A/N: I apologize profusely for the long wait. If you have been keeping up with my updates on my member info page, you know that life has been killing me lately. Thank all the gods above and below for long weekends, eh? This chapter's a bit choppy. I'm really sorry for that, but I wrote most of it in short spurts when I could find the time. The story is winding down, which is a bit of a relief. I think that all the chapters from now on will have to be around 10 pages. Tried for 20 pages and I just couldn't do it.
"The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and ill together." --Shakespeare, Twelfth-Night, IV, iii, 83
The Web of Our Life: Part IV
Willow took a sip of her coffee and tried to still the trembling in her hands. The voice from the dream echoed in her brain. The Rising is coming. Ware.
She mentally snorted to herself. No duh, Sherlock. I could have done without the extra creepy dreams that only give me the wiggins.
A hand touched her shoulder and she looked up to see the Professor. "Willow, are you feeling all right?"
She brushed her hair out of her eyes and gave him a weak smile. "Rough night."
Xavier locked his wheelchair into place. "Bad dreams?" he inquired.
"You could say that." She stared into her coffee.
He held out his hands and looked at Willow. "May I?"
She stared at him for a moment before it clicked in her mind. "Oh, sure, I guess." She put down her mug and bit her lip. "What do you want me to do?"
"Just relax." He gently touched her temples with her fingers and closed his eyes. Willow felt another presence in her mind that oddly soothed her. She sighed and felt the tension leak out of her.
Finally, the Professor opened his eyes. He leaned back and studied the redheaded girl. "Better?" When she nodded he smiled. "I can see why those dreams were bothering you. I noticed that neither you nor Mr. Giles were with us yesterday at the art gallery. Would that possibly have something to do with your dreams?"
"Yeah. We had to do the research thing." Willow picked up her coffee again and took a sip. "Big bad evil is coming and we need to stop it."
Xavier frowned. "When you say 'big bad', you mean--"
"End of the world."
"Yes. I see how that might qualify." He looked thoughtful.
Willow tried to smile reassuringly. "Don't worry about it. We've done this hundreds of times."
"Still, if you need any help, just ask for it."
She nodded. "I will. Though Buffy can be a bit stubborn with letting others help in the slaying."
"We assisted with the Glory incident," Xavier pointed out.
"That was different," a voice pointed out. The two looked up to see Buffy standing there. "First, Glory was a god. These guys are vamps. I've dusted thousands of them already. No biggie. And second, they were after Dawn." Buffy glared slightly. "They come after me? Fine. But they try and hurt someone close to me, then they really piss me off. I was ready to do whatever needed to be done to protect my sister."
"Admirable," Xavier said. "But as a inhabitant of this world, I would like to be able to have some say in whether the world will end or not."
"Fine. But today, all we're doing is hunting through parks. Giles found something about the vamps 'worshipping the green' so we go to the green."
"Wouldn't it be easier to look telepathically?" Xavier looked thoughtful. "If only I had Cerebro here…" he muttered.
"You can do that?" Willow asked. "I would have thought that since the vamps were dead that you couldn't read their minds."
"To be honest, I've never tried. I had other things on my mind when I met Spike that first time. And I've never had the pleasure of seeing another vampire."
"Even if that doesn't work, that does give me an idea." Willow nibbled her bottom lip as she thought. "I'll need to get some supplies but that shouldn't be too big a problem."
"What are you up to, Will?" Buffy asked.
The witched looked up at her friend. "I'm going to scry for the egg."
* * *
A map of the city was found very easily. Willow just took the one out of the folder that Buffy had. Jean donated a crystal pendant of hers and Xander sweet-talked one of the kitchen staff to let him have a bowl. As for the herbs, Tara and Ororo visited one of the many occult shops in the city.
"She doesn't seem to be doing anything," Buffy whispered to Giles.
"Right now, it's all mental," he told her softly. "After the spell's set up, the only thing Willow can do is keep picturing the egg in her mind until the crystal picks it up."
"Well, how long does that take?"
"It depends on how clear the picture is, the scryer's concentration, and the purity of the crystal. I've heard of scryings that have lasted days."
Buffy rolled her eyes and sighed. "Great. We don't have days, Giles. End of the world tomorrow night, remember?"
Giles quickly shushed her. The crystal hanging in Willow's hand was slowly tugging in a direction. The witch's brow furrowed slightly as she concentrated. Buffy held her breath as Willow moved the crystal over the map. So slow! she wailed mentally. Com'on, Will. You can do it.
Finally, the crystal stopped.
Willow opened her eyes and looked down. "That can't be right," she exclaimed. "This is a warehouse district. Not a tree anywhere!"
Giles bent over and drew and 'X' on the spot where the crystal rested. "Well, that's where the spell led us too. And it is somewhat near the water." He pointed to the blue just two blocks away.
Scott studied the map. "I can take a small team to check it out. That way you guys can stay here and do some more research in case this doesn't pan out."
Buffy frowned. "Scott, I said before, I don't need your help."
"Buffy," Giles interrupted. "Perhaps you should rethink this. It is a prudent plan. There are several inconsistencies in this prophecy that I would like to get to the bottom to. And there is the question of who to kill this One."
"I was thinking of brute force." Buffy finally sighed and nodded. "Fine. But I'm coming with you guys. If anything goes wrong, I want to be there. Just in case."
* * *
From the outside, the warehouse looked deserted. Scott noted several of the windows were broken and that the lights over the doorways were dark.
"Doesn't seem like anyone's home," Logan observed. "You sure this is the place, Cyke?"
Scott nodded. "This was the address that Giles gave us." He held up one hand and motioned towards the building. "Logan, I want you and Buffy to come in from ground level. Storm and I will approach from the roof."
The group split up.
* * *
Scott landed gently on the roof of the warehouse and crouched to absorb most of the impact. "See anything interesting up there, Ororo?" he asked his teammate.
"Afraid not, Scott." The weather witch stayed in the air and looked around her. "It seems to be all quiet."
"Buffy and Logan?" He scanned the roof for potential hiding places.
"Approaching the doorway unhindered." She floated down and landed next to Scott. "I suggest we head inside."
"Agreed." Scott adjusted his visor and led the way to the rooftop access doorway.
* * *
Buffy watched as Storm lifted up both she and Scott with her powers before following Logan towards the building. He sniffed. "Something don't smell right about this place," he muttered.
"What?"
"Too clean." He sniffed the air again. "I don't smell much rotting wood or rats. Someone's keeping the building in good condition."
"The question is why." Buffy paused about ten feet away from the door. She tensed and automatically started scanning the surrounding area.
"What's the matter?" Logan asked her.
"We've got company." She crouched into a defensive stance, trying to pinpoint the exact source of her 'Slayer-sense.'
He tested the air. "I don't smell anything."
"They're here. Vamps, about ten of them."
"You sure about that, girlie? Cause my nose—" He froze. "Wait."
"They're here!" Buffy called out as she took a running leap into the shadows. Logan quickly turned around and slashed his claws through the neck of another vampire.
For the duration, the two of them were focused on the incoming vampires and staying alive.
* * *
Scott heard Ororo utter a soft cry. He turned around. "Storm? What's—"
She held a gloved hand against her neck and her face registered shock. "Scott," she murmured before her eyes rolled up into her head and she fell to the floor.
He knelt down beside her carefully, staying alert for possible attacks. He pulled out a small dart from her throat and held it up to study. His lips tightened and he started to straighten when he felt a pinprick on the back of his neck.
Scott was able to turn around to see a man appear from the shadows. He lowered a wooden tube from his mouth to reveal pointed teeth.
That was the last thing he saw before he pitched face forward into the ground.
* * *
"Is that all of them?" Logan asked.
Buffy scanned the surrounding area. "I think so."
"Good." He sheathed his claws and continued towards the building. "Come on."
"Whoa, slow down there. Just where do you think you're going?" Buffy grabbed his shoulder.
"Get your hands off me, girlie. I'm going to see is Cyke and Stormy are all right. This was obviously a trap. But we didn't get caught."
Enlightenment dawned on the Slayer. She nodded and started running towards the building.
They found Scott lying face down on one of the catwalks. Logan growled and studied the surrounding area while Buffy ran to her cousin. "They're gone," he announced.
Buffy pulled something from Scott's neck and held it up. Her lines were pressed into a thin line. "The bastards drugged him." She pulled out a tissue and wrapped up the dart. She shoved the bundle into her pocket before picking up Scott in a fireman's hold. "Where's Ororo?"
Logan growled and his lips curled. He sniffed the air and caught the scent of not quite rotting flesh and old blood that was unique to vampires. Mingled with it was the more familiar scent of the mutant called Storm. "Gone. With the vamps. When I get my hands on them..."
Buffy adjusted Scott's weight on her shoulders. "Any clue where they went?"
Logan shook his head. "Too many scents. It's confusing." He frowned. "It shouldn't be confusing. I should be about to pick her out." He sighed in frustration.
"Well, nothing we can do about it now. I say we head back to the hotel and come back later. And then we'll kick their undead asses."
* * *
Giles examined the dart and finally set it down. "Near as I can tell, it's just a simple tranquilizer. Nothing to lead us to the things that did this." He turned towards Scott. "You sure they were vampires?"
The other man nodded and then grimaced at the pain. "Oh, yeah. Fangs and everything." Jean walked up to him and handed him some aspirin. "I should have realized it was a trap," he stated.
"Not your fault," Buffy replied. "Don't go beating yourself up over it. We'll get her back."
"Though why did they want her?" Jean asked. "I don't understand."
Giles sighed and turned towards Willow and Tara. "You were teaching her in magics?"
The two girls nodded. "She's not too advanced, but she's learning quickly," Tara added.
"That's why," Giles explained to Jean. "She's going to be one of the sacrifices to this creature."
"Grarrum," Willow interjected. "That's the thing's name. Grarrum."
The group looked over at the redheaded witch. "How do you know this, Willow?" Giles asked.
"Uh, I had another dream last night."
"Thank you ever so much for telling us, Willow." Giles glared at the girl in exasperation. "If you had told us sooner, we might have found out more about this creature. I can't believe you--"
Xavier reached out and grabbed Giles' arm. "I am afraid that I am to blame for this, Rupert. I helped her to lessen the effects of the dreams this morning. This also caused the memory of it to get a bit hazy."
The Watcher looked slightly mollified. He sniffed and turned back to the map spread over the table. "Yes, well, nothing to be done for it now. We need to think about getting Ororo out."
"Well, find out where the Rising is supposed to take place and we find Stormy," Buffy pointed out. "So we head back to the warehouse?"
"If I were them, I wouldn't have stuck around," Scott pointed out. "Once the location became compromised, I would have moved as soon as possible."
"He has a point." Giles looked thoughtful. "Willow, are you up for another scrying?"
The witch sighed. "I dunno. I mean, I'm willing to try but I don't know if I can do it. The last one wiped me out."
"Tara?"
The blond witch looked thoughtful. "I-I can try. I never really did much scrying, though."
Xander leaned towards Buffy and whispered, "Do you have the urge to quote Yoda, too?"
She jabbed him in the stomach lightly.
"Ooof."
* * *
Ororo woke to blackness. Her arms were chained above her head and she was slumped against what felt like brick. When she had opened her eyes, she had to immediately close them again and take deep breaths to avoid a panic attack.
Ororo Munroe, the mutant Storm, arguably the most powerful of the X-men, was claustrophobic. She was brought back to her childhood and the wall collapsing in around her. She had been trapped there in the cramped darkness for what seemed like hours to a young girl.
It was a moment that had defined her innermost fear.
She finally regained control of herself and willed herself to reach out mentally, searching. Professor? she sent. Jean? Can anyone hear me?
* * *
Professor Xavier was waiting for Tara to finish her scrying. She had been at it for several hours now. Suddenly, he sat up in his wheelchair. "Wait," he told the assembled group. "I think I just heard Ororo contact me."
Jean nodded in conformation. "I felt it too."
Xavier closed his eyes to concentrate. Ororo. Are you all right?
Fine, Professor, she sent back. I appear to be unharmed ... physically.
He noticed her slight hesitation. Storm?
They--they have me in complete darkness, Charles.
He nodded to himself. His friend's phobia was no secret to him. Try to stay strong. We're going to get you out of there. He pinpointed her exact location and opened his eyes. "I know where she is," he announced.
* * *
Ororo felt a pinprick in her neck and gasped. As she drifted back into unconsciousness, she heard faint voices.
"Think she contacted them?"
"I'm certain of it. And they'll bring the other two witches right to us."
She tried to send a warning to Charles, but could not gather her thoughts before the darkness claimed her once again.
* * *
"Another warehouse?" Buffy asked in disgust. The group--composed of Buffy, Willow, Logan, and Scott stood outside the building. "You'd think that bad guys could come up with less cliché hideouts. It's always an abandoned warehouse. Except for the odd castles and mansions."
"And law firms," Willow chipped in. "Don't forget all those troubles Angel had with that one."
"I don't care where they are so long as they're there for me to tear to shreds." Logan sniffed the air and grinned. His claws popped out of his knuckles. "Tearin' time."
* * *
"The warehouse should be over here," Blade pointed in a direction and revved his bike. "At least that's what the vampire said before I killed him."
Morbius landed on the ground next to the motorcycle. "Ah, my dear friend. Such powers of persuasion you have."
Blade glared before kicking his bike into gear and heading up the deserted road.
* * *
Wolverine glared at the empty warehouse. "Where are they?" he growled under his breath.
Buffy gripped her crossbow and swept the room with it. She cursed her unpredictable ability to sense vampires. It had worked fine the other night but now, it appeared to have abandoned her.
"Can you smell them?" Scott asked Logan.
The clawed mutant sniffed the air and grunted. "Yeah. Their stink is all over the place."
"So where are they?" Willow whispered.
That was when the trap was sprung. Smoke filled the room, obscuring everyone's vision. Logan stood at the defensive, ready for an attack. He realized his mistake in assuming there would be a direct assault when he saw his companions falling to the ground around him. And then he felt his eyelids closing against his will. He did not feel the impact with the floor.
* * *
Blade revved his motorcycle and crashed through the front door of the warehouse, surprising the two vampires who had unconscious figures slung over their shoulders. They turned towards the Daywalker and snarled before turning around again and running towards the back of the warehouse.
Blade chased after the two of them, easily catching up. He took out his katana and reached out and beheaded one of them, turning it to dust. His burden dropped to the floor, still unconscious.
The second vampire was dropped to the ground, wound in a bolo thrown by the Black Cat. He struggled to escape from the cables but they had been specially designed to hold against a vampire's enhanced strength. She dusted him quickly with a stake to the heart before turning her attention to the woman the vampire had been carrying. "Buffy!" she gasped as she saw her face.
Blade looked over and noted that it was indeed the Slayer lying on the ground. The second woman was a redhead that he did not recognize. He grunted. "Didn't need our help, huh?"
Morbius, after ensuring that the two men were still alive, was inspecting the warehouse. "I found something," he called to his companions.
"What is it?" Cat asked as she walked over.
In a shadowed corner of the building, Morbius pointed at a gaping hole in the wall that exposed a set of stairs heading downward. "A tunnel," he replied.