Disclaimer: Not even gonna bother anymore.
Rating: R
Plans
Buffy had actually managed to have a pleasant sleep. Her nightmares hadn't come for a change. She rolled over on her side and felt- nothing. That broke her from her dreamless sleep. She looked around quickly, and couldn't find Xander anywhere. She jumped out of bed and checked the bathroom that was also empty. She was starting to get very concerned. Willow had disappeared two days ago in a similar manner.
"Xander!" she called, running down the steps.
A sound in the kitchen had brought Angel to consciousness. At first he ignored it assuming it was just one of the gang getting something to drink. Then he heard Buffy's frantic call. He rolled off the couch and into the kitchen in one motion. He was about to deck whoever was in there, but was able to stop at the last moment.
"Watch it there."
"Xander?" Angel questioned. "What the hell are you doing?"
"What? A guy can't make a thanks for saving my life breakfast for his friends?" Xander asked the vampire.
Angel looked around the kitchen and found that Xander had made a feast that Emeril would have been jealous of. He had pancakes, sausage, bacon, biscuits, crepes, eggs, toast, bagels, waffles, coffee, tea, orange juice, and hot chocolate. He had set that up, along with fresh fruit and several different jams and jellies.
"Xander!" Buffy called again as she made her way to the first floor of the house.
"In here hon," he called to her. He smiled at Angel. "Got something for you too."
"Xander, you scared.wow," she had started to yell at him, but his feast had distracted her.
"Get the others honey," Xander told her. "Time to start the day out right."
"This is incredible," she whispered. Wow dies for me and he can cook, she thought.
"What is all the commotion? Oh my," Giles exclaimed as he walked, rather stiffly, into the kitchen.
"Get everyone it should all be ready in a minute," Xander repeated to Buffy. He was acting humble on the outside, but he was secretly jumping for joy. Hey, if cooking can work for Willow it can certainly work for me.
Within a few minutes, thanks to Buffy and the increasing scent of Xander's cooking, the entire group had made their way into the kitchen. Xander had begun to place the food on plates setting the island and table for the ten of them.
"Help yourselves to drinks," he told them as they wandered in. Giles and William poured themselves cups of tea. Dawn and Buffy had hot chocolate. Willow, Cordelia, and Faith had orange juice. Oz poured some coffee into a cup and then did the same and handed it to Xander who smiled appreciatively.
When Xander had finished dishing the food to serving plates he went over and picked up a dish he had simmering on the stove. By the time he had poured it into a mug there was little food left on the plates. Eating had been a small concern over the past few days and they were all starving. Xander was very pleased with himself. He took the liquid in the mug over to Angel.
"Here you go," he said as he handed it over. Angel sniffed at it.
"Blood?"
"Yeah, I remember Spike used to like it warm, so I simmered it to 98 degrees. Hope it's okay. I mean it's just butcher's blood."
Angel sniffed it again and dipped a finger in it.
"Oh will you please. Giles, tell him I wouldn't poison his blood," Xander commanded.
"What," Giles said with a mouthful of waffles. "Oh, yes Angel. I imagine if Xander had wanted to kill you, he would have done it already."
"Comforting," Angel quipped. "I don't usually take it warm."
"Why not?" Xander asked as he dumped some bacon and eggs onto his own plate.
"It's better that way," he said softly.
Xander understood. He would do nothing to give the demon inside of him an edge. Soul or no soul the demon inside a vampire was powerful. It had taken Buffy's love to give him enough control to be saved. Xander had questioned whether the whole ordeal wasn't a little too much like Angel, but for a moment in time, Xander had become a little too much like Angel. Now that he was normal Xander again, he had a new perspective. He no longer hated Angel. He wasn't Xander's favorite person in the world, but hatred wasn't the right word anymore. Glad that they didn't have to curse me, he thought. I wouldn't want to have that craving for blood everyday. One day in the life of Angel was more than enough.
"Well, I have some cold stuff in the fridge," Xander offered instead. "But, chances are you're going to be dead in a couple of days. May as well live it up."
"I'll take the cold stuff," Angel replied. He had sensed yesterday that Xander's hatred of him had died a little. He had figured it was because Xander knew he had Buffy all to himself as his true love. Now he wasn't sure.
"Okay," Xander said and opened the fridge to toss Angel a packet of cold blood.
"Thanks," Angel said as he caught the bag of blood.
Buffy looked around her. Everyone was greedily eating her boyfriend's cooking. It was an excellent meal. It was something normal. Despite everything going on in his life her boyfriend had managed to bring a sense of normalcy to things. Again.
When he sat down next to her she slipped her hand into his.
"This is wonderful," she said, spooning a bite of a crepe into her mouth.
"Glad you liked it. Just my way of thanking you all for what you did for me," Xander said.
"And we'd do it again if things ever came to that," Willow said. "So, maybe a pre-thanks for saving my life breakfast sometime?"
"No kidding," Faith agreed, hungrily dropping a piece of bacon into her mouth.
"Well, I was hoping I could bribe you guys. Didn't realize it'd be this easy," he teased.
They ate the rest of their breakfast feast. They were all stuffed. Xander got up to start cleaning, but Buffy would have none of it. "My cook doesn't have to clean too. That would just make you a maid," she teased.
"At your service my-lady," he said bowing.
"Come on normal boy, let us help out," Cordelia told him. So Xander, Oz, Giles, William and Angel made their way into the living room.
"I said normal boy, not all the boys!" Cordy yelled.
"Men, what ya gonna do," Willow muttered.
"I know what you're not going to do with em," Faith quipped.
Willow's face fell. You moron, Faith told herself. She just lost the woman of her dreams, and this is what you do.
"I'm sorry Willow," Faith said. "I didn't mean anything. It was just stupid." Faith realized that she was apologizing for things she never would have cared about before. And she meant it too. She was actually becoming a halfway decent human being.
"It's okay Faith. I know you didn't mean anything. I just miss her," she sighed and picked up a plate.
"We're here for you Wil," Buffy assured her and gave her a hug.
"All of us," Dawn reminded and squeezed Willow's arm.
"How are you doing Dawnie?" Willow asked. "I know how much you liked Tara."
"Who me, I'm fine," she started. After a moment she changed her mind. "It hurts. I'm tired of losing the people I love. And it's all my fault," Dawn said and collapsed on the floor. The tough exterior she had been putting up crumbled. She had lost her Mom, her sister, and now Tara. Buffy was back but it couldn't take away the months of pain she had gone through when she was gone. Tara had helped her through that summer so much, and now she was gone too. All because I'm the stupid key and all the evil in the world wants to capture me, she thought.
"It is not your fault Dawn," Buffy told her, pulling Dawn to her feet. "No more than it's my fault. You maybe the key, but I'm the slayer. People know the risks when they love us." Wow. I just keep coming up with deeper and deeper thoughts, Buffy mused.
"That doesn't take the pain away," Dawn sobbed.
"Of course it doesn't," Cordelia said and rubbed Dawn's shoulders. "But blaming yourself will only make it worse. Your sister knows. She used to blame herself for all kinds of things that weren't her fault. It only made her feel worse."
"Thanks Cordy," Buffy mumbled. "Look Dawn, everyone here loves you. And they willingly put themselves at risk because of that."
"But it's not like Tara chose to sacrifice herself, she was taken. All because Amy wanted to get to me. I HATE BEING THE KEY!" Dawn screamed. She broke down into tears again and Buffy just ran her hands through Dawn's hair.
SEWERS
"I HATE BEING THE KEY!" Dawn screamed. The vampire guards ignored her and each wondered again why they couldn't knock her out.
"Come now, you don't hate existing," Tara called as she entered the cell.
Dawn was locked in a steel cage deep within Amy's lair. Six vampire guards with swords were watching the cage. Amy had told Tara to be careful. They couldn't exactly be sure what this Dawn would be like. They had stolen her from the other dimension on the exact date it was in their dimension. Amy only hoped that this Dawn would still be as helpless and weak as the true one.
So, Tara entered with the cell with some concerns. Upon seeing the girl, however, her concern dissipated. She fit the image of her own Dawn. Weak. Helpless. Scared.
"No, but I sure hate you," she spat out.
"What, you don't recognize me?" Tara prodded as she stepped closer to the cage. Dawn gasped.
"T-t-tara?" she whispered.
"Oh, you do recognize me. I'm touched."
Dawn quickly got over her shock and just said simply, "Whatever you're after, I won't help you."
"Oh, but you don't have a choice," Tara told her.
Dawn was tempted to show vampire Tara a little something, but decided against it. Things would work themselves, she assured herself.
"Whatever," she huffed and went into the corner.
"So, I'm not a vampire in your dimension," Tara said, slightly disappointed. She hated her human self very much. So weak and timid. Not the way a powerful witch should ever act. But now she had become even more powerful than that.
"No, you're in a mental hospital," Dawn spat out.
"Really?" Tara asked, now intrigued about this Dawn's dimension.
"Yeah," Dawn said sadly. "Willow couldn't reverse the brain suck on you before she went and got killed by Glory."
"Wow, what else? Tell me about your dimension," Tara asked. Dawn sighed, hoping that if she distracted vampire Tara enough she could find an escape route. Or maybe he would come for her.
"Well, let's see. Anya left after the fight with Glory when Xander refused to leave Sunnydale. She said he would die just like Buffy and Willow and she couldn't watch him do that. So Xander moved in with me and he and I took care of each other. Giles sold the magic box and went back to England. He offered us a chance to come with him, but we couldn't leave. Xander got really mad at Giles for leaving us alone, so they haven't talked since. Spike left too. He said he just couldn't let go of Buffy. Seeing me just reminded him of her too much."
"So, you and Xander are the only scoobies left after Glory's attack?" Tara asked, becoming more and more amazed by this Dawn's world.
"Yup," Dawn sad quietly. It had been a long time since she had allowed herself to dwell on the heartache of her life. It had crushed her and nearly killed her. It still made her sad. But something had come. Something had made it better. For Dawn. Not for Xander, though.
A few weeks after the funerals, after they had buried Buffy and Willow he had told Dawn. Told her how much he had loved Buffy. How she was the only thing that brightened his day. He had given up on Buffy and tried to find comfort in Anya. She wasn't the one, he had told her. He loved her but he could never be completely hers. When she had asked him to leave Sunnydale that was the last straw. Anya knew Xander was a broken man and she couldn't watch it.
He hated the fact that he never told Buffy how he felt. He wanted her to know so much. Dawn assured him that she did, but it couldn't calm him. He was alone. Willow was gone. Died in a foolish rage as she tried to kill Glory. Giles could have helped, but he needed to deal with Buffy's death in his own way. Sunnydale had become a mess. The council wouldn't call another slayer. Xander and Dawn had done their best to stop the demons and vampires, but they weren't enough.
There was a glimmer of hope now. A small chance that her Sunnydale could be saved. It was Dawn's chance. Her chance to prove her friends hadn't died in vein. And she wasn't about to let a vampire version of one of her best friends stop her.
"What are you after?" Dawn questioned, standing back up to face Tara.
"What's this, a spot of bravery?" Tara mocked. "You are going to serve mistress Amy."
"Amy, who the hell is Amy?" Dawn demanded
The vampire guards gasped at her lack of respect and went to injure Dawn, but Tara stopped them.
"She knows no better," she calmed the guards. "Mistress Amy is the most powerful vampire witch ever. Your blood will make her invincible."
Dawn tried to mask her astonishment but knew she was failing. Then, a small memory in the back of her mind popped up. She giggled.
"What is so funny wench?!" Tara demanded, summoning an intimidation spell to frighten Dawn.
"Oh, nothing. Just I remember Amy now," Dawn chuckled. Tara's spell wasn't working. Dawn knew that whatever they needed Dawn for they needed her alive.
"And you do not cower in fear?" Tara screamed
"She's such a cute little rat. We give her a nice ball and hamster fed," Dawn mocked. Let's see how far we can push her, Dawn thought.
"How dare you. YOU insolent worm!" Tara was enraged. She was about to go after Dawn.
"Calm yourself my pet," Amy purred and appeared from the shadows, yet again.
"I'm sorry my mistress," Tara whispered and threw herself at Amy's feet.
"Up my love," Amy commanded. Tara was on her feet before the sentence was complete.
"So, you're the all powerful around these parts?" Dawn questioned. May as well see what this world is up against.
Amy advanced to the cage. She stood outside the bars and glanced at Dawn. Amy sensed the subtle difference. "Power in this one," she purred. "She has begun to harness it. But not completely." Amy contemplated this Dawn. She was still weak and scared and frail like the Dawn she had captured. But there was the budding of a great power. A power that Amy believed could stop her ritual. She was regretting her plan already. Amy had been fairly good about not miscalculating. Granted, Xander had surprised her as had the slayer's love for him. Still, she was in control of the situation. This Dawn could cause things to spiral out of control.
"Tara, at sunset send a portion of the army to the Summers house. If they succeed we will have the true key. If they fail at least the slayer will believe we still have intentions to get her key. Perhaps they will leave Sunnydale until after the solstice, and they will be out of the way."
"Yes my mistress," Tara replied and quickly left the cell to make arrangements.
"As for you my dear Dawn," Amy threatened as she shook the cage. "I have great plans for you."
SUMMERS HOUSE
Xander heard Dawn's cries and felt his stomach drop. He wanted to help, but he knew there was nothing he could do. William clasped his shoulder. "I know mate, I know," he told him.
"We have to stop her," Xander said. "I mean obviously, but I mean," Xander searched for what he wanted to say.
"For Tara," Giles said simply. "And Anya."
"Yes," Xander replied, relieved Giles had said it and not him. Then he felt a large pang of guilt. "I should go see her today."
"No," Angel said forcefully. "You have to stay protected. We'll do our best to stop Amy before she completes the ritual, but if we fail you're the last line of defense. Amy knows this and she'll have troops looking for a chance to grab you."
"You're right Angel. I just feel bad."
"I can go, send her warm wishes," Oz offered. "I feel out of place here anyway. Maybe I could help Anya out, two misfits helping each other."
"That's very kind of you Oz," Giles told him. This hadn't been what Giles had in mind when he had returned to Sunnydale. Help them stop Amy and go home. That had been his goal. Now he remembered why these children had grown on him so much. As annoying as they all could be at times, they had hearts unlike any he had ever seen. He was becoming reattached to them. A small part of him whispered that if they stopped Amy he'd never be able to leave again.
"Giles," Xander said suddenly, snapping Giles trace. "Train me. Like you trained Buffy."
"Xander, the training routine that Buffy endures is setup for a slayer. I suppose I could teach you proper stances and the like," Giles offered him.
"No," Xander responded determined. "I need to train like Buffy. I need to be so exhausted that I can't go on, and then manage to go on."
"Xander, I never even trained like Buffy," Angel told him. Angel had never liked Xander much, for the most part because he had never like Angel, but Xander's bravery was impressive. Stupid, he mused, but impressive.
"Yeah, but you have super strength. You can endure a lot. I have to learn how to do that, and fast," Xander insisted. He knew what he had to do, and he wouldn't be put off.
"Xander," William said from behind him, "Of course we'll help you in anyway you need. It's just that a routine like that could leave you too weak to actually put it into use." The Spike part of William growled at Xander. You idiot, run like hell, you aren't cut out for this.
"Well, I have two days to get into slayer shape, let's get going," Xander replied.
MAGIC BOX TRAINING ROOM
Fist to the left. Fist to the right. Leg to the head. Leg to the feet. And Xander crumpled to the ground like a wet towel.
"Ow, oh and by the way OW!" He grumbled as William and Giles yanked him back to his feet.
Despite the fact that Xander might be their last chance to save the world, Buffy had to laugh.
"What are you laughing at woman?" Xander demanded.
"Just that you actually asked for this punishment."
"Don't remind me," he grumbled as William and Giles threw punches and kicks at him again. They repeated the process for about a half-hour. Punch, kick, Xander fall, get back up, repeat.
That was all Buffy could take of watching the man she loved get pummeled. She left the training room and went back to the store part of the magic box. Willow was reading a big spell book, looking for a spell to tamper Amy's power enough that they could kill her before it came down to Xander. Dawn was staring absently out the window. Faith was stretching, trying to loosen her mind as well as her body. It was coming, and they could all feel it.
Angel and Cordelia had stayed at the house until dark. Then they would be coming over as well. It had been decided that if Amy made a move of any sort, the house would be the first place she'd strike. So, they were moving to the Magic Box for the next two nights. Then, well there might not be anything left to go home too. Stop that, Buffy told herself, we will stop her.
"Too bad we can't just blow Amy up," Dawn mumbled, breaking the staring match she was having with her reflection in the window.
"Dawn, that's it!" Willow exclaimed as she sat bolt upright in her seat. The idea had come to her crystal clear now.
"What's it Wil?" Buffy asked. Maybe she's got a plan.
"I've got a plan," Willow said and called the other girls to her. "I think that we might be able to stop, well at least slow, Amy with high tech weaponry. Hand to hand, only Buffy and Faith stand a chance. But remember how we stopped the Judge. We could do the same thing."
"I could actually afford to buy the weapons too," Buffy commented.
"Hey, that's our money," Dawn whined.
"You can't take it with ya kid," Faith retorted. Willow had a good idea. If nothing else it could help take out Amy's minions. Dawn made a hmmmph noise, but Willow continued.
"Relax Dawn. We'll still have to steal it. The army doesn't go around selling high power weaponry to civilians. The best plan, I think, would be for me, Xander and Buffy to break into the military instillation."
"No way, Xander has to stay protected," Buffy demanded.
"Xander still has all that army stuff inside his head. Besides, who else is going to be the army guy? Pick an English guy, William? Giles?" Willow asked.
"I hate to admit it, but she's got a point," Faith conceded. "Besides, between me, William, Angel and Giles I think the kid will be in good hands."
Buffy was not a fan of this idea. She knew Dawn would be protected but Xander was going to be in enough danger as it was. They didn't need to be adding to it. The slayer prepared herself for another round of objections, but when she saw Willow's resolve face in place, she bit back the words.
"Fine. But I want to make sure Xander gets back in one piece."
"Wouldn't have it any other way," Willow agreed and broke into a smile.
RUINS OF SUNNYDALE HIGH
He crept slowly around the rubble that was once a place of higher education. He wasn't exactly sure when the ritual was to take place, but he sure knew where. He was camping. Which, of course, left his mind to wander. He had been content to just dream of his love. But then images of what would have to happen to her started to intrude on his pleasant thoughts. So, he decided to take a walk around where the famous slayer and slayerettes had gone to school in this dimension.
He soon realized that this place was nothing like it had been when they had gone to school there. He knew that, just seemed like the thing to do. Hey, he told himself, all those people look at the ruins of Rome and say this is where the Romans lived, why can't I do the same?
He came upon the hellmouth itself. He didn't need a map or a guess. He could feel it. The energy. The darkness. It flowed from the mouth like water from a stream. The power here could destroy a world. In more than one way.
He was about to contemplate this more, when the sword he carried at his side began to glow. He whipped it out and searched the area. They came out of the woodwork, literally. Six vampires and ten demons of some kind. His mind recognized the breeds, but pushed those thoughts out of his head. The demons charged at him first. He swung the blade, which seemed to hum as it sliced the air, in a circle. He heard them screech in pain as the cold blade opened their thick skin.
He wasn't looking for a long fight. He shouldn't be having this at all, but he had no choice now. He reached into a pouch at the side of his belt, and pulled out some pink dust. He scattered it around himself and chanted, "Enumbre, enflamne, enrupte!" Then, he swung his sword around in a circle. The dust turned to flame and followed the path of his sword. The demons and vamps stood no chance and were no more, burnt to the ground.
He returned the sword, which was no longer glowing, to its sheathe and returned to his hiding spot. That was smooth, he told himself. He remembered his father's last words to him as he stepped through the portal.
"You must not become involved. No matter what the changes, you must allow things to take their natural course or she will never meet you in that dimension. If they see you, you will change that dimension in a way it should not be. You would not wish to rob yourself of her, would you?"
"Of course not papa, I promise, I will not intervene. If I have to, I will watch her die and bring her body back," he had said.
"Good. If she dies in that dimension, we can revive her, as long as you have not altered the events of that dimension. If so, all hope is gone."
"I promise papa."
He had no idea whether or not what he just did counted as altering the events of this dimension. He prayed to God that it didn't, or his mission was already a failure.
SUMMERS HOUSE
The sun was going to set soon. Cordelia had packed everything up and looked at Angel. He had been extremely moody since the gang had left. She hadn't even attempted to talk to him about it. Since our last talk had gone so smoothly, she lamented. She was about to get the bags when Angel grabbed her arm.
"Go out the back and get to the shop, now!" He commanded.
"What's this all about?" Cordelia asked, more than a little concerned. Angel only acted like this when he felt she was in great danger. Which was way too often for her taste.
"Demons are coming. I can smell them," he whispered, reaching the weapons chest and looking for something large and pointy.
"Okay, did I need the details. Demons are coming isn't enough? Eww," she had never gotten used to that part of being a vampire in all the time she had known him.
"Just GO!" He ordered. She slipped out the back door and he turned to the front one, brandishing a large ax. Couldn't have left me anything more mobile, he cursed at the absent scooby gang.
He rushed outside to find sixteen nasty looking demons. Angel wanted to get the element of surprise. Sixteen to one odds were bad, even for him. He didn't even get that chance.
"Hey, it's Angel," a sticky defla demon called. Why do they all have so much mucus, Angel wondered. Angel vamped out and charged the group. He buried his ax into the defla demon's head and pulled it out, after a few second struggle to get it out of his oozing head. That's going to cost me, he suspected and awaited the onslaught to come.
"Hey, we had a deal!" an angry looking trifita demon said, waving it's three arms at Angel.
"Yeah, well take it up with Amy," he said as he began to swing his ax towards arm number one. He stopped it mid strike. They haven't attack yet, he thought. "What deal?" he asked cautiously.
"Not in the open you idiots," a hairy demon that Angel didn't recognize growled. "The house!"
Angel contemplated this for a moment. They still have 15-1 odds, they could take me if they really wanted. But this might be a ploy to get into the house and get after Dawn. Who isn't there so what does it matter, he reminded himself. "All right," he said and then the hairy demon began to run at Angel, motioning for him to do the same. They ran until they were inside the house.
"Better," the hairy demon, who was obviously the demon group's leader, said. "My name is Gri'fligh. Why did you kill my man?"
"You came here to kill us, so I figured I would take a few of you with me."
"I thought surely Spike would have told you. I know we have to be careful, but really," Gri muttered.
"You had a deal with SPIKE!" Angel cried.
"No sssso loud," another demon hissed. "Ssshe hasss eyyyess and earrrrsss evvverywherre."
"Tell me about this deal," Angel replied, much quieter. The demon was right. Amy had a very good knack for knowing what her opponents had been doing and even thinking.
"Spike called the Ravig demon that tended bar at the Crypt. Offered us a deal. When the bitch tries to harness the hellmouth, we come in and take out the vampire army," Gri started. "About three fourths of the demons are with us. The other quarter, well." he trailed off.
"But you all work for Amy," Angel said, incredibly confused.
"We hate it," a demon spoke up.
"Many demons do fight for an overlord, that's true," Gri went on. "But, it's all about showmanship. We all want to bring the world to its knees or send it to hell. Or kill a slayer," he added comically, ignoring Angel's glare. "But this bitch is too powerful. She doesn't care about our kind. She just uses us and discards us. We'll choose who we want to serve, not be told. Plus, she doesn't even want to destroy this world, just rule it. We want our lives back."
"What about the code against fighting your own kind?" Angel asked, not sure why he was fighting their help so much. It certainly explained why William was so confident about the vampire army being out of the picture.
"She started it," Gri growled in a childish manner. "She destroyed all those who would not serve her. She doesn't even fight, just uses blasted magic. Enough is enough. Spike told us what the ritual would make her. We demons are not puppets!"
"Fine," Angel said. "So if you can't risk telling me this, why are you here?"
"Amy sent us to get the key. She sent a pack of vamps too, but we killed them. We killed the other demon who still served Amy. It is probably better you killed Kazx, she won't be so suspicious."
"How could you take a chance like this?" Angel demanded.
"She's weak from the fight with the slayer, and too preoccupied with her new toy."
"Toy?"
"The other girl, the one we were supposed to capture," Gri finished.
Amy was weak. And distracted. The thought hit Angel like a freight truck. He had an idea.
"All right. Here's the plan. You go back, tell Amy we were prepared for an attack, did some serious damage so you pulled out to regroup. You did another sweep of the house and we were gone. That's the story. That way you didn't abandon your mission," Angel told them.
Gri nodded. "Good. Remember, Spike promised that the slayer couldn't touch us for at least three months after this all goes down. Same for the damn groupies."
"Of course," Angel said, mildly amused that this demon who wasn't afraid to stand up to all-powerful Amy had fear struck in him by the likes of Xander Harris, Willow Rosenburg, and Spike.
The demons left. Angel thought for a few moments. He made a quick phone call and left the house.
MAGIC BOX
William came in from the back room and greeted the group. The girls had just finished bringing the two watchers and Xander up on their plan when the phone had rung.
"Who was it love," Faith asked.
William had to smile at the use of his favorite name for her. "Angel. Said some demons came looking for us, but he took care of it. Said he had some kind of errand to run and he'd be here later. Cordy should come barreling through the door in a few moments and say something like," but he was cut off as, on cue, Cordelia burst through the door.
"Demons, Angel, house!"
"We know, he called, on a mission," Buffy replied.
"Oh, well that's just great. I run all the way here because Angel has some cryptic warning about smelling demons, which is so gross by the way, and now he's not even here. Typical."
Xander had to smile at his former girlfriend as he, Buffy, and Willow got up from the war table to head off.
"Do be careful," Giles said, genuinely concerned.
"When aren't we G-man?" Xander smiled at him, which failed to comfort Giles in the least.
"Was that a rhetorical question or would you actually like me to answer that?" he responded.
The original trio just smiled and headed out the door.
"Where the hell are they going?" a very confused Cordelia demanded. "And where was Angel going? He didn't say anything about a mission when I was there."
"Just let it go Cord, it's better that way," Dawn piped up from the chair she was in, continuing to stare at her reflection in the window. It's real but I'm not, she kept repeating to herself in her head. From time to time the other's words invaded her mind, but for the most part she was glued to her internal struggle. Then she imagined other Dawn going through the same thing.
SEWER
Where the hell are they? Dawn wondered. She had expected one of them to get her. It's not like they can't do it, she thought. Hell, maybe I could, no bad idea. She wasn't quite there yet. But she might be soon. If she ever got home.
"What's wrong dear?" Amy asked. Dawn sighed, annoyed. Amy had been appearing and disappearing all day. She wasn't sure what Amy was after just that she was trying to break Dawn's spirits. Dawn was not giving in easily. But she had to admit, the longer she was stuck in the cage the more she despaired. Amy was very powerful she could feel it. And Dawn couldn't help that whenever she looked into Amy's eyes her mind became muddled. It was mind control of some type she had been shown how it worked before. Unfortunately that didn't mean Dawn could resist it. Amy was so powerful and the look in her eyes seemed to pierce directly into Dawn's mind.
No, can't give her an edge. But it was too late.
"I see you like my eyes," Amy purred at her. Dawn was not a big fan of having her mind read.
"Bite me," she spat out without thought.
"I plan to, soon," she told the girl. Bad choice of words Dawn, she chastised herself. "Not yet though. I thought, perhaps, you and I might get to know each other," Amy whispered seductively.
"That's gross," Dawn told her, despite the fact that it didn't repulse her at all. In fact. No, stop that Dawn.
She had become very comfortable around Willow and Tara. She found them cute and romantic. Even though she had sensed Buffy and Xander had not accepted it right away. Still, it wasn't exactly a lifestyle she was interested in. The thoughts of her dead and empty family members snapped her trance some.
"I'm not planning on hanging around long enough for us to get to know each other at all!"
"Really. Well, what if I told you that things were different in this dimension?" Amy asked.
That was the one thing Dawn didn't want to know about. She had sensed that her dimension was much darker than this one, judging by how excited vampire Tara had been about her world. Dawn just told herself, as long as I don't know what this world is like my world is always better.
"Not interested," Dawn said, trying to put a brave front on.
"All the more reason for me to tell you," Amy decided. Dawn realized that Amy was setting her up either way, so she sighed and sat down. "Willow saved my dearest Tara during the battle. Anya doesn't leave Xander, and Spike stays to take care of you."
Dawn sighed some more. That would be nice, but still it's not that much better.
"Oh, did I mention that Willow doesn't die."
Dawn perked up a little, her eyes close to watering. Willow was alive. But it wasn't her Willow.
"And you know what that little witch did, besides restore me?" Amy questioned. Dawn remained silent. "She brought Buffy back."
Amy's words hung in the air. Buffy. Alive. Hope sprung through Dawn. Her sister could be saved, revived by magic. Dawn's mind quickly rejected this.
"Lie."
"Truth," Amy said, putting her hand over her unbeating heart. "Vampire's honor."
"You have no honor," Dawn retorted.
"True enough," Amy shrugged. "Still, the big B is back in town."
If it was true. No, I can't rush into something like that. They wouldn't hear of it. It can be done though, she thought. Xander would be so happy. She could restore the two people she loved most. Buffy's restoration would bring back happy, loving Xander. It was something to think about.
"Little deary, you actually think you'll live long enough to save her in your dimension. Fool. Even if you managed to get back to your home, which you won't, it takes a special brand of magic to raise the dead. You would fail," Amy laughed. She was telling Dawn all of her worst fears. Giving her hope, only to snatch it away. She was trying to break Dawn's spirit. It was working.
"Poor little one," Amy said softly, opening the cage door and entering.
This is my chance, Dawn told herself. She steadied herself to make a charge for the exit, but Amy's eyes stopped her. They engulfed her. There was hope in them. It wasn't real, a small part of Dawn's mind told her, but it was quickly snuffed out by the overwhelming pleasure she felt looking at Amy's eyes.
"Obey," Amy said. The word penetrated through Dawn's mind. It made her feel good and safe. It was what she wanted to do most in the world. Obey.
"Yes," she spoke the word automatically. Then something reached her. It gave her strength. Power flooded into Dawn and she pushed Amy out of her head.
"NO!" She cried and waves of energy left Dawn's body and slammed into Amy. Amy crashed into her own guards and they all fell into a pile. Dawn ran out of the cell and headed for the sense. It had awoken her. It was indirect but it was there and it was her trigger. She was stopped by Tara's fist.
"Going somewhere?" she asked and let loose her own bolts of magical energy. Dawn was thrown back into the cage and the door slammed closed behind her. Dawn tried to summon her power again, but it was gone.
"Mistress, are you hurt?" Tara asked as she bent next to Amy, her eyes never leaving Dawn.
"Fine," Amy replied brushing herself off and standing. "Thought we could do this the easy way, but apparently not." Amy looked at Dawn and fire erupted around the girl. "Hope you like the heat," she said and went to regain her strength.
Good job Dawn, she whined to herself as she sat in the ring of fire. Was it her imagination or was it moving closer to her. They may need me alive, but apparently not unharmed. At least he was here, she thought trying to take solace in that thought.
STREETS
"RED LIGHT BUFFY!" Willow screeched from the back seat of the SUV.
"I see it," Buffy told Willow calmly as she slammed on the brakes. "Would you like to drive little miss back seat driver?" Buffy asked.
"Yesss!" Willow hissed back. It has been a long car ride. Buffy was very preoccupied with the plan to get inside of the military installation, stopping Amy, and keeping Xander safe. Driving hadn't been a high priority on her list.
"Relax Wil," Xander soothed. "Buffy will be just fine. Sweetie, pedestrian," Xander said calmly. Buffy again slammed on the brakes to avoid nailing someone in a crosswalk.
"Didn't even know we had crosswalks in Sunnydale," Buffy mentioned.
"You are really full of the comfort aren't you Buffy?" Willow muttered.
"Boy, I sure filled out since the whole Initiative ordeal," Xander commented as he tugged at the military outfit he was decked out in.
"That's what a couple of years of hard, manual labor will to do you," Buffy said as she ran her hand over Xander's much more developed chest. I wish I could have seen this in him a long time ago, it would have saved me a lot of heartbreak, Buffy thought. "I bet you get all hot and don't even have to wear a shirt," she teased Xander.
"Hey, I don't wear a shirt you don't get to wear a shirt. Seems fair to me," he played along.
"Hey. Hey! HEY!" Willow called. "I'm still here you know." She smiled despite her words. The thought of her two best friends together still made her feel warm inside. She loved them both so much. They had been her rocks when she had needed them most. The thought of their love made Willow's memory recall her own love. She sighed. When the ritual was over she would need them like she had never needed them before. Much more then when Oz had left her. But she wouldn't allow herself to grieve her lost love. Not until they had guaranteed that they would be around do to that grieving.
"Wil," Xander called gently. "We're here."
She blinked. They had pulled the SUV up to a meter that was about a ten-minute walk from the installation. Giles had suggested they park far away, even though it meant they would have to lug the weapons further. Willow was planning to use a levitation spell to help out with that.
"Right," she said and hoped out of the big car. She examined her friends. Buffy had draped a white scientist coat on. Xander had his extremely tight commando gear on and was holding the fake gun he had once given Spike. Willow was wearing, well normal clothes. "Should I have changed?"
"You look fine Wil. Perfect for the plan," Buffy assured her.
"Okay," she sighed. "Do you remember everything Xander?" she asked. She had used her somewhat rusty hacker skills to get him the name of a private who had taken a leave of absence for Christmas. She had also found that this private was a weapons expert. Which was perfect for them. Xander would get into the weapons area supposedly to show off his expertise to his sister, Willow and the girl he was trying to impress, Buffy. Buffy, in turn, was playing a weapons designer from the base. The only problem was that she was still on the grounds. So if she had come earlier in the day or came while they were there their cover would be blown.
"It's all up here," he said pointing to his head. She nodded and they walked in silence. They approached the private who was on duty outside of the weapon area. Xander took a deep breath to steady his nerves. Vampires scared him but at least he knew what they were going to do and he was allowed to hurt them. Military men were often unpredictable, plus they have guns not fangs for weapons. And to be fair, they were breaking into a military instillation to steal weapons.
"Hey there," he barked out.
The private leveled his gun on Xander. "Name and rank," he demanded.
"Private Jerry Walsh, weapons expert," Xander replied. The private lowered his gun slightly.
"They told me you were on leave."
"I am. I came up here to show my sister what I do. Plus, I ran into Professor Marie," Xander said, gesturing to Willow and Buffy respectively.
The private narrowed his eyes. "I thought I heard you had a steady girl on the outside."
Buffy stepped right in. "I'm just here as a friend. Plus, you know me I do so love weapons." I do so love weapons. That was clever Buffy, she thought sarcastically.
"This is against protocol," the private said determined.
"Yeah, well it's not as much fun on the outside when your steady drops you a week before Christmas," Xander told him, trying out a glare he had reserved for Angel back in the day.
The private's eyes dropped. "Sorry to hear that," he sighed. "Ten minutes. If I get caught," he trailed off.
"I'll take responsibility," Buffy offered.
"Okay," he decided.
As the private walked by Xander grabbed his arm. "Hey, look, I'm trying to make her see me as more than her weapons friend."
"I hear she likes it when guys show her how to use it. The range is closed, but so is this building so what the hell right," the private said sympathetically and walked off.
Xander joined the girls inside. "That was easy."
"I do so love weapons?" Willow asked.
"You try coming up with something witty in this outfit," Buffy challenged her friend.
Xander began to eye the shelves of weapons. He found several boxes with the weapon codes he was looking for. "I hate to thank Ethan for anything, but this military stuff sure has been handy."
"Yeah," Buffy whispered as she checked for more boxes with the code numbers Xander had written down in the car. Willow was searching for a few smaller boxes.
"Oh, got one," she squealed in delight. It brought a smile to Xander and Buffy's faces. They missed the old carefree innocent Willow. She could never be truly the same, not after the whole Rax fiasco and Tara's death, but maybe they could help her get some of the old Willow back.
Buffy brushed up against Xander's arm. She smiled. "Hey, do you remember when we snuck into the Initiative the first time?"
"It was all a blur really. It happened so fast," Xander mused. "Though, the costumes were the same."
"Do you remember when we were almost discovered?" she asked mischievously.
Xander thought for a moment. Then he just shrugged. "Not really."
Buffy made a pouty face. "You told me scientist and soldiers,"
"Always kissed in the movies," Xander replied as the memory came back to him. "I was always looking to cop a feel," he chuckled at himself.
"I wish I had let you kiss me," she whispered. "I would have known then and there that you were my true love."
Her words made his heart jump. Buffy Summers just said that. The most perfect woman ever told him that. He felt his head spin a little. Say something sweet in return, he told himself. "Can we try that now?" That was not romantic you idiot, he told himself.
Buffy stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. She had actually been hoping for a response like that. She had begun to really know Xander. He was sweet, kind, and gentle. He had even toned his humor down a little. But whenever something really floored him he lost the brain to mouth filter that stopped words from just coming out. She was glad she could floor him like that.
Willow gave the couple a minute, then cleared her throat. "Excuse me, but we have to escape before the big men with the real guns come for us."
They broke their embrace and laughed. Their faces were beat red with embarrassment. Willow came over and hugged them.
"I didn't mean anything. I am so happy for you guys. You won't forget about me will you?" she asked. Woops, should have thought about the words before they came out.
"Willow, we could never forget about you," Buffy told her. "I mean, when we fight who else could serve as the mediator. Who else could ever be both of our best friends? Who else could be the brains of this operation? Who else could be the best friend on earth. Or heaven. Or hell for the matter, I did make a quick stop there."
"My God Buffy," Xander exclaimed. "I'm rubbing off on you." He turned to Willow. "I swear Willow, no one will ever replace you. The three of us, we're a team. Always have been and we always will be, especially now. You have always been there for me. Whether I fell down and hurt my knee or got rejected by my dream girl, you were always the one I went to for help. I will always be there for you. So will Buffy," Xander finished and wrapped the two people he would give his life a million times for into a huge bear hug.
"Thanks guys," Willow muffled, tears threatening her eyes. It meant so much to her that she would always have them to count on. She'd read enough books and see enough movies and TV shows where a group of friends was split when two of them got together. Not the slayerettes.
"I hate to ruin this moment, but Willow was right. We have to get out of here," Buffy said. How selfish was I. I was upset that they brought me out of heaven and I missed out on how lucky I really was to have these people in my life. I can never push anyone away again. She paused for a moment as they gathered the boxes together for Willow to levitate. "Willow, Xander, I just wanted you guys to know that there aren't two people in the world I would rather help me raise Dawn then you."
Xander and Willow smiled at Buffy. Things were the same. Like they were in high school. But they were different. They had changed and grown so much, it could never be exact. This was better. They had been through so many tests. They had grown apart. And they had come back together, stronger than ever. They were adults. Those thoughts were both wonderful and terrifying to Xander.
But now all that could end. Amy could destroy it all. Xander refused to let that happen. I will give my life if it saves theirs, he decided. Because he knew they would do the same for him.
MAGIC BOX
Dawn had fallen asleep in a chair. Giles watched her with a great deal of sadness. He wished that he had done a better job protecting her. She had been sent to the slayer, but he was the watcher. He should have done something different or known better. Maybe then Buffy wouldn't have died. That's over now Rupert, he told himself. It still didn't help his current problem. Dawn was deeply depressed. He couldn't blame her. It wasn't her fault that Tara had died. Then again, it hadn't been his fault that Jenny had died. He had blamed himself for months. And he was a watcher and grown adult. Dawn was just a child.
Faith had her head resting on William's shoulder watching Giles and Dawn. They were grieving for their fallen friend. Faith couldn't help but wonder if she had caused this kind of pain to the people she had killed. She wasn't that person anymore but it didn't matter. She had still done it.
"One thing at a time luv," William whispered, seeming to read her thoughts. "You have changed. You aren't the person that caused that kind of pain. But you still have to make up for it. And you will," he told her, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her even closer to him.
Faith sighed a little. His words had made her feel better. He always had that effect on her. She was scared, though. In two days they would face their greatest challenge. It wasn't unreasonable to assume that any number of them could die. If she lost William and managed to live, she wondered which Faith would be inside her.
William sighed deeply. The mood of the entire room was depression. And he had to admit that he felt the same. Amy could pull this off. Xander was a good man, but could he stop the vessel of the apocalypse? He hoped that the weapons Buffy, Willow and Xander were stealing would make that a moot point. But he knew deep inside that it would come down to Xander. Which made him wonder why the PTB had deemed William so important. He knew that as well. Faith would be needed to help tomorrow. Without her Amy would be able to focus all her attention on Buffy. Faith was equally as big a threat.
And if Faith dies, she may not be damned. But Amy had told him she still was. And it was that simple. It was a fifty-fifty chance. Faith may or may not have done enough to save herself. If she lived through it, she would. I'd die for her, he thought. I've lived long enough, had my time, she hasn't.
Yeah, but what's left of her if we die? Spike asked.
Let's hope the girl I love.
We.
We, William conceded to Spike.
William thought about his meeting with the PTB. They had told him to save Faith. They had told him that Amy could pull this off if they didn't help. They told him that Angel was on his way to redemption. They told him Xander would become one of the most pivotal players in the entire game. They told him he needed to be human to complete his mission. And they had also told him that if Amy won, he would suffer forever. He had accepted the challenge, and now he was worried.
Faith and I have done so little to help. The only thing I've done is start an all out war between Vampires and Demons that will end if Amy wins, he thought. Faith has been great in the fight, but she hasn't had her real test yet and then what?
So involved with their own thoughts were they, none of them heard the back door to the magic shop open or those who entered and came upon a sleeping Cordelia Chase.
SEWERS
He crept behind them. They had no idea he was even around. He just hoped that his presence hadn't already been detected or this would be a short trip. One of the demons growled and he prepared himself for an attack, but it didn't come. The demon lashed his tongue out and snatched up a rat. He blew a sigh out.
He had been able to follow unnoticed since he left. It hadn't been hard to catch up with them after they had left the Summers' house. Now he had reached the difficult part. He had to slip undetected through all the demons and vampires.
He followed the group of demons through the twists and turns of the sewers. He was hoping they would lead him right to Amy. This place is amazing, he thought. I can feel the demonic energy just teeming off this place. This is what hell was like, except without the torture.
Suddenly, the demons took a turn and disappeared from sight. He walked slowly and softly to that section. He felt around for a trap door or magical barrier. He could find nothing. Something is off, he thought. Why haven't I seen any other vampires or demons?
"Please, do come in," he heard a voice call. "I've been expecting you."
He swallowed. It was Amy's voice, he was sure. It was never a good sign if she was expecting something. She had been able to predict the gang's moves every time. He turned to escape but was greeted by at least twenty vampires appearing from another section of the sewer system in the same manor the demons he was following had disappeared.
"Really. It is truly rude to sneak into someone's home and then refuse an invitation," Amy's voice called out.
He had no choice now. He was sure this had been a bad idea now. Here goes nothing, he thought. He walked through the section the demons had disappeared in and found his surroundings change. He now stood in a large open platform. He recognized it as the old Sunnydale underground train station. It was about fifty feet below the surface and the trains would climb the steep hill to the tracks. It had been shut down when more passengers were killed then those who made it onto their trains. The sewer doesn't lead to the train station, he thought.
Amy stood before him on the platform. She was surrounded by a hundred vampires. Among them was Tara, who stood behind Amy to her right.
"I was beginning to doubt my vision. I thought you weren't going to come," Amy told him. "But I'm glad you did. Welcome. Angelous."
TO BE CONTINUED
Please, please, please send me feedback. Anything. If you read it just send me a quick 1-10 rating, or a word, good or bad. It means so much to me if people read my stories.
Rating: R
Plans
Buffy had actually managed to have a pleasant sleep. Her nightmares hadn't come for a change. She rolled over on her side and felt- nothing. That broke her from her dreamless sleep. She looked around quickly, and couldn't find Xander anywhere. She jumped out of bed and checked the bathroom that was also empty. She was starting to get very concerned. Willow had disappeared two days ago in a similar manner.
"Xander!" she called, running down the steps.
A sound in the kitchen had brought Angel to consciousness. At first he ignored it assuming it was just one of the gang getting something to drink. Then he heard Buffy's frantic call. He rolled off the couch and into the kitchen in one motion. He was about to deck whoever was in there, but was able to stop at the last moment.
"Watch it there."
"Xander?" Angel questioned. "What the hell are you doing?"
"What? A guy can't make a thanks for saving my life breakfast for his friends?" Xander asked the vampire.
Angel looked around the kitchen and found that Xander had made a feast that Emeril would have been jealous of. He had pancakes, sausage, bacon, biscuits, crepes, eggs, toast, bagels, waffles, coffee, tea, orange juice, and hot chocolate. He had set that up, along with fresh fruit and several different jams and jellies.
"Xander!" Buffy called again as she made her way to the first floor of the house.
"In here hon," he called to her. He smiled at Angel. "Got something for you too."
"Xander, you scared.wow," she had started to yell at him, but his feast had distracted her.
"Get the others honey," Xander told her. "Time to start the day out right."
"This is incredible," she whispered. Wow dies for me and he can cook, she thought.
"What is all the commotion? Oh my," Giles exclaimed as he walked, rather stiffly, into the kitchen.
"Get everyone it should all be ready in a minute," Xander repeated to Buffy. He was acting humble on the outside, but he was secretly jumping for joy. Hey, if cooking can work for Willow it can certainly work for me.
Within a few minutes, thanks to Buffy and the increasing scent of Xander's cooking, the entire group had made their way into the kitchen. Xander had begun to place the food on plates setting the island and table for the ten of them.
"Help yourselves to drinks," he told them as they wandered in. Giles and William poured themselves cups of tea. Dawn and Buffy had hot chocolate. Willow, Cordelia, and Faith had orange juice. Oz poured some coffee into a cup and then did the same and handed it to Xander who smiled appreciatively.
When Xander had finished dishing the food to serving plates he went over and picked up a dish he had simmering on the stove. By the time he had poured it into a mug there was little food left on the plates. Eating had been a small concern over the past few days and they were all starving. Xander was very pleased with himself. He took the liquid in the mug over to Angel.
"Here you go," he said as he handed it over. Angel sniffed at it.
"Blood?"
"Yeah, I remember Spike used to like it warm, so I simmered it to 98 degrees. Hope it's okay. I mean it's just butcher's blood."
Angel sniffed it again and dipped a finger in it.
"Oh will you please. Giles, tell him I wouldn't poison his blood," Xander commanded.
"What," Giles said with a mouthful of waffles. "Oh, yes Angel. I imagine if Xander had wanted to kill you, he would have done it already."
"Comforting," Angel quipped. "I don't usually take it warm."
"Why not?" Xander asked as he dumped some bacon and eggs onto his own plate.
"It's better that way," he said softly.
Xander understood. He would do nothing to give the demon inside of him an edge. Soul or no soul the demon inside a vampire was powerful. It had taken Buffy's love to give him enough control to be saved. Xander had questioned whether the whole ordeal wasn't a little too much like Angel, but for a moment in time, Xander had become a little too much like Angel. Now that he was normal Xander again, he had a new perspective. He no longer hated Angel. He wasn't Xander's favorite person in the world, but hatred wasn't the right word anymore. Glad that they didn't have to curse me, he thought. I wouldn't want to have that craving for blood everyday. One day in the life of Angel was more than enough.
"Well, I have some cold stuff in the fridge," Xander offered instead. "But, chances are you're going to be dead in a couple of days. May as well live it up."
"I'll take the cold stuff," Angel replied. He had sensed yesterday that Xander's hatred of him had died a little. He had figured it was because Xander knew he had Buffy all to himself as his true love. Now he wasn't sure.
"Okay," Xander said and opened the fridge to toss Angel a packet of cold blood.
"Thanks," Angel said as he caught the bag of blood.
Buffy looked around her. Everyone was greedily eating her boyfriend's cooking. It was an excellent meal. It was something normal. Despite everything going on in his life her boyfriend had managed to bring a sense of normalcy to things. Again.
When he sat down next to her she slipped her hand into his.
"This is wonderful," she said, spooning a bite of a crepe into her mouth.
"Glad you liked it. Just my way of thanking you all for what you did for me," Xander said.
"And we'd do it again if things ever came to that," Willow said. "So, maybe a pre-thanks for saving my life breakfast sometime?"
"No kidding," Faith agreed, hungrily dropping a piece of bacon into her mouth.
"Well, I was hoping I could bribe you guys. Didn't realize it'd be this easy," he teased.
They ate the rest of their breakfast feast. They were all stuffed. Xander got up to start cleaning, but Buffy would have none of it. "My cook doesn't have to clean too. That would just make you a maid," she teased.
"At your service my-lady," he said bowing.
"Come on normal boy, let us help out," Cordelia told him. So Xander, Oz, Giles, William and Angel made their way into the living room.
"I said normal boy, not all the boys!" Cordy yelled.
"Men, what ya gonna do," Willow muttered.
"I know what you're not going to do with em," Faith quipped.
Willow's face fell. You moron, Faith told herself. She just lost the woman of her dreams, and this is what you do.
"I'm sorry Willow," Faith said. "I didn't mean anything. It was just stupid." Faith realized that she was apologizing for things she never would have cared about before. And she meant it too. She was actually becoming a halfway decent human being.
"It's okay Faith. I know you didn't mean anything. I just miss her," she sighed and picked up a plate.
"We're here for you Wil," Buffy assured her and gave her a hug.
"All of us," Dawn reminded and squeezed Willow's arm.
"How are you doing Dawnie?" Willow asked. "I know how much you liked Tara."
"Who me, I'm fine," she started. After a moment she changed her mind. "It hurts. I'm tired of losing the people I love. And it's all my fault," Dawn said and collapsed on the floor. The tough exterior she had been putting up crumbled. She had lost her Mom, her sister, and now Tara. Buffy was back but it couldn't take away the months of pain she had gone through when she was gone. Tara had helped her through that summer so much, and now she was gone too. All because I'm the stupid key and all the evil in the world wants to capture me, she thought.
"It is not your fault Dawn," Buffy told her, pulling Dawn to her feet. "No more than it's my fault. You maybe the key, but I'm the slayer. People know the risks when they love us." Wow. I just keep coming up with deeper and deeper thoughts, Buffy mused.
"That doesn't take the pain away," Dawn sobbed.
"Of course it doesn't," Cordelia said and rubbed Dawn's shoulders. "But blaming yourself will only make it worse. Your sister knows. She used to blame herself for all kinds of things that weren't her fault. It only made her feel worse."
"Thanks Cordy," Buffy mumbled. "Look Dawn, everyone here loves you. And they willingly put themselves at risk because of that."
"But it's not like Tara chose to sacrifice herself, she was taken. All because Amy wanted to get to me. I HATE BEING THE KEY!" Dawn screamed. She broke down into tears again and Buffy just ran her hands through Dawn's hair.
SEWERS
"I HATE BEING THE KEY!" Dawn screamed. The vampire guards ignored her and each wondered again why they couldn't knock her out.
"Come now, you don't hate existing," Tara called as she entered the cell.
Dawn was locked in a steel cage deep within Amy's lair. Six vampire guards with swords were watching the cage. Amy had told Tara to be careful. They couldn't exactly be sure what this Dawn would be like. They had stolen her from the other dimension on the exact date it was in their dimension. Amy only hoped that this Dawn would still be as helpless and weak as the true one.
So, Tara entered with the cell with some concerns. Upon seeing the girl, however, her concern dissipated. She fit the image of her own Dawn. Weak. Helpless. Scared.
"No, but I sure hate you," she spat out.
"What, you don't recognize me?" Tara prodded as she stepped closer to the cage. Dawn gasped.
"T-t-tara?" she whispered.
"Oh, you do recognize me. I'm touched."
Dawn quickly got over her shock and just said simply, "Whatever you're after, I won't help you."
"Oh, but you don't have a choice," Tara told her.
Dawn was tempted to show vampire Tara a little something, but decided against it. Things would work themselves, she assured herself.
"Whatever," she huffed and went into the corner.
"So, I'm not a vampire in your dimension," Tara said, slightly disappointed. She hated her human self very much. So weak and timid. Not the way a powerful witch should ever act. But now she had become even more powerful than that.
"No, you're in a mental hospital," Dawn spat out.
"Really?" Tara asked, now intrigued about this Dawn's dimension.
"Yeah," Dawn said sadly. "Willow couldn't reverse the brain suck on you before she went and got killed by Glory."
"Wow, what else? Tell me about your dimension," Tara asked. Dawn sighed, hoping that if she distracted vampire Tara enough she could find an escape route. Or maybe he would come for her.
"Well, let's see. Anya left after the fight with Glory when Xander refused to leave Sunnydale. She said he would die just like Buffy and Willow and she couldn't watch him do that. So Xander moved in with me and he and I took care of each other. Giles sold the magic box and went back to England. He offered us a chance to come with him, but we couldn't leave. Xander got really mad at Giles for leaving us alone, so they haven't talked since. Spike left too. He said he just couldn't let go of Buffy. Seeing me just reminded him of her too much."
"So, you and Xander are the only scoobies left after Glory's attack?" Tara asked, becoming more and more amazed by this Dawn's world.
"Yup," Dawn sad quietly. It had been a long time since she had allowed herself to dwell on the heartache of her life. It had crushed her and nearly killed her. It still made her sad. But something had come. Something had made it better. For Dawn. Not for Xander, though.
A few weeks after the funerals, after they had buried Buffy and Willow he had told Dawn. Told her how much he had loved Buffy. How she was the only thing that brightened his day. He had given up on Buffy and tried to find comfort in Anya. She wasn't the one, he had told her. He loved her but he could never be completely hers. When she had asked him to leave Sunnydale that was the last straw. Anya knew Xander was a broken man and she couldn't watch it.
He hated the fact that he never told Buffy how he felt. He wanted her to know so much. Dawn assured him that she did, but it couldn't calm him. He was alone. Willow was gone. Died in a foolish rage as she tried to kill Glory. Giles could have helped, but he needed to deal with Buffy's death in his own way. Sunnydale had become a mess. The council wouldn't call another slayer. Xander and Dawn had done their best to stop the demons and vampires, but they weren't enough.
There was a glimmer of hope now. A small chance that her Sunnydale could be saved. It was Dawn's chance. Her chance to prove her friends hadn't died in vein. And she wasn't about to let a vampire version of one of her best friends stop her.
"What are you after?" Dawn questioned, standing back up to face Tara.
"What's this, a spot of bravery?" Tara mocked. "You are going to serve mistress Amy."
"Amy, who the hell is Amy?" Dawn demanded
The vampire guards gasped at her lack of respect and went to injure Dawn, but Tara stopped them.
"She knows no better," she calmed the guards. "Mistress Amy is the most powerful vampire witch ever. Your blood will make her invincible."
Dawn tried to mask her astonishment but knew she was failing. Then, a small memory in the back of her mind popped up. She giggled.
"What is so funny wench?!" Tara demanded, summoning an intimidation spell to frighten Dawn.
"Oh, nothing. Just I remember Amy now," Dawn chuckled. Tara's spell wasn't working. Dawn knew that whatever they needed Dawn for they needed her alive.
"And you do not cower in fear?" Tara screamed
"She's such a cute little rat. We give her a nice ball and hamster fed," Dawn mocked. Let's see how far we can push her, Dawn thought.
"How dare you. YOU insolent worm!" Tara was enraged. She was about to go after Dawn.
"Calm yourself my pet," Amy purred and appeared from the shadows, yet again.
"I'm sorry my mistress," Tara whispered and threw herself at Amy's feet.
"Up my love," Amy commanded. Tara was on her feet before the sentence was complete.
"So, you're the all powerful around these parts?" Dawn questioned. May as well see what this world is up against.
Amy advanced to the cage. She stood outside the bars and glanced at Dawn. Amy sensed the subtle difference. "Power in this one," she purred. "She has begun to harness it. But not completely." Amy contemplated this Dawn. She was still weak and scared and frail like the Dawn she had captured. But there was the budding of a great power. A power that Amy believed could stop her ritual. She was regretting her plan already. Amy had been fairly good about not miscalculating. Granted, Xander had surprised her as had the slayer's love for him. Still, she was in control of the situation. This Dawn could cause things to spiral out of control.
"Tara, at sunset send a portion of the army to the Summers house. If they succeed we will have the true key. If they fail at least the slayer will believe we still have intentions to get her key. Perhaps they will leave Sunnydale until after the solstice, and they will be out of the way."
"Yes my mistress," Tara replied and quickly left the cell to make arrangements.
"As for you my dear Dawn," Amy threatened as she shook the cage. "I have great plans for you."
SUMMERS HOUSE
Xander heard Dawn's cries and felt his stomach drop. He wanted to help, but he knew there was nothing he could do. William clasped his shoulder. "I know mate, I know," he told him.
"We have to stop her," Xander said. "I mean obviously, but I mean," Xander searched for what he wanted to say.
"For Tara," Giles said simply. "And Anya."
"Yes," Xander replied, relieved Giles had said it and not him. Then he felt a large pang of guilt. "I should go see her today."
"No," Angel said forcefully. "You have to stay protected. We'll do our best to stop Amy before she completes the ritual, but if we fail you're the last line of defense. Amy knows this and she'll have troops looking for a chance to grab you."
"You're right Angel. I just feel bad."
"I can go, send her warm wishes," Oz offered. "I feel out of place here anyway. Maybe I could help Anya out, two misfits helping each other."
"That's very kind of you Oz," Giles told him. This hadn't been what Giles had in mind when he had returned to Sunnydale. Help them stop Amy and go home. That had been his goal. Now he remembered why these children had grown on him so much. As annoying as they all could be at times, they had hearts unlike any he had ever seen. He was becoming reattached to them. A small part of him whispered that if they stopped Amy he'd never be able to leave again.
"Giles," Xander said suddenly, snapping Giles trace. "Train me. Like you trained Buffy."
"Xander, the training routine that Buffy endures is setup for a slayer. I suppose I could teach you proper stances and the like," Giles offered him.
"No," Xander responded determined. "I need to train like Buffy. I need to be so exhausted that I can't go on, and then manage to go on."
"Xander, I never even trained like Buffy," Angel told him. Angel had never liked Xander much, for the most part because he had never like Angel, but Xander's bravery was impressive. Stupid, he mused, but impressive.
"Yeah, but you have super strength. You can endure a lot. I have to learn how to do that, and fast," Xander insisted. He knew what he had to do, and he wouldn't be put off.
"Xander," William said from behind him, "Of course we'll help you in anyway you need. It's just that a routine like that could leave you too weak to actually put it into use." The Spike part of William growled at Xander. You idiot, run like hell, you aren't cut out for this.
"Well, I have two days to get into slayer shape, let's get going," Xander replied.
MAGIC BOX TRAINING ROOM
Fist to the left. Fist to the right. Leg to the head. Leg to the feet. And Xander crumpled to the ground like a wet towel.
"Ow, oh and by the way OW!" He grumbled as William and Giles yanked him back to his feet.
Despite the fact that Xander might be their last chance to save the world, Buffy had to laugh.
"What are you laughing at woman?" Xander demanded.
"Just that you actually asked for this punishment."
"Don't remind me," he grumbled as William and Giles threw punches and kicks at him again. They repeated the process for about a half-hour. Punch, kick, Xander fall, get back up, repeat.
That was all Buffy could take of watching the man she loved get pummeled. She left the training room and went back to the store part of the magic box. Willow was reading a big spell book, looking for a spell to tamper Amy's power enough that they could kill her before it came down to Xander. Dawn was staring absently out the window. Faith was stretching, trying to loosen her mind as well as her body. It was coming, and they could all feel it.
Angel and Cordelia had stayed at the house until dark. Then they would be coming over as well. It had been decided that if Amy made a move of any sort, the house would be the first place she'd strike. So, they were moving to the Magic Box for the next two nights. Then, well there might not be anything left to go home too. Stop that, Buffy told herself, we will stop her.
"Too bad we can't just blow Amy up," Dawn mumbled, breaking the staring match she was having with her reflection in the window.
"Dawn, that's it!" Willow exclaimed as she sat bolt upright in her seat. The idea had come to her crystal clear now.
"What's it Wil?" Buffy asked. Maybe she's got a plan.
"I've got a plan," Willow said and called the other girls to her. "I think that we might be able to stop, well at least slow, Amy with high tech weaponry. Hand to hand, only Buffy and Faith stand a chance. But remember how we stopped the Judge. We could do the same thing."
"I could actually afford to buy the weapons too," Buffy commented.
"Hey, that's our money," Dawn whined.
"You can't take it with ya kid," Faith retorted. Willow had a good idea. If nothing else it could help take out Amy's minions. Dawn made a hmmmph noise, but Willow continued.
"Relax Dawn. We'll still have to steal it. The army doesn't go around selling high power weaponry to civilians. The best plan, I think, would be for me, Xander and Buffy to break into the military instillation."
"No way, Xander has to stay protected," Buffy demanded.
"Xander still has all that army stuff inside his head. Besides, who else is going to be the army guy? Pick an English guy, William? Giles?" Willow asked.
"I hate to admit it, but she's got a point," Faith conceded. "Besides, between me, William, Angel and Giles I think the kid will be in good hands."
Buffy was not a fan of this idea. She knew Dawn would be protected but Xander was going to be in enough danger as it was. They didn't need to be adding to it. The slayer prepared herself for another round of objections, but when she saw Willow's resolve face in place, she bit back the words.
"Fine. But I want to make sure Xander gets back in one piece."
"Wouldn't have it any other way," Willow agreed and broke into a smile.
RUINS OF SUNNYDALE HIGH
He crept slowly around the rubble that was once a place of higher education. He wasn't exactly sure when the ritual was to take place, but he sure knew where. He was camping. Which, of course, left his mind to wander. He had been content to just dream of his love. But then images of what would have to happen to her started to intrude on his pleasant thoughts. So, he decided to take a walk around where the famous slayer and slayerettes had gone to school in this dimension.
He soon realized that this place was nothing like it had been when they had gone to school there. He knew that, just seemed like the thing to do. Hey, he told himself, all those people look at the ruins of Rome and say this is where the Romans lived, why can't I do the same?
He came upon the hellmouth itself. He didn't need a map or a guess. He could feel it. The energy. The darkness. It flowed from the mouth like water from a stream. The power here could destroy a world. In more than one way.
He was about to contemplate this more, when the sword he carried at his side began to glow. He whipped it out and searched the area. They came out of the woodwork, literally. Six vampires and ten demons of some kind. His mind recognized the breeds, but pushed those thoughts out of his head. The demons charged at him first. He swung the blade, which seemed to hum as it sliced the air, in a circle. He heard them screech in pain as the cold blade opened their thick skin.
He wasn't looking for a long fight. He shouldn't be having this at all, but he had no choice now. He reached into a pouch at the side of his belt, and pulled out some pink dust. He scattered it around himself and chanted, "Enumbre, enflamne, enrupte!" Then, he swung his sword around in a circle. The dust turned to flame and followed the path of his sword. The demons and vamps stood no chance and were no more, burnt to the ground.
He returned the sword, which was no longer glowing, to its sheathe and returned to his hiding spot. That was smooth, he told himself. He remembered his father's last words to him as he stepped through the portal.
"You must not become involved. No matter what the changes, you must allow things to take their natural course or she will never meet you in that dimension. If they see you, you will change that dimension in a way it should not be. You would not wish to rob yourself of her, would you?"
"Of course not papa, I promise, I will not intervene. If I have to, I will watch her die and bring her body back," he had said.
"Good. If she dies in that dimension, we can revive her, as long as you have not altered the events of that dimension. If so, all hope is gone."
"I promise papa."
He had no idea whether or not what he just did counted as altering the events of this dimension. He prayed to God that it didn't, or his mission was already a failure.
SUMMERS HOUSE
The sun was going to set soon. Cordelia had packed everything up and looked at Angel. He had been extremely moody since the gang had left. She hadn't even attempted to talk to him about it. Since our last talk had gone so smoothly, she lamented. She was about to get the bags when Angel grabbed her arm.
"Go out the back and get to the shop, now!" He commanded.
"What's this all about?" Cordelia asked, more than a little concerned. Angel only acted like this when he felt she was in great danger. Which was way too often for her taste.
"Demons are coming. I can smell them," he whispered, reaching the weapons chest and looking for something large and pointy.
"Okay, did I need the details. Demons are coming isn't enough? Eww," she had never gotten used to that part of being a vampire in all the time she had known him.
"Just GO!" He ordered. She slipped out the back door and he turned to the front one, brandishing a large ax. Couldn't have left me anything more mobile, he cursed at the absent scooby gang.
He rushed outside to find sixteen nasty looking demons. Angel wanted to get the element of surprise. Sixteen to one odds were bad, even for him. He didn't even get that chance.
"Hey, it's Angel," a sticky defla demon called. Why do they all have so much mucus, Angel wondered. Angel vamped out and charged the group. He buried his ax into the defla demon's head and pulled it out, after a few second struggle to get it out of his oozing head. That's going to cost me, he suspected and awaited the onslaught to come.
"Hey, we had a deal!" an angry looking trifita demon said, waving it's three arms at Angel.
"Yeah, well take it up with Amy," he said as he began to swing his ax towards arm number one. He stopped it mid strike. They haven't attack yet, he thought. "What deal?" he asked cautiously.
"Not in the open you idiots," a hairy demon that Angel didn't recognize growled. "The house!"
Angel contemplated this for a moment. They still have 15-1 odds, they could take me if they really wanted. But this might be a ploy to get into the house and get after Dawn. Who isn't there so what does it matter, he reminded himself. "All right," he said and then the hairy demon began to run at Angel, motioning for him to do the same. They ran until they were inside the house.
"Better," the hairy demon, who was obviously the demon group's leader, said. "My name is Gri'fligh. Why did you kill my man?"
"You came here to kill us, so I figured I would take a few of you with me."
"I thought surely Spike would have told you. I know we have to be careful, but really," Gri muttered.
"You had a deal with SPIKE!" Angel cried.
"No sssso loud," another demon hissed. "Ssshe hasss eyyyess and earrrrsss evvverywherre."
"Tell me about this deal," Angel replied, much quieter. The demon was right. Amy had a very good knack for knowing what her opponents had been doing and even thinking.
"Spike called the Ravig demon that tended bar at the Crypt. Offered us a deal. When the bitch tries to harness the hellmouth, we come in and take out the vampire army," Gri started. "About three fourths of the demons are with us. The other quarter, well." he trailed off.
"But you all work for Amy," Angel said, incredibly confused.
"We hate it," a demon spoke up.
"Many demons do fight for an overlord, that's true," Gri went on. "But, it's all about showmanship. We all want to bring the world to its knees or send it to hell. Or kill a slayer," he added comically, ignoring Angel's glare. "But this bitch is too powerful. She doesn't care about our kind. She just uses us and discards us. We'll choose who we want to serve, not be told. Plus, she doesn't even want to destroy this world, just rule it. We want our lives back."
"What about the code against fighting your own kind?" Angel asked, not sure why he was fighting their help so much. It certainly explained why William was so confident about the vampire army being out of the picture.
"She started it," Gri growled in a childish manner. "She destroyed all those who would not serve her. She doesn't even fight, just uses blasted magic. Enough is enough. Spike told us what the ritual would make her. We demons are not puppets!"
"Fine," Angel said. "So if you can't risk telling me this, why are you here?"
"Amy sent us to get the key. She sent a pack of vamps too, but we killed them. We killed the other demon who still served Amy. It is probably better you killed Kazx, she won't be so suspicious."
"How could you take a chance like this?" Angel demanded.
"She's weak from the fight with the slayer, and too preoccupied with her new toy."
"Toy?"
"The other girl, the one we were supposed to capture," Gri finished.
Amy was weak. And distracted. The thought hit Angel like a freight truck. He had an idea.
"All right. Here's the plan. You go back, tell Amy we were prepared for an attack, did some serious damage so you pulled out to regroup. You did another sweep of the house and we were gone. That's the story. That way you didn't abandon your mission," Angel told them.
Gri nodded. "Good. Remember, Spike promised that the slayer couldn't touch us for at least three months after this all goes down. Same for the damn groupies."
"Of course," Angel said, mildly amused that this demon who wasn't afraid to stand up to all-powerful Amy had fear struck in him by the likes of Xander Harris, Willow Rosenburg, and Spike.
The demons left. Angel thought for a few moments. He made a quick phone call and left the house.
MAGIC BOX
William came in from the back room and greeted the group. The girls had just finished bringing the two watchers and Xander up on their plan when the phone had rung.
"Who was it love," Faith asked.
William had to smile at the use of his favorite name for her. "Angel. Said some demons came looking for us, but he took care of it. Said he had some kind of errand to run and he'd be here later. Cordy should come barreling through the door in a few moments and say something like," but he was cut off as, on cue, Cordelia burst through the door.
"Demons, Angel, house!"
"We know, he called, on a mission," Buffy replied.
"Oh, well that's just great. I run all the way here because Angel has some cryptic warning about smelling demons, which is so gross by the way, and now he's not even here. Typical."
Xander had to smile at his former girlfriend as he, Buffy, and Willow got up from the war table to head off.
"Do be careful," Giles said, genuinely concerned.
"When aren't we G-man?" Xander smiled at him, which failed to comfort Giles in the least.
"Was that a rhetorical question or would you actually like me to answer that?" he responded.
The original trio just smiled and headed out the door.
"Where the hell are they going?" a very confused Cordelia demanded. "And where was Angel going? He didn't say anything about a mission when I was there."
"Just let it go Cord, it's better that way," Dawn piped up from the chair she was in, continuing to stare at her reflection in the window. It's real but I'm not, she kept repeating to herself in her head. From time to time the other's words invaded her mind, but for the most part she was glued to her internal struggle. Then she imagined other Dawn going through the same thing.
SEWER
Where the hell are they? Dawn wondered. She had expected one of them to get her. It's not like they can't do it, she thought. Hell, maybe I could, no bad idea. She wasn't quite there yet. But she might be soon. If she ever got home.
"What's wrong dear?" Amy asked. Dawn sighed, annoyed. Amy had been appearing and disappearing all day. She wasn't sure what Amy was after just that she was trying to break Dawn's spirits. Dawn was not giving in easily. But she had to admit, the longer she was stuck in the cage the more she despaired. Amy was very powerful she could feel it. And Dawn couldn't help that whenever she looked into Amy's eyes her mind became muddled. It was mind control of some type she had been shown how it worked before. Unfortunately that didn't mean Dawn could resist it. Amy was so powerful and the look in her eyes seemed to pierce directly into Dawn's mind.
No, can't give her an edge. But it was too late.
"I see you like my eyes," Amy purred at her. Dawn was not a big fan of having her mind read.
"Bite me," she spat out without thought.
"I plan to, soon," she told the girl. Bad choice of words Dawn, she chastised herself. "Not yet though. I thought, perhaps, you and I might get to know each other," Amy whispered seductively.
"That's gross," Dawn told her, despite the fact that it didn't repulse her at all. In fact. No, stop that Dawn.
She had become very comfortable around Willow and Tara. She found them cute and romantic. Even though she had sensed Buffy and Xander had not accepted it right away. Still, it wasn't exactly a lifestyle she was interested in. The thoughts of her dead and empty family members snapped her trance some.
"I'm not planning on hanging around long enough for us to get to know each other at all!"
"Really. Well, what if I told you that things were different in this dimension?" Amy asked.
That was the one thing Dawn didn't want to know about. She had sensed that her dimension was much darker than this one, judging by how excited vampire Tara had been about her world. Dawn just told herself, as long as I don't know what this world is like my world is always better.
"Not interested," Dawn said, trying to put a brave front on.
"All the more reason for me to tell you," Amy decided. Dawn realized that Amy was setting her up either way, so she sighed and sat down. "Willow saved my dearest Tara during the battle. Anya doesn't leave Xander, and Spike stays to take care of you."
Dawn sighed some more. That would be nice, but still it's not that much better.
"Oh, did I mention that Willow doesn't die."
Dawn perked up a little, her eyes close to watering. Willow was alive. But it wasn't her Willow.
"And you know what that little witch did, besides restore me?" Amy questioned. Dawn remained silent. "She brought Buffy back."
Amy's words hung in the air. Buffy. Alive. Hope sprung through Dawn. Her sister could be saved, revived by magic. Dawn's mind quickly rejected this.
"Lie."
"Truth," Amy said, putting her hand over her unbeating heart. "Vampire's honor."
"You have no honor," Dawn retorted.
"True enough," Amy shrugged. "Still, the big B is back in town."
If it was true. No, I can't rush into something like that. They wouldn't hear of it. It can be done though, she thought. Xander would be so happy. She could restore the two people she loved most. Buffy's restoration would bring back happy, loving Xander. It was something to think about.
"Little deary, you actually think you'll live long enough to save her in your dimension. Fool. Even if you managed to get back to your home, which you won't, it takes a special brand of magic to raise the dead. You would fail," Amy laughed. She was telling Dawn all of her worst fears. Giving her hope, only to snatch it away. She was trying to break Dawn's spirit. It was working.
"Poor little one," Amy said softly, opening the cage door and entering.
This is my chance, Dawn told herself. She steadied herself to make a charge for the exit, but Amy's eyes stopped her. They engulfed her. There was hope in them. It wasn't real, a small part of Dawn's mind told her, but it was quickly snuffed out by the overwhelming pleasure she felt looking at Amy's eyes.
"Obey," Amy said. The word penetrated through Dawn's mind. It made her feel good and safe. It was what she wanted to do most in the world. Obey.
"Yes," she spoke the word automatically. Then something reached her. It gave her strength. Power flooded into Dawn and she pushed Amy out of her head.
"NO!" She cried and waves of energy left Dawn's body and slammed into Amy. Amy crashed into her own guards and they all fell into a pile. Dawn ran out of the cell and headed for the sense. It had awoken her. It was indirect but it was there and it was her trigger. She was stopped by Tara's fist.
"Going somewhere?" she asked and let loose her own bolts of magical energy. Dawn was thrown back into the cage and the door slammed closed behind her. Dawn tried to summon her power again, but it was gone.
"Mistress, are you hurt?" Tara asked as she bent next to Amy, her eyes never leaving Dawn.
"Fine," Amy replied brushing herself off and standing. "Thought we could do this the easy way, but apparently not." Amy looked at Dawn and fire erupted around the girl. "Hope you like the heat," she said and went to regain her strength.
Good job Dawn, she whined to herself as she sat in the ring of fire. Was it her imagination or was it moving closer to her. They may need me alive, but apparently not unharmed. At least he was here, she thought trying to take solace in that thought.
STREETS
"RED LIGHT BUFFY!" Willow screeched from the back seat of the SUV.
"I see it," Buffy told Willow calmly as she slammed on the brakes. "Would you like to drive little miss back seat driver?" Buffy asked.
"Yesss!" Willow hissed back. It has been a long car ride. Buffy was very preoccupied with the plan to get inside of the military installation, stopping Amy, and keeping Xander safe. Driving hadn't been a high priority on her list.
"Relax Wil," Xander soothed. "Buffy will be just fine. Sweetie, pedestrian," Xander said calmly. Buffy again slammed on the brakes to avoid nailing someone in a crosswalk.
"Didn't even know we had crosswalks in Sunnydale," Buffy mentioned.
"You are really full of the comfort aren't you Buffy?" Willow muttered.
"Boy, I sure filled out since the whole Initiative ordeal," Xander commented as he tugged at the military outfit he was decked out in.
"That's what a couple of years of hard, manual labor will to do you," Buffy said as she ran her hand over Xander's much more developed chest. I wish I could have seen this in him a long time ago, it would have saved me a lot of heartbreak, Buffy thought. "I bet you get all hot and don't even have to wear a shirt," she teased Xander.
"Hey, I don't wear a shirt you don't get to wear a shirt. Seems fair to me," he played along.
"Hey. Hey! HEY!" Willow called. "I'm still here you know." She smiled despite her words. The thought of her two best friends together still made her feel warm inside. She loved them both so much. They had been her rocks when she had needed them most. The thought of their love made Willow's memory recall her own love. She sighed. When the ritual was over she would need them like she had never needed them before. Much more then when Oz had left her. But she wouldn't allow herself to grieve her lost love. Not until they had guaranteed that they would be around do to that grieving.
"Wil," Xander called gently. "We're here."
She blinked. They had pulled the SUV up to a meter that was about a ten-minute walk from the installation. Giles had suggested they park far away, even though it meant they would have to lug the weapons further. Willow was planning to use a levitation spell to help out with that.
"Right," she said and hoped out of the big car. She examined her friends. Buffy had draped a white scientist coat on. Xander had his extremely tight commando gear on and was holding the fake gun he had once given Spike. Willow was wearing, well normal clothes. "Should I have changed?"
"You look fine Wil. Perfect for the plan," Buffy assured her.
"Okay," she sighed. "Do you remember everything Xander?" she asked. She had used her somewhat rusty hacker skills to get him the name of a private who had taken a leave of absence for Christmas. She had also found that this private was a weapons expert. Which was perfect for them. Xander would get into the weapons area supposedly to show off his expertise to his sister, Willow and the girl he was trying to impress, Buffy. Buffy, in turn, was playing a weapons designer from the base. The only problem was that she was still on the grounds. So if she had come earlier in the day or came while they were there their cover would be blown.
"It's all up here," he said pointing to his head. She nodded and they walked in silence. They approached the private who was on duty outside of the weapon area. Xander took a deep breath to steady his nerves. Vampires scared him but at least he knew what they were going to do and he was allowed to hurt them. Military men were often unpredictable, plus they have guns not fangs for weapons. And to be fair, they were breaking into a military instillation to steal weapons.
"Hey there," he barked out.
The private leveled his gun on Xander. "Name and rank," he demanded.
"Private Jerry Walsh, weapons expert," Xander replied. The private lowered his gun slightly.
"They told me you were on leave."
"I am. I came up here to show my sister what I do. Plus, I ran into Professor Marie," Xander said, gesturing to Willow and Buffy respectively.
The private narrowed his eyes. "I thought I heard you had a steady girl on the outside."
Buffy stepped right in. "I'm just here as a friend. Plus, you know me I do so love weapons." I do so love weapons. That was clever Buffy, she thought sarcastically.
"This is against protocol," the private said determined.
"Yeah, well it's not as much fun on the outside when your steady drops you a week before Christmas," Xander told him, trying out a glare he had reserved for Angel back in the day.
The private's eyes dropped. "Sorry to hear that," he sighed. "Ten minutes. If I get caught," he trailed off.
"I'll take responsibility," Buffy offered.
"Okay," he decided.
As the private walked by Xander grabbed his arm. "Hey, look, I'm trying to make her see me as more than her weapons friend."
"I hear she likes it when guys show her how to use it. The range is closed, but so is this building so what the hell right," the private said sympathetically and walked off.
Xander joined the girls inside. "That was easy."
"I do so love weapons?" Willow asked.
"You try coming up with something witty in this outfit," Buffy challenged her friend.
Xander began to eye the shelves of weapons. He found several boxes with the weapon codes he was looking for. "I hate to thank Ethan for anything, but this military stuff sure has been handy."
"Yeah," Buffy whispered as she checked for more boxes with the code numbers Xander had written down in the car. Willow was searching for a few smaller boxes.
"Oh, got one," she squealed in delight. It brought a smile to Xander and Buffy's faces. They missed the old carefree innocent Willow. She could never be truly the same, not after the whole Rax fiasco and Tara's death, but maybe they could help her get some of the old Willow back.
Buffy brushed up against Xander's arm. She smiled. "Hey, do you remember when we snuck into the Initiative the first time?"
"It was all a blur really. It happened so fast," Xander mused. "Though, the costumes were the same."
"Do you remember when we were almost discovered?" she asked mischievously.
Xander thought for a moment. Then he just shrugged. "Not really."
Buffy made a pouty face. "You told me scientist and soldiers,"
"Always kissed in the movies," Xander replied as the memory came back to him. "I was always looking to cop a feel," he chuckled at himself.
"I wish I had let you kiss me," she whispered. "I would have known then and there that you were my true love."
Her words made his heart jump. Buffy Summers just said that. The most perfect woman ever told him that. He felt his head spin a little. Say something sweet in return, he told himself. "Can we try that now?" That was not romantic you idiot, he told himself.
Buffy stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. She had actually been hoping for a response like that. She had begun to really know Xander. He was sweet, kind, and gentle. He had even toned his humor down a little. But whenever something really floored him he lost the brain to mouth filter that stopped words from just coming out. She was glad she could floor him like that.
Willow gave the couple a minute, then cleared her throat. "Excuse me, but we have to escape before the big men with the real guns come for us."
They broke their embrace and laughed. Their faces were beat red with embarrassment. Willow came over and hugged them.
"I didn't mean anything. I am so happy for you guys. You won't forget about me will you?" she asked. Woops, should have thought about the words before they came out.
"Willow, we could never forget about you," Buffy told her. "I mean, when we fight who else could serve as the mediator. Who else could ever be both of our best friends? Who else could be the brains of this operation? Who else could be the best friend on earth. Or heaven. Or hell for the matter, I did make a quick stop there."
"My God Buffy," Xander exclaimed. "I'm rubbing off on you." He turned to Willow. "I swear Willow, no one will ever replace you. The three of us, we're a team. Always have been and we always will be, especially now. You have always been there for me. Whether I fell down and hurt my knee or got rejected by my dream girl, you were always the one I went to for help. I will always be there for you. So will Buffy," Xander finished and wrapped the two people he would give his life a million times for into a huge bear hug.
"Thanks guys," Willow muffled, tears threatening her eyes. It meant so much to her that she would always have them to count on. She'd read enough books and see enough movies and TV shows where a group of friends was split when two of them got together. Not the slayerettes.
"I hate to ruin this moment, but Willow was right. We have to get out of here," Buffy said. How selfish was I. I was upset that they brought me out of heaven and I missed out on how lucky I really was to have these people in my life. I can never push anyone away again. She paused for a moment as they gathered the boxes together for Willow to levitate. "Willow, Xander, I just wanted you guys to know that there aren't two people in the world I would rather help me raise Dawn then you."
Xander and Willow smiled at Buffy. Things were the same. Like they were in high school. But they were different. They had changed and grown so much, it could never be exact. This was better. They had been through so many tests. They had grown apart. And they had come back together, stronger than ever. They were adults. Those thoughts were both wonderful and terrifying to Xander.
But now all that could end. Amy could destroy it all. Xander refused to let that happen. I will give my life if it saves theirs, he decided. Because he knew they would do the same for him.
MAGIC BOX
Dawn had fallen asleep in a chair. Giles watched her with a great deal of sadness. He wished that he had done a better job protecting her. She had been sent to the slayer, but he was the watcher. He should have done something different or known better. Maybe then Buffy wouldn't have died. That's over now Rupert, he told himself. It still didn't help his current problem. Dawn was deeply depressed. He couldn't blame her. It wasn't her fault that Tara had died. Then again, it hadn't been his fault that Jenny had died. He had blamed himself for months. And he was a watcher and grown adult. Dawn was just a child.
Faith had her head resting on William's shoulder watching Giles and Dawn. They were grieving for their fallen friend. Faith couldn't help but wonder if she had caused this kind of pain to the people she had killed. She wasn't that person anymore but it didn't matter. She had still done it.
"One thing at a time luv," William whispered, seeming to read her thoughts. "You have changed. You aren't the person that caused that kind of pain. But you still have to make up for it. And you will," he told her, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her even closer to him.
Faith sighed a little. His words had made her feel better. He always had that effect on her. She was scared, though. In two days they would face their greatest challenge. It wasn't unreasonable to assume that any number of them could die. If she lost William and managed to live, she wondered which Faith would be inside her.
William sighed deeply. The mood of the entire room was depression. And he had to admit that he felt the same. Amy could pull this off. Xander was a good man, but could he stop the vessel of the apocalypse? He hoped that the weapons Buffy, Willow and Xander were stealing would make that a moot point. But he knew deep inside that it would come down to Xander. Which made him wonder why the PTB had deemed William so important. He knew that as well. Faith would be needed to help tomorrow. Without her Amy would be able to focus all her attention on Buffy. Faith was equally as big a threat.
And if Faith dies, she may not be damned. But Amy had told him she still was. And it was that simple. It was a fifty-fifty chance. Faith may or may not have done enough to save herself. If she lived through it, she would. I'd die for her, he thought. I've lived long enough, had my time, she hasn't.
Yeah, but what's left of her if we die? Spike asked.
Let's hope the girl I love.
We.
We, William conceded to Spike.
William thought about his meeting with the PTB. They had told him to save Faith. They had told him that Amy could pull this off if they didn't help. They told him that Angel was on his way to redemption. They told him Xander would become one of the most pivotal players in the entire game. They told him he needed to be human to complete his mission. And they had also told him that if Amy won, he would suffer forever. He had accepted the challenge, and now he was worried.
Faith and I have done so little to help. The only thing I've done is start an all out war between Vampires and Demons that will end if Amy wins, he thought. Faith has been great in the fight, but she hasn't had her real test yet and then what?
So involved with their own thoughts were they, none of them heard the back door to the magic shop open or those who entered and came upon a sleeping Cordelia Chase.
SEWERS
He crept behind them. They had no idea he was even around. He just hoped that his presence hadn't already been detected or this would be a short trip. One of the demons growled and he prepared himself for an attack, but it didn't come. The demon lashed his tongue out and snatched up a rat. He blew a sigh out.
He had been able to follow unnoticed since he left. It hadn't been hard to catch up with them after they had left the Summers' house. Now he had reached the difficult part. He had to slip undetected through all the demons and vampires.
He followed the group of demons through the twists and turns of the sewers. He was hoping they would lead him right to Amy. This place is amazing, he thought. I can feel the demonic energy just teeming off this place. This is what hell was like, except without the torture.
Suddenly, the demons took a turn and disappeared from sight. He walked slowly and softly to that section. He felt around for a trap door or magical barrier. He could find nothing. Something is off, he thought. Why haven't I seen any other vampires or demons?
"Please, do come in," he heard a voice call. "I've been expecting you."
He swallowed. It was Amy's voice, he was sure. It was never a good sign if she was expecting something. She had been able to predict the gang's moves every time. He turned to escape but was greeted by at least twenty vampires appearing from another section of the sewer system in the same manor the demons he was following had disappeared.
"Really. It is truly rude to sneak into someone's home and then refuse an invitation," Amy's voice called out.
He had no choice now. He was sure this had been a bad idea now. Here goes nothing, he thought. He walked through the section the demons had disappeared in and found his surroundings change. He now stood in a large open platform. He recognized it as the old Sunnydale underground train station. It was about fifty feet below the surface and the trains would climb the steep hill to the tracks. It had been shut down when more passengers were killed then those who made it onto their trains. The sewer doesn't lead to the train station, he thought.
Amy stood before him on the platform. She was surrounded by a hundred vampires. Among them was Tara, who stood behind Amy to her right.
"I was beginning to doubt my vision. I thought you weren't going to come," Amy told him. "But I'm glad you did. Welcome. Angelous."
TO BE CONTINUED
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