Chapter 5
"And you're sure we don't have to worry about this Sahjhan guy?"
The AI Team and the Scoobies were all gathered in the Hyperion Lobby. Everyone was aware of the fact that they wouldn't get through this portal business without at least one mess, and so they all worked together to figure out every possible scenario that could happen. If demons were to fall through, everyone had a weapon. Groo, Angel and Spike would be at the frontline. If the portal began expanding Tara was ready to support Willow with containment spells. Almost a dozen first aid kits lined one of the counters and both witches were ready to perform any healing spells that needed to be done.
Not even the Oracles doubted their preparation.
Lorne nodded with a shrug. "He's long gone. There's no finding him now, and I doubt he'd come back here just so we could all attack him."
Willow chewed on her bottom lip as she ran through all their different plans. "Okay… okay so that's one less baddie to worry about. We've got plans A through L, right now."
"Not just yet," Spike countered. "We haven't discussed the possibility of getting sucked right into the portal."
They all felt dread at the possibility. "Memorize?" Tara suggested. "Willow and I can memorize the incantation and the ritual, so if we do get pulled in, we still have a way of going right back."
"And the collapse of multiple words?" he drawled.
"Spike, you aren't helping," Giles scolded. "We do not need demoralization. The plan is to succeed and we will. Now Cordelia, a room. Is there a room ready for Buffy?"
"She can stay with me," Angel cut in before Cordy could answer.
The girl made a noise of protest. "I don't think so! Angel no offense but your room is a horrifying mess right now and you know it. We'll set her up right next to you but-"
"I'm sure Angel only wants to keep the slayer near, to watch over her, yes? Perhaps, Angel would consent to Buffy and her new mate staying on the same floor as him." Groo suggested.
"That's fine," he agreed, gritting his teeth slightly at Groo's innocently tactless comment. "The room next to mine. Actually, how about we give Buffy's… guest… a nice room of his own. The best one that we have so he can feel so very welcomed." Spike snorted from his spot on the floor.
They all turned solemn once more, starting from the top and reviewing all of the plans.
"Guys," Dawn interrupted. She shrugged when they all looked at her. "I mean… I know we're all worried and… I know Connor- your son is still but- oh and Buffy's new guy must be an ouch," she winced. "But," The corner of her lip twitched and she gave them a beaming grin while she hugged Angel's side. "Guys, it's Buffy. We're getting Buffy back!" Excitement growing, Tara threw an arm around Willow, who seemed to be overwhelmed with joy. She took Xander's hand as the man kissed Anya's forehead. Giles removed his glasses to rub at his eyes, a smile plastered on his face. Fred, Gunn and Lorne gave their own victory cheers and encouraging nods to Angel while Spike had ripped Dawn away from his grand-sire to spin her around the floor.
"Is it okay to celebrate while Angel still grieves for his son?" Groo questioned quietly. Cordy nodded while a tiny smile of her own.
"It's alright, Groo. Buffy's his girl, after all, and like the Oracles said. She's gonna help us find Connor."
"He will have his whole family soon."
"Yep, he will!"
Groo looked to his feet. "Does that hurt you?"
Cordelia turned to him, surprised. She gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. "No, Groo. I'm happy where I am right now…"
He grinned and cleared his throat. "Then let us show our support to Angel by rejoicing with the rest."
"Oh yay!" Cordy sarcastically called to the others. "Hurricane Buffy is blowing back into town! Just what I need. You know I came to L.A. so I could be the leading lady, right?"
"Aw come on, Cor!" Xander laughed. "You know you've missed her too!"
"As if!"
"Oh! Oh!" Willow cried, pointing at her high school bully with glee. "She did! Look at the bounce in her step! She's just as excited as we are!"
"Ugh! Cut it out! Groo! Fred, come on! Let's just get the room ready."
Fred hugged Angel. "Be happy, okay?" she told him before running after the couple.
"You excited, Peaches?" Spike questioned as he set a giggling Dawn back on her feet. "You know, I can't touch the blighter, but how about while the slayer isn't looking, I can help you give him a fright." He smirked. "A little toss around. Doesn't that just sound perfect?"
"Yeah… yeah, I like the sound of that."
"You gotta turn your waist more," Angel instructed, demonstrating a proper punch to Dawn. "A good hit doesn't come just from the arm and the fist. Put your entire body into it." Dawn nodded obediently, raising her gloved hands once more. Angel held his punch mitts up for her and nodded. The second time, she twisted her torso, pushing off her back foot, and delivered a stronger force.
"Good, Dawnie. Much better. Now punch Spike."
The blond raised his head in confusion. "What?" he asked before doubling over when Dawn punched him in the stomach. He grunted slightly and glared at her. "Hey!"
"Oh you didn't feel a thing," she scoffed. Rolling her eyes.
"What can I say, little bit. I'm a great actor."
"You? Acting skills?"
Angel patted her head with his hand. "They're better than his poetry."
Spike huffed indignantly. "Oi! Now that one hurt!"
"Guys?" a voice called down to them from the top of the stairs. "You better come up. Thing one and Thing two are here."
"We'll be right there, Xand!" Dawn shouted as she tore her mitts off and ran up.
The Oracles were standing at the hotel entrance, looking down at everyone from their elevated place. "Ah, young Dawn is training now, I see?" the Sister noted. "Good, very good. You will be most useful in the future of Sunnydale, but alas. That is not what we are here for."
"We come bearing troubling news."
"Well, don't hold back now," Xander muttered.
"What is it?" Giles asked.
The Sister stepped down a step. "It seems that time's flow in the hell dimension our slayer resides in is… accelerated."
"Accelerated?"
The Brother Oracle nodded. "What has been mere weeks to you has been six years there."
"Six years?!" Angel shouted. "She's been trapped there for six years?! Are you- I can't believe- how could you not know this?! And you still haven't told us why you sent her there in the first place-"
"To reveal her mission is to put everyone in danger. You do not know who could be listening to these conversations."
"-and now you're telling us she's been stuck there for six years?! I'm starting to wish Vocah finished the job!"
They ignored his insult, blaming it on his understandable rage. "We have been in contact with her for most of these six years, and no we do not mean physically. Our mental states are able to pass through the barriers between these two worlds. You'll have to forgive our slight, but time is a foreign concept to us. Let it be known that the slayer has at least been safe and well-adjusted, considering her circumstances."
"The circumstances that you put her in, mind you," Spike growled.
"We told her of our roles in aiding your cause. Unfortunately, that was two years ago to her…"
"Two years ago?" Willow stuttered weakly. "You- you gotta tell her! Tell her we had no idea! That we'll get her out of there! Oh God, Buffy…"
The two Oracles turned to each other before nodding and descending the rest of the steps and approaching the group. "We will tell her now, if it so pleases you."
"Tell her we're sorry," Angel whispered. "For making her wait so long."
The Sister Oracle smiled at him. She took her brother's hand and, together, they closed their eyes and projected their spirits through the planes of existence.
"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you…"
Connor opened an eye, peeking up at her with a groan when she picked him up and set him on her lap. "Mommy," he muttered as his head fell onto her shoulder and his hands settled on her sides.
"Happy birthday, my Connor, happy birthday to you!"
"Mommy, I'm still sleeping," he huffed, his eyes slowly closing again.
"Oh come on, little man," she cooed. Buffy ruffled his hair and smiled at him, masking her sadness effortlessly.
It was her baby's sixth birthday. Six years. They had been in Quor'toth for six years of Connor's life. Two years had passed since Goldy and Sister had first given her the news that her friends were working on getting them out. She hadn't even heard from the Oracles since then, and she sincerely hoped it was because they were extremely dedicated to their task. God, she couldn't care less about herself. Her poor son still didn't know his father, his family, the joys of living in their home world…
Six friggin years.
"Mommy?"
Buffy was pulled out of her thoughts abruptly. "Yep? What would you like to do for your birthday this year?"
He stretched his arms out with a yawn, falling back onto his sleeping bag with his legs still hooked onto the sides of Buffy's crossed ones. "Just to train."
She groaned at the suggestion. Last year, she had realized Connor's true strength when he ran out of the cave during one of his mother's daily demon fights. Buffy was in a state of panic when she spotted him, giving the demon enough time to throw her to the ground and overtake her. Before she even knew that Connor was by her side, her son had curled his fist instinctively and sent a punch straight into the beast's face. Though his form was sloppy, he still managed to send the demon flying backwards. That night, as Buffy nursed his bruised hand, he confessed to months of hiding and watching her fight so that he could "slay the monsters" like his mother and father. The only way to keep him from running straight into combat again was her promise to begin teaching him the basics. For the most part, Buffy put a large emphasis on tai chi, knowing that her son had just as much fire in him as she did. His temper tantrums were proof enough of how quickly he could change his moods. "If you wanna learn how to fight, then you need to put all that angry mean stuff away afterwards," she had told him. "You can't always be a fighter, Con."
And Connor loved it. Of course, he loved practicing his punches, blocks, and kicks, but Buffy saw how he took joy in the slow, relaxing movements that tai chi came with.
"Tai chi today?"
"Yeah and…"
"And what? It's your birthday, you can have whatever you like."
Connor grinned mischievously. "Can you show me how to throw you? Like you did with that one demon?!" He jumped to his feet and mimicked her action with his pillow, using sound effects and all. "It was so cool! You gotta show me, mommy! You gotta!"
Buffy laughed while taking his hand and tugging him towards the front of the cave. On peaceful days, she would sit outside with him, right at the entrance. As the years passed, their barrier was noticeably shrinking. They had a few yards of safety encompassing their home, and despite her worries, she knew she couldn't keep Connor locked up in the cave, so she would take him out. They talked about anything and everything, took in the scenery, and named the demons that passed outside their barrier.
"I don't know, little man. You're still a bit too small for over the shoulder throws." she said as they sat against the cave wall. She reached for two twigs from the bush next to her, splayed and softened the broken end the best she could before passing it to him. "Brush up."
"Oh man, mom, do I gotta?" he grumbled while he brought the twig up and started rubbing it on his teeth reluctantly.
"I know you hate it, bud. Blame it on, Goldy. He didn't give us any extra toothbrushes and we can't keep using the germy ones we have." He continued to mutter to himself, ignoring how Buffy tried to tease him with her own enthusiastic brushing. "Alright, so training?"
"Ugh, fine. Tai chi and… my kicks, I guess. I gotta try to get them as high as yours."
"If you just bent your upper body down a bit more-"
"Oh how about the town? Can we hike to HumanTown today?"
"Hmm, that doesn't sound like such a bad idea."
"Oh mom! Look at that one!" Connor cried, pointing out at a demon that came into view just outside their barrier. "We've never seen that one before. What should we call it?"
"Hm… no horns… no tail… no scales…"
"Let's call them Bobs."
She snorted. "Bobs?"
"Yeah, that boring earth name? Well…they're so ordinary for a demon. So Bobs."
She nodded. "Bobs it is."
"The correct term is a Surkurar demon."
Connor gasped, his hand flying to his head. "Goldy!"
"Hello, little one. You have aged."
"I'm six!"
"We are sorry to have kept in the dark," the Sister chimed. "It has become clear to us that time here does not run in the same way it does in your home realm."
Buffy's eyes widened. "It doesn't? How much time has passed there?"
"A few weeks since Connor's kidnapping." Her expression darkened considerably as Connor's jaw dropped.
"A few weeks? Angel's expecting a baby to return?"
"We have not made Angel aware that we know of his son's condition."
"What? Why not?! Why do you Powers have to be such cryptic-y assholes!"
"You know my brother, slayer. He takes joy in tormenting your mate."
"So what exactly does he think?"
"That you are coming through with a new mate," Goldy chuckled.
"Evil. I like. So what's up, guys? What took you so long to drop in again?"
"We are with your family and friends. They have just been told of this time differential as well and they ask for your forgiveness."
"We have been searching for ways to aid your sorceress. Although we have everything we need, we'll need to wait another day or two to be perfectly sure of the ritual. There are just too many risks, slayer."
Buffy sighed and closed her eyes. A day or two? What was that to her and her son? Two months? Another two years? "Do you think that maybe you could give them a message for me? Just tell them that we're okay. I miss them and no pressure, but hurry."
"We will pass this along."
"Great and-"
"MOMMY!"
Her eyes flew open at the boy's shriek. He was on his feet, pointing into the distance. She pushed him behind her, shielding him with her body, as she searched for the threat.
Buffy's heart stopped and her blood went cold.
Daniel Holtz was approaching them, a triple-barreled wrist bow on one arm and a dagger in his free hand.
As quickly as their eyes closed, they opened. They released each other's hands and rushed into the office, grabbing all the supplies they had given to the team.
"What's happening?" Cordy asked, following them into the back.
"Get your sorceress and her partner. The man- Giles, and our champion. Find the widest wall within this foyer. Do it now!"
"Woah, woah, woah!" Xander shouted as they came back. "What the hell is going on?"
"The ritual must be done right now. The slayer's life is in grave danger! Sorceress, you and your mate- start painting the symbols on the wall!" the Sister commanded, passing them a jar. "Holy oil, blessed by the Powers themselves. You know the incantations by heart?"
"Yes. Draw the gateway while performing our chants. We got it." Willow nodded as she turned to Tara and began their part.
"Giles," the Brother called. "Come forward. Aid them! We must hurry!"
"Champion," the female shouted. "Gather your fighters. Who knows what might leak through..."
"Gunn!" Angel barked. The man nodded, tearing the cabinet open and tossing weapons to everyone near him. "Dawn, stay in the back, okay?"
"Angel I can-"
"Please," he begged. "I can't take care of your sister and worry about you at the same time. Just guard the door with Fred. Make sure nothing gets out of this building." She nodded, taking an axe from Spike before scurrying to her position. "Cordy, Groo, Gunn- flank left. Xander, Spike- stay to my right."
"What about us?" Lorne asked for him and Anya.
"You've both used magic before," the Brother answered. "We need your aid here."
Once everyone settled, they Oracles grasped hands once more. "Is everyone ready?"
"Yes," Angel answered.
"…slayer. Can you hear me?"