Chapter 20

Buffy stood in the hallway watching Cordelia lead Angel away. She was in shock. There had been mention in the diaries of additional strength, and then there was that incident with the dresser, but to send a grown man who outweighed by at least a hundred pounds flying across the room hard enough to dent the wall…It made her mind reel.

“You alright, luv?” Spike asked, rubbing soothing circles with his thumbs on her shoulders.

Buffy found herself leaning backwards into him as she brought her arms up to circle her waist. Why did she feel so safe with him, so strong?

“Yeah, I’m just confused girl here, I guess…”Buffy trailed off when she noticed the marks on her arms.

Spike allowed his hands to run down over her arms, covering the scratches from her view.

“Bad dreams, Slayer. Nothing more. They’ll heal.”

“Spike?” Buffy asked as Spike led her back into her room. “Why did they follow us? What do they want from me?”

Spike sighed as he propped the broken door over the opening to give them privacy.

“Because it’s what they do. They don’t know anything else. You lead, they follow.”

“But I don’t know if I can anymore. That’s not me! I don’t think I can be that person.”

“Look, I admit that I dislike your friends in an ‘I wish they’d drop dead’ sort of way, but they only want what’s best for you…and I can’t believe I said that. Christ, I sound like a ponce. Forget that. Scratch the whole thing. You wanna leave, we’ll go. Just say the word, and you, me, and Nibblet are gone.”

“Where would we go?” Buffy sat down on the bed.

“Anywhere we want.” Spike said crouching in front of her. “You wanna go to Paris, I’ll take you to Paris. You wanna see the Parthenon, I’ll take you to Greece. You get an itch for some bloody pasta, I’ll take you to Italy. We’ll travel ‘round the world, just the three of us.”

Buffy smiled at him. “And how would we do that?”

“Leave that to me. Been doing this since before you were born.” Spike took her hands in his. “I won’t let anyone hurt you, Buffy. I‘d dust first, want you to know that, but I won’t force you to do anything that you don’t want to either. Just let me be here for you, let me love you. ‘T’s all I want, all I ever wanted.”

“Spike…can you just hold me for awhile? I don’t want to face them yet.”

“Anything, pet,” Spike said, and he climbed into the bed with her, pulling her into the folds of his arms.

He stroked her hair once she had settled.

“Buffy,” he said slowly, “I think that we need to train you up a bit.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, pulling back from him slightly.

Spike resisted the temptation to tighten his grip and pull her closer. She had pushed everyone else away; he had to let her come to him.

“Just mean that it’s okay to let loose on me and the giant broody one, we can take it, but if you were to accidentally use Slayer strength on lil’ bit…best just to teach you to control it.”

“Oh,” Buffy said leaning back into him. “Spike? Why do you care so much about my sister?”

He thought about this for a moment. He could tell her that it was because of the promise that he’d made her, but that wasn’t the whole truth anymore. Best to go with the truth.

“Because…she’s my family…she’s all I got…and I ‘spose that I’m all she’s got too…or I was ‘til you came back.”

Buffy looked up at him.

“Am I your family too?” Her voice was barely a whisper.

“If you want to be.” Spike held his unneeded breath. This was the moment, the moment in which her one little answer would either bind him to her forever, or shatter him. He squeezed his eyes together tightly.

“I do.”

Two little words were all it took. He belonged to her.

XXX

“So…you’re saying that’s not Buffy?” Xander frowned.

“No, well, it is and it isn’t.” Wesley had been trying to explain to the Sunnydale group the predicament they were in.

“I gave Buffy cancer…and ripped her out of Heaven…and took her memories…Oh goddess, what have I done?” Willow leaned into Tara as the tears streamed down her face.

“Yes, what have you done?” Anya stared hard at Willow.

“Hey,” Tara glared at Anya. “This isn’t all her fault. You helped get the ingredients, or did you forget?

“Wait, Buffy has cancer?” Xander was thoroughly confused.

“No, it’s like cancer, but it’s not. Don’t you listen?” Cordelia snapped at him. She had a pounding headache.

“Sooo, she doesn’t have cancer?” Xander asked.

“I can’t believe you did a reanimation spell, Willow. What were you thinking?” Giles was polishing his glasses so hard they were about to break. “Foolish girl. Here I was thinking it was bad enough to use the Urn of Osiris, but you had to go above and beyond that, didn’t you?”

“I THOUGHT I WAS HELPING!” Willow cried.

“BUT YOU DIDN’T THINK, DID YOU? THAT’S THE WHOLE POINT!” Giles yelled.

Fred tried to intervene.

“I don’t think there’s any cause to be yellin’ at each other, least not until Lorne comes back with his friend.”

“Who the devil is Lorne, and why should we care about his damn friend?” Giles turned to Fred angrily.

“Hey man, don’t be getting all harsh with her. She didn’t do nothing.” Gunn squared off at Giles.

“HEY!” Angel raised his voice to be heard over the racket. “I think we all just need to calm down a bit here.”

Gunn and Giles didn’t move from their spots.

“I said,” Angel stepped up to the two, “calm down.”

“Calming down here, bro. We cool, ain’t we?” Gunn jutted his face out at Giles on the last bit.

“Yes, indeed we are ‘all cool.’” Giles backed away from Gunn without blinking.

“Good,” Angel said. “Now, everyone sit down. We have several things we need to figure out. The first being Buffy’s memory, which, hopefully, Lorne’s coven friend will be able to help out with. The second is Cordy’s vision. Is there anything else you can tell us about it?”

Cordelia closed her eyes, and tried to re-visualize the vision.

“No,” she sighed. “I see Buffy fighting, and I can feel that she’s afraid. I can see Spike all ‘grr’ face, but I can’t tell if they’re fighting each other or something else.”

“And you can’t tell where they are?” Giles asked.

Cordelia shook her head.

“Well that’s not a whole lot to work on,” Wesley sighed.

“I don’t care. Get on it.” Angel suddenly looked up as something got his attention.

The entire group joined him in turning their heads one by one to the staircase where Buffy was slowly following Spike down the stairs. Spike stopped a little away from the group, and Buffy shadowed behind him. The air in the room grew thick as people shifted uncomfortably around without saying anything.

“So,” Spike finally broke the silence. “You lot just had to come ‘round and see what was up, didn’t you?”

“We just wanted to make sure she was okay,” Willow said.

“ ‘Course she was okay, she was with me,” Spike stated.

“Right, because being with you is so safe. If you didn’t have that chip in your head, she’d be one drained slayer,” Xander sneered.

“Watch your mouth, whelp.”

“Don’t talk to him like that,” Anya stepped up behind Xander. “He’s just concerned. We all are concerned about Buffy and Dawn. You didn’t leave a very good note. It wasn’t nice just to take off like that. We were all worried. Willow made me lose money at the shop because of it.”

“And I don’t see how that’s my problem,” Spike sneered.

“Because you had no right take off with Buffy and Dawn and think that we wouldn’t worry,” Willow said. “That wasn’t fair to us.”

“Because what you did was so right? Sorry, Red, but I think you lost preaching rights awhile back.”

“H-he, we left because I asked too.” Buffy finally spoke up as she stepped up beside Spike.

“Why did you want to leave, Buffy?” Giles asked.

“Because…I was confused, I guess. I just-everyone seem to expect so much, and I-it was too much.”

“What confused you?” Giles spoke softly hoping that his tone would bring a level of trust to her.

“I read my diaries. At least, I’m guessing they were my diaries, they were in the room that everyone said was mine. And, it was so…I mean, how often do you find out that demons and vampires are not only real, but it’s your sworn duty to protect humanity from them? And it was all…I mean, the digging myself out of the grave…and the nightmares…and the vampires…and the slaying…it was a lot…to think about at once.”

“Why didn’t you ask one of us for help? We’re your best friends.” Willow’s voice implored at her.

“I don’t know. You guys were so proud that you had done that spell, and it was awful to know that it was your fault that I woke up buried alive…I WAS BURIED ALIVE! DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT?” Buffy’s voice rose into hysterics. “DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE TO HAVE TO DIG YOUR WAY OUT OF YOUR OWN GRAVE? AND NOT KNOW WHY YOU’RE THERE? I thought I was evil. I-” her voice hitched a moment, and Spike leaned toward her, arms crossed protectively.

“Oh, Buffy. You have no idea how sorry we-I am.” Willow’s cheeks were wet with her tears. “We thought we were helping.”

“I know that deep down you meant really well, but what you did…I was sick because of your spell, I have no memories of my life because I don’t exist anymore-”

“You exist, Buffy.” Angel started to walk toward her, but was stopped by Cordelia’s hand.

“Not technically, I don’t.” Buffy retorted. “Technically, I’m a reanimated corpse. Just a hollow shell of another person. And you don’t get that. None of you get that.”

“And Spike gets it?” Xander asked.

“No, I don’t think he does either, but he doesn’t expect anything of me. He accepts me, he wants to help me-”

“We want to help you too,” Willow interrupted.

“No, you want to push me. You want me to slay your demons, and protect your Hellmouth, but what about what I want, what I need?”

“What do you need, Buffy?” Giles asked.

Buffy paused a moment, slightly taken aback. “I don’t know what I need. I just know I need to find it.”

“And you just want us to sit back, and watch you run off with Spike?” Angel’s mouth was a thin line.

“She can bloody well ‘run off’ with whomever she pleases,” Spike snapped.

Angel closed the gap between him and Spike until they were standing chest to chest.

“Over my dead body.”

“Good thing you’re already dead then, innit?” Spike smirked at him.

“Spike,” Buffy laid a hand on his arm. “Let’s go train. I want to get out of here.”

“Alright, luv.” Spike’s eyes remained pinned on Angel’s. “’M sure Peaches has a lovely training room we can use, don’t you?”

Spike backed up away from Angel, neither blinking. “Let’s go and have a look see. I would guess…lower level?” He cocked an eyebrow at the other vampire, and in a twirl of duster, grabbed Buffy and walked out.

Tara cleared her throat.

“Um, I think that could have gone better…don’t you?” She looked at the miserable faces around her.

“Well, that was the understatement of the year,” Cordelia muttered as she hurried after the fuming Angel.

Wesley clapped his hands together, and rubbed them fiercely.

“So, I’ll make tea then.”

XXX

Chapter 21

Spike and Buffy found a small training room on the lower level of the hotel, right where Spike thought it would be.

“So, um, how do we start this?” Buffy asked nervously as she pulled her hair into a makeshift ponytail.

Spike tilted his head at her.

“What are you doing, luv?”

“Uh, getting ready to train, right?” She looked confused.

“It’s just, ‘ve never seen you pull your hair into one of those squishy things to fight before?” He gestured at the scrunchie being wrapped around her hair.

“Why would I want to fight with my hair down? That would be stupid. I’d lose because my hair would all fall into my face and block my vision.” Buffy laughed. “I’d be a ‘Cousin It’ slayer.”

“But it makes you look all sexy like, with your hair swinging ‘round your face.”

“Yeah, cause in a fight to the death with demony things, I really care about looking ‘all sexy like.’” Buffy laughed harder. “Now, we gonna do this or what?”

“Oh, we’re gonna do this, alright.” Spike slowly began circling her.

“Hey, what are you doing? I thought we were going to train.”

“Slayer bit of you ‘s still in there. Should be natural.” His fist shot out toward her face, and instinctively Buffy blocked it. “See?”

Buffy imitated his fighting stance and began to circle with him. The next time his fist shot out, she blocked and countered with a sidekick to his stomach.

“Oh!” She called out as Spike flew backwards to the floor.

“S’all right, not gonna hurt me, remember?” Spike said as he picked himself up, and moved right back into his stance.

Buffy hesitated a second, and Spike rushed her. At the last moment, Buffy dropped to the floor and used his momentum to flip him over her back. She quickly spun around, and made a quick jerking motion toward his heart.

“I would have staked you,” she announced proudly, helping him to his feet.

“That you would have, pet. Told you it was natural. Wanna go again?”

“Oh, yeah.”

“Good, let’s try weapons.” Spike spotted two swords in the corner of the room.

“W-weapons?” Buffy asked. “Can’t we just stick to hand to hand combat? I like that, I’m good at that.”

“Nope.” Spike smiled as he handed her a sword. “What if I was a big, bad Koltra demon? You can only kill them by decapitation. Can’t really stake their heads off now, can you?”

He held his sword out, and waited for her to mimic him. One second went by, then two. On the third second, Spike lunged at her and missed. Just like the hand-to-hand combat, the Slayer innately remembered how to sword fight. She was a vision in front of him, all grace and skill, her ponytail swinging wildly behind her. Spike watched as she twirled to counter his movement, and he couldn’t help himself.

Dropping his sword, his hand grabbed her around the waist and yanked her toward him. She didn’t resist as he searched her eyes for permission before leaning down and claiming her lips for his own. There was a clatter as Buffy dropped her sword, and snaked her arms around his neck. Spike’s knees weakened as she opened her mouth against his to deepen the kiss, and he reacted by pulling her closer to him.

“Tell me that you love me,” she whispered as she kissed her way up to his ear.

“God luv, you know I do,” he moaned.

“Tell me why,” she implored as his mouth found her neck.

“’Cause you’re strong…and you’re smart…and you’re b-” he let out another moan as Buffy lightly bit down on his neck. “Christ, you’re bloody gorgeous.” Spike pulled back and forced her to meet his eyes. “I love you…for all the things you were, all the things you are, and all the things you will be. You are one hell of a woman, Buffy Anne Summers.”

Buffy smiled at him as Spike gently put his hands on her face and kissed her with more passion that she’d ever known was capable.

XXX

“HEY-giant group of people that weren’t here when we left.” Lorne’s normal entrance into the hotel fell short. “Well aren’t you the grumpy group?”

He was met with various gazes ranging from relief to anger to confusion as the group in question stared back at him.

“Dawn? Oh, Dawn, we were so worried,” Tara spotted Dawn hiding behind Lorne. She started to rush up toward the teenager, but stopped short mid-way at the sight of Melinda. “Oh…goddess!”

“What a delightful white witch!” Melinda exclaimed as she glided over to Tara. “Little power, but wonderful balance. What is your name little, white witch?”

“T-t-tara.”

Melinda turned to glance at each of the other people in the room.

“Oh, Lorne. What a fabulous group of people you have brought me to meet. I can just feel the power and strength that radiates from them. Oh, I love them all already.” Melinda clapped her hands together suddenly looking like a small child.  She rushed up to Willow and grabbed hold of the girl’s hands. “The red witch. Yes, I can feel your power emanating: strong, intoxicating, and swirling all around your insides. You have no balance in your power, and it controls you as opposed to you controlling it. What is your name?”

“Willow.”

“Willow,” Melinda breathed the name out. “Willow, Willow, Willow tree comes along and plays with me. Do you know that song? Oh, no one does these days. Shame. I so like that song as a child…but well, I’ve probably aged myself although only the former vengeance demon would know.”

“How old are you?” Willow found the courage to ask.

Melinda smiled.

“I am  older than all of you put together.”

“I-I t-t-thought y-y-ou w-were a coven head?” Tara stuttered.

Melinda smiled again.

“I am the leader of a coven the way a god is the leader of his temple.” With a shrug of her shoulders, Melinda playfully tapped Willow on the nose. “Well, Willow, my tree. You shall have to come along and train with me.” She laughed at her own rhyme before moving on to the rest of the group. Walking quickly, she passed Giles and Xander to pause at Anya.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Anya insisted. “Former vengeance demon, emphasis on the former.”

“I know. I just can’t believe how different you’ve become. It’s like I always say, no matter how old we get, we are ever changing.”

Melinda moved on, walking past Gunn and Wesley to stop at Fred.

“You darling thing, I wish I could tell you that everything will get better, but you’ve never really left your Hell dimension. You’ve merely traded one for another. Remember that curiosity killed the cat.”

“What?” Fred looked at her quizzically, but Melinda had already moved past Giles to stop at Cordelia.

“My little seer,” she put her hands on Cordelia’s head. “So much pain that you didn’t ask for.”

Cordelia jerked her head away.

“We help people, it’s worth the pain.”

“So you like your visions?”

“Who wouldn’t like convulsing helplessly on the floor while being racked by skull splitting pain?” Cordelia asked sarcastically. “That’s not the point. The point is helping other people. My own comfort is a small price to pay.”

Melinda smiled widely.

“I am so glad that you said that.” She placed her hands back onto Cordelia’s head and whispered something in another language.

A pale mist blew out of Melinda’s mouth, enveloping Cordelia’s body. The mist circled around Cordelia and lifted her into the air briefly before she floated back down slowly, and the mist disappeared into a white glow in Cody’s eyes.

“What did you do?” Angel demanded stepping between the seer and the Goddess.

“The vampire with a soul! Oh, I’ve been dying to meet you! I hear you have a pivotal role in the apocalypse. Aren’t you excited?”

“What the hell did you just do to her?” Angel repeated, crossing his arms.

“Angel, it-it’s okay. I think, I feel better,” Cordelia placed a hand on his arm.

Melinda stepped closer to Angel.

“I took away her pain,” she whispered. “Her visions will never hurt her again.”

“Thank you,” Cordelia breathed as Angel turned around to look at her, as if he could visual see that Melinda hadn’t hurt her.

“Oh!” Melinda squeaked, “You two are just so cute.”

She spun around back to Lorne and Dawn.

“Now, where is the Slayer?” Melinda was suddenly all business. “Willow tree, come here. You are going to go over the entire spell as you preformed it.”

“Buffy’s downstairs training with Spike,” Giles offered.

“I’ll go get them.” Dawn was running through the lobby before anyone else could say a word. She paused at the hallway, and turned around. “Er, where is the training room?”

“Downstairs.” Fred answered. “I could show you…if you want.”

Dawn was already gone.

XXX

The sound of someone clearing their throat startled Spike and Buffy, and their kiss ended abruptly as their heads swiveled toward the sound.

“We’re back!” Dawn said brightly, trying to stifle the emotions battling through her brain. She had wanted Buffy to like Spike, just like him as a brother or trusted friend, same as her, and she wasn’t sure how the scene in front of her made her feel.

“Um, right.” If Spike could have blushed, he would have been bright red. He pulled out of Buffy’s embrace, and turned to face Dawn, hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans. “Just, er, training here. All about the training for, er, fighting the big bads and stuff, right Slayer?”

“Training, right.” Buffy linked her hands behind her back, and subconsciously ground her toe into the floor. “So, how was the trip? Lorne bring his friend back?”

“Yeah, she’s upstairs with everyone else. I was sent to get you guys from your, er, training session. Is that a new technique I don’t know yet? What do you call that, the tongue attack? Must scare the crap out of demons. Ooh! Beware the slayer’s tongue.” Dawn struggled to keep a straight face as Buffy turned redder and redder.

“Oi! Just so you know, Bit, I ever, ever, catch you using that technique on someone, and I’ll rip their head off their shoulders and-”

“Yeah, yeah, drink from their brain stem. Heard this speech before.” Dawn muttered as she turned and headed up the stairs, Buffy and Spike right on her heels.

XXX

“Alright, Willow tree and Tara please step forward into the circle.”

The two mentioned stepped into the blue chalk circle that Melinda had drawn on the floor.

“Please form a triangle with me. Yes, just like that. Now everyone else, please form the circle around us. Thank you. Now, Tara, you are going to act as a grounding device to this spell. I am going to attempt to see into Willow tree’s mind so that I may understand how she managed the reanimation spell. Everyone else, you are the barrier circle. The circle must not be broken or the power will spill out. Understand? Good.”

Melinda raised her hands into the air and began chanting. A red swirl began to circle the three women, and each of them began to glow a different color light. Melinda glowed white, Tara blue, and Willow turned black. The chanting grew louder, the red swirled faster, and the black from Willow began to spread. From the red swirl, a shadow began to take shape. When the shape was half formed, Melinda shouted, “ENOUGH!”

Willow and Tara fell gasping to the floor.

“Minda, what was that?” Lorne asked.

“I’m afraid,” Melinda said turning to the group. “That your Slayer is only the beginning of your problems.”

XXX

Chapter 22

(AUTHOR’S NOTE! THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS RELIGIOUS CONOTATION THAT MAY BE CONSIDERED OFFENSIVE TO SOME PEOPLE. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS MERELY MEANT TO BE COMICAL AND IN NO WAY MEANT TO SHOW DISRESPECT TO ANY OF MY MORE RELIGIOUS READERS…if there are any…religious people, not readers…oh, I should stop now. Just read the chapter.)

Spike led the two girls up the stairs and into the lobby. Even though Dawn had already been with the witch for hours, he insisted that he see her first. Magic wasn’t anything good. He didn’t trust anyone who used it, and from what Dawn said, this bint was more powerful than three of Red.

The group was still standing in the remains of the circle when the trio entered the lobby. Most were staring open mouthed at Melinda, waiting for her to continue. Melinda, however, had eyes only for Spike.

“Rogue,” she whispered as she approached him.

“Wot’s that?” Spike eyed her wearily as he shifted to further block Dawn and Buffy from her.

“You are the rogue,” Melinda said, breaking into a wide grin. “You are the wild card I have been seeing. Vampire with no soul.”

“Yeah, that’s right. No soul. Don’t want one either.” Spike started to back up into the girls.

“Why are you here, rogue vampire? What is your purpose?”

“Don’t need a purpose. Just need to be here.”

“With your family?” Melinda’s questioned surprised Spike.

“Yeah,” he answered.

“And do you love your family, soulless one? Would you protect your family for eternity? Would you die for them?”

“’D dust for them. Don’t need a soul to love. Wish you wankers would get that through your thick skulls,” Spike said through clenched teeth as he leaned toward the witch.

“Good.” Melinda whispered as she placed an index finger on his forehead, and shoved him away from her.

Spike stared at her in surprise. He’d felt a little jolt when her finger pushed his head back, and he was almost positive he’d heard her voice in his head telling him, “This is our little secret.”  Shakily, he ran his fingers through his hair. Something had just happened here, and Spike wasn’t sure what it was.

“Ruffles have ridges no more,” Melinda laughed as she walked around him.

Ruffles have ridges no more? Spike thought to himself. Something about that line, something familiar. Drusilla. The potato chip commercial that she’d insisted on repeating a hundred times a day so that she could roll her r’s. Potato chips have ridges no more? What the bloody hell did that mean. Okay, think outside the box Spike my boy. Little riddle. Like Dru talk. Potato chips, er, not sure what that means. Um, ridges…Dawn always calls me vamp face the ridged face…Er, potato chips vampire no more. Spike’s eyes grew wide, and he spun around to look at the witch. Chip is no more. Chip is no more. Chip is no more. It echoed throughout his head.

Spike suddenly reached out and grabbed Melinda around the waist. With a cry, he swung her around full circle before setting her back down. Angel started to move forward, but stopped at Melinda’s reaction. The woman had squealed like a schoolgirl when Spike grabbed her, but was laughing so hard that tears ran down her face by the time he put her down.

“What do you mean that Spike’s a wild card?” Angel asked.

“Not a wild card anymore,” Melinda answered. “He has chosen his path.”

“Is this something the whole class should know?” Xander piped up.

Melinda shook her head.

“His path is only the business of himself…and his family.”

“And just who is this family?” Giles asked.

Melinda turned her back on the group, and grabbed Buffy’s hand.

“Hello, Slayer. We have much to talk about, I think.”

“Buffy. Her name is Buffy,” Dawn said, moving to stand next to her sister.

“Buffy,” Melinda breathed. “Hmm, I do wonder what your mother was thinking with that name. Come child, let me see you.”

Melinda took a step back, holding both of Buffy’s arms out in front of her, and proceeded to look her up and down. Buffy shifted uncomfortably under her gaze, and immediately crossed her arms over her chest the second Melinda released her grasp. She continued to stare at the ground while Melinda slowly circled the Slayer.

“Well, Willow tree,” Melinda said, breaking her silence. “Your spell was nearly perfect. Buffy is, for all intent purposes, a complete person.”

“What do you mean ‘all intent purposes?’” Wesley inquired. “And what about her memories?”

“Oh, her memories are gone. They can never be returned to her, it’s not in the spell to do that, but she has a new lease on life. Buffy can completely remake herself…without any of her previous misgivings. The Slayer side is still there, but she is no longer the ‘Chosen One.’ She can live her life as she wishes.” Melinda had thrown a sly smile to Spike at the term “previous misgivings,” and he found that little whisper of hope that had been building in his stomach begin to fester and jump at her words.

“There is, however, one little issue. I said your spell was nearly perfect. It is the nearly part that has some horrific consequences. Your unfortunate mispronunciation of the word dieteitneranta, the accent being on the ‘i’ and not the ‘e.,’ has basically made Buffy an immortal.”

Various shouts of the word “WHAT” echoed throughout the room, and suddenly Spike understood what Melinda had been getting at when she questioned him. He’d just declared his purpose was to protect his family until he was dust, and Buffy was immortal. Buffy was now his responsibility until the end of time; because there was no way he would allow her to be alone in the world. Maybe that Melinda bint could conjure some sort of Gem of Amara type thing.

“It’s an easy mistake if you’ve never taken ancient Aramaic before.” Melinda shrugged. “Of course, the only time the spell was actually done one hundred percent correctly was when Jesus came back. Everyone else who has attempted the spell has always had something go amiss. I’ve never met a warlock with the skills of Jesus, and such a kidder too. I mean, drink this wine it is my blood, can we say ‘vampire fetish?’ He was so obsessed with them.  Randomly, did you know that Jesus was almost in the Watcher’s Council?”

“Willow,” Giles ground the words out through clenched teeth, completely ignoring Melinda’s ramblings. “You preformed a spell written in a dead language that you have no knowledge of how to pronounce!”

“I’m a horrible, horrible person.” Willow spoke softly from the center of the circle where she was still laying on the floor.

“No. Not bad…just misguided. You have done no damage in your friend, Willow tree. In fact, you have done better then anyone could imagine.” Melinda crossed back into the circle, and knelt beside Willow. “I won’t lie to you, something bad is coming. It causes the Earth to shake and tremble, but it will not cause YOU to shake and tremble. Neither you nor the white witch. For you are prophecy, my girls. You are all prophecy. I had to be sure before I told you.”

“Why does everything have to be a prophecy? For once, can’t we just say ‘hey, it’s a fluke?’” Xander asked.

Both Giles and Wesley had removed their glasses, and were anxiously cleaning the lenses on their respective sweaters.

“What, ah, what prophecy are you speaking of?” Giles held up the glasses and squinted to find the imaginary smudge.

“The one of all power and the one of all balance shall combine in body and soul. They shall breathe new life into bodies of yore, and topple the empire of eternity.” Melinda stood to face the watchers. “Taken from the long lost scrolls of Phenyellenian. Of which I own the only copy…hence the lostness of it.”

“I have never heard of the scrolls of Phenyellenian,” Wesley stated.

“I think I have,” Angel spoke up. “They were supposedly written sometime around 1A.D by some mad seer, and contained writings so horrible that they were banished into protection to the Goddess Metalardina. I vaguely remember looking for them as Angelus because they hold the secret to ultimate evil. How did you come by them?”

Melinda laughed, “Metalardina, Melinda, Meldonia, I have many different pronunciations of my name. I try to switch it up every century of so, keeps me feeling young.”

“If Angelus was looking for these scrolls of Fenyelonuim or whatever, I already know that I don’t like ‘em,” Gunn muttered.

“I’m with him,” Xander jerked a thumb toward Gunn. “Not with the liking of this.”

“Perhaps we could see these scrolls?” Giles asked hopefully.

Melinda nodded.

“Yes, I will get them immediately. You will excuse me, of course. It is much faster for me to teleport then to drive. I shall return.”

With a loud pop, she was gone, leaving the estranged group of people to stare at each other.

“So…”Coredelia tried to break the silence. “Is anyone hungry?”

Various affirmations were heard around the room.

“Ok, then, let’s eat.” Cordelia began walking to the kitchen.

“Can we have tacos?” Fred asked hopefully to the groan of everyone else.

“I think we’re tacoed out Fredikins,” Lorne said following the group into the kitchen.

Only Spike, Dawn, and Buffy were still standing in the room.

“That was…interesting,” Spike said turning to Buffy.

“Yeah,” she said softly.

“Wow, Buffy, you’ve been reborn and you’re an immortal. That’s really cool,” Dawn said.

Buffy let out a sob, and quickly covered her mouth with her hand.

“What have they done to me?” She fell to her knees.

Spike and Dawn instantly dropped down beside her, grabbing her in a group hug.

“I-I have to watch e-everyone a-around me die! I’m g-gonna e-end up alone. All alone for eternity.”

“Not gonna end up alone,” Spike rubbed his cheek against her hair. “’M gonna be with you always.”

“And we don’t know if I can die yet,” Dawn added. “I mean, hello, million year old key here. So, see, not alone. You’ll have us.”

Buffy sobbed harder.

“You say that now, but you don’t know. You don’t know.” She turned her head into Spike’s shoulder. “Forever is an awfully long time.”

Spike hesitated, and then pressed a kiss to her temple.

“Not nearly long enough time to be with you,” he whispered.

XXX

Chapter 23

Melinda arrived back at her school within moments of leaving L.A. No one was in the hallway to greet her, but that did not bother her at first. What bothered her was the tiny electric shock making its way up her spine. There was powerful magic being worked here. Magic as powerful as her own, but black as sin. Few were still around that could cloak from her, and Melinda sensed danger.

Her eyes darkened as her steps became purposeful. She ran down the stairs, her white hair flying behind her as she hurried to the basement. This was not the playful woman that had been joking with the watchers. This was a powerful goddess on the warpath.

Melinda weaved her way through the underground labyrinth to where she kept the oldest and most dangerous of her possessions. The magic was getting stronger now, and the air buzzed with it.

With a cry that would have stilled the blood in most people, Melinda arrived at her destination, her hand stretched out in front of her toward the back of a woman. The woman was the same height as Melinda, but her waist-length hair was coal black, matching her dress. She didn’t even flinch at the arrival of the goddess. Instead, she turned slowly, as though annoyed by the interruption.

“Hello, Sister.”  

XXX

Willow sat up suddenly.

“Something’s wrong,” she said.

“I-I can sense it to,” Tara muttered. “Something…evil. W-we have t-to go. NOW!”

Tara yelling was not something that happened often. It caused the Sunnydale group to leap to their feet and dash up the stairs.

“What is it? What’s going on?” Angel demanded as he herded his own group.

“Melinda.” Willow tripped over a stair. “Something evil has her. We’re to meet her…um…in that place of, um, mercy?”

“She means Caritas, my club,” Lorne answered her. “There’s a protection spell over it. We should be safe.”

“You own a club?” Xander asked, but everyone ignored him.

They swept into the lobby at an alarming rate, startling the little family circle on the floor.

Spike looked up sharply.

“What’s going on?”

“We have to leave, now,” Angel ordered.

Spike didn’t argue. There was panic written on every one of the human faces. He stood up, pulling Buffy with him. Dawn had already leapt to her feet the moment the group had come barreling into the room.

“Do we know what’s happening?” Spike asked.

Cordelia shook her head.

“No, apparently Melinda sent a, a kind of mind meldy message to Willow and Tara.”

“Minda doesn’t send out trouble messages for nothing, so if it’s all the same to you folks, I’d like to get moving.” Lorne impatiently headed toward the door.

“Right.” Angel clenched his jaw and looked at Spike for a moment. “We take weapons.”

Gunn threw open the weapons cabinet and began handing out various swords to people. Angel, Spike, and Buffy ended up with broadswords, Wesley and Giles took maces, Xander got a misericord, Dawn, Cordy, and Anya got daggers, Gunn took the scimitar and his axe, and Lorne took nothing.

“It’s sunny out,” Wesley commented. “Angel, you and Spike head around to the back. We shall pick you up there.”

“Come on.” Angel jerked his head toward Spike.

Spike paused a moment and looked at Buffy.

“You gonna be okay? Won’t be separated for but a minute or two.”

Buffy nodded.

“Can’t expect you to never leave my side for the rest of eternity,” she joked thinly.

He took a small step toward her, and kissed her forehead before whirling around to follow Angel.

Buffy sighed, and rubbed her hand over the arm holding the sword as she watched him disappear. She turned to face the group, and Dawn came up to stand next to her. With a curt nod in her direction, Wesley took charge and led the group outside.

“Giles, you take Tara, Anya, Xander, and Dawn in your car. Gunn, you take Willow, Fred, Angel, and Cordelia in that car behind Giles. I’ll take Buffy, Spike and Lorne in Angel’s car.”

Everyone nodded, and Xander tossed Gunn the keys to Willow’s car.

“Wesley, wouldn’t it make more sense for Buffy to come with us?” Giles asked. “That way, each car has one person to pick up Melinda’s messages and one person with strength?”

“I wasn’t sure if Buffy would want to be separated from Spike for that long.” Wesley turned to her.

Buffy shifted on her feet uncomfortably. It did make sense, but Wesley was right, she didn’t want to be without Spike for that long. She took a quick look at the collected faces and sighed. Apparently, her own comfort had to be put aside for a moment, and she didn’t like it. Hopefully, they wouldn’t be with this group for long, and soon it could just be her, Spike and Dawn again.

“It’s fine,” Buffy muttered brushing past them and into Giles’ car. 

“Er, Anya come with me then.” Wesley headed toward Angel’s car as the group separated themselves into the various cars.

Buffy tapped her sword impatiently against her foot as Giles slid into the driver’s seat next to her.

“Are you quite alright Buffy?” he asked.

“No.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No, I want you to drive so that I can get out of this car.”

“Buffy, please, we are your friends and we love you. We only wanted to help,” Xander pleaded from the back seat.

“Yeah, you keep telling yourself that.” Buffy leaned her head against the window. She didn’t close her eyes for fear of falling asleep and having another car-induced nightmare.

Tara shifted uncomfortably against Dawn. They had done so much damage. After all her mother’s strict instructions in the use power and balance, Tara had failed. Failed her mother, failed Buffy.

Giles sighed and put the car into gear as he followed Wesley around the side of the hotel. There was an awning there that provided covering from the sun, and both vampires waited there for them. He watched as Angel and Spike approached Angel’s car, and paused. They were apparently listening to Wesley’s instructions. Spike appeared to argue with Wesley for a moment, and then Angel began to argue as well. He opened his car door and half stood out.

“We don’t have time for this! Get in the bloody cars and let’s go!”

Both vampires eyed him warily, but did as he instructed.

Giles watched curiously as Buffy placed a hand on the window when Spike had appeared, but dropped the hand into her lap the second he slid into the car. He needed to talk to Buffy alone, and find out what was going through her head. It hurt him that she was shutting him out, and letting that infuriating bleached vampire in. With a Ripper-like snarl, he hit the gas pedal and sped off after Wesley.

XXX

“Aaliyanna.” Melinda’s voice was cool.

“Metalardina.”

“What are you doing here?”

Aaliyanna laughed.

“My dear, dear sister. You have something of mine. Something that you know I have been searching for, for nearly two thousand years. And all this time, you had it.”

Melinda stood her ground as Aaliyanna approached her.

“Those scrolls are MINE! My seer wrote them, they belong to me!”

Melinda didn’t flinch as her sister proceeded to get right in her face.

“I would never let the scrolls into your possession. This world belongs to the humans, not us.”

“They are pestilence beneath our feet. We could rule them. That is our destiny.”

Melinda shook her head.

“No, our destiny is to let the natural course run through. We are observers, not rulers.”

Aaliyanna cocked her head to one side.

“You! You still pretend to move in their world, hiding behind your coven mask, taking pleasure in communicating and meddling in their unimportant little lives.” Aaliyanna spat her discontent out in short bursts.

“I move in the world that is presented to me, and things are important or unimportant in the eye of the beholder. You used to know that. Has hate clouded your eyes so much, sister? You have become so dark.”

 “DON’T YOU ACT LIKE YOU CARE ABOUT ME! You left me to rot in that godforsaken jungle.”

“You tried to end the world. You would have destroyed us as well.”

“I tried to bring about our greatness. We would have ruled the world as sisters, you and me. It has taken me all this time to hunt you down, but I am not late. The time for the prophecy is nearly upon us. When the smoke clears, I will still be standing.”

“If you say so,” Melinda said dryly.

“You say that like you know something I don’t. I demand you tell me what it is you are hiding.”

“Yeah, you do that. Demand away. Have you lived these past two thousand years by yourself? Because I must tell you, you do not have the friendliest of personalities happening here.”

Melinda was treading on thin ice and she knew it. Her sister had obviously been so lost in the dark side of magic that it consumed her. She must not find out about Tara and Willow. Aaliyanna would seek to destroy them, and from the power she was emanating, it was evident that the woman before her was much stronger then the woman she remembered. Of course, two thousand years in banishment could do that to a person.

“What are you hiding from me, Metalardina?” she asked softly.

Before Melinda could react, the darker woman had reached out and touched her forehead. Melinda felt a slight zap, and shoved her sister backwards.

“PROPHECY WITCHES! YOU HAVE FOUND THE PROPHECY WITCHES!”   

Melinda sent a blinding flash toward Aaliyanna that stunned the woman for several seconds. Melinda made those seconds count. She said a small spell, and suddenly the scrolls were in her hand. With a last glimpse at her sister, Melinda sent out a silent message.

“Run! Hide in the place of mercy! Run now!”

She spun around, and ran up the basement stairs, knowing that she had to put as much space between her and Aaliyanna as possible if she wanted to teleport without the woman knowing where she went. Hopefully, Willow got the message. Hopefully, her little spell paralyzed her sister enough so that she didn’t get the message. She had to get back to the witches quickly. This was getting worse then she thought.

XXX

Chapter 24

The car wasn’t moving. Buffy tapped her sword on the tip of her shoe, and watched the last of the colors disappear with the setting sun. Air. She needed air. Quickly, she opened the window only to be hit by a puff of hot steam. No air. Just smog. She tapped the sword faster.

Giles glanced over, a worried expression on his face. Somehow, this just didn’t feel right.

“Buffy, are you alright?”

“Do I look alright?” she snapped back. “Stupid traffic, stupid prophecies, stupid, little car with no air…” Buffy squirmed uncomfortably in the seat.

“Um, Giles?” Dawn said from the backseat. “Uh, we need to get moving. Like, NOW!”

Dawn leaned over Tara to reach toward the front of the car. She flipped the air conditioner on full blast and pointed it directly toward Buffy, just as her sister began to hyperventilate.

“I gotta, I gotta get out of here,” Buffy mumbled as she fumbled with the door handle.

“Buffy, you can’t just jump out on the freeway,” Xander protested as he tried to grab her arm.

Buffy almost growled as she shrugged his hand off, and continued to try and force the locked door open.

“Buffy, calm down. We need to get somewhere safe. You need to breathe. Breathe with me, Buffy. In, count to ten, and out, count to ten.” Giles kept his voice soothing.

“NO!” Buffy insisted. “Let me out. I have to get out of here. Can’t breathe.”

“M-maybe w-we should just l-let her out. Just for a m-minute. W-we’re not moving anyway,” Tara said.

Buffy’s hand found purchase on the lock, and with a kick to the door, she stumbled out of the car.  Drawing deep breathes into her lungs, Buffy dropped to her knees on the cement. She heard shouts around her, and she clapped her hands to her ears to drown them out.

Arms wrapped around her, and Buffy jerked slightly forward as she lowered her hands.

“Ssh, luv. ‘T’s okay. I’ve got ya.”

Buffy let herself relax into Spike’s embrace. She turned in his arms, and buried her face in his neck.

“I didn’t mean to. It-I couldn’t breathe, and it was so small, and I had to get out, and…”

Spike ran his hands in soothing circles on her back.

“It’s okay. All alright, now. You’re okay. I’ve got you.”

“Don’t let go,” she whispered.

“Won’t. Not ever.”

He waited a few minutes as her breathing slowed.

“Think you can get back into the car?” Spike felt her start to stiffen in his arms. “You can ride in the convertible with me, and we’ll have nancy-boy lower the top.”

She nodded, and they stood up together. He led back to Angel’s car where Wesley had already had the foresight to put the top down. Spike slid into the back seat with Buffy.

Wesley glanced into the review mirror and clenched his jaw. This was no time for them to be sitting in traffic. With a jerk of his hand, Wesley moved the car onto the shoulder, and took off down the freeway.

XXX

Melinda was pacing frantically when the group arrived at the club.

“What took you so long?” she asked worriedly.

“Traffic,” Wesley told her.

“What is happening?” Giles asked her.

Melinda didn’t answer. She continued to pace up and down the aisle of the club.

“Hey, Minda cakes? You’re going to wear a hole in my rug,” Lorne said as he reached out to stop her.

Melinda stopped pacing, and looked at Lorne for a moment before absentmindedly running her hand through her hair.

“Who put the spell on this place? The furies?” she asked.

“Well, yeah. My girls put a little mojo on here, and ain’t no one, demon or human, can cause any trouble.”

“We’re not safe here,” Melinda said. “We need to leave her as soon as possible. Get as far away as we can. Somewhere isolated.”

“What is happening?” Giles repeated.

Melinda’s head snapped up, and she scanned the group. Her eyes rested on Angel.

“You have spoken to the oracles before, have you not?”

Angel nodded.

“Can you see them again?”

“I don’t know. I can try.”

“You must. Take the seer with you, she will get you access. You must find a safe haven for us. Tell them that the time is at hand, they will know what that mean.”

Angel nodded again, and followed Cordelia out the door.

Melinda turned her eyes to Gunn.

“You look like a man who can be rather resourceful.”

“I can be resourceful with the best of ‘em,” he answered.

“Good. We need supplies. I will give you a list.”

“Done deal, Goddess.”

“We are going to need transportation…most likely out of the country. Mr. Giles, do you have any contacts we can use?”

Giles removed his glasses, and rubbed them furiously.

“I believe I know someone who can be of use. I will contact them immediately.”

“Good. Good. Willow tree, Tara, and Dawn come with me. Your schooling begins immediately. Lorne, we will need a practice room.” Melinda paused a second and studied Anya. “I think I will take you with me as well. Yes, you will come with us.”

“I have just the room for you, Minda.”

“Wesley, Fred, I am leaving the scrolls with you. I trust you to be careful with your studies.”

“Oh, of course Goddess,” Fred breathed.

There was a flurry of activity as everyone scuttled off to his or her assigned tasks. Fred and Wesley took a booth in the far corner of the club, and began to spread out the scrolls that Melinda had provided. Lorne had taken the group of witches off to the back room, and Giles had left with Xander to get a hold of his contacts.

Buffy and Spike were left standing in the corner of the room.

“Think we got forgotten here, Slayer,” Spike mused.

“That’s okay. I don’t think I mind. Do you…maybe wanna spar some more?”

Spike glanced down at her, an amused look in his eye.

“Which part of the sparring did you want to try again?” Spike grinned as Buffy’s face slowly turned red.

“The fighting part. Remember, the learning how to control my strength and stuff?”

“Oh, that part. Yeah, we can do that,” he said as he slowly led her into the back room of the club.  “We can definitely do that.”

XXX

Angel stood in the cave of the Oracles, and watched as Cordelia peeked into the well.

“Um, so, like, what am I supposed to do here?” she asked him.

“I’m not sure. Doyle put some kind of powder in there, and then said of few words. The door just kinda opened.” Angel moved closer to her.

“Oh, well that doesn’t help us so much, now does it? I’m just supposed to say, ‘oh, open the door to ye old Oracles so that we might ask a question’ or something?” Cordelia turned to face him.

The doorway behind them glowed blue.

“Ookay, I guess I was supposed to say that.” Cordelia shrugged as she followed Angel through the doorway.

The brother and sister stood facing the door as Cordelia and Angel made their way in.

“Oh, look Brother. The souled warrior has returned…and with a seer. What do you think they want?”

“I’m sure that I have no idea, Sister. Do you think we should ask them?”

“Yes, I am bored anyway. What do you wish of us, vampire and seer?”

Angel stepped forward and held out the necklace Melinda had given him.

“I come on behalf of the Goddess Metarlinda. She bade me to tell you that the ‘time is at hand.’”

The sister stepped forward and retrieved the necklace.

“The necklace of time. The foretelling of the scrolls of Phenyellenian. Has it been so long?”

She handed the necklace to her brother before turning back to Angel.

“This prophecy is ancient, and was written in the time before time. You must go to England and seek out the one called Drogyn. He guards a place known as the Deeper Well, where the entities of the old ones are kept. Drogyn has been watching an additional charge for us, a spirit of sorts, if you will. A champion must be chosen to house this entity, but she will be needed for the upcoming battle. Choose wisely. Drogyn will tell you where to go from there.”

Cordelia looked at the duo, hands on her hips.

“That’s a little vague there. Could you clarify it up a bit?”

The brother stared at her.

“And they think you would make a good higher being? Honestly, they’ll make anyone a seer these days.”

Angel grabbed Cordelia’s arm, and nudged her toward the door.

“Oh, before you go.” The sister’s voice stopped them in their tracks. “It might be nice if you chose to speak your feelings a loud…before it is too late. That is all.”

XXX

Melinda faced the group of girls in front of her. This was going to be difficult to explain.

“I’m afraid that we have much to accomplish, and little time to do it in. Therefore, it is imperative that you listen closely, and only ask questions of the utmost importance. We have three things that we must accomplish in our short time, do you understand?”

Each of the girls nodded.

“Good. The first thing that we must do is the joining of the prophecy witches. Although you two are already joined in one way, we must join you in all ways. There is a blood ritual that must be preformed. Tara posses all balance in her magic, while Willow is all power. There is a reason for this, the two of you are meant to work together in all aspects of your lives. That is why you were drawn to each other, you are the epitome of soul mates. Your magic cannot work well alone. Do you agree to the ritual?”

Tara and Willow both glanced at each other before looking back at Melinda.

“Um, what k-kind of r-ritual are you s-speaking o-of?” Tara asked.

“I am going to combine your essences, combine your magic if you will. Think of yourselves like a yin-yang, one side cannot work without the other. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” Willow answered. “We agree.”

Tara shot her a look out of the corner of her eye, but nodded.

Melinda walked into the middle of the room, and beckoned the girls toward her. She pushed them into a kneeling position facing each other, then she raised her arms above her head. Closing her eyes, Melinda began to chant softly as a silver cloud appeared above her head. She reached under her skirt, and removed a small, golden dagger from a garter on her leg. With one quick movement, Melinda grabbed Tara and sliced open both her hands. She then did the same to Willow. Continuing to chant, Melinda connected their hands right-to-right and left-to-left. Dawn and Anya watched in awe as the silver light flew into both girls’ bodies. With pure white eyes, Melinda turned to Dawn and Anya.

“Do you bear witness?” she called to them over the swirling of silver.

Dawn looked at Anya, who was already nodding.

“I bear witness,” Anya said.

“I bear witness,” Dawn repeated.

Melinda raised her hand above her head again.

“By the power of the Goddess, and the souls of the chosen, my will be done. So mote it  be.”

The power of silver disappeared completely into Tara and Willow, and they sat staring at each other in awe.

“I can feel you, in here.” Willow smiled at Tara as she placed her hand on her heart.

“I know. I-it’s like we’re completely a part of one another. I-I can feel your strength flow through me.” Tara smiled back.

Melinda smiled as she walked up to Dawn.

“Dawn, you are a key. You’re power lies completely in your blood, and that makes you important. More important then you can ever imagine. I don’t have the time to teach you your true potential right now, but I will. When this is over, we will travel, you and I, and I will show you the wonderful things that you are capable of. For now, though, I wish you to study with Tara and Willow. They can teach you the basics. Anya? I must talk with you privately. Will you come with me?”

Anya gave Melinda a confused look, but nodded. She followed the Goddess out of the room as Tara and Willow began Dawn’s first real magic lesson.

XXX

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