Title: "Episode 83 & 1/2 - With A Little Help From My Friends".
Part: 06/12
Author: "A Gentleman Of Leisure".
Summary: There's a stranger in town and the world's about to end. Who you gonna call?
Story Type: In-Canon adventure set between Episodes 83 & 84 (hence the title).
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Up to Series 5, Episode 83 (of course).
Pairing: In-Canon
Disclaimer: In the beginning there was Joss. And Joss said "Let there be Buffy". And there was Buffy. And it was the morning and the evening of the first episode. And lo, Joss saw that it was good. (All copyrights and trademarks acknowledged - it's all just a bit of fun, folks. Thank you.)

Author's Note: I'm a British writer, so there may be some terms (and spelling) not used in the US. OK? Now read on...

*

Part Six - 'A Hole In The Ground' - Bernard Cribbins.


Buffy almost exploded.

"You're taking Spike? Are you crazy? You can't even trust him as far as you can kick him!"

"Buffy, Buffy", Giles said, trying to distract her, "please calm down. I think we can safely assume that Michael knows what he's doing. He obviously has his reasons - he wouldn't choose Spike otherwise".

Buffy turned on Michael disbelievingly.

"Do you? Do you? Do you really know what he's like?"

"You can be sure, Slayer, that I know all about Spike, more than you will ever know - what he is like, and how little or how much he can be trusted", Michael replied in a level tone of voice. He smiled at her and continued, "I think that one day you may be surprised by him, but that's not what we're concerned with tonight. Right now we haven't got the time to worry about who we can or can't trust. We won't be away from here for more than a few minutes at the most to get the Spear, and then as soon as we return we'll be preparing for the fight to protect this universe from the one that threatens to encroach on it. Don't be afraid for your sister - remember, I will be there too".

"Afraid? Me? He's the one who'd better be afraid if he messes up", Buffy said scathingly. She turned away and stalked over to Spike, who was standing over by the shop counter, leaning casually against it and she put her face right up close to his. Her voice dropped to a low flat tone.

"Listen to me, you worthless piece of street pizza, and listen carefully", she said quietly, so the others couldn't hear her. "Anything happens to my sister, anything at all, she stubs her toe even, or gets a hangnail, let alone gets hurt in any way... well don't bother coming back, because if you do I'll make you wish....you....were....dead", and at each word she poked him in the chest with her forefinger, hard enough to make him recoil a step each time.

"Lighten up Slayer, nothing's going to happen, no one's going to get hurt", Spike said, perhaps a trifle nervously. "It'll be just like a commando raid - quick dash in, grab what we went for, and quick dash out again. Easy as A,B,C. And in case you hadn't noticed, I am already dead".

"You haven't stopped moving yet, Spike", Buffy reminded him quietly, "but that mistake can be rectified - just very....very....slowly. Remember that. Anything goes wrong, I'll make you wish you had never lived at all", she added, turned on her heel and stalked away.

"Yeah, and I love you too, Slayer", Spike called out after her.

She stopped dead, right where she was, and without turning her head she replied "If I even suspected you actually meant that, Spike, I would stake myself immediately".

"I'd cheerfully do it for you Slayer, but I'm afraid I can't oblige. It's this chip thing, see, otherwise it would be a real pleasure", he said loudly.

"It's chips with everything, isn't it Spike?" she responded, still not looking round. "It's always to blame".

"Hm, bad hair day, or what?" Spike said more quietly to her back, and winked at Dawn across the room.

Michael tapped on the table to get everyone's attention.

"Gather round please. We are ready to start", he said, and they all turned to face him. Willow and Tara took up places standing on opposite sides of the table. Michael, Dawn and Spike clambered up onto it and stood in the middle facing one another.

"Remember not to touch me, Spike", Michael said. "I do not want you to get burned".

"Burned? Mate, there is something very strange about you!" Spike said, shaking his head. "Mind you, I never did trust the strong silent type. Did I Slayer?"

"How can you make jokes at a time like this, Spike?" Dawn asked. "Aren't you excited? I am. My hair's trying to stand up on end!"

"Maybe you should try hairgel, Niblet. That would really get up big sister's nose".

"Oh, for goodness' sake be quiet you two", Willow said. "The rest of you hold hands with us round the table, Buffy and Giles on my left, Xander and Anya on my right. Now link up with Tara, and don't let go!", and without needing to be told to everyone interlocked their fingers. As they did, they felt a sudden smooth surge of energy flow through them all, before the magic making had even begun.

"Oh, my goodness!" Tara said, then Willow shushed her. They both began to recite together from a spell copied out onto a sheet of paper lying in front of them. The rhythmic flow of the words slowly filled the Magic Box, and it gradually got darker and quieter.

After a couple of minutes Buffy had a strange feeling of lightness, something like floating in the air without actually moving off the ground. Her hair began to swirl up round her, and so did the three other girls', as a vague movement of air became detectable in the room. Little sparkles of light popped in and out of existence, there was a faint spicy scent that reminded her of something she couldn't quite place, and the room round them seemed somehow to have become infinitely far off. The chanting of the spell by the two witches became the only thing she was aware of, and she wondered if Giles was experiencing the same sensations as she was, but now she couldn't have turned her head to look at him even if her life depended on it.

The two voices chanting in unison gradually rose to a crescendo and then suddenly stopped, and there was a deep silence. Tara gripped her hand fiercely.

"Don't anyone let go now, whatever happens", Willow said quietly. "We have to keep the way back open for them".

Buffy blinked, and realised that in front of her, where seemingly just a moment or two before there had been a table with three people standing on it, there was now a dark hole in the floor. Nothing was visible inside it, light just fell into it and vanished. She could even feel it very gently tugging at her. She gripped Giles' hand tightly in her turn as he exclaimed "Stone me! Where the hell did that come from?"

"I guess you've got a quick way down to the cellar now, Giles", Xander commented quietly from across the circle, but made sure he too was firmly hanging onto the hands of the women either side of him.

"Well, it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good, I suppose", Giles said, shaking his head, and Buffy couldn't help smiling at him.

"Wills, how long do we have to keep this up?"

"Oh, not long. Don't worry, they know where the Spear is, and Michael's own power meant we were able to open the portal directly to it's location. It's amazing really - that man contains so much power of his own, but for some strange reason needs us to use it for him. I'll have to ask him about that when this thing is all over".

"My nose itches", said Anya.

*

When Willow and Tara had begun to chant their spell, Dawn had seen Michael shake his head slightly, close his eyes and start to intone something silently. She'd watched him for a moment or two, and realised that when the witches paused for breath between phrases, Michael had been inaudibly making some sort of response. Then she had closed her eyes as things began to get a little weird.

Somehow she lost track of what was happening, becoming entranced by the hypnotic rhythm of the words as they flowed on and on, and the sound of Michael's voice which she could now hear perfectly, though she couldn't understand a single word. Along the way she gradually lost track of time as well.

After what seemed like an infinite age she became aware that it was now silent, and that they were standing in total darkness. The atmosphere was completely different - the air was slightly damp, and cool enough to make her shiver slightly. She heard Spike cough, and the acoustic ambience of the space they were in said to her 'small, low ceiling, possibly underground'. She opened her eyes.

"Where are we?" she said. Then she heard Spike sniff.

"We're in a bloody crypt, that's where we are, little bit. I know the smell".

"Good", Michael's voice said. "We seem to have arrived in the right place. I'll just take my hat off, and we'll see!"

'What?' thought Dawn. 'What's he talking about? Is he crazy? How will taking his hat off help us see where we are? Didn't he bring a flashlight?'

Then Michael took his hat off - and a white brilliance suddenly lit up everything. Spike and Dawn stared at him open mouthed - the light seemed to be directionless, to come from everywhere and to cast no shadow, and it filled the room they were in, from rough uneven cobblestone floor to low plastered ceiling. It wasn't too bright to look at, and yet every atom in the place stood out sharply, as if illuminated by a laser beam. It was uncanny.

"How the..."

"Spike!" Dawn interrupted sharply.

"...do you do that?"

"Don't worry yourself about it", Michael replied, and for some reason Dawn immediately felt completely reassured and confident.

"It's OK, Spike", she said looking round. "No biggie. I wonder where we are?"

"I detect an atmosphere of suffocating holiness, Niblet. Ancient relics and suchlike", Spike commented. "It wouldn't surprise me in the least if we were in the undercroft of a church somewhere".

"Ten out of ten, William. Considering what we are looking for, would you like to guess exactly where?"

Spike shivered. All this excessive religiousness was somewhat hazardous for him. If he accidentally touched the wrong thing he would go up in smoke, just like that, without an instant's warning. It worried him, and that always made him bad tempered and sarcastic.

"Go on, amaze me, oh shining one! Ow!!"

Dawn had just kicked his ankle. "Behave yourself Spike, or I'll tell Buffy!"

"Little sneak!" he growled.

"Shush! Sorry Michael, he's just a bit nervous. It's not really his fault".

"Understood", Michael replied, and Dawn could have sworn she detected a slight smile, but it was gone before she could be certain.

"Where are we, then?" she asked. "It looks like a cellar to me, in some old spooky house in one of those horror movies. I love those".

"And this from a girl who lives in Sunnydale! Masochist!" Spike said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Spike? Would you like to know, or shall we just get on with our mission?" Michael said.

"Tell me, tell me. I'm just dying to know why I'm in a deep dark hole, with no apparent entrance or exit except the one we brought with us".

Michael looked round at the whitewashed walls, now very old, flaking and grimy, with cobwebs in the corners, and a jumble of dusty objects stacked here and there, seemingly at random.

"This is the Vatican".


End Of Part Six. To Be Continued...