Chapter 3: Dream Magick
Halliwell Manor
Piper awoke with a start, the dream still fresh in her mind. Shaking her head, she tried to alleviate all thoughts of hopelessness that remained in the wake of the dream. Such thoughts would not help her and would only leave her feeling melancholy. Closing her eyes briefly, Piper was overwhelmed with sensations as the dream came flooding back.
Walking through the doors of P3, Piper looked around. She was surprised to see that the lights were off, casting the room in darkness. Just as her eyes were starting to adjust the lights flared up causing stars to dance before her. Closing her eyes against the sudden light, she took a deep breath willing her heart to beat normally.
Opening her eyes, Piper noticed that the lights were now dimmed and she proceeded to walk further into the room. She came upon a round table in the center of the room. A white tablecloth adorned it and in the center sat a candelabra with three lit candles. It appeared that the table had been set up for the purpose of a romantic dinner.
Her heart fluttered as she clearly heard some soft music start to play. Footsteps started to approach from her left and she slowly turned to face them. Expecting to see Leo, she gasped, when she was suddenly facing Dan.
"What do you want?" She growled.
He smiled, unperturbed by her anger, "You know what I want." He motioned towards the table. "Join me?"
"Go to hell." She turned from him and stormed towards the exit.
She didn't get too far, however, when Dan seemingly materialized in front of her. Grabbing her shoulders, he shook her, "You will be mine!" He forcefully kissed her, but Piper was able to push him away and she fell on her butt, staring up at his form towering over her.
"You shouldn't have done that." He glided towards her, whilst she slid backwards in an attempt to avoid him. Feeling utterly cornered, she tried to use her powers to freeze his movements, but it wasn't working. Now she was against the wall with nowhere else to go. Looking up at him she watched in morbid fascination as his face contorted and fangs grew.
"What the hell are you?" She whispered, shocked. He was no longer the Dan she knew.
"I'm a new man." He lunged towards her and with a scream, she ducked under his arm and scrambled to her feet. With a burst of speed, Piper made it to the exit only to stop short when she saw a girl standing there.
"You should be more careful." She informed Piper.
"Who are you?" Piper had never seen this girl before. She had wavy blonde hair that rested just past her shoulders. Despite the fact that the girl looked to be about ten years old, Piper had a feeling that she was much older than that.
Shrugging her shoulders, the girl smiled, "Does it matter?"
Before Piper could respond another man growled from behind the girl. "Buffy Summers, let the games begin." He cackled maniacally and that was when everything went dark and Piper woke up, clutching her heart in terror.
Who had that girl been? And what, if anything, did it all mean? Piper cursed, this was getting her nowhere. Dream interpretation was not something she was good at. Before the images faded from memory she decided to start a dream journal. With that done, she felt better about everything and more prepared to start the day worry free. There would be plenty of time to find the connection, of that she had no doubt.
Sunnydale
Buffy sat mesmerized as Giles continued to sing. In fact, everyone at the Pump was equally enamored of him and his talent. Breathtaking, was the only word Buffy could think of…simply breathtaking. Why he had ever stopped singing she could only guess, but now that he had started again, she found herself hoping that he never stopped.
Before she could speculate further, Giles was walking towards her, his guitar all but forgotten. His eyes were smoldering almost as if he could burn right through to her soul. His walk was very sultry and reminded her of a tiger stalking its prey. Taking her hand he raised it to his lips and lightly kissed the back, his eyes never leaving hers. "Dance with me?"
Standing, she accompanied him to the dancefloor. Taking her in his arms, he held her hand against his chest, "You are so beautiful."
Buffy smiled and with her face rested against his chest, she closed her eyes reveling in the fact that he held her close.
Everything faded from sight and when Buffy opened her eyes they were alone. Stepping out of Giles' arms, she looked around not really sure what to expect. Footsteps could be heard approaching. Turning to the sound, they watched as a man, cloaked all in black, was walking towards them.
His face was hidden from view, but his voice was melodic as he started to chant in some ancient language. While chanting he raised his right hand towards them and a white mist shot out to wrap around both Buffy and Giles.
Meanwhile, Giles had started to do a chant of his own. Buffy didn't know what that would accomplish, but also knew that they had to try something. A light flashed as the two magicks converged, blinding them.
When Buffy could see again, she was alone. She called for Giles, wishing he was there and his arms were still around her. Not knowing what to do, she started walking in search of him. "Do not worry." She turned to find a man floating before her. He appeared to glow and looked ghost-like. He smiled, "You'll find a way. Trust me."
"A way to what?" Buffy whispered just as the man winked and disappeared from sight. Giles now stood there and was being held by two vampires. He was struggling, but the vampires being so much stronger were able to overpower him easily.
Buffy ran towards him, but was stopped when the cloaked man uttered a single word. A spell of some sort, she realized. The man put a hand on her shoulder, "You will be mine."
Snapping his fingers, a fire ball appeared and rested on his palm. He chuckled as he tossed the fire ball about. The tears were flowing freely now and as she looked at Giles, his eyes pierced straight to her core.
Closing his eyes a single tear slid down his face. "I love you, Buffy. Never forget." His words whispered through her, but still she couldn't stop the man from launching the fire ball.
"Giles!" with a scream Buffy jolted awake.
Buffy was still trying to get her breathing under control, when her mother ran in. "What's happened?" Sitting next to her daughter, Joyce was surprised when she started shaking. Not knowing what else to do, she placed her arm around Buffy and coaxed her into her arms.
That seemed to jar Buffy into action. Jumping out of bed, she ran to the closet. "I have to see Giles."
"Buffy, it's the middle of the night." Joyce watched as her daughter pulled out several stakes.
"I don't care. I have to see him. I have to know he's OK." Without waiting for a response, Buffy ran out praying that Giles was safe and hoping he stayed that way.
Rupert Giles was dreaming. It was the same every night. Only tonight something was different. He watched as a green mist rose up and swirled around, blocking out everything in sight. When the dust settled, he found himself in the training room. Buffy was standing opposite him and tossed him a sword.
He caught the sword just as she lunged. He parried the attack, forcing Buffy back. Without waiting another moment, she thrust forward hoping to catch him off guard. His eyes widened a fraction, but he ducked barely missing the sword.
Turning he raised his sword to block, but the force sent him stumbling to the ground. With one hand on the floor to steady himself, he raised the sword and twisted it thereby disarming Buffy.
Seemingly shocked, she lost her momentum allowing Giles to gain purchase and now he had her up against the wall, his sword at her throat. "Who are you?" He demanded. This woman was not his Buffy.
She smiled, unconcerned with the weapon in his hands. She trailed her hand down his cheek, "My darling, Ru, you're all grown up." Before his very eyes her features shifted and the disguise melted away to reveal a stunning beauty.
Her strawberry blonde hair, resting just below her shoulders, was wavy and shined as though she were an angel. Of course, Giles knew differently. He continued to glare at her, this woman who continued to haunt his dreams. "What the bloody hell do you want? Why can't you leave me be?"
Her features darkened as the anger engulfed her. "You will learn to respect me!"
Giles gave a mirthless laugh, "Respect? You've done nothing but cause me pain. All my life I've waited for this…this nightmare to end, but it never will, will it?" A single tear trailed down his cheek.
"You belong with me, my dear. You always have and you always will."
Shaking his head rapidly, Giles stepped back, "No, I don't. I belong with Buffy. She's the only person I trust implicitly."
"And yet," The woman stalked towards Giles, "You've never told her about me. I wonder why?" She smiled at Giles' discomfort.
He gripped the sword tighter, but didn't comment. He just fumed silently, hating the hold she had on him and wishing, not for the first time, that he could be rid of her for good. He raised the sword as if to strike, "What have you done?" He didn't even try to mask the fury in his eyes.
Eliza disappeared and reappeared behind Giles. "Nothing…yet." She chuckled as Giles' back stiffened. "Do you know what happens to a person if killed in their dream?" She shrugged as Giles turned to face her. "I don't. Would you like to find out?"
"You won't kill me. Not Here." He motioned to their surroundings, feeling confident that she wouldn't take the chance.
"Pretty confident, aren't you?"
He feigned nonchalance, "You've been after me for years. Why would you risk it now? After all this time?"
She scowled because she knew that he was right. "Then perhaps a deal? Your Slayer will be the perfect test subject, don't you think? And if you don't join me willingly, I will bring her to her knees, and you will bear witness to it all."
Giles closed his eyes as a sense of foreboding coursed through his system. He knew what needed to be done. Taking a chance, he opened his eyes, a look of defiance on his face, and flung the sword at her. "You know I can't."
With a curse she disappeared and the dream dissolved.
"Giles!" Having felt his distress Buffy's blood ran cold and she ran up the steps towards the loft, stopping suddenly when she saw Giles' slumped form. His head was bent with his hands covering his eyes. Buffy could tell that he was crying and it broke her heart to see him so sad.
"Giles?" She approached him and gently placed her hand on his shoulder.
She felt him stiffen slightly, but he didn't pull away. Taking a deep breath he raised his tear-streaked face to look into Buffy's eyes. She was so very beautiful and he felt awed by the look of love shining in her eyes. Reaching out, he grasped her hand and smiled when she sat on the bed next to him. She gazed at their hands not really knowing what to say. "Buffy?" He pulled her close until she was cradled against his chest, "Luv, what's wrong?"
"I…I had to see you."
"Nightmare?" He questioned equally as soft.
She nodded her head against his chest, "Giles, why is this happening to us? What does it mean?"
"I'm not entirely sure." Giles shuddered as he thought about what his own dream had signified, but there would be time later to delve into that.
Buffy sat up, a look of complete disbelief on her face as she regarded Giles. "You've been having these nightmares for months, Giles. How could you not know?"
"It's a trifle more complicated than that."
"So, explain it to me." Buffy demanded in that no nonsense way of hers. Giles sighed, knowing that he had to come clean, at least about part of it. He was not yet ready to discuss his connection to Eliza and hopefully that wouldn't come back to bite him on the rear.
"I'm sorry, Luv. I don't mean to keep things from you."
"I'm scared, Giles. I don't want to lose you."
"Shhh…" He lightly kissed her cheek. "We'll figure this out. I'm not going anywhere, I promise you that."
Leaning forward he captured her lips, causing Buffy to moan in pleasure. As Giles continued to kiss and nibble at her lips, she pushed the feeling of dread that still lingered in the recesses of her mind aside. He was right. They would tackle this demon together and come out on top, like they always did.
England
Spike scowled. Every night for the past week Angelika had been monitoring the dream-realm, hoping to catch the witch off-balance. "I don't understand why you continue hunting for her. Why put yourself at risk like that?"
Angelika sighed, "I will be fine, my darling." She smiled and lightly caressed his cheek, "You know this must be done. She cannot be allowed to roam free."
"I know, but I don't have to like it." Truth be told, he just wanted to keep her safe, far away from the dangers she seemed to constantly find herself in.
He stood guard, as he always did, while Angelika sat cross-legged in a circle of power. All the elements were represented at the respective directions. She lit a rainbow colored candle and placed it in front of her form. Closing her eyes she whispered the short incantation that would whisk her away to the dream-realm.
The sky was tinged with reds and oranges, as Angelika looked around. She had never been to this part of the dream-realm before. In fact, as she walked lush bushes and trees rose up around her. How odd. She found herself thinking. This had never happened before. She smiled with anticipation and quickened her pace. She must be getting closer.
"Did you think it would be that easy?" The voice rose up around her, causing her to stop suddenly.
Defiantly she looked around. "I demand you show yourself!"
"Where's the fun in that?" The woman chuckled. "You cannot hope to stop me."
Angelika smiled, "Who says I want to?"
Having the desired effect, the woman materialized in front of Angelika, causing her smile to grow. "It was you, wasn't it? You sent that man to me."
Angelika didn't respond; she didn't have to, her smirk said it all. "How do you think they'll react? Knowing you betrayed them?" She advanced, her head cocked to the side in confusion, almost as if she were trying to understand something that was beyond her grasp.
Angelika openly laughed, causing the woman's discomfort to rise, "I didn't betray them. I did what had to be done."
"Does that help you sleep at night? To think that?" The woman was growing cocky, "How does it feel? Knowing that the wizard's power will help free me?"
Angelika narrowed her eyes. This was not meant to happen. She should be striking out, not engaging in conversation, however witty it may be. "You like to play games, don't you? Well, this is one game you won't win."
She surprised Angelika by laughing, "It's already started, my dear. He will be mine before long and the Slayer will be a distant memory."
Angelika chuckled, "Your son is destined for many things; dying by your hand is not one of them." With those final words, Angelika disappeared.
The sorceress screamed her frustration, before billowing up in a cloud of smoke.
The next day
"You spoke to her?" Her uncle was furious, no doubt about it, "What the hell were you thinking?"
Angelika visibly flinched, which caused Spike's hackles to rise. "Hey, watch it, ya old goat!"
Snape's eyes narrowed, as he regarded Spike. "You have no idea what that woman is capable of and until you do, you'd best keep your snide comments to yourself."
Spike snorted, clearly Snape was overreacting. "You make her seem like some all-powerful big bad." He waved his hand, seemingly unconcerned, "I bet even the Watcher can best her."
Snape glared and took a menacing step towards the vampire, "It's arrogance like that that will get you killed one day."
"Stop it, both of you!" Angelika stepped between them before things could spiral out of control. "All this testosterone bullshit is getting us nowhere." She placed her hands on Snape's chest to pushing him away from Spike. "Now, I'm sorry I spoke to her, but it was necessary. We had to know how close she was."
"And what, pray tell, did you ascertain?" His voice was dripping with sarcasm, just daring her to contradict him and his all-knowing wisdom.
Angelika crossed her arms and regarded her uncle in silence. He was making this exceedingly difficult. More so than it needed to be. "She plans on turning him. That much was clear. As for the rest," Angelika shook her head in defeat, "I just don't know."
Chapter 4: Manipulations
England
Something was wrong, if only he could put his finger on it. "Well, look what we have here?" a woman came out of the shadows, "A chaos magician with not even a hint of Chaos in sight." A smile tugged at her lips.
He squinched his eyes in puzzlement, "Do I know you?"
"You know who I am, Ethan, and you know what I want."
"Bloody hell, woman!" He was suddenly enraged, "If you think for one minute that I'll…I can't, not to him."
"Oh, you'll do it." She smirked, "Whether it be by your choice or not, well…" she shrugged, "That is entirely up to you."
"You can't be serious. What you're planning it's…" Ethan shook his head, before squaring his shoulders in defiance, "he doesn't deserve it."
"That hardly matters, now does it?" she strode towards him slowly, deliberately, daring him to do something stupid, but knowing that for all his blustering, he was still only interested in his own self-preservation.
Ethan felt himself rooted to the spot, as he watched her approach. She was so cocky; he wished he could wipe that smirk off her face, but knowing that she was too powerful, even here. He thought he was safe from her, never knowing how wrong he had been. He just prayed that Ripper could do what so many others could not. He fought not to flinch from her touch as she caressed his face, "You belong to me now, and will do what I say."
Ethan woke up feeling disoriented, but not remembering what had happened. Although he suddenly got the urge to head straight to Sunnydale and look up his old pal Ripper. Of course, that would be bloody suicide. Ripper never did like it when he showed up unannounced, not to mention the chaos that seemed to follow. Ah, what the hell? With a grin he set about to make the preparations.
That very night he was on a plane to Sunnydale.
Otherworldly Dimension
Malfoy was growing tired of this game Eliza was playing and she knew it. He had to hand it to her, she really knew which buttons to push. Why do I need her help anyways? She'll just try to screw me in the end. He knew all about ulterior motives, in fact he had quite a few of his own. His main point of contention was her confidence that the Chaos magician could be trusted, not to mention the fact that she seemed to think that they needed him.
"What the hell do you think you're playing at?" He demanded, storming into her tent.
For her part she sat calmly with her eyes closed, not even noticing his appearance. He grabbed her arm, breaking the spell, and demanded her attention. Her eyes flashed with fire as she regarded him. "Do not do that again." She remained calm and collected, "That was extremely dangerous and foolish."
"Try again, witch," He spat, "I know more about the magicks than you do."
She smiled coolly, "Think again," she waved her hand as if clearing the air, "But no matter, that's of no consequence." She stood in one swift motion, "After weeks of trying, I have finally succeeded where others have not."
Malfoy snorted, "That remains to be seen." She was getting awfully cocky, and that would be her downfall. He would see to it.
She waved away his concerns, "Ethan Rayne is now motivated to help us."
"But can we trust him?"
"You misunderstand, He is now under my control. He has no choice in the matter, and the best part is that he won't remember a thing."
For the first time in weeks, Malfoy smiled. Something was finally working in their favor, but he still couldn't trust the witch or her motives. And once he had the Slayer and her Watcher, Eliza would be no more. He laughed just thinking about it.
Sunnydale; Giles' Flat
"You promised, Giles." Buffy reminded him, for what seemed like the umpteenth time, as if he could forget.
"I haven't forgotten." He replied exasperatedly, "and I don't intend to." Giles quickly grabbed another book, this one in Latin, before continuing, "But this is terribly important, Buffy." He just didn't know how to impress upon her the importance of this research. He shuddered to think what would happen if Eliza succeeded in carrying out her threat. No, he shook his head to clear away such thoughts, best to be prepared.
He started to skim the book in his hands, hoping to have found the correct volume, when Buffy interrupted him yet again. "Ugh, I'm sorry, alright…I know this is important, as you've stated many times, and I'm trying…I am, but I just…" She waved her arms as if clearing the air, "I just don't get it" She sighed, giving Giles her best puppy dog look hoping he would lay her fears to rest, because, quite frankly, his "research mode" was giving her the wiggins.
Glancing at her, he smiled, she really was incorrigible, but he loved it. God help him, he loved it. Although, she did bring up a valid point. Putting the book aside, he changed positions, so that he was sitting next to Buffy. "I'm sorry, Luv. You're right, I should at least explain some of this to you." He held up his hand to forestall her complaints, "We don't have time for anything else, right now. I want to take you out tonight, but this must be dealt with if we are to enjoy ourselves." He paused to gather his thoughts.
Buffy wasn't sure what to expect, but when he spoke, although quietly, she was shocked to sense a bit of trepidation and what sounded like regret in his voice. The trepidation, she could understand, sort of, but the regret, that really threw her. "I was a young lad when Eliza entered my life. I shan't go into details, not now, at any rate. Suffice to say she was very difficult to deal with and she was, for lack of a better phrase, power hungry." Giles closed his eyes, as the past threatened to overwhelm him. He clearly wasn't ready to discuss this. Best stick to the facts, old man, he chided himself. Opening his eyes, he found Buffy studying him with concern, "I'm fine, Luv." He hastened to assure her, "Now, where was I? Oh yes, she was very adept at dream magick and I imagine she still is."
"Dream magick?" Buffy didn't like the sound of that, in fact if Giles' face were any indication, then they were dealing with an impending apocalypse. Oh joy, she thought with a scowl, best prepare myself now.
"It's the art of dream manipulation," he explained, "To my knowledge, she's the only one to have mastered the concept." At Buffy's confused look, he elaborated, "She can enter one's dreams and whilst there wreak all kinds of havoc."
Buffy snorted, seemingly unimpressed, "Please, I think I can handle some dream phantom."
"That's just it, Buffy, she wouldn't be a phantom, not really." How could he make her understand? Suddenly the proverbial light went off inside his head and he knew exactly what to say, "She can appear to you in any form she chooses. In fact, in my dream she looked exactly like you."
"Me? If that's true then how'd you know it wasn't me?"
"We were training, as you and I often do, but she fought as though she were really trying to kill me and she very nearly succeeded, at that."
Buffy found herself feeling very relieved that he could recognize her, even in his dreams, but that didn't last long as his look darkened and she found herself feeling worried, "What would have happened if she had…"
"Killed me? I don't know. That's why this is so important. We have to find that spell. It's the only way I know of to prevent her from entering the dream realm."
"Then let's get to it." Buffy smiled at Giles, before grabbing a book, "But you still owe me some more answers."
"Tonight, I shall endeavor to answer whatever questions you may have."
Several hours later, Giles sighed, frustrated with his lack of results, when the spell literally fell into his lap. "This is it," He exclaimed.
"You sure?" Buffy sighed, grateful to be done with the research. Standing up, she stretched as Giles looked over the paper in his hands.
"Yes, I'm sure of it." He glanced at Buffy stretching and quickly glanced back at the spell, mentally slapping himself for getting distracted. That was the last thing they needed. In fact, glancing at his watch, he supposed they should get started. The sooner he performed the spell, the sooner he could take Buffy out. And that was something he did not want to miss.
"That's it?" Buffy couldn't believe that, as complex as their situation was, a simple spell could keep the sorceress away.
Giles smiled knowingly and helped Buffy to stand, "Not as complicated as you thought, eh?"
She blushed slightly, "You made it seem like she was all-powerful," she shrugged, "when all you needed was a measly little spell."
"She is more powerful than that," Giles explained, "but that spell will only protect YOURdreams and only for a short time."
"Huh?" Buffy was thoroughly confused, "What about you?"
He was touched by her concern, but knew that it was unfounded. As long as Eliza wanted him, he was safe. "It's not quite that simple, Luv."
"If that's your way of saying it's complicated, save it and explain yourself. Now."
Giles sighed and sat on the couch, pulling Buffy down with him, "As I said before, the dreams are nothing new and Eliza wants something from me. As long as I resist and she can't get to you then I'll be safe."
"How can you be so sure?"
"I'm not, not really. But, Buffy, all I have to go on is my instincts and right now this is the only play that makes any sense to me. I've known Eliza since I was a young lad and I know for a fact that she won't risk it. Not when she has so much vested into this scheme of hers." Giving into temptation, he leaned down and gave Buffy a gentle, but thorough kiss.
When he pulled back slightly, he looked into her loving eyes, "Trust me?"
"You know I do…" She whispered in response and attached her mouth to his, forcefully kissing him as though marking her territory.
Shadyrest Cemetery
What the hell am I doing here? Ethan looked around at his surroundings in dismay, and in a place like this, even?
An hour after landing in Sunnydale, Ethan found himself entering one of the many mausoleum's that house Sunnydale's disreputable demons. "'bout time you got here." One of said demons grumbled.
He forced a grin, "Yes, well I did have a few items to purchase. Though, I'm still unclear as to my purpose here." He continued, with much more nonchalance than he felt. He just knew he was missing something and whatever it was, was bound to bite him on the rear later. If given half the chance, that is.
The vampire chuckled, "Nice try, Magician." Motioning to his various cohorts he stated, "We all have a part to play. You know exactly what's expected of you, if not why."
Ethan scowled, "And I suppose you're the ring leader?"
"At your service." He gave a sweeping bow, before raising storming eyes to Ethan, "Just do as you're told and you may make it out of here alive."
Buffy and Giles were walking the streets of Sunnydale, after going out for dinner and a spot of dancing. Which, Giles supposed, was not entirely a good idea, given that it was currently night. How Buffy managed to convince him otherwise, was anyone's guess. Giles smirked. Who was he kidding? He would do anything for her, within reason, of course, he amended silently.
Giles knew what he wanted, had known for quite some time, with a silent conviction that shocked him to his core. He knew they still had some problems to attend to, but together, he was confident that they could overcome anything.
"Giles?" he was roused from his musings at the sound of Buffy's voice. She snaked her hand through Giles' and glanced at him, almost as if afraid of what she'd find. Come to think of it, she seemed a bit more hesitant that normal. "I know you really wanted tonight to be special, and it has been," She quickly amended at the look of concern on his face, which he attempted to mask, however futile it was. She stopped walking and looked at him, "But I just can't seem to stop thinking about that crazy sorceress."
"I know," He sighed, "I wish there was something I could say to help ease your mind." He slowly raised her hand and placed a light, caressing kiss, to the back of it.
She grinned up at him, loving all of his romantic touches. Not wanting to break the moment, but knowing she had to ask, she whispered, "Do you know what she wants?"
Caressing the side of her cheek, he was silent for a moment, as he gathered his thoughts. Finally after what seemed like ages, he sighed, "That's twisted up in prophecy, I'm afraid."
Buffy could tell by Giles' haunted look, that something was wrong. She also knew that, whatever it was, he wasn't ready to talk about it. No matter what happened, she had to make it clear that she wasn't going anywhere and that she would always be there for him. Reaching up, she kissed him, trying to portray all of the love that she felt. When she released him, she looked into his eyes, "I know you're not ready to talk about it yet, and that's OK. I just want you to know that I'm not going anywhere and I'm here for you. Whenever you want to talk, I'll listen." She smiled, knowing she had said the right thing, when she saw his eyes light up and the love he felt for her showed through in his gaze.
Lowering his face, he kissed her, slowly and without reservations. She could feel it in the very depths of her soul. This kiss, so unlike their others, was his way of promising her the world and she knew without a doubt that he would own up to that promise. Breaking the kiss, he was breathing slightly harder than normal, but couldn't stop himself from speaking, "Buffy, I…"
"Well, look what we have here, fellas." A clan of vampires emerged from the shadows, successfully surrounding the Watcher and his Slayer.
"Bugger," Giles cursed, of all the things to interrupt them, it had to be vampires. He sighed, so much for this quiet, romantic evening he had planned. Hopefully, these vampires would prove easy to dispatch.
Buffy grinned, knowing that this was one thing Giles hadn't counted on. She lightly kissed him, "Until later," she promised, before turning to face the vampire, who now stood in front of them.
"What about me, sweet cheeks? Don't I get a kiss too?" he grinned, unrepentant, as Giles' look darkened and he took a menacing step forward. Continuing to grin, as if mocking Giles he discounted Buffy not really expecting her fist to connect with his face.
"Was it as good for you as it was for me?" She grinned and removed a stake from Giles' coat pocket as the other vampires stood stunned, not knowing what to do, but awaiting new orders.
Their leader growled and that act alone spurred them all on. The Watcher and Slayer wouldn't know what hit them. This time the Slayer was going down.
Shadyrest Cemetery
Ethan knew what she was doing, of course. She had tried to turn him against his old pal, Ripper, but what she didn't count on is the bond that they shared. He had loved Ripper once and that love was not so easily betrayed. He couldn't go against her orders, per say, but there was no reason he couldn't do something a little extra to help even the playing field. Though, in retrospect, Ripper may not thank him for this, but hopefully he would see that this needed to be done.
Eliza had sent her pet vampires out to play which left Ethan alone, much as he preferred it. Now to get this done. Ethan started by drawing a pentagram with white chalk and at each point he placed a black candle. However, in the center, he placed a red candle. Next, he lit each of the black candles, before kneeling in front of the pentagram.
Taking out a poppet, he chanted a simple spell, whilst envisioning the Slayer.
"Though separate you were,
Now you are one
The link of unison has begun."
With a look of satisfaction, he watched as the poppet now looked decidedly like the Slayer, herself. With a chuckle, he couldn't help but admire his work, and hoping that this would do as he had intended. He placed the poppet next to the red candle, before lighting it. Once lit he placed 2 herbs, holly and ivy, on the poppet. Everything was done with a certain precision, but now he seemed to be more in a trance. It was time to do Eliza's spell, hopefully she wouldn't figure out what he was planning until it was too late.
He started chanting in a language long dead and as the chanting increased a glow appeared before him, but soon disappeared as he redirected the spell. Stopping suddenly, he uttered a short, but powerful spell, confident that the sorceress wouldn't notice it.
"In this night and in the house
I call upon the ancient power
Turn this mortal ages back
Maker her separate from the pack."
The poppet burst into flame and as the dust rose, it shot out of the mausoleum intent on reaching its goal. Ethan smiled, this was going to be fun, as far as chaos was concerned this was just another day on the Hellmouth.
Otherworldly Dimension
"What did I tell you?" Eliza smirked at Malfoy's obvious distress. A Portal had opened up before them. "Everything is working just as I had predicted."
"That remains to be seen." His scowl grew as he followed Eliza through the portal. Now that he was out of that retched dimension, he could take care of business and his first order of business was to take care of that witch. Once and for all.
Turning to do just that, he took a startled step back as she was no longer standing in front of him. "You didn't really think I'd let you kill me, did you?" She laughed, "Here my power is more substantial and refined than yours."
He growled, this was not happening, how could he be so foolish? That ends now. "What do you suggest?" he asked amiably.
She reappeared before him, "That's better." Smiling once more she regarded him in silence. "I want the Watcher and you want the Slayer, so I suggest we have a truce, albeit an uneasy truce, but one all the same."
"Very well," He agreed, somewhat discouraged.
Sunnydale
"Did she do this?" Buffy asked as she sent another vampire flying, before ducking and launching a kick at the next vampire.
Giles didn't have to ask whom she was referring to, however he didn't think that this was the work of Eliza. It just didn't fit. "I don't think so," he launched a kick at the vamp in front of him, "It's not her style."
Buffy growled, she hated being out of the loop. Staking the vamp in front of her, she crouched to launch another attack, "Maybe they got hungry?"
"Or perhaps this is just a distraction?" He staked the vamp that just fell from a kick to the midsection. "A means to keep us preoccupied while something even bigger goes down."
Every vamp they staked didn't seem to make much difference as there was another one to take its place. Giles was growing tired and he knew that Buffy wasn't faring much better. As they continued to fight, the vamps seemed to be pushing them further and further apart, to the point where Giles couldn't see Buffy anymore. "Buffy!" he tried working his way to her side, but the vamps continued to get in his way. He couldn't be sure if she had even heard his call. That's when he felt it…a shift in the air. Magick was headed their way and he had to stop it. As he started to chant, he could feel the magick resisting and he could have sworn that the magickal signature was familiar, almost as if he had felt it before. But no matter, he had to put an end to it and soon.
"Giles!" Buffy screamed, as she sensed the magick creep nearer. She could hear him chanting, even if she couldn't see him, but the dust continued to flow towards her form. By this time, Giles had managed to clear a path and was able to see Buffy as she continued to fight off the vampires. His chanting grew heated, when he saw that the dust wasn't swayed. To his horror, the dust circled Buffy's form moving faster and faster almost as if it were a mini hurricane.
The vampires were even wary of the cyclone that was now circling the Slayer. "Giles!" She called again, but her cries were swallowed by the massive storm. Crouching down, she covered her face with her hands as a bright light erupted as if from nowhere. When the light dissipated, Giles could see that Buffy was now gone.
"Buffy!" he had no inclination of what had happened. His counter-spell had failed and he knew that Eliza was responsible. He would take her out if it was the last thing he did, prophecy be damned. As one the remaining vampires turned to face the Watcher, seeing that he was too distraught to put up much of a fight. But they were wrong. With a shout of, "Incendo! Exardesco!" all of the vamps burst into flame, their screams the only sound in the silent night.
Falling to his knees as exhaustion struck, Giles openly wept the loss of Buffy to his core, knowing that he had failed her, but vowing that Eliza would meet her end and soon.
Author's note: Sorry it took so long to get these two chapters out, but chapter 4 was proving to be a bit difficult to write, but hopefully it conveyed everything that needed to happen.
