Note from the author: Well, this once again took longer than expected, and once again, I have divided the chapter in two. My original chapter 3 has now turned into 3,4 and 5. I say thanks to those who have reviewed the story, and begs from everybody: review, review, review...! Id like viewpoints on the writing and language as well as just the story.

Chapter 4

A distance further north,as late afternoon threatened to turn into early evening, the train trundeled on towards Dibbley . In one small sleeping compartment, Buffy and the others were happy to see Miriam starting to come to. Her eyes opened, she was dazed and did not really look well, but she was awake. "Hey, are you alright?" Gloria asked softly, stroking Miriams hair gently. Buffy had been watching her for the last hours, trying to figure out why her bedside manner seemed so familiar. The answer had come to her a while before, much too obvious for comfort. She acted like Ben! Glory was a mystery. And this new revelation only served to deepen it further. And where was Ben? Her father clearly had known nothing about her double nature, meaning that he did not know that his wife had used to spend half the time as a man. Was he completely subdued? Had Glory conquered completely? What had happened? One thing was for sure, this person sitting by Miriams bed for hours on end, holding her hand and stroking her hair, showed very little in common with the being Buffy had met years before.

Miriam was responding now. She turned her head towards them, and tried to speak. "It died...went dark...everything...nothing... it has begun." Mr Zabuto leaned forward. "What has begun? What happened?" Miriam took a couple of deep breaths, then spoke again, stronger and clearer. " The Shanshu prophecy...it suddenly just went dark, died. It left a void...like a...vacuum. Its thrown everything off, everything into chaos. Nothing remains...exept the Zchimitad. It has begun, and we must be quick." There was a moment of silence... then Hank; "What is a Shanshu-prophecy?" Buffy felt her mind go numb, and her stomach felt like it had been dropped from a tall building. Oh, she knew what the Shanshu-prophecy was. And who. But she kept quiet. It was Mr Zabuto who answered her father. "The Shanshu-prophecy talks of a champion, a vampire with a soul, who will play part in the final apocalypse, and if it turns out right, will be given back its mortality and humanity."

"And this prophecy is dead, you say. What does that mean. And...a vampire with a soul? Whats that supposed to mean?"

"I have heard of this "vampire with a soul" before, but nothing tangible. There has been mention of a name, but too unlikely to be concidered." said Zabuto.

Buffy finally found it prudent to speak up; "You mean Angel?"

Mr Zabuto turned to her. "That is the name I heard.Do you know anything about this...story?"

"I know plenty. But I dont know what this means, the Shanshu-prophecy "dying"? How does a prophecy die?Miriam?"

"It is like...it just winked out. It doesnt exist anymore. I..I cannot explain much better. And it...it has caused terrible chaos, and all prophecy beyond has gone silent, I cannot reach them. And more.. it caused another part of the Zchimitad to alight."

"Which part?"

"As the once lost day is lost, forever." I dont know what it means.

Buffy went cold again. "the once lost day". "I know what it means. It means the Shanshu-prophecy is dead. Miriam, this whole endoftheworldiness, its now, isnt it? This hasnt just begun, this is happening, right now, right?"

"Yes".

"Oh my. "The fangs of the earth".This is hellmouth business, meaning bad business. And fangs , plural. Plenty bad business. Can we make this train go faster?"

"Hellmouths? I dont get it, Buffy." Hank said. "How do we know this is about hellmouths?"

"Something Willow told me once. She said the hellmouths are the "teeth of the earth". Shes a witch, she could feel them."

"But the prophecy says the fangs will "freeze and die". If its about hellmouths, how can that be bad?"

"Well, Ive yet to come across a prophecy that goes "the hellmouths are all going to die and go away, and everything will be hugs and puppies for the rest of eternity.

In my experience prophecies always mean "end of the world, demons will rule, lots of hey-nonny-.nonny-and blood all over the place and dont make any plans for next week."

"Oh."

"She does have a point" said mr Zabuto. "What I want to know, is what this has to do with this "vampire with a soul". Who is this "Angel"?"

"Does the name Angelus ring any of your watcher bells?"

Mr Zabutos eyebrows flew up in surprise. "Angelus!? The demon with the face of an...angel?"

"Yep"

"Hardly my choice for a champion. As far as I can remember, all my sources speak of him as the meanest, most wicked creature ever to walk the earth."

"He has a soul now. That is what the Shanshu-prophecy was all about. Atonement, payback, call it what you will. Angel pays for the evil of the demon Angelus."

"But how can a vampire get a soul"?

"I personally know about two ways. There could be dozens for all I know."

"And youve met this...Angel"?

"You could say that."

"And...where is he now?"

"In L.A. i guess. Hes head of Wolfram & Hart...that doesnt speak to well for him...does it?"

"Championwise? Not really." said Hank.

"Well, there has been some doubt as to his dedication lately, the Council doesnt trust him."

"But what, then, has he to do with the Zchimitad?"

"I dont know...something, I guess..But if the Shanshu is gone, couldnt that mean that..hes... dead? Like in...gone?"

"It could. But it still doesnt make any sense why it should be in the Zchimitad-prophecy, it has to have relevance in some way?"

"Wait a minute" said Zabuto. "Buffy, was this "Angel" with you when you first...died..?"

"Yes. He was the first to reach me, and pull me out of the water. My friend Xander recusitated me."

" There is a passage in the Tenchili-codex, dealing with the slayer, saying " ..and the slayer shall die, and the breath of the dark soul holds no life..." The Tenchili-codex exists only in fragments, so we dont really know what context to put it in. But it does mention the Master, that is how I remembered it. Miriam, do you have the Tenchili?"

"Yes, I have it. Not much though, it was never anything much more than a fragment in the first place. The part you have, is pretty much it, before it disintegrates into Zchimitad. We dont usually keep Zchimitad, it tends to drive Sekhiragi as mad as the prophets themselves. However, the Pergamum Codex runs nearly paralell, and is prefered."

"Pergamum Codex? No copies exist, how can it be "prefered". No one alive has seen it." protested Zabuto.

"You mean like; "The anointed one shall rise, and the Master shall be all gibbety about it and dance the dance of joy while the slayer shall not know him and hes a kid and all cutiepie, then the master will rise and the slayer will die, yadayadayada? In read it. Good on accuracy, missing the big picture. No dark soul in it, though."

Zabuto looked dumbfounded at Buffy. "You read the Pergamum Codex?!"

"Yeah. So, what does this mean?"

"Means your vamp is our dark soul, most likely." said Glory.

"Oh, great! So Angel is in some kind of danger, we need to rescue him, and is therefore going in the complete wrong direction. Can we turn this train around?"

"Well be in Dibbley in just a short while." said Zabuto. "First well need to get off this train alive, then take it from there. Are you sure well be safe with your friends?"

"Safer than anywhere in the world, I guess."

Buffy sighed in resignation. "Fine. Well go to Central, try to figure out what all this means, and try to warn Angel somehow. But first, I need to talk with you, dad. In private. Hank looked at Miriam, who seemed to be improving, then to Glory and Mr Zabuto. Zabuto nodded, and Hank got up and followed her to the cabin he shared with his watcher.

"Buffy, is this true? Have you been...friends..with a vampire?"

"Yeah. Good friends. You met him once, you know."

"I met him!? When?"

"At the Bronze, one time you came to pick me up. Before you stopped. But thats not what I need to talk to you about."

"Then what?"

"Its about Dawn. There is one more thing you should know."

"Tell me. You said she was allright?"

"Dawn is fine. Exept...there is one thing you should know before you meet her. Shes different from last time you met her."

"Did I ever really meet her in the first place?"

"Uh...I guess not. But you know her, and remember her, dont you?"

"Yes, I remember."

"Go with that then, everybody else does. Well, anyway, after the hellmouth, we were forced to look a little deeper into the spell that made her. You see, Dawns body, and her mind, were created basically from aspects of, well, me. Her genetics, her brain, are pretty much identical with mine, only with a twist to them. She was put close to me, made part of my life, so that I, the Slayer, would protect the key with my life."

"Sounds like a sound idea"

"At first glance,yes. The plan would have one glitch, though. Cause, what would happen once I had done that? Protected her with my life, I mean. Shed be as unprotected as ever."

Hank said nothing, waiting for Buffy to go on.

"Well, it seemed the monks had had the same thought, and made a backup plan. You see, Dawn, as she is now, is a real human being, flesh and bone, and with a mind completely of her own. A real human, with a real human soul..."

"Which means?"

"Its just that..., you can copy a persons genes, their body cells and make a body from it,

but it wouldnt make a person. To get that, you need a soul. And as far as we can tell, the monks made a soul for her as well. Once again, they copied mine. And my soul is not just

any soul."

"Oh god, I think I might see where you are going. So, just get to it, will you?"

"Yes. Dad, Dawn is a slayer. And more than that, with her being basically a blur of energy given form, she is probably the strongest, most powerful Slayer in history."

"Wow."

"Oh yeah. Thats pretty much what I said when she told me. She didnt even tell me for a couple of weeks, you know. I rather freaked out. They tell me shes learning so quickly the other Slayers cant begin to keep up with her. And her strength...well...she was stronger than me already when I left, what she is now I cant imagine."

Hank was silent, and Buffy was certain that if he had worn glasses he would be polishing them vehemenently right then. He was turning into a watcher, for sure.

"Dad? Are you going to say anything?"

"Yeah. Its just...I thought I had gotten my fill of news for the week. And now this."

"Its a lot, I understand."

" So, being a Slayer is a matter of the soul, huh?"

"Seems like it. It doesnt seem to run in families, anyway. Something had to be a factor, Willow says it is the soul. A Slayers soul is different, from birth. So, they not only made Dawn a potential Slayer, they made her next in line. That plan had a flaw as well, of course."

"Oh? What flaw."

"Even if I had died, she still wouldnt have become Slayer. Actually, I did die, and she did not become Slayer. Seems the monks hadnt reckoned with the fact that there was two slayers in the world even then. The line passed trough Faith, not me."

"Oh.. and all this was...was because of Gloria?"

"Yes. She was looking for Dawn, though she did not know it until the end, to open the gates to hell. She was the reason the monks hid the key. She nearly made it too. Dawn would have died that night had I not taken her place. My blood, my identical genes, satisfied the hellgate. It closed."

"Oh" Hank said again. "But now, Dawn is a Slayer?"

"Yes. But she mostly stays at Central, as part of Willows personal bodyguard."

"Why does Willow need a bodyguard?"

"She is the leader, the head of the organization. She commands the Slayers, and through Giles, the Watchers. I would appreciate it though, if you failed to mention any of that to any other Watchers."

"Well...good. But what about..."

Hank was interrupted by Leila, who stood in the cabin-door. "Buffy, I need to speak with you for a minute?"

"Can it wait?"

"Not really, no."

Buffy excused herself to her father, and went down the corridor with her. Daytime was a quiet time in the sleeping wagons, and they had seen nearly no one else the entire day, and so had the privacy they needed.

"The mother came to me," said Leila. "She had a message for you."

"What message?"

"She said; "We have tried to summon the guide, but the key wont work without its master. You must bring her to us, no matter what."

The key? Its master? For a moment, Buffy didnt understand. Then she did. Dawn! The key, the veiled one is the key! "Oh, no!Not the key! Not Dawn!" Buffy reeled at the thought. Yet she pulled herself together "Did she say anything more?"

"Yes. A... large contigent of Slayers has been dispatched from Central to meet us."

"Good, did she say how large?"

"No"

"Ok." Buffy headed down the corridor to the cabin where Miriam was now sitting up.

"Everybody ready?" she asked.

"As ready as well get, I guess" said her father.

Glory got to her feet. "Have you made up your mind yet?" she asked Buffy.

"About what?"

"About whether youll let me near your sister. I know you dont want to."

Well, I dont suppose one would need to be a mindreader to figure that out, Buffy thought, surprised to find she was blushing just a bit.

"I had it made up for me. Youre coming. Whether you want to or not, actually."

"Dont worry. Ill come if you let me, and stay behind if you dont. Hows that for a deal?"

Buffy looked at her. "Doesnt matter. Youre coming." Her voice was cold, to cover up the emotional turmoil inside her.

"Ok, we should be getting ready, Dibbley is only ten minutes away. We should be looking over our weapons and be prepared for anything." said Hank from the doorway. "You allright, Buffy?"

"No." she said. She could hear the thuds of the train speeding down the rails, taking them through the dark outside towards Slayer Central, where Dawn would have to face her worst nightmare, and call it mother. "Can we make this train go slower?" she said.

For the 13 years Theo Henderson had been station manager for Dibbley Railway Station, he had never seen a scene like the one playing out before him that evening. Not the busloads of young women and teenage girls, that had happened before. Several of them he recognised, and understood that they came from the new girlsschool over at the Duchamps place. What had Theo all puzzled was that these girls marching into his station all carried weapons. Swords, axes, crossbows, all kinds of medieval armory. What kind of school were they running over there? The girls were not chatty and giggeling as they used to either. Their faces were serious and focused, their steps long and their backs straight. They marched onto his platform as if they owned it. It was a strange day to be sure. First, the strangers that had been hanging around for the last hour, and now this. He had not seen the strangers arriving, they certainly hadnt come down the road. They were just there. Three of them, just standing on the platform. He had tried to ask them if they needed any help, but the long-haired ones answer that "they just liked to watch the trains" somehow failed to be convincing. Theo recognised a dismissal when he heard it, and the cold stare the stranger gave him made him go back to his office and stay there. But the arrival of the girls made him get off his couch, and out to the platform. He approached a bespectacled man in tweed, who looked like he had to be a teacher or a headmaster or something. "Excuse me, can I offer any help?" he asked.

The man in tweed stopped. "Yes, you might. Say, have you noticed anything out of the ordinary today. Any...unusual traffic, or something?"

"Uhm... Sure..ahh..there were these guys earlier..three of them. They seemed...odd. But I dont see them anywhere now. Dont know where they went. Uhm..listen, are you going to hang around long? Theres no train stopping here for another two hours."

"Tonight there will be" said the man. He turned to a dark haired woman passing by him. "Kennedy, I suggest you have the station searched, it appears there has been strangers here and we dont want to take any chances."

The woman nodded, and started ordering others to start looking around, and suddenly there were girls searching through every part of the station. Theo was getting more nervous by the minute. Dibbley station was usually a very quiet place, the only time there were ever any people was when a train stopped for passengers or freight. That was four times a day, the rest of the time there was really very little to do. All this buzzing and searching by teenage girls with swords, made his stomach upset. He really wished they would get on their way soon. And what was that the man had said, that there would be a train stopping tonight. Ridiculous! The only train anywhere near would be the southbound express, and Dibbley was not on its stop schedule, ever. "Listen," he said. "Its not that I dont appreciate the company, or would deny you entrance to the station, but...is it really nececcary to be waving around all these weapons? There are regulations...and..." The man in tweed looked at him, then turned around towards another woman standing a few meters away. "Diana, would you make sure this gentleman here is kept safe for a time, and not suffering any memories that would upset him in the future?"

"Of course" said Diana. She lifted her hands towards Theo, and started muttering under her breath. Theo didnt understand the words, but suddenly he started feeling dizzy, and before he managed to raise his voice to call for help, everything went black. Later, when Theo woke up, he would remember nothing of that evening. Not the strangers, nor the girls, and certainly not any of what passed next on his platform.

"Get him to safety" Giles ordered a slayer near him. "We dont want any bystander casualties. Theo was quickly dragged out of sight and hidden away. Giles strode further onto the platform, towards a witch standing there with her eyes closed. "Anything?" he asked. The witch opened her eyes and turned to him. "I sense a trace of thaumaturgical discharge, left not long ago. Someone has definitely used magic here. It get a sense of teleportation, but not quite, if you see what I mean?" Giles lifted his eyebrows and shook his head questioningly. The witch took a second to continue; "What I mean, I think we are being watched, but not from this plane of existance. It seems someone is very delicately keeping a portal just barely open, ready to enter at choice."

"Oh dear. Can you close it? Cut them off, or at least delay them?"

"No, it is but a hairline fracture, I can see it, but my magical skill is not fine enough to combine with the kind of power needed to do that. And no one here with that kind of control and power has my talent of spotting magical residue."

"So, we should be expecting company?"

"Definitely."

"Ok. Collect a mixture of Slayers and Witches and create a perimeter around the fracture. The second something comes through, attack. But be careful, ok?"

"Attack carefully, yes sir. Great."

Giles walked away, ignoring the witchs sigh of exparation. "Kennedy!" He yelled, and Kennedy appeared. "Yes, Giles?"

"Have you found anything?"

"No. Nobody here exept us."

"Good. But there will be trouble once the train arrives, Marian assures me. She will deal with that. You keep your attention to Glory. She makes any trouble...well, do your worst, ok?"

"Sure, Giles." Kennedy started ordering the slayers into position, trying to keep them mobile, in case the train-car should stop somewhere they did not expect. Then they waited.

Aboard the train, Buffy was pacing the corridor frantically. A passenger trying to pass through the car had taken one look at her and then headed back where he came from. "Good on him, too" thought Buffy. It occurred to her that this car would not be a very safe place in a few minutes. In the cabin furthest away from her, she knew her father and his wife was sitting on the floor, muttering spells to reach the mind of the driver, making the train stop where they wanted it to. They were so close now, Buffy could feel the train starting to slow down. The pounding of the rails got stronger as it lost momentum, sounding for all the world like a doomsday clock counting down. Buffy went to the door of the cabin, and found that the spell was cast, things would run independently from now on. Buffy took a deep breath.

"Ok" she said "heres how we do this. There will be a welcoming party at the platform, Slayers and magicians. Chances are there will be hostiles as well. We need to get to safety, and for the time being, Gloria appears to be first priority. Be careful, if what you say is true, that we cannot have the soul mirror chained to the force shield, you will be vulnerable, like you were at the appartement. Try to get away as quickly as possible, but keep close to the witches. Leila, you and me will be protecting Miriam, dad, and mr. Zabuto, until we find slayers to take over. Getting to safety is proirity, victory isnt, is that clear?"

Everybody nodded.

"Good. Are we ready?"

More nods. Then silence, as the train kept slowing more and more. They took up positions at the door.

Then, after what seemed like eternity, the train finally stopped. Seconds as long as days ticked by before the door slid open, and Glory stepped out, followed by Buffy and Leila, swords at the ready. The platform was filled with armed girls and women, more slayers than Buffy had ever seen in one place before. She had a few seconds to take it in, and to identify Kennedy and a few other she knew, and further back on the platform, the familiar face of Giles, before there was a flash of light from the side. Then hell broke loose on Dibbley station. Standing in the middle of the circle of witches and slayers was suddenly a medium tall man with long blond hair, and intensely penetrating eyes, and a mere wave of his hands sent the entire perimeter tumbling. Behind him came vampires by the scores, spilling out of a hole in the air and going for the food with a vengeance. The ranks of slayers collapsed nearly immediately, trained for combat by twos and ones as they were, and not in military style formations. The vampires started disappearing in puffs of dust, but Buffy and her gang found themselves completely alone. No slayers could be found to escort the weakened Sekiraghi and the two watchers to safety. Only Kennedy and two others stood before them, but their attention was on Glory, watching her intently. "Will she be trouble?" shouted Kennedy over the den. "No, I dont think so" yelled Buffy back."Listen, Kennedy, you must get these three to safety. Me and Leila here will come with you." "What about her?" Kennedy asked, before she had to turn and stake a vampire that had managed to penetrate all the way to them. Then she turned back and pointed to Glory. "Willow told me she had to go to Central!"

"Yes, but she can fend for herself, for now! Where do we go!?"

"Get to the front of the station! Giles has a SUV waiting for you!"

"Ok, now form a circle, and dont let the vamps in!"

A circle of five formed around the half-demon and the two watchers, the latter two carrying swords of their own, ready to fight if need be. Not exactly the amount of protection Buffy had hoped for, but it would have to do. Around them there was a milling of people fighting for their lives, and Buffy had lost sight of the place where the portal had opened. Then they were fighting too, as several vamps broke out of the crowd to lunge at them. Glory was a few meters ahead of them, fighting without any weapons but her bare hands, throwing enemies off like they were mere nuicanses. She had protested wildly when told to leave the protection of Miriam to the slayers, but had finally agreed to go on ahead after Hank begged her to listen to Buffy. But Buffy noticed that she didnt move forwards nearly as quickly as she probably could have. But when a sudden jolt to the back of her head brought Buffy to her knees for a moment, leaving an open space between Miriam and the rest of the world, Glory was there, wrenching away the attackers with a fury and enough strenght to rip the head of one vampire clean off. Then one of the slayers that had followed Kennedy suddenly went down with a vampire ripping at her throat. At that point there was no holding her back. She lifted the vamp off the slayer, and used it as a cudgel to fend off some more that were struggling towards them. Then they were clear. But just as they started to run for the exit, there was a sound like a thud, then Buffy felt herself being knocked off her feet, and sent tumbling backwards. She could see others laying sprawled around her, as well. When she managed to look up, she realised that no one was left standing on the entire platform, exept the long-haired man, in a long black leather coat striding towards her. Suddenly Buffy gasped and looked to her left. There lay Miriam, as flat out as anybody else. Whatever this man had done, it had either not triggered the soul mirror, or he was somehow immune to it. Could he kill Miriam, just like that? He lifted his hand as he apporached. But even with Miriam lying alone and helpless on the ground, the man did not spare her a glance. He made a motion with his outstreched hand, and Glory was lifted clean off the ground by an invisible hand. The man stopped. Then he tilted his head and stroked his beard with his free hand. "Well", he said. " I guess it doesnt matter any longer, what stand you will take." That was all he said. He just smiled, and Glory started kicking the air, and Buffy could see the look of panic return to her face that she recognised from the appartment. She got to her feet and lunged towards him, but a slight wave of his hand knocked her back. Then Buffy saw Glorys body start to change. Her shoulders were broadening, her hips got slimmer, her hair started getting shorter and changing its colour. If no one could do anything within the next few seconds, Glory would be dead, and, Buffy realised, so would any chance of doing whatever Willow was trying to do. But other slayers too had tried to attack him, and been thrown back, and several spells cast at him had simply bounced off. There seemed to be nothing anybody could do to help.

Then a short, slim figure suddenly stood up next to him. No one had noticed Miriam crawling up to him, and now she was standing right before him, and she had one hand on the temple of his head. The man just looked at her with disdain for a second, and then he suddenly shook his head, and his mouth shaped itself into an "O". Then Glory fell crashing to the ground, and the man stumbled backwards, a look of panic and confusion on his face. The still-open portal snapped shut with a hiss. Buffy saw her father rush to Glorys side, and lift her limp head from the ground. "Gloria!" he shouted. For a moment Buffy thought the long-haired man had succeeded, then she saw Glorys hair starting to grow longer, and a few seconds after the fallen hellgod drew a deep, rasping breath. Miriam was still standing up in the middle of the dozens of shapes lying around, the long-haired man crawling away from her, his eyes unfocused, as if blind. But, as Glory was getting to her feet, he started to focus again, though his eyes seemed different, more normal, so to say. And furious! As he started to rise, she could see his lips move, and he raised his hands. Spells! Buffy didnt hesitate, but jumped to her feet and charged towards him. Even as he finished getting up, Buffy was launching a sideways kick to his chest, but somehow he managed to escape full impact by interrupting his spellcasting and throwing his weight backwards. Nevertheless Buffys kick threw him backwards several feet, leaving him on all fours, gasping for his breath. So, a normal, living and breathing human after all. Where had his power then come from, wondered Buffy. Possession? Perhaps, but unlikely. That didnt explain how he had escaped the effects of the soul mirror. Buffy pondered the possibilities as she backed away, back to her group. She located her sword, lying on the platform a few feet from where she had fallen, and picked it up. Around her, slayers and vampires where getting to her feet, though some slayers, she noticed, stayed put, unmoving. Tears came to her eyes, but she still kept alert for attack. Attacks came, but Buffy swung her sword, keeping them from reaching her charges. The slayers were fighting more coordinated now, she noticed. She found Kennedy with her eyes, seeing her lips move as her eyes darted around the battlefield. Talking to Willow! Buffy supposed, telling her where to order the slayers. The original plan had been flawed, and now they had resorted to new tactics on the spot. Through the fray, Buffy could see the long-haired man. He was standing up again, but doing nothing. Then he turned and walked out of Buffys sight. She turned and saw that each of her travelmates was now encircled by groups of slayers, step by step leading them towards the exit-gates. The vampire ranks had started thinning too, since the portal closing had cut off the flow. Still plenty to go around though. No need to play musical vamps tonight.

No slayers were being left behind as they prepared to retreat. Dead or alive, the downed girls were all dragged off the platform. The air was filled with dust and animal screams, as the undead fell to the slayers weapons. They fell to Buffy. Slash, spin, chop. She saw her father, as the last of her group, being guided through the gates to what she could only assume was safety. Duck, lunge, turn and slash. Buffy slayed. It was what she did. What she was. What she knew. She no longer resented it, not now that she was no longer alone.

She had cast off the weight of the world nearly a year ago, dive, roll, kick, and left the faith of all things living with the rest. Until now. Destiny was back, and with a giant chip on its shoulder for Buffy. Jump, backwards flip, oops! "Damn it girl! With those teeth, shouldnt you vamps be more into dental hygiene?" Buffy threw the vampire that had jumped her as she fell over on her back away, and saw her disintegrate as another slayer took her head off. "Thanks, Buffy" said the slayer. "Thanks yourself, Rita. Doin good?" "Good as ever, all things considered." Rita replied. Then she had to return to the fight, which was dwindling down to a brawl, with nearly all of the vampires dusted, and most of the slayers having withdrawn. Now Buffy could see the long-haired man again, standing on the platform with his hands lifted to the sky. She started for him. This man was too dangerous to be left around. But before she could reach him, he looked directly towards her, the penetrating glow back in his eyes. Was he still vulnerable? Buffy intended to find out, but all of a sudden, he just started turning his back to her. But instead of showing her his back, he gradually faded into a two-dimensional line, and with a bright flash, he was gone. Buffy stopped, and stood gaping. She had seen lots of strangeness, but this was bucking for a prize! She started backing for the exit, still keeping her eyes on the spot where the man had vanished. As soon as she was convinced he was really gone, she turned and ran for the gates. A few straggeling vampires still hunkered around the platform, but Buffy had no time for them. She rushed through the gates, after the other slayers. Outside, in the parking lot, two large buses were standing, being filled up with slayers, many of them wounded. They would be allright, she knew. Slayers healed fast. But she also noticed a couple that would not heal, ever. Then a voice called her name. "Buffy!" She turned, and saw Giles come towards her. "Giles!" she cried, and threw herself around his neck. "Are you allright?" he asked.

"Yeah, Im fine. A few nicks and bruises here and there, but nothing worth mentioning. Did everybody get out allright? I mean...except the slayers that...didnt."

"Yes. Except them. Everybodys fine. Listen, Buffy. That man with you, the...warlock. Is that...?"

"My father, yes."

"I thought I recognised him. What does he..."

"Long story, not for now. We need to get to Central. I dont think this is over yet."

"No?"

"The man on the platform, the one I think opened the portal, he got away. And something tells me he wont give up easily."

"Im sorry, I didnt catch everything. This man, is he the one who..."

"Nearly killed Glory? Yes. And more, he didnt fall to the soul mirror. "

Giles started leading her towards the SUV he had parked a distance away. "Nothing can withstand the soul mirror, there has to be some mistake." Buffy shook her head.

"Miriam went down like all the others, but he didnt flinch. Until she did something to him. I dont know what."

"Well, we will have to deal with that later, now we need to get going."

As they approached the SUV, mr. Zabuto came out to meet them. "Mr Giles", he said.

Giles gave a short, businesslike nod. "Mr. Zabuto." A greeting between equals. They entered the car, and Giles looked back at the people in the back. "Mr Summers, nice to meet again. We were not expecting you." Then he saw Glory, and his voice got harder. "Mighty Glorificus, didnt I kill you at one time?" Glory looked up at him with a humble face. "Closest anyone ever got, until tonight, mr Giles" she said, her voice weaker than usual. "Well" said Giles. "Tonight, youre going with us, apparently. But if you try anything, we will finish the job, I assure you."

" I believe you, Mr Giles. But I think you will not find it necessary."

" We will see. "

"Giles, we dont have time for this, we need to get going. Leila, tell Willow were off, but let her know I think there might be more trouble before we get there. Miriam, what was that guy back there, and what was that you did to him.?"

"There was...something about his eyes, like they didnt see, like others. I looked at them, and... I couldnt believe it. That man... I think he was Sekiraghi. "

"I thought you were the last." said Hank.

"So did I. And in many ways, I still do. This man, he had no prophecy in him. He stored nothing, nothing had been handed to him. But there was something, the power he wielded? Not his. He was the eyes, he pointed to the target, but someone else wielded the power. The mirror triggered, but he was left untouched because the spell did not originate with him. He was a channel, and eyes."

"For who?" By now the car was speeding down the hill heading for the estate several miles away.

"I dont know. Someone very powerful, someone that could not be touched by the mirror."

"Someone who wanted Glory dead!" said Buffy.

"Why her?" Giles asked, while keeping his eyes on the dark road.

"My guess? To destroy our chance to follow the prophecy."

"What? How?"

"We need Glory to use the key. Without the key, no guide. No Guide..? Who knows what. One thing is for sure, it will effectively kill off the prophecy. And as far as I can tell, it means killing off the world too. I have a strict policy on that, a no kind of policy."

"How would they know...oh damn! I told them specifically to hold the summoning until we knew more."

"Ah. The kind of advice always taken to heart among the scoobies, right?"

Giles cast her a look. "Yes...silly me.."

"But Miriam, what was that you did to him? You saved Glory."

"I showed him prophecy. Gave him nothing, just showed him. It confused him, overwhelmed him. I dont think he knows what he is."

"Do you think you can do it again, if he shows up?"

"I have to touch him. I dont think he will allow me, now the element of surprise is gone."

"Figures. Just our luck. Giles, any ideas?"

"W...what? Uh..no, not really"