Chapter Three.

Myth, Magic and Manipulation

Part A ...

Okay, Okay, I know, I know.

There's nothing more annoying than reading a whole new section of a story arc, only to discover that it ends on a cliffhanger.

Well, actually, there are probably a great many things that are more annoying, but it's still pretty vexing, and for that I sincerely apologise.

It's just that, once I'd got down to putting one word after another, I discovered there was just too much plot for part three as a standalone segment. Too much going on, and too much to try and explain. So I was persuaded to spilt it into a two parter. (At least. I'm still not sure I'm going to cram everything else into part B ...). I'm not sure which is better, actually - only getting the first halt of the story, or waiting forever to get all of it.

I shall endeavor to write the next bit as quickly as I can. :-)

As to what's happening here ...

Sky has finally arrived in Sunnydale and found it's not at all what she expected. Her first encounter with the horrors of the undead are unsettling to say the least. But she tough and she's determined, and makes up her mind - not just to stay, but to help if she can. Buffy's not entirely sure of the wisdom of that, but she figures that it might be safer to have the policewoman on her side, rather than working against her.

Giles isn't sure of that at all. He's taken a few more shaky steps on his long road to recovery, but he's a little disturbed by Sky's presence, for a number of reasons. The events in Wilton Meadows still haunt him, he's suspicious of her motives in coming to Sunnydale, and he can't stop himself from feeling responsible for her being there - or for anything that might happen to her as a result. His hostility is understandable; she and her fellow officers were far from professional in their dealing with him (even if she made up for much of it in her subsequent actions), and she has a lot to prove.

Meanwhile, the terrible Trio have begun their campaign of harassment against the Slayer, Willow's losing control of her magic, and Tara's starting to notice. Xander and Anya seem to be on course for their wedding, and Sky has just handed Giles the Watcher's equivalent of the holy grail. Which will be important for all sorts of reasons, none of which I can reveal as yet.

Safe to say, the last thing any of them needs is a Justicar arriving on the scene ...

I'm not entirely sure where the idea for the Justicars came from, but once it took shape it seemed to make a lot of sense. Something, perhaps, that Joss might have come up with, had he given any real thought to how the Watcher's Council was organised and run. They are the Guardians of the Order of Watchers, the ones that keep even the Council from stepping out of line - and given the weaknesses of the human soul and the kind of things the council can probably put their hands on, they seem to be a very good idea indeed. Basically, as Sky explains, the Justicars are the Council’s officers of Internal Affairs. Only they don’t just investigate. They’re judge, jury – and executioner too. They have to be utterly beyond reproach, and highly dedicated to their calling.

They tend to be dogged in their enquiries too; once a Justicar has their teeth into something, they don't let go until they've got a satisfactory answer, have flushed out a wrongdoer or dealt with any other problem they may have uncovered. They are probably one of the primary reasons that the order has survived, in secret, for so long. If the wetworks division gets a little too enthusiastic or out of line, they deal with it. If a Council member embezzles funds, they deal with it. If a member of the Order is a little free with their secrets, they deal with it.

The only thing they don't deal with is the Slayer herself. Which is why we've never heard of them up until now. It's possible that one of the team that came with Travers to carry out Buffy's Crucimentium was a Justicar - and whose presence might have been the reason why Giles felt forced to co-operate over her participation in the event. It's equally likely that at least one of the group we saw in 'Checkpoint' was similarly qualified. So I suspect that they've been around. The Council just haven't requested their direct involvement up until now.

Sarah Alice Dimwithy, as we will discover, is a very dedicated Justicar. It's unusual for a woman to join their ranks and she's had to work twice as hard to prove herself as a result. Up until now, she's been second fiddle on investigatory teams. This is her first solo assignment - although being sent to investigate a Watcher who's been late with his reports probably didn't have much prospect of being the case that would make her name and reputation. The Council isn't really that bothered at this point; they do have other things taking up their attention, and Sarah Alice was sent mostly because she could be spared. The problem of a resurrected Buffy and her incommunicative Watcher was really one that Travers could do without.

He will learn that events on the Hellmouth are things that you cannot safely ignore.

Sarah Alice, on the other hand, has just found herself facing the greatest challenge of her career. How will she judge the Watcher to the prime Slayer, having been presented with irrefutable evidence that he is no longer human? What will her presence mean to the Scoobies, who are already struggling with the aftershocks of Buffy's resurrection and Giles' traumatic transformation? Can Sky prove herself while ensuring that justice is done?

And what about the prophecies in the Tageris? What will they reveal?

Watch this space ... :-)