Destiny - Chapters 37 & 38
Nov. 23rd, 2003 04:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
psubratAuthor: PSUbrat
Rating: PG-13 Some language and violence
Disclaimer and spoiler warning: These characters belong to Joss Whedon and whomever else he sells them to, I'm just borrowing them for a while. This story is part three of a trilogy and is based upon the alternate universe I created in Reset.
Update List: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Destined_Fic
Summary: As Buffy and William prepare to meet with the Master, the others formulate a plan of their own...
Timeframe: Immediately following "Inside & Out"
The lowering sun shone through the front window of the Magic Box, casting long prisms across the shop floor as the woman in the doorway continued to stare at the group inside. Had they not heard what she had just said to them? She couldn’t tell since all they were doing was looking at her, mouths agape and eyes blinking. From what she could understand about the situation, time was precious so they didn’t really have a choice as to whether or not she would be permitted to help. She would be their seventh and that would be the end of the discussion. Folding her arms across her chest, she sighed.
"Are you people deaf?" She demanded with a glare.
"No," Gunn replied taking several steps forward, scowling at her. "We just don’t really like you much."
Pushing herself off the doorframe she was leaning on, she sauntered into the room, smirking. "You may not like me, but you need me."
Buffy looked at the three people left from Angel Investigations, trying to decide if it was worth bringing this woman into an already tense situation. There was something that felt off about her, but at the moment, beggars couldn’t really be choosers could they?
"Get out," Gunn growled at her, running his hand over the handle of the battle-axe at his side. "Before I do something I may regret later; then again, I may not..."
"Charles!" Fred chided him. "We need her. As much as we may not like it, we need her to help save the others."
"Yeah," Lorne sighed, agreeing with Fred but feeling defeated despite it. "We do."
"She stays," Buffy stated, trying to be the voice of reason. "We need a seventh and she’s the only thing we have right now." Noticing the looks on Garrick and Geoffrey’s faces, she realized introductions were in order, especially since they would need her for the spell. "Guys, this is Lilah Morgan. Lilah, this is Garrick and Geoffrey...from the Watchers Council." She watched Lilah’s face for a reaction at the mention of the Council, but none came. This one was smooth.
"She works for the people that are responsible for this mess," William stated coldly, not really caring for the spot they were in, but understanding that they could use her as a means to an end.
"Is that so?" Garrick asked; his eyes narrowing as he stepped towards her. "So you work for Wolfram and Hart, do you?"
"Actually, no," Lilah replied, her eyes glancing down at her feet before she continued. "Not anymore."
"Were you fired?" Fred demanded with a frown.
Silence.
"Of course you were, weren’t you, sugar plum?" Lorne asked, smugly. "I’d bet the farm that it had something to do with bringing in a traitor."
Lilah pursed her lips and looked everywhere in the room but at those in the group. "Something like that," she said almost in a whisper as she fidgeted with the buttons on her shirtsleeve.
Gunn laughed as he leaned against the counter. "So the great Lilah Morgan isn’t so great after all, huh? Which brings me to my next question. Why are you back here?"
"That’s a very good question," Lorne agreed, moving closer to the woman who had been their enemy for so long. "Why are you back here?"
"Let’s just say that it’s in the best interest of both our sides to have me here right now."
Gunn growled. "Uh, uh. You don’t expect us to believe that for a minute. You’re here for yourself, not anyone else. What’s in it for you?"
"Nothing."
"You’re lying," Gunn growled as he flew at Lilah but Lorne grabbed his arm before he got far.
"I’m here to help, you ungrateful little bastard!"
"She’s back for Wesley," Fred stated as the realization hit her. "She’s in love with Wes!"
"What?" Gunn demanded, trying to calm down. "You’re joking, right? There’s not a caring bone in her body..."
"Okay," Buffy demanded as she stepped between the two. "That’s enough. There’ll be plenty of time for the snide comments and accusations later, after we defeat the Master. Got it?" She asked looking at Gunn and then at Lilah, challenging them to defy her. "Good. Now, let’s get started. Garrick, do you have everything you need?"
"I think so. The spell just calls for the normal ingredients and one special herb, but I’m sure that won’t be a problem, what with us being in a real magic shop and all."
"Quite right," Geoffrey added. "And if the shopkeeper is anything like Rupert has described her, you’ll be able to find it without a problem."
Buffy chuckled. "Yeah, just be sure to write her a note to let her know what you took. She’ll probably be looking for payment after I save her ass. I want the rest of you to help Garrick with whatever he asks you to do. No questions. We don’t have the time."
Everyone nodded.
"While you lot sort this out, the Slayer and I will try to do a little training in the back room before we head out. We need to focus so don’t disturb us unless it’s absolutely important."
"What about her?" Fred asked, tilting her head towards Lilah. "What if she causes any problems?"
Buffy threw a crossbow at Fred who caught it handily. "Use this," she stated matter of factly as she turned to walk out of the room, William following at her heels.
Fred and Lorne exchanged worried glances as Gunn smiled widely.
Before entering the back room, Buffy grabbed the duffle bag that she had brought from home and took it with her; the contents still unknown to William or the others. Her mind began to whirl with thoughts of the Master. She had faced him once before and had died at his hands, but Xander had brought her back to life with his knowledge of CPR. Dying wasn’t something you forget all that easily and she would know, having died twice already. Despite her death by drowning, she had defeated the Master, sending him to hell for all eternity. At least, that’s what she had thought at the time. However, after returning from her summer vacation in L.A. a few short months later, she discovered that the Anointed One, who had hopes of resurrecting the bat-like creature, had dug up the Master’s bones. With Angel’s help, she had managed to stop the Anointed One’s plans. Afterwards, she took a sledgehammer to the Master’s skeleton, pounding his bones into pieces. At that point, she had been fairly certain that they had finally seen the last of him. But she had been wrong, very wrong. Sighing, she realized she should have known better, after all, she did live on the mouth of Hell.
"Buffy?" William asked with concern, noticing that she had that far away look in her eyes that she usually got when she retreated into herself. "Buffy?" He asked again, this time gently gripping her upper arm, hoping to get her attention. The last thing they needed was for her to go all catatonic like she did when Glory took Dawn.
"Huh?" She whispered, slowly coming out of her daze.
"Luv, try not to worry so much," he stated as he cupped her chin in his palm. "We’re going to get through this, together. You and me."
"You seem pretty confident about that," she retorted, eyeing him suspiciously. "Know something the rest of us don’t?"
"Yes."
Placing her hands on her hips, she quirked a questioning eyebrow at him, demanding an immediate answer. "And that would be what?" She pressed when he didn’t respond right away.
"Have you forgotten that you have a former Big Bad in your midst? I may not be a baddie now Buffy, but I certainly still know how to think like one."
She considered his words. He was right. He may be all human and soul-like now, but for over a century he had been a creature of the night. "Okay Mr. Big Bad," she stated, nodding her head in agreement. "You’ve got me there, but there’s still one little problem."
A look of puzzlement crossed his face, as he looked at her, not sure what she was getting at. "What would that be?"
"You’re human now, Spike. Totally human, needing breath and having a heartbeat. You don’t have the same abilities you had when you were a vampire. Although, I do have to admit, you’re still pretty strong and...."
"Buffy, I’m a bit more than human. You know that."
"Yeah and I still don’t know why."
"I’d love to explain it to you in detail, but we don’t have the time. Just know this, when I completed my trials, not only did I get the powers of the creature I defeated, but I received something else."
"What else?" She asked, screwing her face into a frown.
"Well, as Anya likes to think of it, ‘a gift with purchase’."
"What kind of gift?" She demanded, a feeling of dread settling in the pit of her stomach.
He looked at her and smiled, trying to calm her. "Apparently, at some point, I had asked the beast to give you what you deserved." Then he frowned. "Thing is," he began again, slowly. "I only remember telling him that I wanted to be like I was before. Don’t remember that other part. Anyway, it seems..."
"Yes?" She said, urging him to continue.
"It seems that he turned me into a male slayer of sorts."
Her mouth dropped open. She was stunned and unable to speak. "Wh-What?"
"It’s complicated Luv, but suffice it to say," he stated with a wicked grin. "I’m just like you, but with the male bits."
"A male slayer, but there’s never been one...not ever. How...?"
"I dunno how," he stated as he pulled her into his embrace. "But I’m thankful nonetheless. I have all the same powers you do, mostly, except my hearing’s not as good as before."
"So that’s how you could send that vamp flying across the cemetery with just one kick," she mussed. "Let me get this straight," she began, pulling out of the embrace and looking him in the eyes. "The beast gave me what I deserved? And what is that exactly? A guy who is like me?"
"An equal. Someone who will understand your duty and embrace your destiny."
She was speechless. He was right, again. Hadn’t she always wished for someone who would understand her and the things she did, no questions asked? And hadn’t she always wanted someone who could hold their own in battle but yet still know how to make her feel incredibly sexy at the same time? She had and now her wish had been answered in a way she never dreamed possible. Amazing. She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "I love you."
"I love you too."
After a few moments, she released him from the embrace. "So, we have a former Big Bad who’s now on our side. And not only does he still think like a Big Bad, but he can slay beasties as well?"
"That’s pretty much it in a nutshell. Although, not too terribly different from before I became human."
Suddenly, a wide grin broke out on her face. "Okay then," she stated as she pulled the duffle bag off her shoulder and tossed it to him. "Since you’re still a Big Bad, you might need this."
"What’s this?"
"Open it up and find out," she said, smiling playfully.
Quickly he unzipped the bag and opened it. His breath caught in his chest as he looked at the contents. "Buffy, I can’t..." he tried to say, lifting his head to look at her, his eyes watery.
"You can," she stated, giving him a reassuring smile. "Spike, stop trying to suppress who you are, what you are."
"But you said no more..."
"Forget what I said, Spike. Be who you are. Speaking from experience, it only messes up your mind more if you keep trying to hide." Before he could retort with his usual protesting statement, she held up her hand. "You are not a monster, Spike. Not anymore. So take that bag and go in the bathroom and don’t come out until you feel like yourself."
He looked at her, tears still threatening to spill. "Are you sure?"
"Positive. Now get going before I change my mind." She watched as he walked away and then turned, getting ready to go a few rounds with the punching bag, to help take her mind off of what it was he was doing in the bathroom.
Garrick had already gathered the ingredients for the spell and was putting them in a bag by the time Buffy had rejoined the others in the front of the shop half an hour later. She was surprised to see that they were all working together, maybe not in harmony but at least not in total discord. She watched as they listened to Geoffrey while he taught them the incantation to invoke the powers to the Twelve. Fred was furiously scribbling notes on a small sheet of paper while Gunn tried to pronounce a few of the Latin words correctly. Standing by the stairs to the upper level, and trying to stay out of the way, she found herself unable to take her eyes off Geoffrey. There was just something about him, something she just couldn’t put her finger on.
"He’s quite the looker, isn’t he?" Garrick stated as he stood beside her.
She hadn’t heard him come over to her, nor had she wanted to be caught staring at one of William’s best friends. "He’s okay, I guess," she stated with a shrug, trying to look nonchalant about it despite the pink that had risen up in her cheeks.
Garrick gave her an understanding smile. "You wouldn’t be the first to think him handsome, you know. Women chase after him all the time back home."
"I’m surprised he’s not married or engaged or something," Buffy responded innocently enough. She wasn’t interested in Geoffrey, but at the same time, she felt drawn to him.
"Nah, not our boy. Too busy playing the field and breaking hearts."
Giving Geoffrey one last glance, she turned to Garrick and changed the subject. "You have everything?"
He nodded his response. "Everything was here and I’ve left Anya a note letting her know what we ‘borrowed’."
"Good. So what’s the plan?"
"Well, I’m not quite sure exactly. We’ll follow you and William to the Master’s hideout but we won’t follow you inside. We must perform the ritual outside of his dwelling for it to be potent."
"So while William and I are fighting the Master, you guys will do the spell thingy and then we’ll be able to kill him for good this time?"
He paused and considered his words carefully before he responded. "Buffy, you must know, this ritual will only work if the others are still alive."
"Yeah," she said quietly. "I kinda figured that. We just have to go with the idea that they are, otherwise," she shrugged. "What’s the point?"
Garrick looked down at his feet. "Quite right," he replied softly. Then, looking around, he realized that his friend was missing. "Where is William?"
"Right here," William replied from behind.
Both Garrick and Buffy automatically turned to welcome him after he announced his presence. Buffy smiled widely at her lover while Garrick sputtered, causing the others to stop what they were doing and look at him as well. An eerie hush fell over the shop.
William looked around at the group, suddenly feeling very self-conscious as he walked further into the room. Everyone but Buffy and Clem were looking at him as if he had grown a second head. "Uh, is there a problem or does a Sabertine demon have your tongue?" His hair had been freshly bleached and his curls were now slicked back against his head. He had changed into a black pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. As they stood watching him, he slowly put on the leather duster that he had taken from the last Slayer he had killed. Oddly enough, he felt good, like he was at home again in his own skin. Maybe Buffy had been right, he didn’t need to hide from what he used to be in order to understand who he was now.
"I think you look great," Buffy stated with a smile as she walked over to him and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.
"That might be so, Luv, but no one else here seems to be that enthused at the moment."
"I would hope not," she teased. "I’d have to hurt them otherwise. Maybe it’s the duster they’re amazed by," she added thoughtfully, taking a step back and giving him a lingering look.
"So it’s true then?" Geoffrey stood, almost knocking over his chair in the process. His face had grown pale and his eyes wide. "You really were William the Bloody."
"Well, yeah. Did you think I was making all that stuff up?"
"Maybe? You have to admit though, you told us when you were totally pissed," he paused, realizing that the Americans would think he meant something else and then corrected himself. "Drunk, you were drunk at the time. Thought maybe you just made it up."
"You’re William the Bloody?" Lorne asked in awe. "Wow. I mean, I had heard about you before..."
"From the poofter, I’d wager."
"Nah, Angel cakes doesn’t talk much. I read this guy once, I think it was in Albuquerque, or maybe it was Buenos Aires. Doesn’t matter, really, but he was terrified of this vampire named William the Bloody or was it Spike?"
"One and the same, mate. Ah, the good ol’ days. Back when my name struck fear into the hearts of men, and slayers alike."
Buffy rolled her eyes at him. "Whatever...William."
"You know," he stated as he slipped his arms around her waist and gave her a devilish grin. "I think I’d rather be called Spike, it’s more...manly."
Garrick, looking all the world like he was going to explode with William’s final comment, finally spoke. "Really William. Is this all necessary? You’re going to fight the Master, not apply for monster of the week. Rupert will be very displeased with you when he finds out that you’ve tipped your hand. No one is supposed to know..."
"Garrick, everyone already knew. Except for these blokes," he said, motioning towards Lorne and Gunn. "And lady," he added quickly after seeing Fred cross her arms, looking peeved at him for leaving her out. "But that’s only because I’d never met them before and I’m quite disappointed that Peaches never mentioned me."
Lilah slowly made her way over to William, her eyes scanning every inch of him appreciatively. "I knew," she stated with an air of smugness. "Wolfram and Hart researchers found a picture of you in an old Chinese newspaper, Boxer Rebellion I believe. You have quite the...history, Spike." Seductively, she straightened the collar of his duster as a bemused Buffy looked on.
"I guess we should get a move on," Gunn stated as he checked his watch, trying to turn everyone’s attention back to the problem at hand.
"Yes," Garrick replied. "We need to be in position before the sun sets."
"I have a question," Fred said nervously, wringing her hands as she had back at the house when she told Buffy that Dawn was missing. "Do we know where we’re going?"
Geoffrey nervously glanced around the room at the others’ expressions. "What? Are you serious? We thought you knew where he was! We’re doomed!"
"No we’re not," Buffy replied tersely. "According to mine and Spike’s dreams, he’s in a cave. There’s not many caves around Sunnydale. Well, not really. We’ll just have to look from cave to cave."
"We don’t have the time!" Garrick snapped. "Everything is depending on us being in place by sunset."
"Chill dude," Gunn replied. "The quicker we leave, the faster we’ll find the cave and take this thing out."
"Wait," William called out as he tightly grabbed a hold of Lilah’s arm and gave her his most evil glare. "We don’t need to search for the right cave when we have one of the enemy right here with us. Isn’t that right, pet?"
Lilah looked down at his hand on her arm and then looked back up to give him a smug smile. "I guess you expect me to show you where he is?"
"I suspect that you will since I’ve got this feeling you want to help save your watcher bloke."
"Great," Buffy stated as she grabbed her weapons and headed toward the door. "Let’s go. She can lead the way."
Quickly, everyone gathered their weapons and supplies and filed out the door of the Magic Box into the waning afternoon sun.
Author: PSUbrat
Rating: PG-13 Some language and violence
Disclaimer and spoiler warning: These characters belong to Joss Whedon and whomever else he sells them to, I'm just borrowing them for a while. This story is part three of a trilogy and is based upon the alternate universe I created in Reset.
Update List: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Destined_Fic
Summary: After Angel is dusted by Holtz, Connor and Dawn are transported to the circle where their own horrors await them...
Timeframe: Immediately following "Best Laid Plans"
Warning: Contains Character Deaths
"Grab my hand!" Connor shouted to Dawn above the thunderous roar that was coming towards them. It was their time, their turn, to face the trials. What had happened to the others, he didn’t know, but what he did know was that if he and Dawn were going to make it through this, they needed to work together.
Dawn did as she was told. As soon as she reached for his hand and he grabbed a hold of it, she could feel them being swept up in a torrent of air. She felt weightless, like she was floating. All thoughts of what was about to happen to them were rushed out of her mind as their bodies spun endlessly through the stars. At least she thought they were stars.
Then there was nothing but the semi-darkness and solid ground, a circle of torches surrounding them.
Connor pulled Dawn close to him as he allowed his inherently superior eyesight to take over. Every fiber of his being told him that nothing but evil lurked here. "Stay behind me," he told Dawn as they inched their way into the middle of the circle.
"I don’t need you to protect me you know. I have my own powers."
"I know, but your mom said that we need to work together."
Suddenly, Dawn stopped and gasped as she tugged on Connor’s hand. "Look," she said, fear evident in her voice while she pointed to the ground beside them.
"Blood," he stated as he crouched down to touch it. Slowly he lifted his finger to his nose and sniffed the watery red substance. "Cordelia’s."
Dawn’s eyes grew huge. "Are you sure?"
He nodded, closing his eyes. A feeling in the pit of his stomach told him that Cordelia was dead.
"There’s more blood. Over there...and over there," she said pointing. "I don’t like the look of this." She was shivering now. There was blood everywhere she looked, too much blood. It was clear what had happened to the others, their fate had been death. Were they going to die too? Desperately, she tried to push the thought out of her mind.
As they approached the other side of the circle, Connor’s eyes came to rest on a pile of dust. He felt his knees buckle and his stomach clench.
Dawn felt him tighten his grip on her hand. "What is it, Connor? What’s wrong?"
He turned to her, tears stinging his eyes. "I think...I think my father has been killed as well."
Before Dawn could answer, a voice came from behind them. "Right you are, my dear boy."
Connor spun around, positioning himself between the voice and Dawn. It was instinctual that he wanted to protect her, even though he knew she didn’t need protecting. He was somewhat surprised when she allowed him to shield her from the unknown. That voice. There was something about the sound of that voice that sent chills up and down his spine, but yet there was something familiar about it as well. "Who are you?" He demanded.
"Why is your father’s death so upsetting to you?" The female voice asked instead of answering his question. "It’s not like you knew him. In fact, I heard that you even tried to kill him. A chip off the old block, aren’t you? Although, I’m not sure which block that would be."
"What do you know about my father?" He commanded, anger seeping into his tone.
Slowly, the figure stepped out of the shadows, shrouded in a dark cloak. Automatically, both teens took a step backwards. "Come now my darling, don’t be afraid." The visitor said soothingly.
His eyes narrowed and his body tensed. Could it be? But he had never met her, never known her, still there was something inside of him that knew who it was. Hesitantly, he took several steps forward, still holding onto Dawn’s hand.
"Do you know her?" Dawn whispered as she tried to size up the cloaked woman in front of them. "Who is she?"
"I think...I think she’s my..."
"Mother," Darla stated, pulling the hood off her head to reveal her smiling face.
"I know who you are," Dawn gasped as she recognized the female vampire. "You bit my mother and tried to make it look like Angel did it. Angel killed you!"
"Yeah, but you know how it goes," she replied, smiling sweetly. "You never stay dead for long around here. Besides," she continued as she took in the sight of the two teens holding hands. "Where would you two be right now if I hadn’t come back?"
"Better off," Connor growled angrily. "It would have been better if I had never been born!"
"You don’t mean that, darling." She walked over to him, still smiling pleasantly. "You have grown up so much. I guess that trip to Quartoth wasn’t the best thing for your development."
He glared at her but said nothing. Most of his life, he had never even given his mother a second thought, after all, Holtz had told him what she was, what she always would be and he’d wanted nothing to do with that. Now, here she was in front of him. Hatred mixed with wonder coursed through his body. Suddenly, hundreds of questions began streaming through his mind.
She reached out her hand and delicately traced his cheek with a finger. "You’re so handsome. Just like your father."
Connor noticeably flinched when she touched him. "Where is my father?"
"Daddy’s dead, darling," she laughed as she continued to take in his features. "I’m the only family you have left now."
"No you aren’t," Dawn hissed, taking a step forward but never letting go of Connor’s hand. "He still has me and he has my family."
Darla smiled brightly at Dawn. She cocked her head to the side, considering the teenaged girl in front of her. She had been told that the girl was not to be harmed, that she possessed great powers and that another would be sent to deal with her. As much as she wanted to claim this one for her own, she knew better than to anger the Master. "Of course he does, but not for long. Soon you won’t have anyone, and then where will you be?"
"She’s not going anywhere without me. I’ll always protect her, no matter what."
"So much like your father," she mussed sadly to herself. "Always trying to be the warrior, the protector."
"There’s nothing wrong with that," Dawn snapped back.
"You’d do well to keep your mouth shut. I’m tiring of you already," she said as she backhanded Dawn across the cheek.
Dawn turned her head back towards Darla, hatred lighting her eyes. "Don’t touch me!"
"Or what, little girl? What will you do to me?"
"She won’t do anything, but I will," Connor replied with an air of authority surrounding him.
"Such an ungrateful child. I staked myself to save you and this is the thanks I get?"
"You should have let me die."
"Yes, so you said before. All right then, let’s get down to business. The only way for you two to get out of this alive is if you," she said, grabbing Connor’s hand. "Come with me."
"I’m not going anywhere with you. Ever."
"You are my son and you are coming with me."
"I refuse."
"Fine then. We’ll just do things the hard way," she stated as she slipped into her vampiric features.
Sensing that Darla was distracted by Connor’s attitude, Dawn frantically looked around the circle, searching for weapons, anything that they could use to fight against the vampire. Behind them, where they had found Angel’s dust, was an axe. She couldn’t remember seeing it there before, but for whatever reason, it was there now. Giving Connor’s hand a squeeze, she let go and slowly backed up. She was grateful that Connor hadn’t turned to face her or had had a problem with her letting go of his hand; it would have only tipped off Darla to what she was trying to do. Keeping her eyes on the mother and son, she slowly reached down to pick up the axe. Suddenly she felt an arm around her neck and one around her waist. Startled, she screamed.
"And just what were you trying to do, little girl?" Darla asked with a smile. "You weren’t trying to get that axe to kill me with, now were you?"
Connor had tried to stop his mother before she had reached Dawn, but he just hadn’t moved fast enough. Now, his girlfriend stood before him, eyes wide and full of fear, trembling under his mother’s grasp. "Let her go!" He demanded. He blamed himself for Dawn’s precarious position.
"No sweetie," she cooed at him. "Not this time. Actually, I’m kinda hungry." She pulled Dawn’s long hair away from her neck, exposing the tender flesh.
"No!" He screamed, running towards them, knocking his mother and Dawn to the ground. Rolling to his right, he grabbed the axe and helped Dawn to her feet. "You will not touch her!"
"Then you’ll have to kill me," Darla replied, smirking up at him.
"Whatever it takes." He ran towards her, screaming, as he swung the axe.
Darla laughed and rolled away, just in time to for the weapon to miss her head. "That’s it, that’s my boy."
"I will kill you!"
"Of course you will. You must," she stated as she kicked him in the stomach, sending him and the axe to the ground. "It’s your destiny."
He recovered from the kick and sent her flying with one of his own. For every move she made, he matched it flawlessly. Finally, he sent her to the ground with one, hard punch to the face. In an instant, he was standing over her with the axe. He raised his weapon and was about to bring it down on her neck when Dawn screamed at him to stop.
"Don’t do it! Don’t become what she is," Dawn pleaded with him, laying a hand on his shoulder. "You’re not a murderer. You’re not like her." Connor continued to stand over his mother, no emotion showing on his face. Dawn wasn’t certain if he had even heard her or not. Several tense moments passed and then he laid the axe down on the ground.
"I will not kill you," he said, backing away from Darla. "I don’t want to be like you."
Darla stood, wiping the blood from her swollen lip. "It’s such a shame you had to turn out like your father. I had such high hopes for you."
"Thank you."
"Thank you for what?" Darla demanded, confused.
"Thank you for saying that I’m like him. He was a good man despite being a monster."
Before either of the teens could react, Darla picked up the axe and ran at him. As Dawn stood by, watching helplessly, Darla buried the axe into Connor’s midsection. "Sorry, my dear boy."
Dawn screamed and tried to reach for Connor’s hand but Darla was between them in an instant, separating her from Connor. If she could just touch his hand, she would be able to save him with her healing powers. Flailing her arms and legs, she tried to beat off Darla, but it was useless. The more she struggled the tighter the vampire’s grip on her became. "Connor!" She shouted.
"Dawn?" Connor managed to gasp. He turned his head to face her, as he lay on the ground, blood pouring from him. "I love you..."
"No! Connor! No!" She sobbed. Suddenly, Darla was gone and she was free. Struggling to her knees, she crawled the distance to Connor’s side, hoping beyond hope that he was still alive. She placed her hand on his chest. There was no rise or fall of breathing, no beating of a heart. His eyes stared endlessly at the place she had been. Slowly, she closed his eyes and kissed his cheek, tears streaming down her face. "I’m so sorry," she cried. "All these powers and I couldn’t even save you."
"That’s a pretty big bummer, huh?"
Dawn froze in her spot next to Connor’s mangled body. She knew that voice. She didn’t even have to turn around to look at the person to confirm what she already knew. Slowly, she stood up, her eyes never leaving Connor’s face as if staring at him would summon all the strength she would need to face the thing standing behind her. "You’re dead," she stated courageously, balling her hands into fists and biting her lip.
"Aren’t we all at one time or another on the Hellmouth."
"You’re not real."
"Oh, I’m real. Right here, right now...I’m real. And damnit, I think I broke a nail getting here."
Dawn glared at the image sideways, anger and hatred covering her face, but she didn’t say a word.
"Too bad about your little boyfriend there, honey. I’m sure he didn’t feel much. Not like what you’re going to feel. I should have finished the job the first time around, but no, your big sister had to interfere as well as that stuffy British guy."
"Buffy beat you."
"No sweetie. Not really. Yeah, she sacrificed herself to close the portal cause she realized that you were made from her blood, but she didn’t save anyone. That old guy did. You know, the one that you think of as your father."
Dawn looked back down at Connor’s body, her anger being replaced by confusion and disbelief. "Giles? He didn’t do anything more than the others. It was Buffy that saved the world. She died protecting me."
Glory laughed at her. "She died to close the portal, but by that point, I was already dead. Well, not really me, but Ben. Without Ben’s body alive, I was as good as dead too. Your sister left him alive but Giles, see, he knew. He knew that if Ben was allowed to live, I would continue to live, continue to seek out new ways to use you to get back to my dimension." She paused, looking down at her shoes. "These shoes don’t really go with this setting, do they? I should have worn sandals."
"What?" Dawn asked in disgust with eyes large and wet as she turned to look at the former Hell God.
"Sandals. They would have been more practical here. Don’t you think? Heels just sink in the sand."
"You’re lying about Giles. He would never do anything like that." Never. She knew he had some type of dark past, but he would never kill in cold blood like that, not even if Ben had been monstrous to her...he was still human. The rules were different for humans.
"Kid, you have no idea about anything, do you? Of course not," she added as she shook her head, giving Dawn the once over with her eyes. "You’ve gotten a little older, a little taller, and a little more powerful, but definitely not any wiser. That’s too bad."
"You don’t know anything about me," Dawn hissed at her, trying her hardest not to be afraid of the creature in front of her.
"Sweetie, all I ever needed to know about you could be summed up in one word. Key. I didn’t, and still don’t, need to know any more than that."
"I’m not just a key," Dawn growled at the god. "I’m more than that. I’m Dawn Summers."
"Whatever," Glory stated, sounding bored as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Look, I don’t have a whole lot of time. And really, I don’t care who you are other than the key." She walked over to Dawn and grabbed her by the throat, her eyes narrowing. "So why don’t you open me a portal and send me home?"
Dawn hung from Glory’s grasp, frantically trying to pull the demon’s hand away from her neck. It was getting harder to breathe as the vice-like grip tightened even more. Anger began to course through her veins as she thought about how much she had hated feeling so helpless and hopeless when Glory had been alive the first time around. She had felt alone then, as she did now, but then she didn’t have the powers that she had now. True, she wasn’t as strong as Buffy, but she could hold her own and she could heal herself in a pinch if she had to, like she had done at Angel’s hotel. She wasn’t just "the key" anymore, she was more...so much more and she would be damned if she wasn’t going to use them to defeat this wench. Suddenly she stopped struggling and closed her eyes.
"Wow. You’re no fun. That was almost way too easy," Glory stated as she continued to hold Dawn at arm’s length. Humans were just too easy to kill when you were a god.
"That’s what you think!" Dawn yelled as she kicked out and caught Glory by surprise. The force of the kick sent the god sprawling and released Dawn from her grasp. Dawn stood over her, glaring down at her. "Did you really think I’d let you kill me that easily, after what you did to me and my sister and friends? For a Hell God," she stated putting her hands on her hips. "You’re pretty stupid."
"Why you impertinent little brat!" Glory screamed, pounding her fists on the ground by her sides. "You’ll pay for that."
Dawn rolled her eyes. "I’m sure you’ll try," Dawn stated as calmly as she could, but inside she was trembling. "But I’m not going down without a fight. So if you want to kill me, you’re going to have to work harder than that." She folded her arms across her chest and stood defiantly in front of her nemesis.
Glory stood, brushing the sand off herself. Her eyes glowed red as her rage boiled to the surface. "You have no idea what you’re in for you stupid little girl."
"I think I have a clue or two. Remember, I faced you once before..."
"And I bled you once before."
"No. It was your lackey who did the cutting since you couldn’t reach me in time." She stood up straighter and puffed out her chest. She was scared but there was no way she was going to let Glory know that. "You didn’t succeed then and you’re not going to succeed now, Glory. You’re just a loser."
Glory screamed shrilly at Dawn as she launched herself forward, trying to start her attack but she found that her shoe was stuck in the sand. "See," she stated coolly after looking down at her feet. "I should have worn sandals." Hearing Dawn giggle, she looked up expecting to see a smirking child in front of her, however, what she saw instead was Dawn’s fist, which connected with her face with a powerful thud. "You little bitch," she stated as she came to rest several feet away from where she had just been standing. "I am so going to hurt you." Quickly she pulled off her shoes and ran at Dawn again.
Dawn was expecting her so she used Glory’s momentum to flip the god over onto her back. She straddled Glory, pinning arms down with her knees as she began beating her fists into the god’s face, over and over again. Glory struggled beneath her but it was no match for the fury that had erupted inside of her. She had snapped. Snapped to the point that all she wanted to do was to kill the woman beneath her. So caught up in the beating she was giving Glory, she didn’t realize that the god was now laughing at her, encouraging her to continue on...urging her to kill her.
"Come on kiddo, a little harder...break an eye socket or two. I know you can do it. Beat my brains in."
Dawn paused only when she thought she had heard Connor groan. Whirling around, she looked at him closely, trying to see if he was breathing. There was nothing. It had been her imagination, she was sure of it but it had been enough of a distraction to bring her mind back to the present. Slowly she turned to look back down at creature under her. Glory was almost unrecognizable now, her lips were fat and split and her eyes were almost swollen shut. Quickly, she scrambled off the god and backed up, disgusted at what she had done.
"Hey," Glory growled. "Where do you think you’re going? You’re not finished. I’m not dead yet."
"I’m...I’m not going to kill you," Dawn sputtered, still horrified by her actions.
Glory pulled herself up into a sitting position. "Dearie, you have to. It’s kill or be killed. No in between."
"I won’t kill you."
Glory rolled her eyes as she stood. "Stupid little girl," she muttered to herself. "All that energy and power. Don’t you want to learn to use it?"
"Not if it means becoming like you."
"You think you’re so different from me, do you?" Glory asked, her face darkening. "You’re not. You’re just like me."
"No. No I’m not. I won’t fight you anymore and I won’t kill you."
"Fine. Then I’ll kill you."
Before Dawn had a chance to react, Glory plunged her hands into her brain. The pain was so intense that it was blinding. Was this what Tara had felt? If not, it had to be close. She felt her knees buckle as she slowly sank to the ground. At least she thought it was the ground, maybe? Her life, as short as it was, flashed through her mind, pictures of Buffy and her mother, Spike, all of her friends and then of Connor. He was reaching out to her, telling her how much he loved her. She knew her life was ending, could feel it seeping out of her body and into Glory’s. Before the darkness took her, she whispered to the air. "Buffy, I’m so sorry..."
Rating: PG-13 Some language and violence
Disclaimer and spoiler warning: These characters belong to Joss Whedon and whomever else he sells them to, I'm just borrowing them for a while. This story is part three of a trilogy and is based upon the alternate universe I created in Reset.
Update List: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Destined_Fic
Summary: As Buffy and William prepare to meet with the Master, the others formulate a plan of their own...
Timeframe: Immediately following "Inside & Out"
- 37 -
Best Laid Plans
Best Laid Plans
The lowering sun shone through the front window of the Magic Box, casting long prisms across the shop floor as the woman in the doorway continued to stare at the group inside. Had they not heard what she had just said to them? She couldn’t tell since all they were doing was looking at her, mouths agape and eyes blinking. From what she could understand about the situation, time was precious so they didn’t really have a choice as to whether or not she would be permitted to help. She would be their seventh and that would be the end of the discussion. Folding her arms across her chest, she sighed.
"Are you people deaf?" She demanded with a glare.
"No," Gunn replied taking several steps forward, scowling at her. "We just don’t really like you much."
Pushing herself off the doorframe she was leaning on, she sauntered into the room, smirking. "You may not like me, but you need me."
Buffy looked at the three people left from Angel Investigations, trying to decide if it was worth bringing this woman into an already tense situation. There was something that felt off about her, but at the moment, beggars couldn’t really be choosers could they?
"Get out," Gunn growled at her, running his hand over the handle of the battle-axe at his side. "Before I do something I may regret later; then again, I may not..."
"Charles!" Fred chided him. "We need her. As much as we may not like it, we need her to help save the others."
"Yeah," Lorne sighed, agreeing with Fred but feeling defeated despite it. "We do."
"She stays," Buffy stated, trying to be the voice of reason. "We need a seventh and she’s the only thing we have right now." Noticing the looks on Garrick and Geoffrey’s faces, she realized introductions were in order, especially since they would need her for the spell. "Guys, this is Lilah Morgan. Lilah, this is Garrick and Geoffrey...from the Watchers Council." She watched Lilah’s face for a reaction at the mention of the Council, but none came. This one was smooth.
"She works for the people that are responsible for this mess," William stated coldly, not really caring for the spot they were in, but understanding that they could use her as a means to an end.
"Is that so?" Garrick asked; his eyes narrowing as he stepped towards her. "So you work for Wolfram and Hart, do you?"
"Actually, no," Lilah replied, her eyes glancing down at her feet before she continued. "Not anymore."
"Were you fired?" Fred demanded with a frown.
Silence.
"Of course you were, weren’t you, sugar plum?" Lorne asked, smugly. "I’d bet the farm that it had something to do with bringing in a traitor."
Lilah pursed her lips and looked everywhere in the room but at those in the group. "Something like that," she said almost in a whisper as she fidgeted with the buttons on her shirtsleeve.
Gunn laughed as he leaned against the counter. "So the great Lilah Morgan isn’t so great after all, huh? Which brings me to my next question. Why are you back here?"
"That’s a very good question," Lorne agreed, moving closer to the woman who had been their enemy for so long. "Why are you back here?"
"Let’s just say that it’s in the best interest of both our sides to have me here right now."
Gunn growled. "Uh, uh. You don’t expect us to believe that for a minute. You’re here for yourself, not anyone else. What’s in it for you?"
"Nothing."
"You’re lying," Gunn growled as he flew at Lilah but Lorne grabbed his arm before he got far.
"I’m here to help, you ungrateful little bastard!"
"She’s back for Wesley," Fred stated as the realization hit her. "She’s in love with Wes!"
"What?" Gunn demanded, trying to calm down. "You’re joking, right? There’s not a caring bone in her body..."
"Okay," Buffy demanded as she stepped between the two. "That’s enough. There’ll be plenty of time for the snide comments and accusations later, after we defeat the Master. Got it?" She asked looking at Gunn and then at Lilah, challenging them to defy her. "Good. Now, let’s get started. Garrick, do you have everything you need?"
"I think so. The spell just calls for the normal ingredients and one special herb, but I’m sure that won’t be a problem, what with us being in a real magic shop and all."
"Quite right," Geoffrey added. "And if the shopkeeper is anything like Rupert has described her, you’ll be able to find it without a problem."
Buffy chuckled. "Yeah, just be sure to write her a note to let her know what you took. She’ll probably be looking for payment after I save her ass. I want the rest of you to help Garrick with whatever he asks you to do. No questions. We don’t have the time."
Everyone nodded.
"While you lot sort this out, the Slayer and I will try to do a little training in the back room before we head out. We need to focus so don’t disturb us unless it’s absolutely important."
"What about her?" Fred asked, tilting her head towards Lilah. "What if she causes any problems?"
Buffy threw a crossbow at Fred who caught it handily. "Use this," she stated matter of factly as she turned to walk out of the room, William following at her heels.
Fred and Lorne exchanged worried glances as Gunn smiled widely.
******
Before entering the back room, Buffy grabbed the duffle bag that she had brought from home and took it with her; the contents still unknown to William or the others. Her mind began to whirl with thoughts of the Master. She had faced him once before and had died at his hands, but Xander had brought her back to life with his knowledge of CPR. Dying wasn’t something you forget all that easily and she would know, having died twice already. Despite her death by drowning, she had defeated the Master, sending him to hell for all eternity. At least, that’s what she had thought at the time. However, after returning from her summer vacation in L.A. a few short months later, she discovered that the Anointed One, who had hopes of resurrecting the bat-like creature, had dug up the Master’s bones. With Angel’s help, she had managed to stop the Anointed One’s plans. Afterwards, she took a sledgehammer to the Master’s skeleton, pounding his bones into pieces. At that point, she had been fairly certain that they had finally seen the last of him. But she had been wrong, very wrong. Sighing, she realized she should have known better, after all, she did live on the mouth of Hell.
"Buffy?" William asked with concern, noticing that she had that far away look in her eyes that she usually got when she retreated into herself. "Buffy?" He asked again, this time gently gripping her upper arm, hoping to get her attention. The last thing they needed was for her to go all catatonic like she did when Glory took Dawn.
"Huh?" She whispered, slowly coming out of her daze.
"Luv, try not to worry so much," he stated as he cupped her chin in his palm. "We’re going to get through this, together. You and me."
"You seem pretty confident about that," she retorted, eyeing him suspiciously. "Know something the rest of us don’t?"
"Yes."
Placing her hands on her hips, she quirked a questioning eyebrow at him, demanding an immediate answer. "And that would be what?" She pressed when he didn’t respond right away.
"Have you forgotten that you have a former Big Bad in your midst? I may not be a baddie now Buffy, but I certainly still know how to think like one."
She considered his words. He was right. He may be all human and soul-like now, but for over a century he had been a creature of the night. "Okay Mr. Big Bad," she stated, nodding her head in agreement. "You’ve got me there, but there’s still one little problem."
A look of puzzlement crossed his face, as he looked at her, not sure what she was getting at. "What would that be?"
"You’re human now, Spike. Totally human, needing breath and having a heartbeat. You don’t have the same abilities you had when you were a vampire. Although, I do have to admit, you’re still pretty strong and...."
"Buffy, I’m a bit more than human. You know that."
"Yeah and I still don’t know why."
"I’d love to explain it to you in detail, but we don’t have the time. Just know this, when I completed my trials, not only did I get the powers of the creature I defeated, but I received something else."
"What else?" She asked, screwing her face into a frown.
"Well, as Anya likes to think of it, ‘a gift with purchase’."
"What kind of gift?" She demanded, a feeling of dread settling in the pit of her stomach.
He looked at her and smiled, trying to calm her. "Apparently, at some point, I had asked the beast to give you what you deserved." Then he frowned. "Thing is," he began again, slowly. "I only remember telling him that I wanted to be like I was before. Don’t remember that other part. Anyway, it seems..."
"Yes?" She said, urging him to continue.
"It seems that he turned me into a male slayer of sorts."
Her mouth dropped open. She was stunned and unable to speak. "Wh-What?"
"It’s complicated Luv, but suffice it to say," he stated with a wicked grin. "I’m just like you, but with the male bits."
"A male slayer, but there’s never been one...not ever. How...?"
"I dunno how," he stated as he pulled her into his embrace. "But I’m thankful nonetheless. I have all the same powers you do, mostly, except my hearing’s not as good as before."
"So that’s how you could send that vamp flying across the cemetery with just one kick," she mussed. "Let me get this straight," she began, pulling out of the embrace and looking him in the eyes. "The beast gave me what I deserved? And what is that exactly? A guy who is like me?"
"An equal. Someone who will understand your duty and embrace your destiny."
She was speechless. He was right, again. Hadn’t she always wished for someone who would understand her and the things she did, no questions asked? And hadn’t she always wanted someone who could hold their own in battle but yet still know how to make her feel incredibly sexy at the same time? She had and now her wish had been answered in a way she never dreamed possible. Amazing. She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "I love you."
"I love you too."
After a few moments, she released him from the embrace. "So, we have a former Big Bad who’s now on our side. And not only does he still think like a Big Bad, but he can slay beasties as well?"
"That’s pretty much it in a nutshell. Although, not too terribly different from before I became human."
Suddenly, a wide grin broke out on her face. "Okay then," she stated as she pulled the duffle bag off her shoulder and tossed it to him. "Since you’re still a Big Bad, you might need this."
"What’s this?"
"Open it up and find out," she said, smiling playfully.
Quickly he unzipped the bag and opened it. His breath caught in his chest as he looked at the contents. "Buffy, I can’t..." he tried to say, lifting his head to look at her, his eyes watery.
"You can," she stated, giving him a reassuring smile. "Spike, stop trying to suppress who you are, what you are."
"But you said no more..."
"Forget what I said, Spike. Be who you are. Speaking from experience, it only messes up your mind more if you keep trying to hide." Before he could retort with his usual protesting statement, she held up her hand. "You are not a monster, Spike. Not anymore. So take that bag and go in the bathroom and don’t come out until you feel like yourself."
He looked at her, tears still threatening to spill. "Are you sure?"
"Positive. Now get going before I change my mind." She watched as he walked away and then turned, getting ready to go a few rounds with the punching bag, to help take her mind off of what it was he was doing in the bathroom.
******
Garrick had already gathered the ingredients for the spell and was putting them in a bag by the time Buffy had rejoined the others in the front of the shop half an hour later. She was surprised to see that they were all working together, maybe not in harmony but at least not in total discord. She watched as they listened to Geoffrey while he taught them the incantation to invoke the powers to the Twelve. Fred was furiously scribbling notes on a small sheet of paper while Gunn tried to pronounce a few of the Latin words correctly. Standing by the stairs to the upper level, and trying to stay out of the way, she found herself unable to take her eyes off Geoffrey. There was just something about him, something she just couldn’t put her finger on.
"He’s quite the looker, isn’t he?" Garrick stated as he stood beside her.
She hadn’t heard him come over to her, nor had she wanted to be caught staring at one of William’s best friends. "He’s okay, I guess," she stated with a shrug, trying to look nonchalant about it despite the pink that had risen up in her cheeks.
Garrick gave her an understanding smile. "You wouldn’t be the first to think him handsome, you know. Women chase after him all the time back home."
"I’m surprised he’s not married or engaged or something," Buffy responded innocently enough. She wasn’t interested in Geoffrey, but at the same time, she felt drawn to him.
"Nah, not our boy. Too busy playing the field and breaking hearts."
Giving Geoffrey one last glance, she turned to Garrick and changed the subject. "You have everything?"
He nodded his response. "Everything was here and I’ve left Anya a note letting her know what we ‘borrowed’."
"Good. So what’s the plan?"
"Well, I’m not quite sure exactly. We’ll follow you and William to the Master’s hideout but we won’t follow you inside. We must perform the ritual outside of his dwelling for it to be potent."
"So while William and I are fighting the Master, you guys will do the spell thingy and then we’ll be able to kill him for good this time?"
He paused and considered his words carefully before he responded. "Buffy, you must know, this ritual will only work if the others are still alive."
"Yeah," she said quietly. "I kinda figured that. We just have to go with the idea that they are, otherwise," she shrugged. "What’s the point?"
Garrick looked down at his feet. "Quite right," he replied softly. Then, looking around, he realized that his friend was missing. "Where is William?"
"Right here," William replied from behind.
Both Garrick and Buffy automatically turned to welcome him after he announced his presence. Buffy smiled widely at her lover while Garrick sputtered, causing the others to stop what they were doing and look at him as well. An eerie hush fell over the shop.
******
William looked around at the group, suddenly feeling very self-conscious as he walked further into the room. Everyone but Buffy and Clem were looking at him as if he had grown a second head. "Uh, is there a problem or does a Sabertine demon have your tongue?" His hair had been freshly bleached and his curls were now slicked back against his head. He had changed into a black pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. As they stood watching him, he slowly put on the leather duster that he had taken from the last Slayer he had killed. Oddly enough, he felt good, like he was at home again in his own skin. Maybe Buffy had been right, he didn’t need to hide from what he used to be in order to understand who he was now.
"I think you look great," Buffy stated with a smile as she walked over to him and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.
"That might be so, Luv, but no one else here seems to be that enthused at the moment."
"I would hope not," she teased. "I’d have to hurt them otherwise. Maybe it’s the duster they’re amazed by," she added thoughtfully, taking a step back and giving him a lingering look.
"So it’s true then?" Geoffrey stood, almost knocking over his chair in the process. His face had grown pale and his eyes wide. "You really were William the Bloody."
"Well, yeah. Did you think I was making all that stuff up?"
"Maybe? You have to admit though, you told us when you were totally pissed," he paused, realizing that the Americans would think he meant something else and then corrected himself. "Drunk, you were drunk at the time. Thought maybe you just made it up."
"You’re William the Bloody?" Lorne asked in awe. "Wow. I mean, I had heard about you before..."
"From the poofter, I’d wager."
"Nah, Angel cakes doesn’t talk much. I read this guy once, I think it was in Albuquerque, or maybe it was Buenos Aires. Doesn’t matter, really, but he was terrified of this vampire named William the Bloody or was it Spike?"
"One and the same, mate. Ah, the good ol’ days. Back when my name struck fear into the hearts of men, and slayers alike."
Buffy rolled her eyes at him. "Whatever...William."
"You know," he stated as he slipped his arms around her waist and gave her a devilish grin. "I think I’d rather be called Spike, it’s more...manly."
Garrick, looking all the world like he was going to explode with William’s final comment, finally spoke. "Really William. Is this all necessary? You’re going to fight the Master, not apply for monster of the week. Rupert will be very displeased with you when he finds out that you’ve tipped your hand. No one is supposed to know..."
"Garrick, everyone already knew. Except for these blokes," he said, motioning towards Lorne and Gunn. "And lady," he added quickly after seeing Fred cross her arms, looking peeved at him for leaving her out. "But that’s only because I’d never met them before and I’m quite disappointed that Peaches never mentioned me."
Lilah slowly made her way over to William, her eyes scanning every inch of him appreciatively. "I knew," she stated with an air of smugness. "Wolfram and Hart researchers found a picture of you in an old Chinese newspaper, Boxer Rebellion I believe. You have quite the...history, Spike." Seductively, she straightened the collar of his duster as a bemused Buffy looked on.
"I guess we should get a move on," Gunn stated as he checked his watch, trying to turn everyone’s attention back to the problem at hand.
"Yes," Garrick replied. "We need to be in position before the sun sets."
"I have a question," Fred said nervously, wringing her hands as she had back at the house when she told Buffy that Dawn was missing. "Do we know where we’re going?"
Geoffrey nervously glanced around the room at the others’ expressions. "What? Are you serious? We thought you knew where he was! We’re doomed!"
"No we’re not," Buffy replied tersely. "According to mine and Spike’s dreams, he’s in a cave. There’s not many caves around Sunnydale. Well, not really. We’ll just have to look from cave to cave."
"We don’t have the time!" Garrick snapped. "Everything is depending on us being in place by sunset."
"Chill dude," Gunn replied. "The quicker we leave, the faster we’ll find the cave and take this thing out."
"Wait," William called out as he tightly grabbed a hold of Lilah’s arm and gave her his most evil glare. "We don’t need to search for the right cave when we have one of the enemy right here with us. Isn’t that right, pet?"
Lilah looked down at his hand on her arm and then looked back up to give him a smug smile. "I guess you expect me to show you where he is?"
"I suspect that you will since I’ve got this feeling you want to help save your watcher bloke."
"Great," Buffy stated as she grabbed her weapons and headed toward the door. "Let’s go. She can lead the way."
Quickly, everyone gathered their weapons and supplies and filed out the door of the Magic Box into the waning afternoon sun.
Author: PSUbrat
Rating: PG-13 Some language and violence
Disclaimer and spoiler warning: These characters belong to Joss Whedon and whomever else he sells them to, I'm just borrowing them for a while. This story is part three of a trilogy and is based upon the alternate universe I created in Reset.
Update List: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Destined_Fic
Summary: After Angel is dusted by Holtz, Connor and Dawn are transported to the circle where their own horrors await them...
Timeframe: Immediately following "Best Laid Plans"
Warning: Contains Character Deaths
-38 -
Pentacle of Agony
Pentacle of Agony
"Grab my hand!" Connor shouted to Dawn above the thunderous roar that was coming towards them. It was their time, their turn, to face the trials. What had happened to the others, he didn’t know, but what he did know was that if he and Dawn were going to make it through this, they needed to work together.
Dawn did as she was told. As soon as she reached for his hand and he grabbed a hold of it, she could feel them being swept up in a torrent of air. She felt weightless, like she was floating. All thoughts of what was about to happen to them were rushed out of her mind as their bodies spun endlessly through the stars. At least she thought they were stars.
Then there was nothing but the semi-darkness and solid ground, a circle of torches surrounding them.
Connor pulled Dawn close to him as he allowed his inherently superior eyesight to take over. Every fiber of his being told him that nothing but evil lurked here. "Stay behind me," he told Dawn as they inched their way into the middle of the circle.
"I don’t need you to protect me you know. I have my own powers."
"I know, but your mom said that we need to work together."
Suddenly, Dawn stopped and gasped as she tugged on Connor’s hand. "Look," she said, fear evident in her voice while she pointed to the ground beside them.
"Blood," he stated as he crouched down to touch it. Slowly he lifted his finger to his nose and sniffed the watery red substance. "Cordelia’s."
Dawn’s eyes grew huge. "Are you sure?"
He nodded, closing his eyes. A feeling in the pit of his stomach told him that Cordelia was dead.
"There’s more blood. Over there...and over there," she said pointing. "I don’t like the look of this." She was shivering now. There was blood everywhere she looked, too much blood. It was clear what had happened to the others, their fate had been death. Were they going to die too? Desperately, she tried to push the thought out of her mind.
As they approached the other side of the circle, Connor’s eyes came to rest on a pile of dust. He felt his knees buckle and his stomach clench.
Dawn felt him tighten his grip on her hand. "What is it, Connor? What’s wrong?"
He turned to her, tears stinging his eyes. "I think...I think my father has been killed as well."
Before Dawn could answer, a voice came from behind them. "Right you are, my dear boy."
******
Connor spun around, positioning himself between the voice and Dawn. It was instinctual that he wanted to protect her, even though he knew she didn’t need protecting. He was somewhat surprised when she allowed him to shield her from the unknown. That voice. There was something about the sound of that voice that sent chills up and down his spine, but yet there was something familiar about it as well. "Who are you?" He demanded.
"Why is your father’s death so upsetting to you?" The female voice asked instead of answering his question. "It’s not like you knew him. In fact, I heard that you even tried to kill him. A chip off the old block, aren’t you? Although, I’m not sure which block that would be."
"What do you know about my father?" He commanded, anger seeping into his tone.
Slowly, the figure stepped out of the shadows, shrouded in a dark cloak. Automatically, both teens took a step backwards. "Come now my darling, don’t be afraid." The visitor said soothingly.
His eyes narrowed and his body tensed. Could it be? But he had never met her, never known her, still there was something inside of him that knew who it was. Hesitantly, he took several steps forward, still holding onto Dawn’s hand.
"Do you know her?" Dawn whispered as she tried to size up the cloaked woman in front of them. "Who is she?"
"I think...I think she’s my..."
"Mother," Darla stated, pulling the hood off her head to reveal her smiling face.
"I know who you are," Dawn gasped as she recognized the female vampire. "You bit my mother and tried to make it look like Angel did it. Angel killed you!"
"Yeah, but you know how it goes," she replied, smiling sweetly. "You never stay dead for long around here. Besides," she continued as she took in the sight of the two teens holding hands. "Where would you two be right now if I hadn’t come back?"
"Better off," Connor growled angrily. "It would have been better if I had never been born!"
"You don’t mean that, darling." She walked over to him, still smiling pleasantly. "You have grown up so much. I guess that trip to Quartoth wasn’t the best thing for your development."
He glared at her but said nothing. Most of his life, he had never even given his mother a second thought, after all, Holtz had told him what she was, what she always would be and he’d wanted nothing to do with that. Now, here she was in front of him. Hatred mixed with wonder coursed through his body. Suddenly, hundreds of questions began streaming through his mind.
She reached out her hand and delicately traced his cheek with a finger. "You’re so handsome. Just like your father."
Connor noticeably flinched when she touched him. "Where is my father?"
"Daddy’s dead, darling," she laughed as she continued to take in his features. "I’m the only family you have left now."
"No you aren’t," Dawn hissed, taking a step forward but never letting go of Connor’s hand. "He still has me and he has my family."
Darla smiled brightly at Dawn. She cocked her head to the side, considering the teenaged girl in front of her. She had been told that the girl was not to be harmed, that she possessed great powers and that another would be sent to deal with her. As much as she wanted to claim this one for her own, she knew better than to anger the Master. "Of course he does, but not for long. Soon you won’t have anyone, and then where will you be?"
"She’s not going anywhere without me. I’ll always protect her, no matter what."
"So much like your father," she mussed sadly to herself. "Always trying to be the warrior, the protector."
"There’s nothing wrong with that," Dawn snapped back.
"You’d do well to keep your mouth shut. I’m tiring of you already," she said as she backhanded Dawn across the cheek.
Dawn turned her head back towards Darla, hatred lighting her eyes. "Don’t touch me!"
"Or what, little girl? What will you do to me?"
"She won’t do anything, but I will," Connor replied with an air of authority surrounding him.
"Such an ungrateful child. I staked myself to save you and this is the thanks I get?"
"You should have let me die."
"Yes, so you said before. All right then, let’s get down to business. The only way for you two to get out of this alive is if you," she said, grabbing Connor’s hand. "Come with me."
"I’m not going anywhere with you. Ever."
"You are my son and you are coming with me."
"I refuse."
"Fine then. We’ll just do things the hard way," she stated as she slipped into her vampiric features.
******
Sensing that Darla was distracted by Connor’s attitude, Dawn frantically looked around the circle, searching for weapons, anything that they could use to fight against the vampire. Behind them, where they had found Angel’s dust, was an axe. She couldn’t remember seeing it there before, but for whatever reason, it was there now. Giving Connor’s hand a squeeze, she let go and slowly backed up. She was grateful that Connor hadn’t turned to face her or had had a problem with her letting go of his hand; it would have only tipped off Darla to what she was trying to do. Keeping her eyes on the mother and son, she slowly reached down to pick up the axe. Suddenly she felt an arm around her neck and one around her waist. Startled, she screamed.
"And just what were you trying to do, little girl?" Darla asked with a smile. "You weren’t trying to get that axe to kill me with, now were you?"
Connor had tried to stop his mother before she had reached Dawn, but he just hadn’t moved fast enough. Now, his girlfriend stood before him, eyes wide and full of fear, trembling under his mother’s grasp. "Let her go!" He demanded. He blamed himself for Dawn’s precarious position.
"No sweetie," she cooed at him. "Not this time. Actually, I’m kinda hungry." She pulled Dawn’s long hair away from her neck, exposing the tender flesh.
"No!" He screamed, running towards them, knocking his mother and Dawn to the ground. Rolling to his right, he grabbed the axe and helped Dawn to her feet. "You will not touch her!"
"Then you’ll have to kill me," Darla replied, smirking up at him.
"Whatever it takes." He ran towards her, screaming, as he swung the axe.
Darla laughed and rolled away, just in time to for the weapon to miss her head. "That’s it, that’s my boy."
"I will kill you!"
"Of course you will. You must," she stated as she kicked him in the stomach, sending him and the axe to the ground. "It’s your destiny."
He recovered from the kick and sent her flying with one of his own. For every move she made, he matched it flawlessly. Finally, he sent her to the ground with one, hard punch to the face. In an instant, he was standing over her with the axe. He raised his weapon and was about to bring it down on her neck when Dawn screamed at him to stop.
"Don’t do it! Don’t become what she is," Dawn pleaded with him, laying a hand on his shoulder. "You’re not a murderer. You’re not like her." Connor continued to stand over his mother, no emotion showing on his face. Dawn wasn’t certain if he had even heard her or not. Several tense moments passed and then he laid the axe down on the ground.
"I will not kill you," he said, backing away from Darla. "I don’t want to be like you."
Darla stood, wiping the blood from her swollen lip. "It’s such a shame you had to turn out like your father. I had such high hopes for you."
"Thank you."
"Thank you for what?" Darla demanded, confused.
"Thank you for saying that I’m like him. He was a good man despite being a monster."
Before either of the teens could react, Darla picked up the axe and ran at him. As Dawn stood by, watching helplessly, Darla buried the axe into Connor’s midsection. "Sorry, my dear boy."
Dawn screamed and tried to reach for Connor’s hand but Darla was between them in an instant, separating her from Connor. If she could just touch his hand, she would be able to save him with her healing powers. Flailing her arms and legs, she tried to beat off Darla, but it was useless. The more she struggled the tighter the vampire’s grip on her became. "Connor!" She shouted.
"Dawn?" Connor managed to gasp. He turned his head to face her, as he lay on the ground, blood pouring from him. "I love you..."
"No! Connor! No!" She sobbed. Suddenly, Darla was gone and she was free. Struggling to her knees, she crawled the distance to Connor’s side, hoping beyond hope that he was still alive. She placed her hand on his chest. There was no rise or fall of breathing, no beating of a heart. His eyes stared endlessly at the place she had been. Slowly, she closed his eyes and kissed his cheek, tears streaming down her face. "I’m so sorry," she cried. "All these powers and I couldn’t even save you."
"That’s a pretty big bummer, huh?"
******
Dawn froze in her spot next to Connor’s mangled body. She knew that voice. She didn’t even have to turn around to look at the person to confirm what she already knew. Slowly, she stood up, her eyes never leaving Connor’s face as if staring at him would summon all the strength she would need to face the thing standing behind her. "You’re dead," she stated courageously, balling her hands into fists and biting her lip.
"Aren’t we all at one time or another on the Hellmouth."
"You’re not real."
"Oh, I’m real. Right here, right now...I’m real. And damnit, I think I broke a nail getting here."
Dawn glared at the image sideways, anger and hatred covering her face, but she didn’t say a word.
"Too bad about your little boyfriend there, honey. I’m sure he didn’t feel much. Not like what you’re going to feel. I should have finished the job the first time around, but no, your big sister had to interfere as well as that stuffy British guy."
"Buffy beat you."
"No sweetie. Not really. Yeah, she sacrificed herself to close the portal cause she realized that you were made from her blood, but she didn’t save anyone. That old guy did. You know, the one that you think of as your father."
Dawn looked back down at Connor’s body, her anger being replaced by confusion and disbelief. "Giles? He didn’t do anything more than the others. It was Buffy that saved the world. She died protecting me."
Glory laughed at her. "She died to close the portal, but by that point, I was already dead. Well, not really me, but Ben. Without Ben’s body alive, I was as good as dead too. Your sister left him alive but Giles, see, he knew. He knew that if Ben was allowed to live, I would continue to live, continue to seek out new ways to use you to get back to my dimension." She paused, looking down at her shoes. "These shoes don’t really go with this setting, do they? I should have worn sandals."
"What?" Dawn asked in disgust with eyes large and wet as she turned to look at the former Hell God.
"Sandals. They would have been more practical here. Don’t you think? Heels just sink in the sand."
"You’re lying about Giles. He would never do anything like that." Never. She knew he had some type of dark past, but he would never kill in cold blood like that, not even if Ben had been monstrous to her...he was still human. The rules were different for humans.
"Kid, you have no idea about anything, do you? Of course not," she added as she shook her head, giving Dawn the once over with her eyes. "You’ve gotten a little older, a little taller, and a little more powerful, but definitely not any wiser. That’s too bad."
"You don’t know anything about me," Dawn hissed at her, trying her hardest not to be afraid of the creature in front of her.
"Sweetie, all I ever needed to know about you could be summed up in one word. Key. I didn’t, and still don’t, need to know any more than that."
"I’m not just a key," Dawn growled at the god. "I’m more than that. I’m Dawn Summers."
"Whatever," Glory stated, sounding bored as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Look, I don’t have a whole lot of time. And really, I don’t care who you are other than the key." She walked over to Dawn and grabbed her by the throat, her eyes narrowing. "So why don’t you open me a portal and send me home?"
******
Dawn hung from Glory’s grasp, frantically trying to pull the demon’s hand away from her neck. It was getting harder to breathe as the vice-like grip tightened even more. Anger began to course through her veins as she thought about how much she had hated feeling so helpless and hopeless when Glory had been alive the first time around. She had felt alone then, as she did now, but then she didn’t have the powers that she had now. True, she wasn’t as strong as Buffy, but she could hold her own and she could heal herself in a pinch if she had to, like she had done at Angel’s hotel. She wasn’t just "the key" anymore, she was more...so much more and she would be damned if she wasn’t going to use them to defeat this wench. Suddenly she stopped struggling and closed her eyes.
"Wow. You’re no fun. That was almost way too easy," Glory stated as she continued to hold Dawn at arm’s length. Humans were just too easy to kill when you were a god.
"That’s what you think!" Dawn yelled as she kicked out and caught Glory by surprise. The force of the kick sent the god sprawling and released Dawn from her grasp. Dawn stood over her, glaring down at her. "Did you really think I’d let you kill me that easily, after what you did to me and my sister and friends? For a Hell God," she stated putting her hands on her hips. "You’re pretty stupid."
"Why you impertinent little brat!" Glory screamed, pounding her fists on the ground by her sides. "You’ll pay for that."
Dawn rolled her eyes. "I’m sure you’ll try," Dawn stated as calmly as she could, but inside she was trembling. "But I’m not going down without a fight. So if you want to kill me, you’re going to have to work harder than that." She folded her arms across her chest and stood defiantly in front of her nemesis.
Glory stood, brushing the sand off herself. Her eyes glowed red as her rage boiled to the surface. "You have no idea what you’re in for you stupid little girl."
"I think I have a clue or two. Remember, I faced you once before..."
"And I bled you once before."
"No. It was your lackey who did the cutting since you couldn’t reach me in time." She stood up straighter and puffed out her chest. She was scared but there was no way she was going to let Glory know that. "You didn’t succeed then and you’re not going to succeed now, Glory. You’re just a loser."
Glory screamed shrilly at Dawn as she launched herself forward, trying to start her attack but she found that her shoe was stuck in the sand. "See," she stated coolly after looking down at her feet. "I should have worn sandals." Hearing Dawn giggle, she looked up expecting to see a smirking child in front of her, however, what she saw instead was Dawn’s fist, which connected with her face with a powerful thud. "You little bitch," she stated as she came to rest several feet away from where she had just been standing. "I am so going to hurt you." Quickly she pulled off her shoes and ran at Dawn again.
Dawn was expecting her so she used Glory’s momentum to flip the god over onto her back. She straddled Glory, pinning arms down with her knees as she began beating her fists into the god’s face, over and over again. Glory struggled beneath her but it was no match for the fury that had erupted inside of her. She had snapped. Snapped to the point that all she wanted to do was to kill the woman beneath her. So caught up in the beating she was giving Glory, she didn’t realize that the god was now laughing at her, encouraging her to continue on...urging her to kill her.
"Come on kiddo, a little harder...break an eye socket or two. I know you can do it. Beat my brains in."
Dawn paused only when she thought she had heard Connor groan. Whirling around, she looked at him closely, trying to see if he was breathing. There was nothing. It had been her imagination, she was sure of it but it had been enough of a distraction to bring her mind back to the present. Slowly she turned to look back down at creature under her. Glory was almost unrecognizable now, her lips were fat and split and her eyes were almost swollen shut. Quickly, she scrambled off the god and backed up, disgusted at what she had done.
"Hey," Glory growled. "Where do you think you’re going? You’re not finished. I’m not dead yet."
"I’m...I’m not going to kill you," Dawn sputtered, still horrified by her actions.
Glory pulled herself up into a sitting position. "Dearie, you have to. It’s kill or be killed. No in between."
"I won’t kill you."
Glory rolled her eyes as she stood. "Stupid little girl," she muttered to herself. "All that energy and power. Don’t you want to learn to use it?"
"Not if it means becoming like you."
"You think you’re so different from me, do you?" Glory asked, her face darkening. "You’re not. You’re just like me."
"No. No I’m not. I won’t fight you anymore and I won’t kill you."
"Fine. Then I’ll kill you."
Before Dawn had a chance to react, Glory plunged her hands into her brain. The pain was so intense that it was blinding. Was this what Tara had felt? If not, it had to be close. She felt her knees buckle as she slowly sank to the ground. At least she thought it was the ground, maybe? Her life, as short as it was, flashed through her mind, pictures of Buffy and her mother, Spike, all of her friends and then of Connor. He was reaching out to her, telling her how much he loved her. She knew her life was ending, could feel it seeping out of her body and into Glory’s. Before the darkness took her, she whispered to the air. "Buffy, I’m so sorry..."
