow grumbled. "We need to find her and Beth before the Hellmouth opens."

"Let's worry about her evilness later." Billie said, joining A. "Let's get Dawn's sister back and check out the Hellmouth. If she's evil we'll know soon anyway."

"You really roll out the welcome mat." X said, rubbing her forehead. "All we need is a prophecy and we're all set."

"Well..." Willow mumbled. "We might have one. Buffy had this book..."

[Buffy's book]

Billie and A watched the witches for a few minutes. "We're going to go check out the town." Billie said. "Give us a call when you need us."

They slipped out the front door into the dark yard. "What do you think?" Billie asked her companion, following her silently down the sidewalk. A wasn't a very vocal person. She tended to think about things for a long time before coming to a conclusion.

"Did you notice anything odd about Dawn's sister and this Buffy?" she asked, referring to the pictures they'd been shown earlier.

"They could almost be twins." Billie murmured. "The witches didn't say anything."

"I bet they didn't notice." A said.

"So we have a slayer's sister, a demon hunter who could be her twin, and someone trying to open the Hellmouth."

"Sacrifice?" A suggested.

"If they were twins and one of them was a slayer..." Billie said, her voice trailing off. "Isn't there some legend?"

"There might even be a prophecy," A said. "The witches are going to love it."

"They aren't that bad." Billie protested.

"Says she who shares a bed with one." A said, her smirk just barely visible.