Space, like time, flows and shifts. And like time, space, true space, not the little corner of it we occupy and call our world, is an impossible thing for the average person to imagine. To see and experience the vastness of space as it truly is, the human mind would need a strength it simply isn't capable of. To see even a small part of the true space would cause the strongest mind to shatter.

Two beings who could see that space, and moved through it as easily as any of us would step through a door, sat, discussing what they would do.

"You will need to keep healing the breaks where you can," said one, a small man with grey eyes.

"I will see about contacting the balance. We will need them if we are to stop the decay."

The other, who took the shape of a man for this meeting, shifted in its chair. "But will they be able to do anything?" it asked.

"They stopped the chaos. More than that, they found the sort of strength needed for this. I think they can," the man said, "if anyone can, that is."

---

Tara had arrived shortly after Willow, and the two of them sat trying to explain what was happening.

"We think it started with the chaos," Willow said.

"B-but it's been getting worse. Willow felt it before I did, but we confirmed it together, tonight."

"You're telling us that damned creature is still mucking things up?" Spike asked.

"Not directly. But it did so much damage before we stopped it, things are still broken. And getting more broken by the minute."

"Great." Spike opened the door, and pulled out his cigarettes. Buffy hadn't been able to get him to quit, but she had gotten him to stop smoking in the house. As he lit up, he continued from the doorway, "What are we supposed to do about it?"

"Willow and I have s-some ideas. But we're not s-sure we can do anything."

"Bloody brilliant," Spike said, taking a deep drag. "What happened to the good old days of a Big Bad you could just hit with an axe, and it would go away?"

---

A mind stirred, and dark eyes opened, adjusting quickly to the dim light. The mind moved slowly at first, dulled by the centuries it had spent in sleep. The sleeper sat up, surveying the room that had been its sanctuary. Slowly, it stood, remembering how it came to be there, and as it did, the faces of its enemies came to it.

It walked unsteadily to the massive door that sealed its tomb, and touched the cool metal. It thought of those faces again, and its rage exploded. Its fingers pressed through the metal of the door as if it were paper, and it pulled, tearing the door off its hinges. Light flooded the room, and the figure cried out, momentarily blinded.

"We've been waiting for you, master." The figure could not see well enough to discern the speaker, but the voice was familiar.

"How long?" it croaked, steadying itself against the frame of the door.

"In this place, many centuries have passed, Master."

"How long for them?"

"For them, only two years."

The figure smiled, finally focusing its eyes on the tattooed man that stood before it. It could feel his respect, and his fear. "Are things happening as I predicted?" it asked.

"Yes. Already, others are moving to contact them. We have prepared as you told us. We are ready."

"Good." The thing blinked, looking at the others who stood behind the tattooed speaker. "Let the others contact them first. We will wait until we know their plans before moving."

"Of course, master."

---

Willow and Tara held eachother in the darkness. Willow ran her fingers over her lover's face, tracing the outline of her eyes. Neither was able to sleep, both their minds working, trying to think of something to do about the discoveries they'd made.

"You know what we need to do, right?" Willow asked.

"I-i think so. I just hope we can find him. It. Them?"

Willow smiled, kissing the side of Tara's neck. "That too. But I meant right now."

"O-oh," Tara said, the beginnings of a smile on her face.

As they kissed, all the thoughts that had been pulling at their minds fell away. For a time, at least, there was only the two of them, together, in the darkness.

---

Spike sat on the porch, staring at the sky as it lightened with the coming of morning.

"You couldn't sleep either?"

He turned to see Buffy standing in the door. "No. Too much to think about, I guess."

Buffy joined him, resting her head on his shoulder. As the sun rose, they sat in silence, watching.

"You know, I never missed it," Spike said. "For over a hundred years, the sun was just another enemy. One I couldn't fight."

"And now?"

He reached out, letting the light fall on the back of his hand. He said nothing as his skin warmed. Since the link, sunlight still hurt, but it took longer for him to notice, and he could spend short periods in the sun with no protection.

He pulled his hand back once the pain got too great, and touched Buffy's face. She smiled, enjoying the warmth of his touch. "Now," he said, "sitting here with you, watching the sun rise... I wouldn't give it up for anything."

---

"It seems as if there are unexpected effects from the events of two years ago."

The men gathered around the table remained silent, waiting for the speaker to continue. "Our best minds are looking at the problem, as I'm sure others are in the places more directly affected. However, we cannot simply stand idle while a threat of this magnitude grows around us."

"What can we do?" The voice came from the youngest member, a man named McReedy. "If its as bad as we hear..."

The first speaker cut him off, "They are. We believe that the group responsible for the defeat of the chaos creature may be our best bet. However, having dealt with them in the past, you should all know that there are no guarantees they will follow any plan we present them with."

"So, now we must decide whether to give them what we know, and let them find their own solution, or take steps to ensure they do what must be done."

"We can't take the chance," a new speaker said. "Perhaps we can use her ex- Watcher to get her to cooperate?"

"No. Trust me, all that would do is force them to act against us before doing anything else. We know we can't trust Giles, he cares too much for the Slayer. He has falsified reports, and acted without our knowledge. He is to be left out of this. Am I clear?"

The members nodded their ascent, though only grudgingly. "We will need to remove him as a resource for the Slayer. We need to minimise the number of variables, though the Slayer is still unpredictable, without him we will be better able to control the information she receives."

"However, I think that if we go to her offering to help, without pushing, we may be able to assure her consent to our plans. And, if that fails, there is always her sister, and that vampire, Spike. She cares about them both a great deal, and if we can find a way to use them, perhaps convince them that we're right, she'll listen. Also, there is Angel, though I doubt he will be much of a resource to us now."

"If we are not able to convince her, we will not be able to force her cooperation. No one," Travers said, sitting forward, "is to make any sort of move without the express authority of the Council. Anyone who does, will be branded a traitor, and dealt with accordingly."

He paused, letting the last sink in. "For now, Giles will be sent on a fact finding mission. See that it is to some place remote. Continue researching the breaches, we must find a way to slow them if we can."

"I'll contact the Slayer."

---

Notes: Get those reviews up *grin* I need to slap a title on this puppy. The story is going to be a little slower going than my first, so bear with me. The political manuevering fascinates me, but don't worry, it'll start to pick up in the next couple of chapters.

Also, though I know about the current spoilers for the coming episodes, I'm doing my best to ignore them, as I don't really like the direction they're heading. Just consider this to be AU for now.