Foreword: All characters belong to Joss Whedon and/or David Greenwalt. Also, I think I've gone crazy, because this is not something that I normally write. Anyway. This takes place in Buffy's seventh season, and Angel's fourth, up through both's third episode, (except for where Cordelia comes back and Angel's in love with her, because I don't like her) which is as far as I've seen. Old characters will be returning. The pairing situation is complicated, so I'll leave it a surprise. Enjoy. Shouldn't be too many spoilers, if any at all. Also, events from the Buffy books do factor in.

For Kathy, who doesn't even get it, but at least she's there to put up with it.

The Darkest Hour Before Dawn

Eleven

Giles sat at the head of the table with the book he'd brought open in front of him. Down the left of the table were Xander and Willow, the computer set up in front of the witch, her fingers clicking away on the keys. Xander had his head down on the open books, sleeping. Down the right side of the table sat Wesley and Lindsey, Wesley slowly turning the pages of a book, his eyes closed, his head propped up on his hand. The sun was rising, and a beam of light was creeping its way across the table and onto Lindsey's face where he slept with his head on his arms.

Giles stood and walked with the book into the living room. Buffy and Faith were on the couch, leaning against each other, asleep.  Faith's dark hair fell across her forehead, and Buffy's hair fell in a blonde waterfall over Faith's shoulder. Connor was standing beside the window, the curtains peeking open. He turned and looked at Giles.

"Why aren't you asleep like everyone else?" He asked.

"Time difference," Giles said abruptly. "But I've figured it out."

"The prophecy?" Connor asked.

"That, and what it has to do with you, and the slayers' waking visions," Giles explained. Faith let out a yell. Buffy jumped, startled awake almost slid off of the couch. She looked at Faith, Faith looked at her. They looked at Giles.

"What, may I ask, was that?" Giles asked.

"Um. Prophetic dream?" Buffy said. Faith was sitting next to her, chewing on her lip.

"There was this girl. Dark hair, old fashioned clothes. She was a slayer. I could feel it," Faith said. "But she was dead."

"Lucy." Buffy said. "My guess is, Faith and I are having the same dreams, since our destiny seems like it's pretty much the same. Slay, die, you know."

"It was cold," Faith said. "And dark."

"We were on the ghost roads." Buffy explained. "With Lucy."

Lucy Hanover had been a slayer. Before she died. Buffy had met her and spoken with her many times while traveling the Ghost Roads, where the souls of the dead wandered.

Giles took a deep breath and sighed. "Well then. The apocalypse is coming." He said.

"Whoa with the bluntness there, Giles," Buffy said.

"Well, time is most certainly running short." Giles said. "The prophecy puts the date at the full moon." He held the book up and read from the notes he'd made. "The First will unleash the ancient evil upon the world, and all will perish."

"If it says all will perish, why the visions, why the slayers?" Faith asked.

"I'm not done yet." Giles said. "The Slayers will fight alongside the Vampire Child—note that it says Slayers, not simply Slayer. The world hangs on the choices of the Chosen."

"Oh great. The fate of the world is once again on out shoulders." Buffy said.

"That is what being the chosen one is," Giles said.

"I don't know about these two," Buffy said, gesturing at Faith and Connor, "But I am so damn sick of the world resting on my shoulders."

"B, we don't have a choice," Faith said.

Buffy sighed. "I know. I just don't want to die," Buffy said.

"You told me, B, first rule of slaying, don't die." Faith said. "And we're not going to die."

Buffy stood up. "Right. We're not going to die. We're going to go and see Lucy." Buffy said.

"Going onto the Ghost Roads is very dangerous, Buffy," Giles said. "You know that."

"I've been there before, Giles. I can deal." Buffy said.

Faith stood up next to her. "I can deal too." Faith said, putting her arm around Buffy. The two women stared at him.

"Anything they can deal with, I can too," Connor said.

Giles took off his glasses and rubbed his forehead.

"Well then. I guess we'll begin making plans to open the portal onto the Ghost Roads. But I want you to be very, very careful, Buffy. There's a great possibility that you could see things you'd rather not," Giles said.

"I've seen a lot of things I'd rather not," Buffy said.

"Your mother, Buffy. And any number of spirits could be manipulated by the First." Giles said.

"And that's something that I'll deal with when or if it happens, Giles."

Giles looked at the young woman. She stood there, Faith's arm around her, her arms crossed over her chest, looking at him. She wasn't the girl he'd first begun training. She wasn't even the girl she'd been when her mother had died. She herself had died since then. She'd been to heaven, and she'd come back to battle evil. Against her will.

Now she was volunteering to risk her life.

"Well," Giles said. "I'll get to work on that portal."