Latter Days by Enigmaticblue

Summary: Set post-Chosen. After the Slayers are activated, the balance between good and evil is disturbed, and the Scoobies are flung to the far corners of the world to respond to the crisis. In the midst of all of this, will they be able to keep their relationships strong? Or will they be divided by circumstances and torn apart by fate? Follows my short story Yesterday.

Author's Notes: Remember how things went after Chosen? Well, forget about all of that, and ignore the comics. This is my version. This series is comprised of Latter Days, Faithfully Dangerous, and Now and Always, and the entire series will be known by the third title. You’ll see why. (And although some of the locations mentioned in this fic exist, this is my world, which means that I’m twisting reality to my own ends.)

“What a beautiful piece of heartache/This has all turned out to be/Lord knows we've learned the hard way/All about healthy apathy…There is a me you would not recognize, dear/Call it the shadow of myself/And if the music starts before I get there/Dance without me, you dance so gracefully/I really think I'll be okay/They've taken a toll, these latter days/Nothing like sleeping on a bed of nails/Nothing much here but our broken dream/Oh, but baby, if all else fails/Nothing is ever quite what it seems…” ~Over the Rhine, “Latter Days”

Chapter 8: Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, Africa

“…At least the trip to Zimbabwe was made without a lot of trouble. Corey and Nàtali have been great sports. I think that Nàtali is thrilled by the idea that she might get another Slayer to train with. I haven’t had the heart to tell her that the new girl might not want to train with her…” ~Excerpt from an email from Xander Harris to Willow Rosenberg

“When will we see her?” Nàtali asked impatiently. “I’ve been waiting forever.”

“You’ve been waiting three days, kiddo,” Xander replied, touched that she was hanging onto his hand. She seemed to look up to him like she would a big brother, and he couldn’t say that he minded. It was one of the reasons he missed Dawn as much as he did.

She stared up at him. “It will be nice not to be the only Slayer.”

He and Corey had had their first real disagreement over whether or not to break the news to Nàtali that the girl might not be coming back with them. In a way, it didn’t matter what the girl wanted, if her parents were against her receiving training as a Slayer. Xander wanted to let her hang onto the dream a little longer; Corey wanted to break the news gently before Nàtali met her.

As the senior Watcher, he had won, but he still wasn’t sure that it was a good thing.

Impulsively, Xander bent down, ignoring the passers by giving him strange looks—the foreigner with an eye patch, bending to look an African girl in the eyes. “You know her parents may not be okay with her coming with us, right?”

Her expression was troubled. “I know, Xander, but she is my sister. She is a Slayer.”

“Yeah, she is,” he agreed, rising and pulling her into a quick hug. He felt a rush of affection for her. “Don’t worry about it, Nat. Corey’s pretty persuasive.”

“Sorry about that,” Corey said, stepping outside their hotel. “The message seemed urgent.”

Xander frowned. “What happened?”

She shrugged. “It was just Miles, letting us know that the new Watcher arrived safely, and that they were attacked by another assassin demon.”

He didn’t like the sound of that. “Was anyone hurt?”

“No. Apparently Whit, for all his faults, can shoot a weapon.”

“Whit?”

“The new Watcher.” She smiled. “After hearing his full name, can you blame him?”

“Not at all,” Xander replied. He put a hand on Nàtali’s shoulder. “Come on. My source tells me they’re only going to be at home for another hour or so.”

~~~~~

Corey was glad they had decided to bring Nàtali with them; she’d been thrilled with her first airplane ride, and her face had been pressed against the window the entire flight. She couldn’t help but think that they made up an odd sort of family, and she wondered what outsiders might think.

She smiled inwardly. They were a family, of course. The Watchers and Slayers were connected, united in a common purpose—at least, that was the goal. Whether or not they would reach it had yet to be seen.

The house that the missionaries lived in was close to the university. Corey knew that during the term, rooms in the area would be packed with students, but they had arrived during the summer holiday, and the suburb was quiet.

Xander gave her a look and a lopsided, hopeful smile, then knocked on the door. It swung open to reveal a tired-looking man in his early forties, his dark hair and beard liberally sprinkled with gray. “Come in. You must be Xander Harris.”

“That’s me,” he replied, then stepped aside to allow Nàtali to precede him. “This is Nàtali, one of our Slayers, and Corey.”

“Paul Brunner,” he replied. The man looked at Corey. “I believe I met your father quite some time ago.”

Corey swallowed and managed a smile. “Really?”

“Yes, when I was spending some time with my cousin.” Paul ushered them all into the living room. “My wife and daughter are out. I wanted to speak with you alone.”

Corey took a seat on the couch, feeling Nàtali’s hand slip into hers almost immediately. She knew that Xander was just as uncomfortable as she was, probably because Paul didn’t seem terribly welcoming, although he certainly wasn’t hostile.

“You know why we’re here?” Xander asked.

Paul laughed shortly. “How could I not know? My daughter is now stronger than I am, and her dreams are waking all of us up at night.”

“It is a part of being a Slayer,” Corey said gently. “I’m sure you know this.”

“My wife doesn’t believe it,” he said irritably, then seemed to think better of it. “Forgive me. The last few weeks have been very difficult for all of us.”

Xander looked sympathetic. “I’m sorry, Mr. Brunner. I know you refused to get training for your daughter before, but I don’t think you have that option now.”

He shook his head. “I didn’t believe my cousin. How could he know that she was some sort of potential warrior? And suddenly—” Paul broke off. “My wife is still not sold on the idea of Emily going to school anywhere else.”

“What does Emily think?” Corey asked, wanting to focus the conversation on the most important point. If Emily did want to go with them, she and Xander had decided to find a way to make that happen, whatever her parents might say.

Paul looked at Xander. “Can you help her?”

“I can’t change the fact that she’s a Slayer now,” Xander replied honestly. “If that’s what you’re asking.”

“No, can you help her?” His voice was urgent. “The nightmares are so bad, and she told me that she feels like a freak.”

The sound of the front door opening reached their ears. “Hello? Are you home?”

Corey got the sense that he was trying to communicate something to them with a look, but she had no idea what it might be. “We’re in here, Tina.”

The woman who entered the room was about the same age as her husband, her skin tanned and lined. She had the same weary look about her that he wore, and although she was casually dressed, Corey sensed that this was a woman for whom appearances were very important.

Emily should have had the same kind of vibrancy about her that Corey had seen in the other Slayers they’d found. Even the two who had elected not to come to the school, who had denied that they had been Chosen, had had a fire about them. This girl looked haunted, almost faded; even her freckles seemed dull against pale skin.

Paul quickly made the introductions, then looked at his wife. “You remember what Al told us. It was all true.”

“It’s impossible,” she snapped. “I don’t believe it.”

“Do you not believe in good and evil, Mrs. Brunner?” Corey asked.

“Of course I do,” Tina replied. “But that doesn’t mean that my daughter is some warrior. Paul’s cousin was mixed up in witchcraft and sorcery; she has no part in that.”

“Xander is not a sorcerer!” Nàtali burst out. It was the first time she’d spoken since coming into the home. She spoke rapidly in Afrikaans, as she often did when excited or upset.

Corey translated. “She says that she is not touched by darkness but by light.” She smiled at the young girl. “She says that they are sisters.”

“No.” Tina’s voice was flat. “I won’t allow this. Paul—”

“Mom. No.” Emily’s voice was faint, but she seemed to gain strength. “I want to hear what they have to say.”

“Darling, you’re tired and overheated,” Tina said. “Maybe you should—”

“You can’t protect me from this anymore.” Emily moved away from her, towards her father. “What did Al tell you about me?” she asked. “Does he know why I’m having the nightmares?”

Xander cleared his throat. “They’re Slayer dreams, Emily. My best friend had them for years. She still has them sometimes.”

“Is what I’m seeing real?” she asked, taking a cautious step closer.

Nàtali piped up again, speaking in English this time. “Do you dream of a rip in the sky? With a dragon?”

Corey could see Emily swallow hard. “Yeah. And vampires that come out of the ground.”

“Monsters that creep up on you at night,” Nàtali added. “Yes. I’ve seen those things.”

“This is ridiculous!” Tina said, her voice rising. To Corey it sounded as though she was approaching hysteria. “They can’t be having the same dreams. It’s a mere coincidence. Emily has always liked fantasy a little too much, and that’s all this is.”

“No, it isn’t!” Emily shouted, color blooming in her cheeks. “I’m freakishly strong, Mom. You know that. I changed six weeks ago, and I can’t go back to who I was.”

Paul went to his wife. “Come on, Tina. Let’s go.”

“I’m not leaving her alone with these people,” Tina replied desperately. “Surely you can see this, Paul. They can’t help our daughter. We have furlough coming up. There are good doctors in the States. Psychiatrists—”

“Will only make things worse,” Xander interrupted smoothly. “Trust me. Like I said, my best friend has gone through the same thing. Her mom checked her into a mental institution for a while, and it didn’t change anything.”

Paul’s voice was very gentle. “Come on, Tina. Let Emily talk to them for a little while. Maybe they can help.”

He managed to lead her out of the room, and Emily sat down in the chair he’d vacated. “Sorry about that,” she said softly. “Mom’s in denial about this.”

“How are you feeling?” Corey asked. “You look a little pale.”

Emily shook her head. “The nightmares have been really bad. I haven’t been sleeping all that well. And I keep getting cramps all the time.”

Corey caught the look on Xander’s face. “Has anyone tried to come inside your house after dark?” he asked urgently.

“The other night,” she admitted. “Dad wouldn’t let them in. Mom probably would have if she’d been home, but he…” Emily trailed off, understanding in her eyes. “They were vampires. My dad knew.”

“Your father has some connection to the Council of Watchers,” Corey explained. “They’re a group of people who have dedicated their lives to fighting evil and protecting and training the Slayer. That’s what you are now.”

There was hope in her eyes when she looked at them. “Then I’m not evil?”

“What? No!” Xander said forcefully. “What gave you that idea?”

“The dreams.” Emily’s voice was matter-of-fact. “I thought I had to be evil to dream of monsters doing horrible things.”

Corey reached out and took her hands. “Slayers dream of those things so they might stop them from happening.”

Emily pulled back. “I’m not strong enough or brave enough. I can’t—”

“I can show you how,” Nàtali whispered. “Please?”

The girls’ eyes met, and Corey saw something pass between them—the child of American missionaries and the South African orphan. The two had nothing in common but their Calling—and somehow it was enough.

“Okay.” Emily’s chin took on a determined tilt. “I’ll do it. I’ll come.”

~~~~~

In some ways, retrieving this Slayer had been a lot easier, Xander thought. She already had papers and a passport as well as extra clothes and shoes—something Nàtali had not had until she’d come to stay with them. Emily also had parents, however, which seemed to complicate things to no end.

Although Paul had appeared to resign himself to Emily’s decision immediately, Tina was a different story altogether. Not that Xander blamed her; he was proposing to take her daughter hundreds of miles away, to a different country, in the company of people she didn’t know. What’s more, Emily was her youngest, and she’d been ill.

In the end, it came down to two against one. Paul backed Emily’s decision, and Emily—displaying more tenacity than Xander had thought she had—expressed her desire to go clearly and firmly. After that, it was more a matter of soothing Tina’s concerns than anything else.

They made arrangements for Paul to travel down to the school with Emily in a couple of weeks; he wanted to see where she would be staying for himself, and he wanted to make a few phone calls to relatives he believed had survived the First. Xander appreciated his caution, and he wanted to have the school ready before they received any more Slayers.

They left to fly back to South Africa the next morning, and Xander hoped that their reassurances had given Emily the peace of mind she needed to get through the next couple of weeks.

“Glad to be home, kiddo?” Xander asked, looking in the rearview mirror at Nàtali as they drove back to the school from the Pretoria airport.

She nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, but I want to fly again.”

“I’m sure you will, Nat,” he replied, then glanced over at Corey. She’d been quiet during the trip home. “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” she said immediately. “Just tired.”

Xander wasn’t sure he bought that, but he let it slide, not wanting to interrogate her in front of the girl. “I wonder if Miles will be waiting for us.”

“I doubt it. The new Watcher will be, though.”

He’d almost forgotten about that. “I guess he will. I hope he’s not use—” Xander choked on the last word as Corey poked him hard in the ribs, and gave him a meaningful look. He readily interpreted it as a warning not to prejudice the young Slayer against him. “I hope he’s not too tired,” he finished.

Corey shook her head, muttering something under her breath that Xander couldn’t catch, and probably didn’t want to. He had no doubt that it wasn’t very complimentary.

When he parked the Land Rover in front of the building that would soon be the school and dormitory, he saw a young, blond man coming out to greet them. “Hello!” he called.

Xander wasn’t sure what to think. From Giles’ description, he’d expected a younger, tweedier version of the stereotypical Watcher—uptight, buttoned-up, and completely useless in a fight. Instead, he saw what looked like a younger Indiana Jones, sans hat.

Sandy blond hair fell over blue eyes with a studied carelessness that made Xander want to hate him. He was thin, but it was clear from his build that it was only a matter of time before he filled out with the sort of lean musculature that Xander had to work hard to maintain.

In short, however stuffy his name might be, Bertrand Whitney-Jones was exactly the sort of guy Xander had wanted to be at that age.

He gave himself a mental shake, remembering that high school was a long time ago. Xander was now a senior Watcher, in charge of whatever Slayers might be in the area, as well as any others that Giles might send his way.

“Hi, you must be Bertrand,” Xander said, trying to sound as cordial as possible.

“Whit, please,” the younger man insisted. “I have no idea what my parents were thinking when they named me.”

“Whit it is, then,” Corey replied. She conducted the rest of the introductions as Xander unloaded their bags, noticing with ill humor that no one else made any moves to help him. He’d just finished pulling the bags out of the trunk when Nàtali appeared. “I’ll get mine, Xander.”

He smiled. “Thanks, Nat.”

“You’re my Watcher,” she whispered before running into the building.

“I sure am,” he murmured, hefting the two remaining bags, and feeling just a little better.