Hellmouths are for Lovers

Chapter Four

Nothing seemed unchanged- from her nineties midriff halter to the red solo cup in her hand. The Bronze, circa 1999, right down to "Dingoes Ate My Baby" playing on stage. This was the most vivid dream she had experienced in some time, or least, it was the most vivid one that did not include a horrific replay of Giles neck snapping before her helpless eyes. A strange flutter and a waft of air preempted the sudden appearance of a dark haired man.

"I thought this was appropriate," he said, voice deep and coarse.

Though he spoke, her eyes still watched Willow and Xander dancing, and Oz playing the lead guitar part for "She Knows"- the song he had written for Willow.

"I can see why you would choose this as your heaven," he spoke again.

"It's the only place where we ever just got to be teenagers," a slight lump formed in her throat, "This place was like sacred ground for us. Everything we thought we wanted, we thought we'd find inside these walls," Buffy turned to face the stranger who had joined her at the high top table, "I remember you."

"It's hard to forget the face of the angel responsible for tearing you out of heaven," he acknowledged, "A trauma like that tends to stay with a person."

"You can definitely say it lingers," She sighed wistfully, but then smiled, "You know, I had forgotten that I purposely excluded Cordelia," nostalgia filled her mind, and it actually rent her heart to think about the girl that had tormented her in high school nearly as much as the hell spawn, "But, I guess she's probably up here somewhere too, now."

"The heaven of Cordelia Chase is a mall that never closes and a platinum credit card without a spending limit," He stated matter of factly, "I am unsure why one woman needs that many pairs of shoes."

That warmed Buffy's aching heart, "It's comforting to know that some things never change, no matter how much we're forced too."

"This would not be a suitable heaven for you now, would it?" He asked seriously.

"I can't even imagine what heaven would look like to me now," she admitted, "But, this... this might be a nice place to start," her eyes flicked towards Angel, whom she had been ignoring as he lingered in the darkness of the loft, "Minus one previously reoccurring character."

"Understandably so," He replied, and with a snap Angel disappeared into nothing.

Studying the dark haired angel's face, one that had haunted her for years, she asked, "Which one are you?"

"My name is Castiel," he responded, "And, I come bearing a message from the one called 'Giles'."

"Giles?" Buffy did not mean to gasp, but she could not help it out of relief, out of knowing he was somewhere safe, "If... if it's about leaving everything in the will to Faith... tell him I get it, okay-"

"The Winchester brothers," He interrupted, "I believe you encountered them earlier this evening."

"If by that you mean the two minions of Lilith that I leveled at the mausoleum, then yeah, you can say we had an encounter."

"Buffy, I know that you are overly familiar with impending Apocalypses-"

"Yeah... you guys should really do something about that."

"The Winchesters are not 'minions'" Castiel emphasized the word minions with finger quotations, "They are working for me- I have sent them to help you. They are experienced hunters."

"Experienced," Buffy snorted, "We can talk about 'experience'," Buffy mockingly finger-quoted the word, "after they crawl out of their own grave a couple times."

"Actually, much to Death's chagrin, they are most adept at subverting their own demise," Castiel sighed, "In fact, as a direct result of an act very similar to your own attempt of sibling chivalry, I was commanded to extract the older brother, Dean, from the afterlife as well."

"Is death just like a vacation to you guys? Because, where I come from its viewed as more of a permanent deal."

"I'm sure if I understood it, I would find you sarcasm hilarious," Castiel deadpanned, "But, our time is running out. You're about to wake up."

"Then what is the message you have from the 'Giles'?"

"His message is this: 'Trust Dean. While he may seem like a bit of a scoundrel, he's both a righteous and courageous soul. Perhaps, no other person could possibly relate to your burdens quite so acutely'."

"Wow..."

"You do not believe that Giles said this?"

"Oh no, from the vocabulary alone, I'm positive Giles said that," Buffy assured, "It's just super freaky-deaky to hear his words coming from your mouth."

"It's time that you return, Buffy," Castiel repeated, "But, know that Lilith is not to be easily trifled with. She fully intends of freeing Lucifer from his cage, and inciting hell on Earth. To do that, she must kill The Slayer- the true Slayer, and that means you. Regardless of the potentials which you have released, the only person who may be able to stop her is you. The Winchesters will be invaluable allies to have in this battle."

"You trust them?"

"To the end."

"And, Giles... he trusts them?"

"Yes, without a doubt. He said to mention that he read about them in a book," Castiel replied, making Buffy smirk, "Good Luck, Buffy."

"Wait!" She pleaded, grabbing his arm before his hand brushed her forehead, "Please, just tell me what Giles heaven looks like."

Castiel's face flashed an almost smile, the first emotion he had betrayed yet.

"It is a library... with every book ever written, in Latin..."

Buffy snickered, "Of course it is," her eyes closing awaiting his touch.

"...And a fully equipped gym," He continued, "Where he trains with you... every night."

That last bit actually made her lip quiver.