Hello faithful readers!

I am so very sorry about the very long delay on this chapter. what can I say? these girls won't always cooperate with me...they are all so stubborn and pigheaded! anyway, here is chapter 5, with the climactic conclusion on the way!

--JW

Godsmacked

Chapter 5

By JewWitch

That afternoon the manor was a flurry of activity, as the group of witches, slayers, and assorted demon fighters prepared feverishly for the arrival of three goddesses. The manor had to be cloaked from magical detection; neither Glory, nor the Elders, could know what they were doing until it was too late to stop it. Xander was busy blockading the doors, and giving the manor as much old-fashioned, hammer-and-nail protection as possible, aided by the slayers. Faith complained endlessly about her own marginal role in "Operation Godsmack" until Buffy reminded her none too gently that it had been her idea to let the witches take over in the first place. Upstairs, five witches and a half-whitelighter were busy writing the spells that would allow them to temporarily absorb the powers of the gods.

"I think it's almost ready," Tara said finally, adding a pinch of toadflax to the potion she was mixing. It gave a loud bang, accompanied by a large volume of thick white smoke. Tara squealed in alarm.

"That's okay, Tara," Prue assured her, "that's what always happens when our potions are finished…the bang just means it's ready. I've never seen quite so much smoke, before, though," she coughed. Piper flung open the large bay window as everyone fanned the smoke from their faces.

"Well, I don't think we've ever made a potion quite this strong before," Phoebe reasoned, putting the finishing touches on her spell. "There! I'm done."

"Me too," Paige announced brightly, capping the last of her own vials. "This needs to be kept somewhere safe till we're ready to de-goddess." With a wave of her hand, Paige orbed the vials into the wall. Willow's eyes were as wide as saucers; she still couldn't get over the amount of power she'd seen displayed since their arrival at the manor.

"Honey, close your mouth," Tara said gently, kissing her flabbergasted girlfriend lightly on the lips. Willow grinned sheepishly.

"So, I guess we're all, um, ready?" Willow said hesitantly, looking around the room at five extremely determined faces.

"Looks like," Prue agreed. "Once we've got our powers, it won't be long before Glory senses us; we can't cloak that much magic for very long. So we won't have much of a chance to practice our new powers."

"Got it covered, Mama Witch," Paige said with a wink. "Willow, Tara and I will be up here channeling all our magic to focus and ground you."

"Are we absolutely, positively sure this is safe?" Phoebe asked for the hundredth time. "Cause the last time you channeled for me, I nearly lost you." She wound her arms protectively around Paige's neck as she spoke.

"That was different, baby," Paige reasoned, running one hand reassuringly up Phoebe's back. "That was dark magic; channeling white magic isn't gonna make me sick. We'll just be amplifying your own, real witchcraft, to keep your humanity grounded so you don't lose yourself in the gods' powers."

"Promise you'll be okay?" Phoebe asked seriously, her voice quavering slightly. "I couldn't stand to watch you throwing up electrical currents again."

"You threw up electricity?" Willow squeaked, her face rapidly draining of color.

"I promise, Pheebs. I'll be fine. We'll all be fine." It was hollow promise and they all knew it; yet it was one they all needed to hear to fortify themselves for the battle that lay ahead. The gravity of Paige's words were still hanging in midair when Faith burst through the door impatiently.

"Everybody ready to rock up here, or what?"

Five minutes later, the entire group had reconvened in the kitchen, where Prue went over "Operation Godsmack" one final time.

"So everyone is clear on their positions?" She asked, her ice blue gaze traveling around the room with a quiet intensity that the Scoobies found just as commanding as Buffy's "slayer face."

"No," Faith said from the corner, scratching her chin with an exaggeratedly thoughtful expression. "Can you explain to me again, the part where I'm hiding in the basement like a whiny little punk?"

"God damn it, Faith!" Prue growled, nostrils flaring like an angry jungle cat about to pounce. Faith glared back, looking equally feral. "How many times do we have to tell you, that if we fail, we need you to protect Dawn and the others! Not to mention, reality as we know it!"

"Still sounds like a fancy way of saying get out of the way," Faith sneered. "Me and B should be helping you! We're action girls, not back up!"

"Listen up, little girl," Prue seethed, her voice dangerously quiet. "In a few hours, there is going to be a magical convergence in this house larger than a fucking A-bomb. It's going to take all six of us," she motioned to her sisters, Paige, Willow and Tara, "just to control it, never mind use it to destroy Glory before she destroys us, and the world as we know it. You think we're powerful witches now?" Prue narrowed her eyes, slamming Faith back against the wall. Faith stared back silently, for once without a quip ready to sling. "You don't wanna be in the same room with us when we get the powers of the gods. Got it?" Faith nodded, still staring back into Prue's blazing blue eyes. "Good. Now, the rest of you," Prue motioned to the group, "Get in position. Piper, Willow, you need to go upstairs and do the astral anchoring spell, so you'll be connected when the power transfer happens. Phoebe, Paige, you too. Tara, you come with me."

"Wait," Dawn called nervously as the witches all moved toward the stairs. "How long is this gonna take? Will we be safe down here till you get back?"

"Don't worry, Dawnie," Buffy assured her anxious sister. "Faith and I are still here to be your personal body-guards…right, tough stuff?" She winked at her dark-haired counterpart.

"You know it, B," Faith agreed with her trademark cocky swagger. "It's gonna be five by five, half pint." Dawn nodded, swallowing nervously. She glanced automatically to Phoebe for reassurance, as she'd been doing regularly since being rescued from Glory's clutches.

"Tell you what," Phoebe said slowly, grinning reassuringly at the uneasy teen. "How about if I come down and add a little extra oomph to that protection spell before we start?" Dawn nodded vigorously.

"Okay then." Phoebe escorted the non-magical contingency downstairs, while Paige and the rest of the witches went upstairs to begin their final preparations. When Phoebe finally returned to her room, she found Paige towel-drying her hair, wearing one of Phoebe's tank tops and a pair of flannel pajama pants.

"Ooooh," Phoebe sighed happily, cuddling up to her minty-fresh girlfriend and burying her face in the damp, coconut-scented locks of her hair. "Hi there," she purred.

"Phoebe," Paige groaned, trying very hard to resist the lips nuzzling her throat. "This is hardly the time for…ohhh…I mean, no!" She jumped back, biting her lip as she felt her cheeks flush. "We kinda got more important stuff going on right now…remember?"

"Yeaaah," Phoebe drawled, clasping her hands behind her back and digging her toe into the floor, looking up at Paige with big, pouty brown eyes. "But you know, there's more than one way to perform an astral anchoring…especially for people who already have an intense, um, physical connection."

"You don't say?" Paige deadpanned, moving into her girlfriend's arms.

"I do say," Phoebe insisted seriously, immediately rubbing her face back into Paige's damp hair. She gave a long, low sigh of pleasure. "Your hair feels so good when it's wet," she purred, breathing in Paige's shower-fresh scent.

"Oh, please," Paige sniggered. "Is there any way my hair could be that you wouldn't like?"

"Hmmmm…" Phoebe mused, nipping Paige's throat and delighting in the soft gasp her teeth elicited. "Now that you mention it…nope." Phoebe backed Paige up against the bed, and they both flopped down eagerly onto the mattress. One long, intense kiss melted into another. Neither of them noticed the brilliant golden light glowing from the crystals set in a circle around them. As always when the two of them were alone together, Paige and Phoebe only had eyes for each other.