The man caught up with them just as they reached the front door of Buffy's
home. "Please, wait!" he cried, trying desperately to catch his breath.
"Who the bleedin' Hell are you, then?"
"I was sent," he said, gulping down another breath, "to help you. And I'm hoping you will be able to help me."
Buffy eyed him suspiciously. He had an upper-class British accent, and was dressed in rags. He was about the same height as Spike, but that's where the similarity ended. Where Spike's face was angular and clean, the man's was rounded, soft, with a thick moustache. He was slightly overweight, and his cheeks were flushed from having chased them.
"Who are you?" Buffy asked, placing one hand on Spike's arm, not so much because she felt the need to, but because she didn't want him to do anything rash.
"I'm sorry," the man said, taking a deep breath. "My name is, or at least, was, James Trenton. A mutual..." he stopped, a dark look passing across his face, "friend, I guess, told you to expect me."
"No friend of ours. Nor yours, I'd wager, from that look," Spike said, moving to stand between Buffy and the man.
"No, no I suppose not, not really at any rate. Forgive me, but could we continue this inside? I find that I'm rather hungry, and thirsty. I don't mean to impose..."
Spike's eyes widened slightly. Before he could speak, Buffy stepped in front of him, and said, "Yes, sorry, I think we can find something for you."
Spike watched as she led the man into her house. "Bloody Hell," he said to himself, and shook his head. He could already tell this was going to be an especially long night.
---
"But it simply let you go?"
"Yes. And glad I am that it did," their guest said in between mouthfuls of his second sandwich. He ate greedily, like a man long starved, which, Giles supposed, he was.
"I don't like this," Spike said. "From everything we know about this... thing, it has to have had a reason for sending you here like this."
"I agree, actually," the man said. "But, if I ever knew what that was, I don't know. I do remember much of my time spent as part of it. But certain things, it's as if they were simply wiped away."
"If you are who you say you are," Giles said, "it seems rather odd that it would choose to release you. Most of the imformation we have about this thing now, comes from your notes."
"My notes? You mean you have my journals?" James asked, having finished off the last of his food.
"Yes. I retrieved them from the archives."
The man sat back, having finished the last of his food. "You must be a Watcher then. Oh, this is most assuredly good news!"
"Is the Council ready to provide aid against this abomination?"
Giles looked at him. "I felt it better to keep this from the Council for the time being. Much has changed, I'm sure, since your time. The Council has its own agenda, and I didn't want to risk them making the situation worse."
"Oh," James said, his face falling. "Well, I suppose your judgement on this is better than mine. Still, they might be able to provide valuable assistance."
"Right, and I'm sure they would look kindly on a vampire who's in love with the Slayer," Spike said, sneering. "Best we leave those bloody wankers out of this until we're absolutely sure we need them."
Buffy grabbed Spike's arm again, this time squeezing hard.
"A vampire? What?"
"Me. You prat," Spike said, shrugging out of Buffy's grasp. "Don't tell me you didn't know."
James sat with his mouth open, staring at the blonde vampire. "But, these people... they've accepted you. How...?"
"It's a long story," Giles said. "Suffice it to say, you have nothing to fear from him. He is, at the least, an ally." Spike shot him a hard glance, but Giles stood his ground, staring at Spike without flinching.
"You cannot tell me you trust this, this creature!" the man sputtered. "He's evil!"
"We don't. Not all of us," Xander said, speaking his first words since Spike had walked in the door. "But we do trust Buffy, and she trusts him. Don't ya, Buff?"
Buffy looked uncomfortable, but said "Yes, I do. We can all trust him. With our lives."
"But..."
Spike cut him off, "Look, we can keep doing this all night, but I think we're all agreed that we've got bigger problems. Why don't we get to the planning, and worry about my status later."
---
It watched the end of another battle, looking forward to tasting their strength, and their minds. It waited until the last of the chaos beasts were dead, before moving in.
"Do you realise what you've done?"
The voice stopped it, and it turned its many eyes on the source of the voice.
"Afraid we might succeed?"
"Yes. But we think you have created the weapons that will stop you." Glowing, luminescent eyes swept over the battlefield. "Regardless, this day, in this place, you will take no more lives. Leave."
The dark cloud hissed its frustration. It had grown considerably stronger, but found the will of the one it faced was still too strong for it to fight. "Why do you care about these pathetic things? I thought it was your place to fight them. After all, are they not evil?"
"Would you try the same things on US you used on them?"
The cloud shrank under an invisible assualt. It was silent for a long moment, before it found the strength to chuckle. "Perhaps that won't work, but in time, we will grow stronger. And there is nothing you can do. Unless, of course, you choose to interfere."
A glowing form watched sadly as the dark cloud dispersed. It knew the dark one was right, but hoped that a small group of friends would be enough to stop it, when the time came. The sadness it felt increased as it realised it would, once again, need to interfere.
Silently, it hoped that it's action would not lead to more death and suffering.
---
The meeting had actually gone more smoothly than anyone had expected. After they had managed to calm James down, they began to make plans for the coming battle.
"All right," Buffy said, looking at each person in turn. "Do you all understand what you need to do?"
"I do," Xander said, "but I don't like it. I don't know if I'm ready for this."
"Tara will be there to help. Willow?"
"I understand, but I... Buffy, I know you think you need me, but I don't think I can do this."
"You can. Tara, she'll need your help too," Buffy paused, looking at the two of them. "I understand that neither of you like this, but I don't see that we have any choice."
Willow nodded, sadness showing on her face. Tara walked up to her, and said "I can stay with you if you want, tonight. I'll make sure everything is ok."
Willow smiled slightly, but looked at the floor. "I think I'd like that."
"Giles?"
"Yes, I'm ready. But you do know we need one more."
Buffy sighed. "No. We are not bringing her into this. We'll need to find someone else."
Spike walked up behind her and took her in his arms. "I know how you feel, pet. I'm not any happier about this than the rest, but we need her."
"No!" Buffy said, pushing him away. "She isn't the Key anymore. That all ended with Glory. She's just my sister, and I am NOT going to put her in danger."
Spike grabbed her arm, and pulled her to face him. Angry, he said, "Haven't you been listening? I don't like it, I probably like it even less than you, but if we fail it won't matter that you're trying to protect her. We'll fail, one or the other of those fucking things will win, and she, and everyone else will die. Or worse. And it will be our fault."
His face softened, and he continued, "Besides, I think she might have something to say about all this, since she's been listening to us for a while now."
Dawn slowly walked downstairs. She'd been listening since Buffy and Spike had returned, and as she reached the bottom, she found she couldn't look up to meet her sister's eyes.
"I want to help," she said.
"No, I..."
Dawn looked up. The determination on her face matched Buffy's. Buffy loked away as Dawn spoke, "I have to. Spike's right, you do need me. And you're wrong."
"What?" Buffy asked, confused.
"Tell her," Dawn said to Tara.
"Tell me what?"
"W-well... When you asked me to research the spell. That brought you back. There were other side-effects." Tara looked down. "The spell worked only because you died a mystical death, not a natural one. For it to bring you back, it, um, it had to..."
Willow finished for her as realisation dawned, "It had to cancel out the spell and it's effects. But since the portal had already closed, it restored Dawn instead. Oh god, I never even thought about that part of it, Buffy, I'm so sorry."
Buffy saw tears forming in Willow's eyes. She was speechless, feeling more betrayed than when she found out how they brought her back.
Dawn stepped forward. "It's too late now. Don't blame Willow, she couldn't have known. Tara only figured it out because, well, I asked her to. I felt it when you came back, I knew before I saw you, but I didn't understand it. Tara saw it too, after you got back, the change in me. You need me. You need what I am."
Buffy looked at her, at the stance, the look in her eyes, and had to laugh.
"What's so funny?" Dawn asked.
"You. Looking at you, right now, it's like looking in a mirror." Buffy lowered her head. "I guess I don't have a choice, do I."
"No," Dawn stated, crossing her arms.
"You're definitely my sister."
---
They went their separate ways. James returned with Giles to Giles' hotel room, together hoping to find something more to use against their opponents. Willow and Tara retired to Willow's room, to talk, and to prepare themselves. Xander left alone, needing time to himself. And Buffy, Spike, and Dawn sat in the living room, talking. They remembered good times together, and laughed. Eventually, they headed off to bed. Dawn smiled as she watched Buffy pull Spike into her bedroom. Then she shut her door.
---
As they all slept, a being of light entered the dreams of a man. "Do you accept this?" it asked, and he said yes, tears of joy streaming down his face.
A being of darkness worried, as it realised more than just its chosen warrior was now hidden from its vision.
And millions screamed in agony as another dimension fell.
---
Notes: None this time. Hope you enjoyed it. Please read, and let me know what you think.
"Who the bleedin' Hell are you, then?"
"I was sent," he said, gulping down another breath, "to help you. And I'm hoping you will be able to help me."
Buffy eyed him suspiciously. He had an upper-class British accent, and was dressed in rags. He was about the same height as Spike, but that's where the similarity ended. Where Spike's face was angular and clean, the man's was rounded, soft, with a thick moustache. He was slightly overweight, and his cheeks were flushed from having chased them.
"Who are you?" Buffy asked, placing one hand on Spike's arm, not so much because she felt the need to, but because she didn't want him to do anything rash.
"I'm sorry," the man said, taking a deep breath. "My name is, or at least, was, James Trenton. A mutual..." he stopped, a dark look passing across his face, "friend, I guess, told you to expect me."
"No friend of ours. Nor yours, I'd wager, from that look," Spike said, moving to stand between Buffy and the man.
"No, no I suppose not, not really at any rate. Forgive me, but could we continue this inside? I find that I'm rather hungry, and thirsty. I don't mean to impose..."
Spike's eyes widened slightly. Before he could speak, Buffy stepped in front of him, and said, "Yes, sorry, I think we can find something for you."
Spike watched as she led the man into her house. "Bloody Hell," he said to himself, and shook his head. He could already tell this was going to be an especially long night.
---
"But it simply let you go?"
"Yes. And glad I am that it did," their guest said in between mouthfuls of his second sandwich. He ate greedily, like a man long starved, which, Giles supposed, he was.
"I don't like this," Spike said. "From everything we know about this... thing, it has to have had a reason for sending you here like this."
"I agree, actually," the man said. "But, if I ever knew what that was, I don't know. I do remember much of my time spent as part of it. But certain things, it's as if they were simply wiped away."
"If you are who you say you are," Giles said, "it seems rather odd that it would choose to release you. Most of the imformation we have about this thing now, comes from your notes."
"My notes? You mean you have my journals?" James asked, having finished off the last of his food.
"Yes. I retrieved them from the archives."
The man sat back, having finished the last of his food. "You must be a Watcher then. Oh, this is most assuredly good news!"
"Is the Council ready to provide aid against this abomination?"
Giles looked at him. "I felt it better to keep this from the Council for the time being. Much has changed, I'm sure, since your time. The Council has its own agenda, and I didn't want to risk them making the situation worse."
"Oh," James said, his face falling. "Well, I suppose your judgement on this is better than mine. Still, they might be able to provide valuable assistance."
"Right, and I'm sure they would look kindly on a vampire who's in love with the Slayer," Spike said, sneering. "Best we leave those bloody wankers out of this until we're absolutely sure we need them."
Buffy grabbed Spike's arm again, this time squeezing hard.
"A vampire? What?"
"Me. You prat," Spike said, shrugging out of Buffy's grasp. "Don't tell me you didn't know."
James sat with his mouth open, staring at the blonde vampire. "But, these people... they've accepted you. How...?"
"It's a long story," Giles said. "Suffice it to say, you have nothing to fear from him. He is, at the least, an ally." Spike shot him a hard glance, but Giles stood his ground, staring at Spike without flinching.
"You cannot tell me you trust this, this creature!" the man sputtered. "He's evil!"
"We don't. Not all of us," Xander said, speaking his first words since Spike had walked in the door. "But we do trust Buffy, and she trusts him. Don't ya, Buff?"
Buffy looked uncomfortable, but said "Yes, I do. We can all trust him. With our lives."
"But..."
Spike cut him off, "Look, we can keep doing this all night, but I think we're all agreed that we've got bigger problems. Why don't we get to the planning, and worry about my status later."
---
It watched the end of another battle, looking forward to tasting their strength, and their minds. It waited until the last of the chaos beasts were dead, before moving in.
"Do you realise what you've done?"
The voice stopped it, and it turned its many eyes on the source of the voice.
"Afraid we might succeed?"
"Yes. But we think you have created the weapons that will stop you." Glowing, luminescent eyes swept over the battlefield. "Regardless, this day, in this place, you will take no more lives. Leave."
The dark cloud hissed its frustration. It had grown considerably stronger, but found the will of the one it faced was still too strong for it to fight. "Why do you care about these pathetic things? I thought it was your place to fight them. After all, are they not evil?"
"Would you try the same things on US you used on them?"
The cloud shrank under an invisible assualt. It was silent for a long moment, before it found the strength to chuckle. "Perhaps that won't work, but in time, we will grow stronger. And there is nothing you can do. Unless, of course, you choose to interfere."
A glowing form watched sadly as the dark cloud dispersed. It knew the dark one was right, but hoped that a small group of friends would be enough to stop it, when the time came. The sadness it felt increased as it realised it would, once again, need to interfere.
Silently, it hoped that it's action would not lead to more death and suffering.
---
The meeting had actually gone more smoothly than anyone had expected. After they had managed to calm James down, they began to make plans for the coming battle.
"All right," Buffy said, looking at each person in turn. "Do you all understand what you need to do?"
"I do," Xander said, "but I don't like it. I don't know if I'm ready for this."
"Tara will be there to help. Willow?"
"I understand, but I... Buffy, I know you think you need me, but I don't think I can do this."
"You can. Tara, she'll need your help too," Buffy paused, looking at the two of them. "I understand that neither of you like this, but I don't see that we have any choice."
Willow nodded, sadness showing on her face. Tara walked up to her, and said "I can stay with you if you want, tonight. I'll make sure everything is ok."
Willow smiled slightly, but looked at the floor. "I think I'd like that."
"Giles?"
"Yes, I'm ready. But you do know we need one more."
Buffy sighed. "No. We are not bringing her into this. We'll need to find someone else."
Spike walked up behind her and took her in his arms. "I know how you feel, pet. I'm not any happier about this than the rest, but we need her."
"No!" Buffy said, pushing him away. "She isn't the Key anymore. That all ended with Glory. She's just my sister, and I am NOT going to put her in danger."
Spike grabbed her arm, and pulled her to face him. Angry, he said, "Haven't you been listening? I don't like it, I probably like it even less than you, but if we fail it won't matter that you're trying to protect her. We'll fail, one or the other of those fucking things will win, and she, and everyone else will die. Or worse. And it will be our fault."
His face softened, and he continued, "Besides, I think she might have something to say about all this, since she's been listening to us for a while now."
Dawn slowly walked downstairs. She'd been listening since Buffy and Spike had returned, and as she reached the bottom, she found she couldn't look up to meet her sister's eyes.
"I want to help," she said.
"No, I..."
Dawn looked up. The determination on her face matched Buffy's. Buffy loked away as Dawn spoke, "I have to. Spike's right, you do need me. And you're wrong."
"What?" Buffy asked, confused.
"Tell her," Dawn said to Tara.
"Tell me what?"
"W-well... When you asked me to research the spell. That brought you back. There were other side-effects." Tara looked down. "The spell worked only because you died a mystical death, not a natural one. For it to bring you back, it, um, it had to..."
Willow finished for her as realisation dawned, "It had to cancel out the spell and it's effects. But since the portal had already closed, it restored Dawn instead. Oh god, I never even thought about that part of it, Buffy, I'm so sorry."
Buffy saw tears forming in Willow's eyes. She was speechless, feeling more betrayed than when she found out how they brought her back.
Dawn stepped forward. "It's too late now. Don't blame Willow, she couldn't have known. Tara only figured it out because, well, I asked her to. I felt it when you came back, I knew before I saw you, but I didn't understand it. Tara saw it too, after you got back, the change in me. You need me. You need what I am."
Buffy looked at her, at the stance, the look in her eyes, and had to laugh.
"What's so funny?" Dawn asked.
"You. Looking at you, right now, it's like looking in a mirror." Buffy lowered her head. "I guess I don't have a choice, do I."
"No," Dawn stated, crossing her arms.
"You're definitely my sister."
---
They went their separate ways. James returned with Giles to Giles' hotel room, together hoping to find something more to use against their opponents. Willow and Tara retired to Willow's room, to talk, and to prepare themselves. Xander left alone, needing time to himself. And Buffy, Spike, and Dawn sat in the living room, talking. They remembered good times together, and laughed. Eventually, they headed off to bed. Dawn smiled as she watched Buffy pull Spike into her bedroom. Then she shut her door.
---
As they all slept, a being of light entered the dreams of a man. "Do you accept this?" it asked, and he said yes, tears of joy streaming down his face.
A being of darkness worried, as it realised more than just its chosen warrior was now hidden from its vision.
And millions screamed in agony as another dimension fell.
---
Notes: None this time. Hope you enjoyed it. Please read, and let me know what you think.