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, (except for where Cordelia comes back and Angel's in love with her, because I don't like her) and I'm thinking that there really aren't too many spoilers. Old characters will be returning. Lots of Slayer/Vampire-with-a-soul action (and as far as I know, that doesn't extend to just Buffy and Angel).

The Darkest Hour Before Dawn

Fourteen

"When are they going to come back?" Angel asked. He was pacing up and down the room, watching Giles, his eyes narrowed.

"Er, um. When they are able to walk off of the roads. You have been there, Angel," Giles said. "You understand how they work."

"If Buffy doesn't come back, I will personally tear you limb from limb," Angel said, flashing vamp face at Giles.

The Watcher backed away, removing his glasses. "Angel, there is simply no need…"

"Then you better make sure that she comes back." Angel snarled, then walked away. Lindsey bumped into him in the doorway. Angel growled at the human and Lindsey dodged back.

"What the hell?" Lindsey asked. Angel shoved him, and Lindsey stumbled, sitting hard on the ground. He looked up at Angel, who stormed off. Lindsey got to his feet and walked into the living room, where Giles had sank into a chair, rubbing his forehead.

"What was THAT about?" Lindsey asked, pulling Oz's guitar into his arms and plucking absently at the strings.

"He fears that Buffy will not return from the Ghost Roads. There's always that danger, that possibility," Giles explained. "In working with the Ghost Roads, there's always the possibility that she, erm, could be trapped there. Indefinitely."

"Well, I can definitely see why he'd be angry at that," Lindsey said.

"Well, yes. Of course." Giles said. "I do believe that they will be back."

"I can do a locator spell, if you think it might work?" Willow said, coming into the room. She was twisting her shirt in her hands, all her confidence drained away at the possibility of losing her best friend forever.

"I don't know," Giles said. "Anything is worth—"

It seemed as though the entire mansion threw itself from the foundations on which it rested. Willow fell onto the floor, and Giles reached out and braced himself on the sofa. Lindsey bounced around a bit.

"What's going on?" Lindsey yelled. The flour was still bucking as he crawled over to check on Willow. A trickle of blood ran down her forehead.

He struggled to make his way down the hallway, to the room where Wesley, Anya, Dawn, Xander, and Oz were still researching. Xander met him at the door, hands and knees.

"Willow. Is she okay?" Xander asked. Lindsey nodded and continued into the room. Xander made his way down the hallway.

The first thing he encountered was Oz on his way out of the room. "Don't go in there," the werewolf told Lindsey. "Books falling. Dangerous." His voice shook as he was bounced across the floor.

Wesley stumbled out and fell over Oz, crashing hard into the wall before hitting the floor. He kept his eyes closed for a moment, before brushing his too-long hair out of his eyes and looking at Oz.

"Sorry," he said.

"No problem," Oz said. "I'm pretty sure my ribs are only cracked."

He continued down the hallway, toward he door. "Yes, well, getting outside sounds best at this time." Wesley said.

Lindsey shook his head and went into the room. Anya's legs were sticking from beneath a pile of books, unmoving. Dawn was crouched beneath the table, holding Anya's hand.

"I think they knocked her out," Dawn said. She sounded scared.

Lindsey pushed the books from Anya and checked her pulse, still alive, still breathing. He lifted her up and pulled her underneath the table with Dawn.

"We have to get out of here," Lindsey said. "If this goes on much longer, the place could collapse on our heads. You go, and I'll follow."

Dawn started crawling out of the room. Lindsey slid his hands under Anya's arms and started pulling as quickly as he could, struggling. For as small as she was, she was certainly heavy while unconscious.

"Someone give a little help here?" He cried. Oz made his way back into the hallway. "Grab her arm!" Lindsey said. "We've all got to get out of the house."

Oz nodded and grabbed one of Anya's arms. The two men began dragging her out of the house, struggling to move as the floor bucked and swayed beneath them.

A brick from the floor above crashed down, narrowly missing Oz's head.

"Okay, I think we should pick up the pace," He said. He began pulling faster.

"Giles!" Lindsey yelled. "Get out of here!"

Giles stumbled into the hall, bracing his hands on the wall. Xander and Willow crawled out of the room behind him, blood dripping off of Willow's chin. Giles made his way to the door and threw it open, and helped Oz and Lindsey pull Anya outside. Xander helped Willow down the sidewalk, and ripped off the bottom of his shirt, holding it to Willow's forehead. She looked up at him and smiled.

"Ow," she said. Xander let out a small laugh and wrapped his arms around her.

"Um," Oz said. "I hate to say this, but Angel's still inside."

"There has to be a way for him to get into the sewers from inside." Giles said. "He got around down there for more than three years, I'm sure he can get out."

The house began to collapse.

"Get back!" Lindsey yelled, pulling Anya back.

Stones tumbled onto the ground nearby. Dawn buried her face in Giles's shoulder, and he held her as though she were his child. Willow clung to Xander and cried. Xander kissed her forehead and rocked her back and forth. Oz sat next to Lindsey, who was petting Anya's hair gently as he held her in his lap. Oz just watched. He always just watched.

Now he watched the mansion tumble to the ground.