Chapter 14: Dark Age

Nov. 10, 1998

Outside Sunnydale High – 7pm

Philip Henry walked desperately to a door, a sheen of sweat on his face.

"Can I help you?"

Philip startled by the unexpected voice turned and saw a custodian about to empty a trash can in a dumpster.

"Rupert Giles. I need to see him..." Philip answered.

"Mr. Giles, he's our librarian. Next building over, first door on your left," the custodian said as he pointed the way. He watched as Philip walked away at a quick brisk pace until the man rounded the corner of the building. "You're welcome."

Philip looked ahead and saw a door marked CLASSROOM BUILDING/LIBRARY. He heard a noise behind him and as he turned to see what it was he found nothing. He turned to head quickly for the door. Suddenly there was a sticky, sickening sound. He turned and looked behind him his eyes going wide at what he saw, a figure with flowing eyes. "Oh God..."

Philip stepped back away from the figure, nearly tripping on the steps outside the building. The figure moved unrelentingly closer. Philip got a good look at the figure as it passed into the light and his knees buckled beneath him. "...Deirdre?"

Deirdre smiled showing off her full set of black, rotted teeth. She advanced toward Philip as he got to his feet and ran to the door.

"God, no! Help!" Philip said as he fumbled with the door, he struggled to get it open. When the door finally opened he saw as Deirdre'S grisly hand slammed it shut. "Help me...!"

Inside Sunnydale High, Library – Same Time

Buffy was doing step-aerobics as she listened to the loud dance music that came from her communicator. Even though they now had the help of the crews of Valkyrie and the Enterprise as well as the Cylons in protecting Sunnydale. She had decided to keep up with her Slayer training anyways. Nearby, Giles attempted to read a book as he took a sip of tea.

"Must we have such noise during your calisthenics?" Giles asked trying to talk over the music.

"It's not noise, it's music," Buffy answered.

"I know music. Music has notes. This is noise," Giles replied.

"So says the man with the memories of Captain Kirk who has likely heard this and a lot of other forms of music," Buffy said. "Anyway's I'm aerobicizing. I must have the beat."

Giles sighed, he knew Buffy was right. Kirk had heard music from this time period as well as his own.

Outside Sunnydale High – Same Time

"Somebody, please!" Philip yelled as Deidre glided her arm around Philip's neck from behind until it tightens around his neck, squeezing the life out of him. Her eyes glow brighter as his final scream was cut short as she breaks his neck.

Inside Sunnydale High, Library – Same Time

Buffy picked up her communicator as the song ended. "Thanks, Marie."

"Your welcome, Buffy," came Marie's reply from the communicator.

Buffy flipped the communicator closed as she looked at Giles.

"Ah. Very good. The rest is silence," Giles said.

Nov. 11, 1998

Sunnydale High – 9 am

Buffy, Dawn and Willow sat in the quad. It had been decided for now that the Scoobies would remain in school when not offword on a Stargate mission or dealing with business with the Enterprise, Basestar, Valkyrie or Hapes. For now till the news of the Republic was made known it was best to keep the secret. They did plan to reveal themselves in the coming weeks especially when Hapes would be seen in the night sky around the same time.

"I'm on a beach. Not an American beach - one of those island beaches where the water is way too blue. It's just before sunset, I'm lying on a towel and Nicholas Cage is massaging my feet," Buffy said.

"That's good," Dawn said.

"Uh, i'm in Florence, Italy," Willow said. "I've rented a scooter which is parked outside. I'm in a little restaurant having ziti and there's no more tables so they have to seat this guy with me and it's Matt Damon."

"Very impressive. An eye for detail," Buffy said as she smiled at her friend.

"'Cause, with the ziti," Willow said excitedly as Xander joined them. They saw Cordelia heading on into the school. Till the reveal they wanted to pretend everything as it was before. Afterall before Halloween Cordelia had been the Queen of Sunnydale High.

"What are you guys up to?" Xander asked.

"Just having a quick game of, Anywhere But Here," Buffy explained.

"Amy Yip at the waterslide park," Xander said.

"You never come up with anything new," Willow said as the four of them started toward the doors.

"I'm not fickle like you three, okay?" Xander said as he looked directly at Buffy.

Buffy sighed, she and Xander had yet to come back to the discussion they had after waking in the same bed the morning after Halloween. She knew it was mostly her fault as she continued to debate with herself if she still cared for Angel.

It was then that they saw Marie standing next to Giles.

"What's Marie doing here?" Buffy asked. "She'll be recognized."

"Don't know," Dawn said. "Maybe you should find out. Be less suspicious if I'm not there."

"Agreed," Buffy said as she walked toward Giles and Marie.

"Did you forget when I am from, Giles?" Marie asked. "I know what's about to happen. So does Jenny. She does happen to have the memories of my Buffy, remember?"

"What you remember may not happen in this reality, Marie," Giles replied. "We have to take a grain of salt with such information. Some things simply because of the change in costumes and the fact that I and Jenny also dressed up, could turn out to be different. After all in your reality you never heard of the Stargate."

"True," Marie said as Buffy walked up to them. She smiled at her sister. "Hi, Buffy, I have some news. I've been talking to General Hammond. If mom is up for it, I'm officially going to be yours and Dawn's cousin. Hopefully that will explain away why Dawn and I look alike."

"I'm sure mom would like that," Buffy said. "Now what's going on? I overheard something about information from the other reality."

"And I suggest that for now all information from Marie's reality should remain classified till we know if our world and hers align. Afterall things have already changed," Giles said. "As was evidenced with your friend Billy Fordham. Jenny told me about what happened in Marie's reality. How he was to trap you for some vampires so he could go through with his plan."

Buffy sighed and nodded. She looked toward Marie and smiled. "He's right, Marie. Such information could prove useful or not as we determine how far our reality differs from the one you came from."

"Alright," Marie said. "Then let's make this a test. Tonight a transport van is supposed to arrive at the hospital bringing a supply of blood. Vampires meet the van impersonating doctors."

"Not much of a test," Giles said. "After all if they are there then they were destined to be there despite the changes that has already happened in this reality."

"Then the test should start with that and end with the destruction of the entity you and I were talking about," Marie said. "I will remain in Sunnydale till its conclusion as to monitor the situation."

It was then that Jenny approached them. "Hello, Marie," she said. She leaned over and kissed Marie on the cheek. Upon Giles and Buffy's looks she smiled at the pair. "I have her Buffy's memories, remember?"

"I don't kiss Dawn like that," Buffy said.

Jenny and Marie shrugged and walked away from Giles and Buffy.

"I was wondering," Jenny said. "If you would like to go on a date. I want to see if I feel what your Buffy felt for you."

"I'd like that," Marie said.

"Now that's out of the way. First Officer to Ship's Counselor. Did you tell Giles about Eyghon?"

"I did and he made a very good argument. Things in my world have not gone the same in this world. So I proposed that this be a test. That said since you know what is coming also, we know the end hopefully will not end the same."

Sunnydale High, Library – 9:15 am

Giles walked into the library and saw two uniformed police officers and a woman standing there waiting for him. He had hoped that Marie had been wrong.

"Rupert Giles?"

"Yes?" Giles said.

"Detective Winslow," the woman said as she flashed her badge. "You're going to have to come with me."

"Why?" Giles asked.

"There was a homicide on campus last night," Winslow explained. "The victim had no identification. But he was carrying this slip of paper with your name and address on it." She handed Giles the slip of paper, in a tagged evidence baggy just Cordelia walked through the library door.

"My name?" Giles said as he looked at the slip of paper.

"Commander Cal…" Cordelia started to say before she noticed the police officers and detective. She looked at Giles and mouthed, "are they hear for the reveal?"

Giles shook his head to indicate that they weren't here for the reveal of the Republic. "If you need to get any books, Cordelia. Go ahead," he said as Cordelia nodded and headed into the stacks. He turned back toward the detective. "Where is it you want me to go?"

Sunnydale Police Department, Morgue – 10 am

The morgue attendant eyed Giles as he opened the drawer and pulled out the slab that held a sheeted body. "Have you had breakfast?" he asked.

"No," Giles replied.

"That was probably a good idea," the morgue attendant said as he pulled the sheet off of the body, revealing Philip.

Winslow who stood off to the side noticed a reaction cross Giles' face. "Do you know him?"

Giles looked toward the detective and nodded slowly. "Yes. I mean, I did. His name is Philip Henry. He was a friend of mine in London. I haven't spoken to him in twenty years."

"Can you think of any reason he might have wanted to contact you?" Winslow asked.

Giles turned and looked back at Philip's body or more accurately the tattoo on Philip's arm. The same tattoo he himself had. "No..." he lied.

"Do you know what that is? The tattoo?" Winslow asked noting what Giles was looking at.

"No. No, I don't," Giles replied.

USS Enterprise, Briefing Room – 3 pm

Giles after he had positively identified Philip, Detective Winslow had questioning him for a couple hours. When he was finally free to leave he had beamed up to the Enterprise and went straight to Marie, now they saw in the briefing room as he finished telling her about day.

"So you say that it was your friend," Marie asked as she looked at Giles from across the desk.

"Yes," Giles answered. He knew her asking was out of politeness. Not only could she sense his emotions she had tried to warn him that morning what was about to happen. "It's Eyghon isn't it? Eyghon killed him."

"Yes," Marie said with a sigh.

"What about Deirdre?" Giles asked.

"I don't know," Marie said. "I assume she's dead. I know that Buffy arrived at your apartment tonight after making sure the blood delivery reached the hospital staff and overheard you on the phone. You were talking to someone trying to find out about someone and having no luck. After that Ethan seeks you out and Buffy finds him in the school library. While there they are attacked by Eyghon. The sounds of the attack reach the neighboring computer classroom and draw Xander, Willow, Cordelia and Jenny to the library. You show up moments later after they have secured Philip in the book cage. Philip breaks out and goes after you or Ethan. In the insuing chaos Jenny is knocked unconscious. Philip then desolves into a puddle and via that puddle Eyghon possesses Jenny."

"How do we kill Eyghon?" Giles asked.

"Angel," Marie answered.

Giles nodded as he sighed. "If I may, Marie. In your reality you are not Buffy's twin but her younger sister, correct?"

"Yes," Marie said, "by six years."

"So you wouldn't normally have knowledge of what was happening while Buffy was in high school."

"Correct," Marie answered with a sigh. "Part of what I know came from Buffy. After all I am almost three hundred years old and she and I had plenty of time to talk in that three hundred years. What my Buffy didn't tell me, Jenny does."

"Because Jenny holds your Buffy's memories," Giles said as he nodded.

Sunnydale Hospital - 9:00 pm

Buffy glanced down at her watch that read, 9:03. She looked around and saw Giles finally pulling his car into a parking spot. He got out and joined Buffy.

"Buffy," he said.

"Your late," Buffy said.

"Sorry," Giles said. "I had to talk to Marie."

"Is this about what the police were doing in the library?" Buffy asked as Giles looked at her. "Cordelia mentioned it."

"Yes," Giles said. "When I was younger, I was studying history at Oxford and of course the occult by night. I hated it. The boring grind of school, the pressure of my "destiny". So I dropped out. I went to London, fell in with the worst crowd that would have me. That was when I met Etan. We practiced magicks. Small stuff, for pleasure or gain. And then Etan discovered something a little bigger. Eyghon. We put one of us into a deep sleep and the others would summon him. It was an extraordinary high. God, we were fools. One of us, Randall, he lost control. Eyghon took him whole. We tried to exorcise the demon from Randall, but it killed him. We killed him."

"You thought you were free then didn't you," Buffy said.

"Yes," Giles replied. "Sadly Eyghon is back." He noticed headlights as a car pulled into the hospital parking lot. "We'll finish this later." He pulled out two phasers and handed one to Buffy. "Their set on their maximum setting, hopefully it should distengrate the vampires. You have stakes though just in case?"

"Yes," Buffy said.

The driver got out of the car as what looked to be interns walked up to him.

"Wait till the driver is out of the way," Giles said.

One of the interns signed the clipboard that the driver held in front of him. Then after getting an ice chest out of the car the driver got back in and drove away.

"How do we know their not actual doctors?" Buffy asked.

Giles held up a tricorder and smiled. "Their dead. I'm picking up no life signs from them."

Buffy and Giles lifted their phasers and fired. The interns distengrated as soon as the phaser beam hit them.

"I will take this inside," Giles said. "Meet me at the library in the morning and we'll finish our discussion after I get Angel." He noticed Buffy's quizzical look. "Marie said Angel was needed in her reality to finally kill Eyghon."

Nov. 12, 1998

Sunnydale High, Library – 9 am

Buffy walked into the library as she heard a noise coming from the stacks. "Giles?" she called out. She headed up the stairs and into the stacks. She made her way through the stacks looking for the sound of the noise. Suddenly a bookshelf toppled toward her, she rolled out of the way as it crashed to the floor.

Buffy saw the person who had knocked the bookshelf over. She leapt over the downed bookcase and grabbed him. She spun him around and frowned at who she saw, Ethan Rayne. "Etan," she spat.

"You have your mother's fire," Ethan said.

"So you know my mother is Kitana Riaden," Buffy said.

"Of course I do, your highness," Ethan replied.

Buffy sent a right hook into his jaw.

Ethan worked his mouth back and forth. "You definitely have your mother's fire. Kitana is legendary back on Edenia. You being her daughter had to have inherited her abilities."

"I take it you are here because of Eyghon?" Buffy asked as Ethan looked at her before nodding.

"Giles will be here in a little bit," Buffy said. "We were to plan on how to kill it." She sighed as she pulled out her communicator and flipped it open. "Commander Summers to Captain Giles."

"Go ahead, Buffy."

"I have Etan," Buffy said. "Should I have him beamed up to the Enterprise and put in the brig?"

"For now wait till I arrive," Giles replied. "Once we have taken care of Eyghon, then we'll see what your mother wants done with him."

It was then that Philip crashed through the window in Giles' office. He turned and headed for Buffy and Ethan. Ethan deftly put Buffy between himself and Philip.

"Buffy?"

"Hurry, Giles, I believe Eyghon just found us," Buffy said.

"I'm pulling off the road. I will have the Enterprise beam me straight there."

Buffy roundhouse kicked Philip, which didn't seem to phase him. As she let Philip back her towards the book cage she saw Ethan jump the front desk and make a run for the library doors.

"Don't let him get away!" Buffy yelled at Tara, Dawn, Xander, Cordelia, Willow and Jenny. "He is the one responsible for Halloween.

Tara and Dawn pulled out their lightsabers and ignited them as Jenny pulled out her phaser and pointed it at Ethan.

"I take it my spell on Halloween had some side effects," Ethan said as he came to a stop eying the weapons.

Philip lunged at Buffy, she ducked under his arms and booted him into the cage, slamming and locking the cage door on him.

It was then that they heard a ringing of a transporter beam as Marie, Giles, Angel and Joyce materialized.

"Is everyone all right?" Giles asked as everyone said they were.

Joyce stepped toward Ethan and shrank back away from her. He knew too well the pain he could be receiving shortly. "Etan," she said. "You were exiled from Edenia and then I find you here and calling upon the divine and now you are summoning demons. I gave you a chance to learn from the lesson I gave you at Halloween. But apparently you aren't." She looked toward Jenny. "Your phaser, please."

Suddenly Philip kicked open the cage door. Hurled Marie into the wall. She hit her head and fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Marie!" Jenny called out.

"How am I supposed to kill it?" Angel asked as he watched as Buffy punched and kicked Philip.

Xander slid a book cart behind Philip as Buffy knocked Philip into it. He flew backwards over the book cart and landed on the floor. He started to get up as he began to shake. Suddenly Philip collapsed to the floor as his body liquefies.

"That's something you don't see every day," Willow said.

Jenny threw the phaser toward Joyce as she turned to Angel. "As soon as Eyghon enters Marie. You have to attack her. You have to make Eyghon believe its life is at stake and force it to jump into you. Your demon and it will fight and yours will win."

Angel nodded as Joyce turned the phaser on Ethan.

A tiny trickle of liquid touched Marie's hand and it twitched. Marie slowly began to come around.

"Marie?" Jenny said.

"Ow…" Marie said as she held her head.

Jenny glanced at Angel and nodded. She hoped the demon didn't know that Marie was immortal and that this would work.

Angel moved forward and began to strangle Marie. Marie clawed at Angel's hands as she gasped for breath. She looked up at Angel, their eyes locking with one another. Then she howled out in pain as Angel was thrown off her. Marie rolled away coughing.

"Did we kill it?" Cordelia asked.

Angel cried out as his eyes glowed.

"It's in Angel," Jenny said as she knelt next to Marie. "Are you okay, Marie?"

Marie nodded. "I'm glad it worked, I was worried when I came to and found it had control of my body that it might not flee when Angel threatened my life."

They watched as Angel's face morphed from normal, to his vampiric visage to that of the demon. It alternated between the three as Angel's demon battled Eyghon. Finally, the demon screamed out as it faded away. Angel fell to the ground as Buffy rushed over to him.

Buffy helpped Angel to his feet as she put the pieces together. She looked at Jenny and Marie. "You guys dealt with this in your reality didn't you? That's how you knew Angel's demon would kill it."

"Yes," Marie said.

Buffy turned toward her mother and Ethan. "Mom I think Senator Kinsey could use some help with those menial chores on the Valkyrie."

Joyce thought about what her daughter was suggesting and smiled. "Yes I think that might be fitting. It will also keep him under guard," she said as she looked back at Ethan. "The alternative is you die, here, Etan. Make your choice."

Ethan looked at Joyce and sighed as he nodded. "I agree."

Sunnydale High, Library – 3 pm

The Sunnydale group sat in the library. They had decided it was time they redo ranks for the vessels in their fleet and the positions in the government.

They decided for the ranks to go with the naval ranks used in Star Trek. Which meant that Cordelia, Buffy, Willow and Xander all received new ranks along with the rest of the crew of the Valkyrie.

Joyce with Dawn's permission became the new Queen Mother of Hapes and was officially elected as President of the Republic.