Author's Note: Near the end of BtVS season 7 and Angel season 4.
It was a dark, starless night, but despite that it was humid and warm. Angel has a feeling a storm was coming.
He and Connor are taking a leisurely stroll through the gentle Californian countryside when they come upon an old, dilapidated barn that looked like it could spontaneously combust at any moment. It was in the middle of no where. The only things close by was a caved in farm house a couple of hundred metres away and several trees.
"Let's explore," suggests Connor, an eager gleam in his eyes. Since he spends so little time with his son, the vampire with a soul agrees and father and son go inside.
"Ow – damn it!" snarls Angel as he trips over a pitchfork someone has carelessly left there in the past. Connor stifles the urge to laugh as he steps around his prostrate father and into the ancient structure.
Once a safe distance away, he lets a muffled chuckle escape as he looks around the old building. It smells of a myriad of different things that have faded over time, and he finds himself fascinated. In Quor-Toth, there hadn't been anything like this.
Angel remembers when he and Darla had hidden in a barn to escape Holtz, but he decides that this isn't something he should probably share with his son. "So, what do you think?" he asks instead.
"It is... strange," Connor replies finally, turning to regard his father.
---
Buffy, Faith and Spike had needed an escape. From the First Evil, from the stress of training the Potentials for a battle they couldn't hope to win, basically from reality. So they took Spike's motorcycle, somehow managing to all fit on it, and drove.
They come quite suddenly upon a rather run-down barn. Spike kills the motor and by silent mutual agreement they go to investigate.
---
"Someone's coming," Connor says, glancing out the window. He sees the Slayer from before – Faith. Another, smaller girl with blonde hair walks alongside her. A male vampire with bleached blonde hair and a black duster walks on her other side. He reminds Connor vaguely of his father, although he can't imagine why.
"Who?" Angel comes to stand beside the teenager. His face registers shock when he sees the trio. "Buffy," he mumbles. "And... Spike."
From the way he says the last, Connor can tell it's a name, and a hated on at that.
"Who?" he asks as they draw nearer.
"From Sunnydale," is the elaborate reply from the vamp with a soul.
"Ah." Connor remembers hearing tales of Buffy, the original Slayer of this generation, and also of Spike, Angel's apparent arch-nemesis, who also happened to be Angelus' childe. Small world.
"...Smell a vamp with excess amounts of hair gel and a human," Spike was saying. "Angel and someone else."
"I do not wear excessive amounts of hair gel!" Angel hisses indignantly, glaring at the approaching vampire.
Connor smirks. "They're obviously not a threat to us," he remarks, watching as rain begins to fall lightly.
"Bloody hell!" Spike curses and runs for the barn.
Buffy murmurs something to Faith and the two Slayers share a laugh before following him.
---
Spike's mind reels with a confusing swirl of emotions as he enters the barn, but foremost among them was the thought Not that bloody ponce. Again!
He sees Angel's familiar figure immediately. Not so familiar is the slimmer form of the unknown human boy who stands beside him. His face bears a slight resemblance to that of his grandsire.
Buffy and Faith appear behind him a moment later, just as lightning flashes, accompanied by the resounding boom of thunder several moments later.
"Angel," Faith says finally, breaking the uneasy silence that has descended. "Long time, no see." A wry smile tugs are her lips as she says this.
"How are you, Faith?" the other vampire asks a little awkwardly.
"Five by five." She grins and turns to Connor. "How ya been, kid?"
"All right," replies the boy blandly.
Buffy clears her throat. "Gonna introduce us, Faith?"
"Sure things, B. Connor, Buffy. Buffy, Connor. Connor, Spike. Spike, Connor." The brunette blinks. "Whoa, that was confusing."
"It really was, luv," Spike agrees with a grin, taking a step forward...
...and tripping on the pitchfork! More thunder and lightning, but not in that order.
Buffy rolls her eyes, struggling not laugh. Faith is not having such luck and has staggered away, her shoulders shaking with mirth.
"Looks like vampires have an attraction to pitchforks," Connor observes, a wide grin on his face as he ignores the glare his father throws at him.
"So," Angel says loudly, drawing their attention away from the incident. "What... bring you here?"
"Needed to escape," Spike says, back on his feet and acting like nothing has just happened between him and the farming instrument. "Inevitable apocalypse, unbelievable odds... against us, of course. You know, the usual." These words are punctuated by a flash of lighting, boom of thunder.
Connor shakes his head in disbelief. "You people are so weird."
"Hey, I'm not the kid of two vamps," Faith retorts.
"Kid of two vamps?" Buffy repeats, not understanding.
"Yeah, see--"
A bright light flashes followed instantly by the crash of thunder and when their eyes clear they're surrounded by flames on all sides.
"Bloody hell," Spike mutters, looking around for some escape and making sure to keep well away from the fire.
Then there was another, less bright flash and a girl with spiky silver streaked black hair dressed mainly in black, stands before them.
"Stupid Powers... Damn Drogyn..." the girl mumbles to herself, then seems to realize they're all staring at her. "Ahem. Here's how this is going to work. One of you will be given the ability to save two people, by carrying one out and throwing the other through a window, the ability kill one by stabbing them with the pitchfork-" Everyone looks to the entrance and are surprised to see the tool unscathed. "--and leave one to die--"
"Wait, what is this?" Buffy demands. "Who are you?"
The girl blinks. "Taywen. Yeah. And this is a trial set upon you by the Power That Be. Know the name? I do, and way to well. They should all..." She trails off, then continues. "So, I need you all to get into a circle, so I can decide who to bestow the ability to save, kill and leave to die, all right?"
The five stare at her in confusion.
She rolls her eyes. "What are you deaf?! Circle, now!" She snaps her fingers and they suddenly find themselves in a circle around her. "All right, don't move." She closes her eyes, sticks out her arm with one finger pointed and begins to spin.
"I don't believe this," Spike grumbles. "What the bloody hell is going on?"
"No idea," Buffy snaps back. "But I can't move." The others try to move and realize she's right – they're rooted to the spot.
"What is this, some kind of sick joke?" Connor asks, watching as Taywen spins faster. "I hope she doesn't hit us."
"Yeah, how incompetent would that make her look." Faith snorts and glares at the girl.
She begins to slow, her eyes still closed, then gradually comes to a stop pointing to...
Author's Note: Kind of strange, I know, but please bear with me. I'm going to post a chapter from each of their points of view soon.