Rating: PG-13ish-maybe a little worse in the swearing dept than the show.

Credits: All disclaimers were made in parts 1, 2 & 3-so I think that suffices.

Feeback: welcome-please-pretty please! pm or email: jarment@us.ibm.com

Wake and Rise, part seven

"We should have heard something by now," Buffy said nervously.

"Buffy, no. I'm sure that they're fine." Willow answered.

"Yeah," Xander chimed in, "I bet right now Angel and Spike are tag-teaming that demon-guy for picking on Dawnie like that."

Buffy wasn't buying it. "Giles," she said, "you said that this Gnothos demon just knows things, like collective unconscious, so how do we know it doesn't already know what it needs to know?"

"And for those of us playing at home, what?" Xander asked.

"Xander," Wesley said to Xander, "this isn't the time."

"Buffy," Wesley said, "it's hard to explain, but this demon, he has to be around the source of whatever spell he's trying to break."

"Yes," Giles added, "There's no reason to think Dawn is hurt since you have not been in contact with it. Nevertheless, Willow, you, Wesley and I should continue to research this demon. Anya, you know the most about this demon, fill Buffy in on whatever she needs to know so she can fight it."

Giles, Willow and Wesley went downstairs.

"Okay, Anya. How do I kill this thing?" Buffy asked.

"Well, see, that's the hard part." Anya said, "No one's killed one of these things before."

"What? Ahn, you're just telling us this now?" Xander shouted.

"Xander!" Anya shouted back, then more quietly, "Fighting it is pretty much useless since he knows what you're going to do."

"Great. Of all the demons I get the smart, know-your-moves-before-you-do one. At least Glory was stupid." Buffy said bitterly.

"Buffy," Anya added, "Just because no one has ever defeated one of these things doesn't mean it can't be done."

"Anya, not getting the pep-talk here." Xander said.

"Xander, she's just trying to help," Buffy said. Anya smiled at Buffy.

"But, what you're telling me," Buffy continued, "is that fighting it doesn't work and magic won't work because this thing knows what I can do and can break down any magic."

"Yes." Anya said.

Buffy continued on, over Anya, "So basically it's-"

"Useless."

Buffy, Anya, Xander, Cordelia, the Host and Quentin Travers all turned to the door. There stood the Gnothos demon. He was large, over six feet tall and powerfully built. He looked very nearly human except for his long tail, extending nearly the length of his body and for the fact that his skin was translucent.

Buffy attacked, swinging a flurry of punches and kicks at the demon. But each attack was blocked effortlessly by the demon.

"I do not wish to hurt you," the demon said, with ethereal calm, to Buffy.

"No, you just want to take the last family I have from me!" Buffy said.

Cordelia grabbed a statuette from one of the shelves and ran to the demon, trying to hit it over the hand. The Gnothos demon simply put out his arm and brought Cordelia to a jarring stop.

"It is useless to fight me. I know what each one of you is thinking. Including you." the Gnothos demon said to the Host, "Do you really think that you can read my thoughts? I have no thoughts."

This stopped everyone cold.

"Of course," Quentin said, almost to himself, "all the thoughts are simply of those around him."

"We can use that!" Cordelia shouted, "Buffy, remember when you could read minds? Everyone, just think lots of things and confuse the demon."

Everyone just stared at Cordelia.

"Actually, the silence is near deafening," the Gnothos demon whispered. "Do you really think you can confuse me? I can live among the whole world and still know each thought as if it were my own."

Buffy started attacking again. Still, each blow was countered. Buffy was tiring from the effort, mentally and physically. "You will not hurt my sister!" she said finally, stopping the attack.

"I do not wish to hurt anyone," the Gnothos demon said, "But some magicks are unstable and are better undone. It does you no good to argue. You do so only with yourself."

"Wesley!" Cordelia shouted, "Help us!"

Wesley, Giles and Willow came running into the main room.

"Giles, we have to keep him from getting to Dawn-" Buffy started, but then paled.

"The source." The Gnothos demon whispered-he was looking directly at Willow.

"Oh dear Lord," Giles whispered, "It's here for Buffy. Willow-run. Run as fast as you can from here! You did the spell!"

"Too late, Rupert," the Gnothos demon said, "too late. It is only a matter of time before this unstable magick is undone."

Buffy fell to the floor, powerless to move, but still conscious. Her eyes wide with fear and shock, she struggled to speak.

"Oh, God!" Giles cried. "No!" Xander shouted. "We can't lose her again!" Willow screamed.

Buffy lay motionless on the floor, now struggling to breathe. The Gnothos demon chanted slowly and quietly. Everyone stood, shocked and unable to do anything.

The front door burst open. Before anyone could register who came in, an axe came down in a silvery, blurry arc, severing the Gnothos demon's head from its body.

Buffy lay on the floor, still gasping for air.

"Spike!" she whispered.

"Yeah, Slayer?" Spike answered, smiling, the axe in his hand.

Giles ran over to Buffy, followed by Xander and Willow. They helped her rise from the floor and placed her sitting in a chair. Angel, Dawn, Tara and the monk ran in through the front door.

"Buffy!" Angel called out to her, "are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Buffy whispered, still unable to muster the strength to speak out.

"We should give her some space," Giles said. Everyone backed off a pace.

Silence. Then, "Who are you?" Cordelia asked, pointing to the monk.

*****

Everyone was back at the house, including the monk. After Dawn had gone to bed, the questions began.

"So, then, you were here to protect Dawn from the demon?" Cordelia asked.

"Yes," the monk answered, "We did not know the Slayer had returned. We thought the Gnothos demon had been summoned for the k-for Dawn."

"But, why did you disguise yourself as Doyle?" Cordelia asked.

The monk replied, "No one here knew him, or at least no one knew him in his demon form. Also, it seemed a good way to find out what was going on-"

"-through underground contacts in the demon world." Wesley finished.

"Yes." The monk answered, "also, we knew of his visions. The brothers and I felt that his visions, coupled with my own psychic abilities, would help me locate the demon before he could get to Dawn. We didn't know that he had passed his abilities to you [looking at Cordelia] before he died."

Buffy, lying on the sofa, spoke up, "Why didn't the monks give Angel the memories they gave everyone else."

"It's a complicated thing. When we made the Key human, we had originally thought to place her with Angel."

Everyone was stunned. "But," the monk continued, "we had not anticipated Darla being raised from the dead. It became clear that you, Buffy, were the only one to protect her from Glory. I see now that we made the correct decision."

Buffy was clearly angry. "I don't understand how you can come here and say these things. 'You see now that you made the correct decision'? You didn't know?"

"We did not." The monk said.

"I think you need to leave." Buffy said, "I have had about as much as I can take."

"Buffy," Giles said, trying to curb her anger.

"No," the monk said, "she is right. I should leave." The monk left. Buffy went outside to the back porch.

*****

Cordelia, Angel and Wesley started to leave.

"Shouldn't you go talk to Buffy?" Cordelia asked Angel.

"We already said our goodbyes," Angel said, "But maybe someone else should go talk to her."

"Already there." The Host said.

The Host opened the back door. Buffy sat slumped over, her head in her hands. She looked up to see who had intruded, her eyes obviously red from crying.

"What do you want?" Buffy asked, not coldly, just appraising.

The Host sat down next to her. "Normally, I do this sort of thing when people are singing bad covers of pop tunes, but for you I'll make an exception."

Buffy just frowned at him, not understanding.

"You take it on the chin a lot, don't you kiddo?" the Host asked. Buffy didn't reply.

"It's okay, you don't have to answer. I can see it. See you're wondering what the point is. You're finally done and they bring you back," the Host said. Buffy looked at him wide-eyed. "So here you are, and you're not sure what you're doing or why you're here. Then to top it off, you find out that it could have been someone else chosen to shoulder that burden."

"It's so confusing." Buffy said, anguished.

"I know, I know." The Host said soothingly. "See, here's the thing, though. The monk was right, they didn't know if you could do it. No one did. They didn't give her to you because they knew you would protect her, they gave her to you because they had faith you would protect her. And you did."

"She's all I have." Buffy whispered.

"No, you got others. But when it comes right down to it, you've got you. You're the reason she's here today-not just because of what you did on that tower. It's because you're here."

"It's so hard." Buffy said, pouring it all out.

"I know." The Host said, "And I'd be lying if I said it was going to get easier. But who you are? The pain can't diminish that. And on some level, you know that. You put yourself on the line for everyone around you. And don't think the guys upstairs haven't noticed."

"I just feel like.I feel like it's all a lie. I did what I was supposed to do. What else is there?"

"Oh there's a lot to do. You got a sister to take care of. And she's very real. I can tell. And there's you. You get to be that sister, that friend.you get to have those things. It's not going to be easy, but then again, it never is."

"Some comfort there." Buffy said, smiling just a little.

"I can't lie to you. You've already seen too much." The Host said, "And that other thing that bothers you, deep down in the back of your mind? You know you've walked that road before-you know all the dangers. Not to say you can't walk it again, just be aware."

Buffy just looked at him, turning her head slightly to the side.

"Oh, I know. So fraught with meaning. It'll take you a lifetime to figure out what I was talking about. But that's okay-cause you've got that." The Host said, stood and opened the door. "Oh, one more thing. Angel and the crew are taking off. He thinks you don't want to see him and he's pretty upset that he wasn't there to save you-hell he's pretty upset that he hasn't been there a lot for you lately. But you and I know that he's been there just enough. So why don't you tell him that?"

Buffy smiled, "I don't know how Angel puts up with you. I'd have to pound you if you always talked to me like that."

"What?" the Host said teasingly, "That big hunk of well-dressed lug? Between you and me, sister? He's a big pussy-cat. Just ask him some time about Barry Manilow."

Buffy just stared at him like he was crazy. "Right. Goodbyes. I can do those." Buffy walked back inside.

*****

The entire living room was humming with everyone saying their goodbyes.

"It's too bad we didn't have more time to catch up," Cordelia said to Xander. Xander whispered something in Cordelia's ear. Anya looked on, quite resentfully.

"Really?" Cordelia said quietly. She grabbed Anya and Xander into a big hug, trying to play it cool. She leaned over to Anya and said, "He told me. Congratulations." Anya looked over at Xander with tears in her eyes.

Giles and Wesley shook hands as they said their goodbyes to each other and to Quentin Travers.

Buffy walked in.

"Thank you. Everybody for what you did to help save Dawn." Buffy said.

Angel walked over to her, they hugged tightly. When they broke apart, Cordelia was in line and grabbed Buffy into a bear hug. Wesley approached Buffy hesitantly.

"Come here, Wesley." Buffy said, and also gave him a big hug. Wesley had tears in his eyes when he left.

They watched as the Angelmobile pulled off. "Did anyone else get a chance to talk with that Lorne guy?" Xander asked.

"Yeah," everyone said.

"Kind of freaky. Right on-but in a vague Psychic Friends Network-y way." Xander continued.

"Yeah," everyone said, a little more puzzled.

"Um, where's Spike?" Buffy asked.

"Oh," Anya answered, "He skedaddled right after that monk left."

"I'll be back in a little while, guys," Buffy said, pulling on her jacket and leaving.

They watched her go. "Do you think she's going to be okay?" Xander asked.

"Yeah, she said she was getting her strength back," Willow answered.

"Yes, she will be fine. But we still don't know who summoned the Gnothos demon." Giles said.

"Will another one be summoned?" Willow asked.

"Oh, I don't think so," Anya said, "If one fails to perform his task, you really can't talk another Gnothos demon into trying it."

"But you said they couldn't be defeated," Xander said to Anya.

"Oh they can't, but they have failed before. Still, it was kind of odd that it didn't know Spike was going to attack, don't you think?"

*****

Spike was in his crypt, pacing. "Listen, Slayer.Buffy, there's something I've got to say.no.Slayer, there's something you should know.oh for Chri-"

"Spike?" Buffy called out.

Spike was startled. "Yeah? Down here!"

Buffy came down into the crypt.

"Look Buffy, there's something I should say-" Spike started.

"No, there's something-" Buffy interrupted.

"Now don't go interrupting me, Slayer. Look. The thing is, I want to apologize for the magic shop thing back there."

Buffy looked at him, saying nothing.

"After what you told me, about where you'd been and all that. Seems like maybe I did the wrong thing. But, I wasn't thinking, and-"

"I know." Buffy said.

"What?" Spike asked.

"I know, Spike. You weren't thinking."

"Yeah, and that's why I want to say sorry-"

"No, Spike. Don't apologize. I know you weren't thinking because Anya already told me that the Gnothos demon knew what we would do before we knew it."

"Not following you there." Spike said.

"You saved me." Buffy said simply, "I.I didn't realize how much I wanted to live until I was there on the floor, dying again. It's still hard. I still know I have lost so much, but I realized I wanted to be here, with Dawn.I.I wanted to live. And you saved me."

It was Spike's turn to stare.

"And you don't know how much it means that you did it. Without thinking, you did it."

"Well, never was much good with the well-thought-out plans. You should know. You foiled most of 'em."

Buffy smiled. "Thank You." Then she turned and walked out.

Spike sat down and sighed. "Women."

*****

A phone rings.

"Hello?" an unknown voice answers, "Yes. Oh, I see. She survived? How? What? Yes. I will have someone take care of it."

"No, you will take care of it yourself. It is absolutely imperative that no connection between me and the Gnothos demon exist. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes. Completely clear, Mr. Travers."

"Good," Quentin said, "Now. I expect a car here in a half hour to pick me up. The sooner I am out of California the better."

The End