Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow

Note: Okay, finally out of Season Five, that only took forever. Thanks ever so much for the reviews and keep 'em coming.

Previously:

The group walked away, laughing and chatting amongst themselves. Kara strayed behind, distancing herself from them. She was happy they had succeeded, but a great fear held her heart. Her eyes became unsettled and, looking toward the sky, she muttered, "From beneath you it devours."

Chapter Twenty-Four:

"For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction," Willow said, reading from Dawn's textbook. "You get that? It's like with fish"-

"Wait, fish? What do fish have to do with Physics?" Dawn asked, suddenly confused.

"Patience, luv," Spike said, exasperated. He and Willow had been tutoring Dawn on Newton's Laws of Motion for the passed hour. Though it was slow going, Spike relished the moment when Dawn's face would light up in understanding and she would let loose with a brilliant smile.

"Fish use their fins to propel themselves through water. The fins push backwards and with the same force, the water pushes the fish forwards," Faith explained, leisurely strolling out of the training room with a towel in her hand. Willow, Spike, and Dawn gaped at her in shock. She paused, mid stride, and glared at them. "What? I'm not stupid, you know," she grumbled, jumping into one of the chairs around the table in the center of the Magic Box.

"Apparently not," Spike said, quite impressed.

"Oh! I get it," Dawn exclaimed, squealing happily. Spike smiled.

"Thank goddess," Willow muttered, flipping the textbook shut.

It was nearing four o'clock in the afternoon. Over the summer, Giles had sent Willow and Tara to the Coven in England in order to learn more about their magical gifts. The real purpose was for Willow to learn to control her magic, a purpose that was achieved masterfully. The Magic Box was relatively empty. Sighing, the watcher surveyed the room, sitting on the stool behind the cash register. Buffy was training in the back, though he doubted his two slayers achieved much more than an occasional grope in between punches. Now that they had revealed their relationship to the entire group, who quickly accepted it upon seeing how drastically happier they both were, the slayers were noticeably less subtle.

Anya was taking inventory and he could vaguely hear her humming some ancient tune. Though Anya tended to grate on his nerves, she was invaluable in running the store, and had proven to be quite a noble companion in the fight against evil. Glancing at his watch, Giles noted that Xander and Callum were due to arrive any moment. Xander had convinced Callum to give construction a try, an occupation the scrawny Englishman had taken to immediately.

Joyce, having successfully battled her brain tumor, had gone back to work at the gallery earlier in the summer. Though she was busy, she made time to come to the Magic Box and take part in the Scooby meetings when she could. She always wanted to know what her three daughters were facing, now having fully accepted Faith into the family as Buffy's girlfriend, Dawn's other sister, and her other daughter. Tara would be arriving shortly from her afternoon class; an event Giles could practically feel Willow anticipating.

The only person unaccounted for in their little family was Kara. Shortly after the battle with Glory, Kara had packed a bag and disappeared, leaving a note for Callum instructing him not to worry, for she would be back soon. From their previous conversations, Callum assumed she had gone off to contact the Powers that Be. Giles could tell each person missed the dark haired future slayer immensely. There was always an empty chair wherever they were gathered, a constant reminder that something wasn't right, that someone was gone.

Giles found himself worrying about her constantly, always hoping she was alright, that nothing had happened to her. A large part of him was intensely curious about why she had gone to seek out the Powers that Be, who notoriously refused direct communication with anyone. Usually, people had to contact them through the Oracles. However, Kara was convinced they would see her. That fact alone indicated something big was coming, possibly something quite terrible. Things had been slow in Sunnydale since the demise of Glory. Though some strange things had been happening, they had been unable to pinpoint any particular cause.

Faith watched as Buffy sauntered into the room, glowing from the exertion of her training. Buffy caught her eye and smiled, moving over to her slowly, almost predatorily. "I totally kicked your ass in there," Buffy whispered huskily, capturing the dark slayer's lips with her own in a short, but intensely powerful kiss.

"I was holding back," Faith said, trying to salvage some dignity. Buffy shot her a look. "Or not."

"So, quick patrol tonight and then the Bronze?" Buffy asked, pulling a chair up along side Faith and sitting.

"Sounds like a plan," Faith said, then paused. "You know, B, I was thinkin'."

"That's never good," Buffy muttered jokingly.

Faith ignored her. "Maybe we should start taking Dawn with us on patrol."

"She's way too young," Buffy said automatically.

"Oh yeah? I was called when I was fourteen. So were you. She's fifteen now, B. Besides, it's not like you can shelter her from all the big bad in the world. I mean, we live on the Hell mouth, B. She needs to learn how to protect herself," Faith argued.

Buffy paused, about to argue back, when she realized she had no ground to stand on. Faith was right. "Hey, Dawn," Buffy said, capturing her younger sister's attention. "Feel like coming on patrol tonight?"

"Really?" Dawn asked excitedly. Spike looked worried.

"Are you sure that's such a good idea?" He asked.

Buffy rolled her eyes. Ever since Spike had promised her mother to watch out for Dawn, he had turned into an obsessive bodyguard. "Would you like to come with us too?" Buffy asked sweetly, though clearly mocking him.

"Yes," Spike said, ignoring her tone.

"Fine, you both come," Faith said, suddenly standing. "I don't know about you, B, but I'm kinda hungry."

Buffy smiled, knowing the double meaning behind that statement. "Yeah, me too. Famished really. Let's go," Buffy said grabbing Faith by the hand. "Six o'clock at the house for all those willing to patrol," Buffy announced before she and Faith disappeared out of the door.

"Could that have been anymore obvious?" Dawn asked, turning her attention back to her homework as the adults around her collectively blushed.

...................................

-Africa-

The sun was setting over the plain, a giant, red ball of fire that covered the entire Western part of the sky. Kara paused, watching it slowly dip below the horizon. Night was coming on fast, but she was almost to her destination. She turned, looking toward a cluster of hills just in the distance. It had taken her three months to find this place, the place where mankind supposedly originated, the place man first stepped foot onto the ground. It was here a direct portal to the Powers that Be existed, though few tried to use it. It was incredibly difficult to find, requiring a week's hike through the desert and then a vast plain. Then one had to navigate a system of caves until a large cavern opened up, where the pool of life trickled.

Once one reached the pool, it was no guarantee the Powers would even open the portal. However, Kara knew they were calling to her, she could feel it in her bones. The earth seemed to tremble when she walked, paths clearing before her as if knowing she had some sacred mission. Kara reached the opening of the cave as the last of the sun disappeared below the earth. She pulled a torch out of her bag, lighting it with one of Spike's lighters. The flame leapt up instantly, throwing shadows through the dark.

Kara began to descend, advancing further and further below the surface of the earth. It took her several hours to negotiate the caves. With little light, it was difficult to see the hidden dangers that waited, tremendous pitfalls and cracks that led to nothing. The humidity was nearly unbearable and Kara felt as if she couldn't breathe. Just when she had started to regret the journey, she felt a blast of cold air on her face and the cave opened out into a giant cavern.

"Wow," she muttered, extending the torch before her and marveling at the size of the underground room. Massive, ornate stalactites hung from the ceiling, dripping water down onto the smooth, rock floor. The pool of life lay just ahead, its black waters ominous. Kara walked to them slowly, peering into the mirrored surface. The water suddenly began to ripple. Setting the torch down in a crack between two rocks, she turned back to the pool as the portal opened, leading to the dimension of the Powers that Be.

Taking a deep breath, Kara moved forward. She stepped into the portal, the powerful energy seeming to tear her body apart for a moment. Closing her eyes from the pain, she felt a warm current take hold of her body, pushing her forward. Then everything was gone. When Kara opened her eyes again, she was standing in a large room, ornately furnished with a roaring fire in a fireplace against the far wall.

"We've been waiting for you."