A/N: I hope I finished this quick enough to appease everyone. :)

This will take us through the end of season 6 and into the season 7 of canon. It might be a bit hard to keep up with if you're not careful, so please pay attention. *Grin*

As for the content, as I said last chapter, this is a drama fic, though it's got many other genres, too. This will be most notable in this chapter, so be prepared for anything except for a sad ending! Enjoy!

Anyway, I suppose that's all the pre-ramble needed, so with no further ado, here's the story!

PS. Someone sent me an e-mail about my other story. I accidentally deleted it. So I'm kind of dumb. Anyway, to answer the question, yes, I'm going to get "From The Top" updated starting now. :)

Spoilers: Season 6 from "All The Way" up to "Seeing Red", and perhaps beyond. If you haven't seen any of season 6, but want to, then I suggest you stay away. But before you go, I must ask, if you want to see season 6, how have you not already?

Disclaimer: I refuse to put one in. If you want to sue, bring it on! *puffs out chest. Reads site rules* oh, damn it. Fine, I own nothing except this nice judicial gown and my brand new javelin. Now let me continue in peace! Also, thanks to Nickelback for the title of the chapter! Also thanks to Eric Clapton for the beautiful and heartbreaking "Tears In Heaven". RIP Conor Clapton!

Legend: As always, thoughts appear in italics.


Flashback

By: David Armstrong

Chapter 8: Feeling Way Too Damn Good


"What should we do with it?" Willow asked, continuing to study the frozen popcorn bowl, which had remained frozen for the past number of hours.

"I'm for destroying it," Xander spoke up, raising his hand. "All those with me?"

Anya, Tara and Frank all raised their hands.

"I don't know," Buffy said. "I-I mean, this could be an interesting piece of weaponry to study."

"Who would study it, though?" Frank asked.

"He's got a point," Willow conceded. "I don't know much about it. B-but, uh, from what I've seen, anything short of a large bomb wouldn't destroy it, so destroying it is kinda out of the question, too, I think."

"So what are our options?" Dawn asked.

"Well, w-we could hide it," Tara suggested. "Ummm, bury it perhaps?"

"Too easy to find," Buffy said, shaking her head. "A-a dog could dig it up or something."

"How about give it to someone to look after?" Dawn offered.

"But who?" Buffy asked. "I-I mean, I could take it to Angel, but unless I take it there, it would probably never make it there. I-I'd consider giving it to the initiative, but they're long gone by now."

"H-how about Spike?" Anya piped up.

"Spike?" Xander asked, surprised. "The 'I want to kill you all but can't because of my chip' Spike?"

"Well, as long as he has the chip, I don't think he can harm anyone with it," Buffy conceded. "A-and I think he's proven we can trust him, at least with something like this thing."

"Okay, so Spike will watch the gun," Willow started. "Now what?"

"I check out the nerd hideout again," Buffy replied.

"Why?" Dawn asked, confused.

"If there's one thing I've learned in this business," Buffy said, grabbing up her coat before turning back around. "It's that people always turn up back where they started."

Before Buffy could get out the door, however, a slayer-sized yawn hit her.

"Although they're just as likely to end up there tomorrow morning," she conceded sheepishly.

"Bed does sound like a good idea," Willow nodded in agreement.

"Already!?" Xander exclaimed aloud, startling everyone a bit.

"Huh?" Tara replied smartly, giving Xander a confused look.

"Oh, ummm, well," Xander stumbled over his words. "I-I guess i-if you guys a-are, umm, well, sure, you can…mmmm!"

Before Xander could finish, Dawn covered his overactive mouth with her hand.

"He thinks you guy were having sex upstairs," Dawn explained simply, ignoring her sister's shocked stare.

"Oh," Willow commented dumbly as she blushed.

"I did not," Xander managed to say around Dawn's hand.

"Dawn, take your hand off Xander's mouth," Buffy ordered in her motherly tone. "And I don't like you saying that word."

"What, sex?" Dawn asked quickly.

"Yeah," Buffy responded impatiently. Sighing, she turned and headed up the stairs. "Sleep will do me good."


In a few minutes, Xander and Anya had headed home, Frank had reclaimed his couch-slash-bed and Dawn, Willow and Tara were upstairs, getting ready for the night.

"Interesting problems we've got here," Tara commented as she slid under the covers in bed. "I mean, evil science nerds with invisible guns and stuff."

"Not to mention Buffy actually saying she trusts Spike, Dawn actually being happy, and Anya and Xander married," Willow added in as she finished putting on her nightwear. "I-I mean, not that those are problems, but you know, weird."

"Yeah, I know," Tara agreed. "Though Xander is still himself."

"Yeah," Willow nodded. "I mean, does he really think we'd do that while working."

"Well, I dunno," Tara shrugged innocently. "I mean, we could have. In-in theory."

"Is that an invitation, or are you just being observant," Willow asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Maybe both?" Tara answered cryptically, giving Willow a sly look.

Without hesitating, Willow jumped onto the bed.


A few minutes later, Dawn and Buffy had both run out of their rooms as the last of a joined scream left the room down the hall.

"No way," Dawn exclaimed, shaking her head, although she couldn't get rid of the smile. "Xander wasn't as wrong as we thought, I guess."

Getting a look from Buffy, Dawn shrugged and headed back into her room.

"What are you doing?" Buffy asked curiously, watching Dawn grab up a bag she had by her bed.

"Well, last summer they, you know, moved in," Dawn explained. "So, after a few sleepless days, I ended up sleeping over at Janice's every night. After I found out Tara was back as well, I called her, and she said I could come over to sleep any night if I needed to. So, I'll, um, see you tomorrow?"

Weighing the pros and cons, Buffy shrugged. "Sure."

As Dawn headed towards the stairs, Buffy headed back into her room, and opened her top drawer as another pair of yells came from the room down the hall. Sighing, she grabbed up a stake, bottle of holy water and a cross, and headed back down the stairs.

"Slaying beats a night of this," she muttered, heading down the stairs just in time to see the door close behind Dawn.

Grabbing up her coat, she took a quick glance over at Frank, who appeared to still be sleeping soundly.

He wakes up to food, Buffy thought to herself. What a weird guy.

Opening the door, Buffy headed out towards the Sunnydale cemeteries.


"What are you doing?" Andrew asked as Warren pressed a button on what looked like a security system panel.

"Setting up a surprise," Warren replied obscurely.

"For the Slayer?" Jonathan inquired.

"Yeah," Warren answered absent-mindedly as he walked back towards the door.

"But she's already been here," Andrew pointed out, confused. "Why would she come back?"

"Because she thinks we'll come back," Warren said, before realizing the slight problem. "Which she was right about. B-but we'll be long gone before she gets here."

"We will?" Jonathan asked, stupidly. "Oh, I-I mean, yeah, of course we will."

"Well, let's go," Warren announced excitedly, rubbing his hands together as he opened the door. Behind him, Jonathan and Andrew followed half-heartedly, each carrying a bag of tools.


"Hey, guys," Buffy called as she returned to the nerd hideout the next morning. She'd had a rather uneventful night of slaying, and was getting a little restless.

"I know you guys are here," she announced, confidently. "Nerds always return. Ummm, at least, that's what always happens in the movies."

As she headed down the stairs, she noticed a bunch of papers sitting around on chairs and desks. Deciding to collect them up just in case, she walked over to them.

"C'mon guys," she called again, impatiently. "I-I'll give you your gun back!"

After a moment of silence, she continued towards the back of the house, collecting up a couple more papers, as well as a book and what looked like a CD.

"Don't they clean up after themselves?" She muttered to herself.

Rounding the corner, she found a white board in the way, and went to flip it over to walk under it. Before she did, though, she noticed a pair of words scribbled clumsily on it: "Too Late!"

"Uh, wha…?" Buffy couldn't get the question before she was drowned out by the sound of saw disks as they busted their way though the side walls.

Keeping the articles she'd collected close to her body, she managed to dodge her way to the stairs, and was just able to jump her way out of the house and onto the lawn outside.

Sitting up on the grass, she felt a strong breeze of cool air on her stomach. Looking down, she noticed a cut that just barely missed the skin.

"Okay, that's gonna cost ya," she muttered, getting up.


Back at the Summers' house, Tara and Willow were still in bed, side-by-side, unwilling to get up.

"It's light out," Willow commented, surprised. "I-it's gotta be late."

"Wanna get up?" Tara asked, semi-seriously.

"Mmmm…no," Willow replied after a moment of thought.

"I bet Buffy and Dawn are waiting for a nice batch of pancakes by now," Tara stated simply, giving Willow a pointed look.

"You want to get up," Willow concluded, pouting. "I-I could bet they-they're out, anyway. I m-mean, Dawn always goes to Janice's, an-an-and Buffy always goes out to slay at about midnight."

Sighing happily in defeat, Tara nodded.

"B-but," Willow continued, "I wouldn't mind some pancakes myself."

"Consider it done," Tara agreed, getting up and quickly putting on the night clothes that were quickly discarded the evening before. As Willow sat up to do the same, Tara quickly stopped her. "No, I'll bring it back up."

Agreeing instantly, Willow lay back down, watching Tara walk back out.

Returning fifteen minutes later, Tara put the tray on the bed, before removing her clothing again and once more joining Willow under the sheets.

"Pancakes, mmm," Willow muttered happily.

"And syrup," Tara added, picking up the bottle of syrup for emphasis.

"Fun," Willow commented.

The two ate, being purposely clumsy, though trying not to make it obvious to the other. As a result, they did more cleaning up instead of eating off the plate.

As they finished the last pancake, managing only to let a small amount to drip off the forks, the two sighed in contentment, lying back into each other.

"This is so…" Willow mumbled, unable to finish the thought.

"I know," Tara agreed, enjoying the moment.

"I-I'm sorry, you know," Willow said, seriously, but somewhat confidently.

"W-what for?" Tara asked, confused.

"Everything," Willow replied honestly. "The-the spells and the arguments. A-and thank you."

"I-I wouldn't have done it any other way," Tara responded, tearily. "I-I love you."

"Me too," Willow quickly replied, as she snuggled closer to Tara.

"Guys, research!" Buffy's voice called faintly from downstairs.

"Oh, damn," Willow cursed, getting a giggle from Tara. "We need a better system."

"Well, I'm open to suggestions," Tara offered, as the two reluctantly got up, grabbing the articles of clothing on the ground.

"Well, naked research parties would be interesting," Willow said suggestively.

"If it's just us two," Tara replied teasingly. "I-I'm for that."


When Willow and Tara finally managed to get downstairs, they found a pile of papers on the coffee table, and gave twin stares of question to Buffy.

"I found them at the trio's lair," Buffy said. "I-I would have gotten more, but there were these buzz saws or something. Everything's all chopped."

"That's a lot," Tara pointed out, looking at the table.

"I'll have Xander and Anya take some of it," Buffy said as she continued to leaf through them.

"Where's Dawn?" Willow asked looking around as she and Tara sat in front of the layout.

"Janice's," Buffy replied, not looking up.

"Oh, CD!" Tara said a little more enthusiastically then she meant.

"Ohh, my, uh, laptop is still upstairs," Willow said, attempting to look a little upset.

"That's okay," Buffy assured, not aware of the hidden meaning. "We can just go through what we can of the rest, and then take the rest to Xander's."

"I'm good with that," Tara said, smiling.

"Then I am, too," Willow nodded quickly, grabbing up a pile of papers. Tara grabbed up the large book, but found that it fell apart almost instantly.

"Maybe not," Buffy said, restlessly. "We need to find out what they're up to. There's no telling what they're doing right now."


"Ewww, this is gross," Andrew squealed as he cut up the Nezzla demon.

"Remember, it's the only way to get through the barrier," Warren reminded Andrew, pointedly shaking the rock that was in his hand at him.

"D-do I really ha-have to wear that?" Jonathan asked, wigged out.

"Well, if we want the orbs," Warren pointed out.

"Why don't you wear it?" Jonathan asked.

"Because I'm not short enough," Warren replied simply, watching as Andrew finished cutting the skin off the demon.

"Now, get in that," Warren ordered as he and Andrew walked away. "We'll be waiting at the entrance."

"Ewwwww," Jonathan wailed a few moments later.


"We really should be doing work," Tara said between quick breaths, tilting her head toward Willow.

"Well, I think we've done a lot of work," Willow replied half-seriously, enticing a giggle from Tara.

"Yeah, but that disk is still in that machine of yours," Tara commented, giving a pointed look at the aforementioned laptop sitting on the ground near the foot of the bed. "Buffy is probably waiting for us."

"Oh, alright," Willow replied with a good-natured pout. She didn't mind the opportunity for research, and she was a little tired.

Sitting up to lie across the bed, she picked up the laptop from the ground, and got to work quickly.

As the machine finally booted up, she opened a file. Immediately her eyes went wide when she saw the contents.

"This could take a while," she commented quietly to herself, as she began to type with a determined look on her face.

"What is it?" Tara asked curiously, trying to get a glance at the screen over Willow's shoulder.

"It's all encrypted," Willow replied. "It's well done, too. Damn nerds."

"You'll figure it out," Tara said confidently, reassuring Willow.

"Of course," Willow agreed, turning her head towards Tara slightly with a smile. "Just a matter of when."


"Oh, c'mon," Jonathan complained again from under his demon skin suit. "This is disgusting."

"Well, the faster you go in there, the faster it comes off," Warren pointed out, restraining himself from patting the shorter boy's Nezzla-covered shoulder.

"It really does look nasty," Andrew commented before turning back to Warren. "Do you think it'll work?"

"You think it'll work?" Jonathan asked, turning his head sharply towards Warren.

"Let's find out," Warren replied, ignoring Jonathan's question.

Grabbing the slobbery suit, he pushed Jonathan towards the barrier.

"Hey!" Jonathan objected. He was unable to reverse his motion, and went through the barrier.

"There, like a charm," Warren said, pleased.

"You didn't know if it would work?" Jonathan reiterated incredulously.

"Well, logic said it would," Andrew said in his best Spock impersonation.

"Enough yammering," Warren said sharply, getting the other two nerds attention. "Go get the gems."

Turning to go into the tunnel, Jonathan began his search.

Meanwhile, Warren and Andrew continued to discuss their plan.

"I don't trust that kid," Andrew said, nervously.

"Don't worry, we get the gems, and then we can ditch him," Warren replied in a reassuring tone.

"You sure?" Andrew asked, hopefully.

"Of course," Warren nodded. "We just needed a guinea pig. I didn't think you'd be lining up to volunteer for it."

Nodding in understanding, Andrew turned back towards the tunnel where Jonathan had gone just a couple minutes before.

"Got them!" Jonathan called, running sluggishly through the barrier.

"Come to poppa!" Warren exclaimed, rubbing his hands together.

Opening the box, the trio found a box with two small balls inside them. As Warren grabbed them up, the others waited to see what would happen.

"They've been sitting in there for a long time," Jonathan commented when nothing happened for a moment. "How do we know if they still work?"

"Oh, they work," Warren replied, as the power from the gems began to flow through him.


After a few minutes of listening to Tara and Willow 'researching', Buffy collected up everything she had on the table and hurried out the door.

"Hopefully Xander and Anya aren't as busy," she thought aloud, before realizing how unlikely that would be. "Oh well, even a few minutes in a car with no sounds will be worth it."

Reveling in the silence, Buffy made it to Xander's apartment too quickly for her tastes. Hurrying up the stairs, she prayed that they weren't doing anything too loud.

Reaching the door, Buffy knocked three times, careful not to put too much strength behind it.

"Coming!" Xander's voice returned a second later. Inwardly, Buffy groaned.

I hope he just means that in a 'coming to the door to let me into your no-sex-happening-here abode', she thought to herself, before hearing the unlocking click.

"Buffy!" Xander exclaimed, surprised. "What are you doing here? Nerd news?"

"As a matter of fact," Buffy said, walking in when Xander didn't move. "I've got books."

"Great," Anya said sarcastically from her seat at the back of the apartment, "Now not only do I not get any orgasms, I have to do research."

Raising an eyebrow, Buffy turned to Xander.

"And you thought married life would be better," she whispered, causing Xander to let out a fake chuckle.

"That's funny, that's really funny Buffster," he replied between the fake giggles, avoiding Anya's accusing stare.

"Sure, make jokes at the expense of the one without super hearing," Anya said, pouting.

After a split second of indecision, Xander crossed over and whispered something into Anya's ear.

"Okay, where do we start?" She asked, taking the materials from Buffy's hands and shuffling through them quickly.

With another trademark victory grin, Xander walked up beside Buffy momentarily.

"Do I want to know?" Buffy asked cautiously.

"Not likely," Xander replied, following his wife to do his own research.


Back at the Summers' house, Willow and Tara had been researching off and on, still not finding anything of use.

"Maybe if I…" Willow started, before the screen began flashing. "Wow."

"What?" Tara asked, trying to get a better view by sitting up.

"I-I think I got it," Willow said, excitedly. "It-it seems to have a bunch of blueprints, stuff like that…"

Willow trailed off as her excited demeanor faded.

"How bad is it?" Tara questioned nervously, noticing the change.

"I don't know," Willow said slowly as she read the screen carefully. When she noticed her girlfriend's confused look, she continued. "I-I think they're encrypted, too."

"Th-they are?" Tara managed to get out. "You mean the blueprints?"

"Yeah. Their designations have been stripped," Willow replied. "Shouldn't be too hard to figure out."

"Care to share your idea?" Tara asked, curious as to what Willow had planned.

"Well, I though maybe I could cross reference them with the county clerk's office," Willow answered, pleased with her idea.

"Will? Wouldn't that, um, involve, you know…" Tara said, gesturing wildly with her hands. "Getting up?"

Realizing she was right, Willow's face fell again. Within a couple moments, she'd begun typing quickly on her laptop again.

"Maybe if I could just…" Willow started, before scrunching her face up in thought.

This new mayor has been so much harder to hack, Willow thought as she continued to type onto her portable PC. Maybe he's evil, too.

Shaking the thought, she focused on the screen again, until she heard a soft cough from behind her.

"Oh," Willow let out, turning towards Tara in the middle of her typing. "I-I'm trying to get into the city's main database. It should have everything there."

"The county clerk's office is now online?" Tara asked, unsure.

"Yeah, but it's mostly for reference purposes," Willow explained. "A ha! We're in!"


Buffy was having some more luck herself over at Xander's apartment, though if she was honest with herself, she would say she really wished they weren't.

Xander had found inside one of the book covers a piece of paper with 3 words written on them: Orbs Of Nezzla-Khan. Or, at least, Buffy thought it was three words. She didn't remember if a hyphenated word was one or two. It was making her a little more restless than Xander, and his attempt to find out what these 'Orbs' were, was.

"Oh, here, I found it," Xander announced suddenly from the kitchen table, taking Buffy's attention away from her mental debate for the moment. "According to this they're from the savior of the Nezzla demons. Apparently, it his…Oh, ewww!"

Making a scrunched up face, Xander dropped the book in disgust and feint a dry-heave. As he did so, Anya picked up the book and picked up from where Xander left off.

"They're his testicles," she read, not finding it at all disturbing. "They were chopped off in a ritual ceremony when the demon was only 190 years old. God, they didn't even wait until he was on his deathbed?"

"Demon's have testicles?" Buffy asked, confused. On the look from Xander, she shrugged. "What? Demon's don't reproduce that way, do they?"

"Well, most don't," Anya agreed. "But most still have some form of working sex organs. They may not have orgasms to mate, but they still don't minding having them…"

"Forget I asked," Buffy muttered, when Anya trailed off with a dreamy look on her face. "Please."

"Hun?" Xander asked, finally over his initial disgust. "What, ummm, did the ritual do to them, exactly?"

"Oh, umm," bringing the book back up to her face, Anya read again. "'The ritual, which included a bonfire and ceremonial knives, was meant to make the testicles into Orbs. These Orbs would make the bearers invincible to any and all forms of death, including age'. It also says here that the Nezzla demons 'have been in possession of them for millions of years. They're a solitary group, staying in caves, never taking to open ground. Their invincibility is all they want'."

"Does it say where they are?" Buffy asked.

"They're in a cave…" Anya skimmed the pages, trying to find anything. "Ah, it says here that there is no confirmed location of its existence, but it is rumoured that it is held in the chambers of Nezzla-Khan's himself, behind a mystical barrier that is only penetrable by the mucus specific to the Nezzla demon. It apparently covers the whole body of one. Anything that tries to enter that doesn't have that mucus on that is instantly fried. No one has ever been able to get through to them, and very few have tried."

"So, it's basically impossible to get them," Buffy mused aloud. "So what are the nerds doing with it on a piece of paper in one of their books?"

"Well, they aren't exactly dumb, otherwise they wouldn't be called nerds," Anya pointed out. "They might have figured out a way to get to them."

"Right," Xander said sarcastically. "Brain and his two Pinky's are smart enough to find their way through a force field."

"Brain and his two pinky's?" Buffy repeated, confused.

"You know, Warren and the other two," Xander tried to explain, only to receive two blank stares. "You know, they're like Pinky and the…You guys have watched Animaniacs, right?"

"Ummm, right," Buffy said. "They might have figured out a way to get them, though. And if they did, they're gonna be trouble."

Getting up, Buffy grabbed up her coat.

"Where are you going?" Xander asked, following her out of the kitchen with a small jump in his step.

"I'm gonna go back to their lair," Buffy said. "And if they're not there, I'm gonna head back home and see if Willow and Tara found anything else about what they might be planning."

"Oh, well, then let's grab up some weapons and get a move on," Xander said, grabbing his coat and quickly putting on his less-than-attractive demon fighting running shoes.

"No, Xander, this one's a little out of your league, I think," Buffy said, shaking her head. "I don't think I'd even be a match for him."

"But…but we're better as a team," Xander argued with a bit of disbelief. "We…we can beat anyone if we're together. Willow and Tara would say the same." Hearing a cough behind him, Xander quickly added: "Anya, too. We should be doing this together."

"You've already helped a lot," Buffy assured, glancing at Xander, then Anya. "All of you. But-but I think in this case, it's best if I do the fighting alone."

"We've been fighting side by side for the last three years, though, Buff," Xander argued, a little angrily. "Well, okay, two and a half, with a little break in between, but you know what I mean. We're a team. What makes this any different then space demons or evil troll gods or, hell, even Glory and her minions?"

"They're human," Buffy muttered, almost inaudible. Xander understood immediately, though.

"This is about Faith, isn't it?" Xander realized. "Buffy, we're not like Faith. She had issues from the get-go. Killing a human was just the finishing touch."

"I-I don't want any of you risking it, though," Buffy said.

"Well, then go," Xander muttered quietly. "Kill yourself a man. But please, don't come to me for help afterwards, cause all you're gonna get is an 'I told you so.'"

"Xander!" Buffy exclaimed in disbelief.

"Go!" Xander shouted, causing Buffy to flinch a little bit, before turning and slowly walking out the door.

Sighing, Xander sat down on the couch and put his head in his hands. He only let out a half smile when Anya wrapped her arms around his shoulders, though it wasn't totally genuine. Taking one last look at the now closed door, he led Anya into the bedroom.


Spike hadn't had an eventful night in a long time. He knew he should be upset, but he just couldn't help but feel relieved that it had been so slow. There wasn't a single new demon who had put a bounty on his head in almost 3 months, and it was a welcome relief.

Heading into one of his new hangouts, a human bar that housed only a small and unnoticeable amount of demons, most of which were doing what he did most of the time: hiding from other demons.

He immediately took his normal stool in the centre of the front counter. It was something that he learned in his early days in the bar would make everyone instantly believe he was human, since no demon was ever supposed to try to sit where he'd be the centre of attention. He then waved the bartender over. He knew he housed some demons in the bar, including Spike, and took their orders under the table.

"What will it be today, bud?" He asked casually.

"Double scotch, hold the rocks," Spike replied. In their secret code, it really meant pigs blood with a little bit of cognac mixed in.

Getting it quickly, Spike swigged it down before anyone had a chance to take a closer look at it and realize it looked nothing like what Spike had ordered.

"Want another shot?" The bartender asked quickly, raising an eyebrow almost challenging Spike to accept. However, he declined, deciding to take it easy tonight.

"Been a rough couple mornings," Spike explained to the bartender. "Think I'd like to wake up tomorrow without a bleedin' headache for once."

Nodding in understanding, the bartender moved on to another customer, as Spike turned to watch the other people in the bar. Usually something humorous happened during these hours, and he never wanted to miss any of it. He still longed to be the one to cause the laugh-invoking incidences, but he had learned in the past 3 years to take what he could get.

Before he had a chance to pick out one of the people in the crowd that looked like they might be capable of entertaining him for the night, he heard a commotion near the entrance.

"Bloody hell," he muttered under his breath, immediately recognizing the nerd trio. "So much for the quiet."

"Alright boys, let's make some noise," Warren announced loudly, standing in the middle of a heap of jocks that looked like they just ran into the Incredible Hulk.

Deciding it would be best to make the altercation before the altercation made him, Spike stood up to confront the three.

"I'm willing to help you a little in the noise department," he announced, mostly annoyed. He still enjoyed a fight once in a while, but he just didn't feel like getting into one in this bar, and he wasn't really an able body when it came to humans.

"Ah, Spike, just the punching bag I was looking for," Warren sneered. "I could really use a good workout. I haven't had one in such a long while."

"Trust me, it shows," Spike growled in reply. He didn't really want to talk much, but he didn't really have a choice with the chip in his head.

"Oh, tough words, old pal, but remember, you have that chip in you head," Warren pointed out with a maniacal laugh. "You can't hurt me without having the same thing happen to you. No matter how many times you hit me, you'll still be in double the pain."

"My pain will be nothing compared to the satisfaction of beating you and your lot up," Spike shot back, matching Warren's glare.

"Hmmm, you're not the one I'm after, though," Warren replied, seemingly like he was second-guessing himself. "No, I think the slayer seems like the better target. I mean, if you think you have a chance with her, what do you think she'd say about a guy like me?"

Giving a loud growl, Spike jump forward, giving a hard swipe at Warren while he attempted to brace himself for the pain at the same moment. While Warren barely moved at all, Spike found that instead of the intense neural pain that he usually had, all he felt was a heavy pounding in his wrist.

"Hmmm, the chip doesn't seem to be doing its job," Warren realized, giving Spike a grin in response to the vampire's disbelieving stare. "Guess I'll just have to help it at bit."

Throwing a punch, he sent Spike flying towards the back wall, bloodying his nose in the process.

Warren made his way over to Spike's crumpled body in a slow, steady stride, and reared his hand back into a cocked position.

"Warren!" Jonathan suddenly shouted, moving up beside Warren. "Maybe we, ummm, shouldn't…"

"Hey, I'm calling the shots here, remember?" Warren replied in annoyance, once more cocking his fist.

"Hey, it's your call," Jonathan agreed in a rush. "But, I'm just saying, if we're gonna go do that thing you were talking about…"

Sighing a little in frustration, Warren nodded in agreement before turning back to Spike. "It's your lucky day chump."

Getting up, the trio made their way out of the bar, leaving Spike to groan in pain.


After a stop over at the trio's now sliced up and empty house, Buffy hurriedly made her way home.

Immediately upon entering the house, she found Willow and Tara sitting around the kitchen table, both in a fit of playful giggles that they were trying to suppress.

"Hi Buffy," Willow finally managed to get out clearly. "Where've you been?"

"Xander's," Buffy replied with a sigh. "We were researching. It seems like the geeks are looking for something called the Orbs of Nezzla-Khan. Ring any bells?"

Both Willow and Tara shook their heads after a moment's thought.

"They're old," Buffy said, sitting down at the end of the table closest to Willow. "Apparently, the person in possession of them becomes invincible."

"Oh," Willow let out. "That's bad."

"They're not at the base," Buffy said, once again sighing. "If they were successful, we need to find them before someone gets hurt."

"Well, we've got a couple of leads," Tara spoke up, trying to lift the spirits in the room.

"Yeah, we've got a lot of stuff decoded," Willow said, turning her laptop around to show Buffy. "It looks like that CD had blueprints and stuff. The way it looks, they're focusing on banks, armored car routes, stuff like that. We didn't think they'd be able to do it. Guess we were wrong."

"That's too much," Buffy exclaimed, waving her hands in the air wildly. "I can't cover all that area at once!"

"We don't think you'll have to," Willow explained quickly, patting Buffy's hand to calm the clearly frustrated slayer down. "This one's time sensitive."

Pointing out the location to Buffy, Willow and Tara saw her give herself a small, reassuring nod. Exchanging confused glances, the two shrugged before turning back to face Buffy.

"So what's the plan?" Willow asked, tentatively.

"Well, I'm still not sure exactly how powerful these orbs are," Buffy replied, thoughtfully. Then she realized something that disgusted her, intrigued her and humored her at the same time, "or even how big."

Not getting a good read on the conflicting emotions on Buffy's face, Tara raised an eyebrow at the half-grinning, half-grossed out woman.

"What do you mean, how big?" She asked simply, shrugging when the other two copied her eyebrow actions. "I mean, they're orbs. How big can orbs be?"

"They're not ordinary orbs," Buffy blurted out. "They're, um, demon balls."

"You mean like, Nezzla tennis balls, or something?" Willow asked, confused.

"No, the other balls," Buffy said, giving a disgusted face for emphasis. She was rewarded with a couple of weirded-out glances between the two witches.

"They're desperate, I guess," Tara muttered, scrunching up her face as she realized the full extent of the revelation Buffy had laid out to them.

"Or perhaps they don't know?" Willow asked, looking like she wasn't able to decide whether to run to the bathroom or start rolling on the floor in laughter.

"Well, that's all secondary," Buffy replied, standings up. "I still need to stop them. It would still be good if I knew exactly how powerful they are."

As if on cue, a bloodied Spike walked through the front door at that moment, looking rather humbled.

"Question answered?" Willow offered helpfully, receiving a small glare from Buffy.

"I don't know what that soddin' kid Warren had, but it sure as hell had better not have been a bloody cup of coffee," Spike muttered angrily.

"What happened?" Buffy sighed, somehow managing to sound patient but irritated at the same time.

"Warren was being all arrogant, which was all fine and well, until he pounded out the whole football team before turning on me," Spike spat out. "Damn bloody wankers."

"Where?" Buffy asked sharply, her impatience starting to win over as she took a step towards Spike.

"Little bar near the Bronze," Spike replied in a similar tone as he stood his ground. "They left just before they really started to pummel me."

"They must be headed for the park, then," Buffy said, grabbing up a jacket before walking past Spike towards the door. "This ends here."

"Buffy, he's too strong," Spike warned, though the tone suggested he knew how little use there was in it. "Someone should come with you, at least."

"No," Buffy replied sharply, spinning around in the doorway. "This is between me and Warren now. Anyone else would just get it the way."

Turning her back, she sighed. "Sorry. I wish I could make you understand. Xander didn't, so I'm sure you won't."

Before Spike to give a reply, Buffy was gone in a full out sprint, leaving him to turn and glance at Willow and Tara, who just offered shrugs.

"Blasted Slayer," Spike cursed lightly, watching as she slowly disappeared over the horizon.

"You're right, you know," Willow said, somewhat surprised at the actual sincerity she really had behind the words. "By her needed someone to go with her, I mean."

"Well, even if I did, I don't think I'd be much help," Spike muttered in a depressed tone. "I mean, look at me, I'm a mess, and it was barely a two minute tilt."

"Here, take this," Willow suddenly said, offering him what seemed to be a small charm in the palm of her hand. "We'd feel better if we knew someone was watching her back. Even if it was you."

"Thanks," Spike said, though it did have a small amount of sarcasm in it.

"Now hurry before she's too far to catch," Willow said, almost shoving the chipped vampire out the door.

Walking back in, she met Tara's slightly confused glace.

"What did you give him?" She asked, curious.

"Just a little something that'll help," Willow replied.


"Stupid Spike with his dumb chip telling me what to do," Buffy muttered as she walked quickly down the street. Her pace could have been compared to a 100 mile dash runner's speed as they crossed the finish line.

I mean, I don't need to be protected, least of all by Spike, Buffy continued the ramble in her head. Although it was pretty sweet of him to offer.

Buffy stopped dead in her tracks on that thought. "What? 'Pretty sweet'?" She thought out loud.

Looking around, she noticed a couple in the tree to her right. They looked like they'd been making out before Buffy's outburst startled them.

Without saying anything, Buffy restarted her quick pace, reaching top speed immediately. 'Pretty sweet'? It wasn't 'pretty sweet'. Well, maybe it was. Does that mean I like him? Like, 'like' like him? No, no, no, that's not right. Lots of guys are pretty sweet. Like Xander.

Buffy slowed down a bit at that thought. I was right to tell him not to come. If Spike was right, he could get himself killed. But we'd been through many situations like this. We took out the Mayor together. Adam. Hell, even a God from, well, Hell.

Stopping for a moment, Buffy replaced her look of regret with one of resolve as she resumed her pace as she rounded the corner to the local amusement park. No, those were different. I needed them. There was more at stake than a little money and possibly a bruised ego.

While going through her mental ramblings, she failed to notice the shadow behind her.

"Soddin' Slayer and her speed walking," Spike muttered, lighting up a cigarette while he tried to catch the breath he didn't need.

As he saw Buffy round the corner, he quickly followed. After a few seconds of looking around for a place to hide, Spike found a bush and jumped in.

Walking into the back alley behind the new Sunnydale amusement park, Buffy was surprised at how unstealthy Warren was being.

Cockiness does not a winner make, Buffy thought in her best Yoda impression.

She couldn't help but admit she was stunned when she saw Warren lift the back of the truck a good foot-and-a-half off the ground. Recovering quickly, Buffy ran in behind, getting herself in position to attack before the truck was tipped on its side.

Just managing to keep herself from slipping as the side below hit the ground hard, she found herself looking down at what she would probably have called "weasels", had she been at her peak of punnery, below.

After listening to a disturbing discussion between Andrew and Jonathan about "orbs", she made a soft cough.

"Hey!" She shouted, getting their attention immediately. "Is this your bank? Cause if not, there's gonna be a fee for that."

Focusing her sight on Warren, she leapt down, hoping to get in a quick hit before he was ready. However, Warren's new orbs seemed to be more than just strength and power inducers, as he reacted with the speed and skill that she'd only seen a few times previous.

Adam and Glory come to mind, Buffy thought, absentmindedly, as she jumped back to her feet in a classic fighting pose.

In the bushes, Spike tried to keep a low profile while watching the ensuing fist and tongue fight. He had a moment's thought of how good it would be to be in Warren's position, but shook it off quickly, putting his focus back on the fight.

Watching a punch that had been enough to take the Hell-God Glory off her feet just a short year earlier caught by Warren, Spike started to get what most would consider the equivalent of a "sinking feeling".

Unable to make out the conversation that was traded between the Slayer and the Über-Geek, he watched as Buffy swung the heavy door that had earlier been taken off the truck at Warren's head, knocking him back into the brick arch of the back entranceway to the park.

"That'll put your marzipan in your…" Spike trailed off, realizing he was quoting the Buffy-bot Warren had made a long time ago. "Soddin' wanker."

Unsurprisingly, Warren got up, but Spike spotted the cracking bricks, and got a nasty grin. "Hmph!" He muttered in triumph.

Turning her head to the other geeks, Buffy felt the rush of victory as she took in the somber look of the remaining duo.

"There's two ways this can end," she said. "And right now, I'm thinking they're both gonna hurt."

The smile on Andrew's face reminded her of something.

"I think you're right," he said, as Buffy spun to meet the clearly invincible Warren.

Well, so much for hoping that's just a myth, she thought.

Looking around frantically, Spike tried to find something that could help Buffy out. He obviously came up empty, since if a pile of bricks didn't kill Warren, a bunch of pebbles on the ground certainly wouldn't.

Looking up, Spike saw Buffy pinned to the ground, taking a couple of punches from Warren before managing to roll away. However, Spike was far removed from watching the actual fight as much as Warren's belt.

Looking back up towards Buffy, he caught Jonathan making a quick move and bolted out of his spot. He didn't have time to analyse the situation, and instinct took over as he felt his face morph.

As that happened, he had grabbed a hold of Jonathan and pushed him out of the way.

As Jonathan looked up, clearly dazed, he seemed to look right through Spike.

Though Warren and Buffy were too focused on each other to notice anything, Andrew noticed the strange occurrence, and quickly passed out himself, causing Spike to raise his eyebrows. Turning back towards the fight, he noticed a strange, almost liquid-y, figure in the truck's rearview mirror where he shouldn't have been.

Looking back towards the collapsed body of Jonathan and the further away figure of Andrew, Spike took a glance at the charm that still hung around his neck.

I'm invisible! He noted to himself. Taking a look at the pouch he'd noticed a few moments earlier on Warren's belt, he watched as Buffy kicked him so he was back against the brick wall again.

"Say goodnight, bitch!" He shouted, as he stood up from the wall and got ready to make a final run at Buffy.

"G'nigh', bitch," Spike muttered, as he crept up behind the unsuspecting Warren and snagged the pouch, which caused a bright light to form.

"Aha!" he shouted in triumph, holding the orbs. Punching the wall beside him in triumph, he quickly grabbed his hand in pain. "OOOOOOOW!"

Out of shear pain, he forgot about the objects in his other hand, which he let fall. Unbeknownst to him, the orbs were much more delicate then the power they provided, as they smashed on impact.

Looking up, he saw Buffy's eyes right on him, clearly telling him he was no longer invisible.

"I was-s-s-s-s trying to-o-o…" Spike stuttered a bit, trying to come up with an excuse.

"You piece of shit," Warren shouted, catching the attention of Buffy, and causing Spike to sigh in relief. "I swear I'm gonna take you down!"

To Buffy's surprise, Warren took off the jacket he'd been wearing to reveal a jetpack. Turning it on, he was quickly out of reach and almost as quickly out of sight.

Looking around her, she also noted the other members of the trio unconscious.

"What happened to them?" She asked, looking at Spike.


"So it makes you invisible?" Buffy asked incredulously.

"No, it makes vampires invisible," Willow replied matter-of-factly. "It's not so much a spell as a chemical response between the skin cells and the gem…"

"Honey, you're rambling science-girl again," Tara warned as she turned to Buffy. "She's been like that all night. "

Shaking her head, Buffy returned to grilling Willow. "So, Spike now has the ability to become invisible anytime?"

"Well, no," Willow answered, a bit defensive. "The power will only last 30 minutes. It's run out by now. It can be recharged, but even we don't have the power for that."

Feeling a bit better, Buffy relaxed her posture a bit. "So the rock…"

"Gem," Tara supplied.

"Right, gem," Buffy quickly said, with a half-hearted glare at Tara. "It disappears when its power is gone, right?"

"Nope," Willow said, too excitedly for the likes of the other two women.

"So Spike could be out looking for one now?" Tara asked, too scared to point fingers.

"See, that's where it gets cool," Willow said, getting back into 'rambling science-girl' mode. "It's an electrically charged ruby. Very rare, but they have a strong response to magic, so much so that when a warlock found the first deposit a long time ago, he was able to cast a 'do-no-evil' spell on it. No one who finds one can use it themselves, and if stolen, the magic makes the ruby powerless."

"So, Spike wouldn't be able to use one if he finds it," Buffy realized, sighing a bit in relief.

"And no other vampires could, either," Tara repeated the action. "But where did you get the ruby?"

"Ms. Hartness had one," Willow answered. Looking at the confused look on Buffy, she explained, "she runs the convent in England."

"So, why didn't you use it yourself, or maybe on Buffy?" Tara asked, once more curious.

"Well, this one's special," Willow explained. "It's only good for vampires. See, in the late 18th century, there was apparently a naïve young warlock that befriended a vampire, and promised to alter one of the rubies so it would work for him. The vampire and the gem were captured eventually by her ancestors, and they have been passing it along for generations."

"Until Sarah got it," Tara deducted.

"Pretty much," Willow nodded in agreement.

"Well, that's all fascinating," Buffy said, stretching. "But today's taken a lot out of me. I think I'll take my trip to sleepy-land."

Willow and Tara just nodded, giving quick promises to be quiet for her that night with red embarrassed faces.


That night in bed, with the house quiet for once, Buffy thought about the days events. Trusting Spike to watch the ray gun. Researching what the nerds were up to. Xander and Anya's upset faces when she told them it wasn't their fight. Those odd thoughts about Spike being sweet.

It was hard to understand, especially at that hour, so Buffy yawned, turned over to face the other wall, and closed her eyes, as sleep finally overtook her.

The morning came quickly, and Buffy felt much better than the night before.

I sure thank my lucky stars for Slayer healing, Buffy thought to herself as she noted the time of 6am on her bedside alarm clock. Easily enough time for any slayer to be fully rested, even after the previous night's activities.

As Buffy quietly prepared for the morning, careful not to wake the house's other inhabitants, she noted how it was always surreal right after an averted apocalypse.

Things should seem different afterwards, Buffy thought as always. But somehow every time it just seemed…Normal. And that's how it was now with the latest threat removed, and Sunnydale once again safe from all Big Bad's.

So, in the early morning of a late spring day, Buffy really had nothing to do but clean up the backyard a bit. Some watering here, some pulling of weeds there, it was all very tough work, and despite all her Slayer perks, Buffy wasn't the greatest gardener.

"Oww," she muttered for the umpteenth time as she clumsily pulled out another weed with a bare hand. "I should hire a maid for this. Maybe Giles knows something about Slayer maid services that the council provides."

She was still in a good mood, though. Everything worked out, all the humans survived, and best of all, she now had the summer all to herself.

After all, Buffy rationalized in her mind, since when did big evil threats rear their ugly heads during the warmest and sunniest months of the year?

Buffy shook her head, not even considering the possible jinx she just set with that thought.


That was the scene for the next hour. Buffy pulling weeds and watering, the odd obscenity and mumbling comments rising into the early morning air from the Slayer's mouth.

Eventually, up above the Summers' backyard, some motion was finally occurring, as the two shapes in Joyce Summers' old bedroom cuddled together with drowsy smiles on their faces.

"Ya know, I think I missed this more than anything," Willow commented quietly, fidgeting slightly as she got into a more comfortable position from the one she woke up in.

"What's that?" Tara queried back with a soft sigh, internally upset that she couldn't stay here forever.

"Us, together," Willow shrugged slightly. "Just sleeping."

"But not as fun," Tara waggled her eyebrows suggestively, causing Willow to grin in spite of the subject.

"Definitely not," she laughed. A second later, and the maturing silence between the two was broken as Buffy's voice could be heard through the closed window.

"I guess our morning person is awake," Willow noted with a disappointed sigh. "I think we should get up and help her."

"I guess we shall, then," Tara nodded, sleep now almost completely out of her mind. "But you owe me tonight."

"You'll get your money's worth," Willow playfully jabbed back as she slid out from the covers.

The two got dressed quickly, taking a matter of moments.

"Hmmm, clothes," Willow said, the words seemingly foreign to her, almost as if she hadn't worn them much the past few hours. Or maybe it was days. She wasn't sure. Something suddenly seemed wrong, as Willow watched Tara grin slyly.

"Better not…" As the words left Tara's mouth, Willow somehow already knew them, as she muttered it aloud with her lover, "Get used to 'em."

"Yeah," Tara nodded with just a little confusion mixed with a dash of fear. "How did you…?"

"I don't know," Willow replied, sharing Tara's emotions. "I just have this feeling that something's not right."

Willow shook her head for a moment, and the feeling seemed to disappear after the simple action.

"I'm sure it's nothing," Willow shrugged as she brushed the feeling completely aside and grinned. "And clothes? Who needs 'em?"

The two shared a quick kiss, before comfortably moving themselves into a soft hug.

"Xander?" Tara muttered questioningly, causing Willow to back away with a slightly insulted look on her face.

"Alright. Not quite…" Willow paused as the feeling returned almost as quickly as it left. "He's out back, isn't he?"

"Yeah," Tara replied, oblivious to what was happening in Willow's mind. "I think he and Buffy are talking."

"Are they're making up?" Willow questioned, knowing the answer.

"I hope so," Tara said, spinning around to face Willow with a devious smile. "That's the best part."

Willow gave Tara what could only be described as a questioning look as thoughts that seemed to be of another lifetime flooded her mind.


As all this was going on, Xander had walked over and was now standing right behind Buffy.

"It hurts much less with gloves," he offered with a soft smile which didn't reveal anything more than the helpful words already did.

"Don't have any," Buffy replied, equally neutral.

On cue, Xander happened to pull out a pair. Upon Buffy's surprised look, first at the working gloves and then at Xander himself, he shrugged. "I always have a pair with me."

"I-I think I'm done here anyway," Buffy shook her head slowly.

"How did…?" Xander trailed off at the end of the half-question, knowing he didn't have to say anymore.

"Jonathan and Andrew got clinked," Buffy said with a shrug. "But Warren pulled a rocket-man."

"You'll find him," Xander assured. "He won't be much good without his friends."

Though the last part was spoken without malice, Buffy couldn't help but hear the hidden hurt behind the words.

"No, he won't," Buffy agreed in a soft voice.

"Look, Buffy," Xander started with an apologetic tone. "What was said last night, I…"

"No, Xander, you were right," Buffy cut off, the guilt and disappointment at herself forcing through. "I knew what Warren represented, and I was afraid of what would happen. I just didn't want anyone else to deal with what I knew I would have to."

"But we do," Xander said supportively. "All of us. Willow, Tara and Anya as well. We're the Scoobies. I mean, in what twisted universe should they ever be apart?"

Buffy gave a smile at that, glad that everything seemed to be back to normal. Yeah, like my life's ever normal, she thought to herself.

"I hope it's not this one," Buffy said through the smile. "I don't know what I'd do without you guys."

"Let's never find out," Xander replied, giving Buffy a hug.

Buffy eased into the hug effortlessly, enjoying the comfort her friend gave her. Almost an instant later, though, the simplicity of the situation was shattered.

"Buffy!" Xander practically screeched, backing away from both the hug and the apparent intruder.


Back in the room above Xander and Buffy, Willow was trying to understand what was happening in her head. Not only were the images confusing, and perhaps frightening, but she also was getting a major headache.

"You think you can just do that?" Willow barely made out the words of a male in the backyard. If she hadn't been so sensitive to the sounds around her, she probably would have missed it.

"You think you can get away with it?" The voice shouted again, causing Willow to furrow her brow in thought as she thought of whom it sounded like. "Think again!"

The first two gunshots came quickly, but then time slowed for Willow as she raised her head to a confused and concerned Tara, who was still oblivious to any and all situations happening around her.

At that moment, Willow had a clear image of shattering glass flash through her mind and an eerie feeling of something warm splashing on her face…

Just as quickly as the images came, they were gone. Unlike Willow would have expected, she had no hazy moment of hesitation.

"TARA!" She shouted as she ran forward to knock her lover out of the way of any oncoming shrapnel. Just as she reached Tara, she heard the shatter of glass that sounded exactly the same as the earlier mental movie reel.

A simple instant later, and Willow felt the same sensation from the images on her face, but also felt something different, best described as a cold and penetrating sensation around her chest.

Time slowed a final time, as Willow's vision became a bit hazy. She had a final image appear in her mind, and echoed the words aloud, along with Tara…

"Your shirt."


Tara opened her eyes a moment later. Or was it a day? Time seemed almost insignificant and unimportant, even though in her mind she believed otherwise.

Looking around, she was surprised to notice she was standing. If she had just woken up, shouldn't she be lying down? Maybe I took up sleepwalking recently, she thought, almost humorously.

Looking left, she saw what could be best described as a long tunnel with a gate at the end. A strong white light seemed to be everywhere.

Turning her head quickly, looking right, she almost jumped out of her skin when she saw Willow, literally asleep on her feet.

Before Tara could do anything, Willow's eyes flew open as she took a quick intake of breath through her open mouth.

"Willow!" Tara exclaimed, mostly at shock and surprise.

'Tara, what's…" Willow drifted off as she, too, took in the surroundings. "Is it just me, or does it seem like there's no longer such a thing as 'time'?"

Tara barely heard the mumble coming from Willow as she took in her figure. In the bright light, which Tara unconsciously admitted should be blinding her, Willow looked quite beautiful in her clothes, amazing white linen that reminded her of ancient Amazonian paintings.

Willow, she quickly noticed, had also noticed that Tara had quite similar clothing on.

"Wh-what's going on?" Willow asked, a bit fearful.

"That's where I come in," a somewhat loud masculine voice came from almost directly in front of the two women.

Approaching slowly, Tara and Willow made out the figure of an oddly out-of-place grey demon-ish figure. He was completely devoid of any sort of hair. His skullcap was almost a perfect dome-shape with two almost wing-like horns coming out of his temples on the side of the head. At his chin, he had a perfect circular ring hanging down, not quite attached, but more like a part of the bottom of his face. His body was literally a suit of armor, the same grey colour as his face.

"Who are you?" Willow and Tara asked in unison, mostly confused now.

"I'm sorry, I should really explain things clearly immediately,' the grey demon said, shaking his head in self-detriment. "My name is Skip."

"As in jump rope?" Willow asked, still highly confused.

"One and the same," Skip nodded with a snicker. "I've had a few dealings with some…acquaintances of yours."

"If you mean Spike, we're more like bitter enemies forced into working together by default,' Willow attempted to defend Tara and herself.

"No, I mean Angel and Cordy," Skip clarified quickly. "You see, I work for the Powers That Be, I sort of make sure the course of things in the real world remain as they are meant to be. You see, there are things going on down there that need to remain controlled, or else things here may become unbalanced."

"And how do we fit into things?" Tara questioned, curious as to where this was going. "I mean, do we really affect what happens on this planet that much?"

"You would be surprised," Skip replied. He didn't miss the smug smirk from Willow. "However, it's not exactly 'this planet' that you're 'on'."

"You're an alien?" Willow asked in surprise. "Are you like, a summoned extra-terrestrial like that queller demon, or are you, like, here on some sort of surveying mission?"

"I'm not an alien," Skip said with distain. Shaking his head, he sighed. "Do either of you remember what happened before you woke up here?"

"Oh, sure, that's an easy one," Willow smiled as if she was just asked the answer of 1-plus-1. "We were in our bedroom when…"

Willow trailed off as the memory of what happened came back to her. The glass-shattering, and the mental images she appeared to gain at random. As it all came back to her, so did the memory of a life she had not lived.

"We're dead," Tara said, simply.

"In a sense, yes," Skip confirmed. "However, there's a problem with this, as I'm sure Willow knows what I mean."

"I-I was in the library," Willow began recounting the situation. "Tara was d-d-dead," Willow barely stumbled over the words. "And the First had appeared to us. I ca-called Giles and-and asked him about time travel spells, and we worked out a way to travel back in time. I was able to make it back to when I used that f-f-forget spell, and I did a spell that would make me, the younger me, flash back to past dates. But it was supposed to fix everything! Why are we both dead?"

"While the Powers That Be have a lot of control over many situations on your planet, they still don't have much control over what you humans call 'fate'," Skip explained. "We do have control between death and when the afterlife begins, and we often fix any situations that require changing afterwards."

"So, what do you need to change?" Willow asked, confused. "I mean, when she died last time, she clearly didn't deserve any changing."

Willow's tone was accusational, though remained confused as the two memories in her head seemed to fight against each other, making her unsure of many thoughts that passed through her head and their validity.

"I-I think he mean y-y-you," Tara finally spoke up. The thought of not only being dead, but of what Willow, or a Willow, had revealed was disorienting and a bit disturbing.

"She is right," the grey demon nodded. "Tara was fated to die in almost all foreseeable circumstances, but Willow Rosenberg was never supposed to have a similar fate at that point in time. We never bothered looking into occurrences involving Willow herself affecting the timeline. If we had, the situation could have been rectified before this mess had begun."

"I thought you couldn't alter fate," Willow queried. "Doesn't that mean that we would have to go through this anyway?"

"We don't control human fate," Skip agreed. "However, magic is not a part of human fate, but rather the use of the Earth and its energies to create what would otherwise not be possible. We therefore have the power to alter it, since its origins are in the planet itself, not in the humans."

"So why am I not supposed to be here?" Willow asked in an almost confrontational tone.

"You are a big part of the final battle between true good and true evil," Skip said. "The result of that battle will decide which side rules the universe and which side will be the thorn in the other's side."

"The battle with the First, you mean," Willow deducted. "So, what is the procedure? Do we tap our heals together and chant 'there's no place like home'?"

"Not exactly," Skip replied, shaking his head. "Most of it is done by myself, all I require of you is to close your eyes."

"Alright," Willow nodded, closing her eyes. However, despite waiting a seemingly endless moment, nothing happened.

Tara stared at Skip, an understanding reaching her quickly, but the glance was quick to suggest that the situation should be revealed clearly before any final steps were taken to satisfy it.

"What's the holdup?" Willow asked, opening one eye a small amount in curiosity. "Where's the poof?"

"You need to be aware, Willow," Skip began, "that this is a one person trip. Tara was fated to die, and therefore we will not send her back with you."

Willow's eyes shot open at that, her head shaking from side to side and her arms flailing out wilding from her sides.

"Whoa-whoa-whoa, hold on a second, mister," she said quickly. "We come as a package."

"Willow, this is serious," Tara, ever the level-headed one, tried to reason with her girlfriend.

"Well, so am I!" Willow shot back, a bit stronger than she meant. Recoiling, she took Tara's hands and looked into her eyes. "There's not much I would do to accept ever being separated from you, even if it happened to be saving the world from some all-powerful being."

"Is there really no way?" Tara questioned Skip, her eyes soft, but she clearly wasn't about to accept a lie.

"There are ways for us to take two souls with opposite fates into just a single fate," Skip replied after a moment's pause. "But it's rarely done, and it's a very dangerous and delicate process."

Willow looked at Tara, clearly stating she would stand by either decision her girlfriend would make.

"I-I don't really like the idea of being dead," Tara admitted with a frown. "And I certainly do not wish to be sitting around with friends fighting for the fate of all humanity," Tara took an extra moment to mull over the decision. "Let's do it!"


Willow suddenly found herself lying on her back, inside what looked like a wooden box. It was so dark, she couldn't even look down at the tip of her nose.

Immediately, she began clawing at the top of the box, surprising herself at her ability to literally cut her way through with her hands. The soil above proved to be a minor inconvenience in comparison, and though she nearly passed out before she reached the surface, she was able to get to fresh air in time.

Looking around, it was almost as dark as it was in what appeared to be her grave, save for a few street lights and the odd car.

Behind her, Willow heard some sounds, and looked down as a hand made its way through the ground. Getting down on both knees, she used her hand to help pull the person out.

Panting loudly, the other person quickly dispensed of the dirt in her hair and on her clothes.

The two then caught each other's eyes.

"Who are you?"


End Of Chapter 8


A/N: Hey, I was right! Didn't take me as long! :D

Alright, first off, I know I might have ticked off a few people for a bit there, but they're alive! Don't go all nutsy on me.

Oh, also, if I messed up Skip's character, then my apologies, but there was no one else who fit the role, and I haven't really seen the Angel episodes with him in it that often. If I did him justice, then disregard this post-disclaimer.

Plus, I'm aware the ending might be a bit similar to the Xena episode "Chakrum", but I think it'll be different enough not to cause any problems.

That's about it. I should be able to get chapter 9 started reasonably soon, perhaps even in a couple days. Hopefully I can better the length between chapter releases! Wish me luck!

I guess that's everything. So, uh…You know, happy reading!