The Circle of Slayers Series 19/35 Incomplete
Chapter 19: Time For Church
By Denna at dennaseer@hotmail.com
Rated PG
Keywords: Buffy and Spike…what else could there be?
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters. They belong to Joss Whedon. Yadda
yadda yadda.
Summary for Chapter 19: The group reaches the Temple and gets a little
surprise, as does Riley.


Chapter 19: Time for Church

Thursday, December 20th, 1:53 PM

    Looking down from the mountain on the little town, Spike thought it looked
to be perched on a narrow little shelf amid the sheer cliffs of the
Appalachian Range as he paused for a rest. He looked around him at the high
and steep mountains that were identical to the one they were climbing and
shuddered. This was a no man’s land, as barren and inhospitable as some of
the places he and Dru had visited when they traveled to Africa in the
twenties. There the land had been incredibly flat, dry and hot. Here, the
peaks lifted straight up, sheering away in places to form little valleys
where the snow settled. Willow was right to hate the cold; he didn’t know if
he would ever be warm again.

    Turning his back on that dizzying sight, he looked at the path in front of
him. It was steep and treacherous. Sometimes, he couldn’t even see it among
the brambles of bush and deep trenches of snow until Jar’vees blazed a trail
forward. They were above the tree line here and the wind that whipped their
jackets around their bodies and knifed straight to the skin had piled the
snow so deeply in places that they had to find a way around it. Fortunately,
Jar’vees seemed to be able to spot these and they avoided them for the most
part. The snow was so dry that as soon as one trudged through it, it would
fall back into the channel they’d cut, making it just as difficult for the
next person to wade through.

    And when it wasn’t the snow they were having to deal with, it was loose
scree and shifting rocks underfoot. Or ice-coated slick rock on which their
boots could find no purchase and they had to literally crawl along, finding
finger and toe holds by feel. The leather of Spike’s gloves were starting to
shred, and he was certain that they would be nothing but shreds of cow hide
by the time they reached the Temple.

    Jar’vees led them on unerringly, moving just fast enough to keep good time,
but not fast enough that they could not keep up. Willow and Tara followed
along behind Jar’vees, trying to make the way easier for Dawn, who was
having the hardest time of them all. She was smaller than the others and
floundered easily. Occasionally, they had to carry Dawn through waist-high
drifts. Just as Spike was doing now.

    “How much further?” Willow called to Jar’vees, who had gone up around the
bend of the trail and was waiting for them. The wind picked at his black ski
jacket, whipping his hood about his face. Spike set Dawn on her feet and she
smiled thankfully as she trudged forward. Tara took Willow’s hand as she
offered to help her over the next section of rotted scree and sharded rock.
The blonde vampire smiled to himself as he watched them. It was hard to
believe that he had become so much closer to the witches as time had gone
by. It even started to lighten his heart to see them together, although it
also accentuated the ache he felt at Buffy’s absence. But over the journey
they had become his companions; he even dared to call them friends. They had
talked and had practically lived together for over a month and the four of
them now were closer than ever. Willow had certainly grown since he had
first seen her, she was a mature and wise leader. Tara, despite her shy
exterior, had a sharp mind and a sense of humor he had not expected. And he
also knew that they loved each other deeply. The way they would steal
glances at each other and hold each other during the night reminded him of
the short time he and Buffy-

    His heart twisted and he had to blink several times to see clearly again.
Gripping the hilt of his sword, the maroon scarf snapping sharply in the
wind, he whispered, “I’m coming for you, luv. Don’t worry, I’ll find you.”
He hurried after the other four.

    “We’ve only been climbing for three hours!” Jar’vees shouted back over the
wind, as if a three hour climb through biting wind and freezing weather was
a regular jaunt through the park. “We’ve got about another hour or so before
we get there!” Spike shivered and pulled the hood of his cloak closer around
his face and he noticed the others do the same. Dawn looked ready to drop in
her tracks, but she said nothing and climbed on after the witches as they
rounded the bend and caught up with Jar’vees.

    “There’s a storm coming up,” Jar’vees called as Spike brought up the rear,
“We need to hurry so we can get to the Temple before it breaks! That means
no more stops!” Spike heard Dawn groan softly and placed a hand on her
shoulder.

    “Couldn’t you just float us there?” Dawn asked, stumbling behind the
witches. Willow turned around, concern in her eyes as she pulled the girl
closer to her.

    “I don’t think so, Dawnie. I wouldn’t be able to control you in this wind
and I’m weak enough as it is.” Willow told Dawn, who was standing there
shivering so much her teeth rattled.

    “I told you to keep the girl back at the motel,” Jar’vees said in a flat,
emotionless voice, “The climb is to hard for a kid, let alone a little
pampered princess.”

    Her head snapped up and she glared at him, “I’m not pampered! We’ll make it
to the Temple before the storm comes. You just keep on going and don’t worry
about me!” Willow had to take her hand so she wouldn’t storm off like she
did last time.

    “You don’t have any choice this time, Princess,” he said, unfazed by her
words, “Come on!” He turned and led the way down the trail only he could
see. The four companions sighed and followed after him.

~

    “Not much further now!” Jar’vees’ voice echoed back to them along the rocky
canyon walls. They had entered the gorge about fifteen minutes ago and while
they were grateful that the wind did not cut through them, they now had to
deal with squeezing through narrow passageways. Now their places were
reversed: Dawn, being the smallest, could slip easily through them, but
Spike had become stuck twice. Willow had to pull him bodily through. The
last time, he was certain that he had cracked a rib. His breath still caught
when he breathed deeply.

    The passage widened suddenly and took a turn into the cliff face. They
hurried through, and this time found a floor that had been worked by human
hands to make it smoother. Steps had been chiseled into the rock and
Jar’vees stood at the top, waiting for them. They followed eagerly; the cold
wasn’t as awful here. In fact, compared to outside, it was downright warm.

    “This way,” he said as they joined him at the top of the stairs. He led
them along a narrow ledge along the wall. They were in a large cavern that’s
edges dropped off abruptly. Jar’vees took out his flashlight, but all they
could see past the direct light were thick shadows. They hugged the walls of
the cavern nervously as they went, except Jar’vees who walked along like
there was no chance that one false step could send him to his death.

    They walked around the cavern, which appeared to be circular and then
through another opening, this one more regular than the last one as it had
been worked at by people. Beyond that, Jar’vees didn’t need his flashlight
and put it away. Great crystals embedded in the ceiling caught the light and
reflected it back down into the space until everything was bathed in a soft
glow. But it was where the light came from that made the four stop and gasp
in wonder. For there, out of an opening half as high up as they were, water
spewed out of a rock face. It fell outward in a beautiful arc to collect in
a circular pool below before flowing out of the chamber through some hidden
exit. The pool glowed with a pure silver light, like the full moon, bright
enough to read by.

    “Come on,” Jar’vees said from up ahead. “The Temple is just ahead.” With
growing excitement, they pried their eyes away from the gorgeous sight and
hurried after them.

    He led them along the ledge that ringed the chamber and behind the curtain
of falling water. There an archway beckoned. Stairs, not the roughly hewn
steps from earlier but perfectly polished and carved that gleamed in the
sliver light, led upwards. Jar’vees started up them without looking back.
The little group stared mournfully at them, bone-weary and not looking
forward to the arduous climb.

    “What is he, the bleedin’ Iron Man?” Spike asked, placing his foot on the
first step and forcing himself up by will alone.

    “I am too tired to care. Well, we’ll show Mr.
I-Can’t-Feel-The-Cold-Because-I’m-A-Big-Jerk!” Willow took Tara’s hand and
helped her up. Spike took Dawn arm and helped the exhausted girl up as well.

    It wasn’t long before they couldn’t see Jar’vees anymore. The stairs were
like that of a spiral staircase, folded around on themselves several times.
After the seventh turning, Dawn dropped on her knees. “I’m sorry…I…need
to…s-stop…”

    “How high do you think we’ve come?” Spike asked, peering into the darkness.
There were small glowing crystals placed along the walls, but it didn’t do
much to push back the darkness. Even with his night vision he couldn’t see
much beyond the shadows.

    “Are you…sure that Mt…Everest is the tallest m-mountain…in the world? I
th-think this one is…cutting pretty close.” Dawn commented between gasps.

    “They’ve got to end sometime,” Tara said, wiping the sweat from her brow.
“I mean, it can’t go up forever.”

    “Where’s…Jar’vees?” asked Dawn.

    “I have no idea and excuse me if I don’t care.” Willow said, “I don’t care
what he says, as soon as I get my strength back I am going to…do something
very rash…and tough…ugh…”

    Spike ran his fingers through his hair and glanced down at Dawn, “Well, we
are on a schedule. C’mon, Nibblet, I’ll carry you.”

    “No, Spike! I’m okay. I’m not helpless, I can do it!” Dawn protested as she
shakily stood up, but her legs were too worn out to hold her. Spike and Tara
each caught one of her arms to help steady her.

    “Don’t argue. You can hardly stand. Look, I’ll carry you until you get
yourself back together and then you can be all independent and strong. Deal,
Bit?” He knelt on the ground with his back to her, inviting her to climb on.

    Dawn sighed, “Fine,” and climbed onto his back. She hung on gratefully as
he stood back up and started up the stairs again.

    There weren’t that many stairs to go, however, and they finally reached the
top. They climbed up and into a large round chamber situated apparently on
the very summit of the mountain. Easily 75 feet or more in diameter,
glassed-in windows and doors gave them an uninterrupted view, or would have
hadn’t a storm been raging outside. Thick grey clouds wrapped around the
building, blocking out the sun and whipping drifts of snow onto the panes.
They could hear the icy shards bouncing off the glass.

    In amazement, they turned their attention away from the world outside and
brought their attention to the center of the room. The floor was inlaid with
marble tiles so that half the floor was black, the other white. In the very
center, a pool made of glass had been set. The glass glowed faintly in the
semi-darkness of the storm. Looking closer, they could see that all but a
tiny sliver of it was lit. Above the glass, without any visible means of
support, hung a large round block of marble, again white on one side, black
on the other. Each side bore a cross-shaped gouge.

    “It’s the moon,” Dawn said suddenly.

    “What?” Willow asked, looking at her.

    She pointed at it, “Today’s the second last day before the full moon,
right? That’s what it would look like if we could see it. What? I paid
attention in Science class.” The witches and Spike gathered around and
examined it.

    “She’s right,” Tara said, “It’s the shape of the moon.”

    “Well, that makes sense,” Spike pointed out, “Because we know that the
Temple of Light only shows up during the full moon.”

    “You’re right,” said a voice behind them. The four turned around sharply to
face the familiar figure. What they found, though, wasn’t what they were
expecting. Instead of an insolent trapper turned guide that had led them up
and through the mountain, they faced a priest robed in black and silver. His
graying hair, still pulled back at the nape of his neck, gleamed in the
near-total darkness of the room. His green eyes gleamed like agates. The
rings on the crescent tipped staff he gripped in his right hand jingled
softly as he set the tip against the marble floor.

    “Welcome to the Temple of Light and Shadow,” Jar’vees said, stepping
forward from the top of the stairs.

~

    Transporting himself into the room where Buffy had collapsed, Riley knelt
by the golden-haired warrior. She had wandered aimlessly for hours before
finally dropping into a pitiful heap when her legs could no longer carry
her. Nestled within the yards of blood red velvet, she looked so small,
fragile and pale. So lost. She had continued on far longer than he had
expected. He’d been watching her during the last hours and she’d been like a
zombie, moving on will alone, as if her feet simply didn’t realize that her
mind had shut down.

    Kneeling by her, her gently brushed back a lock of hair that had fallen
onto her face. Her hair was so soft, so beautiful, gleaming like copper
against his hand. He raised it to his face and breathed in her scent. It was
so heady and intoxicating just like her power. Letting her tresses fall
through his fingers, he sighed heavily. This was taking far too long. He
really needed to do something about that, but found himself reluctant to
take the steps that would push her over the edge. He loved Buffy, not an
empty shell. He caressed her cheek with tremulous fingers. He’d never loved
nor wanted anything this much in his entire life.

    She shifted in her sleep and her brow furrowed, marring her perfect
features. Her mouth opened and she gasped a little half-sob. “Spike…” she
whispered softly.

    As if bitten by a snake, Riley snatched his hand back and sat back on his
heels. ‘How’ he demanded to himself, ‘How could she remember? Had her
memories returned? No…they couldn’t have. If her memories had returned,
Buffy wouldn’t have just collapsed here in a puddle of velvet draperies. She
would be Taiboing her way out of here.’ He put his hand on his chin and
stroked it thoughtfully.

    When his eyes fell upon her wrist, he knew. It was that damn armband she
always wore! They were doing something with it, he knew it. He knew exactly
what he was going to do. Carefully taking her arm, he took off the band. He
rolled it along his palm and curled his fingers over it, forming a fist. A
twisted grin spread across his face as he imagined what the vampire’s look
on his face when he ‘returned’ it to him.

    “Don’t worry, baby,” he whispered to her, stroking her long hair, “One day
you’ll understand why I have to do this. I love you.”

    Riley stood up and with one last loving glance to the sleeping girl at his
feet, he was gone in a flash of sudden darkness.


 

The Circle of Slayers Series 20/35 Incomplete
Chapter 20: Holy Man
By Denna at dennaseer@hotmail.com
Rated PG-13 for language
Keywords: Buffy and Spike…what else could there be?
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters. They belong to Joss Whedon. Yadda
yadda yadda.
Summary for Chapter 20: The gang learns more about Jar’vees’ new identity
and Riley takes a trip to Sunnydale.


Chapter 20: Holy Man

Thursday, December 20th, 3:25 PM

    The deadly sound of steel echoed through the chamber, momentarily drowning
out the storm outside, as Spike drew his weapon. The witches readied their
power and motioned for Dawn to stand aside. All four fixed the man with
intense glares.

    “What the hell is going on here?” Spike demanded, his voice low and
growling.

    “That’s what we’d all like to know,” Willow said, “Where did you go?”

    “And what’s with the funny clothes?” Dawn asked.

    “Ooo, 20 questions, I love this game,” Jar’vees looked thoughtful for a
moment and then grinned, “I’m sorry, none of those are yes or no questions.
So I’m gonna have to ask you to try again.”

    Silently and with incredible speed, Spike crossed the distance between them
and brought his sword dangerously close to his jugular. Any false move and
the man’s lifeblood would spill onto the floor. “Don’t you learn anything,
mate? I don’t like games. Why don’t you cut the bullshit before I cut yours
and tell us what exactly is going on here?”

    “You know, you really need to work on your people skills,” Jar’vees said
calmly, “But of course you’re not a person, so that doesn’t count.” He
looked into Spike’s eyes without a trace of fear that he had shown when the
vampire had attacked him before. His grin and mocking attitude had
disappeared. “Give me a good reason to tell you anything.”

    “I could kill you right now,” Spike said, applying a bit of pressure to his
neck, “Give #me# a good reason not to.”

    “Would you really kill me?” Jar’vees said calmly, his green eyes still
locked on Spike’s blue ones, “Just give in to those demonic impulses? Betray
everything you’ve become?” He looked over at the others. “You are the good
guys, right? I have not harmed you, and I have led you all the way here and
now you’re going to slice and dice me?” Turning his eyes back to Spike, he
said, “Most importantly, William, kill me, and you’ll never find what you’ve
come looking for.”

    Spike jumped back as if bitten, bring his sword with him. “How do you know
my name?”

    Jar’vees rubbed his neck as he answered. “It’s part of my job to know these
things.”

    Willow stepped forward and placed a hand on Spike’s arm, silently telling
him to back off. “Wait,” she said to Jar’vees, “You’re the Temple Priest
here, aren’t you?”

    Jar’vees inclined his head slightly. “You’ve finally figured it out.”

    “I knew there was something strange about you,” Tara spoke up, “You
couldn’t have been a trapper or a guide.”

    “But I’m both of those things as well. I need to eat, don’t I? And how else
are people going to find the Temple unless I show them the way?”

    “Then why go to all this trouble?” Dawn asked, Tara and herself coming up
on the other side of Spike. “Why didn’t you just tell us?”

    “Because, Princess,” he said politely, not using the annoying title before
with his usual sarcasm, “that would have made it too easy. It was a test,
you see, to value your worthiness. Many people coming looking for the
Temple. Not many have the courage or ability to make it this far.” He turned
his eyes to Spike again. “Fewer still are actually able to claim the prize.”
He sighed and half-turned. “Come. You don’t want to stand around here all
day, do you? I’m sure we could all use something to eat and something nice
and hot to drink.” Without waiting for them to follow, he started down the
stairs he had entered by on the other side of the room. Spike, Willow, Tara
and Dawn glanced to one another curiously. The vampire shrugged, sheathed
his sword, and led the others after the priest.

~

    A shadow appeared beside a tree on a hillside overlooking the town of
Sunnydale. The shadow shifted and formed itself into the former Initiative
soldier and present master of the Ausi. He smiled as he looked upon the
town, so fair, so unsuspecting, so ripe for the plucking…

    But that could be saved for another time. He was here for a more important
reason. He reached into the pocket of his pants and felt for the wadded bit
of black silk he had wrapped the band in. Time to go taunt the vampire. In
his closed off dimension, he could not see where the others were, he had to
travel outside. And he knew that those witches, the little girl and Spike
had gone after Buffy and that his trolls were after them. He had no idea
where they could be, and he hoped that the vampire had made his way back,
sniveling and crying. But if he had gone berserk and killed himself that
would be good too. But this was the one place he knew he could look.

    Darkness flashed again and the man disappeared.

~

    He phased back into reality in the alleyway a couple blocks from the Magic
Box. He stayed back in the shadows, taking a moment to adjust to this
physical plane. While only a short time had passed for him and Buffy, a
whole month had gone by in Sunnydale. His mouth quirked upwards in a half
grin; he wondered how he would find the vampire. He hoped that he was still
alive; he would so love torturing and killing him. And he couldn’t wait for
the look on his face when he showed him the armband.

    Gripping his staff, Riley stepped out of the shadows and joined the crowd.
He didn’t bother with the strange looks he got from the Ausi. People were in
the middle of shopping and as he reached the Magic Box, he saw that it was
closed. Interesting…He turned and disappeared once more, coming back into
the training room inside the Magic Box.

    Sending his senses outwards, the Ausi could taste the delicious smell of
fear, worry and even a bit of anger. It was quite strong and coming from
outside the main room in the store. Here he would find Buffy’s constant
companions. Hopefully, whatever tasted this good was coming from the
vampire, or maybe the witch.

    Blending himself into the shadows, he slipped through the door and brought
himself to the loft above the group at the table. Taking up residence in a
nearby shadow, he glanced around. Below him at the table, was seated the
Englishman, Giles and Anyanka. Xander was pacing nervously back and forth.

    “I don’t get it.” Xander said, walking back and forth, “I mean, it’s been a
month and nothing. Not even a phone call!”

    “But we did get a phone call, remember honey?” Anya reminded her fiancée,
“When they found Dawn in that box and visited Angel?”

    “That #was# a month ago!” Xander replied, agitated, “Where are they? Willow
specifically said, ‘give me a month, Xander and then start worrying’. Well,
I’m the one that-“

    “Do shut up, Xander,” Giles said, fixing his tie, “If they were in any real
danger we would know by now. Willow is quite capable of taking care of
herself and others. They said that once they got what they were looking for
they would return. They are probably on their way back now.”

    “Do you think they’ve found Buffy yet?” Anya asked casually. “Things will
get back to normal when she comes back. Then my store can keep on running
and won’t be closed so often.”

    “First of all, Anya,” Giles corrected, “It is not #your# store and it is
only closed today because we are having a meeting.”

    “I can have a meeting from the cash register.” Anya replied, “We can talk
about secret plans and profit at the same time.”

    “Right now we have important matters to discuss. Warren and his
little…gang…are causing more trouble than was fully realized. They are
actually becoming a threat and without Buffy around we are going to have
stop them ourselves.” Giles began, interrupting Anya.

    “Yeah, stop them like we did last time?” Xander replied, “You know, how the
Geek Squad changed you into a big ice cube.”

    “If you had thought to have tak-“

    “Of course! You know how much thinking you do when you’re unconscious!”

    “Now wait just one-“

    “Shut up!” Anya interrupted. “Now there is a simple and cost effective way
of dealing with this problem. All we have to do is think like a Slayer would
think, or a witch, or a vampire. How would they solve this?”

    “Well we would know if they hadn’t left!” Xander complained, “I mean,
couldn’t they have left one witch, why two? We need some of the big guns
here!”

    “We cannot be concerned about that right now, Xander,” Giles told him,
“Right now, Willow, Tara, Dawn and Spike are finding Buffy and they probably
have already found a way to detect where she is. Our main concern-“

    Giles’ response was cut off as Riley phased out of the store and onto the
roof. Mouth set in a thin angry line, he brought the head of his staff down
onto the cement below with inhuman strength fueled by his rage. He watched
impassively as a large chunk of pavement rebounded off the roof and away
from his sight. As they crashed to the sidewalk below, he gathered his wits
and forced himself to be calm.

    He thought about what he had learned from the conversation between Giles,
Xander and Anya. Spike, the witches and Dawn had not come back to Sunnydale
and were probably still alive. He felt a strange sense of being cheated, as
he had so wanted to gloat.

    He leaned on his staff and wondered about where they could have gone and
why. Did they really think they could find Buffy? He cursed himself; he had
believed so strongly that the idiot vampire would be back in Sunnydale,
wasting away and pining over his lost love. He had been stupid to think that
Spike was not serious about finding Buffy.

    Walking closer to the edge of the roof, Riley looked around the town. If
the four of them weren’t here, they had probably gone off to find something
that would help them find Buffy. There had to be some sort of clue as to
where they had gone and what they were trying to find. It was just a
question of knowing where to look…he smiled to himself. He knew exactly
where. Taking hold of the space around him, he twisted it and slipped
through – straight into Spike’s crypt.

    Riley leaned his staff against the wall and wandered around. The place had
a lot of negative energy clinging to it making him grin. For those emotions
to stay around for so long, they must have been intense indeed. He took a
moment to savor the flavors, a bit faded but still delightful. Grief, rage,
hatred…definitely from the vampire.

    Leaving those for the moment, he turned his attention to the physical
plane. The crypt was immaculate. Everything had been put away. There was no
clue as to where the four had gone, or what they were looking for. He
stormed into the bedroom and ripped open the drawers, pulling items out at
random and throwing them everywhere in his search for clues. Nothing. Back
to his sitting room. There were no books lying open conveniently opened to a
page that would give away their plans, no forgotten notes, no errant pieces
of paper with a name scribbled on it wedged under the table leg. Not even in
the fridge. And he checked, too.

    Nothing.

    Kicking the television set across the room, he gave the place on last
glance while grabbing his staff, and phased out of the crypt.

~

    Deep within a mountain in the Appalachians, a door opened. The darkness was
pierced by warm firelight as the priest carrying the quarter moon staff led
the small party into a sparsely furnished room. Yet the atmosphere was
welcoming and friendly, with a large fire blazing in the hearth on the
opposite side of the room and the pot of stew simmering above it.

    Jar’vees leaned his staff against a row of hooks. He shrugged off his coat,
hung it on one of the hooks and gestured to the others. “Come in, take your
coats off and have a seat.” He hurried over to the fire and started stirring
the stew.

    The others looked wearily at one another and shrugged. Dawn was the first
to remove her coat and hang it on one of the waiting hooks. The witches and
Spike did the same, but the vampire did not remove his sword. The four of
them wandered towards the table and sat, all looking weary and exhausted.

    The priest returned with a steaming pot and set it upon the table. “I hope
you don’t mind rabbit,” he said, “I know it’s not exactly natural American
cuisine but if you close your eyes real tight it tastes just like KFC.” He
left them to fetch bowls and utensils from a cabinet.

    “What is this place?” Tara asked when he returned.

    “This is what I call my home,” Jar’vees explained, “Where the Priest of the
Temple lives. Well, some of the time. Actually, I spend most of my time down
in Twin Mountain when I’m not performing my duties here.” He scooped up the
stew and started serving it.

    They ate gratefully in silence for a few minutes. When their hunger had
been abated somewhat and they were beginning to feel warm again, Tara turned
back to Jar’vees and asked, “Care to explain a few things now?”

    “Anything you want. Fire away.”

    “How did you know my name?” Spike asked suddenly, cutting off Tara’s
response. His voice was light but sharp, the same voice he had used when he
had the knife had the Priest’s neck.

    The redhead Wicca looked from him to Jar’vees and nodded. “That sounds like
a good place.”

    Jar’vees leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table. “That’s not a
big mystery: You’re William the Bloody, right?” He pointed to Spike and he
nodded. “Even here in Twin Mountain we have heard of the tales from
Sunnydale. You have fought beside these humans for the last two years. They
say there is two powerful witches and there are stories of the Key, which
I’m guessing is you, kid.” Jar’vees looked at Dawn, who also nodded. “After
the defeat of Glorificus, all kinds of stories popped up about how she was
killed, but we all knew who did the deed. The Slayer. And that she
sacrificed herself, but not even the gates of Hades could hold her. That she
returned. So, what I’ve been wondering is, where is Fearless Leader?”

    Spike’s face twisted in pain. “None of your bloody business!” He punched
his hand into the tabletop, and stood up. The chair scraped harshly across
the stone floor. “I’m tired of your soddin’ games! Just tell me where the
fucking sword is!” He found himself hunched over the table and glaring at
the priest, fists clenched tightly at his sides and breathing hard. With a
loud noise of disgust and a colorful oath, he turned around and stalked
through the large double doors they had come in through.

    Jar’vees stared dumbly around at the others. “What is it this time? Did I
insult his heritage or something?”

    Dawn looked worriedly after Spike. “Don’t make fun of him!” she snapped,
turning to face Jar’vees. Her face was angry and cold. “There are some
things you just don’t understand!” She pushed herself away from the table
and ran after Spike.

    “Would somebody #please# just tell me what the hell is going on around
here? I feel like I just fell into an episode of ‘Days of Our Lives’!”
Jar’vees complained.

    “I guess we do owe you an explanation. Got any coffee? This might take a
while.” Willow told him.

~

    Dawn looked up at the sound of the soft footfall. Her dark brows creased
into a frown as she saw who it was.

    “Princ-Dawn,” Jar’vees said politely. He looked at the vampire, sitting
with his arms resting on his drawn up knees and staring out beyond the
raging storm. ‘Would you excuse us? Your friend and I have something we
should discuss. Don’t worry,” he added when she hesitated, “I’m not going to
say anything stupid this time.”

    The girl looked at Spike, putting her hand on his shoulder. “Spike?” she
asked quietly.

    He nodded and looked down at her. “S’okay, Nibblet.” She rose to her feet,
directed another acidic glare at Jar’vees and left them alone.

    Jar’vees sighed and dropped down on the opposite side of the glassed in
archway and watched Spike for several moments. The vampire was playing with
the maroon scarf tied to the hilt of his sword, running it between his
fingers.

    “Is that Buffy’s?” he asked, cautiously trying to start conversation
between them.

    “Yes.” Came the curt reply. Nothing more.

    Taking a deep breath, Jar’vees tried again. “Look, Spike, I’m sorry about
what I said back there. I didn’t know.”

    Spike met his cold eyes with his, “I don’t want your sympathy. I just want
the sword so I can get her back.”

    “Are you sure a sword will even help, though?” the priest asked.

    Closing his eyes, the vampire took a deep breath. “It has to. There’s no
other way.” Jar’vees watched his fingers clutch protectively around the
scarf. The man was obviously suffering.

    “Tell me,” Jar’vees said suddenly, “just #how# will it help?”

    For a while the only sound that could be heard was the raging wind howling
outside. Jar’vees watched the other man closely in the dim light. The faint
light from the moon symbol on the floor lined the vampire’s face in silver
and made him appear carved from stone, cold, hard and lifeless.

    “Its magic will defeat the bastard who took her from me.” Spike answered.

    “But it’s only a sword. You can’t touch the Ausi with a sword, even a magic
one. They have absolute power.”

    “I don’t need the sword for that, mate. I’ve hurt him before. I need the
magic to stop his dirty tricks. Keep him on the same playing field.”

    “I’ve heard you’re pretty good. But are you that good? To defeat the Ausi?”

    “I’m good enough and I told you, I hurt him before.” Spike looked over at
him, his eyes gleaming in the light. “How do I get the sword?”

    Jar’vees took a deep breath and nodded. “Looks like I can’t put this off
anymore. I can’t keep you from going after the sword, but I have to warn you
it ain’t gonna be easy.”

    “I’ll do anything to get it. Anything to get Buffy back.”

    “You shouldn’t say things like that. The Fates might hear you.”

    “The soddin’ Fates can kiss my ass. I’ve fought Hell gods, Slayers and I
know I can kick Captain Cardboard’s shiny little bum. I’m not lettin’ him,
of all Nancy-Boys, get in my face.”

    Jar’vees sighed once more, leaned his head back and looked up into the
glass-domed ceiling. “To win the sword, you must defeat the Guardian.”

    “Know that already. All I need to know is what it is, a demon, harpy,
what?”

    “I don’t know. I’ve never been to the Temple of Light – or Shadow, for that
matter.”

    “But I thought this was-“

    Jar’vees’ gray streaks shone like silver as he shook his head. “This is the
Temple of Light #and# Shadow. There are separate Temples for each one of the
aspects. One of them, the Temple of Light, appears on the night of the full
moon. That’s where you’ll find Sahalia. And the Guardian. I can’t offer you
any advice on what the Guardian is or how you can defeat it. I do, however,
know that if you manage to defeat the Guardian, the reward will be great.
But the price will be high. More than you’re ready to give.”

    “And what price would that be?”

    “Everything that makes you who you are, William.”