Here you be. :) Things start to get tense...
POV: Buffy
Chapter 12
The Living and the Dead
* * * * *
I look around me, and my stomach settles. I am standing on top of the platform, looking down. At the bottom, the portal is stretching wider and wider. Behind me, I can hear Dawn. She is crying, her broken sobs breaking my heart.
I jump. I fall. I keep falling even as the portal closes around me, draining me. I feel my life slipping past and darkness starting to close in. I close my eyes to give myself up, when I feel the bottom drop beneath me and the portal above me closes.
As I land, I can feel myself sink into the concrete. I can hear my friends around me, starting to move closer, their eyes wide in disbelief. Willow's small cries are comforted by Tara. Spike collapses near Xander, who cradles Anya. Giles stands off to the side, a dark look on his face, as though the battle was lost.
I want to shout, to cry out, I'm all right, I'm fine. I can even stand up now, and rise. But they still stare at my silent body, broken, bleeding. Far above, I hear a scream and see Dawn, slowly coming down the ladder, a look of pure devestation on her face. I want to hug her, I just don't know how.
I walk past my friends, past my Watcher. I see him brush the tiniest of tears from his eye as I pass him. I place a hand of comfort on his shoulder, which he doesn't seem to feel.
I realize now I'm invisible, only walking among the living, but seen by the dead. Spike glances toward me and stares, his own tears drying to salt on his face, but then returns quickly to grieving for my fallen self.
I stare at my body, disbelieving that it was really me. I was looking through a mirrored reality in which the real Buffy was gone and the grieving had begun. I was standing in a different reality, twisted, distorted.
I walked away.
I found myself crawling over the broken concrete. On a palette, I can see a body. Fearing, the worst, I rush to it as Dawn rushes past me. Rather, through me. She turns, as though she felt the strangest thing. Outside, I can hear Giles telling the others I'm gone.
But I'm not. I'm here. Now.
I glance down and see the body of Ben, the good Doctor. There is no pity in my eyes as I bent over and gently touch his mutilated corpse. "Why?"
Of all the things in this new reality I could ask, could scream, I had to ask why. Why was I here, of all places? I had woken from this reality. This reality no longer existed to me.
Yet I could feel the chill settle in.
Was I in some sort of Heaven? Was I in Hell?
I try and turn away, but I can't. I can feel someone next to me, yet gravity pulls me closer to pain, suffering, death.
"Am I alive?" I ask, tilting my head to peer at Ben's once more.
"You're not dead."
I turn my head slightly to see Glory, standing next to me, staring at Ben. "All this time, I was a god, he was mortal and this whole coil has started to unravel. Do you ever feel like this is the last thing you ever needed?"
"I'm not sure what I need," I replied softly.
"The balance between the living and the dead is withering away," Glory replied as we walked away from Ben, the tower, the city itself. I was surprised to see sand beneath my feet just ten steps from the tower. I began to suspect it wasn't real. "The mortal coil is pissed off, and to tell you the truth, I don't blame them. Those demons are the first step in a new revolution that will come down and will suck the Earth not just into Hell, but into non existance."
"It will destroy the world?" I was beginning to get suspicious now. Why was she telling me this?
"I know that you're wondering why I'm telling you this," Glory said, pausing. Turning suddenly, she seized my shoulders. I gasped, surprised. "Because if I were still alive, I'd be the only thing standing before you and the mortal coil. You haven't seen pain. Or suffering. Or death. You haven't seen anything yet. When the risen finish what they've started, there won't be a world left to defend."
The news sank into me slowly. My eyes widened. There was only one word on the tip of my tongue, and I spoke it though dazed. "What?"
"You know it's been coming. You've seen the signs. They're coming, one by one, and they won't stop until you and all of your friends are dead," Glory replied, her voice taking on a dark hue.
I blinked uncomprehendingly and forced myself to sit down. "Why now?"
"The powers that be gave you the gift of life," Glory replied, walking slowly around me. "When you fell off the Tower, your life was spared. The oracles gave you breath, and you walk still. The First Evil has seen this, and has demanded the mortal coil reclaim you to join the dead. A great war has begun now, and you are the sole warrior for Earth."
I shook my head. "There are others..."
"Yes, I know. The witches, the seer, the ex-demon, the Watcher, the key and the reborn undead. You have your entire army to fight this evil. Hell, you defeated me."
"I had a little help."
"I want you to know this, because my own world is at risk," Glory replied. "I'm a god and even though you may have slowed me down, I will return."
"Tell me what I'm going to face," I said instead, biting back a witty retort. She smirked and looked up. I followed her gaze and saw that night had fallen.
"The one-horned demons are from a dimension much like my own," she began. "They are the warriors, trained to kill their intended targets, which would be you and your army, as well as those like you. Those are the first to come. Then come the ubervamps, the army of the First Evil, intended to wipe out the race of man. Then come the spirits of the undead, tainted followers of the Dead who roam the Earth, marking it for destruction. And then comes the final day, when the Earth turns to fire, to ash, and then disappears." She paused dramatically. "I was to be the first step, to take out the Slayer. The First promised me my powers and my dimension and with hell to pay would sit at the right hand side. But you killed me. Rather, your Watcher finished the job I started..."
"What?" I gasped. "What about Giles?"
Glory grew silent and paused behind me. "He killed Ben."
The chills raced down my spine and I averted my gaze downwards. Giles was never that sort of violent person. He only did it to protect me. He had to have.
"Your Watcher has a darker side to him," Glory continued to taunt. "I've watched your growing relationship with him. He thinks of you as more than just a pupil. You've become his life."
I closed my eyes to think. "I'll die to protect him."
"Honey," Glory laughed, gesturing to the desert around us. "Look where you are!"
"What happened to me?"
"A poison dart," she replied gleefully, pulling out a three-inch long dart with a sharp bronze tip. "It's wicked killer poison. Probably won't kill off your Slayer power. Wasn't meant to. This was meant to get rid of the Watcher."
The cold chills started again. "You know I'll die to protect him."
"It's not your time yet," Glory said, her voice almost sing-song. "There is so much left for you to do. If it hadn't been for me and my powers, your stupid guilt trip would have killed you."
"I got the poison," I realized, touching the feathered end of the dart.
"She finally grows a brain!" Glory enthused, sitting next to me. "Kid, I'll tell you a little story. See, there was you. And there were others waiting in line to be called by you. You died the first time and Kendra came along. Kendra died and Faith came. The Slayer line now falls under her. Whoever wants to rid the world of the Slayers..."
"... has to come through Faith first, and then me," I realized. "Is Faith..."
Glory laughed, her tinny laugh tinkling the dry air. "She's alive. Still in that reality you call jail. But soon enough they'll find her and kill her. And after that, one by one, they'll take out those that follow, until there's no one but you and the original evil, standing you in the face, wishing and hoping for a good kill before it makes the big finish."
"Never," I spat out. "I'll break her out, I'll do anything I can to protect her."
"So many people to protect, so much pressure," she chided softly. "I'm surprised you aren't running to your undead lovers arms."
"He is not my lover," I spat.
"And your Watcher?"
"It's personal," I snarled, rising above her. "What happens between Giles and I happens."
"You shouldn't be spending so much time worrying about him," Glory replied, rising to my height. Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "The potential Slayers are on the target next. It doesn't matter if Faith dies first. All that matters is that the Watchers and the Slayers die. And then the world is ours."
Glory scrutinized me a silent moment further. "I'll tell you one thing though. You humans never give up."
"That's the general idea," I said, sighing as we started walking again. "Where are we anyway?"
"Beats the hell out of me," she said thoughtfully. Finally she stopped. "You're going back to the waking world."
"I am?" I asked, confused.
"Soon," she nodded. "Don't underestimate the power of those around you. Your Watcher has more than just knowledge and wisdom. You will need him before the end. The witches, their power grows. And the Key, your sister. She is more important to you now than ever before."
"Why are you telling me this?" I wondered aloud. "Aren't you supposed to be the bad guy?"
"I believe in goodness now," she replied. "I can't help you anymore. I'm only here to guide you."
It all began to make perfect sense now. Glory was a spirit guide. Or at least her figure was.
"Thank you," I said, and meant it. She smiled at me and gestured beyond, where a dim light was starting to shine.
I turned and walked through it, feeling like I'd been here before.
I had.
I opened my eyes and glanced around. The entire room was crowded with people. Dawn, Willow, Anya, Xander, Tara and Giles were crowded around me, all looking concerned. When Giles saw my eyes open, a flicker of a smile crossed his face. "Buffy."
"Hi," I said weakly, extending my arms as Dawn gently helped me sit up. "How long have I been out?"
"Almost six hours," Willow replied, her voice caustic. "We thought we were going to lose you."
"No," I said, echoing what Glory had said. "The dart wasn't meant for a Slayer." I turned to Giles, my eyes shining with concern. "It was meant for you."
The room grew very quiet.
"What else do you know?" Giles asked me.
I opened my mouth. And told them everything.
After I have finished the last few words, Willow handed me a glass of water, which I drank quickly. Giles was silent a moment. It was Dawn who first spoke up. "Glory talked to you?"
"My spirit guides can take the shape of anyone living or dead," I replied softly. "She was telling me my strengths, which I already knew, but she was also letting me know there's a significant danger out there we didn't know about."
"The return of the First Evil, I assume," Giles finally said, speaking up. "But why your spirit guides thought to warn you, I'm uncertain."
"I may have an idea," Tara began slowly, swallowing away her stutters. "You said that the world of the living and the world of the dead and evil are at war with each other. Obviously, our world is a living world and in the realm of all things good, our world really isn't all that bad. We need a defender and Buffy, that's you."
"Yay?" I managed to gasp out as I drank another glass. "But the question is, what are we facing?"
"Those demons that poisoned you," Willow said. "You mentioned those."
"They're the bad guy's army," I replied sullenly.
"Oh," Willow said, her eyes suddenly focusing. "Oh..." She turned and gave Tara a meaningful look. "If you're okay and everything, would you mind if we went into research mode? I've got a theory."
I nodded as Willow took Giles by the arm and pushed him aside, speaking to him in quiet, urgent tones. Next to me, Dawn was bending down to hug me, which I accepted readily, but kept my eyes trained on Giles and Willow. "I have to work now, Buffy. I'll see you tonight?"
"Be careful," I said, trying not to let my smile shake so. I gave her hand an extra squeeze. Xander and Anya left with Dawn to drive her to work, leaving Tara, Willow, Giles and I. After they had spoken, Willow took Tara by the arm and left, leaving Giles and me behind.
There was a moment of uncomfortable silence. Finally, he tried speaking up. "Buffy, I..."
"No, Giles, let me talk first," I said, trying to breathe, and knowing my face was tinting pink. "I didn't tell you everything. My spirit guide said that I would need you before the end. And she was right."
His own eyes widened slightly as he took his glasses off to clean them. I could practically hear the fabric of his shirt rustling with the glass. He finally replaced them and frowned slightly. "I'm not quite sure what to say."
"Then let me do the talking," I said, reaching for his arm and pulling him back to my bed. He sat gingerly down and turned his attention to me.
"I've been alone, fighting, for five years now. I know I have my gang, and you, my Watcher, but ever since I woke up, things have been different. Things have changed. We've changed. I've come to depend on you for so much and now... I really do need you. But I'm not going to lie and say I'm not worried about you, because I am. Those demons are out for blood and the only way we're going to make it out of this alive is for you to be with me too."
"You cannot risk the lives of everyone you love just to protect me, Buffy," Giles said gently. "That's not how it works."
I almost laughed. "You ought to know me by now. It doesn't matter what happens, as long as you're okay. Because if you get hurt, you know..."
My voice started to break. I couldn't speak anymore. Couldn't choke out another word, but forced myself to end the sentence. "You know I would die too."
His face was an unreadable mask. He finally glanced away. "I won't lie to you either. The nine months you were sleeping were the most difficult months of my life. Even in the face of danger or the impending apocalypse, I knew I could count on you. When you were sleeping, it was so hard to see you as a normal woman, and not my Slayer."
I glanced down and folded my hands, which were beginning to tremble slightly. "So I guess all bets are off now, huh?"
He reached across and took my shaking hand into his. "I would say so, yes."