Vengeance

by Callace

Season seven, shortly after Lies My Parents Told Me. After each their failed attempt, Wood and the First team up to take Spike down. Meanwhile, Angel comes to town, to help stop the coming apocalypse. BtVS/AtS crossover. ABS. Though clearly Spuffy-centric, we've tried to do justice to the BA - relationship too, as well as the complicated frienmity between Spike and Angel

8. the One and the Many

Chapter 8 The One and the Many

The night was cool, but Buffy had forgotten her jacket. Under the current circumstance, what with The First's pals popping up at the most inconvenient time, she had sooner made a point of remembering the Scythe, as she got up and out, for a spontaneous patrol. She had to get out, get fresh air, get a chance to cool her head down, and hopefully blow off some steam by kicking some demon ass in the process. It wasn't any wonder that her mind wasn't on the weather. Cold or hot, she hardly noticed any discomfort from it. The discomfort was in her stomach. A conversation with The First was always able to give her an extra dose of the wiggins, but this conversation had been different from the past. It was so confident, so pleased with itself. And what had It meant about Spike? Spike was safe. He was out of harm's way. That should have angered It, but instead it was as though It preferred things to be this way. She knew that The First had wanted it this way. She was too busy saving Spike that she hadn't really thought of the lack of security surrounding him. Normally, having Angel there should have come in handy for the fighting, but neither one of them had to lift a finger. The First had worked so hard at keeping it a secret that Spike was missing. Why not guard him? It wasn't the first time that he had been used for great evil, so what had It done this time? It wasn't as though she could ask him, he couldn't speak, he couldn't write, there was no means of communication here. Besides, it may not be something he knew about. In the past, he didn't know about the trigger.

She knew she'd have to watch him. He wasn't in any condition to commit any crimes as of yet, but if there were any indication of behavior change then she'd have to start working on a way to reverse the issues. Of course, Giles would probably just suggest she'd stake him.

Stupid Giles.

There wasn't time to dwell on her conversation with him. She could only handle chewing over one conversation at a time. Her issues with Giles were nothing new, so they'd simply have to wait. Right now she had to figure out how to beat back the First. How to save the world. She had to think up something new. They had already lost Faith, which wasn't something that she could afford; they had lost potentials on top of that, not to mention Spike's issues. It felt as though they were going backwards instead of forwards. It was a mess. No wonder The First was laughing at them. She needed a breakthrough. What was the thing she had been stressing about this whole time? Power! They needed more! Instead they were losing it. She breathed in the air with determination. She was not gonna let that happen anymore!

Buffy stopped walking and stared down at the weapon in her hands. Willow had mentioned that the weapon was forged by… Okay they didn't know that, but there was a tomb on unconsecrated ground. It was something that she needed to find out more about. She needed to know what this weapon was and why it was so important. If it wasn't for the Angel distraction and her concern for Spike, she probably would have rushed right out and already done that. Her plate was full. There was so much death and a certain someone she was trying to keep from dying even more than he was already dead. She had the time now. She was out now. She might as well seek the answers that needed to be sought.

So, she walked. She thought and she walked. Her busy mind keeping her company and she had to admit that it was nice to be able to hear herself think. She was constantly surrounded by other people and after she had been treated so well, kicked out of her own home, even in that alone time all she could do was cry. Now, she had time to process her day and night. She had time to go over the current situation they were in and really feel over it without having to give others answers that she didn't have for herself. She didn't have to be in charge, which she still didn't know that she completely was, or that she even wanted to be. Right now, it was her alone time, she was on a quest, and she felt like a slayer again. She felt like a real slayer and not some general in a war that she didn't know how to fight. It was about the answers so she could fight evil and that was why she had been appointed to this slayer position in the first place. Protect against the forces of darkness. Tonight, it was back to basics.

With the town being as small as it was, it didn't take her long to come across the area that she was looking for. She could spot it from a mile away. Weedy, unkempt, and the gravestones clearly untended. This was the unconsecrated burial ground and as she looked around she spotted a tomb of Egyptian design. She took a few steps towards it, paused only for a moment, and then shot her leg up, kicking it, sending the door flying inward. Without a moment to spare, she made her way inside.

Once inside the dusty tomb, she heard a voice a short distance way. "I'd forgotten." The female voice spoke.

Buffy's legs carried her forward and it was then that she came upon an old woman, dressed entirely in white, her clothing so faded she looked as though she was made for this dusty tomb. She could have been an artifact on display.

"I'd forgotten how young you would be. It comes from the waiting. Mind
plays tricks." The woman paused. "I see you found our weapon."

"Who are you?" Buffy gazed at the older woman curiously.

"One of many. Well, time was. Now I'm alone in the world. I'd gamble you know what that's like." The older woman responded before taking a step forward. She noticed Buffy stiffen immediately. "Don't worry, you hit me, I'd just about crack in half. But then…" She gazed down at the scythe from a distance. "You've been doing some killing lately. And you're going to do a lot more. Not a wonder you're anxious."

"So, what are you? Some kind of ghost?" Buffy questioned.

"Nope. I'm as real as you are, just... well put it this way: I look good
for my age. I've been waiting."

Buffy slowly handed her the scythe as the older woman held out her hand. She listened as the woman began to speak once more.

"You pulled it out of the rock. I was one of those who put it in there, and
don't think that was easy."

"What is it?" Buffy asked with a strong need to know.

"Weapon. A scythe. We forged it in secrecy for one like you, who..." The woman paused and smiled at the young girl before her. "I'm sorry, what's your name?"

"Buffy."

The older woman kept a forced smile on her face. "No, really."

Buffy simply shrugged.

The woman continued on, forcing her name out when addressing her. "Buffy. We forged it in secrecy, kept it hidden from the Shadow Men, who…"

Buffy cut her off nonchalantly. "Yeah. Met them. Didn't care for 'em."

The older woman looked at her with new respect and then handed the scythe back to her. "Yes. Then you know. And they became the Watchers. And the Watchers watched the Slayers. But we were watching them."

"Oh! So you're like…what are you?"

"Guardians. Women who want to help and protect you." The older woman nodded towards the scythe. "This was forged, centuries ago, by us. Halfway around the world."

"Hence, the Luxor Casino theme." Buffy commented.

"Forged there, it was put to use right here. 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, and now there is you. And the scythe remained hidden." The older woman explained.

"Does this mean I can win?" Buffy asked, trying to keep the desperate note out of her voice.

"That's really up to you." The older woman reached out and ran her fingers along the flat side of the scythe. "This is a powerful weapon."

"Yes."

"But you already have a weapon."

Buffy looked at her a little baffled. "Oh?"

"Use it wisely... and perhaps you can beat back the rising dark. One way or the other, it can only mean an end is truly near."

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It had been hard to get back to sleep once she had returned home after her educational trip out the night before; causing her to be able to grab only a few hours. Buffy lay in her bed thinking about what she had learned. There was still a chance that she could win this. All hope was not lost. Yes, they had been beaten down and yes, they were certainly out-numbered, but the chance of success in this was not out of reach. In fact, it was up to her. What did that mean? What did the old woman mean by the fact that she already had a weapon? It was hurting her head to think about and she was feeling more exhausted than ever. The middle of the night stroll hadn't helped with that, but she needed to get up. She needed to face the day and all the challenges that lay ahead of her. More than anything, she needed to figure out just what it was that was going to hand them over a victory.

That's really up to you.

The weapon was meant for The Slayer. She got it. She understood. Yet, she wasn't the only one that was in this. She wasn't the only one who had slayer in her. She was the activated slayer, yes, but there were all those girls that she had to look out for that had the potential of being what she was now. Then there was The First, it's assurance that she would be fighting alone. It seemed The Potentials were going to die. Some of them were already dead now. Even though they were so close to having the power that she had. She could train them, teach them the secrets, and give them an advantage before they were called that she never had. Still, they were out of reach from the actual power. Why was it that way? Who had made this stupid rule? All this evil in this world, evil that was now teamed up and ready to take them all down, all of that strength, and yet in the name of good only one could have the power to fight against it. Only one could save the world while a vast number were allowed to destroy it.

That's when a light bulb lit up in her head.

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Buffy rushed downstairs, her hair in serious need of a brush, her pajamas on, but with excitement written all over her face. "Guys…we need to…" Her voice trailed off at the sight before her.

Balloons, party napkins, a bowl of punch, even fun hats. What was going on? Was it someone's birthday? It wasn't Dawn's, was it? She'd never hear the end of it if it was. Just then a chipper voice came from behind her.

"Well, aren't we looking nice? Should have dressed up at more college parties looking like that. Would have had all the boys after you then." Willow teased as she walked by holding a big banner.

"If all the guys that I would have had in college were anything like the ones I have been with, big pass there." Buffy paused, aiming her confusion at Willow now. "What's going on?"

"What do you mean? Party? See?" Willow pulled out a noisemaker from her pocket and blew it in Buffy's face.

The noise went right through Buffy as she put her hands to her ears. "Okay. Ow." She opened her mouth and then shut it a few times with a finger to her ear, trying to get the sound out her ears. "I can see that you're in party mode, but why are we having a party is what I meant."

Willow made her way over to the mantle and got up on a step latter that was present and began hanging up the banner she had brought in. She looked over her shoulder at Buffy's question. "Xander's coming home today. You didn't know?"

"Oh. No. I guess I didn't." Buffy hadn't heard much on the news of her friend since she had been kicked out a few days before. She was still a bit out of the loop on what exactly was going on with people, but truth be told, it would be nice to be around one of her friends that hadn't been a part of the mutiny. "Who's been taking care of him? This whole town is abandoned."

Willow turned her attention back to her "Welcome Home" banner, trying to angle it just right as she continued the conversation. "Anya. When everyone fled town, so did all the doctors and nurses. They were getting ready to kick him out before he was ready. Anya threw some kind of fit and is staying with him till he's better. It's nothing of the major kind anymore. Simple nursing on her part."

"Anya? Being nurturing? Are we sure the world hasn't already ended?" Buffy quirked an eyebrow.

Willow let out a laugh at that. "Thought the same thing myself."

"Well this is good. Good that Xander will be home and good that I have less people I have to round up."

Willow stepped off the ladder and looked at her quizzically. "What's going on?"

"I'll let you in on it when I get everyone together, but you certainly have a big part in it." Buffy smiled brightly.

"Big part?" Willow looked at her uneasily. "Are you sure about me making with the big? I kind of like having a helpful part. A part where my presence matters, but maybe is of the unnoticed kind. A part that is smaller, but still significant. A part that…"

Buffy put a hand up. "Will, I'm just gonna stop you there. You're capable of what I have in mind. Believe me, this is a good thing. It's a very good thing. I just need to get the girls in here and after Xander is settled, we can start in on it."

Buffy turned as some of their other friends began piling in; ending their conversation and leaving Willow in the agony of her mind rolling over all the tasks she might be asked to take on.

"What time is he supposed to be here?" Dawn asked as she plopped down on the couch.

Willow responded, snapping out of her thoughts. "Probably any minute."

Buffy looked down at her clothing, running her fingers through her hair. "I should get dressed then. One look at me and he might request he be driven back to the hospital for a few more days. Besides, this isn't exactly an authoritative look."

"Authoritative? For Xander? I don't think he needs dominating." Dawn pointed out in confusion.

"Not for Xander. It's for a war council I'm having after he's back." She looked around noting that Scoobies were all here. "We'll keep just keep it friends for a bit, but once he's comfortable I'll probably call in the Potentials and Angel, so we can have a real meeting. But first: Clothes. Real clothes." With that, Buffy dashed upstairs, now leaving everyone in suspense.

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Buffy quickly made her way back downstairs after freshening up, in time to hear the door open and greetings being made to Xander. She caught sight of Anya and Giles helping him over to the couch while stepping off the stairs. Xander was still in rough condition. He was a human after all. Caleb had been able to fling her across the room like an annoying fly, knocking her out, and she was the slayer. Xander had taken a full blown attack against him. He may not be hospital bound anymore, but that didn't mean that he wasn't still in need of some heavy duty healing.

She made her way into the room, his face lighting up immediately seeing her, he was none the wiser to the situations that had occurred while he had been gone. No one wanted to stress him while he recovered. Stress went hand in hand with war, but considering what he had been through; focusing on his healing was what was best for him. What was best for her friends still mattered above all else.

"It's so good to see you." Buffy bent down and hugged him lightly, but warmly. "You seem better than before."

"I feel a lot better. Not ready to run a marathon or say fight the ultimate evil with lots of sharp pointy weapons, but I'm getting there."Xander commented dryly.

"You can't fight The First with sharp pointy weapons. They'd just go through It." Buffy quipped.

Xander smirked. "So, what have I missed?"

"You sure you want to get into all of that. It's a party. See? Noise maker." Willow put it in her mouth ready to blow on it, but Buffy quickly grabbed it from her lips.

"Let's just leave the blowing for another time." Buffy smiled with an attempt at protecting her ears.

Everyone turned and stared at Buffy, stunned.

Buffy stared back at them in confusion before realization fell over her face. "Mind. Gutter much?"

After a moment everyone's attention landed back on Xander and he shifted uncomfortably under their gaze.

"That's very disturbing." Anya voiced for him.

"What? We're just happy to see him!" Willow smiled. "We have party hats too."

"I'm just going to stop you right there, Will. Before Buffy makes another sexual suggestion that none of us would feel comfortable admitting is a good idea out loud." Xander commented.

"I have no problem admitting it's a good idea. In fact, you and I actively participated in it many times." Anya voiced.

"Oh dear Lord, will someone just fill Xander in on what's occurred while he's been away." Giles sighed in exasperation.

"Well, Faith died." Dawn helped out.

"What?" Shock was written over Xander's face.

"Oh good, glad we're easing him into everything." Buffy stated in good humor.

"There was an explosion." Dawn explained further.

"The First had Spike." Willow chimed in.

"Again!" Xander's voice held surprise and sarcasm all in one.

"Angel's here brooding up the basement." Dawn piped up once more.

"Oh! I killed Caleb." Buffy smiled proudly.

"I hope you made it hurt. Bad." Xander jaw tightened at the image in his head.

"Believe me. He paid for everything he's done." Buffy assured him.

"So…how's Spike doing? Better or worse than the last time?" Xander inquired in need of a subject change.

"Worse. He was gone much longer and…well…tortured a lot more. There was someone working with The First. A human. We don't know who yet." Buffy sighed. "Anyway, it's really good to have you back. I have something important to tell everyone. As soon as I can round up the rest of the gang, we'll get started."

"What's this about?" Giles looked up with interest as he voiced the curiosity that they all had been feeling earlier on.

"Change in battle tactics." Buffy's cryptic words rang out, begging for the rest of her exposition.

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After the party, while waiting for the remainder of the army to appear, Buffy took Xander and Anya downstairs, as they, especially Anya, insisted on getting to see for themselves how Spike was doing. They caught him fitfully asleep, and close to wrestling out of his bed sheet.

"Wow!" Xander commented. "The sight of him. Makes me a lot less sorry for myself over this." He gestured towards his own various injuries. "A human worked with the First on this, you said? How can anyone fully human do such a thing?"

Anya gave him a look that indicated that he was a moron. "Honestly, that's obvious. Look at the intense thoroughness of this. All the creativity that's been put into steadily finding new ways of hurting him. The stamina it takes to keep it going for a long time. This is vengeance. And rather well done too" She nodded in professional approval. "If you want to find whoever did this, you should look among people Spike has gravely harmed in the past. People who might have a huge grudge against him." She looked up from studying Spike, and met both Xander and Buffy's eyes. "Pity there could be so many of them, with all the slaughter he has committed up during history." She added in an afterthought.

Spike stirred and fluttered his eyes open. Voices. There were voices all around, disturbing his sleep. Not that he would have slept much longer anyway. The still very much present pain coming in from all of his sore limbs had him half awake already. Still, it annoyed him that Buffy had brought ample company down with her this time. Let them all come barging in on him. He didn't want to get peeped at by all of them. He only wanted her. He noticed with shame that the sheet was slipping again. The damn thing was way too light and soft! There was no hold to it. He made a feeble attempt to pull it up, but had to give it up as another jolt of pain exploded from his splintered hand. Luckily, Buffy caught on to what he was trying to do, and hurried up to grab the sheet and pull it carefully up around him.

Anya kept on prattling. He had to give her credit though, she was on to something. More than any of the others seemed to be, with their mindless pondering on how anyone could make themselves do such a thing as Wood had done to him. Too shame, really, with all their experience with the various ways and versions of evil, that it took a former vengeance demon to point out the flavor of this version. And connect it back to his own evilness. In some ways he really wished he has his voice back, to tell them exactly who had done this. But in another way he wasn't so sure he wanted to, even if he could. The story of how he had been taken down by Wood was embarrassing. And, it wouldn't be pleasant to have to dig up and explain all the uglies of what he had been through down there. He most of all just wanted to forget all about that. Yeah right. Like that was gonna happen…

"It's outrageous that whoever it was felt the need to align himself with the ultimate evil to get his revenge though. Has he never heard of vengeance demons? He should have come to me, and I could have given him lots of good ones to beseech." She looked up, and stopped her ramble, as she became aware of the shocked faces of her friends. "Not that I ever would, of course!" She backtracked hurriedly. "I'm fully on Spike's side in this!" She gave him a warmly supportive look. "I don't dish it anymore. Even if I did you're not exactly my normal clientele, but I'd be willing to make an exception. There might be a few demons that I could get you in contact with. Or you could consider enacting a little vengeance of your own when you're well. Still, it's not quite as creative as when a wish is involved. You could have them forced to live life walking around with their intestines hanging out of their body, dragging against the ground. Things like that. So, what do you say?"

Spike stared at her baffled once more.

"Say something. I feel like I'm the only one whose been talking the whole time I've been down here. I'm only trying to help. That's appropriate. You offer up a gift to someone whose been injured. Like Xander. I offered up myself. He just couldn't move to well, but we managed. I straddled him. Careful of his injuries, of course. We don't go crazy with pain-pleasure."

If ever there were a moment when Spike should have been able to holler and use his hands to cover his ears, it would have been right then. Instead, he was forced to listen to Anya go off into a long description of her sex life with The Boy. And here he thought the torture was supposed to be over.

"Anyway, what was it I was saying?" Anya paused before holding up a finger. "Right. Vengeance! Do it!"

Angel made his way down into the basement at the sound of Anya's voice talking with Spike. He had caught the end tail of her too personal description and figured that some rescuing was in order. "The gang is assembled for war council. We're waiting for all of you." He eyed not only Anya, but Xander and Buffy as well, who gave a nod of their heads.

Anya frowned and then shrugged. "It's just as well. I can't get anything from him. It's irritating."

"He can't speak." Angel stated.

"Oh. Well, that's less rude then." Anya reached over and patted Spike on the shoulder awkwardly. "I'm sorry you're so damaged. I wish it were better for you. Think about what I said."

Anya turned and made her way back upstairs with Buffy and Xander, heading towards the meeting that was being held.

Angel turned and looked at Spike, who looked back at him. He was pretty sure that he actually detected a thankful look on Spike's face. Angel simply nodded. "I think even you would have done the same for me." With that he turned and made his way towards the meeting himself.

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The room was filled to its maximum capacity. Every person stood there wondering what this could be about. Kennedy, who was sure that it was simply going to be another motivational speech, was bored already. Still, she felt slightly more reasonable than in the past towards Buffy given the recent events and was even a bit sorry underneath her tough exterior. Willow, on the other hand, knew this was more than another "Let's win this war!" speech and was quite apprehensive over hearing what her newfound role was going to be. Angel wasn't focusing on the war council at all. He couldn't help but scan the room angrily looking for his grand-childe's captor. Whoever it was, his scent was here, and it was strong.

It was one of Buffy's pals. The truth was, it wasn't going to be hard to narrow down which one. There were mostly females in this pack of warriors and the men that he knew he was familiar with the scents of. It wasn't Xander's, nor Giles. So, who did that leave… Angel's eyes fell on him in an instant. He had never seen him before, but it was clear that the others were familiar with him. He belonged here. He was part of this war against The First. That was really rich. He was working with The First and yet he was standing there as if he were just as good and pure as the rest of everyone in that room.

Buffy stood before her friends and the hard-working potentials. What she was about to tell them was a complete game changer. It would have The First itself shaking in its non-corporal boots if it caught wind of this. Luckily, for all them this would not be the case. It was going to hit the enemy in complete surprise and there was a good chance they would be victorious in the end. No, on second thought, they would be victorious in the end.

"I hate being here." She began as she stared out at a room full of anticipating eyes on her. "I hate that you have to be here. I hate that there's evil, that it's growing, and I hate that I was chosen to fight it. I wish a whole lot of the time that I hadn't been." Buffy smirked at her next statement. "I know a lot of you wish I hadn't been either."

Kennedy and Rona looked away shamefully, but didn't speak out.

"But this isn't about wishes. This is about choices. I never had one. I was chosen. And I accept that. I'm not asking you to accept anything. I'm asking you to make your own choice. I believe we can beat this evil - not when it comes, not after its army is ready, but now. Tomorrow morning I'm opening the Seal. I'm going down into the Hellmouth and I'm going to finish it once and for all." Buffy took a deep breath before continuing on. "I've got strong allies: warriors, charms, sorcerers, and I'll need them all. But I'll also need you. Every single one of you. So now you're asking yourself, "What makes this different? What makes us anything more than a bunch of girls getting picked off one by one?" It's true none of you has the power Faith had or I have. Now that she's gone, it's time for a new Slayer to be called, but we can't even be sure that girl is in this room. That's the rule. So here's the part where you make a choice…"

Buffy eyed everyone intensely. "What if you could have that power? Now. All of you. In every generation one Slayer is born because a bunch of guys that died thousands of years ago made up that rule. They were powerful men." Buffy pointed to Willow. "This woman is more powerful than all of them combined. So I say we change the rules. I say my power should be our power. Tomorrow Willow will use the essence of this scythe, that contains the energy and history of so many Slayers, to change our destiny. From now on, every girl in the world who might be a Slayer, will be a Slayer. Every girl who could have the power, will have the power. Who can stand up, will stand up. Every one of you, and girls we've never known, and generations to come...they will have strength they never dreamed of, and more than that, they will have each other. Slayers. Every one of us. Make your choice. Are you ready to be strong?"

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Buffy stood in in her bedroom with her closest friends. It was time to get the feedback from those who would take a much larger role in her epiphany, especially the Wicca herself. She was nervous. It was a radical idea and one that she wasn't entirely sure that she'd be able to get everyone on board with, but she would fight for it tooth and nail, because she knew that this was the way for them to win. This would bring victory if they could just trust her. The past had shown that their trust in her hadn't been as strong as she believed it to be over the years. That hurt, but it was time to move past that. It was time to save the world and that was going to take everyone really reaching out and believing in one another. They would all have to stand as one.

"So what do you all think?" Buffy asked, unable to take the silence.

"That depends. Are you kidding?" Xander asked sincerely from the bed he was sitting on.

"You don't think it's a good idea?" Buffy couldn't say she was entirely surprised.

"It's a lot more than that. Buffy what you're talking about flies in the face of everything we've ever -that every generation has ever done in the fight against evil." Giles smiled. "It's bloody brilliant."

Buffy's face lit up. "You really mean that."

"If you want my opinion." Giles simply responded.

"Really do." Despite their rocky relationship, that only seemed to continue to get rockier, Giles' opinion mattered to Buffy. He was a big part of who she had become and what he thought and felt could only hold value to her. No matter how angry she got with him. No matter how angry she still was with him.

"Whoa hey, not to poop on the party, but I'm the guy who's gonna have to pull this off." Willow spoke up.

"Is that even possible?" Dawn inquired.

"I believe it is. If the details that Buffy learned about the weapon are true." Giles commented.

"Not to careen back to the me subject, but... I'm... this is beyond anything
I've ever done. This is a total loss of control, and not in a nice, wholesome, my-girlfriend-has-a-
pierced-tongue way." Willow explained nervously.

"I wouldn't' ask if I didn't think you could do it." Buffy assured her.

"I…I'm not sure I'm stable enough." Willow looked to them uneasily.

"You can do this, Willow. We'll get the coven on the line, and we'll find out how they can help." Giles decided.

"Oh!"

Everyone's eyes focused in on Dawn's.

"Tongue piercing." Dawn said sheepishly.

"Dawn needs to do the research thing." Buffy stated with hurry.

Dawn rolled her eyes. "It's cool. Watcher junior to the library." Dawn made her exit.

"We need to discuss who's coming to this battle." Buffy spoke more seriously. "Obviously Spike is really injured and probably is only going to be useful in the getting himself killed sense. He can't stay here alone."

"Well, I can stay with him. I pretty sure I fall into that same category now." Xander pointed out.

"I'm not entirely sure you can be left alone either." Buffy's eyes widened. "Not that you're helpless…you're just…"

"Helpless?" Xander looked at her pointedly.

Buffy didn't respond, but quickly moved past it. "We probably should have someone here to…

"Babysit." Xander cut off.

Buffy gritted her teeth. "Help out."

"Why don't we just bring them?" Willow suggested. "They don't have to go inside."

"Where are we going to put them?" Buffy inquired.

"I know, but we don't know how this thing is going to play or how it might spread beyond the building. They'd probably be safer in close range with all the other warriors." Willow pointed out.

Buffy shook her head. "No, with their condition that's dangerous. Especially, Spike's. He's too fragile."

"Yeah, he can't defend himself if the war leaks past the school. The chances are they aren't going to go knocking on every door, but they might notice him and Xander hanging out if they're right by the war." Anya spoke in agreement with Buffy.

"Right. Whereas Spike was such a big threat to The First and It's clearly behind the condition he's in now, It might decide just to finish the job. Home really is the best place for the both of them. They're likely to be left out of this." Buffy finished.

Willow didn't have an argument for that. Xander on the other hand did. "Just gonna step in. I know you're all having fun talking about me as if I'm not here, but I've got a bit of an oversight to point out. Bringers."

"Bringers? What about them?" Buffy's confused eyes fell on him.

"The last time we thought Spike was safe and snug here The Bringers were able to take him right from under our nose. That was with us here, in the same location. Imagine how easy it's going to be for them to do some serious damage if he's here all alone. Not to mention if this thing does get past the school I'm not in the best shape for defending him." Xander, the sudden voice of reason, pointed out.

"Well, I don't know. You have a point, but how is he going to be any better defended there? We can't keep an eye on him anyway while we're fighting." Buffy mulled this over for a moment. "But if this war leaks out, we'll need to get away far and fast. We won't have time to come back and pick someone up." She thought a little more. "I was going to have us walk there tomorrow night, but if Spike's going to be coming along, in his condition, walking isn't going to be an option. We need transportation. We need something big enough."

"A school bus is big enough." Dawn proposed. "I'm sure Wood wouldn't mind if one of us 'borrowed' one. It's not like they're being used anyway. And if there's any sign of trouble coming Spike and Xander's way he can at least drive away from it. Right?" Dawn looked at Xander questioningly.

Xander nodded confirming her thoughts. "Besides, Spike's got warrior mentality. I don't care how beat up he is. Guy would hate missing a fight. Even if he's on the outside looking in."

Buffy nodded. "Good. That's good. We've got a plan in place."

"Plan is good." Willow gave a small smile.

"Well, I'll go dig up my sources. Quite literally, actually. I'll see about getting that bus when I have a moment to spare." Giles announced

"Kinda going in tomorrow, Giles. Find that moment." Buffy commanded.

"Yes, I'll get on it." Giles nodded before exiting the room.

Anya's eyes fell on Xander. "Come on, let's go help the cannon fodder prepare."

"That's not what we're calling them." Xander showed amused disapprovement.

"Not to their faces. What am I, insensitive?" Anya responded as she and Xander left as well.

Buffy looked at the scythe longingly, feeling the power coming off it, before handing it off to a reluctant Willow.

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It had been bothering him throughout the whole meeting. Sure, Angel had been paying attention. He heard the plan that lay ahead for all of them, but the minute that familiar scent had made its way into the room, there was no way he couldn't be distracted by it. Spike's captor was here and he knew who it was now.

As he made his way into the kitchen, he found himself alone with just the man that he wanted to pay a visit to. Robin Wood. Angelus, well, he'd be ready to give this guy a pat on the back. Too bad for him that Angelus was buried deep within himself and that was where he was going to remain from here on out.

"You're a warrior?" Angel folded his arms from the doorway.

Wood, who was sipping a cup of coffee by the sink, looked up. "Excuse me?"

Angel took a few step forwards while he spoke, not going any further than the island in the middle of the kitchen. "In this battle? You're a warrior. Take on The First even though you're just a human."

"Well, this Just-A-Human knows a lot of moves." Wood responded.

"I didn't say that you didn't."

"Well, then, yes. I guess I'm a warrior." Slight confusion fell over Wood's face, but he kept the bizarre nature of this conversation to himself.

"Are you going to tie the First's army down too?" Angel inquired with stern eyes.

"What?" Wood tried to keep the concern off his face. He couldn't possibly know. This was just a coincidence. How could he know?

"Are you going to tie them down? A real warrior fights his opponent when he's free to defend himself. Even if he's believed to be on the wrong side, a real warrior goes off on a code of honor, because they want their win to be fair. They want it to be a real win. If they overtake their enemy it's because they actually overtook him. Not because they say…I don't know…tied them down, tortured them, operated on them! And fed them not even the bare minimum of blood they needed." Angel eyed him coolly. "As an example."

Wood made a move for the door, but Angel was in his way in a flash, the coffee cup went crashing down towards the floor, but Angel stuck his hand out catching it in time. No need to bring unwanted attention around. He backed Wood up to the sink once more and got right in his face

"You're not a warrior." Angel spoke lowly. "You're a coward."

"What do you know about it? You see the condition that he's in and you assume…"

Angel quickly cut him off. "I assume that he wasn't given a fair fight. I assume that you worked with The First, because as I've been told, It's had quite a bit of interest in Spike. I assume that right now, whatever you're pissed off about, isn't the time for it. It definitely isn't the way to deal with it!"

"He killed my mother!" Wood spoke in an intensified hushed tone.

Angel's expression didn't change. So, that was it. That was the big bomb that was supposed to melt his soul and understand that the monster in all of this was really just the victim. "You're pathetic." Angel spat out.

The look of surprise on Wood's face was priceless, but it soon turned to anger. "I'm not so sure that you'd be saying that if you had experienced what I did. If you had lost what I've lost."

"I'm not going to stand here and explain to you the difference between a vampire and a vampire with a soul. It doesn't matter. It's really not the point."

"Then what is the point?"

"The first one would be that you worked with The First itself. I don't hear you denying it and there's no use in you trying to. We're going to battle with this thing tomorrow and you are buddy buddy with it!"

"I am not buddy buddy with it!" Wood's voice raised, but he kept it very controlled, not wanting to bring about anyone else's attention.

"You're a coward and a traitor. How do I know that you're not going into battle tomorrow on It's side?"

"I'm not! Believe me, I want the First vanquished as much as anyone. Yes, I asked It for a favor, and if I let It continue to exist in this world, It will very likely some day come to collect the debt. I don't want that day to ever come! There probably wouldn't be much left of me afterwards. So, I can promise you that! I have a vendetta against one vampire and one vampire only. Not the whole world."

"I believe you." Angel nodded pensively. "Which brings me to my other point." he switched into game face. "You pissed off someone's grand-sire and that is never a smart thing to do."

Wood swallowed. Suddenly, it all made sense. Of course, he was siding with Spike on this. He was one of them! He was a vampire himself. There was no way he could expect him to understand human emotions. What was it with Buffy inviting these things into her house? Did she not understand the job description of a vampire Slayer? Maybe they didn't have to worry about the war after all. Maybe she'd go down to the hellmouth and become good friends with The First's army too. This was getting out of hand. Here he was with another vampire with threatening fangs at his face that he was supposed to be nice to. What was he going to do about it? Fight Angel? If he did that, then he would bring about all kinds of unwanted attention and then they would learn the truth of what he had done. He didn't know what would be done to him. He also couldn't very well let Angel rip a hole into his neck. How did he get himself into such a predicament?

Angel could feel the fear seeping from him. Good. It was just a start, but it would do for now. "Unfortunately, I can't kill you right now. I believe you, that you don't intend to betray our cause in the immediate future. We need all the fighters we can in this showdown, and I can't have anything distracting Buffy or the rest of her army for that matter away from the war. This has to be put on hold. But that won't last. We'll have our day. And if you even think about taking off before this battle, I will find you, and I will make you regret it even more than I'm going to when this thing is finished."

Angel took a step back and then made his way towards the door before turning around and speaking to Wood once more. "You're no better than who Spike used to be. In fact, working with the Ultimate Evil itself, considering yourself much worse." He paused. "Oh, and if you ever so much as look Spike's way again, I won't wait till after the battle to deal with you. And I'll be watching you very closely. Remember that I sleep during the day"

Tension remained in the room even after Angel had gone, as Wood was left with a new set of worries. Someone knew now. He had no help out of this one. In fact, he was fairly sure that there was no way out of this at all. He would die by the hands of a vampire, just as his mother had.

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No one could sleep. How could they? Tomorrow things were coming to an end. Tonight would be the last for some of them. They coped differently. A few of them were playing Dungeons and Dragons to take their mind off things, some watched TV, some read, and some sat around simply talking. The only exception to this no sleeping pattern was the crazy ones, meaning Anya, who couldn't be stirred if you slapped her across the face. Perhaps she'd wind up doing the best in battle, as she'd actually be rested. Where was Buffy in all of this? Well, she had just made her way down into the basement, a vampire with a curious look on his face staring back at her in confusion and warmth.

Why was she here? He wondered this as their eyes met. On this final night, the one that could very well be her last, she had chosen to spend it down here with him? Not among her friends. Not with Angel. Him? In a moment, his spirits lifted, and the why of it didn't matter. She was here. They were together and for the rest of the night she gently held him in silence. Their eyes fixed on each other, not needing to know what the other would say if words could be had. What was in their hearts could be seen in each others eyes.