Humanitas | Giles opened the door to his apartment and turned the lights on. "Come in, everyone." His voice was tired. I'm getting too old for this, he thought wryly as he went into the kitchen to put the kettle on. The familiar actions were soothing. My God, look at them. He glanced at the battered group of young people settling into his living room. Except they're not so young anymore, are they? He watched Buffy assist Tara to the sofa. Buffy's matured quite beyond what any Slayer ever has in the past, Willow seems to get more powerful with every passing day, and Xander... Giles regarded Spike carrying Xander to the back bedroom, Marcus following closely behind, a first aid kit already in hand. Xander's become a surprisingly dependable fellow. He shook his head, and smiled. We're a long way from high school, aren't we? "Wil, I need you." Buffy's voice came from the living room. "Tara's going to be okay, but we can't get through this without your skills." "No, I need to be with her. What if-" Willow's eyes were full of tears as she broke off her words. "She'll be okay. I promise. She has a concussion but it's not a bad one. I don't think she should moving around too much, let alone wearing herself out." Buffy put her hands on her friend's shoulders, and looked her in the eye. "C'mon, Wil. We gotta make with the magick." Dammit, she's no good to me distracted. Buffy was conscious of the coldness of her thought, but it was true. "Willow?" Anya poked her head out of the kitchen, where she was making tea. "I'll watch her for you." "You?" Willow was too surprised to be scornful. "I have to stay and take care of Xander, anyway, because he's not going to be going anywhere with his leg all torn up, so I might as well keep an eye on Tara, too." Anya's worry was evident in the rush of her words. "And Buffy needs your magick." Willow eyed the ex-demon, still unwilling to leave Tara behind. Anya took her hand. "If it was the other way around..." She spoke with some difficulty, but her words were all the more sincere for that. "I'd trust you with Xander." Wow, thought Buffy, I'm starting to see why Xander loves her so much. Willow looked hard at Anya for a moment. "You would?" Anya just nodded. Willow looked over at the sofa and said, without looking up, "I'll be a minute." Willow sat down on the sofa, and Tara silently made room for her as she held her head gingerly. Buffy turned to Anya as they got to the kitchen. "Thanks." Anya just smiled a little and shrugged, still uncomfortable with her feelings. "No, look," Spike was saying as Buffy returned her attention to the rest of the group. "You've gotta keep both eyes open, or your aim'll be all off." He stood next to Dawn, who still held one of the little crossbows. "There you go. Just look right down the shaft at your target." "Spike, what the hell are you doing?" Buffy was less than amused. The vampire looked up, quickly replacing his guilty expression with one of defiance. "Teaching the kid to shoot straight. Never know when it might come in handy in this town." "She doesn't need to know how to shoot. Dawn, put that down." Dawn didn't even get a chance to protest. "Put it down now." "Look, Slayer, girl needs to be able to take care of herself." Spike tried to make his tone as reasonable as possible, torn between not wanting to upset Buffy and wanting to help Dawn. "You can't be there every minute." The look in Buffy's eyes stopped him cold. "Don't start." She looked over at Marcus. "How's Xander?" The young man was closing the bedroom door behind him. "I've got him bandaged up, but he's not going to be much help. That leg will take a while to heal. He'll be alright, though." Before he could move away, Anya had pushed him down onto a barstool. Without speaking, she pulled his jacket off him and undid the button on his shirt. Marcus was too surprised to speak, and just watched as she rolled up his sleeve, twisted his arm slightly for better access, and started bandaging the cut from the fight. He started to protest, but a single glance from Anya made him change his mind. "Ok, that leaves Giles, Willow, you, Spike and me." Buffy's face was grim. "There were four of those things left standing when they disappeared, plus your cousins, plus who knows how many more. I'm not liking these odds." Dawn piped up, "I can help." "You're staying right here," said Buffy firmly. "You've been in enough danger for tonight." "But it's Simon! You have to let me go! I..." Buffy cut her off. "You need to stay put. I can't rescue Simon if I'm worrying about you getting hurt." Her tone brooked no argument. Dawn crossed her arms and sat down forcefully in one of Giles' chairs, pouting. Buffy looked around at the others. "Anyone know what they want with Simon?" |
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Anya rolled Marcus' sleeve down and buttoned it carefully. Silently, she glanced at the sofa, and Marcus took it as a hint that he was dismissed. Grateful, he joined Buffy as he spoke. "To trade, or as a hostage, I suppose." Dawn shook her head. "That doesn't make any sense. How did they know?" "They have the... picture." Spike's voice was soft, pitched just for Dawn. Her face paled, as she glanced at him to see he was serious, and ashamed. Buffy was frowning thoughtfully. "But the wards-" Buffy started. "Simon answered the door," Dawn interrupted. "We thought it was the pizza guy," she added. Immediately Buffy softened, sighing as she nodded. There was a pause, and Dawn frowned. "They called him something, the guy did. He called Simon, 'little vessel.' That was weird." "Please, no," Marcus moaned, a low sound. When Buffy raised her eyebrows at him, he lowered his eyes, ashamed. "They may be thinking he could be a replacement." Anya looked confused. "Excuse me," she said, waving her hand hesitantly. "Why?" Marcus shook his head in response, uncertain, and looked at Dawn, then Buffy. Anya brought a bowl of warm water to Willow at the sofa. She placed it carefully on the coffee table, and stood up, obviously waiting for an answer. "He's psychic," Buffy explained. "Mostly in dreams. But that doesn't mean-" "That's not all," Dawn admitted, hesitant. "Tonight... I, uh, Simon and I figured out he carries the Monk's memories. He's got the information in his head of how... I was..." She didn't finish the sentence, closing her eyes. Buffy became aware of Marcus, standing behind Anya. His eyes flickered from her to Dawn and back again, as he grasped the full portent of Dawn's words, even if he didn't have all the facts. "He is a vessel." Marcus' voice was low, but there was a note of terror underneath it as he realized the ramifications of his statement. "He's an incomplete vessel." "Oh, God, no." Giles' face was strained as he hoped bitterly that Marcus was wrong. Quickly he began digging through the translated papers, desperately trying to find the passage from Charles about the ritual requirements. "It-it-it has to have someone who began at least partially as human, but has been changed through trauma or birth in contact with the demon realm. Marcus' pedigree would certainly, uh," Giles removed his glasses and cleaned them with a handkerchief from his pocket. "But, Simon-" "Spent at least a human year in a demon dimension." Buffy's voice was flat, but her eyes were squinting. God, I wasn't paying attention, I just assumed they were trying to get at Marcus or me. "I see," Giles replied, and he did, all too well. He replaced his glasses and continued scanning the text. "Additionally, the vessel must have been instilled with energies not of its own. An incomplete vessel is one that does not contain the full energies of its source. A vessel with the full energies would be self-containing, and closed off to additional energies not of its own making." Giles' voice dropped to a horrified whisper. "Simon meets the basic requirements." Buffy stared at Giles, open-mouthed. Marcus closed his eyes, his face deathly pale as he recalled his own experience with what Simon must be facing. Dawn had come to her feet at Giles' words, and was swaying in shock. Quickly, she grabbed onto the table for support. Spike stepped a half-pace closer to her, ready to catch her if need be. "But what can we do?" Willow interjected, trying to get them back on track. She dipped the washcloth in the bowl and went back to washing the cut on Tara's head. |
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"We'll have to deal with it when we get there, then." Buffy turned to her sister. "Any ideas where they might have taken him?" Dawn's face was pale as no one spoke. Willow stepped forward. "I – I know a location spell that might work. Tara taught it to me." She blushed. "I kept losing my keys. I've never used it on a person, but it should be easy enough to tweak." Her face fell. "But I'd need something that belonged to the person." "Here." Dawn took the ring off her finger. Ignoring the raised eyebrows from her sister and Spike, she handed it to Willow. "He gave this to me this afternoon." Willow took the ring from her. "Ok, then. Here goes." She held the ring in her hand, and closed her eyes. "Diana, hear me. Reveal the one who is hidden. Let this ring guide my sight." A vision flashed in her head, and her eyes snapped open. She swayed a little at the force of it, then steadied herself on the back of the chair. "It's easier with keys." She stared at the ring for a second, then handed back to Dawn. Willow looked at the others. "They're at the school..." Her expression was bleak as she looked steadily at Giles, ignoring Marcus and Dawn's reactions. "...And Simon is already in the center of a ritual circle." |
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Taking a swift look around the group, Buffy sprang into action. "Enough talking. Grab some weapons." She turned without looking and promptly walked straight into Marcus. Startled, she yelped. Before Marcus could apologize, she fixed her gaze on him and said accusingly, "You zapped me." "Did not," Marcus replied amiably, but he blushed. "You did, you walked into me." Buffy shook her head. "No, the energy, it's still there. You've still got it." "What's that?" Giles came over. Behind them, Anya had finished making tea and was going back to check on Xander. Tara was still awake, but foggy. Dawn moved to sit with her. "The Slayer energy, I can feel it," Buffy turned on Giles, angrily. "We went through all that and it didn't even work?" "Wait!" Willow stopped Buffy before the panic got the best of her. "I'm sure there's a reason. We checked everything, the time, the moon, the place, the people. Everything was right. It was our last chance before..." "Not everything. He's still got it," Buffy insisted. Behind her, Marcus shrugged helplessly. "Not as much as I had," he offered quietly. "But she's right, it's still there." "Our last chance," Tara echoed, dumbfounded. Her eyes wide, she twisted on the sofa to look at Giles, wincing slightly at the movement. Willow paled and headed for her, but Tara waved her off, focusing on Giles as she spoke. "When did the moon enter Void of Course in Capricorn?" Stunned, Giles dug out the almanac and paged through it. "Nine fifty-seven, this past evening," he told her dully. Sighing in frustration, he yanked off his glasses and rubbed furiously at his eyes with the back of his hand. "I should've known to check, dammit, I should've-" "What the what?" Buffy asked, confused. "Void of Course," Anya stated firmly as she set the tray on the kitchen pass through behind them. "It's a dead zone." "Dead?" Buffy questioned. "That's a-a-a strong way to put it," Willow said. "It's a gap, where it's best not to start anything new..." "Naw, it's a dead zone," Anya replied. "When I was still working in vengeance, if a girl called me during void of course, it was real hard to get any of their wishes to work, let me tell you. It's like saying, hey, let's go sailing when there isn't any wind." "And that means the energy did push through." Giles took a cup of tea from Anya. "But it also means it wasn't complete," he added. "The problem is, Charles repeatedly warns that the ritual should not be attempted twice." "Why not?" Buffy asked. Marcus' eyes darted from the witches to Giles and back again. Anya handed Marcus a cup of tea and he took it automatically, hardly noticing her sympathetic expression. "You're saying I'm stuck with what I have now." Marcus' voice was devoid of emotion, but Buffy noticed his hands were gripping the mug tightly. "And I can't even do the full reversal ritual, and do it right, this time?" Giles winced at the look on Willow's face. Marcus noticed it too, and sighed. His shoulders slumped, and he shook his head. "I'm sorry. I just thought it was... over." "You c-c-could do it again," Willow said. "But you saw what it was like when it was only at a quarter power." Buffy was still for a moment, then nodded. She caught Willow's meaning, as did the others. "I'd guess you're not open anymore, at least," Willow said. "The ritual was to take away the energy and seal you up in the aftermath, so you'd not be leaking energy pieces or be open to having more shoved into you. We might not have gotten as strong a push-" "-But we did get some, since Faith felt it on her end," Anya offered helpfully. Willow nodded. "No, you're shut off from the Slayer source," Tara said quietly. She reset the washcloth on her forehead and peered out from under it at him. "But you've still got Slayer energy. You're still not a regular guy." She attempted a smile for him. "You won't ever be, either," and she said it in such a way that he knew she meant it as a compliment. "That's one good thing," Marcus muttered, and glanced at Buffy, who raised her eyebrows at him. "I've got enough left to help you kill my cousins." |
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"Oh, no you don't, missy!" Anya lunged for the half-open door and slammed it shut, barely missing Dawn's fingers. She turned Dawn around and walked her into the living room. "You were told to stay here. My job is to make sure of it." Dawn glared at Xander, who had taken over the sofa. Tara had moved to the chair, but didn't say anything. Xander had betrayed her by yelling for Anya when Dawn thought he was asleep. "An is jailer extraordinaire." Xander patted the couch beside him and motioned to Dawn. "C'mere." Dawn flung herself onto the couch, jostling Xander's leg. At his sudden intake of air, she looked over and apologized guiltily. He moved his leg gingerly back to its original position and smiled at her. "I've suffered worse. Besides, how often do I get to spend the evening with three beautiful women, two of whom don't have head injuries?" He glanced at Tara, who smiled at him, amused. Anya perched on the arm of the couch. "I'm sure that Simon will be all right. He seemed like an… agile boy. Not to mention that he could run very fast." She leaned over and patted Dawn on the arm. "Don't worry." Dawn angrily shrugged Anya's hand off of her arm. "You know, I'm not a little kid any more. I really could've done stuff, stuff to help." Anya regarded Dawn with interest. A millennium dealing with various romantic woes had sharpened her instincts. "You care about him, don't you?" she asked softly. Dawn sniffed and swiped her hand across her face. "Yeah, I do." "Do you think that he'd've wanted you to get hurt?" Dawn glanced quickly up at Anya's face, then back down to the floor. "No." "I know it's hard waiting around when someone you care about is in danger, but—" Dawn burst into speech. "What if it was Xander?" Anya was speechless as Dawn continued. "What if Xander'd been kidnapped and really bad things were going to happen and everyone told you that you couldn't help? What would you do?" Anya could only look at the floor. Dawn threw her hands into the air and said, "You see! You'd go if it was Xander." She looked at Xander, who was also studying the floor intently. "Xander'd go if it was you. And Willow and Tara, same thing." Dawn looked at Tara, who could only shrug and give her a helpless half-nod. Dawn set her jaw and looked back at Anya. "How come when it's me it's different?" Anya was sure of her argument now. "Because you're younger than we are. And don't know how to fight." "Says the frying pan lady. Please." Dawn brushed angry tears away from her eyes. "I've got to go!" Anya looked at her for a long moment, and glanced at Tara and Xander, then sighed. "I'm going into the kitchen to make some more tea. Since it's possible someone moved the kettle while I wasn't looking, I'm going to have to open and close all the cupboards, making a lot of noise." Anya turned towards the kitchen, then abruptly turned back. "Don't forget to take the crossbows with you." Anya walked into the kitchen and opened and closed all of the cupboard doors at least once, making sure that her back was towards the living room. Meanwhile, Xander studiously kept his head down as if he were sleeping, and Tara pulled the washcloth down over her eyes. Several minutes later, the noise in the kitchen stopped and Anya returned to the living room. "You realize," Xander asked her as she sat down, "Buffy's not going to buy it." Anya looked dubious. "Maybe she'll rent it." Tara grinned widely, and Xander burst out laughing. "Oh, An. I love you." |
| Spike's steps dragged until he was walking behind the gang, reluctant for reasons he couldn't quite identify. He stopped and dug his cigarettes out of his pocket, glad to see they weren't soaked in the dash from the car across the old High School's parking lot. As he bent his head, he heard soft footfalls behind them. What's this? He ducked quickly into a side hallway and waited. He was just about to pounce when he caught a whiff of scent. Bloody hell, isn't she ever going to learn? He let her get just to the hallway entrance, then reached out and jerked her in. He covered her mouth with his hand and hissed in her ear, "Thought you were told to stay put?" She twisted in his loose grasp and smacked him on the chest. "Don't do that! You scared the snot out of me." Her wet hair hung in streaks over her shoulder. He leaned back against the wall and smirked at her. "'S my job, Bit. You look fetching. All drowned rat-y." She scowled, and he lit his cigarette and squinted at her through the smoke. "Weren't you told to stay put?" "Buffy always leaves me out of stuff. Simon's my uh, friend, not hers. He'd want me there, I know he would." Time for lecture #537, he thought. "Buffy told you to stay home. Go on." He wasn't surprised when she stamped her foot. I knew that was coming, he thought smugly. "I'm not going home, I'm coming!" She glared at him as she wiped her forehead to pull the wet hair from her eyes. "Simon's my boyfriend..." Spike's stunned mind fastened on the word 'boyfriend.' Okay, I didn't know that one was coming. "...Spike! Spike, listen to me." "Uh, what was that?" Still perplexed as to how she'd managed to acquire a boyfriend in the twelve hours since he'd last seen her, he managed to focus on her face. "No, I'm not getting in a debate with you. You're going home right now before your sister stakes me." He saw the tears welling up in her eyes and groaned, "Oh dammit, crying isn't fair." Tears welled up in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. "I'm scared. What if something happens?" "Now, now, Bit. Don't cry. Please don't cry." Spike could feel the same futile argument start in him between caving in versus doing what Buffy would want. Still no immunity to her tears, dammit. "I'll be there. I'll make sure nothing happens to your, to your, to him." "Please, Spike. I've got to be with him." "Well, I..." Dawn took that for a 'yes' or at least a 'not no' and went flying up the hallway, fumbling to get the crossbows out of the bag over her shoulder. Spike watched as she caught up with the rest of the group, her body language clearly defiant. Oh great, he thought as Buffy turned around and started stomping towards him. Bitty Buffy strikes again. At least she remembered to bring a weapon. Or two. |
| "Got a plan?" Willow asked softly as Marcus raised his hand to halt them, pointing to a light flickering down the hallway. Dawn joined them, and Buffy stormed off in Spike's direction without a word to her sister. "Not really. We can't use Charles' rituals under these conditions," Giles replied. "Assuming we could use a spell to remove Slayer energy in the case of a person who has added memories. I doubt they're interchangeable." "I've got an idea," Willow said, her mind working quickly. "I'm going to do a healing spell." Giles raised his eyebrows at the witch. Behind them, Dawn listened intently while she got her crossbows situated. "I'll strip Simon of energy and replace it with healing energy," Willow explained. "It's kind of like brain-sucking but in reverse, and no brains involved," she added. "Well, no sucking, either, so it's not really like it, but only sort of." "Yes, well, I'm sure that made sense to you," Giles replied. "Giles," Willow admonished. "I've even got rosemary and bay with me. Oh, and… Hmph. I don't need that." She picked out a breath mint out of the greenery in her hand, and tossed it to the side. She then brought out two small votives from her coat, one black, one white, nodding in satisfaction before tucking them back in her pocket. Then she dug into her other pocket and pulled out a small plastic cup, tucking the rosemary and bay sprigs into it. "You're using a plastic cup," Dawn asked, perplexed. Willow nodded. "Wasn't like I can always pack a cauldron, and this works just as well," she replied, sparing the time to flash a smile at the young girl. Dawn smiled in return, her own bravado heartened by Willow's refusal to show anxiety. |
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Spike pasted a patient look on his face as Buffy blocked his way, her hands on her hips. "Now look, Slayer. She set this up all by her own self. Turned the waterworks on and everything." "And I'm supposed to believe that?" He rolled his eyes at her. "Right. Like I helped her with this idiotic idea. She loves him, or at least she thinks she does. She wants to help, damn the consequences. Who do you think she learned that from?" Buffy had the grace to look somewhat abashed. "I still want to blame you, but you're right. Doesn't mean I'm all go Dawn, though. She can't even defend herself." Buffy watched her sister, standing beside Marcus as he shrugged off his jacket and left it in the hallway, preparing himself. Giles and Willow had finished arranging what they'd need for the ritual, and were waiting for them. "Dammit, Buffy! You won't let her learn to fight." Exasperated at the catch-22, Spike threw his hands up in the air, nearly shouting. Buffy glared at him. "I don't want her to have to know how to fight. I don't want her to end up like -" "If you're gonna say," Spike interrupted, "that you don't want her ending up like you, I swear, I'll smack you myself, and to hell with the headache. There's no finer person she could be like." He sighed and hung his head. "Look. She should be there, in case..." Buffy read his meaning clearly, and sadness crossed her face. She glanced over at Dawn, who pointedly ignored her, staring off down the dark hallway. "Fine," she said, begrudgingly. "But I can't look after her and rescue Simon. You look after her, I'll get Simon. Got it?" "Got it." To his surprise, she didn't immediately move away, but paused long enough to smile at him. A sad smile, but a grateful one. Relieved, Spike followed her down the hallway to join the others. |
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