The other realms
Sequel to: The blood of the ancients
Summary so far…Angel, Spike and a vampire that Angel sired, Sam Lawson, were chosen as the three vampires with souls to protect a would-be Slayer, who was instead chosen to become a Guardian for all of the dimensions and realities. Her name is Erica Winters. She was made into a Vessel of Power, and infused with the blood of the ancient beings in order to be powerful enough to fulfil her role. She is still growing into her abilities, with her vampire protectors to teach her how to survive, and with Cordelia Chase being resurrected as an eighteen year old with no memories of her time in LA, in order to serve as Seer and a guide to Erica.
What Erica doesn't know is that one day, when the Powers that Be decide she is ready, she will be tested. One of the tests includes her former protectors losing their souls and being trapped with her in some kind of battleground in another dimension. If she survives, she has earned the right to be the Guardian.
Erica has started slaying vampires and helping fight demons, even though her slayer strength has only just begun to emerge. Cordelia receives visions to tell her how Erica can learn to use her power, which includes healing wounds, creating portals to other dimensions and monitoring those dimensions with a trick that uses water and a mirror to make a reflection into the other realm. Soon she will learn how to repair the pathways between dimensions, and the dimensional walls themselves, keeping the realities separated and balanced, as they should be. She will also gain some ability to regulate who travels the dimensions.
Erica made a mistake the first time she created a portal, and it (long story short) created another version of their dimension, five years before. She met Lindsey McDonald, and healed him the night he lost his hand. Lindsey rescued her from Wolfram and Hart, but betrayed her by taking some of her energy, her power, in a ritual when they slept together, and he didn't tell her until after she found out that he was stronger.
He had made himself into her Guardian with the ritual of trust. He had become another protector, but after he rescued her from Wolfram and Hart a second time (she had run away from him) she was sent back to her own reality by the Oracles and told that one day when she was strong enough she would have to erase the dimension that she'd created, which included the people living in it, because they had no right to exist.
Since then Eve, Angel's former employee, kidnapped Cordelia and Erica with the help of some mercenaries. She tortured them in revenge for what happened to the Lindsey she knew. The vampires rescued them and Eve was tracked down later. Erica opened a portal to the copycat dimension and sent Eve through to a Lindsey who didn't love her.
That night Spike let Erica know how he felt about her.
Angel and Buffy are together (she is only a guest star in the fic), as are Cordelia and Lawson.
Oz the werewolf is also living in LA in order to assist the 'demon squad' division of the police, to counsel other werewolves, and Nina (Angel's ex) has turned feral.
888
Chapter 1: Is this a dream?
Erica wasn't alone. She knew where she was, but not why she was there. Why could he keep finding her here? This was her dream-space, her private realm. It always felt so real, but it when she woke up, the certainty faded until she couldn't be sure.
She sat on the wooden floor with her legs crossed as though she were meditating. She was wearing a white, short-sleeved t-shirt and her old grey drawstring training pants. Her hair was tied up behind her. Her eyes were closed, but still; she knew exactly where he was.
"We have to talk," Lindsey said to her from somewhere behind her left shoulder.
Erica sighed and slowly opened her eyes. She was in a training dojo with blue rubber safety mats on the floor. Like before it was dark outside save for a light somewhere that rendered the inside of the building visible in grey, muted light. She was facing toward the wall of windows, which looked out onto a yellow brick wall. Somewhere above the roof was the light, illuminating the wall. She stood up.
"You left so quickly last time," Lindsey continued. "But you said the first time that you'd forgiven me. Have I done something since then to make you angry?"
"It would be easier on me if I could forget you, because you're not a part of my world." Erica said. "But still, you seek me out in my dreams. This is the third time you've done it, and I'm starting to believe that it's really you and not a figment of my imagination."
"Doesn't this feel real?" Lindsey put his hand on her shoulder.
"Dammit Lindsey," Erica said, shrugging away, "you can't keep doing this."
"Is that why you sent her? To distract me?" Lindsey asked a little coldly, "So that I'd keep away from you?"
This time Erica turned around and let him see the left side of her face. "So that she'd be kept away from us," she answered. "You were just the bait to get her there, but that didn't mean I wanted her to get her 'happily ever after' with you."
"Did she do this?" Lindsey said sharply with a frown. He reached out with his right hand to touch her face.
She stepped back. "Lindsey, please. I do forgive you but I can't be with you. Please, stop making this harder on me."
"Don't change the subject," Lindsey said. "Why did she do this?"
"She didn't tell you?" Erica asked.
"She's too busy trying to get me to pay attention to her," Lindsey said, with his hands back down at his sides.
"The reason she was so desperate to see you is because in my reality you were shot several months ago by someone who was working with Angel. You two were apparently in love at the time and Eve got really upset and angry about your death, enough to hurt me and Cordelia for it to get back at Angel."
"What exactly did she do?"
"I'm not telling you." Erica said, and went on before Lindsey could start arguing. "You're in a position to take revenge for it and that's not what I want. I didn't send her to you just so you could do what I couldn't. The only suffering I want her to go through is what she's already feeling. She found you again but you rejected her. That's enough for me, as long as she can't hurt us anymore." She looked away for a moment, and then turned her face back toward his. "Be careful with her though, because she's very manipulative, and has a habit of gaining friends in powerful places."
"So that's it? You dump her here and tell me to leave you alone, while I'm expected to keep her out of trouble."
"Well, yeah; if you want to put it that way. But don't forget that you're the one that asked for this, Lindsey. You made yourself my protector, remember? You really want to protect me? I need to be protected from her and her scheming. When I'm ready for her I'll bring her back where she belongs, and we'll work something out."
Lindsey kept looking at her expectantly.
"I'm not angry with you," Erica continued, "and I'm… I don't want to hurt you, but this dream-sharing has to stop. At the very least you're distracting me, and I've still got a lot to learn before I'm even supposed to make a trip back to your reality. And anyway, seeing each other just upsets us both."
"You want time-out from the both of us?" Lindsey clarified.
"Yes... please."