Back to the Light
Chapter Two

With Anya's revelation they were able to make some progress. Although that word was debatable. Giles hadn't quite realised how often potential apocalypses had been disrupted by the arrival of a mysterious stranger and a small group of their friends. Only for the stranger to vanish shortly afterwards. If Anya was right some, if not most, we're down to one being.

Soon, from the descriptions, Giles and the others were able to put together an MO of this "wise man" as they were often known. They would arrive, casually disrupt whatever nefarious plot was underway and then turn their opponents strength's against them. Through trickery, deception or out right bravado. There were reports that on some rare occasions they would go out of their way to make it particularly unpleasant for whatever hapless fool decided to offend them.

According to Anya those fools were now stark warnings, passed down through legend. Apparently it was well known not to offend this person, lest risk a fate worse than death. A couple of otherwise tall tales were enough to make even his hair stand on end. After what Giles had seen and all his training as a Watcher that was quite an achievement.

"Giles, can we talk?" The new creature asked, appearing beside him with the same suddenness she did when you lost track of her for a moment. Giles kept himself from jumping, but only just. "In private?"

He thought about it for a moment. "Okay." They headed to the corner of the shop, out of the way but still in sight in case this was a mistake. "What do you want to say?"

"That I know whatever I do say won't convince you. If you can't look into my eyes and tell it's me there's nothing words will do." She admitted. "But I need you to promise me, promise Buffy, something. Actually three things."

Guarding his heart Giles nodded. "I'll hear you out."

She gave him a sad smile. "Dawn. We both know how important she is. What she's up against. She needs to know. Not now, not yet, but she'll be ready one day. I can't be there, not like I could before and mom's going to need help. She trusts you, they both do. She'll need you."

Giles nodded. "The second?"

"Mom, Buffy's… Joyce. She's still recovering from… all that. After everything that happened she relied on me to keep it together and is only just picking up all the pieces."

"I'll be there, for both of them. So will the others." He said, not wanting to hear any more. "Buffy would know better than to even ask." He pointed out quickly.

"Some things have to be said." They replied. "They have to be addressed."

Giles had to agree. Hearing it aloud somehow made it more real. "Your third request?"

Again that small sad smile. "Look after yourself. Don't beat yourself up about what you think has happened. Even if you don't believe I'm me you've nothing to blame."

Giles looked at them. "I don't blame myself, I blame whatever you are." He said, letting his Ripper show through.

"That's good, but I know you Giles. I do know you." The being told him. "You might blame me, but you also blame yourself. Thing is there is just not enough blame to go around. Sorry. I guess I'm just selfish. I don't want to share it, so butt out."

Giles couldn't help but chuckle l. "I make no promises for that last one, but I get your point."

"Good enough, come on. You're not going to like what I have to say next."

On that ominous note she made her way back to the others that had been making a very bad attempt at watching them without being noticed. "Right guys, this isn't getting us anywhere. Whoever this person is in all these stories he's not me and mysterious is the word here. We need facts, information and most importantly a plan."

"Agreed." Giles said reluctantly. As fascinating as the subject was they weren't actually learning anything about the current situation. "I assume you have a suggestion?"

"Oh lots." The being grinned with Buffy's face. The expression was unfamiliar. Sadly Giles realised that his Slayer didn't smile like that very often anymore. "And like I said you're not going to like it. We need to go into my box again."

"Why?" Willow asked

"Well, it's had time to stabilise now. When I was last in I made it safe, well as safe as I could. While I was at it I saw there were a few other rooms. One had a load of books in there. Most were technical manuals. There has to something in one of them. If we can find out how this happened that might go some way towards explaining it. I also need to check on the repairs. If a few of you come with we might be able to do both."

"And what dangers exist in there that you're not telling us about?" Giles pressed, a terrible certainty prompting him to ask.

The being looked apologetic. "I'll be honest, there could be a few. The place isn't exactly totally stable. With all the damage it took some things don't work right. You've got gravity inversions, time disruption and I think the dimension dams are on the fritz."

Xander looked confused, "What's that all mean?"

"In English? Well, just guessing here but basically 'down' doesn't exactly mean much and you can end up walking on the walls, or ceiling at random places without warning. Time speeds up and slows down, there's echos of the past and future haunting the corridors. Finally the corridors themselves are all messed up and double back on each other in ways that should be totally impossible."

"What?" Giles asked incredulously, amazed at just how big the box apparently was inside.

"The laws that govern reality as you know them don't exist inside the box. Not until I fix them, which I'm not sure how to do. Yet."

"And you want to go back inside?" Willow gasped.

"Well, yeah." She grinned again. "Any takers?"

Giles took a moment to think about it. The box was their only other clue, but he didn't like the idea of the Being leading anyone else inside. Not only did it sound dangerous, but he was certain there were other difficulties. It could even all be an elaborate trap to capture others and change them too.

"I'll go." Xander volunteered. Giles wasn't sure if it was the boy's foolishness or bravery that made him do it.

Willow looked to Tara and got a nod of approval. "I'll go too."

"Cool!" The Being said. "We ready then?"

"Not yet." Willow stood up with what Giles knew she called her 'resolved face'. "Got a couple rules first. You try something I'll stop you."

"Will…" They started, but just seemed to give up mid sentence. "I promise. Okay?"

She gave the being a look that spoke volumes of distrust. "Second, I'm putting a protection spell on Xander and me. That way you do try something I'm going to stop it."

"Good idea." Giles said not happy that she was looking to magic for the answer again, but knowing that this was the best plan, given the circumstances.

"Tara, would you help Giles find what we need?"

"Sure." Tara said a little too quickly. "I know just the spell." Now it was her turn to pull Giles to one side. As she started to collect some ingredients Tara dropped her voice to a whisper. "What did she want to talk to you about."

"I think they were still trying to convince me that they were Buffy. Asked me to take care of Joyce and Dawn." He explained knowing what they were talking about while wondering just how dangerous this expedition into the box was going to be. "What was it Willow wanted."

"W… we've been working on a spell I found. Lets us talk telepathically."

"More magic. Tara, even if I wasn't suspicious about the source the point the Being made earlier is valid. Willow's reliance on magic is growing."

"She's, she's careful." Tara whispered back. "I promise."

"I know. I also know what happens when it goes too far." he said sternly but quietly. "I watched it happen to a good friend of mine. You cross that line too often and you begin to lose track of where that line was. You draw another and cross that, lose that one too. All too soon you forget every limitation you put on yourself and more importantly why. When that happens you've lost yourself. After this is over we all need to take a step back. If there's really nothing to worry about that shouldn't be a problem. If not…" he left the point hanging.

Tara took a deep breath. "I… I…"

"Let's get this done." Giles put his hand on her shoulder. She nodded and they got back to the shelves. "How does this spell of yours work?"

Willow let Xander ask Not-Buffy some questions, distracting them for her to cast the telepathy spell.

Calming her mind and focusing Willow went through the ritual chant in her head. The trick was that Tara had to go through the same calming and chant. If they both got it right it made a connection. They'd had luck before when they were practicing, but something was wrong.

She tried again. There was something odd, she could feel an echo to the words. One she hadn't felt before.

On the third attempt she realised why. "Giles?"

"I'm here." The strange thought came back. "I convinced Tara to let me join in. The two of us will be here."

Willow tried her best not to be shocked as she looked over to the two of them still supposedly gathering ingredients. Tara smiled back. "He already guessed what we were doing and knew the spell."

"Not in detail."

"That's great." Willow sent back, a little uncomfortable with the idea of Giles's voice in her head. "I'll let you know what I find."

"We're coming back now." Tara sent. It was just the other side of the shop, but it had felt like miles away. When they got to the table they were at both Giles and Tara were carrying armfuls of ingredients. The spell was one Tara had found looking up ways to isolate Not-Buffy. It was complicated and only stopped thing's coming in, not going out, but reading it had been interesting.

It couldn't really stop something like a car hitting you either and would wear off after an hour or so. What it would do is offer some protection and more importantly let you know if something was happening. Stopping most magic attacks in their tracks, including possession. If Not-Buffy tried something to hurt either her or Xander it would bounce off. With the telepathic connection keeping Willow in touch with the outside there shouldn't be much they could do.

"So do I get a nifty shield spell too?" Not-Buffy asked looking curiously at the ingredients.

"No." Willow snapped. They knew enough to break the last spell, she didn't want them guessing how this one worked.

They shrugged to Xander. "Had to ask."

Giles was already cleaning his glasses. "Shall we?"

It took a while, and Anya had to get the spell book to double check a few things, but eventually they had what they needed. Two hex bags with a fairly exotic mixture in each. Willow had done most of the mixing, channeling some power to activate each part in turn. Tara had made a couple straps while Giles had sown a rough rune on protection on each bag.

All the while Not-Buffy watched with Xander, trying to teach him a strange game using string wrapped around her fingers.

Once finally put together Willow tied the hex bag to her wrist. There was a slight shimmer in the air as the spell activated, but nothing else. "We good?" Not-Buffy asked.

Willow chose not to answer her, instead thinking. "You still hear me?"

"Yes."

"I can."

"We're good." Willow said at last. "Xander, give me your hand." She tied the other bag to him and he shimmered too.

"Not bad." Not-Buffy said looking closely. "If you guys are ready?"

"We are." Willow agreed. "Here's what I'm going to do. We need to get our Buffy back. If it was something inside the Box that did this I'm going to try and counter it. I'm going to need both of you to help me figure out how."

"Just be careful."Giles sent back "I fear the Box is still terribly dangerous and the protection of the shields we've constructed is not without flaws."

"I will be."

Not-Buffy gave Willow a strange look, but whatever they were going to say they kept it to themselves. "Let's go." She said instead and went in the Box.

Xander took a deep breath and followed.

Willow felt slightly less dramatic and went in last. She heard that it was somehow bigger when you went inside, but she only half believed it. So when she stepped through the door and saw just what they meant she was speechless.

It was like a giant cathedral, with gleaming pearl columns surrounding a large central space. In the middle was a strange large, central table. Six sided with something big and complex in the middle. Not-Buffy was at the table, playing about with switches and dials.

Xander was still near the door, "Freaky, right?"

"How?" She asked. "Is it some kind of spell? Some sort of glamour, or illusion…?"

Not-Buffy looked up. "No way. I don't pretend to understand it, but this place really is bigger."

Willow didn't, couldn't, believe it. "It's too big." She sent outside. "It's just too big. It's impossible!"

"I know. I had much the same feeling. Be careful, whatever warnings we've been given I fear they might just be the start. We cannot underestimate anything." Giles sent back. As much as Willow hadn't wanted him included at first she was glad his voice was there now.

At the centre of the impossible room Not-Buffy was still fiddling with the controls. After one sequence that didn't make any sense a panel rose up. Inside was what looked like a tv screen. A bunch of strange symbols began scrolling across it. Each ending in a red glyph.

"So." Not-Buffy looked up from the monitor in the console. "Bad news, good news and really bad news." She told them cheerfully. "The bad news is that from what I can tell the corridors linking this room with the rest of the the Box are still too broken to use. The good news is that the service ducts I used last time are still there and they are a lot safer."

"So what's the really bad news?" Xander asked.

Not-Buffy winced. "That between the ducts and the central room… Well it's the most dangerous place possible. It's the main power room. Now it's stable, but you know. Power room."

"And why do we need to get to this central room?" Willow asked.

"It's the only part that can access the rest of this place. Including the Archive." They explained. "If we're going to find anything out that's where we need to be."

"Can't you bring it up here?"

"There is a databank, but most of it was wiped in the crash. What was left… Well that's a long story. Come on, I'll tell you on the way." They lifted a panel in the floor up. There was a ladder that lead down.

"So, we're going down into Giles's basement?" Xander asked.

Not-Buffy rolled her eyes. "We're at the top, we have to go down."

"Yes but…"

"We're still in the box Xander. We're just going down."

Willow looked down the hole. It was deep. Very deep. "So, we're going down. Below this room, but still inside the Box. Even though we're going beneath it?" She tried to reason it out.

"T…that's not possible." Tara's voice came to her. It took a little effort but Willow was able to let both her and Giles listen in. They couldn't see what she was seeing, but they could hear.

"I'm looking at it" Willow sent. "Unless she dug a massive hole…"

"It could all still be an illusion, be careful." Giles interrupted.

"Follow me and watch your heads." Not-Buffy said, "Just don't touch anything if you can help it and stick close."

Willow followed with Xander behind. Luckily no one was scared of heights as they passed several floors on the way down. There was no way Not-Buffy had dug this far, but somehow they kept going. Way past the basement and even deeper. "The walls are some sort of copper and steel." Willow reported. "There are hexagon shaped gaps, they look like shafts. They all lead to dead ends." She sent. "Wait, Not-Buffy is stopping."

"This one." They pointed at a larger gap than the others. Stepping off the ladder she waited for Willow and Xander to catch up. While the tunnel was bigger they still needed to half crouch to get down it. "So, you want to hear my theory?"

"Sure." Xander said leaning around a cable coming from the side.

"Right. So this whole thing was about to blow up."

"When?"

"When I found it and me, Xander and Giles first went inside." Not-Buffy explained. "We didn't mention that part?"

"No." Willow said carefully.

"We've been busy I guess." She shrugged back. "Anyway, if it had blown up things would have been bad. Very bad. The Box has like this psychic circuit thing. It found me and dumped what it could of the databanks in my head to try and get me to fix it. I think that's why I know all this stuff now."

"The Box told you?" Xander asked.

"I think we can agree it's a pretty freaky Box."

"But what about this whole two hearts thing?" Willow asked.

"Whoever had this thing before must have not been human. It need me to be the same." They explained. "There's just two things that worry me, if I'm right."

"Only two?"

"The first is why me? I get it Slayer and all that, but it feels like there was a reason. Or more of one. The second is just what else this Box is capable of. I mean I just said it crashed. I have no idea how I know that but crashed means something. I think this Box is… not a car and not a plane. I don't know what."

"And you don't know?" Willow said, disbelievingly.

"Either the knowledge wasn't needed, or something went wrong." Not-Buffy admitted. "Given how wrecked this place is I'm betting on the latter. Here we are." They stopped next to a large hatch with a very scary looking handle. Whatever was locked on the other side was meant to stay locked.

"It's a large hatch. Sort of like one on a big ship." She explained to the others what they were in front of. "There's a window. It's covered. I'm getting a strange feeling from the other side. I can't describe it."

Not-Buffy opened a cabinet on a one side. Pulling out a welder's mask and a pair of blacked out goggles. "They'll have to do." She said handing them over. "Okay, deep breaths. On the other side there's a gantry. Take a left and run. At the far side is a ladder, like the one we used to get down here. Xander, you go first. Run, don't walk. Climb that ladder, get the hatch open. When you're up there get out of the way. Will follow, I'll be right behind once I've closed this door."

"Is it that dangerous?" Willow asked. "What is it?"

"Some questions you don't ask." Not-Buffy said grimly. "There are answers that are worse than not knowing."

Reluctantly Willow put the welder's mask on and pulled it down. "What about you?" Xander asked.

By the time Willow had looked back Not-Buffy had her glasses back on, only now they had what looked like sunglasses clipped to the top. She flipped them down, somehow able to make it look stylish. "I'm good. So we clear on what we have to do?"

"Willow, ask what these precautions are for." Giles sent. Willow repeated.

"The light, obviously. There might also be some radiation. Nothing too bad, but long term exposure is not good. Those protection spells of yours will help, so I'm glad you brought them. Ready? Let's go."

"Wait," Xander asked. "Radiation from what?"

Not-Buffy had already opened the door and what could only be called a howling abyss was there. Gold and blue light seemed to outline the door, blown in on a hollow, echoing wind that tore at Willow and her clothes. "Go! Go!" She shouted waving Xander through.

He dashed through. Willow was close behind, but she was being buffeted by the gale almost immediately. It was like trying to run against a storm. The gantry was a metal mesh, a safety rail either side and nothing but darkness either side. In stark contrast what looked like witchfire gleamed from every surface. A cascading rainbow of light sketching colours she had barely heard of let alone seen before danced from everything. In a strange way it was beautiful.

"It's hard to move." She reported. "Can barely catch my breath… We're above something… Something… Oh great goddess! What is that? What is it?"

She had stopped, her hands on the rough and scarred hand rail. Willow looked down from above on something that clawed and tore at her very soul. It was a void, an emptiness that felt infinitely hungry. Surrounded by the same halo of multi coloured, almost fractured, light that clung to everything. Even her. "What is that!" She screamed into the wind that snatched her voice away.

Suddenly Not-Buffy was at her side, pushing her on. "Move Will!" They shouted back, a shining wraith of colour and darkness that would have burnt Willow's eyes out were it not for the mask.

Still too stunned to move she could only ask again. "What am I looking at?"

"The End of All Things!" Not-Buffy shouted back. "Run!" Her half English voice thundered in Willow's mind.

"But… but…"

"Run Willow!" Tara urged in her head.

"You heard her!"

Willow, spurred on by her friends, tore herself away from the sight that would haunt her nightmares and dreams in equal measure. Half running, half scrambling she pulled herself away and up the ladder. Not-Buffy right behind her.

At the top Xander practically had to haul her out of the hatch and into the next room. There, splayed out and panting for air, Willow was barely aware of Xander and Not-Buffy closing the hatch and sealing it.

"Willow" Giles and Tara were calling her "Willow!"

"She's alright." Not-Buffy interrupted. Her strange voice causing Willow to sit up. "What? You guys have been shouting at each other like this all this time. You thought it was secret?"

"You can read our thoughts?" Giles sent.

They shook their head. "No, but I can hear you all when you try to talk like this."

Willow picked herself up, her legs were shaking, but with an effort she stood. "What, what was that down there?" She asked aloud, at last taking off the mask. "You said something about endings?"

"The End of All Things." Not-Buffy repeated, also out loud. "It's the Eye of Harmony."

"It's what now?" Xander asked. He too was panting for breath. The only one that wasn't was Not-Buffy.

They scratched their ear. "If I was to put it simply; it's a trans-temporal quantum superposition, held in a state of constant equilibrium, that is capable of absorbing matter and converting it to pure energy." They frowned for a moment. "Yep, that sounds about right."

"And if you were to put it in English?" Xander asked, repeating the joke from earlier

"Good Lord!" Giles said, catching on before anyone else.

"It's the heart of a Black Hole. The Black Hole. Connected to the core of every other one through a complicated process I don't entirely understand and really don't want to try and explain. Its Singularity in its both most absolute and abstract form. The End of All Things." Not-Buffy said seriously in a voice that made Willow want to throw up. "That clear things up?"

"You have a caged black hole in your basement?"

"No, I have small piece of every black hole down there." She clarified. "Like I said, I'm a bit worried about this Box."

"You're worried?" Tara's voice gasped in Willow's mind.

Not-Buffy smiled. "Oh yes. Fun though." Then she said aloud, "I don't want to have to do that again, luckily we're in the Cloister Room now. So Willow and Xander, you can start looking through books while I get to work finding a way out here that doesn't involve walking across the Event Horizon of Ultimate Doom!"

Trying to ignore Not-Buffy's comment of Ultimate Doom Willow looked around, for the first time taking in where they had ended up. It looked like the inside of an old cathedral. The walls were stone arches that spread like branches into the wood panelled ceiling in the middle was a stone dome set in floor with four poles in a square around it. There was also a computer screen on one side, with wires and cables plugged into the stone.

She moved around to get a better view and saw that there was no keyboard, instead in front of the screen was a jumble of dials, switches and sliding knobs that made no sense to her.

Not-Buffy stepped past her and started to work on the controls. Willow knew computers, but what Not-Buffy was doing made no sense.

She sent that to the others outside the box. "It's hard to describe Will." Not-Buffy hijacked the psychic connection again. "Each control does a different thing, depending on where the others are set. You need to think fourth dimensionally. It's why I have to be this me."

"You are not Buffy." Willow sent "When I find out how you did this I'm bringing her back to kick your butt."

"Okay, whatever." Not-Buffy said aloud in her half english accent and rolled her eyes before pointed over to one of the walls. "Over there are the flight manuals. Good luck."

Fuming Willow grudgingly went to the books to check them out. Xander followed. "What was that about?"

"I don't trust them." Willow explained.

"Me neither, but we have no idea what's going on." Xander pointed out. "That's why we're here. To find out more, so let's do it."

Still unhappy Willow turned to the books. There was one already off the shelf and on a lectern. It was massive, easily bigger than most books Giles kept, and that was saying something. "Help me close this." She asked and between them they shut the tomb.

She tried to read the front cover when, once again, something strange happened. At first she couldn't understand the writing. It looked like a combination of Old Greek, Russian and some other language. None of the letters even looked English. Then, as she was trying to figure out how to send it to Giles for help the letters rearranged themselves. Morphing and changing into English, surrounding a circular glyph made of rings and indented semi-circles. "That just happen?" She asked.

"You mean can I read that now? Oh yes." Xander agreed. "I hate this place." He said to no one in particular.

"Flight operations manual. Travel capsule. Mark Seven, type 85." She read aloud, sending it psychically at the same time. Opening the cover she read the first page. "Time and Relative Dimension In Space. Volume One, Index."

She looked at Xander and back at the wall of books. "Oh boy."

End Chapter Two