Parts: 11 - 15
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
~Part: 11~
"Oi' you two down there" Spike yelled from the top of the stairs "'ave you found it yet"
Down in the basement. Anya emerges from behind the stairs, wearing a bra, quickly putting on her blouse.
"Um, I'm sure it's here, just be a minute! " Anya calls back
"Yeah, we're on it! Let's look over here, where we didn't look yet." Xander yells fastening his pants.
"Hurry up" Spike yelled
"Yes. Yes. Not to worry." Anya answers and picked up a clipboard and began to examine it.
"So, are you more, uh ... relaxed?" Xander asks
"No!" Anya replied as she continues to look through a box
"No? I mean, it sounded like you, uh arrived. " He said moving closer
"No." she said distractedly then tunes back in to the conversation "Yes. Um, I had the pleasure moment, and the blissful calm that comes right after it. But that only lasted a couple of seconds, and now I'm terrified again."
"Well, you don't have to be." Xander sooths
Anya moved toward another pile of stuff. Xander turned and pulled down a drop-cloth, revealing the Buffy Bot.
"Gah!" He exclaims and leaps back, making Anya jump as well.
"What?"
They both stare at the bot. It sat there with eyes open, unmoving.
"Spike's sex-bot. Why didn't they just melt it down into scrap?" Xander inquired
Anya moves away as Xander continues staring at the bot. "Maybe Willow wanted it."
"I don't think Willow feels that way about, about Buffy. I mean, I know she's gone through a lot of changes, but-"
"To study it."
"Right. Robotics. Science." Xander mutters embarrassed and moves to another pile of stuff and they both continue searching, separately.
"Pervert."
"Other pervert."
"And don't frighten me like tha-aah!" She shrieks as she sees something in another box. Xander comes over to look.
"God, who, who would put something like that there? Is this supposed to be some sort of sick joke?" She picks it up. It's a small toy bunny. "I mean, things aren't bad enough!" she paused a moment "This is an omen."
"Hey, hey, shh." Xander sooths rubbing her shoulders
"No, no, it's an omen. It's a higher power, trying to tell me through bunnies that we're all gonna die. Oh god."
"No it's not."
Anya puts the bunny back in the box as Xander puts his arms around her waist from behind.
"It's okay."
"No, you see, usually when there's an apocalypse, I skedaddle. But now I love you so much that instead I have inappropriately timed sex and try to think of ways to fight a god ... and worry terribly that something might happen to you. And also worry that something'll happen to me. And then I have guilt that I'm not more worried about everyone else, but I just don't have enough! I'm just on total overload, and I honestly don't think that I could be more nervous than I am right now." She babbled as the words come tumbling out
"Care to wager on that?" Xander asks as he lifts his hand he is holding a small box, open to reveal the ring inside. Anya stared at it. Xander let her go as she turned to face him, still looking at the ring.
"Anya ... you wanna marry me?" Xander asks
Anya stared at him a moment, then slaped him across the face.
"Can I take that as a "maybe"?"
"You're proposing to me!"
"Yes..."
"You're proposing to me 'cause we're gonna die! And you think it's romantic and sexy and, and you know you're not gonna have to go through with it 'cause the world's gonna end!"
"I'm proposing to you, Anya, because it's not."
"You can't know that."
"I believe it. I think we're gonna get through this. I think I'm gonna live a long ... and silly life, and I'm not interested in doing that without you around."
"Oh. Okay." Anya whispers
"Okay?"
"Yes." She smiles then nods "I mean, yes."
They both smile happily and look down at the ring. Xander removed the ring from the box as Anya holds up her hands. Then she stops him.
"No."
"No?" Xander questions sudden panic flooding through him
"After. Give it to me when the world doesn't end."
Xander smiled slightly. Anya put her arms around his neck and kissing him gently. They reluctantly return to there searching. A few creates later they find the Dagon Sphere. Picking it up they walk up the stairs hand in hand.
Dawn was waiting for them at the top. "Congratulations" she whispers taking the Glowing orb from them
"How did…" Anya starts
"From the future you know"
"Oh yeah"
They all sit down around the table, which is strewn with books and papers. Dawn places the orb in the middle of the table
"Okay we have the Dagon Sphere, an enchanted hammer what now?" Anya asked
"I'd say we beat Glorys around the head with the hammer until she retreats into Ben, then beat Ben around the head until he's dead." The other Spike said; he received a curious look from the younger Scooby's "Hey! It worked last time"
"How do we get close enough to Glorys to beat her around the head" Giles asked
"Um Willow do you think I could have a word with you in private" the older Willow asks.
"Yes" Willow answered getting up
"Okay now that's covered," the other Spike said
"What about Doc?" Dawn asks
"What about Doc?" Giles asks
"He's the one that well started the ritual," Dawn explains and on seeing their puzzled faces continued "Buffy managed to stop Glorys but Doc finished what she started"
The Willow's come back to the table the younger version looking decidedly happier. "You sure you can do this" the elder asked
"Yeah! You just concentrate on the heavy stuff"
"Do what!" Xander asks
"If I can get close enough to Glorys, I may be able to reverse what she did. Like, take back what she took from Tara. It might weaken Glorys, or ... make her less coherent. Or it might make all our heads explode."
"Hey! It won't. Trust me" the older Willow affirmed "It didn’t last time"
"You're going to work this mojo on Glorys that'll make her go wigqy"
"Then Spike our Spike'll come in and beat Glorys around the head"
"hey why him"
"When Glorys retreats she'll be human and the chip'll kick in"
"Oh Yeah"
"I'm going to call the hospital and see how Buffy's doing. Then I say we get ready"
"I hate to be the one to say this but shouldn’t some one call Angel, maby he…"
"Not possible" Angel said getting what Willow was asking
"Angels out of town, Wesley, we all in litsumplutsumgrb" Cordy explains
"Where" Xander asks
"A different dimension, we only found out when we got back and then it was too late"
"Oh" Willow said
***
"Are you sure" Giles asked from the table he was pouring over a map of Sunnydale.
Dawn was pointing to somewhere on it "Yes, That's where I was held," Dawn paused and corrected her self "Where she is being held"
"Well let's go them"
~Part: 12~
The door smashed inward as Willow hit it with a bolt of energy, they all went running in. Leaping into battle with Glorys's minions. Dawn and Spike separated from the main battle to slip up the stairs.
They pressed them selves into an alcove as Glorys and a group of her minions swept down the corridor, "What is this" she yelled as she reached to top of the stairs. She leaped over the banister and into the fray. Spike launches at her but she backhands him knocking him to the floor and causing him to drop the Sphere. It rolls away under a chest of drawers.
Willow grabbed Tara by the hand and yanked her in the direction of Glorys who was currently fighting with Spike. Willow grabed both Glorys's and Tara's heads. Who scream as blue lightning begins to flicker around them. Bright blue light appears to stream from Glorys's head to Tara's. Suddenly a blast of power separates them. All three go flying in different directions. Willow gose flying backwards into the wall. Glorys landed on her back on the floor, siting up as several minions run over.
"What the frickin' hell did that bitch do to me?"
The minions look at each other, then at Glorys. "You look fine. Truly." A Minion stammers nervously
"She made a little ... she made a hole. Uh, I need a brain to eat." Glorys said
"Oh, take mine, oh groove-tastic one!" the minion offers bowing
"I said a brain, you worthless dirt! "
She puts a hand to her forehead and begins to walk, distractedly, as the concerned minions follow her.
"Big day. I got places to be, big day. Need a brain."
"Well tough" Spike snap's and lunges at her."
***
"AAAAHHHHHHHHHHH" Cordy screamed and clutched her head as she was assaulted with a vision.
<A twelve year old crying holding a teddy bear, while standing alone amongst piles of rubble. The same girl hiding under a bed covered in bruises, while a man stalked around trying to find her. The girl older screaming as she realized what the general had done.> Cordy recognizes her as being Cara. <A demon one of the order of Kyllick, swims into sharp focus 'history is the fire that will not be put out, History is destiny it will be forefilled!'> the words resound in Cordy's brain <Dawn standing on top of A tall tower made out of scafolding> flashes painfully as the vision ends Cordy let out a long sigh. "Cordy, Cordy What happened what did you see" Faith asked franticly
"We have to stop them we have to go"
"Why"
Cordy quickly relayed the vision to Faith. Faith then helped Cordy to her feet. Cordy used Faith for support and Faith used Cordy as her eyes and they stumble inside
***
Xander grabs the minion off Anya and hurls it into a wall knocking it out. He turns back to Anya helping her to her feet she is holding Dagon Sphere in a tight grasp having retrieved it from under the chest of draws. They then dash over to help Giles who is being attacked by two minions.
Angel and Wesley were fighting side by side keeping the minions away from Spike and Willow
Willow crawled over to where Tara lay unconscious, slumped against the wall.
"Tara? " Willow asks gently shaking her. Tara's eyes opened and looked at Willow.
"Tara?"
"W ... Willow?" she stammers hesitantly
"Tara?" Willow smiles
"Willow ... I got so lost". Tara said on the verge of tears
"I found you." Willow kissing her all over her face then hugs her. They both smile happily. "I will always find you."
Spike is thrown back nearly hitting them. He stumbled to his feet looking haggard covered in cuts and bruises. He looked at Willow and gives her a small smile and goes back to the fight.
"Kali, Hera, Kronos, Tonic, Air like nectar, thick as onyx. Cassiel by your second star, hold mine victim as in tar." Willow begins to chant taking hold of Tara's
The air around Glorys shimmers and she suddenly cannot move she glared at Willow then at Spike who scrambles to his feet
"Yo Dead boy" Xander yells from the other side of the room and threw the Dagon Sphere. Glorys flinched as it whizzed past her and into Spike's waiting hands
***
"This way" Dawn Whispers taking Spike's hand, He smiles
Dawn looked down embarrassed and promptly drops his hand "Sorry I forgot" she muttered and turned to head down the corridor. She reaches a door, "Dawn are you in there" she yelled trying to break the door down with her shoulder.
"Let me" Spike said moving Dawn aside so that he could kick the door, it gave way easily. Only to reveal an empty room
"NO!" Dawn screamed on seeing the neat pile of clothes on the chair. She spun around running out of the room and back the way she had come.
***
Willow, Willow and Tara were throwing everything they had at Glorys to try to keep her in one place. The Dagon Sphere was floating just out of her reach the air was thick and tinged with dark energy swirling around her flowing from the black-eyed trio. Spike was beating Glorys around the head with the hammer. Blood was pouring from a gash on her head and out of her nose.
The rest of the gang was fighting the minions keeping the from coming to their god's aid
"Change" Spike demanded landing another blow to her head "and it'll all be over"
"Why should I take the word of a Vampire" she spat
"You shouldn't, but I could keep on like this for a very long time, It's like whack-attack without the challenge" he said landing another blow
Dawn came flying down the stairs followed quickly by Spike, Dawn looked at Glorys, she didn’t seem to notice her "You'll tire" she Spat
"Yeah but there's two of us and one of you" Spike said coming to stand beside the other Spike and taking the hammer and hitting her with renewed vigor. Glorys morphed before he could land another blow causing Spike scream in pain dropping the hammer. The other Spike picked it up, he looked up at Dawn and smiled he then looked at Willow and mouthed something which caused her to cry. Spike hefted the hammer and smashed Ben's skull and he slumped to the floor as the magic dissipated.
~Part: 13~
As the dust cleared an erie silence descended on the room broken only by the older Willow yelling "Spike" and flying into his arms The older Dawn also came running down the stairs "She's gone we're to late"
"I know where she is" Cordy said as she and Faith came stumbling into the room
"Cordy what are you doing here" Angel asked rushing over to her
"I had a vision"
"You did" Wesley asked surprised Cordy hadn't had a vision since the apocalypse, they all assumed that the powers that be had deserted them.
"Yeah, Nearly killed me"
"What did it say,"
Cordy relayed her vision to them
"So what you're saying is that what ever we try, we can't stop this it'll happen anyway"
"But you said that the dimensions closed then you lived on until the apocalypse" Xander said then frowned at what he said "That didn’t make sense"
"Okay let's try and make sense of this originally what happened" Anya asked marching up and down
"Originally I was taken by Ben way back at the gas station, Buffy lost it, but Willow pulled her back together in time to fight Glory, which she did and won!" Dawn paused frowned turning to look at the other Spike and then back at Giles, sudden realization dawning "That’s why He left?" Dawn said speaking to Spike but facing Giles "Buffy didn’t kill Glory, Giles killed Ben"
"Yes" the other Spike, said
"Oh! Well I know now" Dawn said she had always known there was more to Giles leaving than grief. Dawn then continued on with her tale "we all thought that as long as we could keep Glory occupied she couldn't do the ritual but, Doc filled in, spike tried to stop it but got thrown off the scaffold, the ritual started just as Buffy arrived. The only way to open it portal is with blood mine and the only way to stop it is when the blood stops with death. Buffy did that she threw her self into the void and it closed but it killed her"
"I we can't stop this we should at least make it the same as it was before"
***
"I remember what you told me and I did, I lived everyday and I took care of them. We all took care of each other" Dawn said as she unhooked Buffy from the respirator and she took a few hesitant gasps but was breathing on her own. Dawn gathered her up into her arms.
Giles was trying to quell the nurse's protests but ultimately had to hold her back as Dawn carried her sister out. Spike offered to help her but she refused, stoically carrying her.
~Part: 14~
They all stood below the tower and gazed upwards at the platform hundreds of feet above them.
"Get us up there" Dawn asked the older Willow
Willow places her hands on dawns sholders and begins to chant as she she dose so they lift up off the floor and begin to float up to the platform
***
"You. You can help me. Untie me. Please. Help me, she's coming." Dawn askes the man who has just apered standing at the other end of the platform,
"Well, it seems she's running a bit late, is the thing. And, uh, if her Splendidness can't be here in time to bleed you..." he said as he walked forward
Dawn realizes he's not on her side and srinks back as far as her bonds will alow
"Hey! Kid." He winks "Wanna see a trick?"
Dawn looked at him fearfully Suddenly he produces a large shiny knife, holds it up in front of his face. Dawn gasps and cringes. he holds the knife up with a small smile. The knife cuts a thin slash through the material and the skin. Dawn cries out and sobs in pain.
"Shallow cuts... shallow cuts..." He makes another cut and Dawn cries out again. Let the blood ... flow ... "
Blood drips dowm to Dawn's bare feet on the edge of the platform and drips over her toes. In midair the droplets of blood meet something, and a small circle of light appears, growing quickly.
"...free."
Dawn, Buffy and Willow land on the platform willow shoots Doc with a bolt of energy and he flies off the platform
Lighting shoots out of the portal hitting Sunnydale's opening an enormous hole in the middle of the street. People scream and run away. More lightning hits large building and burning it to a shell in instants. Weird demon creatures in the walls of the building scream in pain. A dragon flies out of the portal
Everyone on the platform struggles to stand as the ground shakes with the force of the lighting bolts.
Willow undid the ropes holding Dawn "What are you doing" Dawn asks as when she sees Buffy in her older selves arms
"We have to go now"
"But why"
"Things have to be the way they were, you know she'll never wake up," The older Dawn said
Dawn begins to cry she moves over to stroke her sisters head, then turns to run her self but Willow grabs her
"Hey don’t think about that, you've got your whole life to live yet, they'll take good care of you" Dawn said she then turned and leapt of the platform
~Part: 15~ (epilogue in Cara's POV told in a series of flashbacks )
I had a boring unremarkable life until I was twelve. I slightly spoilt but life was simple I got up I went to school played with my friend's but every Friday night I would curl up in front of the TV and disappear for two hours. Everybody knew that to disturb me would result in having his or her head bit off.
It was on the last of one of these Friday night before the summer hiatus that my life would change forever.
I rolled out bed reaching for the tissues. Grabbing one I walks over to her VCR to stop the tape as the credit's roll. A flash of lightning from outside caught he attention. I stooped to pick up her bear of the floor and looked out of the window just as a bolt of lighting hits my window and I found my self standing on top of a pile of rubble.
"Are you okay" a man asked
"I think so" I said unsure then asked "What happened"
"I don’t know one minuet I'm walking up my drive when I hit by lightning and then I'm here"
"Mamma, Dadda" I yelled starting to panic this must be the ruble of our house, but it isn't it's what appears to be a construction site "How did I get here, where's Mum and Dad"
"I don’t know luv"
"You have to help me find them"
"I will" he said taking her hand "so what's you're name poppet"
"Cara"
"Pleasure to met you Cara, I'm Arthur”
“Cara” a woman screamed and ran towards me. I’m the rational kind of girl; there was no way in hell that what was happening was happening, so I pinched my self but still, Willow was running towards me like her life depended on it, “Get away form him” she yelled, she was fallowed by Spike.
I must have hit my head I must have. “Are you okay” she asked I could not get my vocal cords to work so I just stared at her then I closed my eyes and put my hands over my ears “you’re not real, I’m going to count to ten and you’ll be gone”
“Cant you see you’re scaring the child” Arthur said as I counted “Don’t worry poppet, I’ll take care of you” he said reaching out for her
“NO!” Spike yelled punching the man sending him flying, and then I think I must have passed out.
THE END