Summary: The pre-emptive strike against The Immortal, Cerephus, has failed, and Buffy has been killed. Where do we go from here?
Crossover: Highlander, Stargate SG-1
Notes: Okay, having watched the season finale of Stargate SG-1, I have become painfully aware of just how badly I've screwed up the Stargate timeline. So, I'm just gonna pretend this story is an AU and stick with the timeline I've established so far. Because going back and making changes is a ginormous pain in the tuckus...
Disclaimer: This is the part where I make some general comment about how I own none of this, I'm not making any money off of this, it all belongs to somebody else, etc., etc. Cryin' shame, that...
DID SOMEBODY SAY SOMETHING ABOUT NOT FADING AWAY? PART VI
By: screaminheathen69
...Previously, on Buffy the Vampire Slayer...
...Cerephus summoned a staff weapon to him, taking aim at Willow. Such an easy target. And her death will most certainly be a most severe blow to the Slayer.
Buffy and Duncan had finally fought their way to the edge of the stage. Buffy jumped up onto the stage, about fifteen feet away from Cerephus. She saw him holding the staff weapon and tracked his line of sight to see who he was aiming at. "Willow!"
She threw her sword at him, trying to distract him. It bounced off the shield just like everything else she'd thrown at him. He turned his head slightly, throwing her another smug grin, then sighted back down the staff again.
Buffy didn't think about it, didn't have time to think about it.
She could see Cerephus' finger tightening on the trigger, Willow dead in his sights.
She leaped.
Directly into the line of fire.
Took the full burst from the staff weapon directly in the chest.
Landed in a heap at the edge of the stage, looking down at her charred flesh in shock.
She looked up at Duncan, her eyes pleading, unbelieving. "Ow..." She slowly tumbled off the stage to land on the floor, face up, eyes staring dully at the ceiling.
Dead.
...And now...
Chapter the First
Cerephus stood there, shocked. Then a smile slowly started to spread across his face. This was better than he'd hoped. He had killed the Slayer. Not just one of the many, but the Slayer.
Buffy Summers was dead. The love of Angelus' life. By his hand. He threw his head back and laughed.
Across the room, Willow felt somebody die. And at the sound of Dawn's anguished cry, she suddenly had the feeling she knew who. She finished blasting the demons off of Illyria, then spun around to face the stage. To the sight of the Immortal, laughing maniacally as Duncan jumped down from the stage to kneel beside Buffy's too still form.
Dawn screamed. An utterly incoherent, pain filled scream that seemed to come from the bottom of her soul. She had just watched her sister die. Again. Trembling, her rage taking her, she reached deep down inside and cut loose with the same power she'd used that first time at the Bronze, one that she had only used in a lesser way since then as it tended to leave her exhausted. Somehow managing to protect Illyria, Spike and Angel, she vaporised every demon in the villa.
Cerephus' laughter stopped abruptly as he took in the now demon free room. He took an involuntary step back when Dawn shifted herself, appearing right in front of him. The pain and rage on her face was enough to make even him flinch in fear. A brilliant green aura surrounded Dawn, flickering angrily like a thing alive. And when she spoke, it was as though Rage itself spoke through her.
"You. Killed. My. SISTER!" Dawn threw everything she had at him, point blank. The concussion from the blast knocked all those still standing to the floor, while the blast threw Cerephus through the wall. And through the two rooms beyond.
Dawn was there the instant he came to rest. His shield had held, although weakened. Dawn started pounding on it, channeling her Power into every blow, trying to get through to the man she wanted to throttle with her bare hands. Willow appeared next to her, hair gone white, glowing, and added her own power, trying to get past the magyckally enhanced shield.
Cerephus, who had been stunned when he was thrown through the wall, shook his head to clear out the cobwebs. He realised that his shield was steadily weakening before the onslaught of the two Powers he now faced. He thrust his hand out, uttering an ancient spell. Willow and Dawn were thrown back, stunned.
The Immortal Goa'uld slowly regained his feet. He'd lost this battle, but the war was far from over. The losses here this day were but a drop in the ocean. He still had tremendous resources as yet untapped. He gazed at Willow and Dawn with utter contempt. "We shall face each other again, and soon. And on that day, you will all die."
Dawn, enraged, fired a massive energy ball at him just as he shimmered away. "You son of a bitch! Come back here and finish this!"
The green glow faded away as she started shaking and sobbing uncontrollably. Willow, still glowing white, took her in her arms and held her, tears flowing. Willow was hanging on to the Earth energy, the essence of White Magyck, fighting to keep the Dark in check.
The Darkness that was screaming for vengeance. Oh, dear Goddess, help me! Help us all!
She guided the inconsolable Dawn back into the ballroom, where what had happened was only just beginning to seep in. Duncan was kneeling over Buffy's prone body, Kate standing beside him with her hand on his shoulder. Xander was kneeling on the other side of Buffy, sobbing. Angel was standing behind him, seemingly frozen, the shock written plainly on his face.
Spike was leaning against the wall, wracked with sobs. The rest of the strike force stood gathered around, stunned.
Buffy Summers was dead.
Dawn knelt down beside her sister, taking Buffy's hand in her own. "Oh, God, Buffy. I'm so sorry. I should've done something. Anything. I can't loose you again..."
Duncan drew a deep, shuddering breath. "She did it to save Willow. Cerephus was about to shoot her. She jumped into his line of fire to block his shot." He looked up at Willow, who was staring back at him, eyes huge. "She saved you, Willow."
"Oh, Goddess..." Willow broke down completely, only staying on her feet thanks to Kennedy's support.
For one long minute, nobody spoke, letting their grief wash over them. Buffy was dead, and there would be no bringing her back this time. Some pains are simply too grievous for the soul to bear.
Illyria, standing a bit away from the group, cocked her head and stared intently at Buffy. "Wait. Something is..."
Buffy drew in a ragged breath.
Dawn let out an 'Eep!' and dropped her hand, jerking away involunutarily and ending up on her butt.
Buffy groaned and sat up, rubbing her chest. "Oh, oww, that is soooo gonna leave a mark." She slowly took in all the stunned looks.
"What?"
Chapter the Second
...Later, in the infirmary at the SGC...
"So, how come I'm not dead?" Buffy, in the midst of being poked and prodded by Dr. Brightman, asked in an entirely too chipper voice.
Giles stopped cleaning his glasses. "Umm... well, now, that's a very good question..." He went back to polishing, trying to come up with an answer that he didn't have. Yet.
"Yeah. Hence the asking." She couldn't help but grin as her Watcher shuffled his feet uncomfortably. She'd been dead. No two ways about it. Toast. Kicked the bucket. Bought the farm. Headed for the big dirt nap. And while she was exceedingly pleased that it hadn't been permanent, she was more than a little curious as to why this particular death hadn't taken.
Illyria, who had been standing quietly in the shadows, stepped forward. "You are as he is." She pointed at Duncan. "I sensed it as your body returned to life. Your have the essence of an Immortal, but hidden beneath the essence of the Slayer. That is why I did not sense it before, and cannot sense it now." Illyria couldn't help but smile at the stunned looks she got after making that statement.
Willow spluttered. "Bu... but... she died! Twice! And, yeah, she came back, but not without help. I mean, the second time she died, she was gone for a hundred and forty seven days, 'til we pulled her out of heaven!" Willow paused in her babble, seeing the old pain flash in Buffy's eyes. "Sorry, Buffy. I just, it's... I just don't get it..."
Spike sighed. "I do. Makes sense, dunnit? The ritual was interrupted, right?" Willow nodded. "So, first you have an incomplete spell, second, you've got a nasty God like Osiris involved-"
Daniel spoke up. "Osiris was actually a Goa'uld. Dead Goa'uld, now, but-"
"May've been one of those snakes that took 'is name, Artefact-Boy, but the Osiris we're talkin' 'bout is the genuine article. Tends to get a bit testy when us lesser beings cut inta his territory." He glanced at Willow and Giles. "Not hard to picture him throwin' a wrench into th' works now, is it?"
Giles shook his head no, while Willow was on the verge of tears. Spike turned back to Buffy. "'Spect that explains why the chip didn't work on you after you came back. You didn't come back wrong, you came back Immortal. Chip new the difference somehow. I probably could've beat on an Immortal same as any demon."
Buffy took it all in, pouting. "Great. As if things weren't interesting enough already. Now I get to spend the rest of forever watching my neck. Literally." She heaved a great sigh, then shrugged theatrically. "Oh well, beats being dead. Are we done yet? Can I go now?" Dr. Brightman pushed her firmly back down on the bed.
"We're testing all of you, and no, we're not done yet. I need a blood sample..." Buffy groaned and cringed at the sight of the needle.
"All you doctors with your needles. Gives me the willies." She gave a shudder, eliciting several laughs, especially from Jack. Dr. Brightman just rolled her eyes and ignored her. She'd spent enough time around Daniel and Jack that the complaints just rolled off anymore.
Both strike teams, as well as the back up team plus Giles and Robin, had been transported to the SGC to be given a thorough going over. The infirmary was filled to overflowing, doctors and nurses darting in and out amongst the tables.
Buffy hopped off the table the instant Dr. Brightman finished. The doctor walked over to the MRI unit to check the progress of Faith's scan. Faith had remained unconscious for an inordinately long time, having taken a massive beating, and Giles had insisted that she be checked out thoroughly. The fact that Faith had spent the entire scan resting quietly was a pretty good indication that she wasn't feeling well.
Buffy was looking for her clothes. Samantha Carter handed her a set of blue fatigues. Buffy stared at the clothes with disdain. "Umm, thanks, Sam, but where's my stuff?"
Carter glanced at Jack, smiling. "Well, the General over there thought that you running around the base wearing a shirt with a great big hole burned in the front of it... well, conceivably, it could be, er, distracting to some of the personnel..."
Jack smirked. "Military base. Free peep show. Generally un-mixy things. And speaking from experience, the sight would be very distracting." He waggled his eyebrows.
Dawn pulled a face. "Eeeewwww!" Xander had obviously gotten lost in the visual in his head, and Kennedy smacked Willow in the arm as the wicca's eyes glazed over. Even Teal'c was staring vacantly off into space. Angel, Riley and Spike were nodding their agreement with Jack's assessment. Sam Finn took Kennedy's example and bopped Riley in the back of the head.
Faith's laughter could be heard from inside the MRI tube. "I think Big-O over there's sayin' ya got a nice rack, B."
Buffy shot Jack a glare, then smiled sweetly and leaned closer to Carter. "Sam, remind me to tell you something later."
Carter grinned. "Juicy?"
"Ooohh, yeah. You're gonna love it." Jack squirmed. Buffy giggled. Gotcha. She stepped behind a privacy screen to get dressed. "So doc, we about finished here?"
The good doctor nodded absently. "Soon as we finish Faith's scan and bloodwork." She was looking intently at the monitor. The nurse made a comment quietly to her and she nodded. "Yup. Okay Faith, the scan's done. And congratulations."
Faith sat up as the table slid out of the tube. "Thanks. For what?"
Dr. Brightman grinned and pointed at the image frozen on the monitor. "Twins. You're about six or seven weeks along. They appear to be in perfect health."
You could've heard a pin drop. Or maybe that noise was the sound of about twenty jaws hitting the floor. Faith's jaw being the first.
Buffy was the first to find her voice. "Wicked! Can I be Aunty Buffy?"
Chapter the Third
Three days later, Giles called for a meeting at the hotel in Devon. He looked out at the large group, which now included Methos and Joe Dawson, and sighed. "Thank you all for coming. I had hoped to have some good news for you, but unfortunately, that doesn't happen to be the case. We have had absolutely no luck in locating Cerephus. He seems to have gone to ground, and covered his tracks amazingly well. Even Willow and the coven have been unable to track him." Willow shrugged apologetically.
Giles shifted some papers around in front of him. "Err, it also seems that the Slayer vision Cassandra had was a fake." There were a few surprised gasps at this. "Yes. It appears that Cerephus found a way to send her the false vision, as well as somehow blocking Angel's visions. He also managed to keep the seers from seeing what was going on. Willow has worked out how to detect the magycks and stop them, so we believe that the seers should be able to see properly now, but only time will tell."
Riley raised his hand. "Umm, wait a sec. Angel has visions now?"
Angel shifted in his seat. "Yeah. Kinda surprised me, too. I thought it was a one time deal. Cordy somehow passed her visions on to me just before she died. We wouldn't have figured it out if it weren't for the headache I got the longer the mission went on. Guess the PTB's kept pushing harder and harder."
Jack leaned close to Dawn. "'PTB's'?"
"Powers that Be. Higher beings," Dawn whispered.
"Oh. They help out a lot, do they?"
"Yes. Well, no. Sorta." She made an indifferent motion with her hand. "Mostly they're just really vague and cryptic. Really good about getting their Champions killed."
"Oh. Nice."
Dawn nodded. "Yup."
Angel was still talking. "Anyway, they sent me another headache, I mean, vision, and confirmed it was all a ruse to draw us in. Seems the Immortal wanted us out of his way. Whatever it is he's planning, apparently he figures we could stop him."
Faith spoke up. "And he'd a had us, too. But he underestimated our Big Guns." She nodded her thanks to Willow and Dawn. "You two saved our bacon. Made 'im tuck tail and run."
Dawn stuck her bottom lip out. "Wasn't enough, though. He got away. And he killed Buffy." Buffy shrugged at the glances that came her way. She was still adjusting to the whole immortality thing herself.
Angel grinned briefly, his expression quickly sobering. "We're still alive, though. So we're still a threat."
"Which probably means he'll be coming after us again," Spike said, pulling a face. "As if the Senior Partner's assassins weren't enough..."
Giles picked up the thread. "Yes. We shall all have to be extra watchful. In the meantime, we're still trying to discover what Cerephus is really up to. Everything we had uncovered up to now seems to be purely fabricated. And, as much as he underestimated Willow and Dawn, we underestimated him far more. We knew he used magic to some extent, in spite of his reputation for not using it. He has somehow managed to mask his abilities for a very long time. Of course, he has had almost ten thousand years to perfect his abilities."
Willow rested her elbows on the table. "Time that we don't have. Dawn and I are working with the coven to figure a way past his shields. Anise, Jacob and Col. Carter are helping us with the Goa'uld technology. He was using a Goa'uld personal shield, but he beefed it up magyckally. It was starting to give under the pounding Dawn and I were giving it, but it took almost everything we had just to make a dent in it. We might wind up having to enjoin our powers again to take him down."
Xander grinned. "That wouldbe a sight to behold. The last time was, like, the coolest thing I've ever seen." All those who had been present at that final confrontation with Glory would never be able to forget what had happened there.
Giles nodded. "Indeed. Well, as I said, we will continue in our efforts to uncover Cerephus. Otherwise, I suppose it's business as usual. Rona called asking for some additional help in Cleveland. It seems the local demon population has recently grown, and she'd like a few more Slayers."
Faith hummphed. "Wondered when the Hellmouth'd get twitchy. Should Rob an' me head back?"
"No, I've already chosen six Slayers and a witch for the job. They'll be heading out later today. Besides, I was rather hoping that you'd leave the fighting to those that aren't, umm..."
"Preggers? Knocked up? With child? Two buns in the oven? Enjoying the wonderfulness that is the morning sickness that decided to kick in yesterday?"
"Err... yes. Someting like that."
"I'm pregnant, Geeves. Not dead. But yeah, I figured I'd back off the heavy stuff. Maybe help out with the training around here for a while. I don't know how we made it through that fight unharmed, but I'm not risking the rugrats anymore." She patted her stomach. "It just ain't worth the risk."
Giles smiled. "I wholeheartedly agree. I'm quite sure we can keep both you and Robin busy around here."
Jack raised a hand. "Um, I do need SG-1 back for a few days. We've already postponed the mission to P4C-646 twice, and SG-8 is only available for the next few days. Daniel has to go look at some more rocks." Daniel rolled his eyes as a few chuckles could be heard.
Faith stood up. "You think you guys will be back by next Friday?"
Jack looked at Carter, who nodded. "Should be, unless we run into trouble. Which happens entirely too often. Why?"
Faith glanced at Robin, who gave her a smile and nodded. "Well, in light of recent events," she patted her belly again, "Rob and I have decided to change the plans a bit. Anyway, we're gonna have the rehearsal next Friday, with a big dinner and night out after, with the wedding and reception on Saturday like we were figuring. We'd like all of you to be there. Oughta be a helluva party." She grinned.
Jack grinned right back. "Well, we'll have to check, but short of the end of the world, I suspect we can be here."
Carter nodded. "Can I bring Pete?"
"The more the merrier." She turned to Willow. "Sorry about screwing up your plans for the bachelorette party, Red, but I think it'd be best if we call it off. Can't get my drink on like I was plannin' to. Rob has officially threatened to throw me in the dungeon if I even look at a beer." Robin nodded solemnly.
"No big. Just months and months of meticulous planning shot to Hell. No worries. Really." Her smile let Faith know she wasn't really mad. "Besides, we can always have a big bash for us girls after you've had the kids. Sort of a post bachelorette, hello Mama Faith thing." Her eyes took on a distant look as she started thinking about it.
"Mama Faith? Hoo boy..." Faith sat down heavily. Mama. Wow.
Buffy grinned at the expression on Faith's face. She didn't have any doubts that the couple would be good parents, but it was fun watching Faith adjust to it all.
Duncan stood up. "If you don't mind, Giles, there is one thing I'd like to bring up before we go." Giles motioned for him to go ahead. "I've been thinking about this for a the last few days. I think it would be best if we all kept quiet about Buffy being an Immortal. It's too much to hope that Cerephus hasn't found out that Buffy is still alive. If he still thinks she's dead, that could well work to our advantage, but I'm not going to count on it. But that aside, the longer we keep the world in general from finding out she's an Immortal, the better off she'll be."
He turned to Buffy. "We Immortals can't detect that you're one of us, it's hidden under your Slayer vibe just like Illyria said. But sooner or later, somebody's going to figure out that you aren't getting any older. And the longer you put that day off, the better. An Immortal Slayer will be too good a target to pass up. Every Immortal Headhunter or demon looking to make a name for himself will come after you."
Buffy nodded. "Yeah. Kinda figured that out already. Demons always did like coming after the Slayer anyway, but I figure this'll make it that much worse. Joy."
Duncan smiled gently. "I know. So, I think we're all agreed that limiting the knowledge to those we know we can trust would be best?" There was agreement from all in the room. "Good. I didn't mean to speak out of turn, Buffy, but I thought it best to deal with this now. I don't know when we'll have a chance to get this group together again. Faith and Robin's impending nuptials aside, of course."
Buffy waved a hand. "No biggie. Like I said, I was thinking along those lines myself. I would like to talk to you and Adam before you head out, though." Duncan and Methos nodded. Buffy turned to Giles. "Anything else, Giles?"
"Only to thank our new friends, and all of you for that matter, for your hard work. We may have lost this particular battle, but we have gained some very valuable intelligence, and we certainly have a much better idea of the adversary that we face. I'm proud of all of you." He paused a moment, looking at them all fondly. "Well, I suppose that's it for now. If I don't see you before, I'll see you all next Friday."
Chapter the Fourth
Later that evening...
Buffy couldn't sleep. She didn't want to admit it to herself, but she hadn't slept well since they'd gotten back from the failed strike against Cerephus. As happy as she was about the whole not being dead thing, she wasn't really dealing with her newly discovered immortality all that well. And the more Duncan and Adam filled her in about The Game and some of the Immortal Headhunters they'd dealt with over the years, the less she liked it.
She finally gave up on sleep, threw on some sweats and headed outside. The hotel was built in a big U, with a large courtyard that contained a pleasant garden in the middle of the U. She had found it restful whenever she had stayed here, so she decided to go out to her favorite bench for a while. She could stare at the stars and enjoy the quiet.
As she wound her way around the path that led to her favorite spot, her mind was churning. There had been such an information overload these last few days, she hadn't had time to process it all. She paused, sniffing the air. She could smell tobacco smoke. Walking around the last bush that concealed the bench, she shook her head and smiled. "Hey, Spike."
Spike was slouched down on the bench. He sat up quickly, realising it was too late to hide the fact that he'd been stargazing. "Umm, hullo Slayer. Just out for a bit 'o fresh air. You?"
Buffy waved the smoke away and smiled crookedly. "Yeah, me too. All about the fresh air." She tilted her head at the bench, and Spike gestured for her to sit down. She did, stretching her legs out in front of her.
"Nice spot, this. Quiet," Spike said.
"Yeah. I love it here. Good view of the sky."
"Yup." They sat in companionable silence for a bit. Spike studied Buffy from the corner of his eye, trying to determine her state of mind. "Soooo... Good news about Faith and the principal then, eh?"
Buffy nodded once and answered in a distracted tone. "Uh huh."
"Happy for 'em then, are you?"
"Sure. I think they'll be great parents." She finally looked over at Spike, frowning. "You going somewhere with this, or is this just you making conversation?"
"Dunno that I'm so much goin' anywhere with it, pet. Know you always wanted to 'ave some rugrats someday. And now you've found out you can't. And just to top that off, two seconds after you have that little bomb dropped on you, you find out Faith's not only in the family way, but that it's twins. It occurred to me that maybe, just maybe, mind you, you might be just a tad upset about it. 'Course, I could be wrong. I have been known to be wrong. Occasionaly. Every twenty years or so." He grinned and tossed the butt of his cigarette into the gravel path.
Buffy tried to stare him down, but he wasn't having any of it. "Okay, fine. It bothers me. Not that their having kids, honestly, I'm thrilled for them. I am. But yeah, I can't help it. I can be Aunt Buffy from now till Doomsday, but I'll never be Mommy. It bugs the crap outta me. And then there's the whole 'Game' thing. Some game." She snorted derisively. "No consolation prizes at all."
"So I've heard."
"And it's not even that I'm all that upset about the not having kids thing. Not like I was any where near ready for that anyway. It's just..." She trailed off, lost in thought.
"Just what, pet?" Spike prodded gently.
"Everything! All of it! I mean, I don't even know if I can trust my Slayer dreams anymore. When we activated all the Potentials, I thought maybe we'd all finally have a chance to rest. Be normal. It feels like we've been running nonstop since we hopped the last bus out of Sunnydale. Literally." She sighed heavily. "I guess I'm just tired. Must be getting old."
"Old, huh? S'pose that explains Jack, then..." Buffy slugged him in the shoulder. "Sorry, sorry..."
"Uh huh. Don't you start." She wagged a threatening fist under Spike's nose while he tried to look innocent.
"No harm no foul, pet. I actually like the guy. Reminds me of me. Only without the sordid history. And he's nothing at all like the Great Poofter." He chuckled as Buffy shot him a dirty look. "Look, sarcasm aside, I do like the guy. Good in a fight, if 'is mini-me clone is any indicator. Funny too. And he seems to make you happy."
"He does. He really does. Too bad it's just a fling." She laughed as Spike did a double take. "We had a long talk about everything. We're pretty good together, but we both know it's just for now. We've all been thrown together for this fight, but sooner or later this fight'll be over, and eventually we'll all go our separate ways."
Spike stood up and started pacing. "Well yeah, sure, but that doesn't mean you two can't..."
"I know, Spike. And that's not why it wouldn't last anyway. We just know, you know? For now, we're together and it's good. When it's over, we'll both move on and this will be something good that happened, a good memory, hopefully without all the angst and heartbreak that he and I both always seem to wind up with in our relationships. Had enough of that to last a lifetime already, and now it looks like I've got eternity to rack up the heartache, so I'm happy with this being what it is. And what it is, is good. Okay?"
"S'pose so. Didn't mean to turn this into a big therapy session, luv. Was just concerned, is all."
Buffy gave a little laugh. "I know. It's all good. So you're through with the cracks about me and Jack now right?"
"Not a chance, pet. There're some opportunities that just can't be passed up." He gave her a smug grin.
Buffy rolled her eyes. She had no doubt that she was going to be on the receiving end of a ton of grief at the wedding. Oh well. What goes around, comes around.
Chapter the Fifth
As Buffy and Spike sat in the garden and had their little chat, Dawn was up in her room running a bath. She'd spent the last few hours training with Amanda and Adam, and now felt like she'd been through a meat grinder. She just wanted to soak in the tub for an hour or so and let the aches and pains ease away.
She dumped in an extra large dose of bubble bath, then climbed in slowly, sinking up to her nose and letting the heat sink in. Aaaaaahhhh! That's the stuff... She settled herself into a comfortable position and tried not to doze off. I love the sword play. I do. But sometimes I swear they're trying just a little too hard. I have bruises on my bruises.
She zoned out, almost asleep, thinking random thoughts about the impending wedding and other little things, such as the end of the world. At least we managed to talk Faith out of that Godawful shade of green. Looked like something a demon puked up. Who should I take for my date? Connor maybe? Spike? Could ask Jon. Hehehe. I can see it now, two sisters basically dating the same guy. Maybe not, probably kinda high on the Weird-o-meter. Wonder if Willow can put up a strong enough ward to keep out Cerephus. Or the Senior Partners' flunkies, for that matter. I gonna be pissed if we wind up in a big fight and my dress gets ruined. Or the wedding. Wonder what Faith 'n Robin are gonna have as the song for their first dance...
Her reverie was interrupted by the sound of the door crashing open. She jerked upright in the tub, shocked at the sight of a Tarrl'esh demon standing in her bathroom, swinging its axe at her head. Axe! Oh, CRAP! Not having the time to do anything else, she shifted herself just in time, placing herself behind the demon just as the axe swept through the space Dawn had occupied a split second before, shattering the tub.
It swung it's head around, confused, looking for it's victim. At the sound of Dawn's voice, low and dangerous, it spun around to face her, surprise evident in its expression.
"You. Interrupted. My. BATH!" She blasted the Tarrl'esh point blank. The force of the blast sent it flying through the wall, falling three stories and landing in a heap in front of a very surprised Buffy and Spike. As it struggled to its feet, Dawn flew through the hole in the wall and landed in front of it, rage pouring off of her. "Nobody. Interrupts. My. BATH!" She lashed out at the demon, landing a flurry of blows, ending it with a powerhouse right that sent it skidding thirty feet into a tree, unconscious.
She walked over and stood over it, trembling as the adrenaline surge faded. She gave it a swift kick. "Jerk." She turned at the sound of her sister clearing her throat. Buffy was blushing, while Spike was trying not to stare. And failing. "What?"
Buffy, still blushing, mumbled something unintelligible and waved a hand at Dawn. Dawn looked down at herself and turned beet red. In her shock and anger, she'd forgotten that she had been in the tub, and was therefore standing in the middle of the courtyard, naked. Dripping, clumps of bath bubbles still clinging to her, being ogled by Spike, naked. "Oh!" She tried to cover up, ducking behind a bush and ignoring the chuckles coming from Buffy and Spike.
Buffy snorted a bit as she tried to stop laughing and nudged Spike. "Um, Spike, why don't you give Dawn your coat?"
"Huh? Oh, right. Sure. Here ya go, Bit." He shrugged off his duster and tossed it to Dawn, carefully averting his eyes, not really wanting a pissed off Slayer, or worse, a pissed off Key-Girl zapping him just for having roving eyes. Dawn muttered a barely audible 'Thanks' as she put on the coat.
Stepping out from behind the tree, she stalked over to the still unconscious demon. "Okay, here's a question for ya, Buffy. How did this mook get past Willow's wards? He attacked me in my bathroom, for cryin' out loud! While I was in the bath!"
Buffy gave a start as what Dawn said sank in and glanced at Spike. He was staring up at the gaping hole in the wall, the realisation already having hit him.
If the enemy could get past all of Willow's wards, then none of them were safe here.
Spike's eyes widened as a thought occured to him. "Where's Willow?"
Buffy shrugged. "Dunno. I think she and Kennedy were gonna try to slip off for some quality time tonight, but she didn't say where they were going. Why?"
"This guy went straight for Super-Bit here. Hotel full of Slayers, Watcher's 'n Immortals, lots of nifty weapons and mystical nick-knacks about, but he went straight for Dawn. Now, who do we know that has enough mojo t' take down Willow's protection spells, and also'd think that Red and Dawnie are probably the biggest threat to whatever it is 'e's up to?"
Worry clouded Buffy's features. "Cerephus. And if he's after Dawn, he's probably after Willow too." Spike nodded, concern evident on his face.
Buffy closed her eyes and sought Willow in the meld. Willow? Willow, can you hear me? You're in trouble, Will, Cerephus just attacked Dawnie and we think he's probably after you too. Will? She opened her eyes and looked at Dawn and Spike. "Nothing! I can't reach her!"
Dawn opened her eyes and shook her head, looking slightly dazed. "Not just Willow, Buffy. I can't reach anybody. We're being blocked."
They could hear the sound of running feet as people came running from inside the hotel to see what had happened. Buffy stared at the Tarrl'esh for a moment, then looked up, her eyes cold. "Let's get this guy inside and find out who he is and where he came from. Then let's go find Willow."
Chapter the Sixth
Within fifteen minutes, search parties set out from the hotel looking for Kennedy and Willow. Vi had recalled Willow mentioning going to a movie, so Buffy, Dawn, Spike and Amanda headed for the nearest theater while other groups spread out through town. Bethany had tried a locator spell, but to no avail.
Buffy had donned a long black trenchcoat, in order to hide her sword, while Dawn had hers hidden beneath Spike's duster, which she still wore. Spike had grabbed a few stakes and knives, and had a zat tucked into the waistband of his jeans under his shirt. At least one person in each search party had one of the Asgard communicators on loan from the SGC. They seemed to be working fine, which was a welcome relief as the Wiccan Mind Meld still seemed to be blocked.
Buffy's communicator chirped in her ear. "Buffy?"
"Go, Giles."
"The Tarrl'esh is still unconscious, but Mr. Gunn has identified it as being a member of the Order of Sarrkahn. Apparently they're assassins, worse even that the Order of Tarraka. I'm sure you remember them."
"Oooh, yeah. Great, we've got professional assassins after us again. My joy knows no bounds."
"Yes. Rather. It seems the Sarrkahn assassins were regularly contracted by Wolfram & Hart. Angel had managed to keep them out of a number of expensive contracts in the last year, so they have, if I understand Charles correctly, sworn to take down Angel and anybody associated with him."
"Swell." The sarcasm positively dripped from Buffy's voice.
"Indeed. At this point, it's just as likely that they're here on their own behalf, or working for the Senior partners. It's entirely possible that they're working for Cerephus, as well. We hope to learn more when Dawn's friend comes to."
"He is soooo not my friend! No good peeping Tom demon pervert..." Dawn trailed off, grumbling.
Giles chuckled. "I'll be sure to let him know how outraged you are, my dear. There are two more search parties leaving as we speak, Buffy. Do keep me informed, won't you?"
"No problem. Hey, Angel, you there?"
Angel's voice came back over the comm. "Yeah, Buffy, I can hear you fine."
"Remind me to kick your ass later."
Spike held his hand up and bounced on his toes. "Ooh! I'll remind you! I'll remind you!"
"Shut up, Spike. Buffy, they haven't been to the restaurant you sent us to, we're gonna head further into town and see if anyone has seen them."
"Okay. Everybody check in regularly, alright? We don't have any idea how many of these guys are out there." She nodded to herself as the affirmatives came back over the comm, then signed off. "Assassins. Swell. Just swell. Dawn, you got that picture of Willow and Kennedy?"
"Yup. Got it right here." She held up a photo. It had been taken before they had left the Temple of D'arrsinog'auphous. Kennedy was perched on a huge marble throne, Willow laying across her lap with her legs sticking out, both of them making funny faces and laughing. Buffy smiled at the memory. It had felt as though the weight of the world had been lifted, if only for a little while. The world had come crashing back down, as the world is wont to do, but for a few wonderful days, all was right and good.
"Why don't you see if the girl at the ticket window recognises them or not." Dawn nodded and trotted over to the bored young girl. Buffy looked around, wondering where else to look if they weren't in the theater. She wasn't really all that familiar with the area, having not spent that much time here. Dawn came back, her expression somewhere between excited and forlorn.
"They were here, but their movie is already over. She said she thought they went off that way." She pointed off to her right, up the street.
"She was sure it was them?"
"Yeah, she was positive. Said they kinda stood out in the crowd." Dawn smiled a lopsided grin and waggled her eyebrows.
Spike snorted. "No doubt 'bout that. Off we go then. Better fill in the rest of 'em, Slayer." Buffy nodded and started speaking quietly into the comm, geting the other groups moving in their general direction.
They'd walked about three blocks when Buffy's spider sense started tingling. She stopped and studied the area around them. Nothing but stores closed for the night, a few pubs, lots of alleys. Spike looked at her sidelong. "Somethin' up, Slayer?"
"Dunno. I felt... something." She turned full circle. The feeling was getting stronger. Suddenly, Willow's voice rang out in her mind. BUFFY! DAWN! SOMEBODY!
Buffy: Willow, where are you, we're trying to find you!
Willow: Oh, thank the Goddess! About six blocks from the theater. I think. We've got a dozen bad guys here, and somehow they're blocking most of my attacks. There's too many of them for us to fight hand to hand!
Buffy: We're on our way! Everybody else get that?
Angel: Got it, Buffy. Coming as fast as we can!
Other affirmative responses came through the staticky meld. Buffy and her team were already running flat out to the aid of their embattled friends. Soon, they could hear the sounds of combat and see the bright flashes as Willow tried different spells to fend off their enemies. Rounding the corner, they paused at the entrance of the alley. Kennedy was faced off against four demons, moving so fast she was a blur, landing blow after blow, but the Sarrkaahn assassins were shrugging off her blows and landing several of their own.
Willow was throwing energy balls at the demons as fast as she could cojure them, but they were having little effect. Spike nudged Buffy.
Spike: How come Red isn't all white 'n glowy?
Willow: Because I can't! Something is blocking me. The only magycks I can access are black magycks, and hey, really don't wanna go there! It took almost everything I had just to get past whatever was blocking the meld. I don't have much left!
Dawn: Well, how's about I just take care of that, huh?
Dawn cut loose with a Demon Duster Blast. All twelve of the assassins were thrown for a loop. Dawn grinned smugly.
Her smug grin faded quickly, however, as the demons quickly regained their feet and threw themselves back into the fight. "Holy crap!" She fired off an even more powerful burst, sending the demons flying again, but succeeding only in stunning them. Willow and Kennedy ran to join their four would-be saviors as the assassins groggily got back to their feet.
Dawn and Willow exchanged glances, then the stunned Key turned back to the demon assassins that now stood facing them. "Who are these guys?"
Buffy drew her katana and gave it a few twirls, loosening up. "I'm more interested in how they're working their mojo. Anybody with the power to withstand the two of you is someone I really don't wanna meet."
Spike cracked his knuckles, then gripped the handle of the zat under his shirt. "Bit late for that, luv. 'Cause there they are. Big as life and twice as fugly." He pulled the zat and fired it three times in one smooth motion. The Tarrl'esh demon he fired at screamed and disintegrated. "Well, good. That works then." He started pulling the trigger as fast as he could, but by then the demons were moving, so he couldn't keep any of them in his sights long enough to get the required three shots in. One shot didn't even slow them down, and two shots just staggered them, but apparently three shots still disrupted their molecular cohesion.
Buffy sent out a warning to the rest of the teams that were on their way, then she swept into the fray, her katana a blur. Dawn and Amanda followed her lead as Spike and Kennedy covered Willow while she tried to find a way around whatever was letting the Sarrkahn assassins defeat both hers and Dawn's powers.
Spike had a sudden inspiration. Hey, Nibblet!
Dawn: What?
Spike: You've seen Star Wars haven't ya?
Dawn: Yeah. What's that got to do with anything?
Spike: Think Jedi, pet. Maybe you can't dust 'em, but you can still throw 'em around!
Dawn thought about it for a second, then grinned. Leave it to Spike... She jumped back, spinning and swinging her katana in a great arc, and let loose with a bolt of pure energy, blasting three demons away from her and sending them crashing into a wall. Amanda managed to behead two of them before having to back away from the third, fighting madly to keep its foot long claws away from her.
Dawn: Not bad, Spikey. Never took you for a sci-fi geek.
Spike: You have met Andrew, haven't you?
Dawn: Oh. Right. Let's give this another try, shall we? Coming your direction this time sis.
She blasted two more, this time sending them skidding in front of Buffy. Buffy neatly decapitated one, continuing the stroke down and through the second. Spike was blasting away with the zat, finally managing to kill another demon. Angel, Duncan, Vi, Jon, Cassie, Anise, Na'reen and Illyria came barreling into the alley just as ten more demons showed up.
A Vykar demon got inside Amanda's defense and slammed her into a brick wall, stunning her. It drew it's sword, preparing to take her head. Illyria held her hands out. The air around them shimmered, and Wesley's Colt .45's appeared in her hands. She blasted away at the Vykar, emptying both clips into it and giving Jon and Anise time to zat it into non-exsistence.
Angel stared at the guns in the Old One's hands. She gazed back at him solemnly. "These weapons served Wesley in good stead. They have once again proven their worth." She willed the pistols away and leaped into the midst of the battle, a satisfied look on her face.
Angel shook his head and smiled a little smile. "Yeah. And I'm sure that the fact they belonged to Wes has nothing to do with it..." He went to cover Amanda as she slowly got back on her feet, his favorite sword moving like a thing alive.
Illyria: Witch, why do you not simply remove the spells that block your powers and protect these beasts from the Power of the Key?
Willow: Well, gosh, now why didn't I think of that?
Illyria: Sarcasm. Was that not sarcasm?
Willow: I won't even dignify that with an answer. I've been trying to get past whatever's blocking me since this started. Whatever it is, I can barely think straight with the static in my head. I've almost exhausted my reserves, and I can only access Black Magycks. I can't access White Magyck at all!
Illyria: Ah. Then it is the spell that I believed it to be. Can you read my thoughts directly, Witch?
Willow: Yes. And my name is Willow, not Witch.
Illyria: Apologies. I am thinking of a spell, Willow. Can you perform it?
Willow concentrated for a moment, then broke out grinning. Yes! That could do it! Guys, cover me for a minute, we might have a way out of this. She sat down and crossed her legs, lotus style, and started chanting.
Around her, the battle raged. More reinforcements arrived, on both sides. Spike had retrieved a dropped sword and he and Angel were fighting back to back, perfectly in synch, trading insults all the while. Amanda and Vi were covering Dawn as she blasted demon after demon. The alley was pure bedlam, assassins and champions locked in a life or death battle. Jon had a zat in each hand, laying down a thick blanket of cover fire, allowing Cassie and Connor to go hand to hand without having to watch their backs.
Illyria could feel the energy growing behind her as she guided Willow through the spell. Soon now... Even her own power was weakened by the powerful magic that protected the assassins. More Slayers arrived, accompanied by Gunn and Bethany, the young wicca adding her strength to Willow's. Gunn didn't hesitate, diving into the fight with his new battle axe.
Suddenly, a white glow lit up the alley as Willow floated up, shining like the morning sun. All present could feel the power released as Willow finally broke down the magycks that had defeated the Champions for the duration of the battle. Willow gasped, refreshed as the power of the world around her reinvigorated her. Thanks, Illyria. Dawnie, GO!
Dawn smiled a nasty little smile and let go. A green tinted shockwave shot out from her, dusting every evil demon inside a twenty block radius. And then it was over. Cheering broke out from the victorious Champions as Dawn slumped down to the ground, exhausted. Buffy and Spike walked over and knelt down beside her. She looked up at them, tired right down to her bones. For all her Power, she was still human, and the heavy energy usage had a tendency to tire her quickly.
"Well, that was fun..."
Chapter the Seventh
Later, back at the hotel...
"I don't think these guys work for Cerephus."
Jon O'Neill stared right back at the incredulous looks that came his way after his offhanded remark. Giles was the first to speak. "Err, why would you say that?"
Jon started ticking off points on his fingers. "One: In Rome, he was able to block the meld completely. Here, Willow was able to power her way past it. Two: In Rome, he was able to block the Asgard tech. Here, the comms worked just fine and I'll bet the transporters would've too. Three: These guys managed to sneak one assassin in past the protective wards. I get the feeling that if the Immortal Snakehead was behind this, there woulda been a lot more than one of 'em. Probably would've sent enough in to take out the whole place. And four, while I could certainly see him coming up with a way to block their powers, I figure he'd have been more successful at it. Plus there weren't any Goa'uld weapons on these guys. Doesn't necessarily mean anything, but he'd definitely loaded his flunkies in Rome up with Goa'uld hardware. And maybe I'm wrong, but it also seems to me that they were trying to push Willow over to the Dark Side. If she was to go all evil, I can't picture her wanting to join forces with Cerephus. More likely she'd kill him and take over the world herself." He looked apologetically at Willow, who just nodded. He was probably right. Sure, he looked eighteen and went by 'Jon', but he was still Jack O'Neill when it came right down to it, and still had all of his experience and instincts.
There was a short silence as the group mulled this over. Buffy finally glanced at Giles. "Man's got a point. The more I think about it, this just didn't feel like Cerephus' style."
Willow pulled a face. "Which means we have more than one bad guy gunning for us. Isn't that just nifty?"
"We already had the Senior Partners after us, which probably means they're after you just by association," Angel said tiredly.
"Can't thank you enough for that, Dead-Boy," Xander groused.
Giles held up a hand to head off Angel's retort. "We've all made enemies over the years. The Sarrkahn Assassins could be working for any of them. We shall endeavour to ascertain who, if anybody, they're working for when our prisoner comes to."
"And why they're trying to bring back Darth Rosenberg," muttered Xander. Giles, the only one in the room to hear him, gave him a small nod.
Willow stood up and started for the door. "Guess I'd better get with Bethany and see if we can amp up the wards. Don't wany any demon-y assassins popping in on me in the bath."
Anise followed her and Kennedy into the hallway. "Perhaps we can find a way to blend Goa'uld or Asgard shields with your protective wards, as Cerephus did. It seemed to be most effective for him."
Willow's excited voice could be heard as it faded down the hallway. "Oooo, yeah! I think that would be totally doable! Hey, didn't Jack say that that Thor guy was supposed to get here before too long? Maybe we can get him to help. And Col. Carter, if she gets back in time..."
Buffy chuckled. "Sounds like Will has a project. She'll be a happy camper for days."
Dawn laughed as she took off Spike's duster. "No kidding. Probably hafta break out the earplugs to protect ourselves from the techno-babble."
Jon cast a worried glance after the departed witch. "She gets going good, does she?"
"She can out-babble anyone I've ever met, especially when it comes to the witchcraft or science stuff," said Dawn.
Jon rolled his eyes. "Great. Her, Carter and Anise'll be inseparable."
Dawn held Spike's duster out to him. "Here ya go, Spike. Thanks for the loan."
Spike looked at the jacket for a long moment, then looked up at Dawn. "Keep it, Nibblet. Looks better on you anyway."
Silence reigned supreme as everybody in the room turned to stare at him. "What? She can use it to hide her sword. 'Sides, it's just not the same as m' old one. Looks like it, sure. Doesn't feel like it though. Thinkin' it's time for me to try somethin' new. M'not the same person I was back then, high time I started acting like it."
Dawn was looking back and forth between the duster and Spike. "You sure?"
"Yup. It's all yours, luv. Wear it with pride."
Dawn's face lit up. "I will." She put the jacket back on, then surprised everyone in the room, including herself, by walking over and kissing Spike square on the mouth. Breaking the kiss, she drew him into a hug and whispered a heartfelt 'Thank you' into his ear, then turned and bounced happily out of the room. "Later all. Gonna go round up some Slayer muscle to help me move my stuff to another room. Mine's all drafty now..."
Buffy was staring daggers at Spike. Spike held his hands up. "Don't look at me, Slayer. Didn't see that one comin' at all!"
Buffy was opening her mouth to tear into him, but stopped short when Angel suddenly grabbed his head with both hands and let out a loud groan. "Gaaahhh, not another one..." He sat down heavily in a nearby chair as the vision overwhelmed him. A minute later, he shook his head and opened his eyes, fear and worry written plainly on his face.
"We need to get to LA. Now. The Senior Partners are sending more of the Sarrkahn assassins after our friends."
To be continued...
Okay, like I said at the beginning of this part, I've screwed up the Stargate timeline royally. But since this is a crossover, and a crossover is basically an AU, I'm just gonna pretend that this is an alternate reality, and that the timeline I've established is what happened in this particular reality. Kinda like how Amanda (the Slayer) was still around to be killed by Glory in my first story, 'What are we gonna do now?'. (Saying it's an AU sounds better than admitting I screwed up, doesn't it?)
Other than that, I really am trying to stay canon.
Well, except for the whole turning Dawn into a Goku style superhero.
And making Buffy a Highlander style Immortal.
And any other liberties I've taken.
Of which there are several. Dozen.
Oh well.
Gotta love those liberties!
I'm having fun, so what the frelling frack!
All Hail the Goddess Willow! Later! ;-)
'To thee no star be dark...'