OF THIINGS TO COME

Disclaimer:  I don't own any of the characters except for the ones like Billy and Zarathos.

CHAPTER 36

Angel and Connor had a very eventful night of pretty much killing anything that moved that wasn't human, with Angel even having to pull Connor back lest he kill a dog that had jumped out of the bushes and surprised him.  Faith and Wesley had remained at the hospital, greatly because after sitting in one place for so long Faith had become quite comfortable and simply refused to budge.  Wesley had called Giles and updated him on the situation before getting some food and returning to stay with Faith.  Spike had asked Buffy to accompany Angel and Connor to make sure that neither one got out of hand while he had a secret mission of his own, one that no matter how hard Buffy pried he wouldn't let anything slip, other than to say that when finished he would have a big surprise for her that she would absolutely love.  Angel had to admit that it felt good to have Buffy fighting alongside him again, but he knew why she was truly there and he had more than a fair amount of concern as to exactly what Spike was doing, and after seeing how concerned Buffy was about it his level of concern only intensified.  On the other had Connor seemed to be fighting just too simply pass the time before he could return to the hospital and see Cordelia, make sure that she was truly alright.  What little anger he had towards Angel about allowing Cordelia to get hurt had quickly evaporated when he had seen the look in his father's eye when the doctor had told them Cordelia's condition. 

"So what do you think Spike's doing right now," Angel asked slowly with a tired and worried scowl on his face as he leaned up against a tree to try and regain his strength while Connor sat on the cool grass nearby and Buffy stood guard on the sidewalk with an impatient scowl on her face. 

"I don't know…part of me thinks that I should be scared that he won't tell me what he's up to…but the other part of me says that I'm overreacting and that I will love the surprise that he has for me," Buffy said back with a concerned and slightly worried look on her face as she continued to keep watch. 

"Does it really matter what he's doing, he said that he'd be done with whatever it was by tomorrow, so why don't we just concentrate on killing things so that we can be there for Cordelia when she wakes up," Connor added with a small hint of anger and annoyance in his voice as he refused to look up at either Buffy or Angel. 

"No I guess it really doesn't matter what he's doing…he's not a vampire anymore so I don't have to worry about him killing anyone, ten bucks says whatever it is Dawn either put him up to it or has a hand in it," Buffy started to say with an unsure look on her face before as she finished a smile curled her lips. 

"What do you mean," Angel asked with a confused and slightly unsure look on his face as he straightened up and took a step away from the tree that he had been leaning on. 

"Ever since he came back he and Dawn have gotten close again, and I've noticed that Dawn has been pushing Spike about something but I haven't been able to figure out what it was…although I feel as if I should know what it is," Buffy muttered with a slightly confused look on her face as she looked back and forth between Connor and Angel. 

"Have they given you any hints about what it might be," Connor said with an impatient scowl on his face as he twirled a stake around and then shoved it back into his pocket. 

"Well a couple of days ago the three of us were talking about…no…it couldn't be that, he said…," Buffy stammered out slowly with a growing look of confusion, tinged with a hint of excitement, on her face as she stared at a leaf that was being blown across the road. 

"Couldn't be what Buffy," Angel asked with a very sincere look on his face as even Connor seemed to be wanting to know the answer as he stopped angrily pacing down the sidewalk to look back. 

"Well when we were walking home after taking Billy to the emergency room we…well we…talked about getting married…but Spike said that he couldn't until he was somebody…that on paper he didn't exist," Buffy forced out slowly at first but at the end she sped up quickly, being fearful of Angel's reaction.  To her amazement other than a breathless gasp Angel kept his emotions in check. 

"So now you're thinking that he went to do something about that…not existing on paper I mean," Angel asked with a forced look of calm on his face as inside him what the thought of what Spike was doing would mean he was forced to stare at the ground instead of looking Buffy in the eye and letting her see the maelstrom of emotions within him. 

"That could be it…he did say that whatever he was doing he was going to need Giles' help to get it done…and if he wanted to get what he'd need to exist on paper then Giles could help him there," Buffy said with a calm look of acknowledgement on her face along with the well hidden beginning's of a smile.

"That's a big step…if that's what he's doing…you ready for that," Angel stammered out solemnly as he used his heel to scratch out a weed that had sprouted up in between the sidewalk and the curb. 

"When we first talked about it at the hospital and then on the way home I wasn't sure…but now…yeah I think I am…finally," Buffy said with a reserved smile that she tried to contain but ultimately failed as the thought of marrying Spike made her whole face light up, something that even Connor noticed. 

"Well we've done enough…sitting around here and talking, we should keep going," Angel said with an impatient scowl on his face before he quickly set off down the sidewalk, no letting Connor or Buffy interrupt. 

"Whatever you say Angel…," Buffy said with a deep sigh and a confused look on her face as she and Connor shared an odd look before the two fell into step behind Angel as he disappeared into the night.

*                       *                   *                *                 *                  *               *                *

"So you came from an alternate dimension…cool," Xander said with a broad smile on his face as his eyes lit up at the thought.

"Not exactly, I was born in Texas and then got sucked through a portal after I moved to California," Fred said with a slightly embarrassed look on her face as she shuffled her feet and glanced over at Gunn. 

"Wow…that happened to me once…I went to a dimension where bunnies ruled the world and human were being forced to…uh never mind," Anya started to say with a big excited grin on her face before she seemingly realized what she was saying and she quickly clammed up and looked away. 

"Winifred…if I may ask, what was the dimension called exactly…for future reference of course…," Giles asked with a flustered look on his face as he slipped a white handkerchief out of his pocket and proceeded to begin to clean his glasses.

"Pylea…it wasn't a very nice place…the humans there didn't have any rights whatsoever, I was luckily able to escape and hide from the patrols long enough to make a home in a cave…I got along well enough, then Angel and the others came, and Wesley figured out that Wolfram and Hart even existed in Pylea…actually that's how we all got back," Fred said with a growing look of excitement on her face as she seemed happy to be telling the tale. 

"Yeah…and they made Cordelia their queen…," Gunn said through small fits of half contained laughter as everyone that was sitting around the table, except Fred, looked at him like he had grown an extra head or something. 

"Charles," Fred said, verbally chiding her boyfriend, as she playfully slapped his arm and tried to look angry, but failed miserably. 

"Cordelia…a queen…hah…I bet she loved that," Xander sputtered out after an initial loosely controlled fit of laughter.

"Yeah…she did, I remember when we tried to come back she tried to bring back a few things…although after we got back we learned what had happened to Buffy," Gunn started to say, still with a wide smile on his face, before he got to the memory of the look on Willow's face as they triumphantly strode through the Hyperion's front doors. 

"Yeah…Willow kinda volunteered for that duty…Dawn wouldn't come out of her room…I had to work…and…," Xander said very sadly as suddenly he couldn't look anyone in the eye so instead he focused his gaze on the ancient tome lying directly in front of him. 

"Definitely not our finest hour…," Giles said with such a sad look on his face that those sitting around the table thought that he was about to tear up and possibly cry.  Feeling empathy for him Fred laid a supportive hand on his shoulder and mustered up her most sincere smile.  "Thank you Fred," he continued softly with a smile and slight nod of his head.

"Hey…here to help," Fred replied back with a short giggle and shrug of her shoulders before she returned her gaze to the mystical book that she was searching through earlier. 

"That's what we're all here for Fred, but so far we've come up with absolutely nothing, and I'm sorry to say but I highly doubt that any stories of the yellow crayon variety will work this time," Xander said with a very unhappy frown on his face before Anya equaled his frown as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and then laid her head on his shoulder. 

"So then we just have to come up with a different plan…one without yellow crayons," Dawn said with a serious look on her face and tone to her voice as she and Billy stepped into the kitchen and came to stand near Xander and Anya. 

"We're working on it now Dawn," Giles said with a tired and serious look on his face as he scratched his cheek. 

"Well we need to work faster, that demon that has Willow is probably already trying to make her raise that temple and end the world," Dawn gasped out with a scared look on her face as Billy put his arm around her and the led her over to lean up against the fridge. 

"I doubt they're doing it now Dawn, while Willow could be trying to raise the temple at this moment I highly doubt it, I believe that when they try to make her raise the temple they will have plenty of reinforcements surrounding her, keeping us from getting to her," Giles said with an unhappy frown on his face as he leaned back in his chair and looked up at the younger Summers, who frowned back sadly at him. 

"And they'll keep us away just long enough for her to raise the temple I bet," Xander said sadly as he shook his head and clenched his hands into fists. 

"Of course…then they'll begin with the killing and the maiming and the…," Anya started to say with an excited smile on her face before everyone in the room yelled, "Anya!"  "What…I don't…oh," she continued with a confused look on her face before she realized what she had been saying and she blushed deeply. 

"So what do we do about it, I don't know about you but I'm not going to sit around here and just let them," Gunn replied angrily as he stood up and glared down at Anya, who seemed to cringe and hide behind Xander. 

"So now we just have to figure out how to free Willow without killing her," Giles said with a serious look on his face, a look that was soon shared by everyone else in the room as they all pondered ways to free Willow without hurting her.

*                    *                    *                 *                   *                 *                  *                *

After leaving the hospital Spike had quickly returned to Buffy's house and had gone over a few things with Giles.  Their conversation had been short and brief, and when Spike had first told Giles why he wanted to talk to him the old Watcher had felt like he was going to have a heart attack.  But after further assessing the situation Giles had reluctantly agreed with Spike, although not verbally, about what he wanted.  The one thing, on top of all of the others, that surprised Giles the most was that when Spike came to talk to him it was about much more than just getting the proper paperwork to exist. 

"There was something else I wanted to talk to you about Ru…Giles," Spike said with a very nervous look on his face as he looked at the ground and shuffled his feet. 

"Yes Spike what is it, I really should begin…," Giles began to say with a combination hurried and frustrated look on his face and his hands on his hips as he studied the exceptionally nervous former vampire in front of him.  Giles had known Spike for only a few years, but he had known him long enough to know that he was hardly ever this nervous, and usually when he was it had something to do with Buffy. 

"I know that you're not the slay…Buffy's father, but you're closer to her than her real father ever has been, and if I'm going to do this then I'm going to do this the right way…like I was taught," Spike continued softly, so softly in fact that Giles had to lean in closer to him just to be able to understand what it was Spike was saying. 

"Do what right Spike…what are you," Giles answered with a confused and slightly perturbed scowl on his face as he was becoming impatient with the former vampire standing in front of him. 

"I'm trying to ask for your bloody permission that's what…to ask Buffy to marry me," Spike growled angrily as if he had been keeping his anger pent up the whole time and was now finally letting it loose.  The gasp that emanated from Giles could probably be heard throughout the house but if anyone heard it they didn't make it known.

"Marry you…what…you're asking for my permission for you to ask Buffy to marry you, is that what you just said," Giles said back with a shocked look on his face as he leaned back up against a nearby wall. 

"Pretty much yeah," Spike muttered with a small chuckle as he nervously began to fish around through his pockets for a nonexistent pack of cigarettes. 

"Well you're a bloody fool if you think that I'm going to…," Giles started to say with a very sarcastic look on his face before Spike looked up at him with a very serious look on his face and Giles thought about what Buffy would think.  "Bloody hell…fine…you have my permission to ask Buffy to marry you…," Giles continued with a defeated frown on his face as he slowly nodded his head to Spike, who had a restrained grin on his face as he reached out a hand and awkwardly shook the former watchers hand.

"Thanks Rupert…now I just have to get the proper papers from your contact…make sure they have the proper authorization…then get the ring…propose…heh, bet she'll want Wind Beneath My Wings again…," Spike muttered to himself slowly with still the broad smile on his face as he slowly began to wander away from Giles, seemingly caught up in his own little world, leaving the former watcher to simply shake his head and trek into the kitchen to begin to do research. 

*                 *                 *               *              *               *                *             *              *

"Let me go," Willow said as loudly and forcefully as she could while the demon that had dragged her into the main chamber simply uttered a guttural laugh and Zarathos sat down on his throne and laughed at her demand.  The demons and vampires in attendance joined in the laughter as they also began to mock Willow and all of humanity. 

"You can't expect me to be that stupid…or maybe you do, have all these years with the slayer truly made you deluded enough to believe that defeating every demon was as easy as a simple spell or some stupid plan come up with at the last possible second," Zarathos said with a very arrogant smirk on his face as he leaned back on his throne and cast a mocking eye on Willow. 

"They always worked for us before…," Willow mumbled with a very sad and suddenly very unsure of herself frown on her face as she stared at her feet. 

"Well tomorrow is the day that all of your little excuses run out, there will be no last second save by the slayer or anyone else, tomorrow you will finish what you started, and I will come to rule this pitiful world," Zarathos started to say with a very serious look on his face before it changed to one of boasting and victory as he got to the end of his little speech, which was warmly welcomed by the demons and vampires in attendance. 

"You're wrong…Buffy will stop you…she'll find a way…you'll be sorry," Willow shouted as loudly and as forcefully as she could as she was no longer under the influence of the spell that had kept her from moving very much.  

"The slayer will not stop us this time, she will have more than enough to worry about tomorrow night while we are bringing about the end of this world and its beginning anew, she won't know what's happening until it's to late," Zarathos said with an evil sneer on his face as he continued to glare at Willow from his throne.  For the life of her Willow tried to come up with a proper comeback to Zarathos' statement, but after several moments of fruitless mental attempts she gave up and just frowned sadly.  "That's what I thought…no witty retorts this time," Zarathos continued loudly before every non human being in the cavern cheered and laughed in approval.  But not a single demon or vampire gathered had managed to look upward near the top of the cavern where a small cave had an opening.  They also didn't notice the figure creeping up to the edge and gazing downward at the assembled mass of evil.

"Not quite as nice as my old crypt but I gotta give the guy some points for the décor," Spike mumbled softly with an excited smile on his face as he looked around the cavern before he spotted Willow.  "Least Red's alright," he continued with a relieved sigh before he slowly made his way out of the tunnel that he had used to get to the cavern and hit the streets, running at full speed back towards Revello Drive. 

END OF CHAPTER 36