Chapter Five: Race Music

            Author's Note: the characters in this fanfic do not belong to me. They are the property of Mutant Enemy (Buffy and Co.), and Marvel Comics (X-Men/ New Mutants).

Buffy-wise: This story occurs during Buffy S5. The prologue is post "Triangle" but pre "Checkpoint", and the rest is post "The Body." May veer off into AU- in fact, it probably will.

Marvel-wise: Everything up to Uncanny X-Men #137 is canon. In this work, the Phoenix Entity left Jean after the battle in Uncanny X-Men #138. Also, this verse has been updated to 2000- well, this part of the timeline... you know what I mean. Also, the only other X- team at this time is the New Mutants. X-Men and the New Mutants- that's it.

Note: I know I'm mucking with the Angel timeline somewhat, but this is AU.

Somewhere in New York State.

Tranquility was a beautiful thing, seldom achieved, and even more seldom maintained for any length of time. The night was tranquil- there were few people on the highways, few animals still outside in the farmlands, and one did not have to strain to hear the crickets chirp.

All that changed when the plane crashed.

Glory emerged from the plane feeling energized. What was the line in that delightful war movie- oh yeah- she loved the smell of napalm in the morning. And the smell of smoke, burned flesh and wood, and oh, it made her homesick. The screams of those few passengers and crew that she hadn't brainsucked before the crash was music to her ears. Of course, the few sane survivors were now crazy, thanks to her. Anyone that came upon the crash site would find it full of corpses and lunatics. All in all, not a bad portent of the apocalypse, but she was more concerned with bringing the thing to pass than with warning people of it. She turned around, and waited for her minions to bring her luggage. If she was to travel, then it was to be in style. She was a goddess, after all- standards must be upheld.

The crystal around her neck was tugging her towards her Key. The tugging was constant ever since she donned it, but was growing more and more urgent as she neared her little Key. Soon, she would have it, and then, she would- NO! Not now! Not after she just fed! How the HELL-

Ben blinked as he looked around him. The last he knew, he was in the villa in Sunnydale in daytime. Now, he was in a field, in the middle of the night, and boy oh boy, Toto, was he not in California anymore.

"Oh Your Most- Ben?!?" Jinx said as he came up to Ben. Ben could see the other minions milling about through the plane. His mind raced. Obviously, Buffy was smart enough to move Dawn somewhere, but Glory had somehow tracked them down. There was a crystal around his neck tugging him somewhere- probably towards Dawn. The plane crash meant that Glory had to go by airplane, and had made a pig of herself. But he'd never re-emerged so soon after she'd fed. It should have been a long time- Ben, do NOT look a gift horse in the mouth!

Ben ran. Between housing a God all of his life and keeping himself physically fit, he was fast. He was much faster than the minions, and soon he was both out of their sight, and away from the cars coming to search for survivors. Ben knew all too well what they would find- more people whose lives Glory ended, one way or another.

He paused and took a breath. Think, Benny-boy, think. You need some wheels, and a change of clothing, in that order. He sped off again in search of a vehicle- any vehicle. The minions would find him- they always did. But he intended to make them work for it. He prayed to a God- a better God than Glory, if such beings truly existed- that he would be able to buy some time for the Slayer and the Key.

*    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *

Los Angeles, CA.

The Hyperion Hotel was once a populated building. It sang with life and light. But light has a way of creating shadows, or of attracting them. One such shadow slowly swallowed up all of the light, and left a place of darkness and evil. But even as light attracts shadow, so does shadow attract the light. The Hyperion is clean, now, and is home or office to people. Good people- servants of the Powers That Be.

It was night. The inhabitants had been gone for a few days, but had returned, and were happy to be home. They even brought a guest. One of the people was a tall, apparently young man, opened the doors. His name- one of many- was Angel. He was followed by a young, beautiful brunette, who was dressed as an exotic princess, complete with a golden crown. She was Cordelia. A third was a tall man, older than the others, with black hair and glasses. Wesley. The fourth was a young man with a shaved head, who looked both tough and gentle. Gunn. The fifth, the guest, was a young woman with white clothes and dark hair. Her eyes were wide, and she was looking at everything around her as if she was seeing them for the very first time. Fred.

"Okay. Can I say it? I wanna say it," Angel said.

"Say what?" Wesley asked him

"There's no place like-"

"OH!" Cordelia yelled. The men looked at her, but Fred jumped and stared.

"What's wrong?" Fred asked.

"She's okay," Gunn told her. "She's just having a vision."

"Something's wrong," Angel said, beginning to worry.

"I agree. She's always been able to tell us what she sees. She isn't now." AT that moment, Cordelia fell. They raced to catch her.

But Cordelia was barely registering them. She was too engrossed in what the Powers were showing her.

//A plane crashing. Inside there were a few people screaming, but the rest appeared not to notice. They seemed crazy, all but the ugly grey skinned demons and a stunning blond woman that was laughing.// The scene shifted.

//The woman appears from the wreckage unharmed. She is surveying her surroundings with a hungry look, when suddenly she screams. And turns into a very handsome dark haired young man, who looks confused. One of the demons approaches the man. The two stare at each other for a moment, and the demon speaks. She only hears the name "Ben." Ben ran away from the wreckage, pursued by the demon, whom he quickly lost.// The scene shifted.

//It is daytime. There is a mansion. And in the backyard, a war is going on. There are demons of all types everywhere. Fighting them are mostly humans, with a few demons mixed in. Wesley and Gunn were there, and so were Lorne and Fred. As was Buffy, and the other Scoobies, and Buffy mutant cousins and their girlfriends.// The scene shifted.

//Inside the mansion, the blond woman approaches Dawn with a triumphant grin upon her face. But standing between Dawn are Angel, Spike, two werewolves, and a young blond woman. Angel, Spike, and the young blond are each holding swords. The older blond woman steps forward, and the people- Dawn's protectors- charge.//

Cordelia opened her eyes. She was on the couch in the lobby. Her head felt like it was on fire. Her friends were standing around her, concern written upon their faces.

"Glory knows that Dawn is the Key," she said simply. It took a moment to register.

"What?" Angel asked.

"Are you sure?" Wes asked.

"Who're Glory and Dawn?" Fred asked.

"I'll tell you later," Gunn- who was told all about the Slayer and her friends on the chance that they would need to come to L.A.- told her.

"Angel, call Lorne," Wes said, falling into command mode. "Gunn, get Cordelia an aspirin, and I'll call Rupert. Let's go!"

*    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *

If it was one thing that Lorne hated, it being called after a particularly rough time. And times couldn't get rougher than he had in the past couple days. And now he was being called.

He picked up the phone, preparing to give the caller a piece of his mind.

"Lorne?" the voice asked. It was Angel.

"Angelcakes? Long time, no hear!" Lorne said, somewhat sarcastically. Not even a half-hour passes and he needs me, the Pylean thought to himself.

"What do you know about a being named Glorificus?" Angel asked him.

Lorne went utterly still. Glorificus? No, he had to be hearing wrong. Angel couldn't have just said- Glorificus.

"I'm sorry, can you say that name again?"

"Glorificus. Glory, for short. What do you know about her?"

"I know that if she comes your way you should run and hide. Champion or not, she's way out of your league."

"Not an option. Cordy just had a vision. What do you know about the Key?"

"The Key Between the Dimensions?" Lorne was aghast. "Does she have it?" Leave for a few days and the planet just goes to Hell.

"No, but she knows where it is. Cordelia just had a vision, and we were all in it."

"Protecting the Key?"

"Yup."

"I'll get right over," Lorne sighed. "I presume that you know where it is."

"It's either in Sunnydale or New York."

"How did it get here? The Monks of Dagon- you do know about the Monks, right?- operate out of eastern Europe."

"Very long story. I'll tell you in the car or on the plane."

"And just how do you think I'll be allowed on a plane?"

"You'll be with me in storage."

"Great- first class travel," Lorne muttered. "I'll be with you soon, bubbelah."

*    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *

Sunnydale, CA.

Rupert Giles was just about to start a late night cup of tea when the phone rang. Giles cursed, and went to answer it. If it was a solicitor, than he or she was about to get what for, as only the Ripper could give it.

"Hello?"

"Rupert? It's Wes."

"Wesley?" Giles was surprised. Why would Wesley be calling him? Unless, something happened to Angel or Cordelia.

"Rupert, Cordelia just had a vision." Wes was silent for a moment. "Glory knows," he finally said. "She's going for Dawn."

Giles' heart fell as Wes proceeded to relate Cordelia's vision.

"Bugger," Giles swore, quiet but heartfelt.

"No argument here. Where is Dawn."

"She and Buffy are in New York at her cousin's wedding. I'll alert Buffy and the others."

"Now all we have to do is co-ordinate a flight."

"I've got that handled, actually," Giles responded, looking for a certain piece of paper he kept by the telephone. It had the times of all flights to New York from Sunnydale.

"There's a flight from Sunnydale with a connector to New York that leaves in two hours. It's a red-eye, so it shouldn't be too crowded. I hope."

"Tell us if it's full. There will be six people on this end, but I think that Angel and Lorne will be in the baggage."

"And there are six of us here, as well. Spike will be in baggage as well, if I know him. Hopefully he and Angel won't kill each other on the way."

"Agreed."

*    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *

Salem Centre, NY.

It was late at night on the eastern seaboard. Most of the inhabitants of the mansion had long since turned in. All, that is, except for the New Mutants, Kitty Pryde, and Dawn Summers, who were still exchanging stories. The process began after dinner, when the Summers sisters were shown around the mansion, and general conversation had broken out. Given the mutual curiosity held over what a Vampire Slayer did and what a superhero did, tale swapping had begun. Buffy retold the story of her telepathic experience, the X-Men told of some of their battles against the Sentinels, Buffy countered with Adam and the Super-Slayer, the X-Men responded with some of their epic battles against Magneto, and on and on. Finally, the older ones turned in, but the younger ones decided to keep going, just moving the party to the rec room. After all, teenagers were used to keeping long hours.

"So there I was with some of my friends in the Sunnydale Mall," Dawn was saying, telling the New Mutants and Kitty about the Judge, "and I feel a little funny. I don't know why, and suddenly it stops. I hear a scream, and I see this huge blue demon at the entrance. He's got a crossbow bolt in his chest, and he's surrounded by vamps. He said something like, "You're a fool. No weapon forged can stop me." I look around, and I see Buffy, standing on a yoghurt stand, holding a crossbow. And she says, "That was then." She puts the crossbow down, and she- and I swear to God this happened- she picks up a rocket launcher-"

She was cut off by some of the New Mutants, saying things like "No way!" or "Okay, now I know you're making this up!"

Rahne Sinclair pounded the ground with her fist. "Och," she said, "let her finish. You were saying, Dawn?" Rahne was captivated by the Slayer's exploits.

"Thanks, Rahne. Where was I? Oh, yeah. She picks up this rocket launcher and says, "This is now."  And he's like, "What's that do?" And people are running everywhere, and she shoots the thing. BOOM! Pieces of Judge all over the mall!"

"What did y'do then?"

"Well, I went to the other Scoobies and helped them pick up pieces of Judge- who was very, very dead, by the way. I had to do a lot of explaining to mom after that one. See, that was before she knew about Buffy being the Slayer, but I knew. I said that I got separated from everybody because of the panic. She bought it."

"The Judge was destroyed by a rocket launcher?" Illyana asked. "Of course- 'no weapon forged'- but a rocket launcher isn't forged, and the moron was too stupid to realize that people have come a long way since he was torn apart! That was brilliant!" Despite the look that Illyana gave Dawn when they were introduced, the two found that they had a great deal in common, such as a mutual knowledge of magic and demons. Still, every once in a while, Illyana still looked at Dawn, almost like she could somehow tell that Dawn wasn't real. It worried Dawn. Amara had said that Illyana was a sorceress as well as a mutant. How come she could recognize that Dawn was different when Willow and Tara and Amanda couldn't? Or was it all just in Dawn's head?

"Oh, that's nothing," Kitty laughed. "The X-Men have this jet that we call the Blackbird, and- well, the first year I was here, I was all alone at Hanukkah, and the mansion was invaded by this monster! I think it was a demon, but it looked like something out of 'Alien.' Anyway, there this thing was, chasing me all over the mansion, and I-" She was cut off by the ringing of the phone.

"I'll get it," Doug Ramsey said. "You keep going, Kitty." He really liked the story, but he'd heard it before, after all.

"Thanks Doug! So anyway…"

Doug went over the phone.

"Hello?" he asked. Ordinarily he'd give someone a piece of his mind for calling so late, but given that he was supposed to be in bed when in reality he was not, he wasn't in a position to scold.

"This is the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters?" came the voice of a British man.

"Yes it is. How may I-"

"I need to talk to Buffy. It's urgent!" the man certainly sounded worried.

"Um are you Mr. Giles?" Doug asked, hoping that that was the name of Buffy's Watcher.

"Yes I am. Now may I please speak to Buffy?"

"Buffy's in bed right now, but Dawn's right here. Would you like to speak to her?"

"Yes," Mr. Giles responded after a moment. "Yes, that might be best."

"One moment please, sir." He turned to his friends. "Dawn," he called. "It's Mr. Giles."

Dawn took on a worried look. Why would Giles be calling here, unless- she got up, and quickly took the phone.

"Giles?" she said to the phone as her new friends waited for her to return so Kitty's story could continue. After a brief moment, they heard her gasp. Looking at her, they saw that her face was pale, and that tears were building up in her eyes.

"No," she said. "No no no…"

Sam and Dani stood up, and approached her.

"What's wrong, Dawn?" Dani asked her. Dawn didn't seem to notice. Suddenly she turned her attention back to the phone. After a moment, she looked up at them.

"Could one of you guys please wake Buffy up? It's important."

"Ah'm on it," Sam told her. "Anythin' you want me to tell her?"

"Yes!" Dawn said, a little emphatically. "Tell her that Giles is calling, and tell her that Glory knows."

"Giles is calling and Glory knows," he repeated. "Gotcha." He shared a look with Dani, his co-leader of the New Mutants. What was Dawn talking about?

Minutes later, Sam followed Buffy as she raced to the rec room. Buffy practically grabbed the phone from Dawn. "Giles" she practically demanded, "How does she know?"

The New Mutants looked at their co-leader.

"What's going on, Sam?" Dani asked him.

"Ah don't know, but when I gave her the message, Ah practically had to jump out of her way!"

"It sounds serious," Illyana said. The sorceress frowned. Glory, Glory… that sounded very familiar, but she didn't know why.

"Could it be some kind of vampire trouble?" Xi'an asked. Not for the first time, she was very glad that her siblings didn't live in the mansion.

"Ah, she can handle it," Roberto put in. Then he smiled. "I almost hope they come here. I've never beaten on a vampire before."

"Self believes there is more to it than that," Warlock said, slowly. "Self does not believe that a simple problem would be enough to get SelfriendDawn and SelfriendBuffy so worried."

"I think Warlock's right," Doug said.

"Big surprise," Roberto muttered.

"Of course Warlock's right," Rahne said before her friends could get into yet another fight. "The lady's faced demons. Whatever this 'Glory' is, it's obviously worse than a demon."

"But what exactly is the matter?" Amara asked. "That seems to be the point. And that is something I would very much like to know. I do not believe that Buffy would leave Sunnydale, even for a few days, if there was a great deal of trouble."

"Whatever it is, it must be recent," Kitty added. "Look at Dawn. She was upset when this Mr. Giles gave her this message about this 'Glory.' She was upset, but she wasn't surprised."

"That's because I was almost expecting it." All eyes turned to Dawn.

"Dawn!" Dani exclaimed. "We're so sorry, we didn't-"

"I know," Dawn said. She was crying steadily. "I'm the one that should be sorry. One of my friends got hurt because of me. I don't want it to happen to any more. I shouldn't have come here. I'm so sorry." She started crying in full force. Her friends watched, very awkwardly.

"Look," Sam said, stepping into 'big brother' mode, "Ah don't know what's goin' on, and Ah don't know what this 'Glory' is or what's eating you, but if you're in trouble, well, Ah think Ah can safely say that you can count on us, whatever your problem is."

"Count on it," Dani said. "Whatever it is that's after you, we'll help take care of it. We all know what it's like to be hunted."

"Besides," Roberto added, "You may not be a mutant, but you're definitely a freak. Hey, so are we. We freaks stick together, don't we?"

From her conversation with Giles, Buffy looked up, and saw each of the school's students talk to Dawn. She smiled- it looked like her sister finally found Xanders and Willows of her own. She only hoped that Dawn would able to stand by them as much as they were going to stand by her.

"So what's the plan, Giles?" she asked him.

"Well, before I called you, I called Willow and Tara. They agreed to notify Xander and Anya, track down Spike, and enquire after tickets. Right now, I suggest you wake your cousins and the Professor and give them the news."

"Right." She said nothing for a moment. "Giles, how will this turn out?"

"The way it always does, I suppose- we kill the villain, and you help blow something up."

Buffy laughed. "I needed that. Thanks, Giles. I guess I'd better let you go. Bye."

"Goodbye, Buffy."

Leaving her sister alone with her friends, she headed off to the bedrooms. She was grateful that Scott and Jean told them where their room was- waking everyone else first up would be awkward.

*    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *

Somewhere in Pennsylvania

Somehow, Ben just knew that it would be dawn soon. He didn't really know how he knew- maybe it was a subconscious knowledge that anyone that lived in Sunnydale had, even if they know the truth about the small, relatively young town that caused it to have twelve relatively large cemeteries.

Ben drove as fast as he could without being noticed and pulled over for speeding. After all, he didn't want to delayed, and he didn't want any cops to discover that the car he now drove, hell, even the clothes on his back, were stolen. He remembered the poor fellow back in New York state, who pulled over and got out before he noticed that the running figure in a dress wasn't a woman in distress. And they said chivalry was dead. Of course, all chivalry got the poor fellow- who was Ben's size and build- was a premature visit to Dreamland and a loss of everything he had on him, except his briefs and his wallet.

If Ben let his mind drift, he imagined that he could almost hear Glory raging in his mind. But that was nonsense- they were two completely separate beings, that shared one body. He put that thought out of his mind, and concentrated on getting as far away from the Key as possible. If the crystal tugging on his neck was an indication, Dawn was to the northeast. That was why he headed southwest.

Some time later, it came. His world began to go dark. He barely had time to pull over before she emerged. His last thoughts as he fell into darkness were "Oh Buffy, oh Dawn, I managed to buy you some time, I hope it's enough. I'm so sorry…"

Glory looked around at the car she was in. She then looked at her surroundings. And then at her clothes. The crystal around her neck was tugging even harder than it did at the crash site, which meant that she was further away from her incarnated Key than she was before.

Glory screamed. Ben! While she was forced off into her own world, where she couldn't do anything but contemplate the only being in the universe worthy of adoration- Herself, naturally- Ben did it to her AGAIN! And her minions had allowed it! Huffily, she waited for said scabby beings to come and get her. And for their sakes, they'd better have been right behind Ben!

*    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *

Sunnydale and Los Angeles CA., en route to New York

Even in the middle of dark times, life sometimes gives you small mercies. One such was that the red eye flight from Sunnydale to New York was practically empty. The Scoobies had free reign on where they sat, which they utilized once the crew of Angel Investigations boarded. Conversely, the dearth of passengers made it tough for Spike, and later Angel and Lorne, to hide.

The plan was to wait a half hour after takeoff from L.A. before the exchange of notes, via walkie talkie, began. Angel and Spike spent much of the time pointedly not talking to each other, with Lorne more than filling the silence. That lasted until Angel got a good look at Spike's face. He was sitting with his back to them, but turned around, and lit a cigarette. That was when Angel could see the bruises.

"What did that to you?" he asked, cutting Lorne off. It took a lot to hurt a vampire that badly.

Spike snorted at him, and quietly began to sing a few bars of "My Way." Angel and Lorne shared a look. When one wanted to keep a secret around Lorne, singing was very foolish.

"That was a very brave thing you did," Lorne said after Spike was done.

"What do you mean?" Spike asked, a little angrily.

"Letting her torture you rather than tell her what she wanted. That takes a rare kind of strength, not to mention love."

Angel's eyes widened. He put things together very quickly- so Glory tortured him and he kept his mouth shut. But why? Angel mentally flashed back to his last visit to Sunnydale. He remembered how close Dawn and Spike were. He remembered Spike's whispered promise to Joyce. He remembered the way that Spike added the part about not allowing any harm to come to Dawn's family. Then it all fell into place.

"You're in love with Buffy, aren't you?"

"What?" his Child's Child asked him, laughing. "Angelus, I think you've finally lost your mind!"

"You kept your mouth shut about Dawn. And, the last time we saw each other, I heard you make a promise to Joyce."

"That explains it. I always keep my word, Angelus. I like the Platelet, and Joyce was the only one of the Slayer's crew that treated me decently."

"If you say so." Angel knew Spike better than either of them would have liked. He did not believe him.

"Well, I do." Spike was silent for a moment. "I mean, do you think that every vampire that she doesn't stake after knowing her for five seconds falls head over heels for her?"

"Then why haven't you killed her?" Angel asked,

"Remember the chip?"

"So it would hurt you. Big deal. It would stop sometime, and she'd still be dead."

Spike opened his mouth to reply, but hesitated. That convinced Angel. He grabbed Spike by the lapels of Spike's leather jacket.

"If you go near her…" Angel growled, entering vamp-face.

"You'll do what, exactly?" Spike vamped-out himself. "Peaches."

"Hey, fellas," Lorne began.

"I'll stake you myself," Angel said, ignoring his friend.

"If that was what the Slayer wanted, then why didn't she do it when she found out, hmm?"

"Boys, boys, please," Lorne said, approaching them. "We're on the same side here, remember? None of us wants a certain Goddess to get her hands on the Key?"

That convinced the vampires. They backed down, and entered human face. They retreated to their original positions.

"Look," Lorne went on. "I can tell that you two have had a big hate-on for each other for, oh, ever since he," he jerked a thumb to Spike, "was made, but let's not forget the mission. You may hate each other, but remember Dawn. You both love her, right? Well, she needs you both. The Powers said so."

The vampires glared at each other.

"Truce?" Angel grudgingly asked.

"Only for my Little Bit, but yeah, truce" Spike responded, equally grudgingly.

"Perfect," Lorne said. "Now, I think it's almost time to start our planning session with our first class flyers."

Up top…

Giles spent much of the time from the takeoff from L.A. glancing at his watch, while the L.A. bunch detailed their Pylean adventure to the Scoobies. Giles would normally have been fascinated, and asking many questions, as few Watchers ever experienced dimensional travel firsthand, but he was understandably preoccupied. He did take some time to analyze the only two he hadn't met before, namely, Fred and Gunn. He wasn't worried about Gunn- anybody that was a demon hunter for as long as he said he was could more than handle him-or-herself. Fred seemed, well, less in touch with reality than Anya was. It was understandable, of course- being enslaved in a demon dimension for five years would do that to anyone. But both Cordelia and Wesley said that she could handle herself, and their word was good enough for him.

He took a moment to think about just how much the two of them had changed since they left Sunnydale. Cordelia used to be archrival to his children, until she became their ally, and later, their friend. She once came across as a shallow, vapid, beauty queen, but she had a core of strength and intelligence that she kept well hidden. Her association with the Scoobies forced her to reveal her true self to the world. Her association with Angel continued the process, and now Cordelia Chase stood as a capable person, who endured great pain for the sake of strangers. She was a thoroughly admirable young woman, one that Giles was proud to call friend.

And Wesley… Giles' former rival changed a great deal himself. When Wes came to Sunnydale, he was pompous, insufferable, arrogant, and something of a sheep. Giles could barely stand him, but never told anyone the real reason why. Oh, Wes' behaviour and the reasons for his coming would have been enough for anyone, but Giles had very personal reasons as well. In Wes, Giles saw the young man that he might have been had he capitulated to his destiny earlier than he did. In short, as Willow might put it, Wesley equalled Giles minus the Ripper. As much as he greatly regretted the Ripper, without him he wouldn't be the Watcher that he was today. Since Wes was fired, he was forced to mature, and in the process he left his pomposity and arrogance behind. The two of them now had a great deal in common- they were able to make decisions that their friends and co-workers could not. Wes, too, had become someone that Giles was proud to call friend.

Finally, it was time for the conferring to begin. Giles and the others activated their walkie talkies, and placed them where they could be accessed but not easily seen.

"Can you hear me?" he asked.

"Loud and clear," came Angel's voice.

"Good."

"Lorne," Wes asked, "what do you know about Glorificus?"

There was a sigh from the other end of the walkie talkies.

"I'm glad you're all sitting down. This is pretty bad, and pretty long."

"Tell us everything," Giles said. "Anything could be important."

"If you want. Okay, where to start…" He paused for a moment.

"Glorificus is so bad, she's even known in Pylea. The priests are terrified of her- in fact everyone was. Everyone but her little cult- and she had one. Her two brothers also have cults in Pylea, but hers was the biggest."

"Brothers?" Willow asked.

"They're supposed to be almost as bad as she is," Fred put in. "The three of them are kinda like three Pylean Satans."

"So they rule over Tarkna?" Gunn asked.

"No, but they're seen as being even worse. I don't know the details, but I do know being one of their cultists is seen as being almost as bad as mating with cows- humans," Fred hastily corrected.

"Yup," Lorne said. "Except about twenty five years ago, Glorificus' cult was all but destroyed."

"Why?" Wes asked.

"Well, it seems that Glory was getting a little too powerful for her britches. Her brothers feared that she was going to kill them and take over as sole ruler of their HellDimension. They decided to attack her first."

"Did she really?" Tara asked. "Want to take over, I mean."

"Probably. That's what evil deities like to do," Lorne responded. "Anyway, twenty-five years ago, the war ended, and obviously she lost. Most of her cults were completely destroyed, or at least decimated. Her brothers were greatly weakened themselves, and they only barely beat her, so they were too weak to destroy her outright. So they settled for the next best thing- banishment.

"They cast her out, and by chance she landed in this dimension. The only thing I know from then is that she got trapped in the form of a newborn male- probably this 'Ben' that the Princess saw."

"It was eerie," Cordelia shuddered. "One moment, she was a blond woman, then she was a hot guy with black hair who was wearing a dress."

"I can imagine. Well, anyway, a lot of people have been trying to find out who the poor sap that got stuck with her is, but no one has."

"Why?" Xander asked. "I mean, as long as Glory's the problem, who cares about the guy that's got her."

Lorne was silent for a moment. "Because even though she's just a shadow of her former bitchy self, she's still incredibly powerful. When she emerges, she's invulnerable, and super strong. She'd make a great ally if someone made her the right offer, and tracking down her host is like tracking down the lady herself. Same for people that want her gone. Her host is as vulnerable as the average human, and if he goes…"

"You mean they'd just kill the guy that's got her? That's nuts! What if the guy's an innocent? I mean, Cordy said he even ran from the minions. It'd be murder!"

"It would also be necessary, Xander," Giles said. "There is no guarantee that this 'Ben' is an innocent, and even if he were, how can you weigh one life against the entire world?"

"Sacrificing an innocent person is wrong, Giles," Angel's voice came from the walkie talkie, firmly but very quietly. "Even to save the world."

"Better one life than the entire world," Wesley said, matching Angel's tone.

"Who are we to make that decision?" Willow asked.

"Are you people stoned?" Spike's voice was incredulous. "If killing one person saved a whole bunch of people from dying, how can that not be a fair trade?"

"Spike," Angel said slowly, "if the Scoobies followed that reasoning, neither of us would be here right now."

"Would I?" Anya asked quietly from her seat beside Xander. She grabbed his hand, and squeezed it very tightly.

"Maybe it wouldn't come to that," Tara said. "I mean, if we could take Ben to the Sorcerer Supreme, then maybe Dr. Strange could find a way to separate the two, and send Glory packing. I mean, I hear that he knows all the superheroes."

"He wouldn't even have to do that," Anya put in. "Just get Thor to give her a few whacks of Mjolnir. Hey, he's a God, she's a Goddess, she's been weakened, so she'd be hamburger, right?"

"If Glory didn't emerge before Dr. Strange could separate them," Wes said. "Which brings us to another thing we need to know- what makes Glory take over?"

"I can guess," Anya said. All eyes turned to her.

"Well, it seems that Glory and Ben are kind of like two sides of the same coin. It's a bit like demonic possession, except Glory isn't a demon. She should be in complete control of the body all the time. Or she should at least have Ben be her little hound dog. It seems that he's not, and we know that she's weakened, so she doesn't control him like she ordinarily could, so maybe she has to fight Ben for the body."

"But Ben's human, and Glory's a God," Xander asked. "How can he fight her?"

"Well, she's a brainsucker," Anya said. "I guess that she needs mental energy the way we need food. Maybe she just shuts down to conserve her energies, or maybe Ben can take over if she's really distracted."

"That actually makes sense," Giles said.

"That's one for the resident demon expert," Xander said proudly, giving Anya a large grin, which she returned. "Smart chicks are the best!"

"And you just figured that out now?" Willow asked. The two shared a smile.

"Enough about Glory," Spike said. "Hey, Greenie! What d'you know about my Little Bit?"

"The Key? Well, I know a fair bit about it, but I don't think that too many folks in this dimension would. You see…"

*    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *

Salem Centre, NY.

"You see, most of what I know about the Key comes from Belasco's writings, and he knew what few others in this dimension do," Illyana told everyone.

"Well?" Buffy asked. After Buffy roused Scott and the Professor, they called a general meeting, in which Buffy told the truth about Dawn. Illyana, who knew about Glory- or as she knew her, Glorificus- from Belasco, had a brief fit ( "Do you have any conception of what you just brought down on us?!? Do you?!?"), and proceeded to tell all that she knew about the HellGoddess. Then Dawn asked if Illyana knew about the Key. Illyana did- and once more, her source was Belasco.

"This is also a long story," Illyana grumbled, taking another look at Dawn. She could not believe that she missed the fact that Dawn was the Key! Some Mistress of Limbo I am, she thought to herself. I can't even recognize pure dimensional energy when I see it. Illyana ignored the fact that many others didn't recognize Dawn for what she was, because they weren't rulers of other dimensions and weren't supposed to.

"When the Dimensions were first separated, the Powers That Be recognized that they were eventually going to bleed together again unless some action was taken. So, they created the Key Between the Dimensions. The Key was the embodiment of dimensional energy. Its creation solidified the barriers, and although there are the occasional thin spots, like the Hellmouth, they are mostly strong. The Key also radiates dimensional energy, kinda like a star radiates heat and light, which allows the barriers to be opened. I don't know the exact reasons, but the fact that the barriers are allowed to be opened is what keeps them strong. I know it's illogical, but hey- it's magic.

"But this created a whole new problem. The Key manifested itself as green energy. The manifestation could be taken, and used to bring the barriers down. So, the Powers took direct action- they sent the Key to a random dimension, and erased all knowledge of the Key from that dimension.

"But just from this dimension?" Buffy asked.

"Yup. Everyone else knew about it, but didn't know where it was hidden. The general rule was that if you knew about the Key, the embodiment was not in your dimension."

"So how come this Belasco knew about it?" Dawn asked.

"Belasco is the servant of some very nasty beings called the Elder Gods. Agamotto, a wizard who lived a really long time ago, bound them away from this dimension, and they've been looking for a way back in."

"Let me guess," Buffy said, "they're beyond sin, and the darkness itself fears them?"

"No, that's the First Evil," Illyana replied. "You've fought the First Evil?" She demanded incredulously.

"We've met," Buffy replied. "We didn't fight, but she- it went into the whole 'I am evil' riff."

"I see," Illyana replied, a little shaken. "Well, the Elder Gods aren't quite as bad, but they come close. And they knew that this dimension holds the Key, so they always let their servants about it. I mean, if the Key can break barriers the Powers Themselves erected, then a barrier a lone mortal made would be a snap to bring down."

"So why did Belasco try to use you to bring the barriers down instead of finding the Key?" Peter asked her. He was the only one in the room generally believed to have the right to bring that up.

"Because the Key was in hiding," Buffy said before Illyana could respond. "The Order of Dagon had it."

"She's right. The Monks of Dagon did a very good job of hiding it. No one knew where it was, but a lot of people looked."

"Like these Knights of Byzantium?" Dawn asked.

"You've met the Knights?" Illyana asked.

"I have," Buffy told her. "They knew I had the Key. They tried to kill me."

"What did you do?" Scott asked.

"Kicked their asses and sent them packing." She turned to Illyana. "How did they know?"

"Finding the Key has been their goal for over a thousand years. They send an agent to respond to every rumour of its hiding place, no matter how spurious. I'm guessing they sent one of their spies to Sunnydale, he found out about Glory, and the Order took notice.

"In a way, the Knights are an important part of your history, Dawn. About fifteen or sixteen hundred years ago, a servant of the Elder Gods somehow managed to bring written information about the Key into this dimension. Specifically, rituals of how the Key could be used to break down the dimensional barriers. The spells ranged from how to use the Key to directly open one barrier to how to use it to bring them all down. The Powers dispatched two mages to face this guy. They destroyed him, and his writings, and then they fought about what to do with the Key. One of them, Livia of Byzantium, argued that the manifestation should be sent into another dimension. The other, known only as Dagon, argued that it should be protected and used for good. Dagon ran off with the Key, and founded an Order to protect it after he died. Livia was very pissed at this, so she founded an Order to seek and transport, but their mission eventually became seek and destroy. I'm sure you can guess which became which."

Illyana's suddenly looked speculative. "I don't know if I should say this, as it's only a rumour, but…

"Some people believed that the servant of the Elder Gods began to transcribe the rituals that he brought back, just in case something happened to him and his writings before he freed his masters. He only had time to transcribe the ritual that would collapse all the barriers before he was killed. His apprentice fled with the book, and kept it against the time when a servant of the Elder Gods found the Key. What is known is that the servant had an apprentice, and she was never accounted for. Like I said, it's only a rumour, but it's the only way I could see Glory knowing how to use the Key. Unless Belasco's writings are very wrong, Glory's more interested in power than knowledge. I don't think she'd waste her time learning how to use the Key if she didn't think she'd ever get her hands on it. Also, she isn't exactly supposed to be the brightest God in the heavens."

"I'd believe that," Buffy snorted.

"So, you're saying I can be used to basically destroy the universe," Dawn said neutrally.

Illyana gave Dawn a very sympathetic look. "It's possible, Dawn."

"Well, we've saved the universe a few times, liebchen," Kurt told her. "Doing it again shouldn't be so difficult if it comes to that, eh?" he asked his friends jovially. The other X-Men nodded.

"Aye," Sean said. "Take me word for it, Dawn- it's easy after the first few times."

"And it will not come to that," Ororo said.

"That's right!" Doug exclaimed. "If this Glory comes here, we'll kick her ass!" He suddenly blanched, and looked around at the X-Men. "Won't we?" he asked, chagrined.

"Our young colleague may be overly ebullient," Hank said, "but I believe that he does indeed speak for all of us."

"The X-Men protect their own," Jean said.

"And- like it or not- you're family," Alex finished.

"Thank you," Buffy said, sincerely. "I just wish that-," she paused. "You know, it's fair to say that that goes both ways, so if any of you have demon trouble, or any kind of trouble, just come to Sunnydale."

Bobby loudly sighed.

"Buffy, Buffy, Buffy," he said, "have you learned nothing? We're going to take you up on that offer, one of these days, and I promise you, you will be so sorry." That brought a much needed laugh.

Illyana took a moment to consider Dawn, laughing with the others. She already considered Dawn a friend. She cursed the Monks. They were right to protect the Key, because no one knew what would happen if it was destroyed. But incarnating it? In flesh and blood, no less? That was madness. All that lived would eventually die. What would happen when the Key died? She hoped she wouldn't have to find out. For all that Glory wasn't terribly bright, no one but an utter idiot would go after the Key without knowing a way to use it. If the old legend was correct, and there was a surviving ritual, and it was the one that brought down all the barriers… Dawn was her friend, but if necessary, she would die at Illyana's hands before she was taken by Glory.

*    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *

New York City, NY.

Evading the staff at the airport was difficult, but Angel, Spike, and Lorne just barely managed to do it. They were each carrying a black bag full of what Wes called "illicit travel necessities"- weapons, and lots of them. Swords, knives, crossbows, crossbow bolts- the works. They knew- well, hoped- that the X-Men would have weapons of their own, but it never hurt to be sure. Angel and Spike went to get Giles and the others paged, as they had planned, while Lorne, clad in a trench coat and pulled-down fedora, waited. If anyone saw him, all was probably over, but hey- it was late, and it was New York, after all.

Finally, the others joined the three travellers.

"Problems?" Wes asked.

"None," Angel replied.

"Good," Giles said. "Now let's get some taxis."

Getting four taxis proved to be difficult.

"Giles," Angel said in a somewhat urgent tone, "I don't want to hurry you, but sunrise is in a couple hours, and we don't know how long it's gonna take to get to this school."

"I'm aware of that."

Finally, they found four cabbies that seemed to be on some sort of break.

"Drivers, drivers," Giles hailed them.

"Yeah?" one of them asked.

"We need to get to Westchester immediately. It's a matter of some urgency."

"Okay. Where exactly are you going?"

"Salem Centre. The Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters."

The drivers, who began to go to their cars, stopped and turned around.

"What?" the first driver asked.

"Salem Centre. The Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters," Giles repeated.

The cabbies looked at each other, and looked back, and shook their heads.

"Nothin' doin'," the first driver told them.

"Excuse me?" Giles asked. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Look pal," the man told him, "some people might be willing to go up there, but not us. We've heard of that place- Hell, we've all driven up there! I once had to drive a big blue ape up there! That school's just a home for muties, and we ain't gonna take anyone up there. Are we?" The other three drivers nodded in agreement.

Giles looked at them, looked at his friends, and looked back at the bigoted cabbies. From the looks of shock and fear they now had, he could tell that Angel, Spike, and Lorne were giving them a look at what they really were.

"Now, are you sure I can't convince you?" he asked, in a falsely pleasant tone.

*    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *

Salem Centre, NY.

Sunrise was in just a half hour when the four cabs arrived at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Angel, Giles, and Fred emerged from the first cab, followed by Xander, Anya, and Gunn from the second, Cordelia, Wesley, and Spike from the third, and Willow, Tara, and Lorne from the fourth.

Very generous tips were given to the drivers, who rushed away with expressions of fright on their faces.

Giles went to the door and knocked. It was soon opened by Scott Summers.

"Welcome to the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters," he said. "I only wish it was under better circumstances." Most of the new arrivals entered.

"You're gonna have to be a little more direct, mate," Spike told him as he and Angel stood outside.

Scott took a moment to regard the two vampires. His friends had told him of their fight to save Ororo from Dracula. Scott had forced the story of the Buffybot out of Buffy, and Amanda, who was called to the mansion by Kurt, made sure to tell the Professor, Jean, Ororo, and himself everything that she knew about Angelus. But he also remembered that Spike let himself be tortured rather than tell Glory about Dawn, and the bruises that he could see told him of how bad that must have been. He remembered that the ensouled Angel was not only different from Angelus, but that Angel was actively working for good, protecting people and saving souls.

"Come in, both of you," he told them, and they did. As the greetings and strategy session began, he hoped that this act, necessary now, wouldn't come back to bite the X-Men and the New Mutants in their collective ass.

*    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *

Somewhere in Pennsylvania

Glory was in a state of slow burn. Here she was, her last realistic opportunity flowing out of her fricking fingers like the sands through a fricking hourglass, and her beloved minions allowed Ben to get away.

Finally, after a long, interminable wait, a bus came down the freeway and pulled over in front of the car. A scabby figure emerged from the door.

"Your Most High Splendiferousness," Jinx began.

"Spare it!" she snapped. "What took you so long?"

"We, ah, we deemed it necessary to bring reinforcements in case of battle, oh Your-" Glory strode past him and into the bus. She looked around at its passengers, some still feeding off of the bus' former passengers. Those of them that weren't minions began to tremble in fear. Glory smiled. Pure demons, unlike hybrids such as vampires, knew her for what she was on sight. She took another look at them.

"Y'know, Jinxy," she said to her minion, "I was ready to rip you into tiny little pieces, but now I won't."

"Oh thank you, Most-"

"I'm gonna wait until the battle's over, and then I'm gonna do it!"

"As is your right, Oh-"

"Is this it?" she demanded.

"Oh, no- the others are recruiting more even as we speak, Your Most Grovelworthy Beauteousness."

"Good," she purred, and took a seat that was evidently reserved just for her. She hoped that the Slayer was ready to get her ass kicked. Glory was in an asskicking mood, and didn't want to be disappointed again today…