Giles slowly placed his glasses on as the cogs in his brain began to turn. Jake knew that this was not something that the Watcher was going to be able to process quite as easily as he made it look. His eyes traveled to Buffy, who still stared ahead, her eyes sizing this man from the future up. He thought she would be uneasy, maybe even shocked. If she was, her emotions were not going to tell on her. Dawn had taken a step back and to the side. Almost hiding directly behind her sister. Jake's heart broke when saw her for the first time. This poor girl had no idea what the future held for her if he failed. The Powers had sent him back to bring the Slayer and her friends into this war, but Jake had promised himself that he was not going to fail Dawn again. If nothing else, he would protect her from the days that lie ahead.

"By from the future, you mean... Marty McFly, eighty-eight miles an hour in the Delorian, future?"

Jake looked up and had to allow himself to smile. Andrew, who had been sitting nervously at the table a moment before, was the first to speak. He had slowly gotten up and had been taking small steps to join the others. This was not the Andrew that Jake had met so many years later. He was boyish and timid, not the hardened man that had followed him into battle. In his own time, Jake had held somewhat of a respect for Andrew. He hadn't denied his calling when the time came. He entered into the war willingly, with his own detachment of Slayers. He had fallen like all the others. He was a hero in a time that was not allowed to celebrate heroes. However, Jake doubted this Andrew would be willing to follow in those footsteps. By the looks of him, he was not the warrior Jake had known. Not yet.

"Uh... sure, something like that." was Jake's response.

"Something in the back of my mind says 'Don't trust you'. Any reason why I shouldn't listen to... me?"

There was the biting response he had been waiting for. Jake knew that Buffy had seen things no person her age should have ever seen. Vampires, demons, hell gods, apocalypses... she had eyed them all. But time travel was still a stretch for her. He didn't have any proof of where he came from. The Powers must have thought that it would be too simple to convince her with proof. She would have to trust him.

"I don't have any proof, Buffy. It doesn't really work that way. You'll have to trust me on this one." Jake stared back into her eyes. "Please."

"Why don't you tell us more about this war," Giles spoke up. "And why these... Powers... felt the need to, ahem, send you back in time to have us fight in it."

There was the Giles that Jake knew. The scholar always plugging away for information. But even Giles wasn't ready for this bit of news.

"I will. But not right now."

"Excuse me? Oh, I think right now would be a perfect time to cut to the chase."

Buffy had taken a step forward. No doubt she thought that this was a set up. A very clever and calculating set up, but a set up nonetheless.

"I wish I could. But you're a couple folks shy at the moment. Besides, traveling back in time and then wandering the streets of Rome for four hours kinda takes the hitch out of yer giddy-up, if you know what I mean."

By the looks Jake was receiving, they didn't. He sighed.

"I'm tired."

Buffy's eyes widened.

"So, what? You think that I'm going to let you, a complete stranger... no wait, a complete stranger from the future, park his horse and sleep under the same room as me and my family?"

That last remark had a bit of a sarcastic laugh to the end.

"Well... yeah. I mean, if you don't trust me, I can always head back out to the streets. But if you're right, that means you just turned me loose to do God knows what."

Buffy took another step forward. Jake stood his ground. If she wouldn't trust him, then she wouldn't be able to let him walk out that door. She might not be the only Slayer in the world, but she was probably the most cautious.

"I believe he's right Buffy. If he is a demon or a... time traveling demon, we can't risk him walking the streets killing people. However, if he is to stay, then we can monitor him and ensure no one gets hurt."

Jake's eyes shot to the Watcher. So did Buffy's. She had a pained expression on her face. Her Watcher, the man with the biggest brain she'd ever known, was actually going to let this thing stay with them? She searched Giles face, and found that there wasn't going to be any point in arguing the matter. The Brit's mind was made up.

"Fine. But you keep an eye on him Giles." She turned back towards Jake, taking one more step towards him. She was now merely inches away from him. "And as for you, if one little thing happens tonight, I will kill you. Tomorrow, you spill your guts. Or I'll do it for you."

With that, she spun back around, her blonde hair flying out behind her. She strode to the hallway and up the stairs.

"Always with the dramatic exit," Jake muttered. Giles eyed him suspiciously.

"Giles, I know you want answers, but I can't give 'em just yet. You've all got to be here. The witch, the Slayer general, even the pirate. Nothing will change if you're not in this together."

Giles let out a long overdue breath.

"Willow and Kennedy are both in South Africa and Xander has probably burned by beloved England to the ground. I'll contact them tonight. I'm sure Willow can get them here when we need them. However, Faith is in..."

Giles abruptly stopped when he heard Jake's sharp intake of breath. The Watcher looked toward the man standing in front of the door. What he saw was a surprise. The look in that man's eyes was one of sorrow. Giles could even see a tear begin to swell in the corner of the man's eye.

"Jake..."

"No," he answered abruptly. "We don't need Faith. The Powers have given her her own mission. She'll be there in the end. Right now, all I need is your contingent."

Giles nodded solemnly.

"Well then, I imagine someone who has traveled as much as you have would not mind sleeping on the sofa?"

Jake smiled, the moment of anguish passing.

"Not at all."

Jake began to move towards the sofa, when he stopped abruptly. He turned to see Giles, only a few steps behind, following him.

No doubt he was going to keep an eye on him for the night.

"Giles," Jake said extending his hand. Warily, Giles took it in a firm shake. "It's damn good to see you again."

Jake broke the shake as Giles nodded. The two men moved to the living room as Jake lay back onto the sofa. It had been so long since he had a peaceful night's sleep.

Five years later

Los Angeles

Illyria stood amongst the rubble that had once been the Wolfram and Hart building. She looked around, taking in the destruction and chaos that had once been beautiful Los Angeles. There were no skyscrapers or bright lights left anymore. The only thing that painted the sky now was the fire and smoke that seemed to seep out of the Earth itself. Behind her, a countless mass of demons stood in battle formation. Five years of destruction had led her to this moment. The disgusting speck of humanity that once inhabited the metropolis had been wiped clean. She knew that the humans had mobilized a large force surrounding the dead city. But she was not concerned with them. In five years they had done little to penetrate her new capital. They cowered in fear at the legions she led. But she was not interested in destroying them yet. There time would soon come, but she had a bigger battle to wage on this night. She turned back to the rubble and eyed the three beings that stood before her.

"Your time has ended!" Illyria boomed. The massive demon army behind her roared in approval.

"Fool!" shouted the being to the left. It was a large being, almost seven feet tall. Its body was hidden beneath a crimson robe, but its ram-like head was clearly visible.

"You have no power here Old One. You were cast into the Deeper Well because your reign was to end. And now look at you? The mighty Illyria, shelled within the corpse of a human. The vampire stripped you of your power long ago. What makes you think that we cannot destroy you without lifting a finger?"

This time it was the figure in the middle that had spoken. It had the same daunting size of the first being, but its lips were curled back baring its teeth. Illyria smiled.

"No, you are the fool Wolf! For five years my armies have marched atop the carcasses of your feeble allies. Yet all you do is send more lambs to slaughter. It is you that have no power! You are weak in this dimension. That is why you hide behind demons and humans in this world. You use them to carry out your plans, because you cannot carry them yourselves! You have taken hold of this world since my demise, yet you could not purge it of humanity. You could not defeat the vampire or his band of humans, even while you had them trapped in a box of your own design. Your Circle has fallen; your armies have been destroyed. The demons you bring forth no longer follow your lead. They follow mine!"

With that, the Wolf let loose a guttural howl.

"Then let it begin!"

Without warning, the third being, with the head of a Hart, leapt forward. From beneath his robe he extended a long scythe. He swiped at Illyria, who easily dodged.

"You fight with the weapons of this world? How far have you fallen Hart?"

Without warning Illyria's army roared and charged into the rubble. Illyria smiled as she looked into the deep black eyes of the Hart. She could see its terror. The being managed one last swipe at the god-king before it disappeared under a wave of blackness.

"Bring me the heads of the Wolf, the Ram, and the Hart! They will be mounted atop my temple, so that all may see the consequence of crossing Illyria!"

The army continued to envelop the scene in blackness. Millions upon millions of demons flooded the ground where the three beings had stood. Powerless in this dimension, they stood no chance. Illyria simply stood, admiring the scene. For five years she had decimated their armies. Now, when they had finally shown themselves, their own demons had destroyed them. The humans that had mounted just beyond the horizon would soon feel her wrath. Their machines of death were great, but in the end, they were operated by humans and all humans were weak. She would soon bury their small army beneath her step. There was to be a new order in this world. And it would bow before her all-powerful fist.