Disclaimer: I own nothing. I wish I did.
A/N1: Quotes from Touched and End of Days courtesy of NINE – Facing Your Fears
1630 Revello Drive
Duncan and Methos were watching the house when a young woman who appeared to be in her early 20's exited. She was carrying a large duffel bag and arguing loudly over her shoulder with a young man with dark hair and an eye patch.
"Xander, go back in the house. I'm not staying. I'm going to find Buffy and Faith. I think you people were crazy for kicking her out."
"But Ahn…you agreed," whined Xander.
"Yes, and I was stupid. Now go back inside and leave me alone."
Xander grabbed her arm and tried to pull her back in the house. "It's dangerous – you need to stay here with us."
Anya dropped her bag and turned to Xander and kicked him in the shin.
"Arghh! What the hell was that for?"
"I told you to leave me alone. It seems you didn't listen so I kicked you. Don't touch me again or I'll kick you in your other shin."
Across the Street
Methos groaned, "Oh no! What the hell is she doing here? "
"What old man?"
"Why do these things keep happening to me?"
"What's happening? Do you know that woman?"
Methos looked back out the window and saw Anya pick up her bag and stride purposefully across the street to the house he and Macleod were using to observe 1630 Revello Drive.
Macleod almost laughed out loud at the look on Methos' face when he saw the woman walking toward them. It looked like Methos was scared to death – to say he looked like a deer caught in the headlights was an understatement.
"Why oh why didn't Bella tell me Anyanka was here? Does she love to torture me that much? Shit, shit, shit – she's here."
There was a sharp knock on the door and from the other side a feminine voice yelled out, "Methos, I know you're in there open the door!"
At this Macleod did laugh out loud – this was going to be great – he just loved making the oldest immortal squirm. There weren't many things that got to him and it seemed that one of them was on the other side of the door.
Vineyard
Caleb and the First, looking remarkably like Buffy, stood observing a large underground area the Bringers were excavating. They'd exposed a large rock that appeared to be obsidian.
Caleb spoke as they came into the wine storage room, closing the trap door behind them. "It shouldn't be long now. Prophecies say one thing, brute strength says another. We'll get it out," Caleb said.
"True. Now rouse the Bringers, get them back to work," ordered The First/Buffy.
Suddenly a Bringer's body came rolling down the stairs and landed at Caleb's feet.
Buffy came striding down the stairs followed closely by Spike and Amanda. "I hear you have something of mine. You should know it's not nice to take things that belong to others. I thought preachers were supposed to have better morals than that. Where is it? You know I'll find it sooner or later…"
Caleb smirked and strode toward the slayer. "No you won't. You and I both know that if I lay one hand on you your dead."
Buffy laughed, "You'll have to touch me first."
Caleb lashed out at her with his fist and Buffy leaned backward dodging the blow. He swung again and she ducked and dove past him like a ballplayer making a headfirst slide into home plate.
Caleb growled in anger all his outward appearance as a genial Southern preacher gone. He turned toward Buffy his eyes filled with rage and rushed forward aiming another punch toward her gut. But she leapt impossibly high over him and landed atop a large cask of wine. As nimbly as a tight ropewalker she ran along the wine casks looking for anything out of place.
Caleb grabbed for her ankles and missed. A large pyramid of wine casks crashed down soaking him with wine. With inhuman strength he threw the debris away and looked for Buffy. He saw her sitting atop a cask on the other side of the room, with a huge smile on her face.
Feeling something behind him he turned only to find another Buffy behind him. The one on the barrel shook her head in frustration.
"Caleb, this is getting embarrassing."
Caleb lunged at the Buffy behind him and missed completely, hitting the ground hard. "Do you have to look like that?"
The First/Buffy ground out, "Will you concentrate?"
"It's just a little confusing. I'm trying to kill her and here you are using her face."
"Fine. Go. Kill," and The First disappeared in a flashy twinkle.
While Caleb and Buffy were playing their game of keep away Amanda and Spike had begun searching the room for any signs of what the First may be hiding. Almost as one they observed a trap door behind Caleb. The door was slightly ajar and a soft glow could be seen coming from inside. Both noticed that Caleb was between Buffy and the trapdoor. They'd have to find away to get to the door and that meant getting past Caleb.
"Well, luv I guess it's time we start participating in this little game of tag."
"Joy, children's games – they're what I live for."
Meanwhile Caleb and Buffy were still fighting. His anger increased as each punch he threw failed to find a target. Soon though Caleb backed her into a corner against a concrete support pillar. The smirk returned to his face as he threw another punch only to have her duck again and he found his fist imbedded in the pillar.
"Ouch, that had to hurt," Buffy taunted as she nimbly danced away from Caleb.
He rounded on her infuriated and grabbed a wine cask and threw it at her. Deftly she leapt over the cask grabbing a wooden support beam and swung over his head.
Caleb turned on her infuriated, screaming, "You Whore!"
"You know for a preacher you have a potty mouth. You should watch your language someone might think you're a woman hating prick."
Seeing that Buffy was near the trap door Spike yelled out, "Slayer, the door behind you at your feet!"
At that moment Caleb hurled another cask at Buffy. She summersaulted over it and dove toward the trap door. She deftly slid under it knocking it closed behind her and tumbled down the stairs.
When Buffy stood she saw a large obsidian stone gleaming in the flickering light. Imbedded in the stone, not unlike Excalibur, was a gleaming sword. To Bella's experienced eye it appeared to be a Roman sword with a golden pommel and a highly polished steel blade. It seemed to be calling to her and she walked toward it almost in a trance.
Just as she reached it Caleb entered the cavern. "So… you found it. Not impressed. 'Cause the question now, girly-girl, is can you pry it from solid rock before I come over there and—."
Buffy grasped the hilt of the sword and pulled it from the rock.
"Well, damn. Now before you go hurtin' yourself with that thing, why don't you do yourself a courtesy and hand it over now?"
"Yeah? You want it?" she said as she took a fighting stance sword at the ready.
"You don't even know what you got there," Caleb said barely able to hide his fear and nervousness at her possession of the sword.
"I know you're backing away," she said calmly advancing toward him.
"You think wieldin' some mystical sword's gonna make a difference?"
Suddenly The First appeared next to Caleb as Buffy. She spoke to Caleb but stared
hatefully at Buffy. "Let her go, Caleb."
Caleb hesitated not wanting to let her go and admit his failure in keeping the weapon away from the slayer.
"I said, let her go."
"If I let her go, she slices me open with that thing."
Buffy watched the exchange between the First and Caleb still shaken at the First using her image.
"No, she doesn't. She hasn't got time. She has friends and her friends are in trouble. Faith go boom."
Caleb growled at the First, "I'm not lettin' her out of here with that thing."
The First spoke to Caleb like he was an errant child. "Sure you are. Then you'll come back for it later… when she's got her back turned."
Quickly Buffy ran past Caleb and up the stairs back into the main room of the vineyard. She yelled out to Spike and Amanda as she ran, "I found it but we've got to hurry Faith's in trouble."