III: Prophecies
by Zzilly14
"Giles knows something," Buffy stated to her friends after getting off the phone. "He knows something and he's not telling us what it is."
"And G-man would do that because...?" questioned Xander.
Dawn, who was sitting on her boyfriend's lap, rolled her eyes. "Duh! Because it's something extremely terribly big and bad. Giles doesn't want to scare us."
Spike spoke up. "But how are we supposed to save the world for the umpteenth time if we don't know what's coming?"
...
Harmony stared at the unconscious man, with her new beau by her side.
"He definitely could use a manicure," she noted. "Look at his cuticles! It's horrible!"
"Whatever you say, Cutie," the dumb vampire chuckled. "But can we eat? I'm hungry!"
Robin stirred and slowly opened his eyes to see the two vamps staring at him. He backed up and pulled for the stake that wasn't there.
The blonde laughed. "Looking for this, Woody?" she said as she twirled the stake in her hands. Her clumsiness showed when she dropped it to the ground. "Oops. My bad."
"Here you go," her companion smiled as he picked it up and handed it to her.
"Thanks," she smiled back. Suddenly she thrust the stake into him before he could say anything, causing him to become dust.
"Boy was he annoying. He's even dumber than me. Hard to believe, huh?"
"Yes, very," he replied. "What are you going to do with me?"
She reached out her hand and helped him up. "You're going to come with me."
"Where?" he wondered.
"The Hellmouth, silly. The one in Cleveland, I mean. It's like, the Mecca for us vamps. Except we don't pray there. We do evil stuff."
"I kind of figured that. Why?"
"Why what?"
He sighed. "Why take me?"
"Because I want to. It'll be fun. And you're kind of cute. And a whole lot smarter than Jethro."
"What if I don't want to go with you?"
She vamped out. "Then you'll have to deal with me. Evil me, I mean."
"Fine. Let's go to Cleveland," he relented as he rolled his eyes.
"Oh goody!" she squealed.
...
The gang moved back downstairs to watch some television while waiting for Faith to return. Twenty minutes after the mysterious conversation with Giles, the front door opened.
"Hey guys," Faith announced as she entered the house. "I bring more Slayers." Five young women came in behind her, eyes nervously scanning around them.
Buffy stood up and looked at them curiously. "Hey. What happened?"
Faith pulled her aside. "Vampires. Dozens of them. They're getting more organized, B. They're like... an army."
"But they're still regular vamps, right?"
She sighed. "That's the thing. They are, but... there's something different about them. They're not those wacked out ubervamps, but they're harder to kill than usual. They're smarter, faster... wicked strong. These girls are freaked, Buffy. And I'm a little jumpy myself."
"This is not good," Buffy replied. Then she spoke to everyone in the room. "Okay, someone get these Slayers something to eat. And let them spend the night. I'm going to call Giles and ask him to do some more research."
"Unless the ponce knows about this already," Spike muttered.
...
"You're not her," the redhead spat.
"Yes I am, Willow. And if you think I'm the First... well..."
The blond-haired woman reached into the cage and gently stroked the captive's arm. Willow closed her eyes and smiled for a moment, before remembering her situation. She pulled away.
"But you're not her. You can't be."
"And why not? Because I've been dead for over two years? Please, Willow, it's called magic! Ever heard of it?"
"If you were Tara..." she paused after saying the name, "you wouldn't do this to me. Tara loved me."
The undead witch leaned closer to the cell and grinned devilishly. "Do you know what happens when you die? There's a window. You can see everything that happens on the Earth below. I watched you, Willow. I watched you kill a human being. And I saw you trying to love someone else."
"Kennedy was just rebound-girl," Willow admitted. "We went our separate ways after the battle..."
"But you still hurt me, Willow. I mean, come on! A Slayer? Why not just hook up with Buffy? Oh, I forgot. She prefers the undead." She snickered. "Faith would have been a better choice. She's a naughty girl, I'm sure she'd be willing to bend the rules a bit."
"Why are you saying these things? I loved you!"
"I loved you too. But then you chose magic over me."
"What?" she said as the tears began to fall. "I got over magic, remember? We got back together, before... before..."
"Before you let me die? Yeah, I know. And then instead of mourning me, you tried to destroy the world. How could I love someone who was willing to kill her best friends?"
"I was wrong, Tara, I know that now! That part of my life is in the past!"
Tara glanced at her fingernails. "And now you're a part of my past, Will. No offense, but you're really boring. And the whole Watcher thing? What a laugh that is."
"Who are you?"
She shrugged. "Tara. Who else would I be? Spike?" At that she giggled. "Now there's a fun toy to play with."
"Spike's dead too," Willow stated.
"Man, your friends have kept you out of the loop. He's back. And more alive than he has been in a century."
"How?"
Tara laughed. "Remember? Magic? Jeez, did the whole magic abuse thing fry your brain? Too bad you're afraid to use magic again. We could rule the world – together. It can be ours. All you have to do is give me some of your powers."
"I don't want the world," Willow cried. "I want Tara - my Tara."
"You're getting really annoying. Why can't you get it through your head that I am Tara? Death changed me! And I am better than ever before. Thanks to you."
"What do you mean?"
"You inspired me. At first, with the whole turning-evil thing, I was heartbroken. My Willow was using magic again. Not only that, but she was willing to kill. And you were so caught up in vengeance that you forgot about me."
"But..."
"Shut up and let me finish. But then, I thought, I could've been like you if I had only delved deeper into magic. I could've been more powerful than you when I was alive, but I was too stupid to try. So, in death, I watched your every move. I learned from your power. I wanted to have that power."
"No, Tara..."
"Oh yes, baby. I was dead, and yet I was gaining so much power! Who would've thought." She paused. "And then you betrayed me. With that annoying Potential bitch."
"You died, Tara. What was I supposed to do, never move on?"
"It would've been nice," she snapped. "I became so angry, so bent on revenge... that my powers allowed me to return to this plane, in the flesh. And where did I end up but right behind you in Tokyo, when I knocked you unconscious."
...
Two days passed, and the Scoobies were no closer to finding anything out about the stronger vampires or Spike's return. And nothing from Willow.
Buffy distanced herself from everyone. Everything was hectic... so reminiscent of their last year of Sunnydale. There weren't as many residents as back then, but it was still crazy. The other Slayers went home, but they were at the house most of time during the day.
The blonde-haired Slayer could be found sitting outside on the back steps, thinking about something.
"What's wrong, luv?" Spike asked her as he sat beside her one afternoon.
"This is deja vu," she laughed sadly.
"What?"
She looked at him. "When I found out my mom might have cancer... you were there."
"Oh, that. Well, you were upset. Otherwise I would've killed you."
Buffy gasped, "Excuse me?"
"That was back when I was evil! I told myself I was going to kill you, bloody chip or not. But then... you were crying. I couldn't do it. You were hurting, and... it hurt me."
"It still hurts, Spike."
"What does?"
"Everything. I don't know what to do anymore. My little sister is dating one of my best friends, and it totally wigs me out. You come back into the mix, right after I leave Angel... And then there's Big Bad Evil, wanting to ruin everything again. Will my life ever be simple and normal?"
...
Angel sat brooding in his L.A. apartment. He knew Buffy leaving was for the best, but it still hurt. And now Spike was over there, probably "making smoochies" with her.
"You're jealous," a voice interrupted his thoughts.
"No I'm not..." He paused briefly. "Okay, I am."
"Fly over to Cleveland. Try to win back Buffy's heart."
He turned to face the person sitting on the kitchen counter. "I have her heart. It's just... I'm not the only one who has it."
"Go to her, Angel."
He sighed, "Whistler, she left me. I have to respect her decision."
"Angel, listen to me. She loves you. But if you don't fight for her, her cookie dough will become cookies and you won't get to eat them."
"Enough with that stupid analogy... When does the next flight leave?"
...
A flight arriving from England landed at the Cleveland airport. A tense man cleaned his glasses before exiting the plane in a hurry, eager to get to his destination as quickly as possible.
Ten minutes later he stood before the door of a brick house, hesitant to knock. Before he could move someone opened the door and stared at him.
"Giles?" Dawn squealed. "Giles?"
She embraced him tightly.
"Hello Dawn... it's good to see you." He stepped back and grinned at the growing young woman.
"I didn't know you were coming! Did everyone forget to tell me?"
"No, no... it was a... last-minute excursion. No one knows..."
"Big Bad, right?"
"I'd rather discuss it with everyone else present."
Dawn nodded and led Giles inside. "Hey guys!" she announced loudly. "Giles is here!"
Xander was the first one to greet him. "G-man! What a... surprise!"
"I debated on whether telling you all what was developing... and I finally decided that it would be best to relay the information personally."
"This is huge, isn't it?"
"Very."
"Giles?" Buffy had come back inside and stared at her Watcher. She ran up to him and hugged him. "I'm so glad you're here."
"I am too, although I wish it were better circumstances."
"Big Bad?"
He stepped back from the Slayer. "We should sit down."
Minutes later Faith and Spike had joined the group in the living room to hear what Giles had to say.
"There's a... prophecy I discovered a couple of months ago, and I've been working on translating it from Sumerian..."
"Prophecies?" Buffy interrupted. "Why are there always prophecies?"
Giles sighed. "Will you let me finish?"
"Sorry," she blushed.
The Watcher then proceeded to recite the prophecy.
A Hellmouth closes, its evil outdone.
Some time must pass before it's begun.
Heroes will drift apart, changed,
then evil will rise, its power arranged.
After a year a champ will return.
Life is restored, a life he did earn.
His role is quiet, but a big role indeed,
for he is the reason the demons will feed.
A vengeful dark power will rise once more:
magic her weapon, sadness her core.
Watch out for this witch, for she is to be
a mighty destroyer of all that you see.
A Hellmouth closes, its evil destroyed.
But watch for the return from within the void.
Darkness may win, and the world may lose.
You must pick a side – which will you choose?
"It sounds like something a middle schooler wrote," Xander complained. "You'd think a big evil prophecy would be worthy of a best seller's list."
Giles glanced briefly at the one-eyed man before cleaning his glasses. "Well not all evil things are good writers. I mean, look at Spike."
"Hey, I'm not evil anymore, remember? I have a soul. I'm not even a bloody vampire anymore! So go shove your insults up your ass. Wanker."
"Wait, this was originally written in Sumerian?" Buffy questioned. "Giles, you translated it in rhyme! I think you have a little too much time on your hands..."
"No... it's a word for word translation into English. I didn't make it rhyme."
Xander scratched his head. "Okay. So Big Bad's coming back. And part of it is Spike's fault."
"Hey, I didn't choose to die. I didn't choose to become human again. What I don't get is how my being alive makes vampires feed."
Giles cleared his throat before saying, "Perhaps the demon that left you was transferred into all other vampires, making them a bit stronger."
Xander groaned, "So now all vampires have some Spike in them? Oh great..."
"Not great," Buffy said. "Spike killed two Slayers. That power in every single vampire? No wonder all the vamps are coming out to play."
"And then the witch?" the one-eyed man asked nervously. "I think... I think we know who that would be. I mean, it makes sense..."
Dawn spoke up. "Maybe it isn't Willow."
"Dawn, I know it's hard to believe she'd go veiny again," Buffy stated. "But who else could it be?"
"Amy? She's sort of evil."
Her sister sighed. "I guess it's possible. But Willow's missing. And she's tried to destroy the world before. It makes sense, unfortunately, that this prophecy is talking about her."
"But Willow's reformed. She wouldn't..."
Buffy glared at her sister. "Dawnie. Deal with it. Willow's gone back to the dark side."
"No, you deal with it Buffy! You are quick to assume the worst out of everything. Even your family and friends!" Dawn growled before storming back upstairs to her room.
...
"This is so exciting!" Joyce sighed happily. "I love it when there's chaos!"
"As do I, my dear," the British man chuckled after exhaling cigarette smoke. "I wish I could say I caused it."
"You can help, you know. Every bit counts. Conjure up a few spells you have up your sleeve."
"Perhaps I will."
"And the Hellmouth in Cleveland would be the perfect place to do it," Joyce suggested with a devilish smile.
"I haven't been to a Hellmouth since Sunnydale... making Ripper a Fyarl demon. Ha!"
"Mr. Giles? Too bad Buffy didn't let him kill you."
"I hate that Slayer. Although I must admit she's pretty resilient."
Joyce stared at him. "They're both in Cleveland. Mr. Giles and Buffy."
"Oh really? I suppose it's time for a reunion."
...
As she sat full of rage on her bed, Dawn heard a knock on her door.
"Go away!" she screamed.
The door slowly opened, revealing a concerned Spike. "It's just me, pet. What's wrong?"
"Buffy," she spat.
"What?"
The teenager sighed. "I'm being ignored, as usual."
"What makes you say that?" the bleach-blond wondered as he sat down next to her on the bed.
"When it was just me and Xander... it was great. It was a breath of fresh air from Potential Slayer Sleepover 2003. But now it's like old times. Which isn't all that bad – I'm glad Giles is back. And you. But then there's me, Invisible Girl."
Spike patted her thigh. "Nibblet, you worry too much. Buffy's just... Buffy. She's always going to be protective of you, even when you're both old and wrinkly."
"Are you still gonna watch my back too, even when you're all old and wrinkly?"
"Me? With wrinkles? You've got to be kidding me!"
"No more demon means no more eternal youth!" she giggled. "Look, there's one on your forehead!"
She put her finger on his face, tracing the line delicately. Spike stared into her eyes, and Dawn stopped to look into his. Suddenly she leaned forward, kissing him on the lips.
"Hey!" Spike said as he pushed her away. "Bad move, Nibblet. Xander will kill me."
"Sorry," she replied. "I don't know what I was thinking. It... it won't happen again."
"Damn right it won't. I'm... I'm gonna go back downstairs."
He left the room and shut the door, leaving her torn and confused.
...
"Mary! Mary! Mary?" Andrew was roaming the cemetery a few nights later, looking for his Slayer apprentice. "Where could she have gone?"
Out of nowhere a vampire leapt out in front of the Watcher. She growled and circled him.
"Stay back!" he stated angrily, pulling out a cross. "Mary!" he yelled. "I could really use your help right now!"
The vampire laughed as her face became human. "I'm right here, Andy."
"Mary?" he squeaked sadly.
TO BE CONTINUED...