She woke up to the sound of the beeping from her heart monitor; she had no idea why she had a heart monitor, how she got here or where `here' was. The only thing she knew was she had to get away and somebody needed her desperately. A nurse came into her room to check on her, she was mumbling in an unknown language.

"Nå så hun er vågen, det bliver Frank glad for at høre" (Oh she's awake; Frank will be pleased to hear that.)

"Where am I?" The young woman asked with a raspy voice, her throat dry as sandpaper.

"You are in the hospital, just a moment, then the doctor will be here and he can answer all the questions you might have." The nurse had a funny accent, "would you like some water?"

"Yes, please. "

The water to her throat was like oil to an engine, and soon she was ready to endure a long Q&A session. The nurse left the room but returned a minute later with a young man wearing a white coat.

"I'm Dr. Frank Jensen; I'm chief neurologist here at `Riget,' the national hospital. Do you know your name?"

The young woman shook her head, slightly wincing at the pain.

* Great I don't even know my own name. * She looked scared.

"What can you tell me Dr.?"

* He sure is a funny little guy, what with that curly hair and his teeth are very similar to a vampire. 'Vampire' now where did that come from? And isn't he too young to be a chief neurologist? And those glasses are like totally out of date! * The good doctor interrupted her thoughts.

"You were brought in two days ago with a serious head injury along with a broken wrist and several bruises. You were found downtown, we think you got caught in a fight between two groups of soccer fans. This is probably why we haven't been able to identify you at the moment, you had no papers or credit cards, you have an American accent, so my guess is that you are from the States. You are in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. We estimate that you're about 20 years old and we've noticed that you heal extremely fast. However, you need rest and then we will run more tests on you. We'll know more after the tests, but your memory should return within a week or so."

  Aegir's home Læsø, an island in the middle of nowhere.

"The Slayer is out cold, she has lost her memory, her Watcher has no idea where she is and even we don't know why she chose to go to Denmark of all places."

Aegir, the sea giant, really didn't like the thought of the supernatural girl running around so close to home, he didn't look exactly human.

"Her watcher wanted to support his favourite soccer team, Liverpool. They were up against Brøndby, a local team. Now why humans insist on playing this childish game is beyond me, but I loved the fight afterwards; it reminded me of the good old days where the Vikings controlled the seas and the Saxes worshipped us."

If there was anything Thor loved it was an uncontrolled fight, just plain violence. All those strategic battles were more Tyr's game.

"Yes well, it's good she's here, we need her. Fenris is on the loose and Tyr is not up for loosing his other hand"

"Fenris wouldn't let any of us get near him again, not after last time. Now our greatest concern is how to approach the girl."

"I'll talk to Odin about it once I'm back in Asgaard. I have some errands I must attend to first." With that Thor left, a thunderstorm of the worst kind washed over the Southern part of Norway as he headed northeast.

Giles had been searching for Buffy all over Copenhagen for the last two days, who knew that there would be so many casualties after the fight and that they would be brought to different hospitals. Actually, most of the first day went by with him trying convincing the police that he wasn't a destructive English hooligan. The only thing he knew for sure was that she wasn't in the care of the police nor was she at the hotel, so she had to be hospitalised. The first two places didn't have a patient named Buffy or an unknown patient with her description. Giles was getting tired when an old man with grey beard, large hat and a long spear approached him.

"Are you Rupert Giles?" He asked in a strong, authoritarian voice. He sounded like a man who was use to being obeyed and treated with respect. Giles nodded and suddenly felt like a ten year-old boy again. He also had a feeling of having met this man before, but where he had no idea.

"The girl, I'm sorry, young woman, you are searching for is at `Riget', she has amnesia and no papers, you have to get to her immediately before the wrong people get their hands on her."

With those words Odin turned and disappeared, a stunned Watcher left in his wake. Giles was having a mental debate.

* Was that...no, it couldn't be...yes, it could...he was there on the council...the description in the old books...he looked like Odin, what did he say? `Riget'? *

He found an unoccupied taxi and was soon about to slay the receptionist at the hospital. She needed a full description of Buffy's clothing, jewellery and any distinguishing characteristics such as birthmarks. After two hours of begging, yelling and swearing he was finally allowed access to Buffy's room. She was sleeping, tossing and turning as she was having a nightmare. Giles reached for her hand to try and calm the girl when he felt an electric current run through them. Buffy woke with a scream, feeling disoriented and as if an English double-decker bus had run her down. Somehow the physical contact between the slayer and watcher had connected them in an entirely whole new way. Giles was hit by her confusion, fear and pain as she felt his joy of finding her, his concern and love. She knew this man; he was the reason she was in this odd country. Was he a friend or something else? There was an old magic in the air; magic Giles had never encountered before. He looked down at their joined hands. That was when he noticed their bracelets; they had an inscription in runic letters. He could not read the runes perfectly, although they were vaguely familiar to him, but he was fairly sure that they were the triggers to their connection.

"Can you tell me about your dream?" He asked in as steady and calm a voice as he could muster after such a shock.

She turned confused, frightened eyes upon him as her answer poured from her lips. "There... there was a wolf...the largest wolf I've ever seen...and... a guy with only one arm and some monsters I can't even describe!"

She felt panic try to lay claim to her emotions but was calmed by the smooth voice telling her everything was going to be okay.

"Do you know your name? My name?" Giles questioned, closely watching her expression. When she only shook her head in bewilderment he continued. "Your name is Buffy Summers; you are 21 years old and a very dear friend to me. My name is Rupert Giles, but since you don't care much for the name Rupert, you call me Giles."

* A dear friend....*

She didn't know why it disappointed her to hear that, the guy was a hunk. She did know he loved her, that much had she had deciphered from their strange connection, but she had the feeling that he wished to go to the next level after very close friends.

Later that day he went to the national museum to borrow a tome on runic letters and to speak with the curator, Lars Jørgensen, about his encounter with the stranger.

The whole inscription could not be translated, but it was some kind of protection and lucky charm and was not to be removed. The connection was only in place as long as they had physical contact, what surprised Giles was that Lars had volumes that described the bracelets and the connection.

"There are legends that speak of the warriors of the Gods being rewarded with a special connection which gives them a better understanding of each other and their place in life." Lars explained. He raised his eyebrows and peered at Giles over his glasses as he asked. "You are telling me you don't know where you got the items, but both you and your friend have them?"

"I noticed mine after the talk I had with the old man with the spear and I know for sure that she hadn't hers last time I saw her. She has amnesia so it will be of no use to ask her who gave it to her."

"I would like to get a little bit of background information on you and your friend. These charms only appear when something bad is about to happen and the selected are descendants of previously recipients. So it would be safe to say you both have ancestors in this area."

A thought occurred to Giles. "I have another question, isn't there a legend of an enormous wolf in the Nordic mythology? One with connections to the Armageddon?"

"Ahhh, you are referring to the legend of the Fenrifwolf, the creature who will defeat Odin, the king of Gods, when Ragnarok begins." At Giles' nod Jørgensen continued, "Loke had once saved Odin and was considered a friend, even though he was of giant stock. He was a magic creature who had six children, the Fenrifwolf. Midgaardsormen, a giant snake circling Midgaard, the area where we humans live, biting itself in the tail. Hel, ruler of the underworld. Two normal boys, one was changed into a wolf so he could kill his brother because the Gods needed his gut to tie up Loke and finally as a mare, he gave birth to Sleipner, Odin's eight-legged horse who can run through the air. To this is tied a lot of other myths, but you asked about Fenrif. He grew up in Asgaard, world of the Gods. The Gods thought he was cute, but he grew fast and soon Tyr, god of fair war, was the only one who dared feed him. The Gods were aware of Fenrif's destiny and they began to plan a way to get him out of the way. Killing him was impossible as he was part of a prophecy, but they could tie him up. In order to do so with out making him suspicious they challenged him to break chains of different strength. In the end they had a special chain made of magical ingredients, which they were able to detain him with. However, Tyr lost half of his arm in the process, a sacrifice to the cause? Fenrif is now tied up in a cave where he is gnawing on the roots of Yggdrasil the tree of life. Once he and the Dragon Nidhug has gnawed the roots of the tree over, Ragnarok will Come"

Giles gave him some information about his family and allowed him to go further back in history to find some leads. Then he left with a promise of returning later to help with the research.

  Meanwhile in Jotunheim, home of the Giants, Udgaardsloke, king of the giants, was having a meeting with his spies.

"So they got the blessing, that just make our job easier, they'll be woundable apart and since she still is located in that hospital we could snatch her and bring her here. Then she wouldn't interfere. We might even get her to help us; she alone could control Fenrif."

"That could be good, the Gods blessed are helping us destroying them," one of the spies giggled.

"We just have move fast before Odin gets her. Remember, she still has her strength so be prepared for the worst." With that the giants parted, six of the strongest travelled to Midgaard.

  When Giles returned to the hospital he found a dwarf outside of Buffy's room.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" He asked.

"The blessed you are?" Was the reply he received.

"What if I am?"

"Tell you who I am I will."

"Yes, I'm the blessed"

"Let me see the sign," the dwarf demanded.

Giles showed him the bracelet.

"Good, Brok is my name. Send by Odin I am, guarding your lady I must, that was the order, or darkness will take her."

"What darkness?"

"Udgaardsloke wants her."

"Who is he and why does he want her?"

"The king of giants he is. A powerful ally she would be. Afraid of her he is."

"How do I know you are telling the truth?"

"See with your heart, use the link," the dwarf looked annoyed, * so suspicious he is * he thought.

"You don't give me much to build my faith on."

Brok mumbled an incarnation and images of the giants appeared.

"Fight these you must, or they will take her."

The images showed creatures with nine heads, tall as 5 stories buildings, a wolf as big as an elephant, * that must be the Fenrif wolf * Giles thought, as Brok's show continued.

"A powerful ally she would be. Need her they do, beat the Gods she can, the runes she will need, the only magic that works."

"Runes?"

"Magic of Odin, he only grant the gift, only thing the giants fear other than the blessed"

"And you say they will try to get her, split us up?"

"Smart you are, controlled she can be if you are apart, together you are dangerous."

* He has to be telling the truth, or this is the best-masked lie I ever heard. And even the council wants to split us up. He has to be a fighter for the light; they are the only supporters we have. Watcher and Slayer, strongest while fighting together. *

"Then we need to get her out of here. I can't protect her without my weapons and I doubt they will allow me to build a fort around her room."

With that Giles left Brok and went in to see Buffy. Her face shifted from a frown to a smile that lit up the room when she saw him.

"Hello Buffy."

"Hi handsome," she said as she rose to a sitting position, wincing at her sore ribs.

Giles blushed and stuttered. "Ho..how are y-you f-feeling?"

"Much better now you are here," she replied smiling. "So, where did you go? And who is that dwarf outside of my room? And when can I leave? I don't like it here; they talk funny...." She stopped her steady steam of questions to breath and Giles saw that as an opportunity to answer while he still could remember them.

"I went to the Danish national museum to speak with the curator. The dwarf outside is here for your protection..." he was interrupted by a giggling Buffy,

"For my protection? What's he going to do? Bite the bad guys in the kneecaps?"

"Ah...I don't know. I would think he knows magic. And he did say he was sent by Odin."

"Who's Odin?"

"He is the king of Gods in the Nordic mythology."

"Oh."

"Brok told me there might be some forces of darkness after you..."

"Brok? Is that his name? Forces of darkness? Is that to dramatize the bad guys?"

"The fact is, you are woundable and since you don't like it much here I'll check you out. Then we can figure out the rest."

"Okay, you go talk to that doctor, but hurry back to me and you'll get a kiss." She said with a twinkle in her eye.

* Does she know she's doing to me? * Blushing and shaking his head he went to the door.

* He is SO cute when he's all confused and blushing.* Buffy lay down again as he opened the door.

* She'll be the death of me, * Giles was so caught up in his own thought that he collided with the doctor.

"Sorry..."

A giggle escaped from the blond in the bed. "Giles, you need to watch where you're going"

"Yes, very funny. Do you want me to stay?"

"Yes, please." He went to her side and took her hand, immediately the connection they shared returned.

"So what's the verdict, doctor? I really want to get out of here as soon as possible."

"There has been no permanent damage done, you heal incredibly fast, but since your memory hasn't returned I would like to keep you under observation."

"I'll take care of her, I'm the closest she has to a next of kin on this side of the Atlantic and technically she is well enough to be discharged, correct?"

"Yes, but I must strongly advise against it."

"So noted, I'll pick her up in the morning."

"Very well, sir."

  The doctor left the pair and went to his office to make a phone call.

"Hendes ven udskriver hende i morgen, så I må slå til i aften" (Her friend discharges her tomorrow; you'll have to strike tonight)

"Er der nogle vagter?" (Any guards?)

"Kun en dværg, ham kan I let slå" (Only a dwarf, he'll be easy to beat)

"Godt nok, du vil blive belønnet godt" (Good work; you will be well rewarded)

After hanging up the phone, he sat back a few minutes to contemplate what he had done before he went to finish his round.

Giles tried to sound casual when he asked. "Oh, by the way, Buffy, would you mind terribly if I got a friend to dig up some information about your ancestors?"

"You mean like my great-grandparents and stuff?"

"Ah, well, yes and quite possibly further back."

"Would I mind...hmmm...I don't remember if I have any skeletons in the closet so go ahead but know this; if there are any I might have to kill you," she said teasingly.

"It will go no further than our friend and I, unless you say otherwise"

"Oh, why do you need it anyway?"

"I'm attempting to research these bracelets and your nightmares."

"You do that a lot?" She asked.

"Do what?" He questioned, unsure of exactly what Buffy was asking.

"Research my nightmares."

Giles replied careful. "It happens."

He did not want to upset his charge, but needed to tell her something. * It's so easy to forget her amnesia. God, she is so alive. * He wanted to comfort her, but was unsure how to go about it. Giles was pulled out of his thoughts by Buffys next question.

"Who would you call? I hope you remember the number for whoever can tell you about my ancestors, `cause I'm no use in that direction."

"Whom and it would be a friend in the States. She can go through the records and see what she can find. She's pretty good at researching."

"Your assistant?" She asked, a little bit of jealousy forming at the word 'she'.

"No, she is a friend of both of ours, your best friend actually."

"Oh," Buffy replied. Then another thought struck her. "Don't I have parents you could ask?"

Things were getting a little hairy; Giles wasn't sure how to delicately let her know about the relationship between her family and himself. He decided honesty was the best way to go.

"Your mother isn't very fond of me and you hardly speak with your father."

"Why isn't my mother fond of you?" Buffy asked, confusion clouding her thoughts.

"She...does not approve of our friendship."

"Why is that?"

"She wants you to go out and find yourself a nice young man whom can give her grandchildren and not spent so much time with me," he said, sadness in his voice as well as his eyes.

"Why don't I? Find a nice guy to marry, that is?"

"I am hardly the right person to ask." * though it might be connected to the fact that your last relationships have been close to disasters, * he thought. "Perhaps you wanted to concentrate on your studies."

* Yeah, right and I'm the queen of Sheba. * Buffy rolled her eyes.

"Why aren't you with anyone?"

"I-I...I'd b-better g-go, I-I h-have a l-long-distance c-call to m-make." He looked down as if he couldn't meet her eyes. "I'll s-see y-you t-tomorrow..." was the last Buffy heard as he rushed out of the room leaving a smiling young woman behind.

* Why won't he just admit it? It was not just because he wanted to watch soccer that he brought me here. Boy he's cute when he's stuttering! *

  Back at the hotel Giles picked up the phone and called Willow Rosenberg, Buffy's best friend, witch and hacker.

"Hello?" A sleepy voice answered the phone.

"Willow?"

Willow answered excitedly as she realised who she was speaking with. "GILES! Eh speaking, yes this is she."

He winched at her outburst. "Were you sleeping?"

"Don't worry about that! How are you? And where are you? Is Buffy with you?"

"I'm fine, in Europe and no, Buffy is not with me. Not at the moment."

Since he was used to be around Buffy and her friends he managed to answers their questions in the right order.

"Then where? You shouldn't run out on us like that, at least give us a contact number, what if something happened and we needed you?"

"Buffys mother has the number. I told her only to give it to you if there was an emergency and since I'm in Europe there isn't much I can do. Wesley is only a phone call away; he and Angel can help you. As you said yourself, Buffy needed a vacation and I took her on one and I wouldn't have called any of you if it weren't important. This whole excursion was about leaving the Hellmouth behind for a month."

"Sorry, I know, you both need a break, it's just I miss you guys. So what's the big emergency that makes you phone home?"

"I need you to track down Buffy and my ancestors"

"How far back?"

"About back to 700 A.D. If you come across the names: Tore Hund, Toke Palneson, Leif den Lykkelige (the happy), Harald Godwinsson or Snorri son of Thorfinn, call me at this number; 0114533978598 room 35, if I'm not here leave a message with the hotel clerk."

"Wow, that's far back. Why and when do you need it and who were these people?"

"Something came up and I need the information in my further research and I wished I had it yesterday. They were Vikings; the first two names are men who murdered their king. Tore Hund killed Olav the Holy, king of Norway where he declared Christianity was to be main religion. Toke Palneson killed Harald Blaatand, king of Denmark, where he declared Christianity was to be the main religion. Leif discovered America almost 500 years before Columbus; he visited Newfoundland but called it Vineland. He came from a settlement in Greenland. Harald Godwinsson was King of England in 1066 and Snorri Thorfinnson was the first European born in America. All descendants of Vikings."

"What is the connection to them?"

"They were all part of a blessed connection formed by the Nordic gods, we only know the names of the males, females seldom made it to the chronicles."

"What kind of connection?"

"The gods chose two champions, they were linked in a special way and if Ragnarok, the apocalypse, was in their time of living they would be the ones to rebuild the human race, since they would be the only humans to survive. I know some of the men I've mentioned lived about the same time, but there was more than one blessed couple at that time, simply because they were threatened by Christianity. All later blessed couples are supposed to be related to them."

"Cool! So are you and Buffy blessed in any way?"

"There is a possibility, yes, but we're having another minor problem though."

"What?"

"Buffy has amnesia"

"What happened? Is she all right? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I just did Willow and I don't want you to worry about it, she'll be fine again in a couple of days."

"What happened Giles?! Was it a demon or a vampire?"

"No, not any of that kind, she got caught in a fight between soccer-fans, the local police are investigating the matter."

Suddenly he could see the irony of the situation, Buffy had been hurt badly, not by the bad creatures of the night, but by the people she was destined to protect.

"When are you coming back?"

"I don't know Willow. We have to stay till we've found a solution to our problem."

"Okay, I'll start the search right away."

"Thank you, take care and say hello to the others for me?"

"I will and you take care of Buffy, say hi for me?"

"Goodbye Willow."

"Bye Giles."

  It was 2 am and outside in the hospital parking lot the six giant was discussing where to go.

"Where is her room?"

"Franks said she was in K9"

"No your fool, N9, N for neurology."

"Will you stop?! She is in this building, we just have to search for a dwarf and there she'll be"

"Who put you in charge?"

"Trym, will you shut up?! If you keep this up, the whole place will know where we're headed, I can't believe you got chosen for this mission!"

Trym was not the brightest giant in the assault party, far from it, nor was he that strong. He was chosen because of his low IQ, he got all the icky parts of the operations and he never complained about it. The others, Hymer, Hue, Bure, Borr and Tjasse, wondered why their leader wanted him with them; there were giants far better than him for missions like this. But they had to admit he was pretty good at getting close to their targets, he was also naïve, which was why he was the first to approach room N9.

"Who are treading these paths at this time of the night?" Brok materialized in front of Trym.

"I am seeking the dwarf Brok"

"Who seeks him?"

"WE DO!" The other giants had surrounded the two in an attempt to catch the dwarf.

The fact that he didn't reach higher than their knees made it hard for them to catch him, they made a lot of noise and soon mobile patients and nurses came to see what the commotion was about. When Brok realised he had an audience he disappeared in a flash of light; the giants were left with a confused look on their faces.

"Hvad foregår der her?" (What is going on here?) A nurse demanded.

The giants turned tail and ran to the nearest escape, not wanting to upset their king by being caught by human police. The hospital staff and patients were looking at each other with confused expressions on their faces, not really comprehending what they just had witnessed. They would all see it as a bad or strange dream the next day. The only persons who knew it wasn't a dream were the doctor, hiding in his office, and the young woman hidden behind the door to room N9.

* Ugly and real. Who would've thought? * Sneaking back to bed, she hoped for the very pleasant dream, including Giles, to return.

  Simultaneous at the hotel, Giles woke up with a start; cursing over the loss of a very nice dream involving a naked Buffy, but something wasn't as it was supposed to be, jumping out of bed, his mind went over the possibilities. Scanning the room for irregularities, he concluded the reason had to be elsewhere. Grabbing his clothes he went to the bathroom, 10 minutes later he emerged knowing where his presence was needed. He called a taxi and left his room, checking his armoury, stakes, holy water and a dagger. 20 minutes later he arrived at the hospital parking lot where he saw six giants leaving the building containing Buffy.

With his heart in his throat he ran towards the entrance, only to find the door locked and a guard who refused to unlock it for a frantic man yelling, in English, at him to do exactly that. Giles took a deep breath to calm down and asked the guard politely to let him in. Once inside he ran for the stairs, up to the first floor, where he saw the chaos the giants had left, he also noticed the absence of Brok. Dread filled him as he walked to Buffys room and slowly opened the door; relief was evident on his face as he looked into two green eyes starring back at him from the bed.

"What are you doing here?"

"Ah, I-I..."

"Couldn't sleep? Missed me that much?" Her voice was teasing, as she watched him search for a believable reason for his presence.

"I-I h-had a f-feeling that something wasn't right." He blushed while trying not to stutter too much. "A-And I s-saw t-the mess outside, something did happen. Can you tell me what it was?"

"Sleeping, hear noise, looked outside, saw the dwarf disappear in a flash of light, the ugly guys ran away, went back to bed, you appeared."

"Brok disappeared?" Giles sounded worried.

"Yeah, he was here, then a bright light and he was gone."

"Strange, maybe he went for help?"

"Don't know, you're the brain here, remember?"

"Would you mind terribly if I stayed outside your room the rest of the night?"

"Why would you stay outside my room?"

"In case these giants return."

"Why don't you stay in here? I don't think I can sleep right now either." Buffy gave a slight shrug of her shoulders. "Besides, I really want you to tell me more about you and me and why my mother doesn't like you."

"I-I d-don't think the staff will approve." * Oh God, it was a bad idea to come here, perhaps she hit her head harder than they thought or am I still dreaming? *

"Sit down!" She commanded and he sat in the chair next to her bed.

"I really don't care what they think; I just have a feeling of emptiness when you aren't around. What are you worried about?"

"You don't usually act like this, so I might be a tad insecure about your intentions."

"You're afraid of me?" She replied a little hurt. "Why?"

"I'm not afraid of you in the sense of fear, just...a little nervous about how this will affect our relationship."

"What if I told you I'd love you anyway?" * Will this make him open up? *

"Y-you w-what?" * She couldn't have said what I think she said! *

"Giles, why did we come to Europe?"

"Y-you n-needed a vacation and I had promised to show you England."

"England? Then why are we in Denmark?"

"I wanted to attend a soccer game, watch my favourite team play, and tell you about European sports traditions." * And I wanted to tell you how I really feel about you. *

"And now we're caught in the middle of a supernatural battle, am I right?"

"It seems so, yes."

"Okay, I accept this for now, but only if you tell me about my mother."

"Dear God, where to begin?" Giles removed his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose, wondering where...how to begin. "I believe it began right after your seventeenth birthday, your boyfriend Angel, a vampire, turned bad and terrorized you and your friends..." * and killed my girlfriend * "...for months. You were expelled from school and your mother didn't quite understand what was going on around her." Giles quickly held up a hand to forestall the argument Buffy was about to begin. "Now don't blame her for that, she didn't know the truth about you."

"What is the truth about me?"

"You are the Vampire Slayer and no, I'm not insane, I have been tested negative less than a month ago." He said with a little smile.

"Oh, ok go on."

"Angel was preparing for a ritual that would result in the word being sucked into hell; you had to stop him. That night your mother saw you stake a vampire and forbid you to leave the house before you had explained the incident. Her last words to you that day were if you left, not to come back. You left, sent your boyfriend to hell and ran away. Since I was your Watcher, your mentor, she put the blame on me, she's never been comfortable with my `influence' on your life. Hell she was against this trip. But Buffy, you must remember it's hard for a mother to let her child grow up, she lives in daily fear of losing you."

During his speech his eyes had studied the floor, now he raised them just to find his sleeping Slayer looking peaceful and innocent.

"I love you Buffy," he whispered as he leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes, knowing he would have a sore back in the morning. If he had looked up he would have seen a smile form on her lips.

***

"Hvad laver du her?" A female voice demanded close to his ear,

"Ah, sorry what did you just say?" He managed to say it calmly even if his heart raced with 100 km/hr.

"What are you doing here?" The nurse asked again this time in English.

"I came by last night, wanted to see if she was all right. I must have fallen asleep, what time is it again?" * Congratulations old man, you didn't stutter once. *

"It is 7:30 in the morning, what time did you get here? Visiting hours ended at 9pm"

"Ah..." * can't really tell her I got here at 2 am. Think Rupert. * "I think it was right before 9pm." * As long as she doesn't ask the guard. *

"Please leave now sir. You can come back after 10 when visiting hours begin again."

"Yes sorry, I'll be on my way now." * It'll be good to get a shower and a change of clothes. * Giles left the room and headed to a phone booth where he ordered a cab to take him back to the hotel where he found a message from Willow to call her as soon as he got in.

After his shower he grabbed a robe and sat on the bed. He reached for the phone and taking the pad of paper with Willows number on it, dialled and waited as it rang; it was picked up on the 3rd ring,

"Hello, Willow?"

"Giles!"

"You do realize that when you called it was only 6:00 am here?"

"Yeah the clerk told me that, sorry. Where were you? You weren't even in your room." The last parts said with a hidden accusation.

"I was with Buffy at the hospital"

"Did something happen to her?" Giles could hear the worry in her voice.

"No, somebody planned to take her, but the attempt was prevented by an ally. This blessing however notified me about the danger."

"How?"

"I woke up feeling something wasn't right, since the danger wasn't in my room it could only be near Buffy."

"What did you do?"

"I took a cab to the hospital and a soon as the guard let me in I went to her room. Apparently there had been a pack of giants trying to take her, but her guard had scared them off."

"Her guard? What guard Giles?"

"A dwarf sent by the Nordic Gods to protect her."

"Are you serious? A dwarf?" Giles heard her giggling.

"Yes Willow, a dwarf better educated in magic than we will ever be."

"Oh."

"I believe you have some information for me?"

"You want to know something funny?"

"Yes, Willow?"

"I found a couple of the names you mentioned in your family tree, but none in Buffy's."

"That's strange since there has to be at least one blessed in the family tree, perhaps there was an earlier blessed couple and Buffy has relations to them. I'll see if I can dig up any names for you to work with."

"Okay, I got to go; the rest of the gang is waiting."

"Yes, ah...I better get ready too, I promised Buffy I would be back at 10am and I need to pack some clothes for her."

"Say hi for me?"

"Of course, you will say hi for me to the gang?"

"Sure, Bye Giles."

"Bye Willow."

He sat for a moment with the phone in his hand, thinking about what Willow told him, could this be the first blessing of a non-Viking descendant? A bright light interrupted his thoughts and a dwarf appeared.

"The blessed you are?" He asked.

"Who are you and what are you doing in my bedroom?" Giles asked as his eyes searched for weapon.

"The blessed you are! Sindre is my name; brother mine said many questions you ask."

"And your brother would be?"

"Brok, the guardian. To Valhal you and the girl must go. Magic of runes you must learn, only Odin can teach you, only he can grant you the gift." The dwarf grabbed Giles' hand and exclaimed. "Oh, magic in your blood, powerful, needs controlling."

"And just how do I learn to control it?" * He does talk like Brok, so this could be his brother. *

"The girl and you, call Bifrost you must."

"Who is Bifrost?" * Another strange talking dwarf coming to annoy me? *

"Learn the right questions to ask, Bifrost is not a who."

"Then what is it?"

"The humans a Rainbow calls it. The bridge to Valhal it is."

"So, what you are saying is that Buffy and I have to call upon Bifrost, the bridge to Valhal and I have to learn the magic of the runes? Why?"

"Only the magic of the runes the Fenrif wolf fears. His chain blessed by runes it was. Stronger than he."

"Right, but I really need to get ready to relocate and pick up Buffy." With that he rose and started to pack the suitcases, Sindre stood in the middle of the room, observing him.

"Safe place to stay you have?" He asked,

"No, not as we speak, but I will find a place."

"Stay I will, how to call Bifrost I can teach you, safe is Valhal."

"Ah yes, but I really would like to have a chat with Brok, do you know where he is?"

"With the mighty Odin he is, telling his tale."

* Go figure, oh dear, Buffy is rubbing off on me, now wouldn't that be a lovely picture, don't go there, we have more important things to do than fantasize about her and what pray tell would that be? Shut up, you need to get her out of that hospital at once. *

"Oh, look it's almost 10. I really have to leave now, I promised Buffy I would be back by 10."

"Then go, stay and pack your belongings I will."

Giles nodded and went to the bathroom to get dressed, soon after he reappeared and packed a bag for Buffy. After he left the room, he got the receptionist to call a taxi and soon he was back at the hospital.

Meanwhile at the hospital Buffy sat in her bed struggling with the thing the staff had called breakfast.

* One day hospital kitchens will learn to cook eatable food! Don't bet on it. Who asked you? I am you and you are me. Great now I'm having an inner disagreement! Why was it I agreed to go on this trip, anyone? Remember the cute slight older guy with green eyes? Yeah? He said he had asked you to join him on a trip to England and you needed a vacation. Oh. I think he had some plans for us, but some old Nordic Gods ruined his plans, hey! Don't forget the stupid soccer fans that put you here, how do we know it wasn't a part of the Gods plan? You're right... Of cause I'm right, I'm you remember? *

A nurse entering the room interrupted her inner dialogue.

"Have you finished eating?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm done. What time is it?"

"It's, uh, 8:30."

* Darn! One and a half hours before Giles is allowed back, what is there to do until he returns? *

The nurse removed the tray with the remainder of the meal and left the room closing the door leaving Buffy alone with her thoughts once again.

* I can just as well get up and get a shower before my knight in shining armour arrives... * The thought of Giles in amour riding a white horse made her grin, * now where are my clothes? * Buffy got out of the bed and went to the locker. * Darn, no clothes, I hope Giles brings something for me when he returns. * She crawled back under the covers, since there weren't any clothes; she saw no point in taking a shower just now.

At exactly 10 am. Giles entered the hospital carrying a bag with the most necessary equipment for Buffy; a fresh set of clothes, shoes and makeup. He went to her room and was greeted by a cranky slayer.

"About time you got here," she grumbled, "I needed those clothes like, two hours ago!"

"It seems like I have to remind you that visiting hours begin at 10 am. I couldn't come any earlier than this."

"You could have snuck in like you did last night."

"There wasn't much of the staff present at that time and I didn't think you would be pleased if I was denied access to the hospital just because you wanted fresh clothes an hour before official visiting hours began." A hint of sarcasm was evident in his voice.

"Okay I've got your point. For the record though, I'll never admit it in front of anyone." Her mood was starting to change for the better.

"So Watcher-man, what'd you bring?"

"J-just w-what I-I thought you might need in order to look d-decent as you leave this place, you can c-change once we get back to the hotel."

"Let me see." He handed her the bag. "Oh, thanks."

"The summer here isn't as hot as in California like you're used to, so I thought j-jeans and a blouse would do as a temporary solution."

"They're okay, I just think I'll have to teach you a little about fashion once I get back to normal."

"And why, pray tell, do you think I would listen to your fashion lessons?"

"We women have our ways." She flashed him a grin before she left for the bathroom, "I'm gonna take a shower now, care to join me?" She couldn't help but laugh out loud at the expression on Giles' face at her comment.

"I-I ah, w-well eh I-I'd b-better g-go s-so...s-so y-you c-can g-get r-r-ready." * Dear God, don't let her play with my heart, please don't let her break it; she couldn't possibly be so cruel, could she? * He shook his head in order to clear it from the depressing thoughts as he watched her go.

Once she returned and had packed her stuff they left the hospital, the drive to the hotel was kept in silence each wondering what would come next. They could hear a thunderstorm approach from the west and it was getting closer each minute.

Sindre greeted them when they returned to the hotel, he had all but checked them out and was eager to go home.

"Hurry you will? On his way he is! Hear him can I."

"Who is coming?"

"Thor! Here to pick you up he is!"

"Oh and how do you know he's on his way?"

"Thunder he makes, hear!" The dwarf put a hand behind his ear as a signal for them to listening, "Listen! Coming near the thunder is, Thor making big noise." The dwarf started to drag their suitcases out of the room, "come, go we must."

The Watcher and Slayer stared at each other for a moment, * can this get weirder? * Buffy thought, then she remembered what Giles had told her. * I guess it can. * She shrugged her shoulders. "I guess we had better follow him then."

Giles nodded his agreement and they went down to check out. The rain was pouring down outside so they stayed in the lobby until a large man with red hair approached them.

"Don't you have warmer clothes than that?" He gestured at Buffys blouse and jeans and Giles's shirt and pants.

"Ah no, we packed for a nice vacation in Europe not the North Pole."

"Then it is good Sif sent some extra bearskins with me, you'll need them for where we're headed. Now follow me."

"Why should we follow you? We don't even know who you are."

"I am Thor and you should follow me because I can lead you to a safe place."

He picked up their luggage and went out in the rain. Buffy and Giles looked at each other for a moment before they followed him. They were lead into an alley not far from the hotel; where there was an old wooden cart drawn by two goats parked. Thor had taken his place in front of the cart and gestured them on board.

"Here put those around you and sit down," he handed them two bearskins and as soon as they were seated at the bottom he yelled at the goats in an unknown language. The goats began to move faster and faster and soon their feet left the ground. Thor let go of the reins when the cart was over the city and sat down next to his passengers. "We are going north to the country you call Norway, I can call upon Bifrost, the rainbow bridge, from a mountain there. Now make yourself comfortable, it will take about two hours to reach it."

They were silent the rest of the ride, Thor was taking a nap and both Watcher and Slayer were lost in thought. Buffy was trying to get the images in her head to fit in the right order. Thor's appearance had triggered a series of images of a red haired girl on about her own age and a group of other young people, she was pretty sure it was her friends but she still couldn't connect names with faces. Giles on the other hand was trying very hard not to think about the young woman pressed up against his side. He forced himself to think about where they were going, a world he hadn't thought existed. The two hours went by fast and soon Thor rose again. He ordered the goats to settle on a snow-clad mountaintop where he could call upon Bifrost, the Rainbow Bridge.

"I recommend that you take a little walk, it will be long time before you'll get the chance again. Meanwhile I'll arrange for some food."

Thor took some firewood he had kept at the bottom of the cart and started building a fire. Buffy and Giles left and began exploring, still wrapped in their bearskins. Buffy was slightly behind Giles when she bent down and gathered some snow into a ball. Holding the skin up with one hand, she aimed and threw the ball at the back of his head, she couldn't help but laugh at his cry when the ball hit him and the snow got under the cover.

He shed his cover to shake the snow off before he returned the favour; soon the Watcher and Slayer were rolling in the snow trying to put snow under the others collar. Their movements were stopped by a rock the size of a small horse and Giles found himself on top of his Slayer. They stared at each other for a moment before his face turned red and he rolled off of her.

"I'm t-terrible sorry I-I..."

He was confused and didn't really know what to make of the feelings he had received before he broke the connection. He was certain that he had felt love, but wasn't able to identify it as the love between friends, family or lovers. She on the other hand had no doubts about his feelings towards her; she only had to make him see that she felt the same way without making him think that he had manipulated her with his own wishes and feelings. He rose and went to gather their pelts mumbling something about getting back to Thor. They returned to the cart and found Thor, sans his goats, next to a bonfire where two animals were being roasted.

"Ah, excellent timing, dinner is ready."

Thor handed them each a large lump of meat. "Eat, you don't know when you'll get the opportunity again."

"This taste funny, what is it?"

"It's goat."

"Speaking of goats where are yours?"

"We are eating them."

Buffy looked shocked,

"But...but how are we supposed to take the cart with us? I'm not going to drag it!"

"And you won't!"

Buffy turned to Giles just to see his smiling face. "What are you laughing at Watcher mine?"

"I'm not laughing as you put it, I'm smiling and according to the legends Thor knows the magic of the runes well enough to recreate the goats from the bones and skin and that's why it is forbidden to break them."

"Oh"

They ate the rest in silence.

Once they'd finished eating and the bones had been collected, Thor announced that they would have to stay the night. Then he then picked up the goatskins and bones and left with the orders to make themselves comfortable.

Unsure of how they should arrange themselves, they started to clear a spot. Once the area was free from stones Giles laid his bearskin out and sat on it.

"I ah I think we will have the best chance of staying warm if we sleep close together."

"You're not just saying that so you can get me into your bed are you?" She couldn't help but laugh at his reaction to her question. He was too embarrassed to look at her and his face was flustered.

"Eh maybe I should rephrase that..."

"Nah it's okay I know what you meant." She gave him a blinding smile and sat down on the skin.

"Come sit with me." She patted the skin beside her, "don't be shy handsome, I promise I won't bite." She reached out and took his hand pulling him down beside her. "See; it's not dangerous."

He felt a little awkward sitting this close to her with this new connection. He could feel all her emotions through their joined hands and they threw him. Never in his right mind would he have suspected that she had those feelings for him, but at the same time he felt like he was in heaven.

"Giles, if you snore I'll push you out on the ground." She looked at him with a small smile to let him know she was joking.

"Same goes for you, and I do not snore!" The tension had disappeared and they laid down beside each other.

"Giles?"

"Hmm?"

"What do you think will happen to us? I mean what is this connection and will it stay with us if we survive this?"

"I don't know...perhaps Odin will be able to answer the question about our new connection. And I'm sure we will survive this, the Gods will assist us with their knowledge, if I have understood Thor right we will go through some different training before we go after the wolf."

"You think they'll split us up or something?"

"Perhaps."

Buffy snuggled closer and rested her head on his chest, letting the connection communicate her thoughts and feelings. Giles was overwhelmed by the emotions that were transferred to him. He looked down at her; right now she looked more like the high school girl of 16 that he had first met, than the veteran slayer of 21 that she was now. He drew her closer and let her know through the connection that he too was confused and a little scared of the future, but he wouldn't let anything happen to her. Soon both of them drifted off to the land of dreams.

The next morning they were awoken by the sound of a loudly cursing thunder god.

"What's up with mister loud and grumpy?"

"I haven't the slightest idea as I was sleeping just like you when he began. Furthermore he is cursing in a language I don't recognize. It could be ancient Norse but I don't know for sure."

Just then Thor came over to them, "Ah good you're awake. We need to get going Bifrost will appear any moment now. I finally got the midget to send it out to pick us up." The last sentence was muttered under his breath so only Buffy heard him due to the advanced slayer hearing.

"Who's a midget?"

"Heimdal, Bifrost's guard."

"Oh. Isn't he a god like you?"

"Yes sort of. He's the son of nine mothers but at times he acts as a midget!"

"Ah okay." Buffy wasn't sure how to respond to that, son of nine mothers??? The world of the gods was weird.

Then suddenly, out of nowhere, the most beautiful rainbow appeared in front of them.

Thor led his goats and cart out onto it and gestured for them to follow. They looked at each other before they hand in hand took the first step out onto the sea of colours.

The journey was over all too soon and shortly after they left the Rainbow Bridge a large castle rose in the horizon.

Thor led his goats and cart out onto it and gestured for them to follow. They looked at each other before they hand in hand took the first step out onto the sea of colours. The view from the rainbow was amazing. They got a whole other image of the area they had been travelling through, herds of reindeers wandered in the mountains beneath them. The passage over felt like it lasted a second and an eternity. In fact the trip took two hours. When they reached the end of the bridge, they saw a giant castle rise in front of them. From a side door to the main gate a large light man approached. He embraced Thor and presented himself as Heimdal, watcher of the Rainbow Bridge and god for the sunlight, then he ushered them inside.

"Welcome to Himmelbjerget, make yourself comfortable; lunch will be ready shortly."

Buffy stood awestruck and looked around. Never before in her life had she seen such an enormous hall. She turned to her Watcher but found that he too had a similar look of fascination on his face.

"Wow, I mean WOW this place is big!"

"Ah yes...it is rather.... large."

The room they were in had to be the size of a large gym. It was filled with artefacts from the Viking Age and the historian in Giles struggled to get out and take a closer look. There weren't any decorations on the walls except for the rune inscription above each window and door; they contained some kind of protection spell. In the middle of the room, long oak benches flanked a large table and at each end were a large chair. The chairs were made out of a single log and both were heavily decorated with strange forms carved into the wood. The fireplace was situated at the wall opposite of the door, where there was a young boy rotating a wild boar on a spear over the fire. Heimdal and Thor each grabbed an end of the spear and lifted it to the table, then Thor gave Buffy and Giles each a knife and left only to return a second later handing out horns to them. Buffy looked quizzically at it not knowing what she was supposed to do with it.

"Giles? Why did he give us horns?"

"It's, ah, their sort of cup, they drink from it."

"But it can't stand."

"Ah no. It is because you have to drink it all up before putting it down again."

"Well don't just stand there! Take a seat!" Thor was losing his patience, as he was hungry and thirsty. "Where are you hiding the mead?!"

The question was directed at Heimdal who just pointed at the barrel in the corner just left of the door.

"Tjalfe, get us some mead!"

The boy who had been in charge of turning the wild boar appeared next to Thor with a pouch filled with mead, he filled the horns before he sat down opposite of Buffy. He didn't say a word, just stared at her and when she stared back, he averted his eyes and began eating.

Lunch were a loud affair, Thor and Heimdal told stories and interrupted each other whenever they felt that the other had told it wrong, which was almost all the time. Buffy, being tired of all the noise and a little dizzy from the mead, reached for Giles's hand, needing the contact to calm her. Through the connection she sensed that he too wasn't used to the mead and concluded that mead was dangerous, it cloaked her senses.

"Now you two lovebirds time to get going, Odin awaits us in Valhalla." Thor rose not showing any signs of being unstable which amazed Buffy, as she had observed the quantity of mead the man had consumed, but then again, he was probably used to it. They bordered the cart and Heimdal bid them farewell, Buffy and Giles waved to him as Thor ordered the goats to move. Not long after they had left Himmelbjerget an enormous wall rose in front of them.

"Behind these walls lies Asgaard, home of the Asses. This wall was built to keep the giants out." Thor broke the silence.

"Who built it?"

"When the world was still young and I was out on a hunting trip, a smith came to the Asses and offered to build a wall in less than a year, the payment he demanded was Freja, the sun and the moon. His only helper would be Svadilfar, his horse. The Asses thought it would be an impossible task so they agreed. The smith and his horse worked day and night to complete the task and unless something unexpected happened he would succeed. This made the Asses nervous so they called in Loke since he was the one who had persuaded them to accept the offer. They told him to do something or they would forever lose Freja, the sun and moon to the smith. Loke turned himself into a mare and managed to lure the smith's stallion, Svadilfar into the woods where he mated with it. With the loss of his horse the smith couldn't complete his task, but he sensed foul play and demanded his payment anyway. That was when they called me to the scene. I told him to leave and when he refused, he got to say hello to my hammer."

"Uhm, what happened to Loke and the horse?"

"Loke came out of the woods some time later with a grey colt that had eight legs. We called him Sleipner and gave him to Odin."

Once again Buffy concluded that the world of the gods was weird or strange, as Giles would say. As they went through the opening in the wall, they got to see how large it was. It was at least 400 feet high and 20 feet thick; it was a masterpiece of construction. On the other side of the wall was Asgaard, home of the Asses, the gods. They crossed the Ideplains where a large group of men were fighting in what to the untrained observer looked like a pandemonium of swords, shields and cut off limbs.

"Who are they? What are they doing?" Buffy asked and pointed at the battlefield.

"Those are Einherjer; Vikings killed on the battlefield on Midgaard, or Earth as you call it. They train everyday here on the Ideplains for Ragnarok, the apocalypse. Each night the Valkyries will reattach the limbs they lose."

"Ewwwwwww!!!!"

"Now come on, it's time to meet the one-eyed." Thor pulled up in front of one of the enormous gates.

"There are 540 of those gates and each is large enough to let out 800 men." Giles had finally found his voice again and could again provide his Slayer with information.

Buffy gave him a disbelieving look. "You've got to be kidding me!"

"No, I'm only quoting the legends." He gave her a look that clearly said, `are you doubting ME?' and then gave her a small smile.

"Follow me." Thor jumped out of the cart and went to the gate, which he hit three times with his iron-covered hand. A hatch was opened and a young woman peeked out.

"Who dares to pound on the gates of Valhalla?"

"It is I, Thor, son of Odin. Now just open the gate Valnød!"

"Take it easy man, I'm on it okay??"

Thor just glared at the woman on the other side. The gate creaked when it was forced open. Inside were long rows of tables where thousands of men sat and ate. Buffy noticed a herd of women serving the men.

"Who are they?" Buffy asked gesturing towards the women. They looked just as tough as the men did and worked with incredible speed. "They are the Valkyries, their job is to choose the best fighters from the battlefields, bring them here and then make sure that they get a good life with lots of food, mead and fighting. Now come with me, we are to be seated at the table near Odin."

At the other end of the hall on a podium sat Odin on a throne. On each shoulder sat a raven and at each of his feet lay a wolf.

"Long was the journey to these halls I welcome thee, worriers of light. With thy help Fenrif falls. If not, day will be replaced with night..."

"Does he always talk like that?" Buffy whispered her question to Thor.

"Only at special ceremonies like this."

"Oh"

Buffy returned her attention back to Odin's speech.

"...Arrangements for thy preparations are made. Thy progress will be followed. Fear and worries will fade. Soon darkness will be swallowed."

Then they were lead to their seats not far from Odin. Buffy leaned closer to Giles. "What did he talk about?"

  "He welcomed us and told us about his plans for us the next few weeks."

"Oh okay. Hey wait a minute, did you say next few weeks??"

"Yes I did. Buffy this `gig' is not what you're used to, it's not like regular slaying. First of all, you can't slay him because he is important to the world order and secondly, he's much stronger than you. Even the gods have problems catching him. We need proper training, training that they can provide, in order to outsmart him."

Their conversation was interrupted when a Valkyrie handed each of them a bowl of meat. "I'm Anakardienød if you need anything let me know and I'll take care of it."

"Thank you." Giles nodded at her and began to eat signalling to Buffy to do the same.

"What is this?" Buffy looked with disgust at the bowl, the meat swam in fat and looked like it had been boiled for too long.

    "I believe it is pork. According to Norse mythology the Einherjers were fed with pork meat from the boar Særimner. Each night the cook, Andrimner, prepares the boar and feeds him to the Einherjers. Each morning Særimner will be whole again and ready to feed the men once again."

"Recycling food eh? Way weird. And way disgusting. Look at this Giles, all this fat!"

"Buffy, this is what you'll get, now shut up and eat! You need to eat or you won't be strong enough to survive."

Buffy looked at him, not really believing that she heard what she thought she had just heard. The glare he sent her convinced her that she had heard right and she began eating.

Once they had finished their meal, Buffy was presented to a tall skinny man.

"I'm Ull, I have been asked to help you improve your skills as an archer and teach you to use a net. I will be leaving soon so say your goodbyes and we should get going"

"Hey, what do you mean? Say my goodbyes and we're leaving? Where are we going??" Buffy looked puzzled at the man.

Giles stepped in with an explanation. "If you had listened to Odin you would know that I was to remain here and learn the ways of the Runes, while you would go out in the forest with Ull and be taught what you need to know for this mission."

"Oh."

"Now, take care of yourself and don't give Ull too many grey hairs. Remember, he is from a different time and a different culture. I'm sure you will be fine. Time will pass fast and as soon as I have learned what I must, I shall come for you."

"But...but..."

"No buts. Now go, make me proud."

Buffy gave him a hug and kissed him lightly on the lips. They exchanged silent vows through their link, promising they'll learn fast so that their separation wouldn't be too long. Then Buffy and Ull took off to Taksdale.

END 1 TBC

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