This took longer to post than usual, but I have a good excuse, honest. The thing is, this story feels like it's been writing itself lately. I've been so keen on getting on with my first draft of the remaining chapters, that coming back to edit what I've written has seemed boring by comparison. Still, I've forced myself to do just that, and here's a chapter to prove it.

And, if you're reading my other WIP - 'A Unique Specimen', then all I can do is apologise. I'm hoping that after this story's finished, I'll be able to concentrate on my alternate universe a bit more.

Chapter 24 - Prophecy Revisited

The information arrived earlier today. Jimmy sent me a copy of some more of the references I'm looking for. Strangely, the final book isn't there. It seems to have gone missing from the Council library, and he doesn't have time to track it down.

I intentionally left it until Willow went to bed before looking at it. She's been back at school for a while now, and she's settling well. Academically anyway. She doesn't seem to have made any friends. I know it's difficult when she's living off campus, but I had hoped for better.

Xander visited tonight. He didn't seem too happy, telling us about what happened at Buffy's earlier. It seems Riley Finn's back, and his wife let slip that Riley's not been too generous with the truth.

I can understand why Riley did what he did. There was a time when I'd have considered a similar action in order to keep Spike away from Buffy. Of course, the risk of lying in that situation, is that if the lie's discovered, it'll backfire. And it sounds like that's exactly what's happened.

The surprising thing is that Xander doesn't seem as upset as I expected. It's as though he's almost comfortable.

All of that seems unimportant now. When Willow went to bed, I pulled out the information Jimmy sent me. I read it, and read it again, willing the meaning to change. Needless to say, it didn't.

It's late. Very late. My glass is empty again. I don't know how many times I've refilled it, but the level of whisky in the bottle by my side is dropping alarmingly. I don't know how long I've been staring at the words in front of me, but I'm not seeing them any more. I don't have to, they're burned into my mind.

"The Orb of Fire has been hidden. It must be kept safe, away from interference, lest it be destroyed before its time. If this happens, the Key will be unable to compete its task, and the evil will be loosed and permitted to increase."

"The time will come when the Orb can no longer contain the threat. Early in the new millennium, the Orb will dissolve, loosing the terror and pain inside. Keep the Key close to the source of evil to keep destruction to a minimum. At that time, the vessel of the Key will fade, as must be. She is kept in that time only by the power of the Key. Without it, she will wane to rejoin her own time."

If I read that correctly, then it is an intrinsic part of the prophecy that Dawn will not survive. And, that , if everything happens according to the plan of those behind this, it will happen soon. If something goes wrong, it could happen before the Key is complete. If we can come up with a way to prevent it, we risk consequences even more dire.

How can I tell Buffy? How can I tell her that her sister has such a limited life? That she'll never see her fully grown? That she might never even graduate from High School?

And Spike. He was sent back to protect her, but is his purpose over so quickly then? It seems that his job is simply to keep her safe until the Key is strong enough to completely destroy the evil.

I remember the last time we thought we had to kill Dawn. I remember Buffy's anger. Her obstinacy that killing Dawn was not an option. And she was right. Someone wanted us to believe that killing Dawn was the only option. But, Buffy died in her stead. Saving the world not only from the threat we knew about, but also another as yet unknown.

I get up from my chair, and pour myself another scotch. I drink it quickly, desperate to feel less than I do.

I know I'm not going to sleep, so, despite the hour, I go into the lounge and take the bottle with me.

Suddenly, well, it seems that way to me, Willow's in the room too. One look at me, and she knows something's wrong. I've got to talk to someone, so I tell her what I've found.

She takes the news silently, but the colour drains from her face. Inevitably, her thoughts turn to magic, as she eventually speaks. "There might be a spell. A spell that'll keep her safe. I could start to research …"

I shake my head. She looks surprised. "Willow, the implications of that are dire. If we protect her, it could be that the Key energy won't be able to do its job. Even if we can think of something that would allow the Key to do its job and keep Dawn safe, there's the other side of things. It says that Dawn must rejoin her own time."

Willow reads the excerpt again, nodding her head in agreement. "Where are the other things you've found?" she asks.

I go back to the study, and pull out the sheets with my notes from previous volumes. She reads them carefully, frowning as she does so.

"Wait, Giles. This 'existing out of her time' thing. That means she's either already lived and died, or that she's …."

"Yet to be born," I finish her sentence. "So, if she isn't destroyed by the Orb of Fire, she may never actually be born."

The magnitude of this causes both of us to remain lost in our own thoughts. The silence is broken by Willow. "So, who is she?"

"I don't know. She must be close to Buffy in some way, or the portal Doc opened with Dawn's blood couldn't have been closed by Buffy. So, I think it's safe to assume she's a blood relative. Maybe the child of a cousin, something like that?"

"Or maybe a daughter." Willow's voice is quiet. The same thought had occurred to me, but I refused to give it credence. Slayers do not reproduce. They never have. But there's an even better reason.

"Willow, remember. Buffy's no longer human. Dawn is. So, how could that be? Unless it happened before Buffy was changed, and we know that's nonsense."

"Or, maybe, Buffy can regain her humanity!" Willow seems excited by the prospect.

"I suppose so," I admit. "Certainly, whatever force changed her in the first place could change her back again. However, we need to agree exactly what we tell her. I don't want her spending the rest of her life wishing for something that might never happen."

"I don't think she would," Willow replies.

"Would what?"

"I don't think she'd wish for humanity. Not any more."

"But surely, …." I remonstrate.

"No. Before, yeah, I mean, she would have been horrified if she knew she wasn't human. But she's changed. I know I haven't talked much to her since I got back. She doesn't seem quite comfortable with me any more. But, I've watched her since she heard the news. She's comfortable with it. There's no squickiness."

I think about what Willow's just said, and I realise she's right. Buffy has accepted her own status in much the same way as she's accepted Spike's change.

"So, what do we tell Buffy?" Willow asks.

"Well, we certainly give her the wording of the prophecy. There's no point in hiding that. I think we just keep our extrapolation to ourselves."

"And, if she puts it together for herself?"

"Then, we'll have to deal with that when it happens.

Willow agrees silently. "And Xander?" she asks.

"The same."

"And Anya?"

Now, that's a difficult one. "I think she'll work out the same possibilities we have. She's remarkably bright. I think I should tell her what we think, and ask her to keep it quiet."

Willow nods her agreement as she stifles a yawn. "I should get back to bed. I've got an early class, and I've got to get in an hour's swim before that."

"You go on, Willow. I'll tidy up here, and then I think I could do with some sleep too. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Giles," she answers, getting up and heading back to her room.

*-*-*

It's surprising. This early morning swim that started out as part of my therapy has become so much a part of my life, that I don't know how I ever started my day another way.

I'm half way through my hour, and, as usual, the time spent in the water is time to think. I've done a lot of that lately. For a change, this time I'm not thinking about Tara, Warren, or me. I'm thinking about Dawn and Buffy. I'm wracking my brains for a way out of this whole disaster, but I've come up with nothing. There's a horrible logic that says that if Dawn continues to live in her current form, then she'll not be able to come into the world as she should. If we knew who she was, then, maybe, we could think of a way around it. I know Giles has set up some tests for Buffy, Spike and Dawn, to try to understand how Buffy and Spike have changed. He's already started the physical tests, and they're supposed to go to the Doctor's office tomorrow for further tests.

I make a mental note to make sure to remind Giles to ask for a DNA analysis on Dawn to try to determine just how close a relative she is to Buffy. I know Giles said that the blood test he wants from Dawn will have to wait until she's completely recovered from the vampire attack, so there'll be time to get an extra sample for the extra tests.

I get out of the pool, and experience the familiar leaden feeling in my legs as they take my weight again. I head for the showers. The pool is normally busy at this time in the morning. A lot of students take advantage of the pool before classes, but it's quiet this morning. I wonder idly if there was a big party last night. That's normally the reason for a quiet start to the day.

The water's hot, and I've got it turned on high, so I feel the spray like something solid, pummelling my back as I shampoo my hair. I hear someone outside, and wonder which of the regulars managed to make it after all, when I see something fall at my feet. It immediately starts to hiss, and a yellowish gas seeps out. Before I can react, I know I've inhaled it, and everything starts to go woozy, before turning black.

I open my eyes, and look around me in surprise. I'm in a large space, disused factory at a guess. It's gloomy but light enough to see I'm alone. I'm tied to a chair, and, while the ropes are tighter than I'd want, I'm not too uncomfortable. I'm pleased to note that I'm dressed, even if the clothes aren't my own. I immediately consider a spell to free myself, and remember one which turns rope to a consistency of plasticene. I mutter the words, and nothing happens. I go through the spell again, trying to work out what went wrong, but I'm disturbed by a mirthless laugh.

"You won't do any magic when I'm around," the voice continues. It belongs to a demon, not as tall as many I've seen. He's just over six feet, and approximately human in build. The skin tone looks a little overdone - reddish, and there's no hair. It's wearing clothes, but it's not much of an advertisement for its shopping choice. The trousers are baggy and checked in a loud geometric pattern, and the shirt is striped.

"I'm what you might call a 'sink' for magic," he continues. "I soak it up. Of course, I can unleash it again when I want. One of the reasons you were the ideal candidate."

The reality of the situation hits me. He wants Dawn. But, if he wants Buffy to swap me for her, he really doesn't know Buffy very well. There was a time when she'd have been torn, it's true, but even then, she'd never have traded. Now? I'm not even sure she'd miss me.

"She won't trade," I state. He looks pleased.

"I'm not looking to trade," he informs me. "You're going to work for me."

"Never," I tell him.

Now, he's laughing hard. He's coming closer, and his eyes. Why didn't I notice his eyes before? They're dark, so dark, and getting darker, until they're black. His whole body seems to be sucking light into it. I know what he's doing, and I'm powerless to stop it. He's reaching inside me, to the place where the dark magic is hidden.

My stay at the coven cleared it out of my system, I thought it had cleared it out completely. Now I know it didn't. There was a tiny reservoir left, so small, I didn't even know it was there. Now, it's filling, I can feel it filling, expanding, taking over my being. My thoughts are being taken over by it. I'm back to holding Tara's body. I'm looking for revenge.

Then it changes again. I'm feeling the pain of the world. And there's only one thing I can do. I've got to end it. I've got to end the world. And this creature in front of me has the ideal solution. All I've got to do is kill Dawn. Then, the end of the world will be inevitable.