Chapter Nine: From What Power Hast Thou This Powerful Might

Dawn trembled as she watched the door open, swallowing as Ben entered, shutting it behind him. She studied him for a few minutes and her shoulders slumped as she whispered tearfully, "No..."

Ben looked away, saying, "I'm sorry."

"No," she said again as he rocked back on his feet. Ben sighed deeply and said, "Sometimes, Dawn, you need to make hard decisions for the greater good."

"Killing me is a good decision?" Dawn spat, tears spilling down her face. "I don't wanna die, Ben. I don't even know what I'm supposed to do."

He shrugged. "You will.." Ben winced as Dawn began to cry harder, curling into herself as she cowered in the corner. "Please," he begged as he crouched down in front of her, touching her cheek. "Don't make this harder than it already is. I got no choice; it's you or me."

Dawn opened her eyes to glare at him, lips thinning as she said hatefully, "Spike and my sisters are going to kill you. And I'm going to be glad about that." Then, she spit in his face angrily. Ben rose up, wiping at his face dejectedly as he turned and walked out of the small room.

Dawn watched him go before she buried her head into her arms. She rocked back and forth slowly, her mind racing as she let herself be buried in memories of the past few months. She screwed her eyes shut tightly as she thought of Buffy, of Spike, of the Scoobies...

Of Luna.

She smiled as she thought of her older sister; while she adored Buffy and wanted to be like her in many ways, Dawn admired Luna for one simple thing: she accepted herself as she was. Luna was harsh and brash and everything Buffy wasn't but she was also a hero like Buffy...

'I love you,' she thought to her sisters. 'I love you both so much...'

And then, she let the tears fall, not knowing that her eyes glittered green.

--

Spike narrowed his eyes as he entered the apartment where Glory had been hiding. Surveying the room, he lit a cigarette and sighed heavily as he looked around. Taking in the arched doorway, he grimaced as he realized he stood in the room he'd been tortured in and then moved off towards the stairs.

Opening the door, he flared his nostrils and picked up the hospital ID tag with Ben's face on it. Realization dawned as he let out a curse, pocketing the ID and left the room swiftly, duster swirling as he left the apartment.

He got outside and moved swiftly, letting his vamp speed pick up the pace. As soon as he got to the building he needed, he slowed and entered, walking up the stairs and down the hall. Knocking, Spike waited impatiently and grunted as a voice called, "It's always open!"

Stepping into the room, Spike glanced around and the old man sitting at the desk said, "What can I do for you? Want some cocoa?" as he perused his books. Spike rolled his eyes and said, "No. I need information."

"Oh?" the old man said turning to look at him. "Oh, it's you. The girl change her mind?"

Spike scowled at the reminder of Dawn's brief moment of spell-casting to bring back her mother. "Yeah," he said. "Look, there's a Hellgod around named Glory. Need some info on where she'd take her sacrifice."

"You mean, the Key?" Doc chuckled. "Glorificus is big city. You don't want to mess with her."

Spike arched his brows slightly as he said, "I'll take my chances."

"That's a sure way to get yourself killed," the old man said as he turned to look at him curiously. "I hear she's awfully unpleasant. When it comes to hellgods, my best advice is to get out of the way and stay there."

Spike smiled tightly as he fumbled for his cigarettes. "Love too," he said lighting one as he eyed Doc. "Can't." Doc shrugged as he got out of his chair and walked over to a chest of drawers, saying, "Well, I might know a guy who knows a guy in China..."

"How the bloody hell am I supposed to get to China?" Spike demanded narrowing his eyes as he watched the old man suspiciously. "Teleport?"

"I guess," Doc said airily as he turned to look at him. "You know, if you're in that much of a hurry..."

Spike sighed heavily as he pulled out a small axe from his coat. "You're lying," he said calmly. "What's more, I believe you're standing right in front of the very thing I need."

Doc smiled and said, "Well..." before lunging forward, his mouth opening to shoot out a long tongue. Spike dodged swiftly, the axe slicing upwards and through the tongue causing Doc to let out a scream of pain as he swung at the Cockney vamp. Cursing, the bleached blonde managed to cut off the creature's head and watched as it fell into the fireplace, blue blood staining the floor.

Stumbling over to the chest, he picked up the box and muttered, "Whatever this is, it's something worth dying for..." as he walked out of the apartment.

--

Luna stepped down into the foyer as Buffy looked up from the living room. The Seer's face had returned to its normal color and she had changed into tight blue jeans and a long-sleeved brown V-neck with her regular black combat boots. Her hair was pulled into a tight braid and she wore a simple silver cross around her neck that swayed as she walked into the living room, saying, "The others?"

"Giles and Willow are researching," Buffy said wearily. "Tara finished cooking so if you're hungry there's food in the kitchen. Spike went to go see if he could dig up any information on where Glory's doing this ritual..."

"Anya and Xander?"

Buffy shrugged listlessly and Luna nodded, figuring the ex-demon had dragged the Zeppo off for some pre-apocalyptic sex. She sighed and rubbed a hand across her eyes as she said, "Guess we should rally the troops."

"Yeah," Buffy said quietly. "Guess we should."

The two sisters nodded and then, uncomfortable silence fell as they both looked away from one another. Buffy squirmed as Luna studied her nails silent and then, the Slayer spoke up, saying hesitantly, "I know I haven't treated you very well..."

"Buffy-"

"And I'm sorry," she said. "I think about what I've gone through and how I would have felt if I had to do it alone, and I can't. If Giles and the others hadn't come into my life, I would probably be dead. But I'm not because I've got ties to them."

"Quoting Spike?" Luna said amused and the Slayer shrugged, a smile tugging her lips. "He's right sometimes," she said. "But don't tell him I said so." Buffy took a deep breath and continued, saying, "I told you thank you in the RV but I didn't get to finish. Dawn looks up to you because you don't protect from the world. You want to show it to her and I hope you can someday, show it to her. I think it would be great."

"It might a problem," Luna said as she glanced at her. "Because I don't think we'd have nearly as much fun if the oldest of us wasn't along for the ride."

"Oh, now you're going to joke about my age?" Buffy said mock-outraged and the two dissolved into giggles as a tentative bond was formed. Sighing, the Slayer said softly, "Thank you Luna. You have done so much for Dawn and for me. I don't think we would have been able to handle everything with Mom dying and now..."

"Spike said your mom was an amazing woman," Luna said smiling slightly. "I kinda took his cue."

"I think Summers women are all amazing," Buffy said simply. "You included."

The smile that lit up Luna's face made Buffy's breath catch; it transformed her into something entirely different from the silent girl that she normally was. It made her seem younger than her age but Buffy remembered then that Luna was only seventeen...

'She's only a baby,' the Slayer realized with a jolt. 'Just like Dawnie...'

She hadn't really let that thought occur to her; so intent was she on making sure Dawn wasn't in danger with Luna, that she had forgotten that Luna was actually in danger herself. The Seer was always so self-assured that Buffy forgot she was only two years older than Dawn and two years younger than herself...

'I am so horrible...'

"You're not horrible," Luna said amused startling Buffy. "You're human. Well, super human. Meta-human, maybe? What would you classify us as?"

Buffy laughed and said, "You didn't happen to meet Riley did you?"

"Ugh, no talking of the Initiative, please," she retorted with disgust. "I'd hate to think what they would have done if they'd managed to capture Dawn or you or me."

Buffy's eyes widened at that thought. "But we're human," she protested although the words felt false in her mouth. "They wouldn't have..." she trailed off uncertainly at the look on Luna's face as the Seer turned her head away, pained.

"Yes," she said simply. "They would have."

Before Buffy could ask what she meant, the front door opened admitting Spike and Xander. Luna didn't look at the latter of the two merely said to Spike, "Anything?"

The Cockney vampire held up the box he had gotten and said, "Don't know what it is but it's somethin' which is better than nothin', yeah?"

Luna nodded and looked at Xander for a few seconds as Willow came into the room. Finally, she said, "I don't like either of you. And I don't trust you either. You may think you have the best of intentions but I've learned that people with good intentions are just as dangerous as those with bad ones. Stay away from me. Buffy and Dawn can make their own choices when it comes to the two of you..."

She looked at Willow, eyes flickering silver briefly. "But the bridges we might have built were burnt the second you set that spell." She flexed her fingers, revealing silver light as she said, "You try anything like that against my sisters again Willow, not even your Goddess will save you."

Then, she took the box from Spike and went into the dining room to give them to Giles. Xander and Willow both had expressions of shock and fear written on their faces as they turned to Buffy, who had been silent. Finally, Xander said, "And you're not going to defend Willow?"

Buffy let out a snort, rubbing her hands over her face before dropping them into her lap. She looked at Spike and the vampire nodded before leaving the room, unspoken communication floating in the air. Rubbing the palm of her hands on her jean clad thighs, the Slayer said, "You guys have been there for me since the beginning and I can't ever repay you for it."

At the smug look in Willow's eyes and the look of satisfaction in Xander's, Buffy felt her throat tighten. God, what had happened to them? She wondered as she stood up, going over to her weapons chest. When had they become strangers to her?

She opened the lid, pulling out two short swords and her crossbow, saying quietly, "But I shouldn't have too repay you for anything." She turned to look at them. "I'm the Slayer. That's never gonna change. I'm never gonna be normal. I understand that now."

"Buffy," Willow said stepping forward. "That's crap! Just because Luna feels that way-"

"It's not Luna," Buffy interrupted her. "It's me, Wills. This is who I am. I am the Slayer. I will always be the Slayer. And as much as it hurts to say it, you and Xander can't understand what that means. You may be a witch, a powerful witch, but you don't know what it means to control that. You told me once that your power is about emotional control." She shook her head. "You wanted to help and instead, my sister is gone."

"Willow didn't mean for that to happen," Xander said quietly and Buffy laughed, throwing her head back. "She never does, does she Xan?" she asked harshly. "When Oz left, Willow didn't mean for any of that to happen, but it did. When Angel had his soul restored, I still had to kill him, no matter what she meant. The both of you have done more painful things against me that anyone I've ever faced."

"Spike tried to kill you," Xander threw back at her. "I don't even know why we didn't stake him when he first came with the chip."

"This isn't about Spike," Buffy said through clenched teeth. "This is about the two of you wanting me to do what you want. I dated a normal guy and he left. Riley couldn't handle that I'm stronger than him. That I was Chosen. And you guys can't handle it either."

"Do you think that that makes you better than us?" Willow demanded angrily as Tara came into the living room, stopping as she realized what was happening. "Because you were lucky?"

"No," Buffy said as she watched Luna and Spike in the dining room. "I think it makes me better because I don't interfere with your lives." She looked at them. "I could have told you Wills that you weren't gay, that you didn't love Tara but I didn't. Meanwhile, you both told me to forget to Angel. To move on. To find a normal guy." She shook her head. "I didn't want that. I wanted for the two of to understand."

Buffy rubbed a hand across her eyes, saying, "When this is over, I want the two of you to leave me alone. To get on with your lives. Leave Sunnydale if you want, I don't care." She looked at them, hazel eyes sad. "But I can't give away my heart and soul to you guys anymore. There's nothing left to give away."

Then, she left the room, brushing past a stunned Xander and Willow. Tara immediately went after her but paused as she saw Spike follow the Slayer into the kitchen. Sighing, she turned and went the table, pulling up a book to study while Luna got up and left to go to the bathroom.

The Seer paused on the stairs as her vision grew light and then, she smiled secretly as she saw Spike and Buffy in her mind's eye. Marks were prominent on their necks and they glittered golden as she opened her eyes and murmured, "Well, she found her man..." as she continued up the stairs.

--

Spike shielded his last cigarette with his hand, the flame lighting up his features briefly as Buffy sat on the steps. He leaned against the edge of the porch, blowing smoke in the air before speaking up, "We just need a couple of short swords. Crossbow should work for Glinda and the Whelp. Neither of them are much of a fighter..."

"Spike," Buffy said softly, staring out across the sky. "We're not all gonna make it. You know that, right?"

Spike shrugged. "Always knew I'd go down fighting," he said simply as he moved over to sit beside the Slayer. Her lips curved slightly at his comment and she turned to look at him seriously as she said, "I'm counting on you. To protect her."

He looked at her, blue eyes brilliant in the moonlight. "Till the end of the world," he said quietly as he reached out and touched her cheek. "Even if that happens to be tonight."

Tears filled Buffy's eyes and she whispered, "Thank you."

He shrugged. "No thanks needed pet," he said quietly as he snuffed out his cigarette. "Already got it from you with the staying in your house." He pulled his hand away from her face and Buffy surprised him by grabbing it in her own. He blinked curiously as she turned his hand over, palm up, tracing the lines as she said softly, "I'm sorry. For being such a bitch to you without reason. It was rude of me and my mother would have killed me for being rude to her favorite hot chocolate buddy."

"Loved your mum like she was my own," Spike said honestly as he studied her golden head. "She was a lady, through and through."

"Do you think," Buffy said, her voice small like a child's. "She would be proud of me?"

"Oh, pet," Spike said warmly as she lifted her eyes to peer at him. "You and the Bit were her whole world."

The tears she had been holding spilled over and Spike gently wiped them away, saying, "You Summers girls. Something about you that makes you all good seeds. I know I'm a monster but Joyce treated me like a man and that..." he trailed off, dropping his eyes. "That was everything."

Buffy studied him as they sat together in comfortable silence. When had this vampire, she wondered, become such an integral part of her life? When had she woken up in the morning and thought to herself that she had a story to tell Spike? When had he become part of her family?

"Buffy?"

Spike's voice startled her briefly and she blinked, meeting his blue eyes. Curiosity and something akin to hope was written in them and she smiled slightly before saying, "Thank you..." as she leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the mouth.

Surprise and hope flared in Spike's chest as he shut his eyes to enjoy the moment. Buffy murmured as Spike probed her mouth with his tongue, smiling to himself as she let out a dreamy mewl as the kiss intensified. And then, she broke away, cheeks flushed and eyes glittering with quiet laughter as she said, "You know, that is something I haven't forgotten from our engagement."

Spike chuckled as he cupped her cheek. "S'good to know," he said and Buffy hummed in agreement as he kissed her again.

--

Luna winced as she pressed a hand to her temples, the silver light of her eyes causing Tara to look at her with concern. Smiling at the white witch, the Seer turned to Giles and said, "So?" as Buffy and Spike entered the room at the same time as Willow and Xander. The Watcher hesitated but Buffy said firmly, "Giles, we need to know."

"Well," Giles said as he removed his glasses, causing dread to fill the Slayer's stomach. "According to these scrolls it's possible for Glory to be stopped."

"How?" the Seer said, a glint of something in her eyes that made him pause and study her for a moment. Giles hesitated and looked to Buffy, saying, "I'm afraid there's not much margin for error, Buffy."

"Meaning?" the Slayer said and Luna closed her eyes as Giles continued hastily, saying, "Glory plans to open a dimensional portal by way of ritual bloodletting. Once the blood is shed at a certain time and place, the fabric which separates all realities will be ripped apart."

Horror was written on the faces of the others as the Watcher looked back down at the scrolls, adding, "Dimensions will pour into one another with no barriers to stop them. Reality as we know it will be destroyed and chaos will reign on Earth."

"How do we stop it?" Spike asked as Buffy stared at her Watcher blankly. Giles hesitated briefly before saying, "The portal will close once the blood is stopped. And the only way for that to happen is..." He swallowed heavily as he looked up at Buffy, who met his gaze unflinchingly.

"Buffy, the only way," he repeated. "Is to kill Dawn."

"No," she said flatly as she stepped back. "Go through it again."

"Buffy-"

"No," she repeated forcefully. "No, Giles, I will not let this happen. I will not do this! I've sacrificed enough for this stupid planet but I will not kill my sister!"

"Buffy," Giles began. "You don't understand. The key was living energy, it needed to be channeled, poured into a specific place at a specific time. The energy would flow into that spot, the walls between the dimensions break down. It stops, the energy's used up the walls come back up. Glory uses that time to get back into her own dimension, not caring that all manner of hell will be unleashed on Earth in the meantime."

"Why blood?" Xander piped up. "Why Dawn's blood?"

"It's always got to be blood," Luna murmured as she looked at him, a haunted look in her eyes. Xander sneered at her and nodded towards Spike as he said, "We're not discussing dinner."

Spike snorted. "Blood is life, lackbrain. Why do you think vampires eat it? It's what keeps you going. Makes you warm. Makes you hard. Makes you other than dead."

"Of course it's her blood," Luna said her voice soft and eyes glazed, as if she was remembering something. "It's what makes you breathe. What makes you worth it..." She shuddered and Buffy said, desperation written in her voice, "We stop Glory before the ritual. We have a few hours right?"

"If my calculations are right," Giles said but added, "But Buffy..."

"I don't want to hear it," she cut him off.

"I understand that," Giles began but the Slayer spun to face him, saying, "No! No, you don't understand. We are not talking about this!"

"Yes," Giles shouted causing the others to start in surprise. "We bloody well are!"

Silence fell; the others watched the Slayer and Watcher for a few seconds as Giles deflated, saying, "If Glory begins the ritual, if we can't stop her..."

"Say it," Buffy whispered her eyes wide and filled with angry teras. "Say it. We're bloody well talking about this. Tell me to kill my sister."

"She's not your sister," Giles said looking at her and then glancing briefly at Luna. Pain flared in Buffy's eyes and Luna flinched as well as she straightened up, saying harshly, "You Watchers. You stand by and watch Slayers give up their lives, their souls for this world." She shook her head, jaw clenching as she said, "I see you come near Dawn, I won't hesitate to kill you."

Willow and Xander began to protest as Giles blanched but the Seer wasn't finished. She straightened up and said, "Anyone comes near Dawn to do her harm, I will kill them." Her eyes flared brightly as she added darkly, "And I know Buffy won't stop me."

The Scoobies, minus Tara, turned towards the Slayer. She looked back at them and said softly, "I love you all but I'm sorry..." before turning and walking back out of the room. Luna watched Spike go after her and then turned to the others, saying, "Right. We need the Dagon Sphere. And Olaf's hammer?" She frowned, adding, "You people seem to have some interesting adventures on a day to day basis."

As Tara went to get her coat so she could leave for the Magic Box, Giles faced Luna and said, "I imagine you hate me right now."

"I didn't like you to begin with," the Seer replied smartly as she turned and went into the living room. Giles followed, saying, "I love Dawn but I've sworn to protect this sorry world, and sometimes-"

"That means saying and doing what other people can't," Luna finished as she turned to look at him, hand in the weapons chest. "What they shouldn't have too." She smiled briefly and said, "Don't worry, Giles. You won't have to do a damn thing." She pulled out a sword and held it out to him, adding, "It's not your blood the portal needs."

"I beg your pardon?" he said frowning as he took the sword and Luna laughed as she shut the chest, the front shutting behind Tara, Willow, and Xander. "Don't worry," she said walking past him and going up the stairs. "I'll take care of it."

Giles frowned deeply as he looked up after the young woman, his mind racing with questions.

And across town, a Key was prepared.

Next, Chapter Ten: And You Must Live...