Chapter 20

War

A/N: Chapter twenty of the series.

Disclaimer: All belongs to Joss Whedon and the parties involved in airing the show. Original characters are mine.

Feedback: Sure

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London, England

The Watcher's Council

December 2017

Giles looked at London through the window.

"Never thought this would happen." He said. "Not only are we fighting millions of demons, but it seems all odds are against us."

Buffy nodded, sitting at the leather couch near the window.

"If mom gave us a warning, that means Spike won't be on our side." She said. "I can't understand why the Senior Partners would need Drusilla if they had Spike."

"We're not sure about that." Giles said.

Buffy nodded and tried to hope. There was a small chance Spike could come to their aid, but she sincerely doubted he would. She saw Spike burn to death and turn to dust and crumble in front of her eyes. Dusted vampires did not go to heaven, like she did, but instead went the other way. She recalled the time when she'd sent Angel to hell, nineteen years ago, and he'd spent a hundred years in hell. He'd returned as a beast after a few months of real time. Fourteen years had gone by since Spike died, meaning he'd spent countless centuries in hell.

Buffy honestly doubted Spike could have retained any semblance of sanity.

"We may never know." She said.

"We must be prepared." Giles said. "We must foresee any eventuality regarding Spike in this conflict. If the Powers brought him back, then he'll be a strong ally on our side. If the Senior Partners brought him back, then…"

Giles' words brought memories to Buffy's mind. She remembered the first time they faced Spike and Angel's words rang on her ears.

"He won't stop." She said.

"Where did that come from?"

"That's what Angel said of him, the first time Spike appeared." Buffy replied. "We were never able to stop him."

"Of course you did." Giles countered. "He wasn't even a threat at the end."

"Because of the chip." She said. "I could never kill him."

"We mustn't have such thoughts." Giles said. "You've become stronger, Buffy. You and Faith are the strongest slayers alive. You wouldn't face him alone."

"No." She said. "Spike is mine. No one else fights him if he's against us."

"What about Drusilla?"

"Faith can take her." Buffy replied. "If this is going down, you should call all other slayers."

"Already sent a priority request." Giles said. "They are ready to be here in a moment's notice."

"Good. We're going to need all the help we need."

"Meaning?"

"Please, Giles. A slayer dies and Spike shows up?"

"Right."

"War has begun." Buffy said. "Whether we like it or not. How long do you think we have?"

"I don't know." Giles was about to say something else when his phone rang. He answered and his face turned ashen as he listened. He soon finished the conversation and remained silent for a few minutes.

"What?"

"That was Wesley." He answered. "He found Spike."

Buffy's stomach turned again.

"And?"

"He killed Kennedy." Giles said, dropping down on his chair.

"He killed her, Buffy. War has already started."

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The coven soon gathered enough power to teleport Annie, Dawn and Connor back to the safety the Council provided.

Every member of the inner circle of power, minus Angel, sat inside Giles' office, to prepare themselves for any contingency before night fell. Sitting at the War Center, battle stations turned off, Giles begun speaking.

"We have been together in many battles." He said. "I've been lucky to have you all by my side in the wars we've already fought, and we've risen from them." Giles looked at every one of them.

"We have not always escaped unscathed." He admitted. "We have taken serious hits over time, but we have proven stronger every time. Those who first walked this path are still here today."

Giles took off his glasses and cleaned them up.

"All slayers worldwide are on red alert." He said. "As are all watchers, ready for battle."

He looked at Xander, who felt his father's sight on him and nodded.

"You must speak to your watchers." Giles said. "You are the head of security of the Council. You are their leader. They will need to hear from you."

Xander nodded once again. Giles then turned to look at Buffy and the newly arrived Faith.

"I know you two have never gotten along well." He said. "But you are the longest lived slayers in all history. The most powerful and strongest of them all. The slayers will follow you to battle wherever it happens to be. You are their generals."

Giles felt more tired than ever before, and his voice betrayed him.

"I don't know what we're fighting for." He admitted. "We have received contradictory information and I don't know who'll be with us and who'll be against us."

Giles turned on his station and typed a name on the keyboard. The Locator Screen disappeared and in its place a large image appeared.

"The vampire on screen is named Drusilla." He said. "You all know her."

Annie flinched as she stared at the image, remembering her own experience with the mad vampire.

"From what we've learnt," Giles continued, "she will lead an army of millions, composed of various demons, the now familiar Turok Hans and many other creatures."

He pushed another button and a drawing of a Turok Han appeared onscreen.

"We all have fought against these vampires before." He said. "But many slayers have not even seen one in real life. We rose triumphantly against them in Sunnydale because of an amulet provided by Wolfram & Hart, worn by Faith here."

Faith nodded, and raised her right hand.

"Still have the burn marks."

"Yes, well, thanks to that we survived and the Hellmouth was closed. Unfortunately, it seems various Turok Hans survived that war and are now under the command of Drusilla."

Giles placed on back his glasses and looked at Buffy.

"This leads us to the final and unexpected guest." He said, pressing another button. An image of Spike appeared onscreen. Several gasps and different expletives were uttered.

"Whoa." Faith said. "Robin's gonna freak."

"Robin?" Giles asked. "Oh, Robin Wood, is he still with you?"

"You betcha." Faith replied. "This is going to be quite a surprise for him."

"As you are aware, Spike murdered Nikki Wood in 1976 in New York City." Giles said, staring intently at the image on screen. "Nikki Wood was a slayer, mother of Robin Wood. The infamous coat he wore until his disappearance fourteen years ago was taken off her dead body."

"He is different." Wesley suddenly said.

"Care to explain?" Giles said. Wesley looked at the image as well.

"William the Bloody, a.k.a. William Pratt, a.k.a. Spike, the vampire sired in 1880 is gone." He said. "The vampire I faced hours ago had nothing to do with the old William the Bloody."

"He did disappear." Xander said. "God knows what he's been doing in this time."

"He was deceased." Wesley replied.

"Well, duh." Xander deadpanned.

"What he means is he died." Buffy said, looking at Dawn, who merely avoided her gaze. "Fourteen years ago."

"Are you certain of this?" Giles asked.

"I saw him turn to dust." Buffy replied, not looking at him.

"You never said anything about it." Willow said. "Even after we asked."

"Look, he died, no one cared enough about him." She shot back, and ignored the angry look Dawn sent her way. "He was just a vampire, right? A soulless, evil thing."

Everyone remained in silence, unsure of what to say.

"I can assure you, William the Bloody was dead." Wesley continued. "I met him, while I was dead."

"How could that happen?" Giles asked, suddenly very interested.

"All murderers go to the same hell." Wesley replied. No one dared to question him more.

"It seems some of us had been warned of his involvement." Wesley continued. "I encountered him after a slayer, Kennedy Collins, was missing in Cleveland. We found her dead."

More silence appeared.

"Spike confirmed the kill." Wesley said. "But he later made no attempt to strike Illyria or me down."

"That's not really assuring." Xander interrupted. "From personal experience, I can tell you Spike will attack whether he feels like it or not, if the situation allows it."

"Agreed." Wesley said. "But both Illyria and I could be a threat to him. He made no move to attack us, as if his intentions were different."

"Kill Kennedy." Buffy whispered.

"We also felt a different kind of power." Wesley said. "One I deemed unnecessary to fight against."

"What kind of power?" Buffy asked, her ears perking up at the mention of the word 'power'.

"Every vampire gives off a certain amount of power, because of the demon." Wesley said. "The older the vampire gets, the more powerful he turns. Spike's power was old, and great."

"What are you telling us?" Giles asked.

"I'm not saying I was threatened or frightened." Wesley clarified. "He still felt like a vampire, meaning he still possesses the same weaknesses a vampire has. I meant to tell you his power felt different. Older."

"Could be the years he spent in hell." Willow stated.

"It's quite likely." He replied. "We don't know how much time he spent there, but he grew stronger. His intentions were not clear, as if he was waiting for something else to happen."

"He may know the same things we know." Giles said. "From what we've been told, Balance would be restored if all slayers disappeared but one. We agreed we won't take their power away and we can't let them be killed, so we have to fight and win time."

"We all know what we have to do." Xander said. "We have to prepare the Council for battle."

"There is still time until nightfall." Giles said. "I don't know if first strike will happen tonight, but we should be ready."

Buffy and Faith looked at him.

"Talk to the slayers and get them ready for battle." He told them. "Ask them to rest and wake them up an hour before dusk."

All nodded and left the office.

Behind them, Giles shook his head, feeling a growing uneasiness in his stomach.

End of Chapter