Warnings and disclaimer in Chapter 1. Enjoy.
Wesley had just finished dividing up the relevant texts when Faith burst through the doors. Spike followed her into the room, along with another person they didn't recognize. "So the strangest thing just happened when I was on patrol," she told the group, hoping up onto one of the newly made tables and putting her feet on the chair. "Here I was, going through a cemetery, when I see Spikey here staking a couple of vamps. I go lend a hand and he tells me he's already cleared the other cemeteries that I was heading to. We get to talking, just strolling through the cemetery, killing anything that tries to kill us when suddenly I get an itch.
"Now, seeing as I'm trying to do the right thing and be a good little Slayer, I decide to follow my instinct. Spike decides to come with and we end up back at the library. Everything's nice and quiet, nothing that causes alarm when suddenly the Hellmouth lights up like it's on fire."
"Like the gates of Hell themselves were opening," Spike spoke up from the doorway.
"So we go check it out and suddenly the room is surrounded by a circle of fire. At four points circling the Hellmouth flames start shooting off that's as bright as any I'd ever seen. Light starts shooting out, converging on the spot above the Hellmouth where our portal was."
"Sounds like another portal was opening," Anya said knowingly.
"Yeah," Faith continued, "but it wasn't like the one we opened. Anyway the lights met on the spot where our portal was and started forming a symbol."
"Was it this?" Wesley asked, hastily sketching out the symbol that was burned onto Buffy's back.
"That's the one. So anyway, the room started getting hot, like stuck inside a fire hot, when suddenly a portal does open and out steps this hottie. Like I didn't know whether to kill him or bang him. He unfortunately sees us and shoots a fireball at us, straight from his hand. We dodge and he's about to shoot another one at us when the dweeb here falls out of the portal, knocking him to the ground. He says run and we follow."
"We brought him back with us," Spike continued, "Didn't want the little lost boy out on his own in this big bag world."
"You came from another dimension," Giles asked, studying their guest intently. He nodded. "Why?"
"I'm trying to help," he said in a raspy voice. He was breathing hard, clearly not used to the fast pace Faith and Spike must have set. Giles turned to Faith.
"How long ago was this," he asked, though he thought he already knew the answer.
"Thirty minutes," she shrugged, "give or take."
"You don't think Azeroth?" Wesley began.
"I don't think he's done using Buffy," the older Watcher said gravely. "Whatever his plans were, we didn't stop them. We interrupted them. Now he's here to finish."
"One problem," Faith spoke up. "Whatever came through that portal wasn't Azeroth."
"No," Wesley agreed. "He'd send an emissary first. Make sure it was safe before he came himself." He turned to their guest. "Are you an emissary of Azeroth?"
"No," the young man shook his head, "but I am from his dimension. You were right Watcher. You interrupted what he started. And he's determined to finish."
"What's his goal?" Giles asked.
"The end of the world. He's gotten bored with ruling his Hell and seeks a new challenge. Your world is the challenge he's looking for."
"How does he plan on destroying our world?" Giles asked.
"He is summoning the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. They will decimate this world until it is safe for him to come and finish the extinction of your race." There was silence in the room as everyone took in what was just said.
"Why does he need Buffy?" Giles asked, clenching his fists in anger.
"The world has changed so much it is not safe for true demons. His chosen Horsemen needed to bind themselves to one from your world in order to survive."
"The ritual?" Wesley asked.
"A Bloodsharing ritual," he explained. "A sacrifice that willingly shares their blood creates a bond between the two parties. Azeroth hopes to use this bond to help ensure his Horsemen withstand the poison of this world long enough to sanctify it." He looked at the group sympathetically. "The ritual was completed three times. You interrupted the fourth."
"So we still have time," Wesley pointed out. "Which leaves only one question. Why are you helping us?"
"I'm trying to help her," he said simply. Kate gasped and covered her mouth with her hands.
"It can't be," she said, moving closer to the young man.
"Kate," Angel warned. "Don't get to close. He's a demon."
"I know," she said, tracing his face with her hands, "but he was also once a little boy who helped us rescue a girl."
"What?" Angel and Spike both gasped as they got closer to the young man. He smiled.
"You haven't changed a bit," he told the detective.
"You have," she challenged. He shrugged.
"Time moves faster where I'm from." He looked between her, the vampires, and the Slayer. "I'm glad you made it out alright, but I'm afraid you might have just brought more destruction down on your world. It has been a long time since anyone defied Azeroth, and he is not happy. He was content to simply rule your world, but now I fear he may destroy it completely."
"He'll have to get past us first," Faith said flippantly, "which is not such an easy thing to do."
"Yes," Giles muttered, cleaning his glasses as he did, "For now I'm sure we can find someplace for you to sleep. Perhaps in the basement?" he questioned Angel. Angel looked at him thoughtfully.
"It's okay," he interrupted the two men's silent conversation. "I understand I'll have to earn your trust. You can chain me up or lock me away or whatever you need to do. I won't fight."
"Thanks," Angel said, before turning to Giles. "Do you have any chains? We can chain him to the bars on the outside of the cage." Giles nodded and the man followed them to the basement, Faith and Spike bringing up the rear while Wesley began pulling out other books and distributing them to the group.
"What's happening?" Joyce asked from inside the cell. Giles veered off to get the chains, while Angel led their guest to the cell. "Who's this?" she asked.
"What happened?" Spike countered. Buffy was still face down on the mattress, but her trembling had stopped. Now she just lay there in a daze. He turned on the young man, vamping out. "Did you do this?"
"Azeroth," he said simply, his eyes never leaving the still figure in front of him. "I think he used the bond against her, opening the portal and sending through his first Horsemen, letting their bond pull him to her."
"Like a homing beacon," Faith said. Giles returned and the young man let Angel chain him up in the corner, the chains looping through the bars. Faith threw him some blankets. "This is the best we can do for now," she told him, before flinging herself onto Anya's small couch that had been relocated to the basement.
"It's more than I expected," he told them, making himself a small bed. "Thank you."
"Who are you?" Joyce asked again from her position next to her daughter.
"He's helping us," Giles said, seating himself on Buffy's other side. Buffy took no notice of his approach, nor did she react when he pulled the gauze to the side to inspect the burn. "He's from the same demon dimension as Azeroth."
"And he's helping?" Joyce asked, before turning her attention to the young man. "Why are you helping?"
"I'm trying to make up for the pain my family has caused her," he told them truthfully. "My father was her primary caregiver, which translates into main torturer. He tried to involve me, but I could never find any pleasure in what they did to her."
"Your father is in Azeroth's inner circle?" Giles asked.
"Yes," he answered hesitantly. "The only reason I am still alive, as my father continually tells me." He looked at their curious looks and elaborated. "I'm different from the other demons. I don't like pain and torture and death like most demons do. My father insists it is just a phase I'm going through, continually trying to beat the demon to come forth. When Azeroth sent through his first Horsemen I saw my chance to escape. Finding and being accepted by you is more than I could ever hope for."
"You're in chains mate," Spike pointed out. "That's not quite acceptance."
"You didn't kill me outright," he countered. Spike merely shrugged.
"What's your name?" Joyce asked, feeling a strong need to protect this young man. He paused.
"I don't have one. In my world you are not given a name, you have to earn one. Usually in battle, which I never aspired to." Joyce smiled at him, her mothering instincts going crazy.
"How about Daniel?" she suggested. "It was the name we were going to give Dawn if she turned out to be a boy."
"Really?" Dawn spoke up for the first time. "Daniel. I think that would have worked for me." Joyce smiled indulgently at her youngest before turning back to the young man. She was surprised to find tears in his eyes.
"I would be honored," he said proudly. "Daniel." Joyce smiled again before looking down. Her daughter had finally fallen asleep. She shared a look with Giles before the two of them retreated, reluctantly closing the door behind them. She didn't go very far though, joining Faith on the couch. She pulled her legs up and tried her best to sleep.
"Tell me you found something," Joyce said climbing the stairs the next morning. She walked over to the coffee pot, quickly pouring herself a cup.
"Nothing good," Xander told her, helping himself to another cup. Tara was making pancakes for the group. They were being eaten as fast as she could put them out. "Wesley did find two references to the Four Horsemen. Apparently they were first summoned back when there was a cave Slayer and the Watchers were still learning their ABC's. Apparently Cave Slayer found them and killed them, but they were already sick and dying."
"How do we know this?" she asked.
"Cave painting from Cave Slayer," Xander said. "Which the Council confiscated as soon as they found. How do you confiscate a cave anyway?" Joyce shrugged.
"The other time?" she asked.
"That was about five thousand years ago, when civilizations were starting to flourish and Watchers were finally getting their record keeping together. The Four Horsemen showed up in Mesopotamia, conveniently where the Slayer was living. There was a big battle, which took three days and which everyone in the nearby town was able to watch. The Slayer ultimately won, but it cost her life."
"How did she win?" Tara asked as she put the next group of pancakes on the plate in front of them. Joyce and Xander each took a few, and began to butter them as Xander spoke.
"The Horsemen weren't demons, just humans who worshiped Azeroth. He imbued them with the essence of the Horsemen, but they ultimately didn't have the training or the endurance to match up against a Slayer."
"So now he's using demons essentially linked to a Slayer," Wesley said, helping himself to some pancakes.
"Third times the charm," Xander said, taking a big bite of his pancake. "Gotta admire his tenacity."
"No you don't," Joyce countered. "So we haven't learned anything to stop him?"
"We have uncovered a few things," Wesley told her. "The Horsemen are using Buffy's own strength as their own. If we are able to sever this link there is the possibility that they will succumb to the toxic nature of the world, like the first time they were encountered."
"How do we do that?" Joyce asked. Wesley grimaced.
"Here is where that plan starts to get tricky. Since the ritual involved a willing sacrifice, the only way to counter it is to kill the sacrifice."
"So you want to save my daughter's life by killing her," Joyce questioned flatly, making sure she understood his intentions.
"Not an ideal situation," he reassured her, "but something we should keep in mind should the worst come to pass. We have also been looking into defeating Azeroth, which falls just short of impossible since only family members can kill him."
"Which makes family reunions a lot more awkward than normal," Xander said, causing Wesley to choke on his breakfast. "Surprisingly enough not a whole lot of family members still around." They were interrupted by the sound of screaming coming from the basement. They rushed down to find Buffy curled into a ball, her back blazing like it did before, screaming her head off. Joyce went to her, but Buffy roughly pushed her away.
"The next Horsemen has arrived," Daniel said quietly, his eyes never leaving her writhing form. Soon she quieted down, the fire on her back eased leaving a second brand, down and to the left of the first.
"Gunn," Angel ordered, "go check it out." Gunn nodded, grabbing Xander and Faith on the way out. Giles, who came down when he heard his Slayer screaming, grabbed the first aid kit and gently approached. Buffy reacted violently, forcing him back out of the cage. She started attacking the bars that separated her from the others, causing them to reluctantly shut the door again.
"That was the symbol of Conquest," Wesley said to the quiet group. "They are coming here a lot faster than I thought."
"On this side maybe," Daniel spoke up, "but not on their side. One day here is equivalent to a little over a year back there. They are coming at ritualistic solstices, when day and night are at their strongest." He finally looked away from Buffy and into the eyes of her Watcher. "Famine will appear next, approximately twelve hours from now."
"Then Death," Giles said. Daniel shook his head.
"I'm not sure," Daniel told them. "Originally that was the plan. The burns on her back are mirror images of what is happening at the Hellmouth. The Four Horsemen will form the four points of a circle, with the Hellmouth at its center. Azeroth was to perform the ritual himself with his chosen Horsemen, gaining the Slayer's strength through their bond, and enough protection to withstand this world. Once the Horsemen had entered, their combined strength would allow Azeroth to follow."
"But the ritual was interrupted," Giles spoke out. "How does that affect his plans?"
"I don't know," he admitted. "He is sending his Horsemen, so he must have a plan he thinks can overcome the lack of the Fourth Horsemen."
"Okay, silly question coming," Willow spoke up. "If two of the Horsemen are here, and the third is probably on his way, do they really need all four of them to end the world?"
"According to mythology all four are needed to bring about the apocalypse," Giles told her, "but I agree with Daniel. I don't think Azeroth would have sent them if he didn't have a way to get all of them here."
"How much damage can they do?" Fred asked.
"Quite a lot," Wesley said. "Their arrival in Mesopotamia was one of the leading causes of its downfall, even hundreds of years after they were defeated." Just then Gunn and the others came back down the stairs.
"Nothing," Gunn told the group. "We could feel some serious mojo in the air, but he must have skedaddled as soon as he came through."
"We need to know where they are," Angel said.
"We could try a locator spell," Willow suggested. Giles nodded and soon Willow and Tara were chanting softly in the corner, a map of Sunnydale spread out between them. They finished the spell and a light glowed brightly on the map. "They're… here?" she looked at Giles in confusion.
"Buffy is here," he corrected, glancing back at the cell where Buffy was currently pacing back and forth. "The ritual is protecting them, showing where Buffy is while hiding the true targets."
"Now what do we do?" Willow asked.
"Not to sound crass or anything," Gunn spoke up, "but we know where and when the next Horseman is arriving."
"I was hoping to have this resolved before then," Giles admitted, the thought of letting his Slayer go through that again physically pained him.
"I hear ya," Gunn agreed, "but if we don't have an answer by then."
"We'll follow them," Angel agreed. "But we still have time. Let's try to figure out a better plan." The group nodded and once again stormed up the stairs to research.
