Deadworld.
Disclaimer: Bloody hell people, you would have thought by now I do not them.
Disclaimer: take it! Take it! Take it! BUT ASK FIRST!
Author note: Sorry I took so long, but come on girl has coursework to do as well! Also, I have nothing against the Willow/Tara relationship it just felt right to use her to hurt Willow than Oz. Sorry.
Enjoy!
With a blast of white light Gunn and Doyle, appear in the Underworld. The Underworld was busy with souls entering to be placed in hell or heaven with Angels by their side. The Demons were snarling at them but knew not to pick a fight with them as Angels knew not pick a fight them, the rules prevented them to do anything. At some points of the Underworld looked like a beautiful field full of love but at other points of the Underworld looked like fires of tortures. This was meant to suit everyone's taste there but Doyle and Gunn did not have time for this.
Entering the closest bar there, they looked around for anyone that might have connections to Melaina.
"Well, where shall we start?" Doyle said as they walked down the stairs.
"Furies are over there" Gunn said.
"I'll talk to those lasses while you head over to the bar" Doyle said and before Gunn could argue, he was already there.
Shaking his head Gunn walked to the bar, sat down on the vacant stool and waited for the bartender to come over.
"What would you like angel" the bartender asked.
"Information" Gunn said.
"What kind?" he said.
"The whereabouts of the Goddess Melaina" Gunn said.
"Are you asking for a death wish?" the bartender blurted out.
"No, not really. See us wing guys just wanna talk to her" Gunn said.
"Dude, you can't be serious" he said as he hushed his voice "She not the kinda girl you want to hang around with"
"This is business" Gunn said.
The bar tender looked at him for a moment before he contemplated in what he was going to say to him.
"This information won't be cheap" he said "Melaina is a death warning, even if you are the PTB's little dudes and I don't want their army on me because I gave-"
"Just give me the damn info before I shove my fist down your throat, pull out your heart and present it to you" Gunn said impatiently
"Which one?" the bartender said, swallowed in fear.
Gunn did not look amuse instead he pull out a bag and gave him three gems which the bartender took them and put them in his pocket.
"Well?" Gunn asked.
"Go down the River Styx and when it divides take the River of Emotions when that starts to divides go down Sadness. You can't miss the castle" the bartender said "Be careful, I have heard there's been some activity that might interest your kind" and before Gunn could ask, he went off to serve some demon.
Sighing Gunn got up from his stool and walked over to a swooned over Doyle.
"Mmmmmmm angels" the furies sighed as Gunn approached them.
"Doyle, we're going" Gunn said pulling his friend to his feet.
The Furies sighed in sadness at that, they really didn't like the good energy the angels produce to leave. They liked the feel good factor they made around them.
"Don't worry lasses, we'll come and visit ya some time"
With that the Furies gave a couple of kisses to a very Doyle and Gunn in delight before they let go of them. Doyle and Gunn walked off and out of the bar with a couple of demons staring daggers at them, the furies never let any them come near them.
"So where we going?" Doyle asked.
"We're going to pay a visit to Charon, I don't know which river is the River of Sadness on the River of Emotion" Gunn said then asked "What did you find out from the furies?"
"Well, nothing about Melaina but the furies said that the weavers told them that our lit'le slayer has a soul mate out there" Doyle said "And apparently it's not the dead boyfriend"
"What's this gotta do with anything?" Gunn asked, a little confused.
"Gunn, there has never been a slayer who has a soul mate" Doyle said quietly.
"You can't be serious" Gunn said.
"I'm bloody serious about this" Doyle said "I may be into guardianship but soul's are my area of expertise mate"
"Okay, so what's the deal with soul mates and the slayer?" Gunn asked.
"Soul mates are basically the whole splittin' of one soul into two. The half's completes each other like the whole ying and yang approach" Doyle said "Now, if I'm correct about this if the slayer gets her soul mate she'll become stronger"
"But she's already the most strongest slayer in history Doyle, how can she get even stronger if this soul mate is hypothetically human" Gunn as they approached the docks "Wouldn't she be the weakest slayer since the soul's been split or even worse barely have any humanity in her"
"The splits of the soul become whole but needs it's other half to balance itself out" Doyle said "Those two problems are already fixed but ya right, how can she get even stronger?"
"Maybe it's not really about her" Gunn said "The devils killed her boyfriend because they believed he was her soul mate, but why leave her alive?"
"She's wasn't the threat" Doyle said running on his trail of thoughts "The soul mate was the main problem"
"Doyle what happens when soul mates come together?" Gunn asked.
"They either die together at the same time or…" a light bulb went up in Doyle's head "they have children"
"So the First was trying to prevent a child from being born" Gunn said "But that doesn't make any sense. There have been plenty of slayers that had kids and they are perfectly humanly normal. What so threatening about that?"
"But with the soul mate Gunn, we maybe gettin' a super baby here" Doyle pointed.
"I don't think so" Gunn said "Soul mate or no soul mate I very much doubt that the baby would be a super hero if Daddy is human"
They stopped at Gunn's last words swayed in the air and then they looked at each other.
"What about Angelus?" Gunn asked "He and Buffy are getting close, very close"
"You know as well I do, it's not possible for us" Doyle said then they began to walk again "We can't have babies with those who aren't angels"
"I know but they seem-"
"Gunn let me put the matter to rest" Doyle said "If the slayer has a soul mate out there. Why would it be an angel?"
"Miraculous things has happened" Gunn said as they approached Charon, an extremely old man in brown robes and a small boat by his side "I guess we're just going have to go the oracles"
"I was hopin' ya weren't goin' to say that" Doyle groaned before they turned to Charon.
"Francis, Charles. Been a long time since I've seen you two" Charon said "How can I help you boys?"
Time in the underworld was slower than on the earth plane for the Scoobie gang and Angelus. Four days had passed while in the underworld only one hour had gone by so in four days Willow had stayed in Oz's dorm room, never venturing out because she saw Tara dead on the ground. Bleeding the way Adam left her.
"Oz I don't think I should be out here" Willow said.
Which was why Oz had persuaded her to get out of the dorm and get some fresh air. Promising her he would be with her the whole way.
"I'm right here Willow" Oz said, squeezing her hand in reassurance.
"But what if-?"
"No, she won't hurt you" Oz said.
"That's not what I'm afraid of Oz" Willow said.
"You shouldn't be afraid" Oz said "Look around you, it's a beautiful place with you in the middle of it"
For the first time in for days Willow smiled, the only time Oz talked too much was with her and she loved him for that, to be that important to him. Only she whished didn't now, now with Tara looking very angry with her.
"Oz she's here" Willow whispered.
"Close your eyes" Oz immediately said.
"Why listen to him? Weak little Willow has to listen to brave Oz" Tara said coldly "Your nothing but a leech"
"Close your eyes" Oz repeated to Willow and she did, tears began to stream down her face.
"Oh little baby Willow is crying" Tara said, chuckling evilly.
"Oz" Willow whimpered.
"She's not here" Oz said pulling her into a hug.
"I can hear her" Willow whispered.
"Course you can Willow, I've been here watching you, hating you. Why did you leave me?" Tara screamed in angry sobs "I loved you so much and you let that green monster kill me!"
"I didn't" Willow said.
"She's not here" Oz repeated, stroking her back.
"You did! If you picked me over wolfy boy here I would still be alive!" Tara said "And I'm dead because of you! You bitch!"
Willow snapped her eyes and looked at the bloody corpse of Tara.
"Take me home Oz" Willow sobbed "Please"
"Okay" Oz whispered
"Angelus?" Buffy said quietly at the back of lecture room.
"Yes Buffy?" Angelus said.
"Do you know the answer?" Buffy asked.
"Yes" Angelus said.
Buffy waited for a moment for him to say something "Well?"
"You're suppose to be the genius here" Angelus said reminding her the day in class four days ago.
The lecturer had made Buffy his target that day. Taking pity Angelus gave her the correct answers and now whished he hadn't since the teacher now believed Buffy was the brain of the class. Of course this was an open question for anyone and Buffy wanted the extra credit.
"Oh c'mon be nice" Buffy said "That was ages ago"
"Yes, now your going to have to suffer the consequence" Angelus said.
"You're suppose to be my guardian, my protector" Buffy said "Shouldn't you be protecting me from failure?"
"Only in battles" Angelus said.
"Well this is a battle" Buffy said.
"This is a classroom Buffy, there's nothing threatening here" Angelus pointed out.
"Yes there is" Buffy protested.
"What is it then?" Angelus said.
"The teachers pen!" Buffy said "They give out the grades and they turn into an F!"
"Buffy, you're being dramatic" Angelus said.
"No I'm not"
"Yes you are"
"No I'm not"
"Yes you are"
"I'm not"
"You are"
"I'm not"
"You are"
"Ms Summer is something wrong?" the lecturer called out.
"No sir" Buffy said.
"Good, can you turn of your phone" he said assuming it was the problem.
"Yes sir" Buffy said pretending to pull something out her ear and place it into her bag.
"Nice save" Angelus smirked.
"Shut up your going to get me in trouble" Buffy whispered.
"Oh never" Angelus said, never letting his smirk be lifted off his face.
"Thanks Charon" Doyle said to the ferryman as he and Gunn jumped onto the banks of the River of Sadness "Give our love to the misses"
"No problem Francis, My wife was very happy with the recipe you gave her" Charon said "Good luck boys" then went back up the river.
Gunn and Doyle could get out the Underworld with the whole travelling light thing but travelling around the place was a little tricky since they could land into the River of Styx by accident.
"I thought I never get off that boat" Gunn said.
"I know his singing still needs some tuning" Doyle joked.
"I heard that" Charon's voice trailed back to them.
"No matter how old he gets his hearing never fails him" Doyle laughed then got back to business "Right the Castle"
"Right" Gunn said looking a little nervous at it.
It was big, haunty, dead and it remind him way too much of those bad Dracula movie castle. They walked silence as they passed the dead who tried to get there attention but they couldn't do anything. They sold their soul to the goddess for something valuable and they will forever be her slaves.
"Something tells me that's not the welcoming mat" Gunn commented as he looked up at the gates that had nightmarish figures carved into it.
"Halt!" a pair of voices.
"Figures" Doyle muttered as a pair of dead skeleton figures materialised from the gates before them.
"What have you with the Goddess Melaina?" the guards said to each other.
"Dead person doing misery to someone who didn't deserve it" Doyle said bluntly, no point of giving names out "Through nightmares and such"
"Do you have a warrant?" the guards said together.
"Oh bloody hell" Doyle exclaimed.
"Look, do you want the PTB on your ass?" Gunn said.
"No" they both said.
"Then move" Gunn said.
"No, not unless you answer a riddle" the said together "Since you don't have a warrant"
"Fine what is it?" Gunn said.
"At dark they come without being summoned. By light they are lost, without being stolen" The pair said.
Gunn and Doyle looked at each other a moment before they looked back at the grotesque guards and answered simultaneously "The Stars"
The guards looked stunned at them before they disappeared, leaving the gates to open themselves to the Castle of Melaina.
"Right boyo, you first" Doyle said gesturing to what looked to be there doom.
"Are you sure?" Giles asked Oz for the third time over the phone.
"I'm positive, Tara is getting worse" Oz said to Giles looking at Willow the whole time with Xander who was trying to talk to her "I don't want anything to happen to Willow"
"I don't want anything to happen to her either Oz but we have to wait like the others" Giles said.
"They better, I don't think I can stand being this defenceless" Oz said.
"Same here" Giles said "Your just have to comfort her as best as you can"
"Okay" Oz said "See you later"
"Bye" Giles said then hanged up with Oz.
"Anything?" Xander asked.
"Nothing, Giles can't find anything" Oz said.
"Don't worry I know my Willow and she'll get past this" Xander tried to reassure the werewolf.
"Dude, I don't think she can last that long" Oz confessed "She been having more nightmares about her and she even says that Tara's been threatening her"
"Tara wouldn't do that" Xander said.
"I know" Oz said "From what I heard from Willow, Tara was just like her but more shy and quiet. But this Tara isn't nice or quiet"
"Oz are you saying we're dealing with someone completely different" Xander said.
"No, but I'm starting to" Oz said.
"Xand the man has done it again" Xander said proudly.
Spike watched Glorifica packing a few items in her bag.
"I don't see why your leaving for Los Angeles" Spike said "Sunnydale is a nice place for hell and all"
"Sunnydale doesn't have something I need" Glorifica said.
"Which is?" Spike asked.
"Shoes" Glorifica said.
"Well there's a slayer there you can go and skin" Spike said "and make shoes out of her"
"That slayer kinda has a guardian angel watching her" Glorifica said "And I need her blood if plan B doesn't co-operate"
"Well I take on the angel while you stab Goldilocks to death" Spike said.
"The blood has to be fresh and I don't think her friends would like me to chain her in the basement while my vamps go and find my amulet as I skin her" Glorifica said "So I don't want the hassle"
"But our deal" Spike reminded the hellgod.
"Yes honey I know, I will kill her but I want my amulet activated before then" Glorifica said "It kinda goes with my eyes and I just don't feel right without it"
"Your boys haven't returned yet" Spike said "You're going to have to wait a little"
"Oh but baby, they're just getting the next step to my amulet" Glorifica said "See they got to get a key out and it's in a mausoleum and it's going to take them a little while for them. I just want to be ready before the show begins" she zipped her bag up and turned around to face him "Besides I like to shoe shop in Los Angeles"
"What are you going to get there?" Spike growled in annoyance "There's gotta to be another angle to this shoe shopping then you say"
"Clever baby, I'll give you a clue" Glorifica smiled "Something one of a kind, well two of a kind now"
They stumbled around in fevered kisses, in they're embrace their kisses grew; turning the heat up in their bodies. Angelus backed her against a mausoleum. Funny how they keep making out in a cemetery at night when they were suppose to be doing something, something really important. This important stuff Giles and Cordelia kept on saying it was. What was it again?
"We…really should…be…patrolling" Buffy said between kisses; hands exploring familiar territory yet the discovery was always new.
"Yeah we…should" Angelus said, then left a soft kiss on her lips, he was already in trouble he may as well go with the flow.
Breaking the kiss Angelus and Buffy looked around, walking around for extra measure.
"Do you see anything?" Buffy asked.
"No, do you?" Angelus asked.
"Nope" Buffy said then went back into a comfortable kiss, she never felt anything like it.
Buffy felt like she falling into an endless bliss as their lips melted together into a searing moment. He was her comfort and she loved him being around, caring for her. Maybe loving her? She broke the kiss at the thought.
Does he love me? she thought.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"Yeah" Buffy said "Angelus?"
"Yes?" he said.
"I know this is going to ruin the moment but you know after the funeral?" Buffy said.
"Yes"
"Can you stay with me?" Buffy said.
"I will be" Angelus said.
"Forever?" Buffy asked.
"Wouldn't that get boring?" he joked.
"I'm being serious here" Buffy said.
"I don't know Buffy, I kind of broken a lot of rules" Angelus said bowing his head guiltily.
"How many?" Buffy asked.
"For starters I love-" Angelus began but heard a sharp noise "We've got company"
"When have we never?" Buffy said running into the direction of the sound with Angelus behind.
They burst into the mausoleum to see a couple vampire with a couple of shovels and one box.
"Who order stake with a side dish of a butt kicking?" Buffy said as she pulled out her wooden stake.
"Giles, Christmas has come early" Buffy said as she and Angelus, carrying a box, walked into the Magic Box.
"You found something?" Giles asked from the counter.
"A little something called a mystery box" Buffy said as took the box off Angelus and handed it to Giles.
Giles looked down at the Box and see the symbol of the hellgod on the lid "This is-"
"Uh-huh" Buffy said happily "We went into a mausoleum, dusted some vampires butt that had that symbol on their cloths and found this"
"The vampires were trying to steal" Angelus said "This must be important otherwise they wouldn't have tried to"
"Any luck with Willow?" Buffy said.
"No, Oz is still the only one that can come in and out of his room" Giles said "But he managed to convince Willow to let Xander to come in"
"I swear sometimes I wish she wouldn't use magic to hold the door" Buffy said "I tried to barge the door open and she threw me on my ass and told me to 'go away'"
"Gunn and Doyle will be back soon" Angelus said.
"Where's Cordelia and Anya?" Buffy asked.
"They went shopping, said something about hair and nails" Giles said.
"I can only imagine" Buffy said.
"What's inside?" Giles asked, trying to change the subject.
"We haven't looked" Buffy said "After the scenario with the Judge and the Mayor, I think opening mysterious boxes should be labelled with a warning hazard"
"I read the writing on it, the thing inside isn't dangerous unless it is used" Angelus said.
"Though a good point from Buffy" Giles said "Lets hope I don't do a Pandora" he tries to open it but its tight, getting a crowbar from under the counter he carefully placed the end into the gabs and with sharp movement the box was open "Well this is interesting" picking out a strange metallic shape.
"It's a key" Angelus said.
"But what for?" Giles said.
"More stuffy books?" Buffy inquired
"More Stuffy books" Giles agreed.
"Come before me lower ones, I assume you answered the riddle" Melaina said, her beauty glowed and darkened as the light and darkness that surrounded her swirled together in an enticing way.
Chagrined Gunn and Doyle walked up to Melaina; they did not view themselves as lower beings at all considering they were higher beings.
"Angels, why are you here?" Melaina asked.
"Would you know of the witch Willow Roseburg?" Gunn asked.
"Yes" Melaina said.
"Why are you sending Tara into her dreams?" Doyle asked.
"Who's Tara?" Melaina asked.
"Another witch, she was once close with Willow and died" Gunn said.
"Doesn't ring a bell" Melaina said after a moment of peace.
"How do you know Willow then?" Doyle asked.
"A devil called Darla came here" Melaina said "She had wished to go into the land of dreams and nightmare of the Witch"
"What did you say?" Doyle said.
"It's forbidden for an immortal to enter the dreams of the mortals" Melaina said.
"Why would she be interested in the world of dreams and nightmares?" Doyle asked.
"I do not know, she just demanded to go in" Melaina said.
TBC...
Reviews, need them, breath them, can't live without them! So let me live man! Man this took donkeys to write so be nice when writing your review.
I might be editing and adding stuff so let me tell and remind you four days had passed on earth as one day passed in the underworld. During this time Tara has got meaner and meaner to Willow causing the poor red head to go into solitude with only Oz for company. The rest of the Scooby gang try to talk to her only to get an angry voice or teleported away from her.
The relationship between Buffy and Angelus (Angel really just found it really confusing if I call Angel Angel and refer an angel like maybe Gunn, see confusing) grows from awkward to comfortable. Oh and you get bits and pieces of the 'prophecy'! See how nice I am?
REVIEW!