Warnings and disclaimer in Chapter 1. Enjoy.


She woke up just as the sun was setting, confused to find herself in the large living room of the Mansion. She remembered Xander taking her to one of the bedrooms. "Hey," Xander said, coming over as soon as he saw she was awake.

"What happened?" she asked, looking around the room in confusion. She slowly pushed herself into a sitting position, grateful it didn't cause her agonizing pain like last time.

"We decided it wasn't safe in separate rooms," Xander explained, "so we gathered up all the mattresses from all the rooms and made a God sized mattress here."

"And I slept through this?" she asked.

"You were really out of it," Willow told her a few feet to her left. Tara was sitting cross legged on the mattress, rocking softly, and Willow was carefully feeding her spoonfuls of applesauce. Anya was curled up into a ball on Willow's other side, while Giles's sleeping form was on Buffy's right side. At their feet Spike was sprawled out over three of the mattresses, leaving a corner for Xander to sit on. He was apparently keeping watch as he had their remaining weapons laid out before him.

"Here," Xander held out a water bottle and a cold slice of pizza. She greedily took both. "We managed to get a few supplies," he told her as she wolfed the pizza down. "Giles placed a few wards on the place so hopefully Glory doesn't find it for a while. And we're taking turns keeping watch so even if her demonic minions do show up we'll have advanced warning."

"Smart," she approved and he grinned.

"My idea." He handed her another piece of pizza, which she ate with more decorum before asking, "How are you feel?"

"Fine," she said automatically but couldn't keep the yawn from popping out. He grinned.

"Get some more sleep," Willow told her. "If anything changes we'll wake you."

"Okay," she agreed, settling back down. Xander pulled the blanket she was using up, tucking her in like a little child. "Xander?" she asked, looking toward the few weapons they were able to salvage. He grinned.

"Mr. Pointy is right here Buff," he said, passing over her favorite stake. She grinned as she took it, tucking it close to her body before closing her eyes. Xander and Willow shared an amused glance before they both went back to what they were doing. The sun had risen again the next time Buffy awoke. Everyone else was awake, save Spike, and they were all pouring over the morning paper, save Tara.

"Good morning," Giles greeted when Buffy stood and stretched. "Feeling better?"

"Much," she answered, happy when stiff muscles were all that greeted her. "What's the what?"

"A violent day of gang warfare," Giles read the newspaper headline, "which resulted in the destruction of several properties in Sunnydale." He put the newspaper down and looked at his Slayer. "We were hit hard. If you hadn't warned us we would all be dead." He showed her the pictures of destroyed buildings and houses. She didn't even recognize the charred remains of her own house until she saw the number painted on the street.

"Did anybody die?" she asked quietly.

"Thankfully no," Giles told her. "Several casualties but no fatalities. And I think it's over. There hasn't been reports of any new fires or explosions for the last several hours." Buffy nodded.

"Glory made her point. Now she's giving us time to think about it," she said. "How bad is it?"

"The worst is your house and the dormitories," Giles said.

"The dorms?" Buffy asked, looking to Willow, who only shrugged. She knew her house exploded, but she had hoped the others wouldn't have been too bad.

"The dorm collapsed into a big pile of rubble," her friend told her. "College officials are blaming poor design and substandard building. I personally think they should have been prepared for an insane Hellgod rushing through all their support columns."

"Our apartments burned," Xander said, motioning to Giles, "taking most of the apartment complex with them. Our parents also got hit, though not as bad, and your mom's Gallery and Dawn's school, though I'm not sure Glory really understood that destroying the school would bring joy not terror."

Giles rolled his eyes before finishing where Xander stopped. "The Magic Box is gone. It is a charred pile of rubble. And they also hit the Bronze."

"What?" Buffy asked. Xander answered.

"They decided to celebrate their grand re-opening by having a fire, which strangely enough their new sprinkler system was able to handle without causing much damage."

"Maybe Glory goes there too," Willow suggested. "She's got to have a place to unwind just like the rest of us."

"Maybe," Buffy agreed, before turning to everybody. "I'm so sorry guys. This is all my fault. If I never came here none of this would have happened."

"You're right," Anya agreed, ignoring the looks Xander and Willow were giving her. "Of course we'd be suffering through one of the other apocalypses you managed to stop. Well you would be. I would still be a demon and laughing about your misfortune."

"Thanks," Buffy said sarcastically. "That made me feel much better." Anya beamed.

"Glad I could help." Buffy looked at her incredulously before getting to her feet.

"Where are you going?" Giles asked.

"To see if there's anything we can salvage," she said.

"I'll come with," Xander said, reaching for the keys Giles had liberated from his neighbor's house. Buffy nodded and they left the Mansion together. Their first stop was Buffy's house, but they didn't even bother getting out of the van. Even from the road they could tell nothing survived.

"My mother's gonna kill me," Buffy groused as they moved on from her house to his.

"I hope so," he said. "That means some of us actually make it out of this mess alive to be killed by her." They pulled up next to his apartment complex, ducking under the yellow tape surrounding the area, and cautiously entered his apartment. Not much was salvageable, though they did find a few pictures that weren't completely burned and a few odds and ends Anya kept. They handled what little they found like precious treasures. They next headed to the dorms, but there was no way they could salvage anything from there. "Want to go to Giles's place or the Magic Box next."

"Giles's," Buffy told him. He nodded and they made the drive in silence. Yellow tape surrounded that building as well, but their scavenger hunt was a tad more successful. They were able to find a few books that somehow survived the fire, probably enchanted against fire they thought, as well as several weapons that could be repaired. At the Magic Box they could only find two items that survived. The Dagon Sphere which started this whole fiasco and Olaf the Troll's enchanted hammer. They loaded their treasures in the van before stopping one last time for supplies.

"Buff?" Xander asked when Buffy loaded the van but didn't get in. "What are you doing?"

"Patrolling," she said, pulling out her favorite stake.

"What if Glory or her minions find you?" he asked fearfully.

"Let them," she said coldly. "They deserve some payback." She shook her head, trying to disperse the thoughts of vengeance that suddenly formed and had a much greater appreciation of Anya. She faced Xander again. "Go back to the Mansion and help Giles. We need a plan B."

"I thought we were on plan G already," Xander joked before nodding in agreement. "You're not gonna do something stupid like try to take on Glory by yourself are you?"

"No," she reassured him, "just a quick patrol then I'll head back."

"Okay," he said, getting in the van and starting it up. "But if you're not back in two hours we're coming after you." She nodded and he drove away. She watched for a few seconds before heading to one of the cemeteries. It was still a bit early for vampires, the sun was just setting, but she needed some time to think. Unconsciously she walked the path to Spike's crypt. She opened the door and walked in, unsurprised to see Glory's reign of destruction here as well.

The destruction wasn't nearly as bad here though. While everything he owned had been smashed, the fiery aftermath didn't have the same bang since most everything was made of stone. She could see where the minions had tried to start the fire, but aside from the immediate area the fire didn't work like it did everywhere else. She opened the trap door and went to the second level, but the minions did the same down here. Smash and attempt to burn. Sadly, she returned to the main level when something caught her eye. Spike's prized duster was buried underneath one of the upturned tombs. She quickly uncovered it, surprised when it came out dirty but intact. Letting the tears come once again, she put on the duster and left the crypt.

She wandered the streets purposefully, walking by all the places Glory had hit to see the damage personally, finally finding herself at the Bronze. She automatically entered the club, intending to just stay for a moment when she heard someone calling her name.

"Buffy?" She turned to the person calling her.

"Ben?" she asked, heading over to meet him. He gave her a quick hug before pulling back.

"I was worried," he told her. "All those 'accidents' at you and your friend's places. And none of you ever came to the hospital."

"We're all fine," she told him, "and how do you know about all my friends?"

"Everybody at the hospital knows about you and your friends," he told her, guiding her over to some chairs so they could sit and talk.

"Knows what?" she asked cautiously. He laughed.

"Whenever something really bad is happening you stop it somehow, usually resulting in hospitalization for you and some of your friends." He leaned closer like he was telling her a secret. "We don't even need those patient information forms we constantly have you guys fill out anymore. We know you all on sight by now."

"What?" she questioned, remembering filling out that form when they took Tara to the hospital just the other day. "Then why?" He leaned back with a smile on his face.

"Just to give you guys something to do so we can do our jobs," he told her mischievously. "And that pesky hospital policy." She laughed for the first time in what seemed like forever.

"Thanks," she said when she could breathe again. "I needed that."

"I thought so," he said, still chuckling lightly. She quickly sobered up and took his hand.

"I wanted to thank you for all your help with my Mom and then Tara," she said.

"It's no trouble," he told her sincerely. "How are they?"

"Mom's getting that double check thing down in L.A. and Tara's as good as can be expected. I hope you didn't get in trouble for that?" He shook his head.

"The psych ward is so overcrowded nowadays they never noticed they were missing someone. My boss was a little upset, but then we started getting injured victims of the latest round of 'gang warfare' and he forgot too."

"Well thank you," she said sincerely, giving his hand a squeeze. He was about to respond when he got a panicked look in his eyes.

"No!" he whispered, pulling his hand from Buffy's grasp. "I'm sorry, but I have to go," he said and bolted for the door.

"Ben?" she questioned, following him out of the club. She lost sight of him for one second when the door closed, but she pulled it open and quickly followed him outside. "Ben?" she called out when she couldn't see him outside. She scanned the area looking for him when she saw something that made her want to hide. Glory was walking away from the club, yelling for her minions. And more importantly wearing Ben's clothes. "No," she whispered, turning to look at all the people milling outside the club. Everyone wore the same blank expressions, like they were just waking up. "Oh shit," she cursed as she ran in the opposite direction from Glory. She ran all the way to the Mansion. "Giles," she called out when she reached the Mansion, only to see Xander and Giles preparing their weapons.

"Buffy," Willow called out in relief when she saw her.

"Where have you been?" Xander scolded before grabbing Buffy in a bear hug. "You passed your time limit." Buffy frowned and looked at her watch.

"By like five minutes," she said.

"Five long minutes," Xander said, finally releasing his friend.

"We were worried that you would indeed try to fight Glory on your own," Giles said, the relief visible on his face.

"Hey," she protested, "I promised. But I did find out something."

"What?" Giles asked. Buffy hesitated before speaking.

"I think I know who Glory's mortal prison is."

"What?" Xander, Willow, and Anya all asked at the same time. Giles sighed and began to tell them what they had learned from Gregor. Buffy stayed quiet and instead went over to Spike, pulling off the duster as she went. She laid it over his prone body before looking at him thoughtfully.

"Giles," she interrupted what they were talking about. "Do you think he needs more blood? I could…"

"No," Giles harshly interrupted her, pulling her away from the blonde vampire. "He's already had some blood today and we have more for him when we next wakes. You will not let him feed from you again."

"What?" Xander, Willow, and Anya said in unison again, but they were ignored.

"You mentioned Glory's mortal prison?" Giles asked.

"You're not gonna do anything stupid are you?" Buffy checked.

"I promise I won't do anything rash," Giles told her. Buffy sighed.

"I think its Ben," she said softly.

"Doctor Ben?" Xander asked. "The one who's been helping us out at the hospital?"

"Yeah," Buffy told them. "I saw him at the Bronze and we got to talking when all of the sudden he got really wigged and ran out. I followed him, but couldn't find him anywhere. But I did see Glory, wearing his clothes and looking like she was really annoyed at having been there. And the people around were acting really strange too. Like everyone was in a daze."

"That makes sense," Anya piped up. "There's a spell that helps demons change form in public. It instantly puts anyone who sees the change in a sort of trance where they forget everything for a few minutes. Shapeshifters use it all the time."

"Wait a minute," Willow said, "are you saying that if Ben dies so does Glory? Then everything is good again?"

"It's not that simple Will," Buffy said, understanding where Willow was coming from. "Ben is an innocent. He doesn't have a choice in this just like Dawn doesn't. I can't just kill him."

"Why not?" Xander asked, before paling. "I can't believe I just asked that."

"Look," Buffy said, turning to the group, "I know there are several lines that we've crossed. We're kinda making up our own rules as we go. But this is one line I can't cross. I can't arbitrarily decide who gets to live and who has to die. If I did I might as well start working for the Council again." She looked down at her feet. "Nobody should have that kind of power."

"You're right of course," Giles told her. "Nobody should have that kind of power. Nonetheless, sometimes those hard decisions must be made."

"And I'll make them if I need to," she responded. "Remember. I sent Angel to Hell to save the world. I'll condemn an innocent man to death if I need to, but we're not there yet. And until we are,"

"We don't do anything rash," Giles finished. He nodded, agreeing with her for the moment. The others quickly following his lead. "So what do we do now?" he asked the Slayer.

"I don't know," she admitted, getting a faraway look in her eyes as she casually wandered over to the window.

"Buffy?" Willow asked in concern, shooting a glance at the others. Buffy ignored her, closing her eyes for a minute before shooting her arm through the open window and pulling up one of Glory's minions. "Oh," Willow said as Buffy dumped the struggling demon in the middle of the floor.

"The great and wonderful Glorificus will punish you for plotting her downfall. She will strip your bones with her perfectly manicured fingers and use your flesh to…"

"Enough!" Giles shouted, and the minion immediately quieted down. "We need to move," he said, but the others were already gathering up their things.

"Where?" Willow asked as she got Tara ready to move again.

"I have an idea," Buffy said cryptically. "Maybe it's time to join a crusade." Giles nodded approvingly.

"What about him?" Xander asked, pointing to the demon. Buffy looked at him appraisingly.

"Bring him. We might need a peace offering."

"Not the Knights of Byzantium," the demon objected. "They are like ants that ruin everything the most benevolent God Glorificus strives for. Few in numbers at first, but their numbers just grow until the most holy Glorificus can't go anywhere without stepping on their filth with her perfectly proportioned feet." He was about to go on when suddenly Giles gagged him, much to everybody's pleasure.

"Thank you," Xander said gratefully as the last of the supplies were loaded into the van, leaving only the people remaining. Giles went over to the vampire and harshly shook him awake, giving him a packet of blood before moving him back to the van. The others quickly piled in. Anya gave the demon a look of disgust.

"Don't we already have a rat?" she asked as they pushed the minion to the far side of the bench, Buffy sitting next to him to keep him in line.

"Drive," Buffy ordered when the door was finally shut. Giles nodded and took off, driving like a mad man.