Chapter 39: The Aftermath

Arcadia Oaks, January 31st, 2017

James Lake Jr hurt. All over. His side, his chest, his legs - both of them, one more than the other. His head. Everything hurt. And he was on his back.

He opened his eyes, and his eyes hurt. He squeezed them shut again. The light was too bright. Wait. Bright light? Sunlight? The trolls! He gasped - ouch! - and tried to sit up - that hurt even more - but he couldn't sit up! He was tied up. Captured! Gunmar!

He looked around, blinking and squinting. Oh. He was… in a hospital. Strapped to a bed. With a drip in his vein and a couple of sensors on his chest. Which was wrapped in bandages. Lots of them. That explained the pain there. He could move his left arm, at least, touching his face. Another bandage on his cheek. Right, the cut there. And one on his forehead? He must have missed that.

His legs were… was that a cast? He hadn't broken his leg!

He looked around again. No one else in the room? Where was the button to call a nurse? There! He pressed it. Then he waited. It took longer than he had expected. Mom wouldn't be pleased with that response time.

But finally, a nurse appeared at the door. "Ah, you're awake," the man said, nodding. "I'll inform your friends."

His friends? "Wait!" Jim called out, but the man had already disappeared again.

What was going on?

"Jim!"

Jim gasped once more and winced. "Claire!"

Claire rushed into the room, then stopped at his bed, panting. "Jim…"

He smiled despite his aching chest. "Claire!" She looked… she wasn't hurt. She was fine. "Did we…?" He glanced at the door.

"We did," she said, nodding several times. "We got everyone out, after…" she sniffled and wiped her eyes.

"Enrique's safe?" Claire wouldn't be smiling, would she, otherwise?

"Yes. We got all the babies out."

He nodded. "No one died?" No one else, he should say.

"None of us," she replied. She sat down on his bed, carefully, and placed her hand on his - on the one strapped to the bed with the drip in the lower arm. "The goblins didn't return. Buffy and Toby finished off most of the trolls. The rest ran."

"Ah." That was good. "And Gunmar…?" He was dead, wasn't he?

"Dead." She bared her teeth in a snarl. "We took his head back with us. It's in Trollmarket now."

"Oh." That felt… weird. Taking a trophy, like a deer hunter? On the other hand, the trolls should see proof that Gunmar was gone. That they were safe now. His eyes widened. "Your family! Mom!"

She smiled. "Toby's gone with Buffy and Willow to tell them. And to get them back."

Ah. Jim smiled. Mom would be back. Blinky would be back. Toby's nana would be back. Claire's parents would be back. His smile slipped. He had let Claire get possessed!

"Jim!" And now Claire was frowning at him. "We won! We killed Glory, Morgana and Gunmar! You won! You killed Glory! You killed Gunmar!"

Right. Jim smiled. He had almost died doing it - he had almost gotten his friends killed - but he had killed Gunmar. Trollmarket was now safe. He could relax. He blinked. "Oh."

"What?" Claire asked.

"Gunmar. He must have allies left here."

"Why?"

"He wanted to impress someone by killing me himself," Jim explained. "Not his soldiers - they were brainwashed into obedience." And he wouldn't think about what that meant for those he had killed. "And not the goblins, I think."

Claire snorted. "No, not the goblins."

"Not the four-armed troll, either," Jim said. That had been an underling.

Claire agreed again.

"So… who did he want to impress?" Jim asked.

Claire bit her lower lip. "I don't know. The remains of the Order of Janus?"

Jim didn't think so. But, speaking o the Order… "Their base!"

"The army took it over," Claire told him. "Sealed the whole place up."

"Ah. And the changelings?"

"With the babies freed, they can't change anymore," Claire told him. "Vendel confirmed it."

"Ah." No more fearing that the spies would send the army after them. Or the police.

"According to the news, several important people are missing," Claire said. "Even in the government. The police are looking for them."

That was… both good news and bad news. "How many changelings escaped?"

"We don't know." Claire looked down. "I tried to remember - I could see what Morgana saw while she was controlling my body - but I can't remember how many were left in the base when she died and we left. Not more than a dozen were left fighting us, but did anyone else flee before?" She bit her lower lip again. "Sorry."

"Claire!" He smiled at her. "It's alright. You did great. You foiled Morgana."

"I should've done more," she insisted.

"No, no, you did great." Jim should have done more.

"Jim." She smiled, sniffling again, and reached out to touch his cheek - his unhurt cheek.

Jim took a deep breath, smiling back at her. It hurt, but it felt good as well. They had won, hadn't they?


Outside Camelot, Britain, January 31st, 2017

"So, can we enter?" Buffy Summers asked, shifting her weight from one leg to the other and back as she stared across the drawbridge. She felt better - the hours on the rollercoaster had helped with Slayer healing. Still not back to healthy, though.

"I think so…" Willow said. Buffy's bestie was still exhausted - or again; they had to walk from the abandoned troll village, after all - but she wasn't about to fall over. Hopefully. "I can't detect any curse or other spell, though since Merlin cast it…" She shrugged with a grimace.

Buffy nodded. "So, the seal's still working."

"We knew that since we couldn't see the castle without the Dust of True Sight," Toby pointed out.

Buffy rolled her eyes. Not worth trying to argue that. Toby was right, after all. Even if he was still carrying the Trollhammer - Buffy's hammer. On the other hand, he had been chosen by the hammer. If the weapon wanted him… Bah! "So, can you lift the seal?"

Willow took a deep breath, then slowly nodded. "I think so."

"If you need more rest…" Buffy trailed off.

"No, no! I can do it," Willow said. "I watched Merlin do it last time."

Sneaky. Buffy nodded. Then again, Merlin probably had been aware of that. Had probably been counting on that - the wizard had struck Buffy as the kind of guy to anticipate his potential death.

Willow took another deep breath and raised her arms. Then she spoke a few words before sagging. "It's done, but it won't last lo…"

Buffy grabbed her in a bridal carry and quickly made her way over the bridge and into Camelot.

"Hello?" she yelled. It was night already here, in Merry Old England, so the people left would likely be asleep already. Some of them, at least.

"We're back!" Toby yelled.

"Buffy."

"Giles." Buffy Summers smiled at her Watcher when he appeared in the closest doorway. Then she narrowed her eyes. Giles didn't look like he had been sleeping - she had woken him up often enough to tell. Had he been so worried about them?

"We beat Morgana!" Toby blurted out. "And Jim beat Gunmar!"

"Great Gorka Morka!" Blinky came up behind Giles. Perhaps they had been talking about books and lost track of time? "Gunmar and Morgana are dead?"

"Yes!" Toby nodded. After biting his lower lip, he added: "But the changelings invaded Trollmarket, and they…"

Blinky slowly nodded. "I understand, Tobias."

"Vendel and Draal made it," Toby added. "But not Merlin."

Both Giles and Blinky gasped.

"Morgana got the drop on us and killed him before I killed her," Buffy explained. She suppressed a grimace - that hadn't been a clean kill, like dusting a vampire. Or slicing a demon's head off. No, she had blinded the witch with her bare hands and then beaten her to death. She had been covered in the witch's blood…

Giles's hand on her shoulder interrupted her not-flashback.

"We saved Claire," Toby said. "And we saved the babies!"

"So I assumed when I could not change into a human any more," Strickler said, stepping through the door as well.

Blinky turned to frown at him. "You said it was more likely that Gunmar started eating babies in response to your betrayal or a general failure of the Order of Janus."

Strickler shrugged, favouring his arm, she noticed. "That was also a possibility. I did not wish to give you false hope."

Yeah, right. Buffy so believed the troll - not!

"Young Atlas fulfilled his destiny, then."

"Killed Gunmar in a duel, yes," Buffy said.

"And he survived the experience."

"He's in the hospital, but he'll be back," Toby said.

"Angor Rot will be pleased, then," the changeling went on. "In any case, we should wake up the others so they can be reassured that they can return to their homes." He raised his eyebrows at them.

"Yes, we're here to fetch you," Buffy told him. "No flying caravan, though - you'll have to take the troll rollercoaster."

"The Gyre," the changeling corrected her. "Not much of a hardship to be reunited with a loved one." He cocked his head. "To satisfy my idle curiosity: How did the Order of Janus fare?"

"We killed most of them," Toby told him with a glare.

"As was to be expected. Otto was never amongst the wisest trolls. Clever, yes, but not wise enough to avoid this." Strickler nodded and turned to walk across the courtyard.

They followed him. "Where's Spike?" Buffy asked.

"He's with Joyce," Giles replied.

With Mom? Buffy narrowed her eyes. She didn't like that.

"She was worried about you and Dawn."

"Of course she was." That didn't explain what Spike was doing there.

They entered the main building, whatever it was called in old castle speak, and Buffy yelled again: "We're back!"

"Nana!" Toby yelled as well.

A moment later, Buffy heard the first doors being opened a floor above them. "Buffy!"

"Toby-pie!"

"Claire!"

"Jim!"

Buffy winced. "Jim and Claire are back in Arcadia Oaks!" she yelled as soon as she saw the first person - Mom! - on the stairs. "They're fine!" She really didn't want to deal with the Nuñez or Dr Lake right now.

"Nana!" Toby dashed forward to hug his grandmother.

"Toby-pie!"

"Buffy!"

"Dawn's safe," Buffy told her a moment before Mom hugged her. "We're both fine."

And Mom started sobbing, shuddering in Buffy's arms. She must have been so worried. Buffy felt her stomach fill with guilt.

She was almost glad when Spike appeared, an unlit cigarette dangling from his lips, and complained: "So, can we get back to civilisation now? Living in a castle gets old real quick, you know? And I used to live in a crypt!"


Arcadia Oaks, February 1st, 2017

"My leg's broken?" James Lake Jr asked.

"Yes." The doctor didn't quite roll his eyes, but he sounded as if he wanted to.

"But… I could walk on it." And fight. And even jump, somewhat.

"It's not broken like you might be imagining," the doctor said. Jim had seen him before at a get-together with Mom, he thought, but couldn't remember the man's name - wait, he wore a name tag! Dr Killigan. "But you have hairline cracks on your bones."

Oh. "How bad is that?" Jim asked.

"It isn't too bad - but it will get worse if you keep putting weight on that leg before it's healed."

So, Jim was stuck with a cast. Damn.

"Though I doubt that you'll be mobile before that, anyway, since you've got three cracked ribs, and that cut in your side…"

Jim winced. If Gunmar had been a bit faster, a bit stronger, if Jim had been a bit slower… "How bad is that?" he didn't look at his side and focused on the doctor's face.

"It's a ragged cut. It'll leave a scar you can impress your girlfriend with, but it should heal up fine. If you let it heal." The doctor stressed the last part.

Claire wouldn't be impressed by a scar, Jim was sure. But as long as there was no curse or something on the wound that would keep it from healing… Well, he had to ask Tara or Willow to look it over; the doctor probably couldn't really detect curses. Jim didn't want to die from a lingering spell now that the battle was finally over.

The doctor talked about his health regime - which was just about 'stay in bed and rest until your body is healed, no junk food'. Jim was familiar with the terms from Mom, so he only listened with half an ear.

It really was over. Glory was dead. Gunmar and Morgana were dead. Jim wasn't going to die fighting those monsters. He was… well, he was still the Trollhunter. Would be the Trollhunter until he died. But that was now quite a bit off. Hunting down violent gnomes wasn't exactly the same as fighting the likes of Gunmar. Sure, there were the survivors of the Order of Janus, but with the babies saved, they couldn't change into human forms anymore. That meant they couldn't send the cops or the Army after Jim and his friends. And Jim could handle trolls. By the dozen, if needed.

Although… Was the Army still in Arcadia Oaks? Jim had forgotten to ask Claire before she had fallen asleep on his bed and had been carried out by a nurse. Apparently, she had stayed up the whole time he had been unconscious, taking care of Enrique and the other babies.

He would have to ask someone else about that - there had been something odd about that Army base.

"...so, do you have any other questions, Mr Lake?"

Oh. Dr Killian had finished. Jim slowly shook his head. "No, thank you."

"Good. Now rest."

Rest? Jim had rested the whole night. And it wasn't really early morning any more either. But he nodded again. Doctors didn't like their patient arguing about that stuff, Jim knew that from Mom's rants.

Mom… Jim wished he had his mobile phone. But it was with his other things - including his amulet. Clair would get both to him, she had promised, but she was probably still asleep.

Not that he would be able to call Mom while she was travelling in the Gyre. The trolls' underground network had no cell phone signal. But he might be able to contact others.

"Yo, Jim!"

"Dawn?" Jim blinked.

"Finally woke up?" Dawn grinned as she stepped into his room. "Before you ask: Claire's still asleep, and no one's going to wake her up."

Jim smiled wryly. "I figured."

"Yeah." Dawn sat down - on the chair, not his bed. "So, I thought I'd keep you company until the others arrive. We finally got enough nurses taking care of the babies - they had to transfer them from L.A. The hospital is basically a giant nursery right now."

That was good. If they had had to take care of hundreds of babies… Oh, God!

Jim snorted. But speaking of the time… He turned his head to look at the clock on the wall. If Buffy had gone back to Camelot yesterday, using the Gyre, shouldn't they be back already?

"They had to walk from Camelot to the troll village," Dawn answered his unspoken question. "But they should arrive any minute."

Right. Jim nodded. "So, what else has been happening in town?"

"Claire told you about Trollmarket?"

"More or less, yes," Jim said. They were recovering. A lot of trolls had been killed, but many more had lived. Draal and Vendel were alright.

"So, the town's evacuation has ended, and people are returning. Most shops are still closed, and the Army is still patrolling, though." Dawn shrugged. "Gonna take a while to get back to normal, I guess."

"What did they say about Glory?"

"That she was the head of a gang and was killed by the Army in Arcadia Oaks. Everything's fine now, citizens," she added with an obviously fake smile.

"Ah." Jim felt… not quite disappointed. He didn't want to be known as Glory's killer, certainly not to everyone in town, but… well, maybe he was a little disappointed. Just a little. "That's good."

"You bet your ass it's good," Dawn said. "We can return to Sunnydale as well, now that Glory's officially dead."

"Ah." Buffy and the others would leave again. Of course they would.

"Don't look too disappointed. We'll stay in touch." Dawn grinned. "Claire should learn to open portals to Sunnydale without collapsing soon enough. If not, I can take the Shadow Staff and do it."

Jim gave her a flat stare. Claire wouldn't let Dawn get the staff outside an emergency, he was sure of it.

She laughed. "Yeah, right. Anyway…"

She was interrupted by the door opening. Jim tensed for a moment. Then he saw who was in the doorway. Mom! One arm in a sling, and looking thinner than he remembered, and she was crying, but…"

"Mom!"

"Jim!"

Jim barely noticed Dawn slipping out as he carefully hugged Mom.

"You're safe," she whispered. "You're safe."

"Yes." It was a silly thing to say, but what else could he say?

She sobbed, and Jim clenched his teeth. He had made her worry so much! He blinked - he was crying himself. "I'm sorry, Mom," he whispered.

"No! You're safe."

She kept crying for a while, Jim trying to hug her without touching her arm, until she finally pulled back and took a handkerchief to wipe her face.

Jim just used his sleeve to wipe his eyes. "Ah, Mom… What happened to your arm?"

She sighed and smiled - weakly - at him. "Glory."

He blinked. Oh. Back when the hell-goddess had held her hostage. "But… why didn't you say anything?" And why hadn't Strickler complained?

"I didn't want you to worry, and it wasn't too bad - bruises mostly. Probably some hairline cracks; I will need to have an x-ray made."

"Mom!" Why would she do this? Claim to be fine, hide her injury!

She snorted and then tilted her head to look at him. "You got your own stubbornness from me, Jim."

Oh. Jim felt himself blush. Although this was different! He was the Trollhunter!

"And it's over now. Well, it'll take a while to heal completely, but it also means I won't have to deal with the hundreds of babies you saved," Mom went on.

"Ah…" Jim grimaced. "Sorry about that."

"Never be sorry about saving lives, Jim."

Well, he could agree with that.


"So, what do we do with Merlin?" Buffy Summers asked, sipping from a soda - the last that had been in the vending machine in the hospital. Someone had to restock the machine, but the nurse at the reception desk had told her everyone was busy dealing with the babies dumped on them. As if that was Buffy's fault! Well, in a way, it was, but should they have left them with the trolls? That wouldn't have gone well, and not just because the trolls were still dealing with the aftermath of the attack on their home.

In any case, they didn't deserve the angry looks from the hospital staff. It wasn't as if anyone was using the lounge right now, with the Army still guarding the building and everyone else being busy feeding kids and changing diapers.

"Well, I believe we should bury him in his home," Giles said. He was drinking tea, of course, even though his expression when he took the first sip had told Buffy all she needed to know about its quality.

"Yes," Willow said. "In his tomb. Only this time, it'll be a real tomb."

"I guess that means going back with the Gyre," Buffy said. They could have taken Merlin's body with them when they went to fetch the others, but hindsight was always 20/20. And transporting a corpse would have been creepy. Would be creepy.

"We will have to find a way to keep his tomb safe from any looters," Giles went on. "The thought of anyone desecrating Merlin's tomb is abhorrent, but if his library and staff were to fall into the wrong hands… Secrecy will only go so far; too many know roughly where we found him."

"Well, we didn't expect him to die," Buffy defended herself. "And he didn't say anything about not telling people - or trolls - either. Hell, he took us to Camelot!"

"Which is another issue we will have to deal with," Giles went on. "As much as it pains me, seeing as it is such a huge part of England's mythology and, as we know now, history, we need to keep it hidden as well. If an ancient castle were to suddenly appear in England, magic itself would be revealed to too many people to be safe."

"Yes, yes," Buffy said, a little flippantly - if only to cover up her own concerns - "Too many people believe in magic, and the kind of demon-things even demons are afraid of waking up."

"Buffy! It's a serious concern!" Willow said.

"I know." Buffy finished her drink, crushed the can one-handed and threw it into the bin across the room without looking. It went in, of course. "So, how long will Merlin's mojo last?"

"We don't know," Giles said. "We need to ascertain that as soon as possible."

Willow nodded. "And that means either we do it, or we tell the Council about it."

Buffy pressed her lips together. Telling the Watchers Council? They might not be as bad as she had thought, but that was a very, very low bar to clear. But if not the Council… "I guess we'll have to move there, then?"

"Some of us, at least until we have a handle on the situation," Giles said.

"And we need to find out about the Heart of Avalon," Willow said. Buffy narrowed her eyes at her, and she blushed. "It's obviously very dangerous, and without Merlin, we need to be able to deal with it - or even destroy it."

"If that is possible," Giles said, finishing his tea. "What Merlin told us about it, scant as it was, makes me think it might be impossible to destroy, or he would have done it himself."

"It's not something we can let fall into the wrong hands," Buffy agreed. "So, who's going, and who's returning to Sunnydale?" she asked, though she was sure she knew the answer already. Jim was a given - they needed him to pass through Merlin's defences.


Arcadia Oaks, February 2nd, 2017

"...and the authorities are still not commenting on where the hundreds of babies who are currently being taken care of by volunteers from all over the state of California as well as Army nurses are coming from. Speculation abounds about so-called 'baby farms', and several adoption organisations are supposedly under investigation…"

James Lake jr shook his head and switched the TV channel.

"...Representative Smith was quoted that 'illegal immigrants regardless of their age fall under the authority of the ICE and should be…"

Jim switched the channel with a curse. He hoped the Army would shut that crazy down.

"...and babies don't just appear out of thin air - someone gave birth to them. Someone transported them to Arcadia Oaks. Someone handed them over to the Army. Who is this someone, and what are their plans? And where did they get those babies? Why hasn't anyone come forth and reported a missing baby yet? And how is this related to the drug cartel war that is being waged in the area? These and more questions remain unanswered as…"

"...Army has refrained from commenting about the operation in Arcadia Oaks. While the residents have been allowed to return to their homes, the Army patrols remain, and…"

"...Sunnydale, then Arcadia Oaks! Which idyllic town will be next? And what is the government doing to prevent this from happening again? We are now asking our correspondent in Washington DC who…"

"...dozens of dead in Sunnydale, followed by a blatant attack on a police station and a hospital in Arcadia Oaks - both supposedly peaceful towns in Central California - raise questions about the Governor's…"

"...and unconfirmed reports claim that just a day ago, several children were admitted at the hospital in Arcadia Oaks with grave injuries, contradicting claims that the threat posed by armed criminals was over. So far, we haven't been allowed to contact any of the families of the victims, and…"

Jim sighed and switched the TV off. What a mess! He leaned back and closed his eyes. With Glory, Morgana and Gunmar dead, things were supposed to go back to normal. Not to… end in this mess. The press was camped outside the clinic. Claire had to use portals to sneak Mom and the others out of the hospital without the press swarming them!

And Jim still wasn't allowed to leave the bed. Even though he felt fine. His side didn't really hurt that much any more - he had suffered worse pain in training with Draal. But the doctors, even Mom, once she had seen his wounds, agreed: He had to stay in bed.

And he had to use a bedpan, which was extra-humiliating. At least Mom had given him his phone and his amulet - she got to walk around, of course.

He checked his messages. Half a dozen messages from Mary.

"Hey, Jim! How R U doing? R U back home already?"

"I talked to Steve. He heard from the Coach that school will be reopening in 1 week."

"Claire told me U R in the hospital! Why didn't U reply?"

"Jim?"

"Jim?"

"R U OK?"

He frowned. They weren't that close, were they? Was Mary just fishing for information? If she saw the news - and she would have - was she trying to find out if Jim was the injured teenager mentioned?

Well, if she had spoken or texted to Claire… He quickly typed a response. I'm OK. Broke my leg in a fall when we got home. Mom sent me to the hospital.

That should do it. His phone pinged a moment later.

U fell down home? OMG! Does Claire know? How badly hurt R U?

Jim groaned. I'm OK. Hairline fracture.

This time it took a little longer. Probably googled 'hairline fracture', Jim thought with a snort.

Poor Jim. When will U b Back?

Well, yeah, poor him. And as long as he couldn't leave, they couldn't head back to Camelot and Merlin's tomb since they needed the Trollhunter to pass through Merlin's defences. Which meant Merlin's body was currently stored in Jim's basement, in magical stasis.

All because Jim was held up by small wounds and stubborn doctors.

He sighed once more and typed: Dunno.

Then he put his phone away. He really needed to get out of bed. People needed him. He had to check on Trollmarket. What would the trolls think if he was in bed while they had to rebuild?

A knock on his door interrupted his thoughts. "Yes?"

Mr and Mrs Nuñez entered, carrying Enrique. Oh. They were smiling, although it looked a little forced.

Jim's own smile didn't look any better, he was sure. "Hello, Mr Nuñez. Mrs Nuñez," he said.

"Hello." Mr Nuñez nodded at him.

"Hello."

A moment passed.

"Enrique?" Jim asked, smiling at the child. Claire's brother didn't react.

"Yes, it's him." Claire's mother took a deep breath. "We wanted to thank you for… for everything. Claire told us what you did."

Oh. Jim's smile slipped a little more. "I just did what I had to."

"No, no - you saved her. And you saved Enrique." Mr Nuñez shook his head.

"Claire saved Enrique," Jim retorted. She had used the portals to get the babies.

"That's not what she says."

"Well, she's wrong!" Jim insisted. "She saved us!"

The two adults exchanged glances, and their smiles seemed to grow more honest.

Jim had no clue why.


Sunnydale, February 4th, 2017

"Seriously, Buffy, I'm fine. Really. I'm just going to the mall." Dawn leaned forward and glared. "Don't follow me!"

Buffy Summers sighed. "But…"

"No! I'm not going to meet my friends with my big sister in tow. I might as well take Mom!"

"I heard that!" Mom called from the kitchen.

"Mom! I didn't mean it like that!" Dawn protested.

"Dawn!" Buffy shook her head. "Glory's minions know about you."

"We don't know that they know."

"We have to assume that they know. And with her dead, they might tell other, powerful demons. Minions are like that." Buffy knew that. "You aren't safe." Dawn might not be fading away after Glory's death like Buffy had feared, but she wasn't safe.

"If they know about me, they know about you. And about the Trollhunters. How many demons would come after me if it meant pissing off the people who killed Glory?" Dawn bared her teeth as if she had made her point.

But they had gone over that before. "Lots. Demons are stupid."

"And how dangerous are stupid demons?"

"Glory was practically braindead," Buffy pointed out.

Dawn pressed her lips together. "So, I have to have a bodyguard all the time now?"

"Only until we find a better solution," Buffy told her. Locking her up in some underground base or exiling her to a warded island - or Camelot - was still an option in Buffy's opinion, even if everyone, even Giles, disagreed.

Dawn huffed. "At least stay out of sight, Miss Bodyguard."

Buffy opened her mouth to protest - she could watch over Dawn much better if she was with her, and why would it be awkward if she was with Dawn, anyway? She was the cool older sister, not their Mom - but reconsidered. "Alright." Let the girl have that victory, at least.

"Good. You know where I am." Dawn turned and left the house.

Oh, that… Buffy quickly grabbed her jacket and hurried after her.

"Keep your distance!"

"Dawn!"

"I mean it!"

Buffy rolled her eyes. She really wished they wouldn't have returned to Sunnydale yet, what with Jim still in the hospital. Arcadia Oaks was safer than Sunnydale, despite the Army patrols and all the press still hanging out there.

But Mom had insisted.

Sighing, she followed Dawn.


"That was delicious, Mom!" Buffy Summers smiled at Mom as she finished dinner.

"Yes," Dawn added, a little belatedly.

"Thank you. Now go and do your homework."

"But Mom!" Dawn whined.

"You were out of school for weeks, Dawn. You need to catch up to your friends."

For a moment, it looked as if Dawn might protest, but Mom gave her a look, and Dawn caved.

Buffy shook her head as her sister trotted up the stairs.

"Buffy. We're all still dealing with the… consequences. Dawn most of us all," Mom told her with a tired smile.

"I know," Buffy replied. But her sister could be a little more considerate. And… She narrowed her eyes at Mom. "And you have a checkup scheduled in the hospital, don't forget it!" Sure, Mom had been released - technically - but all the travelling and stress couldn't be good for her so early after surgery. Better have her checked out thoroughly.

"I know," Mom said in the same tone that Buffy had used.

Buffy looked at her for a moment, then both of them laughed. "I'm going to get some fresh air," Buffy told her.

"A patrol?" Mom sounded a little too casual.

"Just a short one." Buffy didn't add 'I'm fine' even though she was all healed up. Mom still worried about her every time she went out.

And as expected, Mom nodded but busied herself at the sink with the dishes even though they had a dishwasher.

Buffy sighed - silently - as she stepped out on the porch. She was the Slayer, and Sunnydale was on a Hellmouth. She had to patrol, or people would die. More people, anyway - she couldn't catch every vamp before they ate people. Not that she wouldn't try, or… She turned as she felt something nearby.

"Slayer."

Spike. She nodded at the vampire as he stepped out of the shadows near the house and lit a cigarette. "You know, that's really not a fad any more."

"It's not going to kill me," he replied.

"Unless you fall asleep with a lit cigarette and burn." She grinned.

He chuckled. "If I do, I deserve it." He took a drag, then blew the smoke out. "So, what are you going to do about the niblet?"

"Keep her safe, of course," she replied.

"You can't keep guarding her her whole life," he retorted.

"I know. It's just…" She trailed off. They had gone over that before. "Until we find a better solution."

"Should get her the witch's staff. She could escape any demon with it," Spike suggested.

"Leaving aside that the staff belongs to Claire, if Dawn had the staff, she would think nothing of heading to New York for the afternoon. Or to London," Buffy pointed out.

"Good. That would make her unpredictable."

And would ruin Buffy's nerves. "She'll never get the staff."

"Perhaps not that staff." Spike shrugged. "But what about Merlin's?"

The Staff of Avalon. Which currently, Willow was studying. "That's not going to open portals."

Spike made a noncommittal noise. "You still need to sort out that mess."

"I know." And they hadn't talked to the Council yet, either. "We're waiting until Jim's out of the hospital for the trip back."

Spike nodded. "Tough little boy."

"Yeah." And Jim needed to sort out his relationship with the trolls. But Buffy had meddled enough there.

"So, going to hunt?" Spike put out the cigarette.

Buffy bared her teeth in return. It was time to teach the demons in Sunnydale that the good times were over. "First Stop, Willy's."


Glastonbury Tor, February 11th, 2017

Merlin's tomb. Favouring his leg, James Lake Jr looked at the entrance, revealed again, and suppressed a sigh. Now it really would be his tomb, not his workshop. It hadn't even been a month since they had set foot inside for the first time. So much had happened in the weeks following that day. So many people and trolls had died. Merlin had died. If only Jim had done something, anything, differently…

"So… let's go in?" Buffy asked behind him. "It's not as if Merlin's getting heavy, but… we don't want him to thaw, you know, before he's in a grave. Or a coffin."

"Sarcophagus, Buffy," Mr Giles commented.

"Yeah, yeah. Stone coffin thingie."

Jim couldn't help grinning at the sight of Mr Giles's expression in response to that. But they were right - it was still night, but it was better not to linger here. "Yes."

He entered the cave, the others following.

"That's Merlin's tomb?" Dawn asked. "It's a bit of a letdown."

"It gets better once we're inside," Willow told her.

"It's Merlin's workshop and tomb," Toby said. He sounded awed rather than slightly disappointed.

"The real tomb is hidden beyond the cave where the Slayer's Scythe was placed," Mr Giles explained. "And stick together - Merlin himself warned us that it was only Mr Lake's presence that kept his defences from activating."

"I know," Dawn complained. "You've said that a dozen times."

"Well, with you, we need to say it two dozen times."

"Hey!"

"Show some decorum. This is, for all that matters, a funeral," Mr Giles said.

"Indeed," Blinky added.

Surprisingly, the two shut up after this.

Jim led them through the cave, into the hidden tunnel to Merlin's workshop, and further in, until they reached the tomb - the crystal room.

Buffy set the corpse, still in a body bag, down on the stone slab upon which Merlin had slept for centuries. "So… We aren't going to leave him in plastic."

"Just unzip it and take him out," Xander said.

That was… Jim shook his head. It didn't really look dignified, but they had no choice. And it was icky - Claire, standing next to him, grimaced as the Scoobies pulled Merlin's body out of the bag and laid it down on the stone slab.

It did look as if Merlin was just sleeping - no sign of decay. Willow's stasis spell had been working.

No one said anything. Merlin hadn't talked about his religious beliefs, and Jim didn't want to say the wrong kind of prayer. That would have felt… disrespectful. He could imagine Merlin frowning at him, making a sarcastic, cutting remark about assumptions. Or about foolish delusions - the wizard struck Jim as the kind of person who would dissect the bible with cold logic.

So, everyone just stared at the body in silence, hands folded, for about a minute. Then Buffy nodded and took a step back. "All yours, Willow."

Willow nodded as well, swallowed and stepped up to the stone slab, spreading her hands. As a slight glow appeared around her fingers, she started chanting. The light slowly turned green, illuminating the chamber. And the green crystal above her started to glow as well.

As Jim watched, green light began to… form around Merlin's body. In the shape of a coffin. He had been told this would happen, but it was still a wondrous sight as a crystal grew, sealing Merlin's body.

Just like Morgana's had been sealed. After about fifteen minutes, Willow sagged, and the crystal settled on the stone slab.

It was done. Merlin's tomb was now a tomb in fact.

Jim sighed and reached out for Claire's hand. All that was left was to leave and seal up the place again. And place some spells on it so no one would disturb the tomb.

He turned to leave the chamber, feeling both sad and relieved. It was over.

Someone coughed behind him, and he whirled. Then he gasped. As did everyone else.

Merlin was floating above his corpse. "So, I did die. Finally."

"Merlin?" Jim whispered.

"Before you embarrass yourself by asking questions, this is not me; merely a message I left for whoever placed my body in my tomb. Which, given you are still alive, will be the Trollhunter. Probably Mr Lake, unless he did not survive the fight against Morgana either."

"When did he do this?" Claire whispered.

"It must have been when he went to the Heart of Avalon," Willow replied in a hushed voice.

"If it is you, Mr Lake, do not blame yourself for my death. You did what you could. And no, I have not foreseen this - I would have prevented my death if I had knowledge of the future. But my amulet chose you, and it does not make mistakes."

This wasn't the time to bring up the not quite so proud or lucky Trollhunters who had gone before him, Jim thought.

"In any case, if you are hearing this message, I did not survive the fight against Morgana, but, seeing as you are entombing me here, she was defeated and the world saved. Congratulations, I suppose."

Jim wasn't the only one who snorted at the dry tone of Merlin's words.

"But my death leaves a hole. Not an immense hole - I was sleeping for centuries, after all - but a hole nonetheless. And someone has to fill it. Maybe Miss Rosenberg. Or Miss Nuñez, should either or both of you have survived. Maybe Miss Maclay. Or Mr Giles. Perhaps even the younger Miss Summers. I cannot predict who it will be, only that someone has to follow in my footsteps and keep my tomb and Camelot safe. Amongst other things."

The transparent image smiled for the first time. It wasn't a nice smile. "I did not have the time to create an amulet of the wizard to judge my successor. And, seeing as a wizard's duty is often more complex and less clear as a Trollhunter's duty, the odds of it working as well as my other creation were slim to begin. So, instead of having you chosen, you will be proven."

The smile turned into a toothy grin.

"My workshop is protected. As is Camelot. Whoever can retrieve the knowledge stored in either place shall be my successor."

"Oh!" Willow gasped. "He didn't just…"

"Be aware that failure will have consequences most dire. And be aware that the defences I placed around the Heart of Avalon require more than knowledge to pass. They require wisdom beyond mortal ken."

Merlin's image nodded. "Now leave me to my eternal rest."

As the wizard slowly faded away, Jim took a deep breath. This was it.

"Well, that's so him!" Claire spat. "Leaving us with cryptic orders and no help!"

"Yes," Willow agreed.

"But you will do as he says anyway," Buffy said.

"Of course!" Claire nodded.

"You heard him," Willow said. "Someone has to make sure that this tomb - Merlin's knowledge - and Camelot don't fall into the wrong hands.

"I guess destroying both is out of the question?" Xander asked, then cringed under the glares everyone except for Jim, Buffy and Toby levelled at him.

Jim sighed and glanced at Buffy. She looked resigned herself as she smiled at him with a wry expression.

Yeah, Jim knew the feeling. Very well. They had to protect their friends. Perhaps even from themselves, in some cases.

But Jim didn't really mind. They were his friends, after all. And he was the Trollhunter.

He'd protect everyone. Until the very end.