Chapter 30: A Febuary holiday for Dawn
After a little over a month of travelling and Bounty hunting Dawn had come to the decision that she missed her mothers and Persephone had almost filled her journal with sketches and pictures mixed with the freshly written memories they had just made that only a few pages remained in both girls books. They could finish the last few pages when they returned home and that would also allow them to rest and decompress from the wonderful journey they had just shared together.
Romance and passionate sex was amazing, especially after a job well done and money well made from the bounty gig but both girls just wanted to veg out and watch some crappy movies and eat some calorie dense food to the point of entering a food coma and it was obvious after the last job that they desperately needed to return home and just get some damn sleep, they had so many movies on DVD and VHS that when they got home all they really had to do was grab the food and Persephone was very vocal about getting back to movie nights.
Movie night was something they started early on in their relationship after Dawn realised her girlfriend had never even seen a movie, let alone a television show and in her mind Persephone had so much to catch up on that it was almost a Herculean task to conquer but it must be done. Dawn had a love of English comedies and arsty emo crap as Anya constantly told her whenever movies came up and how it wss weird that both her and Buffy had a weird love for english books and films.
Both women had rode the sleeper train back to Al-kufir after visiting over 20 towns and really layed the smack down on the local criminals to the point that kost of their time spent in each new town was mainly tourist related or romanticly charged. Persephone had enjoyed herself so much that after both women had sketched for an hour and written about their day they would usually read and fall asleep in each others arms until the sun rose and their new day of adventures began.
Dawn had a purple ribbon wrapped around her wrist and Persephone had a dark Pthalo green one as a way to remember their alone time and how connected they had felt during all the travelling they had come accustomed too. Both wkmen felt older but in a good way, road weary hut also content and it was a strange way to feel that when they stepped off the train and took in the fine dusty air of home they almost didn't notice Drusilla waving over to them.
"You silly travellers were in my dreams again last night, i thought i would come and greet you, to welcome you home of course" Drusilla and Dawn hadn't really sproken since she was dating William hut now it didn't feel awkward and she didn't feel defensive, even as she stood upon the train platform hand in hand with her soul mate. she felt oddly happy to see Drusilla and didn't miss William at all and it didn't feel wrong.
She had grown up, made mistakes and hell she technically wasn't even a year old in this form and yet she was eons old in reality and constantly took time to meditate upon her existence with the skills Ruby had taken the time to teach her. Persephone was a great help also, she meditated with her conetantly and there wasn't a koment they were ever really alone and it made her feel... safe.
"It's nice of you to come and see us home, we fancied suprising my mothers and everyone else... but you are a seer so they already know don't they?" Dawn gave the ex vampire a soft and kind smile as Drusilla confirmed her suspicions with a single nod of affirmation before she verbally added to the fact.
"Faith caught me as i was teaching yesterday, the visions can be a bit strong and they were dulled a hit when i was of the undead persuasion. but Faith just cleaned up for you and left you some snacks and home made food for when you returned" Drusilla was only a few feet away and had an umberella up before she handed both women a spare and the sound of thunder and lightning roaring throughout the heavy skies began to make itself known.
"Thank you for the umberella Drusilla... but... i don't want to seem rude..." Dawn was about to ask why on earth was the english women here but her question was rather abruptly interceeded with the answer from the less creepy but definetly still mysterious version of this more human women.
"I saw you both in my visions, nothing bad and not a single dramatic thing occured... it just felt right to come and see you is all. not ever vision needs to serve a greater purpose you know. my powers are not so similar to Buffys of course... her visions are of a great danger to come, mine are... mixed" Drusilla looked to Dawns umberella and she opened it and both herself and Persephone huddled under the big black thing as suddenly the heaven opened and a torrent of thick heavy rain drops scoured the earth beneath their feets inna feverous frenzy.
"You should both go home and rest from your travels, being road weary is never good, myself and William, even Angel would become less than hospitable after a long journey" Drusilla directed both Women to the train station entrance and made it clear she would see them into town, after which she would hopefully leave but Dawn was sure she wanted something from them but she couldn't underetand exactly what.
"You Vampires couldn't exactly travel in the day unless it was extremly overcast, maybe it was the lack of Vitamin or something that made you all so cranky" Dawn joked and Drusilla took it in stride and ahe glided with both women through the rain, something never changed and she was still very vampire like in many ways although she did bask in fhe sun and pray in her small chapel whenever she could.
"Might have been all the murder and blood draining we indulged in... i do hope the lord forgives me for what the demon used my form to do, but then i'd just be making excuses don't you think?" Drusilla hid her darker emotions over her evil very well but if you looked at her clearly enough it was obvious she had many mixed emotions over what her vampiric self had done and how the memories refuse to fade.
Dawn was quiet as she listened to the raindrops fall heavily upon the freshly paved path she knew her mothers had most likely just had installed and instead of musing upon the sudden change to this small part of town she answered Drusilla honestly and without fear of hurting the women.
"I don't really think god would blame you for actions commited when your soul wasn't anywhere near your body... now all the new sins are your own but i can't imagine any god would blame you for somthing you had no control over... ya ex nun you!" Dawn held Persephones hamd just a little tighter and although she took notice of the sudden act she remained silent on the matter as she felt this wasn't her conversation to join in on yet.
Drusilla sighed and used a single finger to place some stray hair behind her ear and give Dawn a kind look as she felt as if the girl who once hated her for many reasons, the greatest of them being William, was now finally growing up and turning into someone who was quite kind hearted. She seemed calmer these last months and even alot kore understanding, it made Drusilla wonder why she saw this young girl in the future visions which plagued her.
"That's kind of you to say but... well, I still struggle with what the demon did in my skin. Faith built me a small chapel round the back of our mountain there you know. she built it into the side of the rock nest to my house" Drusilla happily smiled as she remembered the day Faith suprised her with her own private place of prayer only 2 weeks past and it had made her heart swell with a deep love.
"Although having a good Jesus statue and cross provider in this dimension is impossible, she charmed a Sunnydale Nun and a stonemason to get me a decent layout for the small shrine. Your mother is quite the angelic figure when she wants to be" The rain seemed to stabilise and just kept heavily falling as the entered to the back end of the town and were begining to pass buisnesses and houses of all the people they knew and loved.
People were hidden away from the weather exceot the snake and lizard kin who waved and greeted them as they passed. many welcomed Dawn and Persephone home with an open palm and a hug or a wrap around with their tails upon her wrist to mimic a handshake. It made her feel good to be back and loved beyond anything she had ever felt in Sunnydale, but then again her smaller and much blonder mother wasn't the mayor of that hellhole.
As they passed the lizard section and entered the town proper she could see Jean smoking outside by the Saloon windows and admiring the unusually rainy weather and he hadn't noticed them at all as they were still way to far away to be seen anyway. Dawn just had superb vision and it seemed Drusilla and Persephone shared the same quality about them as they all decided innsilence to walk over to Jean and say hello.
"You know Dawn... I've never been happier since i came here, even William couldn't understand it but we be know him way too well don't we... a rebellious poet who just yearns for adventure. and yet me and you just want a home to call their own. isn't that why you both came back so quickly?" Drusilla didn't even seem to worry about speaking of their ex boyfriend in such an open manner and the only one who most certainly didn't enjoy it was Persephone who Dawn could feel didn't enjoy the direction this conversation had just started going.
"My mothers knew it would never last and well... i was young and i made mistakes, we both did... didn't we" Dawn used her thumb to rub the back of Persephones hand and keep her calm but Drusilla wasn't purposefully in the buisness of annoying her soulmate and she knew that which is why she was careful choosing her words.
"Hmmm... when i turned him i was looking for a Gallant knight, bravest in all the land! he'll be that knight one day for i have seen it... i see all in the end. probably the reason I returned to god when you think about it" Drusilla was walking side by side with them both at a reasonable pace and the were only halfway down the main street and Jean still hadn't noticed them as he puffed away on his cigar.
"I have learned to not rush into too much anymore, but you have a point Drusilla... myself, like my mothers want a loving and quiet life." Dawn turned her neck to look at Persephone whose purple eyes gleamed under the odd light of the unnaturally colored sky and she finished her words with a sweet softness she only reserved for this woman and her alone.
"I knew i found my future the moment i saw her across the floor in that Saloon, the way her purple eyes caught mine under the low lamp light... I think everyone in the room knew. But here i stand with no shame whatsoever, i truly hope you find someone that takes your breath away and makes your heart race just by entering a room, it is good for the soul afterall" Dawn kissed Persephones cheek and she couldn't help but blush as Dawns word touched her heart as softly and sweetly as her lips had her cheeks.
Drusilla placed her hand upon her breast and felt a pang of longing escape her lips but thankfully it went unnoticed by the two lovebirds, Dawn was also exceptionally more elegant then the last time she spied her from across the way and it seemed to be proof that Dawn was quite a bit more of Faith then she was of Buffy, they both beamed elegance and had done so the moment they reached the right age and circumstance.
"I must confess your love does strike a pang of jealousy within myself Dawn, you are turning into quite the proper young women. Many would consider you English more than American and believe me that's a thing of gracious luck on your part... but then again Faith was once wild before she matured and now she is a wonderful teacher and artist" Drusilla found that she let some of her more refined sslf come out whenever Dawn was around and it was a strange feeling she was very ill accustomed toward.
"Well Faith is a little bit of an enigma here and there, Buffy also enjoys english literature and poetry so that is more likely where I received my more English sensibilities from... I find my countenance as do my interests, seem to align somewhere between both my mothers" Dawn was calm as the lightning struck a weather vane a few hundred feet away by the town gate, Drusilla and Persephone also, but it did give Drusilla a brief moment to form her next thought as they were almost to the Saloon and would greet Jean happily as usual.
"You are their pride and joy, when Buffy joined me for afternoon tea and could barely keep herself together with the worry she felt upon your absense and Faith when we were in the middle of a mid day coffee break was happily regaling me with tales of your strength and intellect" Drusilla couldn't help but notice a small grin appear upon Dawns lips as she heard of how her mothers were full of worry and also pride, it meant they loved her and she was extremely lucky to have parents who felt that way as not many did.
"You are a blessed being Dawn, one day you'll be stronger than your mothers... especially with all that constantly growing magic inside you. hopefully all that power won't go to your head like it does with so many others" Drusilla gave Dawn a look that made the young women believe for a moment that maybe the seeress had seen something in their future but her next words put a rest to that idea quickly.
"Take a breath Dawn, i didn't see anything other than you being here today oh and Sina is going to fall of a ladder and sprain her leg tommorow but she said that'll never happen so she'll be suprised round about mid day but she'll live" Drusilla waved towards Jean who had finally noticed the three women comin closer and talking without a care in the world and he ran to greet them with his little oinks getting nearer and his half smoked cigar bobbing constantly in his swinular mouth.
"Dawn my dearest when did you get home? you should of called ahead and the gaurd could of escorted you both home, especially under this dreary old sky. There's a storm comin in... i give ir bout half hour before evedy shutter is double locked and bolted shut!" Jean puffed up a storm as Drusilla stood next to him to shield the little pig man from the rather thick rain pelting down upon him.
"Oh, now why on Earth would we of all people need an escort about our own hometown? seems a little drastic for a storm don't you think Jean?" both questions escaped Dawns lips but Persephone was quicker to carry on that train of thought.
"We have sent you our reports afterall and we have freed and rescued many, thankfully while also enjoying the more civilised delights of a wonderful month long holiday. But we did miss you Jean and the rain is lovely when you so rarely stand underneath it" her piercing purple eyes which intimidated many were filled with happiness as Dawn held her tight and closer than ever whilst their friend just waved the idea out of the air that they should be walking around ungaurded in a soon to be rather heavy storm.
"Now hush, it's not a matter of security as any of the gaurds would be happy to escort you home or anywhere you like... people just miss you is all and the school children have some silly idea in their heads you've gone to slay dragons and moutain trolls... mind you it's better than cannibals and pedophilic death cults i suppose" Jean puffed the last of his cigar and chucked it to the floor and stamped it out with his booted hoof before lighting another from his never ending supply.
Dawn chuckled softly as the rain became heavier, "Well towns were saved none the less, let them think i slew a few trolls and rescued a princess or two. it's good for the children to have dreams and whilst they dream we can make our home a much safer place by hunting all those evil doers!" Dawn was jovial and filled with wonder at the idea the school children had such vivid imaginings conjured at her absense and it gave her a much needed boost of confidence that she was in fact doing the right thing incoming home so early.
Persephone gave a cheeky smile as she looked over towards her beautiful partner and spoke freely within a playful tone. "What my heroic and much better half here wishes to say is that we worked hard, played harder and we missed you all so much we felt as the Germans would say 'Heimweh' or so i have read in a few other worldly books" Persephone had confused Jean with the German word but Drusilla was quick to make the translation clear for him.
"Heimweh means they were both feeling homesick and they just had to return... i spent quite a many year in Germany and also the Swiss alps... Ich kann sehr gut Deutsch sprechen, aber ab und zu vermisse ich das Land. not that you would understand my meaning anyway" Drusilla's sudden change to German was natural feeling and rsther impressive but Jean found himself just even more confused and decided to invite the women in for a drink before they returned home.
"Come in and have a drink before you both go home for the day, but no more German please as i can not understand a damn word and it sounds too soft on the old ear for me" Jean was happy to see they all nodded in agreement and followed him eagerly into the Saloon of which only a few locals and working girls were currently busy drinking and drumming up trade.
"Barkeep the ladies need a drink and will someone tell Majistrix to stop leaving her ledger on the bleeding window seal again! I swear she'd lose her tail if it wasn't attached" Jean picked up the ledger in an extremely animated fashion and chucked it to one of the boy whores who thankfully had some great reflexes or he would of got that hard leather bound monster of a book to the nose and with the force it was chucked with that would of been quite a tragedy for the young man.
Drusilla ordered their drinks and had them all delivered to the side booth at the far side of the bar where they could speak in private away from the few customers and workers who seemed ro be looking out the windows and lost in their own little personal worlds. It didn't seem all that bad either, getting drunk as a skunk and just watching the rain fall inna place where you'd rarely see it.
Dawn had ordered a Pomegranite nuka cola as she had grown accustomed to the taste and Persephone had mint and lemon flavored one where as Drusilla ordered a peach tea with a little alcohol mixed in with it and Dawn could smell how strong it was but kept her mouth shut as she didn't fancy judging peoples choices today as it was too dour for such a thing anyway.
Dawn had tried her first sip of Alcohol on new years eve and been whole heartedly against consuming alcohol ever again as she was most certainly not a fan in the slightest and everyone had come to know it as she had spent an entire hour trying to understand why anyone would enjoy 'that crap' as she put it in less than congenial terms.
"I never noticed it until now but you're not much of a drinker are you? probably for your own self betterment though considering the long term drunken affectations one can suffer from" Drusilla sipped her alcohol fueled peach concoction and chuckled to herself as she remembered that when she had drunk too much in the past she had been quite a flirt and yet these days she was very careful to not drink very much at all and it had made her life a whole lot less complicated.
"But Faith also abstains doesn't she? where as i've seen Buffy drink a little here and there if it tastes nice... oh well, it doesn't matter anyway, i'm just sitting here thinking to myself openly for no real reason" Drusilla noticed how Dawn scooched up closer to persephone and the light skinned beauty happily received her closeness and placed a spare non nuka cola hand upon her lovers thigh and squeezed softly.
Dawn closed both eyes momentarily and lightly upturned her mouth and that's when Drusilla came to the conclusion that Dawn was very cat like and it showed in her elegant nature but aparently also her romantic life also.
"Drusilla... nothing strange has happened since we've been away has it? afterall I've never seen it rain here, not once" Dawn asked as she took a long swig of her Nuka cola and she felt instantly refreshed by the sudden sugar intake but Drusilla just brushed off the question with a shoulder shrug.
"Only weird thing that's happened here since you've been gone is how quickly the towns been renovated by your mothers money, Buffys been working her ass off lately but... well i shouldn't say anything really as it's not my place" Drusilla drank her tea down halfway and she could feel she would probably need a second afterall but didn't want to dejnk so quickly now she was human as a vampires constitution far outpaced her human limits and she didn't fancy leaving this world from over drinking.
"Well you should tell us... we'll just find out anyway later and Dawns not a child ya know, she can handle anything you throw her way no matter how bad it may seem" Persephone didn't like the way Drusilla was or how she spoke but the beautifully tall women kept her cool for her soulmate as she was aware there was no need for a stern word to be uttered unless there was no other option.
Drusilla chuckled as she realised Persephone thought some unsightly secret was being kept but it wasn't and she decided to just let her words slip free but then again that might be the alcohol loosening her lips. "it's nothing bad littlw one... Buffys just planning ahead for darker times, she has quite the head on her shoulders when she's motivated you know... probably why we shared those visions a few years ago... both of us are seers in our own ways" Dru placed a hand on Dawns free one which was something that confused the young women and also made Persephones nails dig into Dawns thigh but she signaled her to hold back with a well placed look and she didnas she was told.
Dawns eyes fell back to Drusillas piercing orbs as she spoke "Your mother is scared she won't win against Glory so she is building you a home and a fortress, it seems she is still plagued by the visions from her Slayer powers, well angelic powers now i guess" Drusilla looked around the room to make sure no one was listening or looking in on them as she was never trusting of anyone and it wasn't something that would ever change and she knew that by now.
"Don't let them know, they have enough to worry about with the coming Goddess that your worrying will just amplify their stress. You must stay strong and maybe do little things for them both, bring souvenirs from your travels or just spend more time with them both, alone mayhaps if they prefer it..." Drusilla spoke so softly that the words really did penetrate her deeply and she turned to her lover who seemed to agree with everything the ex vampress had just said.
Drusilla let her hand go free with a light tap of her fingertips across her knuckles and Persephone loosened her powerful and posessive grip go as the dark beauty spoke in a still and soft tone. "This is the reason i met you today after my vision, i just worry they are putting too much upon themselves and even though they are impossibly strong... well a fall is a fall and it can happen at anytime, I've seen it quite a bit in my hundreds of years walking the earth" her face fell at the memories that flooded her mind.
Dawn swallowed her fear of the idea and spoke softly in hushed tones "You were their enemy once Drusilla, why help them now? what do you gain from any of this?" her question seemed to stab at her quite a bit behind the eyes but she steeled herself and retorted with wn understanding resilience to her voice at the understandable accusation.
"They saved my soul, maybe helping them is my way of repaying them or maybe not. maybe i just want to help my friends, i do believe they are so... maybe i just never wanted to be evil at all but you know what 'he' did to me don't you" Drusilla was referencing the torments she suffered at the hands of Angel and due to their shared memories Persephone actually caught on to what the were speaking about but remained silent.
Dawns voice seemed to falter as she replied, knowing full well the evil of Angelus and the torments Drusilla had suffered at the behest of his artful madness. "... I am aware, there were many notes on what that man did in the watcher diaries... how much of it is factual and not artful prose i cannot say but..." Dawn was interruoted by Drusilla who gave her a strong willed but understanding look.
"You wish he had never done such things to me... William said the same once... hopefully he is doing well and staying out of trouble. but i doubt it" Drusilla took a light sip of her drink and noticed how Persephones eyes twitched whenever their shared ex-partner and she decided to speak up about it. even if it enraged the powerful women, she seemed to enjoy it more than she should but this wasn't about herself, it was about teaching the younger generation.
"Persephone, I notice ever time we mention William you have a little twtch forming in your eye... i used to have the same problem when it came to Angelus, jealousy is unbecoming of a women and your partner has no interest in William anymore anyway" Drusilla wasn't cruel about the fact, she didn't throw it in her face. all she did was state facts and both young women were momentarily lost for words.
"Your future is by her side, I have seen it among other quite wonderful things which will come to pass... William will return but she will deny him, and ask you a very important question that will change your life forever, i recommend following your heart on the matter" Drusilla was about to elaborate until she heard the Saloon doors swing open alot louder than usual and heard the distinctive voice of Buffy amongst the worsening hail of stormy weather.
"Jean that weather out there is insane! i almost lost my hat four or five times... hopefully it's not raining this bad wherever my darling daughter is, i spied the last hunt she cleared though, looked like a tough one" Buffy was holding atleast 20 sandbags over her shoulder and threw them to the floor as she had just finished damming up some problem areas with the town Gaurd and they had a few too many so she brought a few back.
Jean was trying to get a word in edgewise but half the town gaurd were pouring in and giving him reports on their prep work, it turned out Buffy felt the weather coming and returned home to get the job done and Faith was still somewhere outside double and triple checking the work that had been done by her subordinates.
"Your daughter is making quite the name for herself out their in the badlands and even the outlands, heard her and the misses been doing alot of what did you call it? thrilling heroics, Rhino caught a news article from Almana..." Sina was about to continue speaking but Dawn appeared from the back end of the bar where she was hidden and tapped her threaded cane on the wooden floor to gain their attention.
"I heard she and her beautiful girlfriend saved the Almana seaside town from a horrid leviathan which laid siege to the town! their still harvesting the beast i hear..." Dawn was definetly no fan of having to sit and listen when people spoke of her and couldn't bear to do so anymore. it was why she had so quickly stood up and made herself known afterall, especially hefore anything was said shedidn't need to hear.
Some things were better out of sight and out of mind afterall.
~~*
"Wesley... are you sure about this, the options we have seem limited by circumstance and i am unsure of our place in the whole thing" Illyria stood in the doorway of Wesleys office at Wolfram and hart, confused at the lack of options laid befoee them all. Gunn was still in the hospital after he had been stabbed and Spike who was again an ensouled vampire and their leader was currently listening intently to the conversation as Lorne chased a fresh pouring of raspberry schnapps with reckless abandon as he eyes the perversion before him with mixed emotions.
"Unfortunately Illyria you are here to stay and the shell you have taken on will in only a few months crack and break... if anyone else had been your vessel other than... Fred, you would have already destroyed the entire westcoast and most of russia and korea with the ensuing tsunami" The scientists who calculated her stored energy levels had been very clear that it was between an extinction level event and just a half the world gets clowned on kinda thing, she was essentially a very large nuke.
"But we can just go to this Al-kufir place where your heroes Buffy and Faith live, i can open a portal to anywhere and we can have this Ruby take a look at me... we still have time before the Wolf ram and Hart run with their tails between their legs from this dimension... we are only 3 years or more ahead of them" Illyria was told they were on an odd time stream they shouldn't have been on as the magics being conjured for the escape from this dimension to the new had some strange time altering affectations she herself was very aware of.
"We must be smart about this, we have lived a little over 3 years more than they have, had adventures completly detached from the actual base timeline and if we find a way out soon we can technically go home to the correct timeline, fix Freds... body and then do as we please, maybe even help them beat that Glorificus women" Wesley came around from behind fhe desk and Spike remained silent but watched him like a hawk as he contihued his evaluation of their situation.
"We are in the wrong timeline because of Buffy and Faiths absoloute destruction of evil, the only reason we are on a odd and dying timeline is because of this places magic starting the moment William here came to LA and got recruited by the powers that be... Jasmine was tough but if we don't get out of this timeline soon then we'll be transported to a new dimension and be at the whim of this demonic sesspool" Wesley could see Illyrias face slightly falter as she obviously has no lust to meet her end so soon and William was in agreement with Wesleys assesment of the situation.
"It's been a few years for me but i have no reason to return and by now i can imagine Dawn is happy to be rid of me, heard she got together with that pretty barmaid, the one whose not exactly human i told ya'll about..." Spike these days dresses well and alot more refined then he used to, even let his hair go back to being curly and blonde brown but he hated being turned back into a vampire and now he also had to return to the place he had left after failing to live a human life because of the powers beimg scared of the coming evils.
"Well silly Willy that little Dread Persephone probably has her own problems to worry about and doesn't wanna see her girlfriends ex pull up out of the blue, who does! but we gotta hightail it outta here and Wesley seems like he has an idea and my bet is that it involves the monster who stole our darling Fred from us" Lorne downed his drink and looked wt rhe bottle and just drank direcrly from it as he had been forced here against his will and wasn't exactly doing well with losing one of his only friends to the monster that was now puppeteering her corpse.
Illyria spoke up with a sense of superiority she could rarely hide from anyone "I did not plan to kill your girl, i was brought back by the will of a misguided acolyte and now i have to suffer the barbs and whims of my inferiors or my form will be rended useless and i will be sent back to the deeper well to die all over again... which will kill even more people and i am certain thwt is not what you all want is it now!" The room went silent until after a few moments later Wesley broke the silence with his plan.
"We can use Illyrias dimensional powers and a well placed marking spell to zero in on Al-kufir, William will be our link since he was the only one to travel their in the past and has ties to the people who live their, you should think of Drusilla or Dawn during the spell, it will increase our odds of success" Wesley chucked his magical tome to William and showed him where to look and the vampire was impressed with what he had seen.
"This could work Wesley, this spell could actually work! but it looks like if we follow these exact markings we will be there sometime around the end of febuary which was a few months after i left... could probably get Ruby totfurn me human again, leave this stupid hero crap behind me! we could all life normal lives if we wanted too" William continued to read and Wesley looked between Lorne and Illyria for confirmation.
"We could finally leave this fake timeline and get what we all want... well i can't William and Lorne could find a new start, Illyria could be fixed and she'd be free to do whatever she wants and even Gunn would be safe if we bring him with..." Wesley realised what he had said and shook himself to gain some composure.
"So if we leave this failing dimension I will be free to do as I please and safe to exist, as long as this Ruby can contain this failing shell of mine" Illyria spoke in her usual cold tone that at this point in time Wesley had just learnt to accept her more direct and callous nature that his eye barely twitched whenever she muttered something as heartless as describing Freds beautiful body as a 'failing shell' and nothing more than a inconvenience to her current mode of existence.
Wesley sighed for a moment and collected his thoughts before he spoke, his eyes moved over to the usually fabulous Lorne who seemed as if he was ready to spring towards the old one and try and swing for her, which was another reason why he turned and responded so calmly before anyone got hurt.
"...Illyria, it is really the only plan we have from a tactical point of view, if Freds form cannof contain... you." Wesley was about to finish his point but William interrulted him and finished his train of thought for him, albeit in a much cruder manner.
"Smurf princess will blow this dimension to kingdom come and take us all with her... yeah we got that head boy! so Buckle up bluebell, we're getting ya to a doc and she'll patch ya up good and proper, Ruby is a genius and knows all about you old ones and hell I wouldn't be suprised if she could get Fred back as well!" The ancient vampire smirked as the scheming old one considered her options realistically and then she did something no one would of expected, she agreed.
"Fine! we will go to this Ruby and see if she can assist me with my ailment... but Freds soul was destroyed in the fires of ressurection, i doubt that she can return even if you sacrificed a universe to will it into being so" Illyria stepped out of the doorway and motioned for everyone to leave and Lorne was more than happy to oblidge her as he exited the room as quickly as possible and William followed him but spoke his final piece on the matter.
"We'll get everything ready and be back here in 4 hours, medical says you got weeks anyway till ya pop. Wesley, find a Kramatoshi dimensional portal they are less prone to being tampered with and have usually no issues with time dialation or manipulation. also alot less bumpy" and with that the vampire was gone and had the slammed the door behind himself. leaving the ex watcher with his current ward in a void of not so comfortable silence.
Wesley sat behind his desk and broke that silence as the evening light broke through his half closed blinds. "What troubles you Illyria? it's not like you to agree so freely to one of our plans" Wesley began his research as the monstrous old one began to pace and search for the right words to form her opinion in a more understandable way, not only for Wesley but for herself.
"I... I am enraged at the circumstance i found myself bound within... to barely exist and then be snuffed from existence as if i was some meaningless bug to be crushed beneath an unsuspecting boot heel! I am the god king of the primordium" Illyria spat with vile indignation as she paced about the room in an honestly worried manner, she was bearing to much of herself before this insignificant creature.
"I will not let you die oh! mighty god king... especially if there is a chance to get Fred back. but also if you go nuclear we all lose, would you really wish to be bested by Wolfram and hart? something barely above a vampire to you" Wesley smirked as the old one turned towards him and he noticed a smile appear across her faceas she realised what he was doing.
"Playing to my character... you would of made a superb high priest for my kingdom Wesley, I cannot abide liars under my employ... but then again you are not under my employ are you. But you promised to show me the way if i abide... i could give you a reward if you wished it" Illyria walked towards his side of the desk and looked down upon him as she got uncomfortably close.
Wesley pulled back just a little and gave her a confused look as she stuttered a little as he spoke. "Wha, what on earth do you mean? I do not need a reward for speaking my mind you know" Wesley almost gasped as she placed a hand on his shoulder and tenderly brought her fingers up to his cheeks and carressed the manly stubble he had grown with a barely hidden fondness for the exchange.
"I can modulate my form for you and assume the Berkel persona, it may be a lie... but who has not found themselves lost betwixt reality and illusion ever so often" Illyria subtly transformed into the form Fred last had before her body was hollowed out and taken over, the same face, makeup and dress... even the same heels.
A single tear appeared to run down Wesleys face as Illyria straddle him and placed herself neatly upon his lap as she put on the full charm and summoned all the wit and beauty of her previous persona.
"Wesley, my Wesley... don't cry, it's going to be alright you know... i'm here for you so no more tears" She was so alike that for a moment Wesley had seemed to been completly engrossed within the lie, but that's all it was.
Wesley felt a single thin tear run down his face as Illyria held his cheek and used her thumb to wipe it effortlessly away, she smiled and it was sweet as if she was Fred herself and somehow alive in the here and now. her face had become comfortably close that their forheads touched so softly it was as if it was the first time all over again and yet he was frozen to the bone as he knew the reality of his situation.
"Please, don't do this Illyria... it's far from right and not true at all" he tried to lightly push her away but she stayed in place upon his lap and it really wasn't as if he could stop her even if he tried. she was an old one after all, cracked and broken but far stronger than any man, demon or God and his insignificant strength would serve him poorly and they both knew that.
"Why on earth would you refuse me silly, I love you and you love me... what could be more natual than this?" The soft spoken and intimate touch could trick a lesser man into falling without much trouble at all and yet he just couldn't let the truth go, he loved Winifred Burkle and this was not her.
"I... I loved her, stop this, be blue... be anything! just not this" Wesley begged and tried to remove her but she stay perfectly in place as he was pinned to his chair and she held him effortlessly in place as she let the persona fade and Illyrias true self rose again and it was obvious as her eyes glowed blue again but the image of Fred remained.
"I offer you a moment of solace from your grief, I am beyond the power of Gods and my own kind... yet you refute my kindness so easily! Do I, disgust you so?" Illyrias face was cold and filled with the wonderment it always was since he had begun to know her but for a moment he could swear there was a hint of hurt hidden behind her stone cold visage and it made him tread carefully for even though she had taken his one true love, he still didn't wish to hurt her.
"You took her from me... but no, you do not disgust me Illyria. it's a kindness I do not deserve and i am not here to pleasure you, i am here to guide you... that was our deal wasn't it?" Wesley asked already knowing the answer as well did she, but she started caressing his cheek again and with her free hand she slowly lifted his chin to look more directly at her.
"You are loyal to a memory long gone and it fascinates me, i must admit... people used to be so vastly inferior and for the most part that still remains to be true, but i wish to explore this..." The visage of Fred kissed his forehead tenderly and with much care and affection but she didn't revert back to the Fred voice, this wasn't Fred kissing him, it was her and she was keeping his boundaries while pushing up rather hard against them.
"Illyria, please, just please stop..." He was shocked to feel her slowly back herself up off him and she turned back as both her feet touched the office carpet and she was the glorious Illyria once again but she didn't seem happy about it at all, her face seemed to wear an almost expressionless scowl and it was more to be felt than seen.
"I will leave you to your research and wish you well in finding my cure..." Illyria left quickly and slammed the door behind herself with such force that you could hear the joints crack and break under her immense strength and Wesley didn't even bother to call maintenance to replace the hinges as it would be meaningless soon anyway.
They were leaving for the past in another dimension and Al-kufir would either be their salvation or their undoing and considering everything that had to happened to them recently, he just didn't know which side of the flipped coin his luck would land on.
~~*
Faith had came home from such a long and eventful day as she and Buffy had welcomed their daughter home and spent the day enjoying good food and sweet sugary drinks thwt she couldn't help but feel content in the middle of one of the worst etorms she had ever seen in her life and geowing up in Boston wasn't exactly a picnic either.
Buffy had came home earlier due to the simple fact Willow had stayed last night and they had continued their secret sexual relationship with her even after they had found out that the trident was the entire reason they let themselves go as it was cursed to do so, it was a way of making sure the wielder would eventually pass on the power weapon and never be so powerful as to remain in one wielders hand forever.
Of course Ruby had broke the particularly difficult curse and the curse had worn off them almost instantly but all three women had to admit that they had enjoyed themselves so much that there was no reason for them to stop and Willow had been adamant she had no desire to return to the old days of repressing her desires.
She was currently sleeping off a rather hard mornig spitroast from both women and Buffy was reading under candlelight when Faith hung up her coat and kicked off her boots before hanging up her weapons and locking the door shut behind herself.
Buffy had placed her book down and sprinted towards Faith as she kissed her passionately upon her return home, "Did you get Dawn home safe my love? this storm is a wild one eh!" she chuckled after asking her question and helping her soaking wet wife to disrobe to her warmer underwear and she couldn't help but lick her lips as she saw the women she loved in her stylish bra and panties which fit her form perfectly.
Faith smiled softly as she danced around her loving wife whilst scantily clad and brought her into a warm embrace and stole a deeply passionate kiss which lasted for what felt like a wonderous lifetime. "She's at home with Persephone, did Red teleport home or is she still recovering in our bed atter we... broke her again?" Faith grinned as she heard Willow begin to stir from her restful slumber.
"Ah! she's gonna end up single if she doesn't start spending some nights in her college dorm... we might have to put our foot down soon" Faith felt Buffys hands wander and finally rest on her perfectly sculpted ass and squeezed tight as she bit her lip and groaned in pleasure.
"She makes a good sex toy but i prefer our little private dance, it's a lot less complex and i know all the moves... plus, we don't love her and we're not opening this relationship up, never! we can just use her body as we see fit" Buffy really didn't care about her old life much anymore or most of the people within it, she just rolled with the punches and there had been alot of talk ahout maybe trying for a child come August to September after Glory is dealt with.
"You just want permamently outta Sunnydale... Dawn had alotta cool stories and when she fuses with her sending she is gonna be filled with so much educational knowledge we're gonna have a beautiful lawnmower man situation if we don't keep an eye on her" Faith chuckled as she stripped Buffy down to her underwear and enjoyed the view a little too much.
"I do... we're home baby, we can visit mum and make you even more famous in the art world but our kids are growing up here baby. might have to put up a gate to keep Will out tho, she is obsessed with us sexually and boundaries after the trident debacle are NEEDED!" Buffy was playing with Faiths pussy and she couldn't help but bite her neck in a very posessive way that caused the taller women to hold on for dear life as she melted into her wives powerful arms.
Faith was eventually pushed into tue soft sofa cuahions as Buffy took care of everything and her darling wife pleasured her with reckless abandon and mid orgasm when the stars appeared behind her eyes which had rolled back into her head as she moaned her lovers name into the no longer private room as Willow stood against the bedroom door frame in her sexy lingerie and smiled at the sexy sight she was now lucky enough to gaze upon.
"Damn... i have to get myself a few gradual enchantments like you guys have cause holy hell i can barely last an hour or two with your libidos!... but i'm willing to learn" Willow walked over to them in her now usual sultry manor and was expecting to join in but Buffy and Faith both stopped her in her tracks.
"Red! this has been fun and all but we only kept this going after our little curse mishap because you were really adamant about it but now... we wanna get on with our usually scheduled married lesbian programming, you do have a girlfriend ya know or did you forget about that?" Faith watched as Willows face sunk for a moment but then shot back and explained herself to the best of her ability.
"One she thinks i'm helping you guys out with demons and we got all night and morning to fuck each other senseless and in all fairness this has been the best sex i HAVE EVER! had... and i didn't hear you complaining as you wore me as a glove puppet and Buffy filled me with more semen than is humanly possible" Willow gave them such a look that made them both look at each other for a second and almost reconsider what they had said but the both held fast.
"You are using me and I am loving it, it's not cheating because knowing here is lying to anyone and we all agreed to do this together and i know you both find me attractive and very fuckable, i can use magic guys, been in yours while were fucking remember!" Willow bit her lip as Buffy sat on Faiths lap and snuggled into her wife as she considered what they should both do next.
"Look, we agreed fo fuck in secret and no one is gonna find out anyway and i don't wanna go back to fucking normal people cause they cannot compare to either of you! plus this has been the most fun i have had in years and you two weren't exactly complaining when you stuffed me like a thanksgiving turkey this morning" Willow came and sat down on the sofa very close to them both and leaned against the soft cuahions as she looked between them both.
"We want to have kids in the future Will, this is going to end one day and in all fairness you and Tara are happy, why not explore with her and... i dunno, use some stuff we taught ya cause magic in the bedroom is fucking awesome" Buffy smiled at Faith and she winked back knowingly as there was still alot they hadn't done with Willow but she didn't know that yet.
Willow sighed, "Ok, lets keep fucking until Glory is gone cause that's realistically when you two are gonna start using ya magic pleasure sticks to breed one another silly right?" she asked and both women did agree that once Glory was finished they would be going straight into motherhood and then staying here in Al-Kufir to take their respective jobs a whole lot more seriously.
"Red... you're right, but that's the deal... the moment Glory is dead then this ends for good and you alsp need to spend more time with Tara, you're insatiable but you don't have the stamina for what we're doing and also we are in love with each other... we're just using you as a sex toy" Faith had expected that last remark to sting but Willow didn't seem to care as she got the deal she had wanted and she would try and find a way to extend it whenever she could.
"Yeah... I know! that's why you don't let me fuck you back, but who cares since i'm cumming like a water faucet! plus I am really enjoying living out these fantasies I've hidden away for so long and I think you have too" Willow leaned in close and kissed both women passionately and they accepted her and they both knew she was right but they wouldn't tell her no matter what, not yet anyway.
"Anyway... seriously tommorow you're going home and spending time with your girlfriend ok, plus you've got alot of college work to do and we have alot of work here to finish up, if the storm eases up and i'm not dragging dead hodies outta ditches we should be fine" Faith laughed as she got up and offered to grag them both something to eat or drink.
There night went very well as they enjoyed each others bodies throughout the night but not far away was Dawn and Persephone enjoying their first night home in almost a month and a half but instead of shagging each others brains out they showered, watched some movies and went to bed. Knowing the pleasure of finally knowing their own bed for the firet time in a long while and ir was magical.
~~*
The storm yesterday had actually passed with almost no problem apart from some flooded areas that the lizard folk had turned into a temporary local swimming hole and Faith was happily teaching her students whilst Buffy was dealing with some mayoral buisness and also considering installing a decent aquaduct and sanitation system after some local expansion efforts were now taking a strain on the previous infrastructure and everything in town was in dire need of updating.
Dawn however had just left the Saloon after looking over some very dissapointing bounties, but she wasn't taking any for atleast 2 weeks anyway since Persephone was looking forward to their time at home and expected to watch alot of crappy movies and the next on the list was The Toxic Avenger and Dawn could tell by the sleeve it was gonna be low budget slock but she also hoped it would be just a little funny at least.
She had woke up early out of habit at this point and told her soulmate she was going for a walk and would be back with presents which she had all packed up in a brown paper bag. She couldn't help but take a moment to breath the fresh and oddly moist desert air and that left her completly oblivious to a random attacker who rushed her with a knife.
Dawn didn't even budge as she stood their in blue jeans, sandals and a baggy T-shirt and the knife slammed against her skin and shattered to the hilt, she just gave her attacker a cold look and told him quite calmly "You have a choice, get on the floor and put your hands behind your back or... and i can't stress this enough, if you run i will blow your head clean off with a bolt of lightning from this little finger" She moved her right hand up and aimed it directly between his eyes and the fool actually turned to run.
He was fast on his feet and the locals knew what was coming as Dawn told everyone to 'get down' and she let forth such a destructive bolt of lightning that it wasn't just his head that exploded suddenly, it was his whole body. Blood and burnt viscera was everywhere and thankfully no one had got covered by this waste of spaces filthy innards but one of the town gaurds shouted from across the way as the filled street had fallen horribly silent.
"Hey Dawn! you ok? didn't he stab you! should i call for the doc?" The Lion man looked towards his croc demon team mate as Dawn inspected the skin under her know ruined lazy day shirt and she sighed as the blade hadn't even left a mark. this only meant one thing, she was finally stronger than a Slayer and her skin was now finally as durable as her mothers, it was something she couldn't wait to tell them both.
Dawn smiled sweetly and then explained she was fine to both gaurds, they were aware her family was basically indestructible and super powered like some of the other bounty hunters this town had housed and endured over the years. But this was confirmation to everyone that Dawn was just like her mothers and that would help calm down any would be criminals who had any illegal thoughts running through thwir empty heads in the future.
"The puddle of uselessness just ruined my lazy day shirt... thank fuck knives and bullets don't do nothing against me eh! well I could of healed myself anyway... do you guys know who thwt guy was? i've never met him before" Dawn was showing her midriff to pretty much everyone who had just seen the stabbing attempt and many were dumbfounded that the rumours of her families durability was not over exaggerated in the slightest.
"Looked like the guy who worked for that slimey bank teller who was chipping of the top! guess he hated having his cut... cut!... ya want us to notify ya mothers what happened here today or should we leave it alone, saves us writing up a report" The crocodile joked as his partner looked him up and down and gave him an embarrased look as he apologized to Dawn over his colleauges lazyness but she just brushed it off.
"Do what ya want, but if you do tell my mothers make sure they know the knife didn't enter me and i'm perfectly fine... i don't need them suffering a heart attack cause they think i'm laying up in a morgue from some retard with a pointy metal stick" Dawn waved goodbye to them and people went about their days again and a few did double check if she was actually ok and even let one demon child touch the area that got stabbed for good luck.
She rushed back home to tell her love the strange news of what had happened to her and only just missed an invisible Willow sneaking back home past her after spending the night with Buffy and Faith unknown to everyone.
None of them knew that in a week at the very end of Febuary a portal would open and Wesley would arrive with William, Gunn, Lorne and the most dangerous of them all Illyria. a slowly ticking time bomb that was in dire need of repair or their whole town and maybe a vast chunk of their beloved world would suddenly be flattened by a god level destructive blast that would leave nothing behind it.