Seven.
Spike slowly opened his eyes, albeit painfully ----- to be greeted by the open night sky. He quickly looked around to find he was indeed inside an unfamiliar bedroom, staring once more at the fairly realistic ceiling painting. Only it wasn't really a painting after all, as Spike noted in astonishment as he saw the stars twinkle, the clouds drift slowly with the night wind, and a lone falling star streak through the dark atmosphere. His eyebrows rose in wry amusement before letting his gaze roam freely around the room.
It was a spacious bedroom, with a walk-in closet at one end and a large oak vanity at the other. An oriental changing screen was propped near the closet, while an antique full-length mirror was placed at a corner near the window. A flat-screen TV was fixed on one wall facing the bed to which Spike couldn't help but grin.
Sure beats my old telly at home ... He tried sitting up, finding that most of his body was covered by bandages. He gingerly placed his feet on the floor and slowly stood to stretch his tense muscles.
Looking around, he continued to figure out where he was and what he was doing here. Peering cautiously, he walked out and headed towards the end of the hall where a small glowing light beckoned to him.
He approached the candle-lit room to find Anne in a deep meditative state. She was glowing, surrounded by a cone of protective energy. White candles were lit and floating around the room, the scent of sandalwood permeated the air, and a light breeze continued to circle about the room.
He paused at the doorway, momentarily mesmerized by the sight of her. But then he stepped back, deciding to give her the privacy she needs.
He continued down the hall and saw an open doorway with a beaded curtain. Overcame by curiosity, he held the bead strings and stepped inside the room. His eyes widened as he seemingly forgot to breathe. Whoa...
A large room furnished with pastel colored furniture and new age décor greeted him. An iMac was situated at a wide oak desk in one corner, complete with a scanner, laser printer, and a complicated array of technological devices that must have been used for surveillance.
But what caused him to drop his jaw were the seven rows of two-meter-wide, ceiling-high bookshelves that filled the rest of the remaining space. Each row consisted of another seven aligned bookshelves. The four walls that comprised the size of the room were in themselves bookshelves as well. The impossibility of fitting these inside a medium-sized room struck him in an instant. He walked slowly towards the bookshelves, sliding his hand on the smooth wooden surface in reassurance that he wasn't hallucinating. "How could these...?"
"Wizard space. I've placed an enchantment on this particular room to make it more larger in the inside than what it would normally appear." A husky voice sounded from behind him.
Spike swiveled to find Anne standing just a couple of feet from him. He nodded, "It's bloody amazing, this room. You've got quite a collection here."
Anne smiled nervously, "What can I say? I love reading." She looked at him with uncertainty clouding her blue eyes before looking away, heading toward the plush white sofa.
Spike sighed. It was time to confront the past. He knew they've managed to avoid each other for the past weeks but everything led to this moment. " Pet, how long have I been out?" Coward that he was, he decided to prolong the inevitable for a few more seconds.
Anne answered, avoiding his eyes, "About three days now."
He slowly approached the sofa, pulling a chair in front of Anne. He regarded her with an intense gaze that made her more uncomfortable.
"Stop looking at me like that." Anne said in a commanding voice.
His scarred eyebrow rose at this.
"Sorry. But you were unnerving me." She took a deep breath and voiced out the question she was afraid to ask, "William, how did this happen?"
Spike cocked his head to one side, "What do you mean, luv?"
Anne clasped her hands to stop them from reaching out to caress the face she had longed to see once again. "I ... I thought I had lost you. To death. But now you're here... I've been trying to adjust to the fact that you're alive before I finally confront you about this."
Spike ran a hand on his white locks, "I know. It's been a shock, it is."
Anne raised her eyes to really look at him, their blue depths swimming in unshed tears, "Oh, William... I—I..."
They were in each other's arms the next moment. Anne felt relief, happiness and contentment all at once, knowing that in William's arms, she was safe. No monsters would dare hurt her.
Spike sighed as he wrapped his arms around Anne's trembling form. How he longed to do this the moment he realized who she was. It's been too long... he almost committed the mistake of forgetting her role in his life before. Her role in William's life.
Several moments passed before either of them broke the silence. Spike spoke in a husky voice, "The last time we met... were you a witch already or..."
Anne replied, "Yes. I was accepted at Hogwarts when I was 11. That's why we only saw each other during summers."
Spike nodded. "Oh. That explains your traveling. When you said you tapped into your immortality, was that before or after..."
Her blue eyes suddenly clouded. She pushed back from his embrace, her tone guarded, "It was right after your death. I—I guess it made it easier to go through the 'dying' part, with all the grief I was carrying that time."
"I'm sorry." It was spoken quietly.
Anne brushed off his concern, "It's alright. You're here now, so it's kind of a moot point."
Silence filled the room again as they stared at each other's eyes for what seemed like hours. Years of separation were being bridged inaudibly, letting their eyes do the talking for once. Buffy found them after a few minutes, carrying several books, with the whole gang in tow. "Anne? How's the sleeping vamp... oops."
She skidded to a stop as she took in the couple by the couch. " Sorry. Be back later." She muttered.
Anne chuckled, breaking eye contact. "No, don't go. Spike and I were just reacquainting ... "To Spike, she whispered, "I forgot to tell you that Buffy called for a meeting here. She said I had some explaining to do and that she had some update on an upcoming apocalypse."
Spike groaned, "Again?!"
Soon enough, the large library was filled with 9 people, 4 pizza boxes and piles of old books and papers. Just as they were about to start the Scooby meeting, an owl swooped inside, carrying mail. It went straight towards Anne, promptly dropping the letter on her lap. The others looked goggle- eyed as she calmly opened the letter and read quietly.
When she finished, a grim smile occupied her face. Giles asked her cautiously, "What's wrong?"
"It's from Hermione, one of my students. Seems that the new Defense against the dark arts teacher was making their life hell." She sighed. " The new teacher is from the Ministry. She says the Ministry has decided to step up and interfere with Hogwarts business."
Willow asked, "What's wrong with that?"
"Well, for one, they don't believe that You-know-who has come back from the dead. And two, this will probably make Dumbledore and the Order's work a lot harder."
"Back up, luv. What's the Order and who's Dumbledore?" Spike asked, confused.
Anne chose her words carefully, "I can only tell you so much, as to not endanger your lives, although Ripper already knows some of the salient points." Giles nodded in understanding, his mind shifting to what he read in the American Magic Ministry's letter.
"But then, I must start from the beginning." She then began to tell them of Voldemort's rise to power, the Order of the Phoenix, then Harry's role in Voldemort's downfall and resurrection.
The amazing tale saturated the atmosphere with a somber air. Buffy asked in a hushed tone, "Just how old is Harry? What happened to him?"
Anne replied, "Harry's just a fifteen year-old. But he's been doing fine, at least that's what I've heard from Hermione." She breathed heavily and continued with her story, "The moment Voldemort came back, and he started to wreak havoc. Especially in my life. First thing he did was wipe out my entire bloodline, human and wizard alike, right in front of my eyes." Her eyes became blank, the numbness suddenly settling once more within.
But through the cold, she felt a comforting caress that managed to break into her walls. She turned to look into Spike's intense blue eyes, allowing the reality of his presence to bring her back. She gave him a faint smile of thanks, turning to the others to face their looks of shock and pity.
Giles gasped out, "Your family? But that's... that's... Jason and Clarisse... Peter, Mark, Melissa and the children..." He closed his eyes as the enormity of it threatened to engulf him.
An uncomfortable silence settled about the group. Anya broke the silence and asked bluntly, "How was he able to keep you down?"
All eyes turned to Anne as she swallowed and replied, her tone wavering, " I was stupid enough to let myself be caught by one of the illegal curses, the Cruciatus Curse. It causes unimaginable pain to anyone who gets struck by it. While I was writhing in agony, I watched him give the killing curse to each of them. And as he was about to turn to me, I finally managed to break free. We dueled until members of the Order arrived and helped me out. Voldemort disapparated when Dumbledore arrived. Albus Dumbledore is the current headmaster of Hogwarts, and the only wizard that Voldemort was afraid of. At the moment, news about Voldemort's return is being treated with hostility, thanks in large part to the Ministry. It was bad enough that they refused to believe that Voldemort was responsible for my family's demise; they even resorted to slandering the good name of Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter. "
"Sounds just like the good ol' Council of Wankers." Spike commented.
Giles, for once, agreed with him, "Bunch of gits." He muttered.
"The Hellmouth's energy must have attracted Voldemort. That may be why a number of his followers are here." Anne mused.
Spike remarked, "I found them lurking about the old Sunnydale high school. Guess they were on some power trip 'cause they suddenly cornered me and started torturing my ass off." Anne squeezed his hand, her eyes conveying her worry.
Just then, another owl swooped in and dropped another letter on Anne's lap. She frowned as she read the letter, "This one's from Sirius. They were supposed to have been keeping watch over the Death eaters back in England. But they've just received word that Voldemort has sent a small group here at the Hellmouth, in order to deal with business. He sent this letter to warn me." She looked at Giles, "What could he have meant by 'business'?"
"Your guess is as good as mine." He sighed wearily. He turned to Buffy, nodding for her to give her report. " Now that we have dispensed with Anne's revelation of Spike's attackers as well as the imminent danger that may befall us, it's your turn to tell us of the next apocalypse we have to deal with on top of everything else."
Buffy sighed, "I'm sorry but we found out some really disturbing things while Angel and I were patrolling last night. We found a group of monks hiding at an abandoned building. A nasty blonde arrived and started pounding them for information about a key. We managed to ditch the bitch and save one of the monks." She looked at Angel for guidance, the next part of her story was obviously harder to relate.
Xander piped up, "What did the monk-man say?"
Angel continued, holding Buffy's hand as he did, "He said he and his brothers hid the key in the form of a human and sent it to the Slayer for safekeeping. He said that Glorificus, the blondie, was a goddess from the hell dimension and that she has been searching for this key for years now. What this key was for, we can only imagine."
Buffy spoke softly, her head bowed, "We figured the key could be..."
"Dawn." Anne breathed, knowing instinctively her guess was correct.
Willlow looked at Buffy in concern, "What? Is this true?"
Buffy remained silent, prompting Angel to answer, "I'm afraid it is. The monk confirmed this."
Oz asked, "Does she know?"
"Yeah. She noticed the weird way I was acting around her. Then she eavesdropped on my conversation with mom. She became hysterical. I felt really awful..." Tears were starting to streak down Buffy's cheek. "I mean, how would you feel if you learned that the memories you had for the past 15 years were just a lie?"
"Hmmm... Glorificus..." Her brow knitted in deep thought, Anne asked, "When did the monks perform their ritual?"
"Six months ago."
Anne nodded. She suddenly got up and went towards the bookshelves, muttering. Giles spoke up after a few moments, "Did the monks say anything more about this Glorificus?"
Buffy shook her head, "Only that she was sent here as a punishment."
Anya spoke up, "Well, if this hell-goddess wanted the key, maybe it's her way out of this world and back into her own dimension."
Willow smacked her forehead, "Of course! That's why it's referred to as the key!"
"Stop calling Dawn an it! She is not a thing. She's still my sister!" Buffy said coldly.
"Sorry, Buffy." Willow and Anya looked properly chastened.
"Ahh, yes. Of course. Anyanka, you were correct in assuming the key's main purpose. I knew I had this book lying around somewhere." Anne came back from the shelves, lugging a huge black book, dropping it on the center of the table. "I bought this one time at Diagon Alley for a bit of recreational reading."
Angel raised an eyebrow, "Recreational reading?"
She ignored him, "It says here that three beasts, Glorificus being one of them, ruled the Hell-dimension. They were once a powerful Triumvirate. But she was banished into this world because of her extreme cruelty and greed for power. They sent her to exist in this lower plane, forever cursed to live among mortals. She was not granted the right to her own body, but was instead destined to share the body of a chosen human." She frowned, "Oh. It doesn't say if it was a male or female."
"Well, we'll just have to find out who the human host is." Buffy said in a resolved manner, her lips tight. "She's not about to get her slimy hands on my sister!"
A sudden scream sounded off from Buffy's house, causing them to abandon everything and scramble off.
It was Joyce's scream.
Spike slowly opened his eyes, albeit painfully ----- to be greeted by the open night sky. He quickly looked around to find he was indeed inside an unfamiliar bedroom, staring once more at the fairly realistic ceiling painting. Only it wasn't really a painting after all, as Spike noted in astonishment as he saw the stars twinkle, the clouds drift slowly with the night wind, and a lone falling star streak through the dark atmosphere. His eyebrows rose in wry amusement before letting his gaze roam freely around the room.
It was a spacious bedroom, with a walk-in closet at one end and a large oak vanity at the other. An oriental changing screen was propped near the closet, while an antique full-length mirror was placed at a corner near the window. A flat-screen TV was fixed on one wall facing the bed to which Spike couldn't help but grin.
Sure beats my old telly at home ... He tried sitting up, finding that most of his body was covered by bandages. He gingerly placed his feet on the floor and slowly stood to stretch his tense muscles.
Looking around, he continued to figure out where he was and what he was doing here. Peering cautiously, he walked out and headed towards the end of the hall where a small glowing light beckoned to him.
He approached the candle-lit room to find Anne in a deep meditative state. She was glowing, surrounded by a cone of protective energy. White candles were lit and floating around the room, the scent of sandalwood permeated the air, and a light breeze continued to circle about the room.
He paused at the doorway, momentarily mesmerized by the sight of her. But then he stepped back, deciding to give her the privacy she needs.
He continued down the hall and saw an open doorway with a beaded curtain. Overcame by curiosity, he held the bead strings and stepped inside the room. His eyes widened as he seemingly forgot to breathe. Whoa...
A large room furnished with pastel colored furniture and new age décor greeted him. An iMac was situated at a wide oak desk in one corner, complete with a scanner, laser printer, and a complicated array of technological devices that must have been used for surveillance.
But what caused him to drop his jaw were the seven rows of two-meter-wide, ceiling-high bookshelves that filled the rest of the remaining space. Each row consisted of another seven aligned bookshelves. The four walls that comprised the size of the room were in themselves bookshelves as well. The impossibility of fitting these inside a medium-sized room struck him in an instant. He walked slowly towards the bookshelves, sliding his hand on the smooth wooden surface in reassurance that he wasn't hallucinating. "How could these...?"
"Wizard space. I've placed an enchantment on this particular room to make it more larger in the inside than what it would normally appear." A husky voice sounded from behind him.
Spike swiveled to find Anne standing just a couple of feet from him. He nodded, "It's bloody amazing, this room. You've got quite a collection here."
Anne smiled nervously, "What can I say? I love reading." She looked at him with uncertainty clouding her blue eyes before looking away, heading toward the plush white sofa.
Spike sighed. It was time to confront the past. He knew they've managed to avoid each other for the past weeks but everything led to this moment. " Pet, how long have I been out?" Coward that he was, he decided to prolong the inevitable for a few more seconds.
Anne answered, avoiding his eyes, "About three days now."
He slowly approached the sofa, pulling a chair in front of Anne. He regarded her with an intense gaze that made her more uncomfortable.
"Stop looking at me like that." Anne said in a commanding voice.
His scarred eyebrow rose at this.
"Sorry. But you were unnerving me." She took a deep breath and voiced out the question she was afraid to ask, "William, how did this happen?"
Spike cocked his head to one side, "What do you mean, luv?"
Anne clasped her hands to stop them from reaching out to caress the face she had longed to see once again. "I ... I thought I had lost you. To death. But now you're here... I've been trying to adjust to the fact that you're alive before I finally confront you about this."
Spike ran a hand on his white locks, "I know. It's been a shock, it is."
Anne raised her eyes to really look at him, their blue depths swimming in unshed tears, "Oh, William... I—I..."
They were in each other's arms the next moment. Anne felt relief, happiness and contentment all at once, knowing that in William's arms, she was safe. No monsters would dare hurt her.
Spike sighed as he wrapped his arms around Anne's trembling form. How he longed to do this the moment he realized who she was. It's been too long... he almost committed the mistake of forgetting her role in his life before. Her role in William's life.
Several moments passed before either of them broke the silence. Spike spoke in a husky voice, "The last time we met... were you a witch already or..."
Anne replied, "Yes. I was accepted at Hogwarts when I was 11. That's why we only saw each other during summers."
Spike nodded. "Oh. That explains your traveling. When you said you tapped into your immortality, was that before or after..."
Her blue eyes suddenly clouded. She pushed back from his embrace, her tone guarded, "It was right after your death. I—I guess it made it easier to go through the 'dying' part, with all the grief I was carrying that time."
"I'm sorry." It was spoken quietly.
Anne brushed off his concern, "It's alright. You're here now, so it's kind of a moot point."
Silence filled the room again as they stared at each other's eyes for what seemed like hours. Years of separation were being bridged inaudibly, letting their eyes do the talking for once. Buffy found them after a few minutes, carrying several books, with the whole gang in tow. "Anne? How's the sleeping vamp... oops."
She skidded to a stop as she took in the couple by the couch. " Sorry. Be back later." She muttered.
Anne chuckled, breaking eye contact. "No, don't go. Spike and I were just reacquainting ... "To Spike, she whispered, "I forgot to tell you that Buffy called for a meeting here. She said I had some explaining to do and that she had some update on an upcoming apocalypse."
Spike groaned, "Again?!"
Soon enough, the large library was filled with 9 people, 4 pizza boxes and piles of old books and papers. Just as they were about to start the Scooby meeting, an owl swooped inside, carrying mail. It went straight towards Anne, promptly dropping the letter on her lap. The others looked goggle- eyed as she calmly opened the letter and read quietly.
When she finished, a grim smile occupied her face. Giles asked her cautiously, "What's wrong?"
"It's from Hermione, one of my students. Seems that the new Defense against the dark arts teacher was making their life hell." She sighed. " The new teacher is from the Ministry. She says the Ministry has decided to step up and interfere with Hogwarts business."
Willow asked, "What's wrong with that?"
"Well, for one, they don't believe that You-know-who has come back from the dead. And two, this will probably make Dumbledore and the Order's work a lot harder."
"Back up, luv. What's the Order and who's Dumbledore?" Spike asked, confused.
Anne chose her words carefully, "I can only tell you so much, as to not endanger your lives, although Ripper already knows some of the salient points." Giles nodded in understanding, his mind shifting to what he read in the American Magic Ministry's letter.
"But then, I must start from the beginning." She then began to tell them of Voldemort's rise to power, the Order of the Phoenix, then Harry's role in Voldemort's downfall and resurrection.
The amazing tale saturated the atmosphere with a somber air. Buffy asked in a hushed tone, "Just how old is Harry? What happened to him?"
Anne replied, "Harry's just a fifteen year-old. But he's been doing fine, at least that's what I've heard from Hermione." She breathed heavily and continued with her story, "The moment Voldemort came back, and he started to wreak havoc. Especially in my life. First thing he did was wipe out my entire bloodline, human and wizard alike, right in front of my eyes." Her eyes became blank, the numbness suddenly settling once more within.
But through the cold, she felt a comforting caress that managed to break into her walls. She turned to look into Spike's intense blue eyes, allowing the reality of his presence to bring her back. She gave him a faint smile of thanks, turning to the others to face their looks of shock and pity.
Giles gasped out, "Your family? But that's... that's... Jason and Clarisse... Peter, Mark, Melissa and the children..." He closed his eyes as the enormity of it threatened to engulf him.
An uncomfortable silence settled about the group. Anya broke the silence and asked bluntly, "How was he able to keep you down?"
All eyes turned to Anne as she swallowed and replied, her tone wavering, " I was stupid enough to let myself be caught by one of the illegal curses, the Cruciatus Curse. It causes unimaginable pain to anyone who gets struck by it. While I was writhing in agony, I watched him give the killing curse to each of them. And as he was about to turn to me, I finally managed to break free. We dueled until members of the Order arrived and helped me out. Voldemort disapparated when Dumbledore arrived. Albus Dumbledore is the current headmaster of Hogwarts, and the only wizard that Voldemort was afraid of. At the moment, news about Voldemort's return is being treated with hostility, thanks in large part to the Ministry. It was bad enough that they refused to believe that Voldemort was responsible for my family's demise; they even resorted to slandering the good name of Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter. "
"Sounds just like the good ol' Council of Wankers." Spike commented.
Giles, for once, agreed with him, "Bunch of gits." He muttered.
"The Hellmouth's energy must have attracted Voldemort. That may be why a number of his followers are here." Anne mused.
Spike remarked, "I found them lurking about the old Sunnydale high school. Guess they were on some power trip 'cause they suddenly cornered me and started torturing my ass off." Anne squeezed his hand, her eyes conveying her worry.
Just then, another owl swooped in and dropped another letter on Anne's lap. She frowned as she read the letter, "This one's from Sirius. They were supposed to have been keeping watch over the Death eaters back in England. But they've just received word that Voldemort has sent a small group here at the Hellmouth, in order to deal with business. He sent this letter to warn me." She looked at Giles, "What could he have meant by 'business'?"
"Your guess is as good as mine." He sighed wearily. He turned to Buffy, nodding for her to give her report. " Now that we have dispensed with Anne's revelation of Spike's attackers as well as the imminent danger that may befall us, it's your turn to tell us of the next apocalypse we have to deal with on top of everything else."
Buffy sighed, "I'm sorry but we found out some really disturbing things while Angel and I were patrolling last night. We found a group of monks hiding at an abandoned building. A nasty blonde arrived and started pounding them for information about a key. We managed to ditch the bitch and save one of the monks." She looked at Angel for guidance, the next part of her story was obviously harder to relate.
Xander piped up, "What did the monk-man say?"
Angel continued, holding Buffy's hand as he did, "He said he and his brothers hid the key in the form of a human and sent it to the Slayer for safekeeping. He said that Glorificus, the blondie, was a goddess from the hell dimension and that she has been searching for this key for years now. What this key was for, we can only imagine."
Buffy spoke softly, her head bowed, "We figured the key could be..."
"Dawn." Anne breathed, knowing instinctively her guess was correct.
Willlow looked at Buffy in concern, "What? Is this true?"
Buffy remained silent, prompting Angel to answer, "I'm afraid it is. The monk confirmed this."
Oz asked, "Does she know?"
"Yeah. She noticed the weird way I was acting around her. Then she eavesdropped on my conversation with mom. She became hysterical. I felt really awful..." Tears were starting to streak down Buffy's cheek. "I mean, how would you feel if you learned that the memories you had for the past 15 years were just a lie?"
"Hmmm... Glorificus..." Her brow knitted in deep thought, Anne asked, "When did the monks perform their ritual?"
"Six months ago."
Anne nodded. She suddenly got up and went towards the bookshelves, muttering. Giles spoke up after a few moments, "Did the monks say anything more about this Glorificus?"
Buffy shook her head, "Only that she was sent here as a punishment."
Anya spoke up, "Well, if this hell-goddess wanted the key, maybe it's her way out of this world and back into her own dimension."
Willow smacked her forehead, "Of course! That's why it's referred to as the key!"
"Stop calling Dawn an it! She is not a thing. She's still my sister!" Buffy said coldly.
"Sorry, Buffy." Willow and Anya looked properly chastened.
"Ahh, yes. Of course. Anyanka, you were correct in assuming the key's main purpose. I knew I had this book lying around somewhere." Anne came back from the shelves, lugging a huge black book, dropping it on the center of the table. "I bought this one time at Diagon Alley for a bit of recreational reading."
Angel raised an eyebrow, "Recreational reading?"
She ignored him, "It says here that three beasts, Glorificus being one of them, ruled the Hell-dimension. They were once a powerful Triumvirate. But she was banished into this world because of her extreme cruelty and greed for power. They sent her to exist in this lower plane, forever cursed to live among mortals. She was not granted the right to her own body, but was instead destined to share the body of a chosen human." She frowned, "Oh. It doesn't say if it was a male or female."
"Well, we'll just have to find out who the human host is." Buffy said in a resolved manner, her lips tight. "She's not about to get her slimy hands on my sister!"
A sudden scream sounded off from Buffy's house, causing them to abandon everything and scramble off.
It was Joyce's scream.
