Chapter 52: Chosen Part 1
April 27, 2003 – Sunday
Summers Residence
Faith paced in front of Xander, Willow, Tara, Spike, Giles, Piper, Phoebe, Paige, Buffy and Dawn, and her mind was brimming with plans. "Okay those of us who aren't witches with active powers not to be arming yourselves," she said. "I want to be ready to move when we find him."
Willow was confused. "We don't even know where we're going."
"That's why I figured we'd do a little recon first, see what we can find out," Faith said.
Giles was confused. "But are you certain this is the best course of action? You don't even know what this man has, if he in fact has anything."
"From what Faith has told us," Piper interjected. "It could be another girl. A Potential trying to get here."
"It could be a stapler," Giles rejoined.
Dawn set her jaw and raised her chin, saying, "We're going in, anyway. It don't matter what he has. If he's aligned with the First we need to see what's going on anyways."
Spike looked less than enthusiastic. "Could be that's what he wants you to do. Ol' bait and switch."
Nodding, Willow said, "He lures us away, then kills all the girls."
"That's why we're not leaving all of our eggs in one basket," Buffy said. "Willow, Paige, Dawn, Tara. We want you four here keeping these girls safe if something happens."
Xander shook his head, so not loving this plan. "Unknown man breezes into town, says he has something of either of yours...Faith, this thing's got 'trap' written all over it."
"We know, Xan," Faith remarked. "Hence not leaving all of our eggs in one basket. If it is a trap. We still have someone in the rear."
"We know nothing about this man!" Giles insisted. "We cannot go into battle without preparation. We need time."
Piper snorted. "We go into battle all the time. Do we have to sometimes regroup before we can vanquish the demon sure. If we don't go in and he launches an attack first…"
"Just so you know, G-Man," Faith said as she glared at the man. "Your not going. I have no problem you staying to fight." She paused, and could not help herself from adding, "Help the girls who still need a teacher."
Her barb hit home, and Giles shut his mouth.
Tightly.
Vineyard
Recon a go. Faith and Buffy were following a Bringer, who was darting through the darkness in a brisk and furtive way.
"No eyes," Faith mused, "but look at him go. He got sonar or something?"
"Or something, I guess," Buffy said. "They're pretty good when they attack."
"They say your other senses get better," Faith said, as they both watched the guy.
"Well it did for me, Piper, Phoebe, Paige and Dawn," Buffy told her sister-in-law. "When we lost our senses other things kicked into compensate. For me and Phoebe, we were reading lips by the end. For Piper she was developing some kind of extrasensory perception." She gestured to their robed target. "They just roam free 'round town?"
Faith watched the Bringer. "Well, normally they show up out of nowhere and either stab or get stabbed and then run off." She paused and added, not all that happily, "This guy seems like he wants to be found."
"Lends weight to that whole 'it's a trap' theory," Buffy observed.
"I'm through waiting around for people to attack us," Faith insisted. "I would have rather been with you in San Francisco. It's been boring waiting."
"Do you think your girls would be good in a fight if it came down to it?" Buffy wondered.
"Maybe," Faith said. "Maybe they'll do as good as us."
Buffy shot a glance at Faith, unclear if she was being sarcastic.
"I try to work with 'em," Faith stated. "Some of them seem real eager. Fashion disasters, yeah, but ready to fight…Buffy." She nodded toward the Bringer up ahead.
Old no-eyes was gliding into a clearing, heading toward an old building, stone and vine-covered. Dark wood abounded; there were shadows, and it was quiet.
Abandoned, but not empty.
The Bringer went straight for a heavy wooden door, opened it, and went inside. He started down some stairs . . . and then the Slayers' view was cut off as the door slammed shut.
"What is this place?" Faith asked.
"Look." Buffy gestured. "There's more of them."
Bringers from the north of them, Bringers from the west. they walked out of the woods, maybe four of them, all headed for Door #1.
"Looks like we found the hornet's nest," Faith murmured.
Buffy concurred. "Let's go get the cavalry." She grabbed Faith's arm and they orbed out.
Summers Residence
Battle preparations.
In the living room, everyone who was going and didn't have active witch powers were checking their weapons and putting on protective gear.
"Now, remember," he instructed, using Molly as his demonstration aid, "we're looking for killing blows only, people, so chest and throat if there're vampires. Stomach, chest, and face if it's a Bringer."
Piper rolled her eyes. "We know the drill, Xander."
"But thank you for the reminder anyways," Phoebe added.
Kennedy squared her shoulders and declared, "I don't care if it's Godzilla, I want to get in this thing."
"Not happening this time," Dawn told Kennedy. "You and all the other Potentials are staying put. It's Witches, Slayers, warriors and Spike. With any hope you won't see battle. But if you do its likely going to be at the final one."
Faith and Buffy orbed into the room at that moment. "All right, people," Faith said. "Let's saddle up."
Vineyard
Buffy and Faith led Piper, Phoebe, Xander and Spike toward the target: the strange vine-covered building in the clearing, which was as silent as the grave.
Faith signaled for them to wait. Spike, Xander, Piper and Phoebe froze. They were focused, ready for anything. She turned to Xander and Phoebe. "Set up a perimeter," she told them. "Guard the door. I don't want anything getting in behind us." She looked at Buffy, Spike and Piper. "We will go in first, and check the place out." She then looked back at Xander and Phoebe. "You guys are our safety net. If this thing is a trap, we give the signal and you come in, guns blazing after us."
"What's the signal?" Xander asked.
"I'm thinking lots and lots of yelling," Buffy quipped.
Xander and Phoebe nodded.
"Got it," Xander said.
Buffy glanced at Faith. "Shall we?"
Buffy, Faith, Piper and Spike crept downstairs into the vast main cellar of the building. The cavernous room was filled with wine barrels and large casks. It smelled of must and wine. It was cold.
They were sharp, ready. Moving in formation, they spread out, guarding each other's backs.
"This looks like an old vineyard," Piper admitted looking around.
"That was our guess," Buffy agreed with her daughter, as they all scanned the area for intruders.
"Stay alert," Faith commanded them. "Bringers are here somewhere. We just need to find where they went . . ."
"Shouldn't be too hard," Spike said loudly.
A phalanx of Bringers stepped forward into the light from the dark archways around the room. They were armed—knives, staffs—and they had the group surrounded.
Buffy, Faith, Piper and Spike went back to back as the Bringers pressed forward . . . closing in on them.
"Let them come to us," Faith said.
And they did.
The Bringers attacked, bringing chaos and destruction with them.
Piper and Faith were using their powers exploding and freezing Bringers. Buffy and Spike on the other hand traded rapid-fire blows with their Bringers.
They all fought, but the Bringers were skilled, too. One swept Piper's legs, and she hit the ground hard. He leapt at her just as she flicked her wrist blowing him up.
Buffy and Spike finished off their opponents with kicks and punches, working in concert; then moved to help with the others. Faith froze her attacker as she blasted him with streams of ice.
The coppery scent of blood filled the room; screams and grunts bounced off the walls and the casks, silent sentries to the mayhem swarming and swirling all around them.
They began to knock the Bringers back.
Buffy stepped up onto one of the barrels and leaped off, jump kicking a Bringer in the face, sending him flying. He hit the ground, struggled to right himself . . . and started backing away.
His brothers joined him, slinking back into the shadows like so much vermin, eager to be gone, to be safe, to regroup.
Buffy, Piper, Spike and Faith breathed hard, looking each other over as they regrouped and advanced forward.
From the darkness just ahead of them, they heard the soft clicking of boots on concrete.
Young man in a clerical collar . . . had to be Caleb. He was smiling evilly. "Well now," he began easily, "you girls are just burning with righteousness, aren't you? Problem is, you think you're blazing like suns, when really you're matchsticks in the face of darkness."
He walked toward them, as calm as he could be.
"You having fun? Hope my boys haven't worn you out too much. Need you fit for when I . . . purify you."
"Save the sermon, padre," Buffy snapped. "I heard you had something of ours."
He smiled brilliantly, holding his hands up, gesturing to the Potentials. "Well, I do now," he said, obviously amused. "You liked my little message, did you? You know, I ruined a perfectly good knife on that girl. Got her soiled blood all over the place. I may need a new truck."
"So you're the Slayers," he said, approaching Buffy and Faith stealthily, his entire demeanor screaming that he was not one bit afraid of them.
"The Slayer. The strongest and fastest and most aflame with that most precious invention of all mankind the notion of goodness. The Slayer must indeed be powerful."
"You have no idea," Piper chuckled.
Without warning, he rocketed his fist at Buffy who flicked her wrist freezing him. "Your right, Piper, he had no idea." She kicked him sending him sailing over the wine barrels across the room. He slammed into the back wall and hit the ground like a body thrown off the Empire State Building.
Caleb stood and smirked. "So," he drawled unfazed, "what else you got?"
He began to laugh.
Spike morphed into vampface. With a roar he attacked, launching himself at Caleb. Caleb met his attack head-on, blocking Spike's attack with glee. His movements were effortless, as if he were playing fair with lesser creatures.
He headbutted Spike and knocked the vampire back. Spike was dazed.
Then Caleb stepped forward and punched Spike in the midsection, launching him straight back across the room. Spike's body crashed through one of the wine barrels, sending a deluge of red wine gushing like a crimson flood of blood.
Spike lay motionless in the wash.
"You know what," Faith said shaking her head. "Piper, in tandem."
Piper nodded in understanding as she flicked her wrist freezing Caleb.
Faith smirked as a ice sword formed in her hand and she ran Caleb through just as he unfroze. "Sorry to say," she told him as he dropped to the floor unmoving. "Your not five by five."
With Caleb's death the Bringers charged back out of the darkness, attacking the four of them. They made short work of the Bringers.
A Bringer leapt at Piper. Just as she was about to use her power on him—
—FWACK!
—An arrow sliced straight through the Bringer's wrist, jerking him backward.
The cavalry had arrived; Xander, armed with a bow-and-arrow, charged through the doorway. Phoebe dashed in behind him. Between the three ranged fighters and the three melee fighters they were able to fight the Bringers back. The Bringers never stood a chance when faced with two witches that could work in tandem with each other, one freezing and the other exploding the frozen Bringers.
"Start searching guys," Faith said once they had finally one. She let out a sigh as she looked at Buffy. "I just wish the Ubervamps were that easy.
Phoebe was the one to find a small copper trap door in the floor. "Faith…Mom…Piper," she called out.
Faith, Buffy, Piper, Xander and Spike came running and saw what she had found. "Good work, Phoebe," Buffy said as she smiled at her middle daughter. She turned and looked at Faith. "Let's see what Caleb is hiding."
Summers House
Dawn, Paige, Willow and Tara were in the midst of fighting Bringers who had reached the house. They were outnumbered and were sure that the Bringers had a plan. Dawn stabbed a Bringer in the back; as she pushed the corpse out of her way, she freed Willow just in the nick.
Tara shot a Bringer with a crossbow as he charged her. "What are they doing?" she called out to Paige who was next to her.
"I'm not sure," Paige answered.
They fought. They fought some more. They fought the most and then . . . all the Bringers were dead.
Paige let out a sigh. "I never thought I would be fighting mortals."
"Technically speaking," Dawn told Paige. "They aren't. Since they work for the First their just like any other evil we fight. Besides if we didn't do this the girls in the…"
"I know, Aunt Dawn," Paige told her aunt.
"The question now is what were they doing?" Willow said. "Look around the house. Let's make sure they didn't leave us any presents."
Vineyard
Faith was the first one down the ladder followed by Buffy and then the others. They looked around at the walls of rough stone, registered that they were in a hidden secret chamber. Then Faith realized with a start that they had found what Caleb had been hiding from them.
"Is that," Piper whispered in awe at a scythe, buried to its hilt in stone. It was round and circular like the moon . . . like the shape of a pregnant woman.
"I believe so," Faith said as she and Buffy looked at each other and then back at the scythe, the ultimate symbol of woman, and womanhood. They instantly realized that was of the power only a woman could wield. The Power . . . of the Slayer.
"Who should do the honors?" Buffy wondered as she noticed that the stone in which the scythe was encased had been chipped and blackened; but it was clear that Caleb and the other minions of The First had been unable to pry it loose.
"You were the first," Faith said looking at her sister Slayer. "It's only fitting you be the first to try and pull it out."
Buffy walked forward, reaching out a hand . . .
. . . just as Caleb appeared to the side. They all looked in his direction knowing that he was supposed to be dead. They were sure they were seeing The First. "So? You found it," he said. "Because the question now, girly girl, is: can you pry that out of solid rock before . . ."
Buffy gripped the scythe's handle and, as easily as pulling a knife from butter, pulled it from the rock. The scythe felt good in her hand; it felt right.
"What does it feel like, B?" Faith questioned.
"You tell me," Buffy said tossing the scythe to Faith.
"Wow," Faith said. "It feels like its mine. Which means…"
"It's a Slayer's weapon," Buffy finished.
The First smirked. "You two don't even know what you've got there."
"We know you're backing away," Piper drawled.
"It won't matter," the First chuckled. "You don't have a lot of time. Your family and your friends are in trouble." They all looked at the First stonily. "Paige and Dawn go boom."
Faith rushed to Piper, Buffy, Xander, Spike and Phoebe and orbed out with them.
Summers Residence
Paige, Dawn, Willow and Tara gazed where Willow's flashlight beam shone.
There was a metal box on the ground.
Dawn waved her hand at the lock and it fell away. She threw back the lid.
A bomb!
It lay inside, the timer counting down:
6 . . .
5 . . .
Paige grabbed the box and orbed out.
Somewhere in the Sahara Desert
Paige orbed in and dropped the box on the ground as the timer continued to count down.
4 . . .
3 . . .
2 . . .
Paige orbed out moments before the bomb exploded.
Summers Residence
Paige orbed in at the same time Faith orbed in with Buffy, Piper, Xander, Phoebe and Spike. "Are you guys okay?" Buffy asked looking at Paige, Dawn, Willow and Tara.
"The First sent the Bringers with a bomb," Dawn answered. "Paige orbed it somewhere."
"Middle of the Sahara desert," Paige added. "Nowhere around anyone."
"Good," Faith said. "And we got what Caleb was hiding from us."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Buffy, Piper, Phoebe, Paige, Dawn, Faith, Tara, Willow and Giles met in Willow's room.
"I think it's...maybe some kind of scythe?" Buffy said as Piper, Phoebe, Paige, Dawn, Willow and Giles examined it.
"What we know is that it made the First back off," Faith added.
"So it's true. Scythe matters," Willow quipped.
Giles tried very hard to ignore that, and continued examining the weapon. "It's really quite ingenious," he said.
"Kills strong bodies three way," Buffy agreed.
"And you both say you sense something when you hold it?" Tara asked.
"Not much," Faith replied, gazing first at it, and then at the Willow and Tara.
"Just...it's strong. And it felt like I belonged to me," Buffy told them.
"I felt the same," Faith added.
Giles considered that. "So in addition to being ancient, it's clearly mystical."
"Yeah," Buffy said with a tinge of irony. "We figured that when I King-Arthur'ed it out of that stone."
"Sounds like maybe some kind of Slayer weapon?" Piper suggested.
That clearly struck Giles as odd; he frowned and said, "It's hard to imagine something like that could exist without my having heard of it."
"Yeah, well, the good guys aren't traditionally known for their communication skills." Faith made of avoiding eye contact with Giles, and he sucked it up.
They moved on.
"Right," he said. "Is there any chance it's something besides a tool to kill things?"
"The First's guys were clearly trying to get it out of that stone," Phoebe said.
"It's not just some tool. It's important," Buffy added. "Find out whatever you can: who made it, why. And when."
"Does it have a name?" Dawn quipped. "And, I dunno, a credit report?"
Buffy looked at her sister and chuckled. "My sense of humor had to rub off didn't it," she said as Dawn smiled. She looked back at the others. "Find out fast."
"I have to agree on that," Faith agreed.
"We'll start immediately," Giles promised.
"I can say the same," Piper said as she looked at Paige. "Paige, go back to the Manor and check the Books. I find it hard to believe there won't be a mention somewhere."
"Gotcha," Paige said as she orbed out.
"Don't worry, mom…Faith," Phoebe said, smiling gently. "We'll find out everything there is to know."
Buffy looked at the strange scythe, and her heart pounded in her chest as she felt, again, the odd connection between herself and it. "Because right now, this thing's all we've got going for us."
"Well not all," Piper corrected. "After all you have the Charmed Ones, mom."
"Uhm, Piper, Phoebe, before you two start on that. Can I have a word with you in private?" Faith questioned.
"Of course," Piper and Phoebe agreed as they followed Faith out o the room.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"What is it, Faith?" Piper asked as Faith paced in front of her and Phoebe.
"Dawn told me yesterday everything," Faith said as she stopped and looked at the two women. "Technically speaking she is still your aunt since you see B as your mom. But you also see Dawn as Prue, your big sister. To tell the truth I am just wondering how you see me now."
"What do you think Piper," Phoebe said with a glance at her sister. "We see Faith as our sister-in-law, right?"
"Right," Piper agreed. "You are right technically you and Prue are still our aunts because Prue is mom's biological sister. But we see Prue as our sister. Which means we see you the same way as our sister-in-law. Unless you want us to still see you as our aunt. Really the decision is up to you."
"I think it's a case of it should be mutual," Faith admitted.
"Then as long as you see us that way, we will see you the same," Phoebe said as she smiled at Faith.
"Then I'm your sister-in-law," Faith said with a chuckle. "Boy our family is complicated. I'm your cousin. I'm also your aunt because of my marriage to Dawn who is technically your aunt as well since she is Buffy's sister. And I am also your sister-in-law because you guys see Dawn as your sister."
Piper and Phoebe chuckled. "Your right," Piper agreed. "Our family is indeed complicated. But you know what, Faith? I wouldn't have any other way."
"Neither would I," Phoebe agreed.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Piper and Phoebe had returned and they, Tara, Willow and Giles worked in Willow and Tara's room, Giles, Tara and Piper reading the moldy bound books, Willow and Phoebe on the laptop.
The scythe was like a sixth person in the room, a silent sentinel with its secrets locked away . . . and the power in it thrumming eagerly, to be used by the Slayer.
Then Willow and Phoebe found something. "Okay," Willow said, looking at the screen, "before the vineyard was just you know, a vineyard? It was a monastery."
Phoebe glanced over at the scythe. "It could have been put there. Given what the monks did to Prue it's not much of a stretch of another set of monks messing with powers they don't understand."
Giles frowned thoughtfully and shook his head. "No. It's far older. Pre-Christian."
"Well, we found a reference to stories the monks used to tell about something older . . . like, maybe some kind of pagan temple," Willow informed them.
That intrigued Giles. "Native American?"
"No." Phoebe thought a moment, glanced again at the screen, then at him, Tara and Piper. "Maybe we're coming at this the wrong way. Maybe we need to research the weapon itself."
Willow gestured. "I mean, look . . . maybe it's the Axe of Dekeron . . ." She read off the monitor ". . . said to have been forged in Hell itself. Lost since the Children's Crusade, where it killed a lot of . . . children."
Phoebe glanced at Piper. "I hope that's not it."
"So do I," Piper agreed.
Tara gestured with her book. "I've found references to the Sword of Moskva, and the Reaper of the Tigris."
Giles was frustrated. "I don't see how we're going to narrow this down. There's never a clear enough illustration." He slammed his tome shut. "Damn. We're running out of time and we've nothing useful."
Willow got up and crossed to the scythe, warily lifting it up. She examined it. "It doesn't have any markings," she said. "Would it be so hard to include a little sticker? 'Hello, my name is the Blank of Blankthuselah, consult operating instructions before wielding."
Piper and Phoebe chuckled till they saw Willow close her eyes, moving into a meditative state, searching for the scythe's vibratory plane.
"Willow?" Piper asked. "Do you feel the power mom and Faith talked about?"
Willow opened her eyes. "Yeah," she said. "But I can also tell whatever this power is, it's a Slayer thing." She put the scythe down and went back to the computer and joined Phoebe in studying the screen again.
"Piper," Phoebe said as she looked at one of the entries on the screen. "Where is Prue?"
"Why?" Piper asked looking at her sister.
"Is that supposed to be foreign language?" Phoebe answered motion toward the screen. "A weapon simply called m with a question mark. What the heck is that?"
"Prue!" Piper started as she was interrupted by Giles.
"Wait, let me see." Giles leaned over the keyboard. "That's not a question mark. That's the International Phonetic Alphabet sign for a glottal stop. It's a sort of gulpy noise." He nodded to himself. "I'm remembering something here . . . hieroglyphs. Hieroglyphs stand for sets of consonants, as you know."
"Yes?" Dawn said as she came into the room. "What is it?"
"They may have found something," Giles answered for Piper and Phoebe. He motioned toward the screen as Dawn moved beside him. "The consonants m plus glottal stop are represented by a little picture commonly thought to represent a sickle or scythe. It appears in thousands of carvings, in Egypt and throughout the ancient world."
"Carvings?" Tara echoed, looking at him. She could feel the tumblers beginning to line up, the sense to become . . . sensible. "Like you'd have on a pagan temple?"
"Let go back, see what else we can find out about that temples," Giles said, as he picked up the scythe. "A scythe is a symbol of death," he mused. "Find out where these pagans buried their dead."
Restfield Cemetery
Buffy and Faith walked through the clean, well-kept graveyard, past the many headstones. They looked around, and finally spotted a tomb, Egyptian-looking in design. Buffy tried to find a way to open the door, then finally gave up and looked at Faith who orbed them inside.
They looked around cautiously, amazed at the thick layers of dust coating the walls.
"I'd forgotten," a voice echoed in the dark.
Faith and Buffy whirled around, the scythe at the ready in Buffy's hand.
An old woman sat on a throne of dust, her clothes so old and faded they appeared to be made of dust as well. Her face was sepia, her eyes . . . ancient.
"I'd forgotten how young you would be," she said. "It comes from the waiting. The mind plays tricks."
Buffy and Faith walked toward her, and the woman gestured to the scythe. "I see you found our weapon."
"Who are you?" Faith asked cautiously, half-expecting her to turn into The First.
"One of many." The woman closed her eyes, opened them, looked far off through time, so much, so very much, but distant memory. "Well, time was. Now I'm alone in the world." She ticked her gaze toward Buffy and Faith. "I'd gamble you two know what that's like."
She stood, approached the Slayers, who stiffened and went on the defensive.
"Don't worry," the woman said. "You hit me, I'd just about crack in half. But then . . ." She scrutinized the scythe, keeping a respectful distance. "You two have been doing some killing lately. And you're going to do a lot more. Not a wonder you both are so anxious."
"So, who are you?" Buffy demanded impatiently. "Some kind of ghost?"
"Nope." The woman smiled faintly. "I'm as real as you two are. Just . . . well, put it this way. I look good for my age." She said again, "I've been waiting."
She held out her hand, and waited. Buffy felt compelled to hand her the scythe. The woman hefted it appreciatively, and examined it.
"Which of you pulled it out of the rock?" she asked as Buffy raised her hand. "I was one of those who put it there, and don't think that was easy." She smiled more fully.
"What is it?" Faith pushed.
"Weapon," the woman replied, as is if it should be obvious. "A scythe. We forged it in secrecy, for one like you who . . ." She stopped and smiled at Buffy and Faith, still holding the scythe. She looked like a Tarot card, wonderful and old and mystical. "I'm sorry," she said. "What are your names?"
"Buffy."
"Faith."
The woman insisted, "No, really."
Buffy and Faith shrugged.
"Buffy…Faith." The woman tested their names out on her tongue. Then she proceeded. "We kept it hidden from the Shadow Men, who—"
"Who?" Buffy asked.
"They became the Watchers, and the Watchers watched the Slayers." She raised her brows and said proudly, "But we were watching them."
"Oh!" Buffy blurted, surprised. "So you're like . . . what are you?"
"Guardians," the woman said. "Women who want to help and protect you. This . . ." She gestured to the scythe ". . . was forged, centuries ago, by us. Halfway around the world."
Buffy glanced at Faith and then back at the woman. "Hence, the Luxor casino theme."
"Forged there, it was put to use right here," the woman continued. "Only once, to kill the last pure demon that walked upon the earth. The rest were already driven under. And then there were men here, and then there were monks. And the first men died and were sent away, and then there was a town." She looked at Buffy and Faith. "And now there are the two of you. And the scythe remained hidden."
Buffy and Faith took that in as best they could, although they were really only interested in the bottom line: "Does this mean we can win?"
The woman shrugged. "That's really up to the two of you. This . . ." she reached out, running a finger along the flat side of the scythe. ". . . is a powerful weapon."
"Yes," Buffy and Faith agreed said.
"But you both already have weapons…powers," the woman continued.
"So you know we're also witches?" Faith question.
"I do, Eris Darkholme," the woman said. "I know, not a name you wish to remember. But you come from a proud line." She looked at Buffy. "As do you, Patty Halliwell." She looked back at the scythe. "Use this wisely," she said, "and perhaps you both can beat back the rising dark. One way or the other, it can only mean an end is truly near."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
As Buffy and Faith exited the tomb they found Angel leaning against the wall on the outside. "Angel, what are you doing here?" Buffy asked in clear surprise.
"I heard what was going down," Angel replied as he retrieved an accordion file from near his feet. "I got coverage on the whole thing. Very gripping, needs a first act."
Faith shook her head. "You have to leave L.A."
He looked up from the file and looking at Buffy he said, "It's The First. Right? The First Evil. The power that tried to convince me to kill myself."
"Yeah." Buffy nodded. "It's gotten a little more ambitious since then. It's raising an army."
Angel considered. "Well, it failed once, and I'm here to tell you that—" He yanked out some papers and handed them to Buffy.
The Slayers looked them over, nodding to him as Faith said, "We'll have our family…" Angel looked at her quizzically. "I'm married," she smiled as she held up her hand that sported her wedding ring. "B here is my sister-in-law. I married her sister. We even have a daughter."
"I'm happy for you, Faith," Angel said as he smiled at the brunette Slayer.
"The rest of our family is the Charmed Ones," Buffy added. "My daughters from my previous life."
"Ah," Angel said, though truth be told he didn't understand but he wasn't about to admit that.
"Anyways we'll have them run through this, see if there's anything new," Faith concluded. "Reliable source?"
"Not remotely," Angel assured them.
Buffy took a breath. "Well, any port in an apocalypse."
"I brought you something else as well." He pulled out a tremendously gaudy amulet and held it out to Buffy and Faith, whose eyes widened at the sheer tackiness of it.
"I can already tell you, neither Faith or I have anything that goes with this," Buffy said to Angel as Faith chuckled.
"It's not for either of you," Angel told them.
They Slayers were surprised. As they looked at Angel, they said, "Explain."
Angel shook his head. "I don't know everything. It's very powerful and probably very dangerous. Has a purifying power . . . or a cleansing power . . ." He glanced at it ". . . or possibly scrubbing bubbles. The translation is . . . anyway, it bestows strength, worn by the right person."
Buffy pondered that. "And the right person is . . . ?"
"Someone ensouled. But stronger than human. A champion." A beat. "As in me."
Faith gestured to herself and Buffy. "Or any of our family. What's stronger than a mortal than two Slayers or the Charmed Ones?"
"No," he said firmly. "I don't know nearly enough about this to risk either of you or your family wearing it. Besides . . ." He grinned faintly. "You two have already got that cool axething."
Buffy and Faith gave the scythe a glance then Buffy and said, "So you're going to be with us in this."
"Shoulder to shoulder," Angel told them. "I'm yours."
Faith and Buffy looked at Angel warmly and said, "No."
Angel frowned. "No, what?"
"No, you're not going to be in this fight," Buffy said. She and Faith turned to go; he followed, displeased.
He stopped them near the entrance and said, "Why the hell not?"
"Because we can't risk you," Faith told him calmly. "You see if we and our family. We need a second front."
"Faith's right," Buffy agreed. "If we and our family lose . . . if this gets past Sunnydale, then it's days—or hours—before the rest of the world goes. we need a second front, and we need you to run it."
"If I'm here we have a better shot at capping this thing," he insisted. He gestured to the papers in Buffy's hands. "I've read the files—"
"We've lived the files," Faith interjected, "and if we can't win this . . ." She gazed at him, her eyes clear, her voice steady. "It's our fight, Angel. It might be our last. But it's ours. Right, Buffy?"
"Right, Faith," Buffy agreed.
He looked at them for along moment. "Okay," he said, "that's one reason. What's the other?"
"There is no other," Buffy replied.
"Is it Spike?"
Buffy and Faith looked at each other. "No," they said.
"Angel, no," Faith added. "It's not Spike. For me, it's Joyce, my daughter. For Buffy, it's Sam, her fiancé. For my sister-in-law, Piper, it's for her children. We need you as the second front for them."
Angel nodded in understanding. They were telling him they wanted him to protect their family. He handed them the amulet. "If a second front is needed. I will make sure they're protected." He walked backward into the dark, smiling at them.
He disappeared into the shadows, and they watched him go.
"Did we do the right thing?" Faith asked after he had gone.
"I think so," Buffy said.
Summers Residence
Buffy and Faith walked through the front door and found Dawn standing there holding Joyce in her arms.
Faith walked over to her wife and daughter and kissed first Dawn and then Joyce on their foreheads.
"I had Sam orb her to me," Dawn said. "I figured you and I could spend the night at the Manor with her. Before…"
"I would like that," Faith said as she glanced at Piper. "You coming?"
"Let's find out what you found out first, Faith, then yes," Piper answered.
Buffy waggled the scythe and said, "Faith and I found out some history on this puppy. We'll fill you in. And we got some files, might be helpful." She handed them to Phoebe. "And . . . this." She held out the amulet. "Supposed to be powerful, don't know much more."
Giles looked at the bounty and asked, "Where'd you get all this?"
"Angel," Buffy and Faith said.
"Angel?" Dawn echoed.
Piper asked, "He's here?"
"We sent him back to L.A.," Buffy said. "To prepare."
"If we fail," Faith added as she looked at her family. "To protect those we love."
Piper, Phoebe, Paige and Dawn all nodded in understanding as they all looked at Joyce and knew that Faith meant not only Joyce, but Wyatt and Elizabeth as well as Leo and Sam.
Buffy headed out toward the basement.
Xander cocked a brow. "Operative word 'if.'"
Anya added, "Operative word 'fail.' "
Faith held out her hands and Piper and Dawn took them and they disappeared in blue and white orbing lights.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Buffy went downstairs to the basement. Spike was sitting in the moonlight, shirtless, looking off. "So where's Tall, Dark, and Forehead?" he asked her.
He tilted his head, appraising her as he said, "Yeah, that; and I also used my heightened vampire eyeballs and saw you and Faith talking to him."
"You were following?" Buffy said with a roll of her eyes.
"Your daughters' idea," Spike stated. "So where's the pretty necklace he gave you. The one with all the power." He gazed at her very calmly. "I believe it's mine now."
"How do you figure?" Buffy questioned.
"'Someone with a soul, but more than human,'" he quoted her. "Angel meant to wear it, that means I'm the qualified party."
"It's volatile," Buffy told him. "We don't know . . ."
"You need someone strong to bear it, then," he informed her. He drawled, "You were planning on giving it to Andrew?"
Buffy hesitated. "Angel said . . . this amulet is meant to be worn by a champion."
He deflated . . . until she held it out to him, and he understood: She was calling him a champion. "Been called a lot of things in my time," he said. He felt it. "This is powerful."