Books
"So, we need more information?" Joyce said. "Nothing in any online archives about those monsters and that slayer person?"
"Nothing available to Idris," Romana said, sighing. "It's as if all traces were hidden from view."
"There must be a library somewhere that we can go to?" Joyce said. "That Ethan guy said that Council controls all info on slayers, but that can't be right."
"There's always a secret library somewhere," Romana said. "Finding it may take some time. Fortunately, we have plenty of that available."
"Maybe Idris can find one for us?" Joyce said. "She's taken us where we needed to go before."
Shaking her head, Romana said, "It doesn't work like that. Idris won't just find us a library with the books we need. If we are in transit she can influence our destination, but she cannot select the destination to go to before we go. Her processes don't allow it."
"So, plan to go somewhere and hope she takes us somewhere else instead where the books we need are?" Joyce said. "That's what you mean, right?"
"Essentially," Romana said. "Idris may be the intelligence that operates this TARDIS but she doesn't think in the way you or I do. It's mostly intuition with a moment of the time vortex. The results are usually satisfactory but getting there isn't obvious."
"So, let's head to a library we know about," Joyce said. "Maybe she'll take us to the one we need instead. That makes sense, right K-9?"
"Affirmative Miss," K-9 said.
"The Library of Alexandria?" Romana said. "They had a very large collection of ancient writings. If this slayer is old enough, there should be something there on her and those monsters."
"If Idris doesn't decide to send us somewhere else?" Joyce said. "Right?"
"Yes," Romana said. She entered the time and space coordinates for the Library of Alexandria, pushed a button, threw a switch for effect and kept an eye on the console status screen.
There was a slight shudder, and the TARDIS shut down, with a loud beep.
"Where are we?" Joyce said.
"A place we really should not be," Romana said, frowning down at the screen.
"What's wrong with it?" Joyce said.
"We're crossing your personal timeline," Romana said. "It's not recommended. Unless you're Missy."
"Which neither of us are," Joyce said. "And she's somewhere out there getting into trouble. So, I might actually get to meet old me? Instead of Sam and the others? Will Sam be here?"
"Sam shouldn't be here," Romana said. "And meeting yourself will not go as well as you think. It never does."
"So, whatever reason we're here for, hopefully for some books to help Daphne and Alvin, I can't meet myself?" Joyce said.
"Correct," Romana said. "I have not spent much time in this part of your life myself."
"Is there at least some place we can get decent coffee?" Joyce said. "And where are we exactly? For future reference, of course."
"We appear to be sitting on top of a dimensional rift, in Sunnydale, California," Romana said.
"Dimensional rift? Like that one in Cardiff?" Joyce said. "That seemed harmless."
"This one does not have a good reputation," Romana said. "K-9? You need to stay in the TARDIS. The energy outside is not good for your circuits."
"Acknowledged, Mistress," K-9 said.
"The year?" Joyce asked. "What's appropriate clothing?"
"Late 90s. A hat or scarf for the ears," Romana said, "otherwise what you'd wear in Dayton or Cleveland."
"Ear fetishists?" Joyce said, pausing on her way to the Wardrobe.
"Especially virulent ones," Romana said.
"Got it," Joyce said, disappearing into the TARDIS. She was back five minutes later. "Like it?" She twirled around to show off her leather coat, leather hat, ear flaps covering her ears, and aviator goggles perched on her head.
"Not your usual selection," Romana said, "but it goes with that leather jacket."
"I thought so," Joyce said. "Shall we check it out? See where in this Sunnydale we ended up?"
"I'll go first," Romana said, cautiously pushing open the door and stepping out. "Oh," she said.
"What's it look like?" Joyce said, stepping out of the TARDIS to join her. It had the unmistakable air of a school library. Joyce imagined she could actually smell the anxiety of teens studying. And the stress of the two teens girls pointing crossbows at them from across the room. "Oh," she said, echoing Romana. "A school library, and the students are armed."
"Apparently so," Romana said.
"Think we're interrupting something?" Joyce said in a low voice. "Maybe we can go somewhere else? Alexandria is looking really good right now. Or that bookshop in London run by that angel with the large snake. I bet he has the books we need."
"Hello, person who looks like my mother's time traveling friend, and person who looks like a young Mom person, with the elf ears," the blonde said, her crossbow not wavering.
"Hello," Romana said. "We come in peace."
"Just passing through. Wanted to browse your collection of books on monsters," Joyce said. "Do you have any?"
"Plenty," the redhead said, looking at them wide eyed. "Time traveling friend?" She said, turning to look at the blonde. "Is there something you haven't told me, Buffy?"
"There are a lot of things I haven't told you, Willow," Buffy said. "What did you have in mind?"
"Time travel?" Willow said.
"Mom has a friend with a time machine," Buffy said. "Now you know as much as me."
"Not a big deal," Joyce said. "The TARDIS can go almost anywhere or when." She patted the TARDIS door.
"Mom's on a buying trip to New York," Buffy said. "If you were looking for her."
"Not specifically," Joyce said, "but I think that's a good thing?"
"It solves several time related problems," Romana said, nodding.
"But not the coffee one," Joyce said. "Where does one get a decent cup of coffee around here?"
"The teacher's lounge has coffee," Willow said, "but it isn't recommended unless you have a death wish."
"No librarian?" Joyce said, looking around. "Where do you keep your monster books?"
"Giles is in LA for the day," Willow said. "Something about a meeting with a friend."
"Another Ethan sighting," Buffy said. "He's been trying to find him for months, ever since Halloween."
"So, you know Buffy's Mom?" Willow said. "Can we help them?"
"Yes," Buffy said. "I'm sure there's a good reason for them to come here for a monster book."
"If you also have any books on someone called a slayer, that would be great," Joyce said.
"Maybe?" Willow said, looking at Buffy, who nodded reluctantly.
"Do you know what a slayer is?" Buffy asked.
"No, but some guy called Ripper said our friend sounded like one, even though it was supposed to be impossible," Joyce said. "And that she needed training. But if we don't know what a slayer is, how do we know who to find to train her?"
"That doesn't sound good, but let's deal with your monster first," Willow said, taking charge. "Was this some generic monster or something specific?"
"The person who told us our friend might be a slayer said they sounded like Tels'ch," Joyce said. She tried to pronounce it like he had. "They travel in packs of seven."
"Right," Willow said. "Come on Buffy, you can help carry the monster books."
"Pack Mule Buffy, is me," Buffy said with a sigh. "Don't touch anything," she told Romana and Joyce, before disappearing into the stacks with Willow.
"She said I'm her mom!" Joyce said in a whisper. "There is no way I'm old enough for that. And what about Sam?"
Not yet," Romana said. "And I don't know about that part of your timeline yet. So I don't know how it happened or when."