Buffy vs. the Evil Dead
by Demon-Fighter Ash
Epilogue: Daybreak
"And you say I was really scary," Spike called out from the sheet- draped back of the station-wagon as the rest of the group sat in the car, the station-wagon perched on the side of the road as they waited for Xander to finish jump-starting the dead battery.
"Yes," Giles sighed, having already told the story countless times but feeling a little like he owed Spike at least this much, "you were absolutely terrifying. Quite possibly the worst thing I've ever seen."
"That's right," Spike gloated, then paused a moment, thinking, "I'll bet you wet yourself."
"I did no such thing," Giles quickly protested.
"Well anyway, I had a good time," the vampire said cheerfully as he checked the bandages wrapped around his chest, "I say we go on our little camping trip. We could even head back to that cabin."
"Spike," Buffy groaned, exhausted, "we haven't slept all night. You can go camping if you want, but the rest of us are going back to Sunnydale where we'll never have to look at another tree again."
"Suit yourself," Spike smirked, obviously elated, "but I know you're really just scared you'd have to face big bad deadite-Spike again. I can't say I blame you."
Xander opened the front door and turned the ignition, the engine roaring and humming steadily. He smiled and nodded to the gang, then stepped back out of the car to thank the couple that'd stopped to help them jump-start the station wagon.
"To think we got through all that," Buffy complained, "and a stalled engine gets the best of us."
"Do you think the bridge was really out last night," Anya asked, glancing out the window at the bridge behind them, "it was back this morning and we crossed right over it."
"I don't know," Giles answered, "it could have been an illusion, or it could have been part of the changes that the spell caused. Either way the bridge was restored the moment the spell ended."
"Do you think Dawn will be okay," Buffy asked nervously.
"It'll take some time," Giles answered, "but hopefully Willow and Tara can answer some of her questions on their way back in the convertible. If anybody's equipped to explain this for her, they are."
"But you could still give it a try," Buffy suggested, "what happened back there?"
"Yeah," Anya agreed, "and what is Dawn anyway?"
"Anya," Buffy shot a quick glare at her.
"It's really a fair question," Giles remarked, "though as tactlessly phrased as ever."
"It seems likely that the Dark Ones made the key," Giles continued thoughtfully, "just before they went extinct, to ensure that the gates could still be opened when they lost their hold on the mortal plane. The Book of the Dead was apparently meant to work in conjunction with the key. The passages in the book would summon their spirits and then they would use the key to open the gate and return to this world as creatures of flesh."
"Like slipping their fingers under a locked door," Spike remarked, "and then grabbing the key on the other side to open it."
"But it would seem that that never actually happened," he continued, "the monks found the key and they kept it safe, hiding it away so that nobody could ever bring the two together."
"Well no wonder they were always so mad when the Book was read," Anya answered, "they get summoned from across dimensions, expecting to find the key, and all they get are a few dumb kids in an empty forest."
"Could you just clear up one thing," Spike asked, "how come we're not all dead?"
"Once they took possession of Dawn," Giles continued, "they tried to use her to force open the gateway between our worlds, even though the doors are normally closed during this phase of the alignment. When Buffy pulled her out of the rift, the doorway naturally slammed shut again, and since the spirits hadn't finished crossing over, they fell back through the gate when it closed, like a rubber-band snapping back."
"But how did they even know about Dawn," Buffy asked, "that's why they lured us here, isn't it?"
"I suspect," Giles rubbed the back of his neck, "that we have Glory to thank for that."
"What," Buffy said in a low voice, tensing.
"When Glory used Dawn to open a rift between worlds," Giles answered, "it merged countless dimensions together for several minutes. The effect must have reached into their world, so that for a few moments they saw into ours, saw what their...key had become, and how to get it back."
"And when Glory opened her gate," Anya offered helpfully, "it weakened the boundary between worlds, letting them make that phone-call. That's how they lured us here."
"I believe," Giles pouted a little, "that was my line."
"Oh, it's no secret," Anya shrugged, her mouth half-full as she chewed on a granola bar, "pan-dimensional aftershocks can last for months after a big disturbance. Every time I granted a wish, every kind of demon you can imagine would start trying to jump across before the wall closed again. That's what happened over at Woodstock. A whole interdimensional festival started just because I granted this one farmgirl's wish for..."
"Woodstock," Buffy said in disbelief.
"Didn't you see their outfits," Anya answered with a nod, swallowing her chocolate-chip granola, "that kind of fashion sense could only have come from the outer darkness. Mostly rainbow-wraiths."
"Anyway," Buffy said with a cock-eyed stare, her tone quickly rising into worry, "do you think they'll come after Dawn again, now that they know about her?"
"I seriously doubt it," Giles answered, "they have no real presence in this world, so they most likely used up their remaining strength just breaching the barrier and making that phone-call. Without the book, they'll probably never be able to cross over into our world again."
"That's a lot of probablies," Spike said cheerfully, "I might get a rematch with them after all."
"We'll perform a few binding spells when we get back," Giles answered with a glare, "just in case."
"Oh come on," Spike complained, "where's your sense of adventure?"
Xander opened the front door and sat behind the wheel, pulling the car off the side of the road.
"You said thanks for us," Buffy asked him, "right? We would have gotten out and talked to them but, you know, bruises and blood-stained clothes and all..."
"They were cool," Xander answered, "I just told them it was a long trip and the rest of you were asleep while I drove you back to town."
"Better to seem lazy than seem rude," Buffy shrugged reluctantly.
"The guy works at S-Mart. You know the one with that commercial," Xander broke into song for a moment, "'Shop Smart, Shop S-mart?' He and his girlfriend Jenny are camping this weekend."
"I can't stand that jingle," Spike muttered.
"Anyway, he said I have real potential," Xander continued, ignoring the vampire, "He had kind of a wierd Micheal Jackson thing going on, though- -a black glove on his right hand."
"You did warn him," Giles asked quickly, "that these woods aren't safe, didn't you?"
"I tried," Xander shrugged, "but he said he had some unfinished business here. I told him we saw some strange stuff while we were camping, but he just laughed and said 'tell me about it.' Oh yeah, his girlfriend said something kinda wierd too--she laughed and said 'don't get him started about being the Warrior from the Sky.'"
Giles and Buffy both bolted upright in shock.
"Warrior from the Sky," Buffy muttered, eyes wide, then sighed deeply and leaned back against the carseat, "I give up. Fire bad, trees bad, books bad...paved streets good. Let's just get out of here."
"What kind of car is that," Anya asked curiously as she watched the couple drive off.
"A 1992 Oldsmobile Delta '88," Xander answered proudly, "groovy."
"Groovy," Buffy asked in disbelief, "who says groovy anymore?!"
"Hey," Xander said defensively, "I kept a straight face with 'hail to the scooby gang!'"
"Hail to the what," Giles muttered in confusion, shaking his head as Xander flipped on the radio.
"That's different," Buffy laughed, "I'm the slayer, I get punning rights."
The station-wagon pulled onto the highway as the group cheerfully bickered, heading back to Sunnydale as the beat-up yellow Delta '88 drove across the bridge and disappeared into the wilderness.
by Demon-Fighter Ash
Epilogue: Daybreak
"And you say I was really scary," Spike called out from the sheet- draped back of the station-wagon as the rest of the group sat in the car, the station-wagon perched on the side of the road as they waited for Xander to finish jump-starting the dead battery.
"Yes," Giles sighed, having already told the story countless times but feeling a little like he owed Spike at least this much, "you were absolutely terrifying. Quite possibly the worst thing I've ever seen."
"That's right," Spike gloated, then paused a moment, thinking, "I'll bet you wet yourself."
"I did no such thing," Giles quickly protested.
"Well anyway, I had a good time," the vampire said cheerfully as he checked the bandages wrapped around his chest, "I say we go on our little camping trip. We could even head back to that cabin."
"Spike," Buffy groaned, exhausted, "we haven't slept all night. You can go camping if you want, but the rest of us are going back to Sunnydale where we'll never have to look at another tree again."
"Suit yourself," Spike smirked, obviously elated, "but I know you're really just scared you'd have to face big bad deadite-Spike again. I can't say I blame you."
Xander opened the front door and turned the ignition, the engine roaring and humming steadily. He smiled and nodded to the gang, then stepped back out of the car to thank the couple that'd stopped to help them jump-start the station wagon.
"To think we got through all that," Buffy complained, "and a stalled engine gets the best of us."
"Do you think the bridge was really out last night," Anya asked, glancing out the window at the bridge behind them, "it was back this morning and we crossed right over it."
"I don't know," Giles answered, "it could have been an illusion, or it could have been part of the changes that the spell caused. Either way the bridge was restored the moment the spell ended."
"Do you think Dawn will be okay," Buffy asked nervously.
"It'll take some time," Giles answered, "but hopefully Willow and Tara can answer some of her questions on their way back in the convertible. If anybody's equipped to explain this for her, they are."
"But you could still give it a try," Buffy suggested, "what happened back there?"
"Yeah," Anya agreed, "and what is Dawn anyway?"
"Anya," Buffy shot a quick glare at her.
"It's really a fair question," Giles remarked, "though as tactlessly phrased as ever."
"It seems likely that the Dark Ones made the key," Giles continued thoughtfully, "just before they went extinct, to ensure that the gates could still be opened when they lost their hold on the mortal plane. The Book of the Dead was apparently meant to work in conjunction with the key. The passages in the book would summon their spirits and then they would use the key to open the gate and return to this world as creatures of flesh."
"Like slipping their fingers under a locked door," Spike remarked, "and then grabbing the key on the other side to open it."
"But it would seem that that never actually happened," he continued, "the monks found the key and they kept it safe, hiding it away so that nobody could ever bring the two together."
"Well no wonder they were always so mad when the Book was read," Anya answered, "they get summoned from across dimensions, expecting to find the key, and all they get are a few dumb kids in an empty forest."
"Could you just clear up one thing," Spike asked, "how come we're not all dead?"
"Once they took possession of Dawn," Giles continued, "they tried to use her to force open the gateway between our worlds, even though the doors are normally closed during this phase of the alignment. When Buffy pulled her out of the rift, the doorway naturally slammed shut again, and since the spirits hadn't finished crossing over, they fell back through the gate when it closed, like a rubber-band snapping back."
"But how did they even know about Dawn," Buffy asked, "that's why they lured us here, isn't it?"
"I suspect," Giles rubbed the back of his neck, "that we have Glory to thank for that."
"What," Buffy said in a low voice, tensing.
"When Glory used Dawn to open a rift between worlds," Giles answered, "it merged countless dimensions together for several minutes. The effect must have reached into their world, so that for a few moments they saw into ours, saw what their...key had become, and how to get it back."
"And when Glory opened her gate," Anya offered helpfully, "it weakened the boundary between worlds, letting them make that phone-call. That's how they lured us here."
"I believe," Giles pouted a little, "that was my line."
"Oh, it's no secret," Anya shrugged, her mouth half-full as she chewed on a granola bar, "pan-dimensional aftershocks can last for months after a big disturbance. Every time I granted a wish, every kind of demon you can imagine would start trying to jump across before the wall closed again. That's what happened over at Woodstock. A whole interdimensional festival started just because I granted this one farmgirl's wish for..."
"Woodstock," Buffy said in disbelief.
"Didn't you see their outfits," Anya answered with a nod, swallowing her chocolate-chip granola, "that kind of fashion sense could only have come from the outer darkness. Mostly rainbow-wraiths."
"Anyway," Buffy said with a cock-eyed stare, her tone quickly rising into worry, "do you think they'll come after Dawn again, now that they know about her?"
"I seriously doubt it," Giles answered, "they have no real presence in this world, so they most likely used up their remaining strength just breaching the barrier and making that phone-call. Without the book, they'll probably never be able to cross over into our world again."
"That's a lot of probablies," Spike said cheerfully, "I might get a rematch with them after all."
"We'll perform a few binding spells when we get back," Giles answered with a glare, "just in case."
"Oh come on," Spike complained, "where's your sense of adventure?"
Xander opened the front door and sat behind the wheel, pulling the car off the side of the road.
"You said thanks for us," Buffy asked him, "right? We would have gotten out and talked to them but, you know, bruises and blood-stained clothes and all..."
"They were cool," Xander answered, "I just told them it was a long trip and the rest of you were asleep while I drove you back to town."
"Better to seem lazy than seem rude," Buffy shrugged reluctantly.
"The guy works at S-Mart. You know the one with that commercial," Xander broke into song for a moment, "'Shop Smart, Shop S-mart?' He and his girlfriend Jenny are camping this weekend."
"I can't stand that jingle," Spike muttered.
"Anyway, he said I have real potential," Xander continued, ignoring the vampire, "He had kind of a wierd Micheal Jackson thing going on, though- -a black glove on his right hand."
"You did warn him," Giles asked quickly, "that these woods aren't safe, didn't you?"
"I tried," Xander shrugged, "but he said he had some unfinished business here. I told him we saw some strange stuff while we were camping, but he just laughed and said 'tell me about it.' Oh yeah, his girlfriend said something kinda wierd too--she laughed and said 'don't get him started about being the Warrior from the Sky.'"
Giles and Buffy both bolted upright in shock.
"Warrior from the Sky," Buffy muttered, eyes wide, then sighed deeply and leaned back against the carseat, "I give up. Fire bad, trees bad, books bad...paved streets good. Let's just get out of here."
"What kind of car is that," Anya asked curiously as she watched the couple drive off.
"A 1992 Oldsmobile Delta '88," Xander answered proudly, "groovy."
"Groovy," Buffy asked in disbelief, "who says groovy anymore?!"
"Hey," Xander said defensively, "I kept a straight face with 'hail to the scooby gang!'"
"Hail to the what," Giles muttered in confusion, shaking his head as Xander flipped on the radio.
"That's different," Buffy laughed, "I'm the slayer, I get punning rights."
The station-wagon pulled onto the highway as the group cheerfully bickered, heading back to Sunnydale as the beat-up yellow Delta '88 drove across the bridge and disappeared into the wilderness.