Angel had to almost drag Spike out of the Conduit, even though he was helped along by what felt like a giant fist. Apparently the Powers had done as much as They were going to do and were done helping. If Spike had his way, however, he would have found the source of those very annoying voices and ripped them into tiny shreds. Following which, he would have quite happily killed his son, once he was certain Ty was safe. After all, the boy had promised to come straight out once he’d gotten the answers to their questions.

Buffy was instantly by their side once they’d exited the portal. “Ty?”

“Gone,” Spike said, his voice hoarse with worry and anger. “Bloody bastards opened a portal to wherever an’ he walked right through.”

“Connor went with him?” Wesley asked quickly, anxiety casting a dark shadow over his face.

Angel nodded shortly. “We got inside just in time to see Ty go through, Connor followed him.” The vampire met Wesley’s eyes. “Connor said to tell you that you were right about it being the Senior Partners. And he also said they were going to the Likt’na’e. That mean anything to you?”

The ex-Watcher shook his head absently. “It sounds quite familiar. Chances are I’ve seen it recently. I’ll have to look into it. But if the Powers actually opened the portal, I’m not sure how likely it is that we can do the same.”

“I’ll get there if I have to tear apart the entire soddin’ world,” Spike growled. “And when I get my hands on that kid…” He left the threat unfinished, but they all knew Ty wasn’t going to be un-grounded anytime before his twenty-first birthday.

“He’ll be fine, Will,” Emmie said. “Ty’s smart and resourceful, and he’s got Connor looking out for him.” She glanced over at Angel, who looked just as worried. “They’ll both be fine.”

Buffy’s cell phone rang, and she answered it. “Yeah, Dawn.” There was a long pause, and then she said quietly. “We’re on our way.” The Slayer looked at the others, and with somber eyes, she broke the bad news. “Dawn said Gunn just died. They couldn’t stop the internal bleeding.”

A heavy silence fell across the group as they absorbed the news. It was Angel who finally broke the silence. “Let’s go. Wes can pick up Fred from the hospital and start the research.

But—”

“We need to be there,” Spike finished.

The meeting at the hospital was a grim affair. Angel was the one to take charge, to start the decision making process on preparing the body and calling the funeral home. The rest of them were in a daze. While not all had been particularly close to Gunn, they had all worked with him, liked him, even admired him.

Wesley slipped away from the gathering for a moment to view the body. The hospital staff had not yet come to take it to the morgue, and so Gunn still lay on the hospital bed. He wasn’t sure what to say, not after knowing—remembering―what he did now. The two of them had been as close as brothers at one point, but somewhere along the way they had lost that.

He opened his mouth to speak, and then shut it again. Really, there was nothing to say. There were no words appropriate to the occasion. “Goodbye, Charles,” he said simply. “I will not forget you.”

~~~~~

Connor glanced over at Ty in annoyance. “You wanna stop that?” he asked.

Ty looked over from where he was standing at the other side of the cave and then deliberately continued throwing pebbles at the opposite wall. “You got something better to do?” he asked belligerantly.

“Well, you could try sleeping,” Connor suggested, without much hope for success. He couldn’t blame the kid for being a little wired, maybe a little jumpy. After stepping through that portal, they had found themselves in alien territory and near-darkness. It was a good thing for both of them that Connor had a vampire’s night vision, or they would never have found the cave, which was dimly lit by some kind of phosphoresence. Without some kind of shelter, the danger would have been much greater.

But even inside the relative safety of the cave, neither one of them knew quite what to do. The future was unknown; the step through had been an impulsive move on Ty’s part, and Connor was no better off. They were well aware that they knew next to nothing about what they might face.

Connor, especially, was more than a little concerned. Now that he could remember his time spent in Quortoth, he had a pretty good idea of what to expect from a hell dimension, and none of it was good. Plus, as he had so intimately experienced, time might pass very differently here. They could find a way back only to discover that years had passed on the other side. Or they could spend years trying to fulfill their mission, only to discover mere days had passed on Earth. There was no way of telling.

Ty, for his part, was already beginning to regret what he’d done. Not that he thought it had been wrong to try and prevent all those deaths, but the Conduit had told him that the future was not fixed; it was possible that by knowing what would happen, they might have been able to change things. Maybe he could have been more prepared. Surely his uncle Wes would have been able to give him a better idea of what he was supposed to do, what he was going to face. But now he and Connor had gone in blind, and that was never a good idea.

“I’m not tired,” he finally replied, slumping down next to Connor. He still wasn’t sure what to make of the older man. He was used to being the only “kid” in Angel’s life. It was weird to think of Angel having a son, one who was only supposed to be a year older than him.

Connor sighed. “Try. It’ll make the time go by faster. I’ll stay awake.”

“Why did you come?” Ty asked suddenly.

“Did I have a choice?” Connor asked in reply. “And could you maybe think things through a little better next time? I’d be a lot happier if I had a weapon right now.”

Ty faced him, knowing Connor would be able to see him clearly, even in the dimness of the cave. “I didn’t have a choice either,” he replied. “They said everyone would die if I waited.” He smiled a little. “Besides, have you met my dad? Patience isn’t in the gene pool.”

Connor grinned a little in return. He’d gotten a taste of William’s impatience a few times already. “Well, maybe next time you could give me a warning at least.”

“What did they show you?”

Connor paused. “They showed me my past, what I couldn’t remember before.”

“Was it bad?”

“Bad enough.” He suddenly reached out and pulled Ty to his side, wanting to feel the boy next to him, wanting to have some kind of human contact.

“Are you still mad at Uncle Angel?” Ty asked, wanting to like Connor, but wanting to defend Angel as well. If Connor hated Angel, then how could Ty like him?

“No,” Connor replied quietly. “No, I get it now.” He shifted so they were both settled more comfortably. “Go to sleep now, cousin.”

~~~~~

Wesley was surrounded by piles of books, though none of them were doing him any good.

Finding references to the Likt’na’e was difficult at best, and he had conflicting reports as to what dimension they seemed to reside in. Nothing gave him any indication of how to locate it, or even how to get there once he had. William had tried to help with the research, but was too antsy to sit still for more than a few minutes at a time. Wesley had finally asked Buffy to take him somewhere, anywhere else would do. Lorne was talking to his connections in the hope of finding something that way. Angel and Emmie were off on their own, since neither of them excelled at research. And Dawn was proving absolutely invaluable.

“This isn’t working, Wes,” the young woman finally told him. “We need—I don’t know. Something. But I’m not finding anything at all.”

The ex-Watcher leaned back in his chair and stretched, glancing over at Fred who was busy surfing the ‘net, trying to find resources that way. “I realize that, Dawn,” he replied. “But there isn’t much else we can do. Until we find some indication of the dimension in question, all we can do is keep researching. We don’t even know the name of it.”

“Oh, hey!” Fred called out. “Look at this.”

Dawn and Wesley came to stand behind her. Fred looked up and grinned at Wes. “Stupid me. I should have started here.”

Wesley blinked as he realized he was looking at the Wolfram & Hart website, but not a version he had seen before. “What is this?”

“It’s the website for the New York branch,” Fred explained excitedly. “They’re still evil, you know, and are controlled by the Senior Partners. There’s a section on here about the CEO, and apparently he’s from Likt’na’e.”

Wesley and Dawn exchanged a glance, and Dawn rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe we didn’t think of this hours ago.”

“It’s never that easy,” Wesley protested, but just as surprised. Now, at least, they knew “Likt’na’e” was actually the name of the dimension. “Of course, getting there could be another thing altogether.”

“Did you find something?” Spike asked as he and Buffy entered the room. He was looking a little calmer, though anyone who knew him could tell it was a façade, one that was barely holding.

“We know the name of the dimension,” Dawn said. “That’s a really good start. Once we figure out how to get there, we’ll be all set.”

Buffy frowned. “Why don’t we call Willow?” she asked. “Remember that time with the portal and the book? She might have some idea. And if she doesn’t know, the coven might.”

“If it’s apocalypse stuff, they’ll be willing to help,” Dawn agreed.

Spike smiled a little. “Willow will help, anyway. Got a lot of power, that one. She might be able to just punch through.”

Wesley and Fred shared a look. Now that the gaps had been filled in, they had no trouble recalling what had happened the last time Angel had tried to “punch through” to a hell dimension. Rips in reality were not something they cared to deal with again. “Let’s try opening a door,” Fred suggested nervously. “We’ve done the punching thing before, and it’s not a great idea.”

Spike’s look grew stubborn. “This is Ty we’re talking about.”

Buffy lay a hand on his arm. “We know, William,” she reminded him. “We’re just as worried as you are. But starting a different apocalypse by pushing the wrong button doesn’t help anyone, even Ty.”

He sighed but didn’t say anything. Buffy gave his arm another squeeze and looked at the rest of the group. “I’ll call Willow and see what she can do from England. We may have to wait until she gets here, though.”

Wesley nodded. “Even if she can just tell us how to form a portal, I’m not certain I would be strong enough to create it. And then, of course, there’s the matter of getting back here.”

Buffy smiled a little bit good-naturedly. “I’ll be sure to mention that.”

“Should we let Angel know?” Fred asked.

Spike sighed and flopped down on the couch, unconsciously mirroring his son’s actions, several dimensions away. “No, let the poof and his girl alone for a bit. They’ve got some things to work out, and it’s not like they can do anything right now anyway.”

~~~~~

Angel and Emmie were closeted in the guest bedroom, both seated on the bed, Emmie leaning into him, offering and giving comfort. Of all of them, Angel was probably the one who had been closest to Gunn at this point. “I’m sorry,” Angel whispered into her hair. “I shouldn’t have been so stubborn about telling everyone about Connor. If I hadn’t waited—”

“If you hadn’t waited, we would have known, but that doesn’t mean the Senior Partners wouldn’t have tried to kill us anyway,” Emmie pointed out reasonably. She turned to look at him, lifting a gentle hand to caress his cheek. “Sweetheart, this wasn’t your fault. Even if we’d known who Connor was, none of us were prepared for a half dozen bombs being set off in the office. It just happened. Gunn knew the kind of risks that are involved with being who we are. If he’d had a problem with it, he could have opted out years ago.”

“Could he?” Angel asked, still deeply grieved. “Gunn knew what was out there, and that’s why he did his job. I’m not sure any of us have a choice in the end.”

Emmie sighed. “No, probably we don’t. Even if I woke up tomorrow as a normal girl and not a Slayer, I still would keep going. It’s who we are.” She intertwined her fingers with his. “But that still doesn’t mean that Gunn didn’t know the risks involved, or that you’re somehow to blame for all of this.”

“Yeah,” Angel agreed finally. “I should have told you about Connor a long time ago,” he admitted. “I didn’t even know how to begin though. I couldn’t figure out what to say to to you.”

She smiled a little. “I know. Heaven knows I’ve had a couple years to figure you out, and I shouldn’t have been that surprised that you didn’t tell me. But you get why I was mad at you?”

Angel nodded. “I get it. And if I were you, I would have been mad at me too.”

Emmie smiled, satisfaction in her eyes. “As long as you understand,” she stated. “When Connor and I went to your office, and the windows were gone, I realized that I might have already lost you. The last words I had spoken to you were in anger, and I hated that.”

“I couldn’t bear the thought that I had lost you because I was being stupid,” Angel replied, kissing her deeply.

Emmie returned the kiss, and then met his gaze, her own dark eyes glinting mischievously. “Come on, Angel. If I left you because you were being stupid, this relationship wouldn’t have lasted six months.”

Angel glared at her until he figured out she was teasing him. “Brat.”

She grinned in return. “Pillock.”

“You’ve been spending too much time with Spike,” he accused.

“Then maybe when this is all over you should do something about that,” Emmie replied, her lips twisting up into a smug smile.

“When this is over, that’s exactly what I’m going to do,” Angel responded, and then bent to kiss her again.

~~~~~

Buffy re-entered the room after speaking to Willow on the phone. “She’s talking to the coven

about it,” she said. “Willow said she’d get here as soon as she could.”

Spike grunted, a deeply dissatisfied sound. “How long will that take her?”

The Slayer shrugged. “A day? Two? I don’t know. You’re just going to have to be patient.” At his raised eyebrow, Buffy rolled her eyes. “However out of character that might be for you.” Her face softening, she murmured, “I told you. We’re going to get him back.”

“Connor is more than capable,” Wesley said from his own position at the dining room table. “I would imagine that his restored memories will make him that much more effective in keeping both him and Ty safe.”

Fred gave Spike a reassuring smile as well. “I know you haven’t seen him fight, William, but Connor’s good. Probably as good as Angel.”

Spike sighed. This reminded him of the waiting that had been done before the gang had gone to confront Glory. Then, too, there had been the need to assess their positions and gather their strength, while all they had really wanted to do was to go pull Dawn out of the Hellgod’s clutches. He hated this part of the battle, even as he understood its necessity. “He’s my kid,” he finally said, and they all understood what he meant by that.

Right about then Angel and Emmie came wandering back into the room, hand in hand. Despite everything, Spike was glad to see it. She and Angel were good for each other, and it always helped to be able to find a little comfort in the middle of the storm. “You two finally kiss and make up?” he asked, with just a hint of humor.

“We did,” Angel replied evenly, his soul feeling lighter now that their fight had been resolved. “When do we move out?”

Wesley shook his head. “We’re waiting for Willow,” he explained. “She and the coven are working on a way to get us to Likt’na’e. Until then—”

“Did someone call my name?” Seven heads turned at once to see Willow standing in the entrance to the living room. She smiled at the rest of them, pleased with her entrance. “I did get here as quickly as I could.”

After the immediate hubbub calmed, and hugs were exchanged, they all sat down to a full council of war. “I couldn’t get much information on the Senior Partners,” Willow began. “But one of the sisters knew of Likt’na’e and how to get there. It takes a lot of power, but it’s definitely doable.”

“Am I missing something?” Lorne came into the living room to find everyone gathered around the red-haired witch. “Willow, honey, when did you get in?”

“About fifteen minutes ago,” she said, rising to greet Lorne with a hug. “The coven teleported me in.”

Lorne’s red eyes widened. “Do tell. They think it’s that important, then?”

“The portents indicate that both Ty and Connor will be major players in the future, great forces for the light,” Willow replied. “They think it’s in the world’s best interests to make sure they both come out of this alive.”

“Which brings us back to getting there,” Spike said. “Can you do it?”

Willow favored him with a look. She well knew how impatient Spike could be, especially when it concerned someone he cared about. “I can. I can also get you back here, which is just as important.”

“What do you need?” Dawn asked quickly, already making a list in her head of magic suppliers.

Willow shook her head. “I have everything I need, Dawnie. It’s just a matter of putting things together.” She looked over at the younger woman. “In fact, you’re one of the key ingredients. Pun intended.”

“Oh no,” Buffy protested. “We’ve been through this before.”

“That’s not what she means,” Wesley said, his eyes brightening. “Willow would provide the focus, the blood is simply the key that opens the door.”

Willow smiled at him as a teacher would at a particularly quick student. “Dawn’s blood also gets you back here,” she explained. “Because Spike and Angel are tied to Connor and Ty, I can use their blood as a homing beacon. Once everything is over, Buffy uses a little of her blood to activate the portal again. Since she’s tied to Dawn, that brings you all back here.”

“It’s always about the blood,” Spike murmured, looking over at Buffy and remembering once again. It was a little too much like déjà vu; he remembered all too well how that apocalypse had ended.

“So when do we get started?” Emmie asked.

Willow hesitated and then looked at the clock. “I can have the portal ready in a couple hours,” she said confidantly. “Until then, you guys might want to get something to eat and take a nap. No telling how long it’s going to be before you can do that again.”

“Good,” Angel said. “Spike, Buffy, Emmie and I will go through the portal. Wesley, Fred, Dawn, and Willow will hold the fort from this end.”

“Angel,” Wesley protested. “I’m coming too. I can be of service.”

“You’re more help to me here, Wes,” Angel said gently. “Someone needs to stay. I want you in charge of Wolfram & Hart in case we don’t get back.”

Wesley’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t be an idiot,” he said harshly. “The Senior Partners are behind this whole thing. Wolfram & Hart isn’t ours any longer.”

“It’s ours because we’ve made it ours,” Angel insisted. “If something happens to us, someone needs to make sure it stays in our hands, that it doesn’t go back to being used for evil purposes.” Wesley didn’t look like he was going to back down anytime soon. “Wes.” The vampire moved closer to his old friend, putting a hand on his arm and looking him in the eye. “You’ve got more to lose than any of us by going. I need you to stay because you can do real good here. You can make sure we don’t lose the battle on this end. But more than that, Fred needs you. So does your kid. You owe it to both of them to stay.”

Wesley wanted to protest. After all, hadn’t his relationship with Victoria ended because he couldn’t stay off the front lines? Yet, looking over at Fred, he could see in her eyes that she wanted him to stay, but wouldn’t ask it of him. She would let him make his own decision, because he had always tried to do the same for her. The ex-Watcher looked around the room at the faces of his friends, feeling another pang as he recognized that Gunn’s face was missing. Knowing that from now on, Gunn would always be missing.

Seeing his hesitation, Angel said quietly, “Someone who knows the truth has to live through this.”

“You would play that card,” Wesley said evenly, but the emotion in his eyes betrayed him. “I’ll stay.”

Angel squeezed his shoulder in silent thanks. “All right. Grab something to eat, people. We leave in two hours.” His eyes met Spike’s with the same look of grim determination. “We’re gonna bring our sons back.”

Connor and Ty both looked around the grayish world. It seemed as though all the color had been leeched out a long time ago. Even the little plant life they could see was of a gray-green hue, and the sky was the kind of color that would have threatened rain back home. Connor had a feeling that it was always that way here.

“What now?” Ty asked, his voice trembling just a little.

“I don’t know,” Connor admitted. He had no clue where they were going. For all he knew, they could wander around for the next few years and never get anywhere. “We’ll probably need to try and find water or something. If they even have that here.” Even as he said it, he cursed himself for scaring the kid even more than he was already.

Ty turned big blue eyes up to him. “I really screwed us over, didn’t I?”

Connor reached out and ruffled the boy’s hair. “Look, I survived for eighteen years in a hell dimension that was a hundred times worse than this one. We’ll be fine.” Connor thought for a moment, trying to decide what their priority should be. Try and find the bad guys, so they could kill them and try to find a way home? Or, should they be looking for food and water first? He had an idea, which he quickly dismissed, and then reconsidered. Connor couldn’t believe he would seriously turn their mission over to a ten-year-old, but then again, he had never thought he’d be stuck in a hell dimension again.

“What does your gut tell you, Ty?”

“What?” Ty stared at him.

Connor squatted down in front of him so their eyes were level. “Look, kid, you’re the Chosen one, right? The one that gets the visions? So you know a little more than I do about where we’re going. What does your gut tell you?”

Ty shook his head, remembering at the same time that his dad had always told him to follow his gut. To go with his instincts. His mom had always done that. Focusing, as Wesley had taught him to do before a spell, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Sure enough, when he concentrated, he could feel a slight tugging sensation, and he took a step in that direction. “This way. I think.”

Connor stood and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “You lead the way, then. I’m right behind you.”

~~~~~

Willow looked at Buffy, hazel eyes deeply serious. “You get it?”

“I think so.” Buffy held up the blood-red stone. It had been clear before Willow had put one drop each of Angel and Spike’s blood on it. “You open the portal with your key, we go through. When we’re ready to come back, we put a drop of my blood on the stone, and you’ll open the portal from this end.”

The witch nodded, satisfied that her friend understood the drill. “Right. Piece of cake.”

Wesley was watching the entire procedure with a mixture of awe and envy. He wasn’t bad with a spell book himself, but he couldn’t hope to match the red-head for power. “What will you do when you get there?” he asked.

Spike was the first to answer. “We’ll have a look around. If we can, we’ll take out the bloody bastards. They owe us for Gunn.”

Angel nodded his agreement. “You’ll take care of the rest of the funeral arrangements in case we don’t make it back in time?” he asked Wes.

The other man nodded and felt Fred slip a hand into his own. “Be careful,” she said.

“Will do,” Buffy said almost cheerfully. She was happiest when the waiting was over and the action could begin. She and Dawn shared a look and a hug, but didn’t say anything. Anything they might have said at that point would have felt too much like last words.

“Ready?” Willow asked.

“Ready as we’ll ever be,” Emmie said, taking a tighter grip on her crossbow. All of them were armed, and Angel carried an extra ax for Connor, knowing that his son had gone in weaponless.

Willow handed a pin to Dawn, who pricked her finger and smeared a single drop of blood on the clear stone the witch held. It began to glow an eerie red color, and Willow started to chant. She herself was glowing brightly, the pure white of her radiance was a startling contrast to the red light of the stone. And then the air of the living room shimmered and great gusts of air blew around them. “Go now!” Willow finally called out as the portal opened.

Spike went first, Buffy right on his heels, and then Emmie and Angel swiftly followed. The four of them landed with a thump in the dim light of the gray world. Fred had managed to find out that the atmosphere wasn’t harmful for either vampires or humans at least, so they didn’t have to worry about any nasty surprises that way.

Spike reached down a hand to help his fiance up, and then looked around. “So where are they?” he asked. “Willow said that stone was supposed to take us right to them.”

Angel pointed off into the distance. “Look.” The group could just make out two small figures on the barren horizon. “What do you want to bet that’s them?” And then the vampire sighed as he realized Spike had already started running. He shared a look with Emmie. “I guess that’s our signal to go,” he muttered.

Buffy was only a step or two behind Spike as he ran to catch up with the two figures. She might have warned him to be careful if one hadn’t obviously been a child. “Ty!” Spike called out.

The smaller shape stopped abruptly and turned, then started running towards them. “Dad?”

Ty was in his father’s arms in seconds, Spike hanging onto him tightly. Then Spike put him down and gave him a little shake. “What the bloody hell were you thinking?” he demanded. “You scared about ten years off my life, Titus William. I told you to come straight out.”

“But, Dad—”

“Don’t ‘but Dad’ me,” Spike interrupted. “I swear, when we get back home you’re goin’ to be grounded well into the next century. What were you thinkin’?”

“They said you were all gonna die,” Ty explained, just as Connor, Angel, and Emmie caught up to them.

“They don’t know squat,” Spike said vehemently. “We can take care of ourselves, luv. It’s not your job to worry about us.”

Ty’s lip trembled. “They showed me.”

“Spike,” Buffy put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a look that told him now was not the time for lectures. “We need to decide what we’re going to do.”

“You know how to get us out of here?” Connor asked.

Angel nodded. “Willow turned up. She’s standing by, but we need to figure out whether we’re going to stay and finish this or go back.”

“I think we should stay,” Emmie said quietly. “We’re here now. We’re as ready as we’re ever going to be. I don’t think we can afford to waste this opportunity.”

Ty looked from one face to another, and suddenly realized that Gunn hadn’t been anywhere in his vision of a possible future. “Is Uncle Gunn okay?”

Spike closed his eyes and brought Ty in close. “No, Little Man. He’s not.”

Ty buried his face in his dad’s shoulder. “I gotta stop them. I gotta, Dad.”

“I know, luv.” Spike sighed. He looked up at Angel. “You up for this, Peaches?”

Angel raised an eyebrow. “Do you have to ask?” He looked over at his son. “Connor?”

“I’m in,” Connor replied, catching the ax that his father threw to him. “Might as well be now as later.”

“Good,” Buffy stated. “I never liked the idea of waiting for someone to come after us, anyway.”

Emmie pulled a couple sandwiches and bottles of water out of the backpack she carried. She’d been a nanny for too long not to realize that both Ty and Connor would probably be hungry and thirsty. “Which way we headed?” she asked.

“Ty knows,” Connor stated.

The boy nodded, looking off into the distance, his eyes glazing over. “It’s that way. They’re waiting for us.”

They walked onward in a silence that was almost oppressive. There was a sense about their journey that was almost like fate, or destiny, if you preferred that word. Spike, for his part, didn’t much like it. Destiny was just another way to say “dead,” as far as he was concerned. And he should know; he’d had the same feeling wearing that bloody amulet into the cavern to face the First. Only this time it was his son who seemed to be the Chosen One, and Spike liked that even less.

Silence seemed to beg for contact, and Buffy’s empty hand found Spike’s. It was nice that her lover was a lefty in this case, since neither of them had to switch weapons hands. Angel and Emmie walked just behind them, their arms constantly brushing, while Connor strode ahead, just behind Ty.

The boy, for his part, seemed to be focused on only one thing now, homing in on his destination like a pigeon coming home to roost. Now that his father and Angel were with him, Ty felt as though things were finally right. As though it were truly time. Even if Ty had doubted before, there was no room for questions now. Nothing entered his mind except his goal.

A huge structure rose up before them, like some weird Parthenon, all columns and statues. Except the statues resembled things that were nothing like the Greek gods. Instead, they were replicas of demons and monsters, creatures out of a person’s worst nightmares. Snarling mouths and gaping jaws, claws that were depicted as disembowling frightened victims. Above the columns was a long frieze, depicting all manner of evils: slavery, torture, maiming, wars. It was a tribute to all that Wolfram & Hart, and hence the Senior Partners, had done in every dimension in which they had a foothold. For Ty, who had seen all these horrors and worse in his visions, it was one more reason to do what he must.

Ty felt a hand on each of his shoulders, Connor on his right hand side, Spike on his left. He turned and looked up at his father. “I have to get inside the inner sanctuary.”

Spike swallowed. Was it too late to forbid his son to do this? Couldn’t he turn around, activate the portal, and they’d all go home? Would he be a coward if they ran? “I have to go,” Ty stated, as though he were reading Spike’s mind, and his son’s eyes, so much like his own, were ancient.

“I know,” he replied. Spike put his right hand on his son’s head in benediction, and then over at Connor. “See that he makes out of there. We’ve got your backs.”

Then, as they faced forward again, the huge doorway filled with things in robes, their clawed hands indicating that they were anything but human. In one quick movement, Ty was behind Spike and Connor. Angel and the Slayers had come to stand shoulder to shoulder with them. Buffy looked over at her lover and raised an eyebrow, wordlessly asking if he was ready. His only reply was an evil smirk.

The battle was both easier and harder than any Spike had ever fought before. It was easier because they seemed enchanted, all their movements synchronized into as near a perfect dance as any he’d ever had. The five of them moved like a finely tuned machine, and there was joy in the fight.

But it was harder because Spike had turned the welfare of his only son over to a man he trusted, but barely knew. He knew that Connor was Ty’s Champion, but it didn’t make it any easier to watch the both of them disappear into the hole that the four of them created at the entrance to the temple.

Connor swung the ax with ease, keeping a careful eye on the kid. Ty moved with the kind of grace only a pre-adolescent posseses. He had picked up a knife somewhere, and had already used it once to defend himself, Gunn’s aborted lesson was coming in handy.

The two of them had entered the outer sanctuary now, the inner room within sight. Connor knew from the look on Ty’s face that was where they needed to be, where their twin destinies were leading them. He couldn’t help but think, even in the midst of the battle, that none of them might not make it out alive. There were a finite number of the robed creatures defending the temple, but they had no idea what kind of creatures they would face in the Senior Partners.

“Connor!” Angel’s voice made him turn. The vampire was inside the doorway now, the sword he was wielding dripping with black ichor. “Spike said to go ahead. They’re holding the doorway.”

Connor nodded, showing that he’d heard, and took two steps forward towards the the inner sanctuary. The ground shook, throwing him forward, and a great chasm opened up behind him, separating him from Ty and his father.

Ty let out a startled yelp, and was thrown back, mere millimeters from the edge. Behind him, a great wall of flame shot up, cutting him off from Angel. The ground shook again, and the chasm deepened further. Ty scrambled back from the edge, finding himself trapped between the wall of flame and the edge.

Connor froze on the other side. He thought he might be able to jump it, but there was no way he could make the return jump with Ty’s weight. Suddenly, there was a howl of pain as Angel shot through the flames, fire catching at his arms and legs. His demon’s mask in place, with a vampire’s speed and strength, he caught Ty up in his hands and tossed him across the gap into Connor’s waiting arms.

Connor watched in horror as Angel dropped and rolled, but either the fire had spread too quickly or there was something in the flames that resisted being extinguished. Connor pulled Ty’s head to his chest, preventing him from seeing the vampire’s immolation, smothering his own cry of pain as best he could.

“Uncle Angel!” Ty screamed, struggling to get out of Connor’s arms, but his Champion held him fast, fearing that the boy might try to leap the chasm if he let go. Suddenly knowing what must be done, he sprinted, holding the struggling boy still in his arms. Through the sanctuary entrance, past the startled guards, right into the middle of a group of demons.

Ty stopped struggling. He knew what these beings were; they were what had been depicted on the walls and in the statuary outside. These were the things that had killed Gunn and Angel. They were the reason so many had died. Connor, sensing the change in him, set him down, and backed off to a reasonable distance.

“It’s over,” Ty announced, his voice suddenly deep. If Buffy or his father had been there, they would have recognized what they were seeing. He stepped forward, closer to the Senior Partners, and had the pleasure of watching them back up a couple steps. “You’re finished.”

And then he began to glow with an intense radiance that was startling. The demons averted their faces in fear, speaking in their own tongue, a language neither Connor or Ty had ever heard before. It didn’t matter; they wouldn’t be hearing it again.

As Spike had done in the cavern below Sunnydale a decade before, Ty stood immobile, beams of light emanating out of him. As with his father, the light had a cleansing effect on everything, and everyone, it touched, and the demons began to smoke, burn, and finally burst into flame. Unlike his father, however, the boy was an innocent, the Vessel of the Powers That Be, and in this case, a conduit for the power that flowed through him.

Ty felt as though he were standing in midstream of a swollen river, and he was unmoved. He felt clean, pure, beautiful. He felt powerful, invincible, untouched.

Then there was silence. And darkness.

The chasm was gone, as were the flames. Ty wasn’t sure whether the pit had been illusion or reality, but the flames had been real enough. Real enough to kill Angel at least. Ty turned in the middle of the room and watched as Connor walked towards the spot where he had last seen his father.

The servants of the Likt’na’e were nowhere to be found. There was the sound of weapons clattering to the ground as Spike, Buffy, and Emmie made their way to the same spot. Angel’s ashes were obvious enough; he had been a master vampire after all. Ty’s throat was dry. He couldn’t bear to look, and he couldn’t bear to look away. He saw his father look up at him, asking silently if he was alright. Ty could only nod, and then Spike went to stand behind Emmie, who knelt on the ground, crying over the vampire’s ashes.

“You have done well.”

The voice came from behind him, and Ty spun around, half-expecting to see another enemy. But the being standing there was nothing like the Likt’na’e. He was nothing like a man, as he was glowing with an inner light. Ty vaguely remembered his mother describing what angels looked like, seeing them depicted in the stained glass windows of the church when he’d gone to Mass with her so very long ago. He thought perhaps this being was what an angel might look like.

Ty’s fear melted away, and a sense of peace filled him. “Who are you?”

“I am one who has watched you for a long time. I was there before your birth. I will be there at your end.” There was joy in his face and voice, the kind of joy that creates solemnity rather than hilarity. “You have fulfilled all our hopes, Chosen.”

The boy tore his eyes away from the being and looked over his shoulder at the knot of people. “It wasn’t supposed to happen like this,” he protested, grief suddenly making its presence known. “Uncle Angel wasn’t supposed to die.”

“It was necessary.” The voice was gentle. “It was his choice.”

“No!” Ty cried, tears finding their way to his eyes, rolling down his cheeks. “That’s not the way it’s supposed to work. There was a prophecy. A-about a souled vampire. He was supposed to save the world a-and Shanshu. It’s not fair.”

The being was hardly offended. “Life is not fair. You know this.”

“It’s not right then,” Ty said angrily. “He tried so hard. He fought for you.”

The being shook his head. “He fought for you, Chosen. As was his right.”

~~~~~

Spike looked up, seeing that Ty was talking to—well, he was talking to something. There was

nothing evil or malicious about whatever it was; he could tell that from where he stood. Ty was in one piece, untouched as far as he could tell. And for the moment, he had nothing to give his son. All his energy was taken up by grief. He and Angel had not always gotten along, but the prophecy had been correct. They had been brothers; they had understood one another better than anyone ever could. There were experiences they had shared between them that no one else would ever know.

Buffy stood behind him, one hand on his arm. He could hear her crying. Emmie knelt next to the pile of ashes that had been Angel, sobbing quietly. The vampire had been the first man she had loved. Spike understood the nature of this loss. For that matter, so did Buffy.

Connor stood across from him, tears running down his own cheeks, making white tracks through the dust and soot. He had lost his father for the third time.

Spike finally knelt beside Emmie, pulling her into his arms, letting his own tears flow freely. “Angel—” he whispered.

~~~~~

“Do you see them?” the being asked from behind Ty. “Angelus made no valuable contribution as

a man. He hurt each of them as a vampire. At one time, your father and your Champion would have called themselves his enemies. The Slayer sent him to hell. And yet they weep.”

“They loved him,” Ty retorted. “I loved him.”

“William weeps.” The being came up behind him and laid one bright hand on his head. Ty felt a wave of peace wash over him, and his tears stopped. He was suddenly quite certain that everything would be fine. “Your father was the one to Shanshu. Tell me why Angel should as well.”

“Because there were two souled vampires. Because the prophecy can be fulfilled as many times as the conditions are met. Because we need him.”

Ty listed his reasons calmly, already knowing he had won the argument. The being nodded once. “Then tell me the properties of phoenix tears.”

Ty looked at the mourners, and began reciting his well-learned lesson. “The phoenix is a mythical creature, said to die by self-immolation, only to rise again from its ashes,” Ty whispered, remembering that his father was named the Phoenix. “The tears of the phoenix are said to have healing properties, even unto healing mortal wounds.”

“Even so. Do you see?” the bright one asked. “Had Angel not been worthy of love, he would not have been worthy of the Shanshu. Just as your father was worthy of love, and so worthy of Shanshu. When Angel died, he died for love of you, and no other reason. And the Phoenix will bring him to life.”

Before all their astonished eyes, Angel’s ashes began glowing, a great wind swirling them into a vortex of glowing embers. The embers reformed, taking the shape of a body. Silence reigned as Angel reappeared, reformed from the dust and ashes.

And then he took a deep breath.

Ty watched as Emmie threw herself on his chest, and grinned broadly. He turned to look for the being, but he was gone, with no sign remaining that he had ever been there.

“Ty!” Spike called to him, his eyes glowing with joy and surprise. Ty sped across the expanse, flinging himself into his father’s arms, suddenly a happy child again.

Spike flung his arms around his son, looking on as Emmie helped Angel to stand. They were still in awe of what seemed a miracle. Connor took a few shaky steps towards his father, and then they embraced, Angel’s now-beating heart thumping in steady rhythm.

After that, there was nothing more to do except activate the portal home. Buffy pricked her finger on Emmie’s boot-knife and smeared the blood on the stone. Five minutes later, the portal opened and they walked through, Angel still being supported between Emmie and his son. Apparently, dusting and then becoming human again after two centuries was a little disorienting.

On the other side, there were the usual exclamations, the evidences of a happy homecoming where no one had died and they had won. For a few moments, they could forget what was lost and simply be happy at what had been gained. Grief would come later.

~~~~~

Spike stood at the window looking out at the green expanse of lawn, thinking about the changes the last months had brought. With the end of the Senior Partners, the L.A. branch had been theirs again. Angel had insisted on going back to work as soon as possible, despite his new human status and slight disorientation. The newest ex-vampire still paused to look in every mirror and reflective surface, still got a look of awe on his face every time he walked outside on a sunny day. Spike had a feeling Angel wouldn’t be taking his heartbeat for granted any time soon.

Their victory had also initiated a massive power struggle in most of the other branches of Wolfram & Hart, and not just in their dimension. Angel had sent Wesley and Connor to the New York and London branches immediately, hoping to tilt the hostile takeovers in their favor. While they had managed to tentatively secure those two locations, the others were now being run by people very much like Lilah Morgan and Lindsey McDonald. The new Watcher’s Council would ensure their hold on the London office, but the New York office was still being purged and turned around. Weeding out the evil influences and making attempts to stall the other branches was going to be the work of a lifetime. It was actually rather exciting.

Spike and Buffy decided to get married in a small, private ceremony. When he’d asked her if she didn’t want something more elaborate, Buffy had just laughed and said she’d seen plenty of that with Anya and Xander’s disastrous wedding. The only thing she’d wanted was to find the perfect dress. After that, it was only a matter of finding a minister and a reception hall. Two months after they’d gotten engaged, Spike stood at the front of a reception hall, with Ty, Angel, and Wesley at his side, watching as first Emmie, then Dawn and Willow came to stand across from him. And finally, after what seemed like a lifetime of waiting, Buffy had come to meet him on Giles’s arm. It was a perfect moment, one that could not have been improved with months more of planning.

And now—now they were playing the waiting game again. Spike hated waiting. With a sigh, he turned away from the window to find Buffy standing just behind him, an amused look on her face. “Why so nervous?” she teased. “You’d almost think it was your kid.”

Spike shook his head. “I was perfectly calm with Ty,” he replied. “I was the one doin’ the drivin’ and the coachin’.”

His wife smiled. “Well, that’s good to know.”

He blinked as he recognized that particular smile, the smile that said she knew something he didn’t. “Are you―?”

“I am,” Buffy said, her eyes dancing. “I wanted to wait to say anything until after, you know, but I figure we can go public in a couple days.”

Spike leaned down to give her a thorough kiss. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Buffy let him hold her. She could hardly believe, after everything they’d gone through, how well it had all turned out. Gunn would be sorely missed, but she couldn’t help but be grateful that she still had Spike and Ty and Dawn. Her family was intact.

“You think there’s somethin’ in the water?” Spike asked quietly, with some amusement, thinking of Fred and Wesley’s soon-to-be-born little one, not to mention the two new engagement rings that had sprouted on certain fingers. And the way Dawn and Connor had been looking at one another, Spike wouldn’t be too surprised if the future brought a third.

“You mean with the weddings and babies?” Buffy asked. “I don’t know. I think you just ended up giving the other guys ideas.”

Spike nodded, looking over the waiting room. Dawn and Connor were sitting in intense conversation, with Ty seated next to them, quietly reading a book. He and Angel’s son had been really close since the battle, and Spike was grateful that there was yet another person who was looking out for his son’s welfare. Angel and Emmie were sitting close by, not talking, but simply enjoying the other’s presence. Angel’s near-miss had solidified their commitment to one another, plainly represented by the ring on Emmie’s left hand. They were just waiting on Fred and Wesley at this point.

Wesley came through the doors just then, and Spike easily recognized the look on his face. He was certain he had worn the same expression when Ty was born. The normally reticent man was nearly bouncing, the only thing preventing him from doing so was the deep-set exhaustion brought on by more than 12 hours of labor.

“It’s a girl,” he announced, his face breaking out into a proud smile. “You can see them if you like.”

With a sense of joyful expectancy, they all followed Wesley back to the private room. Fred lay propped up in the bed, her face tired but happy, holding a small infant wrapped in a pink blanket. Spike stood, his arm around Buffy, remembering the past and anticipating a time in the future when it would be Buffy and their child he was looking at.

“What did you name her?” Angel asked, the look on his face telling Spike that their thoughts were running parallel.

Fred and Wesley exchanged a loving look, and then Fred nodded. Wesley looked down at his daughter in pride. “We named her Charlotte Hope,” he said softly. “After Charles.”

It seemed right, to all of them. A good name, a good reminder. A fallen friend who would not be forgotten. Ty pushed his way past the adults and made his way to the bedside next to Wesley. “Can I touch her?” he asked timidly.

“Of course, Ty,” Fred said softly.

The boy reached out, and gently stroked the infant’s cheek with one finger. And then he smiled. “Hello, cousin.”