Disclaimer: See chapter one
Disclaimer: See chapter one
A/N: This is the very last chapter, guys. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, especially Geeky13 who has been my most faithful reviewer since about chapter 5. I really hope you enjoy this chapter, and I hope you read the sequel, which I will begin to post as soon as I get all my ideas on paper.
Chapter 10
It was two hours later, and most of the students of Potential had retired to their comfortable beds, safe in the knowledge that they'd find out everything the next day.
However, a large group of people were assembled in the library, waiting desperately for the answers to the questions that plagued them. These privileged people would find out everything that night.
The people were grouped around three large tables positioned end to end. Around one table were Buffy, Angel, Willow, Oz, Xander, Anya, Giles, Wesley, Fred, Dawn and Andrew. Around another were Sophie, Kevin, Manny, Jackson, Ally, Eva, Elijah, Dermot, Jenna, Fiona, Max and Emily. Around the third were Vi, Rhona, Lorne, Clem, Harmony, Faith, Gunn, Cordelia, Spike, Raven, Layla, Cassandra, Paige, Helena and Althenea. Sitting on a bookshelf nearby, was Locar, who had asked if he could return to the school, as an ally. His request had been approved immediately.
The room was filled with nervous chatter as everyone got themselves comfortable for what promised to be a long night of explanations, confusion, and at least a small amount of bickering.
Gradually, the room fell silent, and everyone looked toward Buffy, who looked surprised.
'Hey, don't look at me, I don't know anything!' She said indignantly. 'Althenea? Could ya start from the top, please?'
'I would, Buffy, but I don't really know where the top is…' she said, frowning.
''Kay, then, I'll start,' Anya said, leaning forward. 'You told us the coven was completely blocked against the Fusengor. What changed?' Her tone was slightly accusatory.
The coven looked at one another. 'We did,' Paige replied.
'I'm still needing back story here, guys,' Buffy said, yawning, Anya nodding fervently. Angel looked at Buffy, smiling, and placed his hand over hers.
'Well,' Althenea sighed. 'I suppose it all started when we told Anya our powers were blocked. After that, as you know, we joined the workers in the library to try and find a way around the Fusengor.'
Paige then took up the narrative. 'Then, just before the school was attacked, Helena found a book that was all about the rivalries of ancient Sister and Brotherhoods. In the book was a chapter dedicated to the Fusengor, detailing their ability to do a ritual like the one we saw tonight.'
'And just as we were getting excited,' Helena continued, 'The school was raided. And we were really busy, y'know, curing people for the next coupla days. But when we could, we read up on the Brotherhood. Then, two days ago, we read a passage saying that no entity could stop the Fusengor except one, the Sisterhood of Rosufeng. The sisterhood were the polar opposites of the Fusengor. They were all things good and pure, whereas the Fusengor were just pure evil. Hence Warren using them in his ritual.'
'So,' Cassandra spoke, 'we decided to find the sisterhood. We searched for information about their whereabouts for about a day before Paige discovered a whole book about the sisterhood, which told us that the Rosufeng had been wiped out centuries ago, by select members of the Fusengor. We were totally crushed.'
She paused, taking in the expressions of the people around her.
Most of the people in the room looked totally flummoxed.
Giles and Wesley were perhaps the only people without sleepy frowns on their faces.
'So what did you do?' Sophie asked in a hushed voice.
'We immediately sourced a way to become the sisterhood ourselves,' Paige answered.
'Become… but how?' Fred asked, wrinkling her nose as she stopped herself from yawning.
'We found the correct ritual, in a particularly gruesome volume, and we prepared to perform it.'
'When was this?' Giles asked.
'Around about the time Sophie's message reached the school,' answered Althenea. 'So we hurried.'
'Yeah, and it wasn't easy,' Helena raised her eyebrows.
'Chanting, blood rites, sacrifice to the Gods…' Cassandra nodded, showing the fresh cut on her palm.
'Much like pledging a sorority then?' Wesley remarked.
Most everyone cracked a smile, except for Dermot, who looked mildly perplexed.
'What's a soro-' he began, before being elbowed in the ribs by Eva. He turned to face her. 'What?'
'Shhh!' She hissed at him.
Pouting slightly, Dermot turned back to Althenea.
'I'm sorry we couldn't do it sooner, but we only just found the way tonight…'
Everyone smiled in understanding. 'Althenea, you saved us. All of you, you stopped the prophecy from coming true. We can't thank you enough,' Buffy smiled.
'Hey…I'm having a thought…' Oz mused from his seat next to Willow. 'The prophecy. I thought it said Willow had to stop it?'
'You're right,' Wesley frowned.
'It's possible we misinterpreted it,' Giles commented. 'Where is it? Let's have a look.'
Cordelia slid off her chair and grabbed the book from Kit's desk.
'I think this is it.'
'Page seven hundred and seventy seven, Giles,' Dawn called down the table.
''The tree is the key,
impart her earthly power.
The only way to win the fray
Wage war within the hour.
Use the knowledge of the past,
The battles long since won,
Or all Potential will be quashed.
An apocalypse will come.'' He raised his eyebrows. 'So many happy memories.'
''The tree is the key…' Who else would it be but Willow?' Xander closed his eyes and tried to think.
'Maybe it doesn't mean Willow…maybe it means the earth. Like, just magic. Base magic, Wicca,' Althenea offered. 'The tree is the key…the Wicca's are the key.'
'I guess…' Buffy frowned.
'You do realise this doesn't actually matter, seeing as we've won the battle already?' Faith interjected, drumming her fingers against the tabletop.
'Yeah, but I'm the one that's gonna have to write up a huge report of this so we can cover it in Scooby history class!' Xander cried. 'I'd like to know all the facts!'
'Well, then, for Xander's piece of mind, I think we can all agree that the prophecy meant that the coven were the key,' Anya said. 'Happy now, honey?'
Xander smiled at her.
'Actually, on that topic, does anyone else feel oddly happy? Is that just me? I feel like a weight's been taken off my shoulders. It's weird,' Spike mumbled.
'That's understandable. You were under a spell, and your soul was affected. Now that's been lifting, your soul will be euphoric that it's still whole and entirely it's own,' Wesley explained.
'Wait, guys, the prophecy said we have to use the knowledge from the past to win this fight,' Xander interrupted, still trying to make sense of everything. 'What did we use?'
Everyone fell silent.
'I think,' Giles began, thoughtfully, 'that it was Althenea, when she…yes, I think that's what it was.' He fell silent.
Everyone stared at him. 'Care to explain just a little more, Giles, so people that don't speak Watcher can understand?' Harmony snapped, folding her arms
'Yes, sorry…Harmony,' Giles frowned at her, before addressing the group again. 'Tell me, what were the common denominators in every battle any of us has ever faced?'
'It's always been scarring?' Xander offered.
'No – well yes. But no.' Giles looked around for any more offers.
'We've always worked together,' Angel said, tightening his grip momentarily on Buffy's hand. 'Side by side.'
'Hand in hand,' Giles agreed. 'The coven would not have been able to act tonight, if it had not been for Althenea and Sophie connecting everyone's power. Am I right, Althenea?' He looked at her fondly.
'Yes, Rupert, I believe you are.' She smiled back at him. 'It was that act which enabled us to correct the situation, and 'win the fray,' as it were.'
The group fell silent, finally out of questions.
Until 'Hey – what happened to Warren and Amy?' Eva asked loudly.
Dermot now elbowed her in the ribs, imitating her loud hushing noise.
Ignoring this, Buffy answered. 'They were found in the ruins, mauled and eviscerated. Not sure who by. Anyone got any ideas?'
The Urala slid down from his bookshelf and padded over to the table, before unfolding his tiny wings and flying to sit in front of Buffy.
'It was me. I'm sorry,' Locar mumbled sadly. 'I was filled with rage, and - and vengeance, and I felt I had to act.'
'That's alright, Locar,' Giles addressed the demon, which turned around to face him. 'You did, I suppose, a good thing in ridding the world of those two. But,' he continued, 'you must never kill another person, not if you truly want to work with us.'
'I do!' Locar squeaked. 'I do. And I won't harm another human. I promise.'
Giles smiled at the Urala. 'But what am I to do while I'm here?' Locar asked Giles.
'You can help me, Locar,' Clem said amiably. 'I could always use a hand. Being the chef and janitor isn't as glamorous as it sounds.'
Locar beamed and flew down to sit with Clem, who, slightly bewildered, patted the tiny demon clumsily on the head.
'That was weird,' Buffy remarked sleepily to Angel, who smiled back at her.
'Come on, Buffy. You're exhausted,' Angel said, helping her to her feet.
'As are we all. I suggest we all get some rest, before regular school begins again tomorrow,' Giles said, to general groans from staff and students alike.
Giles waited behind, as everyone trailed out of the room.
Angel was supporting a half asleep Buffy as he walked her to her rooms. Willow and Oz were walking hand in hand, and Anya and Xander arm in arm. Raven was whispering in Spikes ear as they walked, and Fred and Wesley had their arms around each other. Giles stretched, chuckling slightly as he saw Faith, who was obviously feeling left out with all the couples surrounding her, sling her arm around Gunn, and, holding him close, sauntering out of the room after Sophie and the students.
Giles picked up his tattered, cage worn jacket and headed for the door, feeling immensely proud of his surrogate family. There were so many new possibilities, chances for new beginnings, now that they'd all opened their eyes and seen that what they wanted was right in front of them. He was rubbing his tired eyes when he felt a presence beside him. It was Althenea, who was also heading for her quarters.
As he smiled at her and offered to walk her to her rooms, an old familiar feeling rose in his chest that he hadn't felt since Jenny Calendar had died, and Giles couldn't help but feel that these were new beginnings for them all.
A/N: So there you have it, guys. I hope you enjoyed Potential. I loved writing it and I hope you liked reading it. Please keep an eye for my sequel, Pandora's Box, which I will hopefully begin posting in the next few days. If you have any questions regarding Pandora's Box, this chapter or any other, please ask me, and I'll do my best to explain. Thank you for your kind reviews, and please, keep them coming!