Title: Ashes To Ashes    (**Winner of the Shades of Grey Best in Drama Award**)

Sequel to ‘Into The Fires’ – Please note that parts of this may seem confusing if you’ve not read the prequel.

Author: Gillian Silverlight

Distribution: My site, those that already have permission to post my fic, all others please ask. (If you post my fic. Please do not rearrange the sentence groupings. It can alter the flow of the story. Thanks.)

Disclaimer: They belong to Joss and the WB, UPN, FX; just about everybody except me. I just play with them.

Summary: Sequel to ‘Into The Fires’; The Council learns about Buffy. The Council wants a new Slayer so they can use Buffy for experiments once more, but the new Slayer is not someone they’d ever expect. Giles and Angel have to help Buffy with Willow’s rampaging grief, and Spike gets much more than he bargained for.

Who put them all in that hand basket and why is it so hot?

Rating: NC-17

Lyrics: ‘A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes’ By Disney, ‘The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore’ cover By Cher; ‘Tyre Tracks and Broken Hearts’ By Bonnie Tyler; ‘Violent’, ‘Thrown To The Wolves’ By Four Star Mary (aka Dingos Ate My Baby); 'It’s Over, It’s Under’ by Dollshead; “Everything Is Holy’ By Jill Phillips; ‘Jabberwocky’ By Lewis Carroll; ‘Goodbye To You’, ‘Here With Me’ By Michelle Branch; ‘Prayer of St. Frances’, ‘Do What You Have To Do’, ‘Hold On’ by Sarah McLachlan; ‘Beauty and the Beast’, ‘Twisted’, ‘Crystal’ By Stevie Nicks; ‘Lost In The Shadows’ By Lou Gramm; 'In Walks The Night’ By Heart;

Author’s Note: The timeline in each location may not all correspond continually, but will mesh ultimately. Events from the shows cross this fictional plot line, but the plot is NOT confined to only the events of the shows.

Then the interesting thing happened. This was started way before the end of Season 6, I have all my notes for the entire trilogy here and now as I follow my notes, the spoilers are following my previous line of thought instead of the other way around. This is NOT based on spoilers.

Dedication: To Patti for being such a wonderful beta reader and always being encouraging. To Meredith for her unflagging encouragement both personal and in my writing. To my sister Dyane Windshadow, for being my eternal sounding board when I’m stuck.

And to each and every one of the folks who sent me the wonderful feedback about ‘Into The Fires’, every one of them with that annoying comment about a sequel! <Just kidding guys. I love that you love what I write.

**AND, a special thanks to the wonderful people who returned copies they were proofing or beta-ing for me when my computer decided to ‘eat’ my only copy of this fiction! They are wonderful and I don’t even have words to express how fantastic they are for responding so quickly in my state of panic!

Ashes To Ashes

‘A dream is a wish your heart makes

When you're fast asleep

In dreams you lose your heartaches

Whatever you wish for, you keep

Have faith in your dreams and someday

Your rainbow will come smiling thru

No matter how your heart is grieving

If you keep on believing

The dream that you wish will come true’

                                                            **************************************

‘And I don't give a damn about a life after death,

But I've gotta get some proof that there's a life after birth.

Tyre tracks and broken hearts, that's all we're leaving behind.

It doesn't matter what we lose, it only matters what we're going to find.’

The heavy wooden desk gleamed softly in the dim light of the room, a single shaft of sunlight slipping through the half pulled, deep burgundy draperies.

The only item that marred the vast empty expanse of well-polished wood was an ornate telephone; gold edged in all the right places to proclaim it’s worth.

A pleasant low burr sounded in the thick silence of the room from that same telephone. Its owner hated the original shrillness of the instrument and had it modified.

“Yes?”

“We got it. The rumor is true. She did. Twice.”

“So? What of the remainder of the rumor?”

“ ‘S’true also, it seems. What should we do?”

“Do nothing yet. There are arrangements to be made first. You’ll be contacted again once they have been carried out. Keep me informed of any changes. Any at all.”

“Right. I’ll report as planned then.”

The unseen speaker hung up the telephone and walked to the window, hands clasped tight behind his back, staring out into the deep green and gold encroaching dusk. Thoughts congealed into plans and plans into orders to be given. The smile that pulled the thin lips into something like a crescent, was one to instill fear instead of lightness, had anyone actually seen it.

                                                                        *******************

“Cordelia! Are you ever going to tell me what happened while you were gone or even where you went?”

The brunette seer had been back for several weeks and hadn’t uttered a word to Angel or anyone else for that matter, as to where she had been or what had transpired. The vampire was ready to crawl out of his skin from irritation at simply not knowing. Then too, Angel thought that her tale might pull him from the despair that had filled him since Connor had been taken away from him. Taken by someone he’d trusted, cared about; but Wes was gone from them now as effectively as if he’d actually died from his injuries.

“Yes. I had planned to tell you, Angel. I just wanted a little more time to research a few points first.”

Cordelia actually had quite a bit of research she wanted to do on the subject, but was getting nowhere fast. There just weren’t any books on the subject of vampire or Slayer reproduction, much less vampire-Slayer reproduction or even vampire-vampire reproduction. She was at a dead end for ideas where to look but knew Angel would have more questions than she could begin to answer.

“Cordy, just tell me and maybe I can help you with the research or Fred or Lorne can.”

Angel hated being kept out of the loop.

“Okay. Sit down Angel and promise to not interrupt me until I’ve finished telling what I know, alright?”

Cordelia headed for the sofa, cappuccino in hand.

Angel simply nodded and sat next to her, looking expectantly.

“I was in Sunnydale. Buffy called me and…..”

“What? Buffy!?”

“Angel! I said NO interruptions. If you do, I simply won’t tell you any of it.”

Cordelia crossed her arms and set her jaw as she looked at the dark-haired vampire that was her employer and best friend.

“Sorry. You caught me by surprise is all…” Angel tried to explain.

“I don’t care. This is all gonna be a surprise and maybe even a few shocks, but I’m not gonna try and tell you if you interrupt me.”

“Okay, I got it. No interruptions. This is me being quiet.”

“God, for a broody vampire, you certainly do talk too much sometimes.”

Cordelia shifted position so she could see his face better.

“Buffy has been seeing Spike since she came back…

Ahnnnngh!” Cordelia held up a finger and waggled it at Angel as he opened his mouth to protest her words.

“I SAID… Alright, that’s better.”

Angel closed his mouth and leaned back into the sofa as his hands clenched into the seat fabric on either side of his legs. If he made it through Cordy’s tale, considering the way it was starting, the sofa might not make it.

“Like I said, Buffy has been seeing.. actually sleeping, with Spike since she came back. She was worried about what she was really feeling for him and called Giles. Well, he was trying to find information on where Slayers came from and why Buffy seemed to be so different now. She wanted me to come talk to her cause she knew I’d tell her the truth even if she didn’t like it….”

Cordelia explained very bluntly everything she’d learned in Sunnydale. Over the next hour, more than once she was thankful that Angel was a vampire. If he’d actually had circulation, he might have ruptured a blood vessel, if his expression was any indication.

He’d managed to find quite a few more than his usual two or three expressions and none of the new ones were pleasant.

                                                            **************************************

The slim brunette walked slowly into the long tiled room of toilets. She knew she wasn’t suppose to be out of her bunk this late, but that slop they’d fed them and called dinner tonight had upset her stomach.

It was the only other side effect she had to match the slightly puckered, shiny scar across her upper abdomen.

She pulled her dark hair over one shoulder and had started to shrug the worn blue coverall down her arms when sections of the deeper shadows of the room separated from their corners and slipped silently toward her from behind.

She was caught at a distinct disadvantage. Her arms effectively pinned by the tough yet worn material, herself out of practice, her Slayer senses dulled from disuse and this place. Her reactions weren’t fast enough or else her assailants were faster as they dropped the garrote around her shoulders, totally immobilizing her arms. She knew better than to scream. The guards had worked her over more than once already in the time she’d been a ‘guest’ there. Screaming only made them worse. The woman thought this was simply one more bit of amusement from the guards.

A black-gloved hand quickly grabbed the woman under the chin from behind, pulling her head sharply backwards as the other shadow kicked her feet out from under her.

All three bodies fell hard to the cold tile as she struggled, anger and fright rising inside, as she finally understood this couldn’t be the guards.

The second pair of hands, also hidden in dark gloves, held her head while the first pair did something behind her head.

Moments later she saw the dim light of the room strike a silver-edged gleam from a wickedly long, thick needle. Pain exploded in her nose then her head as the point of the needle was driven home, deep into her brain.

The restrained woman suddenly went limp in the hands of her captors. Slowly, lest they find it a trick; they lowered her to the floor.

“Think she’s done for.”

“Yeah. Not much blood either.” The taller shadow nudged the fallen shape with his foot. It lolled slightly to one side, then back into position once the shoe withdrew.

“Let’s go. We’re done here.”

The two shadows moved with only a soft shuffle of cloth as they edged down the hallway to the barred doors. A woman in uniform waited in the dark to open the door.

The taller shadow again took the initiative, grabbing her by the throat as he snarled under his breath at her.

“We was never here. You never saw a thing. Forget that and we’ll remember where to find you. Understood?”

The guard simply nodded vigorously, wishing they would hurry and leave.

She could ‘find’ the woman later in the latrines. Her request for a transfer would be on the warden’s desk first thing in the morning. She hoped the slimy English bastards never managed to find her but she knew they’d let her think she was safe then come for her.

The guard felt sorry for the woman they’d killed. Oh, she’d been a real hell-raiser when she’d gotten here, but after a while turned out to be pretty likable.

* I hate it! I really hate it! But they would have killed me and still killed you if I’d argued with them. *

The thoughts ran through her head the rest of the evening, trying to convince the murdered woman to forgive her. The funny thing was, the guard thought she did.

                                                ********

Several hours later, the guard made her rounds with one of the others.

The second woman was a tall, heavy boned blonde. She used to body build and it showed.

She’d had to be careful with all of the women prisoners… all except one. The slender brunette was stronger than she looked and was the only one Madeline could workout with…

Their lights swept across a dark shape on the floor of the latrine. Madeline headed for the shape and quickly turned it over.

The woman’s face was a mottled bluish shade, except for the side that had been against the floor. Blood had settled and marred that side of her face with a livid reddish purple stain. A thin trickle of dried blood edged from one nostril.

“Oh, God! Call the Warden! It’s Faith!”

                                                            **************************************

Giles eventually convinced the Council to grant him permission to re-arrange and catalogue the massive numbers of books they housed in the multiple libraries, after he’d returned to England. Nothing had been said regarding the two small volumes he’d ‘liberated’ previously, yet he knew someone in the Council was aware the books existed and that he had them.

This new arrangement did allow him the opportunity to look for more information to supplement what he’d learned from the diaries of Brendan and Robere. Giles had been diligent in his search through any likely volume, but had only managed to glean the occasional tidbit or stray reference to some unknown or missing text.

The whole search was becoming tedious and frustrating. The Watcher simply wanted to throw open the door to Quentin Travers’ office and ask him point blank where the rest of the information was hidden, even though he also knew that such a move was a sure method for getting himself and possibly others, killed. Giles had no illusions that death would be the fate of anyone the Council heads knew had learned the enlightening and equally disgusting secrets of the origination of vampires and Slayers or the ‘cultivation’ of those Slayers by the Council over the centuries.

Setting the kettle on a burner, Giles splashed hot tap water through his favorite teapot and settled the proper amount of leaves into the strainer before hanging it on the side of the teapot and waited for the water to boil.

One of the truly modern conveniences he’d allowed himself in his flat had been a beautiful convection microwave oven. As tired as he was this evening, Giles was more than thankful for that very item. His dinner, such as it was, would be ready by the time the water had heated, then once the tea had steeped, the meal would be cooled sufficiently to eat.

Turning his back on the two items preparing his meal for him, Giles headed to the bedroom to change clothes. He was so tired from the last week of work that he’d donned the soft frayed jeans and deep midnight blue chamois shirt before he saw the paper propped against the bureau mirror across the room from the bed.

The thought that someone had entered his flat and left the note, sent cold chills up his spine like a dank breath of air from a crypt. If someone could get inside, who knows what mischief or actual harm they could have done…  or have been still waiting for him.

Taking a deep breath, Giles reached for the paper, hoping it was friend and not foe that had left it for him. Opening the folds of the pale ivory sheets, he quickly scanned to the bottom of the missive, exhaling in relief only when he saw the signature.

Refolding the sheets, Giles tucked them into a pocket as he headed for the kitchen and the whistle of the kettle as it was accompanied at intervals by the dinging of the microwave oven.

                                                            **************************************

“So you’re telling me that Connor wouldn’t exist at all if someone hadn’t done some kind of major mojo on me or Darla or both of us somewhere along the line?” Angel asked Cordelia once she’d finished her explanations. Lorne had returned with Gunn and Fred sometime during the endless information, but Angel hadn’t even noticed their arrival, he’d been so engrossed in Cordelia’s tale.

“That’s about the size of it. I’m guessing we’d need to find out from someone on the inside what they did.” Cordelia glanced at the green skinned demon sitting across from her and shrugged.

“You had Lorne check for you before and he couldn’t find out anything, so it’s gonna have to be someone inside who’ll know what they did. I doubt we can count on Lilah Monster telling us anything useful.”

“Monster? Oh, you mean Morgan.” Angel wondered if there was something more Cordelia wasn’t telling him.

The seer simply shrugged again as Gunn answered for her. “Monster, Morgan. Can’t see a lot of difference with those Wolfram and Hart toadies.”

“We might be able to get more information from Lindsey, if we knew where he was… He did kinda spill the beans occasionally and he had this whole thing going about Darla anyway…” Cordelia looked only slightly embarrassed at the glare Angel aimed her direction.

“Yeah, Lindsey McDonald… Fred, see if you can help Cordelia track him down. We’ll get him back here to L.A. and see if he has any thing to tell us.” Angel continued to glare as he gave instructions.

“But… but what if he doesn’t want to come back to L.A.?” Fred asked innocently. She could hear the harsh edge to Angel’s voice but didn’t know the personal history between Lindsey and Angel.

“Oh, he’ll come back. Trust me on this one.” Angel stood up and stalked up the stairs.

Fred looked confused and a bit helpless as she turned to each of the group, seeking reassurance of some kind. Cordelia rose from the sofa and walked toward Fred, putting an arm around the slender girl’s shoulders to lead her back into the office.

“Its ok, Fred. They both had the hots for Darla. That blonde hang-up and all. Bad blood between them.”

“B - blood?” Fred ‘s voice quavered.

“Not real blood. Just a figure of speech.” Cordelia sat the smaller woman in front of the computer.

* No need to get into all that hand cutting and wine cellar ickyness. *

                                                            ********************************

‘the strangest things

I've always known

it slays me everytime

darkened fields

have overgrown

our love

covered in my blood

is so violent’

Buffy and Spike had a horrible argument as to how to handle Willow. The redheaded witch had gone over the edge in grief after Tara had been killed in front of her. Willow had been splattered with her lover’s blood.

The shock had been unimaginable for the rest of the Scoobies, but they could only attempt to understand what it had done to Willow.

Against Buffy’s advice, Willow had killed the person responsible for Tara’s death. In fact, Buffy had been the only one to say ‘no’ to killing the man. Spike, Xander, Anya and even Dawn had been all for ruthless vengeance.

Spike had disappeared, Anya was a demon again, Dawn was acting stranger than just finding Tara’s body could account for, and Willow was completely off the deep end.

Buffy felt incredibly over her head even though she’d tried to take action. She needed Spike’s help. She needed someone to stay with Dawn and try to find out what was wrong with the teen. She needed to calm her best friend without killing her. She needed to grieve. She had no time or ideas about how to do any of it, so Buffy did the next best thing, in her mind. She picked up the phone and called Giles in England.

                                                            ***********************************

Tea made and dinner transferred to a proper plate, Giles took the plate and teapot to the small table in the alcove.

He’d been pleased to acquire this particular flat since it had a much desired window in a small alcove off the kitchen that allowed him to gaze on a patch of meadow where it fronted the edge of the park trees. All in all, it was an excellent flat.

Settling in his chair, the Watcher unfolded the pages from Yanni and began to read. He’d not heard from her or Yanose for almost a week and was anxious to know how things were with them.

‘Mr. Giles,

            We hope all is well in your search. Be wary of the head of the serpent here. It reaches to bite across the water if it may.

We are well. Thank you for your concern for such as we. The sharing of memories of Janna was a wonderful gift for all.

In turn, we have that which to share, yet I know it will not be as welcome.

However, with care, it shall be for the good of the Light and such should never be truly unwelcome though the road to it shall be fraught with danger.

The Elders have bid me to tell you as it was told to them.

The two who are one do shift, one against the other. One is left in the dark while the other seeks the Light that was.

Red becomes black, yet with care and love shall again be red and life where now is only death. The red is filled with the dark from the loss of another light in the world.

He who watches must act before he may watch. And he, who had acted, must now learn again to watch before he may act.

It is cryptic as are all such seeings of the Elders. It is to hope they will guide you in what must be done.

Take our love to the Slayers and also to the other. She is in greater need of it for now.

Journey well.

Yanni and Yanose.’

Giles leaned back in his seat, his dinner growing cold, only half finished, as he re-read the missive for the third time with little clue as to what the two vampires were talking about at all.

Thus it was with relief when the jangling of the telephone interrupted the start of the fourth perusal of the confusing pages.

The relief would be very short lived.

“Hullo?”

“Giles! Thank goodness you’re there. I don’t know where to begin, so much has happened. Everything is crazy, Giles.” Buffy sobbed through the phone, her voice tight, strained, fear clinging to the edges of every word.

“Buffy, are you and Dawn alright?  Strangely enough, I think I just received some information on whatever is happening there, but I’d not swear to that yet. I need you to tell me what has happened, so I can try to help. Then I might be able to unravel the perplexing riddle of the note I received from Yanni.”

“Giles! Don’t be calm at me! God, everything is wrong! Tara’s dead, Giles. Willow has gone over the edge, Spike’s vanished and Dawn’s being weird. More weird than normal Dawn, before you ask.”

“Tara is dead? Oh, Lord! Is everyone else alright? Buffy, take a deep breath and tell me all of it. This infernal letter is already beginning to make sense and I can assure you, the sense it is making is bloody frightening.”

“Don’t say that, Giles..”

“Sorry, but it is at least daunting.”

“No! No, not that. Don’t say ‘bloody’. It sounds too much like Spike and I can’t find him. We had an argument, he’s missing and I need him. Giles, I love him!”

“Yes, I suspect you do, at that. Calm down, Buffy and try and explain this to me. You said Tara is dead?”

                                                            ***************************************

“Got’em! Angel! We found him!” Fred shouted across the lobby to the vampire that employed her.

“Who? You found Lindsey? Where?” The brooding vampire brightened for the first tine that day as he almost ran to the computer screen where Fred sat, crowing her triumph as Cordelia looked over her shoulder.

“Arizona. A little place there called Sedona…”

“Incoming!” Cordelia interrupted as she turned away, reaching for the edge of the counter, staring at the dark paneled wall as the vision crossed her mind like a rapid futuristic hologram.

“Oh, God! Tara! Tara’s dead. Willow looks like someone dipped her in tar. She’s gone postal! Spike and Buffy had a fight and … OH MY GOD, that IDIOT! Doesn’t he know what he just asked? Oh hell, Dawn too? Damn, Angel.. You need to go. Giles is on the way, but you need to go now.” Cordelia pulled herself together and refocused on the world around her and the people in it.

“Angel, Faith’s dead too. I’m sorry. You can’t do anything for her now, Angel, but maybe you can stop what’s happening in Sunnydale. Go there instead, Angel. I’ll send Gunn and Lorne to get Lindsey. Fred and I’ll take care of everything with Faith. She listed you as her only next of kin. They’ll probably call tonight about her, so leave me a power-of-attorney.”

                                                *****************************************

This desk was much smaller, a deep ebony wood, polished for years until it glowed softly from within. A similar telephone graced its surface and gently rang.

The man lifted the receiver without a word. It was, after all, his private number.

“It’s done.”

“Any problems?”

“Naw. Threatened the guard. She’ll not be remembering us if she’s smart.”

“I don’t believe in the intelligence of institutional personnel. She’s a loose end. Clean it up. Do we know who the next one is?”

“Yeah.” The voice gave an ugly twisted laugh. “It’s the gel’s kid sis, gov’ner.”

“I hope you’re joking and I must inform you, I’m not amused in the slightest.”

“No joke. It’s her.”

“Hell and damnation to them both! Wait a minute.”

The man tucked the phone against his chest for a few moments while he thought.

* It does have possibilities… More than one… Same blood. Alright Ms. Summers, now it’s our turn! *

He replaced the telephone to his ear once more, the twisted smile crossing his features again.

“I think we can use this. For the first time in over two hundred years, we have a unique opportunity. Yes, this will do quite well. Get both of them for me. Bring them here.”

The other hand reached to push the button and sever the connection without further word. He planned to enjoy this.

                                                ************************************************

While Angel was driving to Sunnydale as quickly as possible and still stay marginally within the speed laws, Giles had purchased his ticket and boarded the plane for L.A. and then Sunnydale. He’d been off the ground just about an hour when he reached into his pocket for a tissue and discovered another note on the same ancient ivory paper.

‘Mr. Giles,

            I imagine you will be on your way to the Americas by now. The serpent has aimed his poison at those we both care for and must protect. Watch over her as well as the new one.

For the first time, we regret that it is too dangerous for us to make the same trip.

When you have returned to the Isles, seek the book of Julius. The serpent will have it close.

Yanni and Yanose’

                                                            *********************************

Dawn was trying to create a sense of normalcy in the Summers’ household while everything around them seemed to be falling apart.

The distraught teen picked up the laundry basket of items she’d grabbed from her room and from Buffy’s, then headed down the stairs toward the kitchen. Crossing the floor still littered with debris from the police, E.M.T.’s and Coroner’s office, she reached for the basement door, pulling it open to go down stairs.

The door came off in her hand.

Dawn dropped the basket of soiled clothing, where it rolled un-noticed under the table as she stood unable to comprehend why she was holding the basement door in her hand by it’s knob.

Fear hit suddenly, Dawn released the door, which clattered across the dining table, then slid drunkenly toward the floor, marking the tile as it went. The teen screamed for her sister.

“Buffy! Buffy, help me!”

The blonde Slayer ran into the room, almost falling headlong to the floor as she cracked her shins on the door leaning drunkenly across the space between counter and table.

Gasping she tried to find out the reason for Dawn’s screams.

“Dawn… w-what’s wrong? Why is the door in the way?”

“That’s what’s wrong! I-I just tried to open it and it came off in my hand.”

Buffy rubbed her hands across her sister’s shoulders trying to calm her.

“It’s okay, Dawnie. It must have been knocked loose or something and just fell when you opened it. We’ll get Xander to put it back up for us, okay?”

“Yes.. I mean no. Yes, it’s okay for Xander to put it back up, but no it’s not okay cause it wasn’t loose. It was closed and I opened it and I heard it pop and then it came off in my hand.”

“Dawn, honey. I know you’re a big girl and strong, but you can’t just pull the door off the hinges. That’s something I’d do, you know?” Buffy gave the teen a lop-sided smile.

“And that’s exactly the reason Dawn pulled the door off, Buffy.”

The voice came from behind the two sisters.

Buffy whirled, shock on her face at the sound of that voice. Emotions cascaded over and through her like the pounding of water at the base of a fall; hard, drenching, catching at her breath.

“Angel?”

She took a deep breath and tried again, clenching her fists to force her voice to behave.

“Angel, what are you doing here? What did you mean about Dawn.”

The teen hadn’t moved once she heard the sound of Angel’s voice. She’d never really cared much for the dark-haired brooding vampire, at least not like Buffy had, but she had tolerated him for her older sister’s sake. There just seemed to be something dangerous in those darkened depths.

Dawn focused again on what he and Buffy were saying.

“Buffy, Faith’s dead. A new Slayer’s been called. Cordelia had a vision about everything that’s happening. She saw the new Slayer, too. It’s Dawn, Buffy.”

Buffy slowly shook her head as if her denial would make the words untrue, would make everything return to normal again. Or as normal as could ever be boasted of in Sunnydale, on the hellmouth.

“No. It’s not possible. No. I won’t let it.”

“Buffy, there’s nothing you can do about it and you know it. You can’t stop it any more than you could stop your own calling. You’ll have to help her and teach her until Giles can get her a Watcher, unless one has already been assigned to her.”

“NO! If- if- if it’s true… Dawn will NOT have a Watcher from the Council! They tried to kill me; they would have let you die! They will NOT do this to my sister, oh.. my .. God..! Oh, God.. Angel! What if they know what Giles found out? What if they know about me?  What if they try…” Buffy was gasping, looking frantically from one side of the offending door to the other side of the room across the door.

In two steps, Angel had moved the fallen door, and stood next to Buffy and Dawn, one arm around each of them, but it was Buffy he addressed.

“I think they do know about you, Buffy. Cordelia thought it was the Council that killed Faith. With what all of you found out about you and – and all Slayers… That you’ve died twice…”

“Make that three now.” Dawn’s words were barely above a whisper.

Angel turned to look at the dark-haired girl. Buffy looked in shock, unable to move. She thought Dawn hadn’t known.

“Three? What do you mean three, Dawn?”

“When- when the man… shot Buffy and … and… Oh, God! Angel, he killed Tara and Willow is all weird now and Buffy almost died, but I heard Xander say that if Willow hadn’t saved her that Buffy would have died, that she was dead. He heard the monitors go flat right before Willow used her magick to pull the bullet out of her!” Dawn hid her face in her hands as she cried, sobbing as though something inside of her would break.

Without further words, Buffy and Angel managed to lead Dawn to the living room where she sat on the sofa, crying into Buffy’s shoulder while Angel went to get her a glass of water.

Buffy smoothed Dawn’s hair as the girl’s crying slowed to snuffles.

“Dawn, Giles is on his way here. He’ll know what to do about this. If it’s true, he’ll take care of finding a good Watcher for you, somebody not so connected to the Council. I’ll be with you to help protect you, and if that idiot vampire ever shows up… Well, you know he’ll take care of you too, Dawnie.”

“He went to get the chip out.”

“He what?! With Willow like this and Tara dead, he went to get the chip out of his head? Now?!” Fury was rising inside of Buffy, turning her anger to icy rage.

“It was what you told him. That you didn’t trust him enough to, ah, you know..  Love him? That and the argument about the guy that killed Tara. I wasn’t trying to listen, but when you two argue… I kinda think everybody for two blocks listens.”

Angel had returned, sitting the glass of water on the coffee table for the teen if she chose to drink it. He’d dropped into the chair beside the sofa as Buffy had tried to calm her sister. Between Buffy’s anger, which he was all too familiar with, and Dawn’s comments, Angel was afraid he’d choke himself trying to bite back the laughter that threatened to spill out. Fortunately, the vampire couldn’t choke, but unfortunately he failed miserably in his effort to not laugh and it erupted from his nose as a snort.

Buffy turned those flashing, angry hazel eyes on her ex-lover in an instant, daring him to continue.

The older vampire held his sides with both arms as he literally rolled out of the chair onto the floor, pink tinged tears oozing from the corners of his eyes as he laughed.

“Buffy… I’m sorry… didn’t mean.. but you do…and Spike…”

Angel was gasping for un-needed breath and Buffy’s eyes had chilled to the same sub-zero temperature as her voice.

“Well, I’m so glad I could provide some amusement for you, Angel. Or that my arguments with Spike are so entertaining to the entire NEIGHBORHOOD!”

The decibels of her voice crept higher with each word.

“Pretty much like that, Buffy.” Dawn told her quietly, a small smile on her face finally.

“Both of you… I should throw both of you… somewhere! Him out in the noonday sun in the middle of the street along with that blonde idiot childe of his… and you… my own sister… I should… I should get Giles to get Wesley for your Watcher.”

Dawn looked amused at Buffy’s words, but every trace of mirth disappeared instantly from Angel, like a slate washed clean with ice water.

He struggled to his feet and walked from the room, anger evident in every line of his broad back.

                                                ******************************************

     ‘Then I get to thinking maybe

      -Maybe too much thinking's bad

     Well my mind takes no prisoners

     -pities no one

    Spares not even me 'til the harm is done

    Here I go again

   The night just walked in

   In walks the night

  Darkness all around me

 And I'm dying for the light

 Reach down for a little strength deep inside’                            

Fred bounced through the front doors of the Hyperion, calling to Cordelia.

“He’s here. They got him!”

Lindsey followed her inside, with Gunn and Lorne right behind him.

“Cordelia.” Lindsey McDonald nodded slightly at the brunette seer.

“So after telling me to get out of town and stay away, why have you guys tracked me down and pretty much forced me to come back to L.A.? Don’t tell me that Angel missed me, or couldn’t he find someone else to hassle?”

“Hi, Lindsey. No, Angel can find plenty of people to hassle and no, he didn’t miss you, but you might have some information that he needs. Why don’t you come on in, let us get your stuff up to a room and then we can talk. Angel’s out of town for a day or so… an emergency came up. But I’ve got all the information and can ask the questions in the meanwhile.” Cordelia was polite, pleasant and smiled like a shark ready to feed, with Lindsey as the bait.

Lorne took Lindsey’s two bags upstairs. Fred had gotten a room ready earlier while Cordelia talked to the Coroners office, prison and the funeral home, making arrangements to handle the deceased Slayer. After what had been learned about the Watcher’s Council, Cordelia made sure cremation was the plan. Afterwards she planned take the urn to Sunnydale. It seemed appropriate since Faith had no other family and Angel was there already.

Cordelia realized she should call Wesley, since he had been Faith’s Watcher once upon a time… But Angel was in Sunnydale and if Wesley wanted to attend the memorial service… well, things might get a bit awkward to say the least. So Cordelia hadn’t made that phone call. Yet.

While Lorne headed up the stairs, Gunn herded Lindsey to the sofa, settling down next to him in case the lawyer tried to run.

Cordelia pulled a chair over so she could sit facing the young lawyer for the questioning. She glimpsed Lorne and Fred coming back down the stairs and flicked her eyes to advise them to stay out of sight and simply listen.

“So. Lindsey. Long time no see. How’ve you been?”

“Cordelia, I know you didn’t have this pair kidnap me just to ask me how I’ve been since I got the hell outta Dodge. Why don’t we get straight to the point?”

The brunette seer sat up a bit straighter in the chair, bringing her full attention and focus on the smirking man in front of her. Recently, her full attention could be very unsettling, as Lindsey was finding it now.

“Alright. You were involved in bringing Darla back for Wolfram and Hart. You spent plenty of time with her afterwards, both while she was human and once that nut-case had vamped her again.” Cordelia leaned slightly forward, wanting to see Lindsey’s expression and those piercing blue eyes a bit better.

“So lawyer boy… Did you or any of your associates, to the best of your knowledge, use any magick on or toward Darla and/or Angel prior to when you left town, or are you aware of any magick planned toward either of them singly or together, by anyone, at or associated with, your previous firm?”

“My, my… Cordelia. That was very well done. You seem to have been hangin’ out with a bad element to have learned to speak lawyer-ese so well.”

“Yeah, all that. Now answer the question. I know you understood every word of it. I also think I covered all the important points as well.”

“That you did, and quite well. Okay, no. To the best of my information, no magick was done to or at Angel and/or Darla, other than the resurrection of Darla herself, by anyone associated with or in my previous firm, prior to my departure. Nor was I aware of any plans for such magick.”

Lindsey took a page from Cordelia’s own book and leaned slightly toward her, arms crossed and elbows resting on his knees, a sly smile on his face.

“But that’s the big thing, you know? The Special Projects unit didn’t tell even me everything that they had in mind or had planned, so something could have been done without me being aware of it.”

He straightened back up to finish his statement.

“So why are you asking me this? It must be something big for you guys to have tracked me down and then haul me back here. It’s not like Angel could be anxious to see me at all, but speak of the devil, where did you say your brooding boss was?”

“He’s away on business, not that it’s any of yours. I’m sure you remember the night you sent Darla to force Angel to lose his soul? Even though it didn’t work and everyone only thought all it had done was to piss you off to the point you pounded him with a sledgehammer; seems there was an unexpected twist to that night’s adventure. Darla showed up several months later, very preggers. It also seems that can’t happen with two vamps unless there’s like a magickal ‘fertility’ treatment’s involved.”

Cordelia leaned back slightly as she scrutinized Lindsey’s reaction to the news of Darla’s pregnancy with Angel’s child. The seer found herself almost feeling sorry for the attorney as she saw the shock and pain, anger and jealousy cross his features in rapid succession. Suddenly, Cordelia wasn’t very happy about the remainder of what she was going to have to tell him. She sighed, feeling like someone had given her the fuzzy end of the lollypop, what with having to give bad news to the men she knew.

“Ah, Lindsey… I’m sorry. I know you cared about her. I know Wolfram and Hart brought her back for a reason and all, that you didn’t expect to feel.. well, like you did. The rest isn’t good either.”

She paused while waiting for him to adjust to her words, but had to get the last of it out.

“They were after her, at the end. Her and the baby. They wanted to use him - the baby, you know? But we all protected her. She... she’s gone, Lindsey. She staked herself to have the baby. Since she was a vampire… she couldn’t give birth and the baby was struggling, dying. So she grabbed a sliver of wood and staked herself to save her child. I’m sorry.”

Lindsey turned away, staring at the wall, breathing open mouthed as he tried to pull himself together again. He’d not thought of Darla in months. But to know she’d carried Angel’s child, to know she was truly and completely gone, caused his chest to tighten, his heart to flutter like a caged, winged thing attempting to escape. When he felt he could draw an almost normal breath again, Lindsey turned back to Cordelia.

“T-thank you for telling me. The baby was a boy? Where is he now?”

The young seer ducked her head quickly, trying to control her own breathing at his question.

* I’ll really have to thank Skip..*

She looked up slowly at the distraught lawyer she had thought she hated. But his grief for Darla was all too real. Cordelia could remember that kind of grief and softened toward Lindsey even as the little voice in the back of her head cautioned her against that action.

“Connor was here… for a while. The- the vampires wanted him and Wolfram and Hart still wanted him. There was a demon that brought an old enemy of Angel’s here somehow. Holtz. There was a false prophecy and W-Wesley tried to take Connor to safety. Your old bosses added some of Connor’s blood to Angel’s food… Lilah was involved and…. Wesley almost died, and he’s not welcome here now. Holtz took Connor and escaped to a demon dimension. Angel … Angel was…. We don’t know how to get to Connor.” Cordelia looked into Lindsey’s grief-stricken eyes, hers even more haunted.

The lawyer slowly reached to touch her hand. Gunn had shifted the instant Lindsey moved; yet Cordelia’s quick glance had frozen him into place.

His hand was warm, soft,  *...with calluses on his fingertips from playing his guitar. * Cordelia realized, as he took her hand, sympathy evident in every movement.

“I’m sorry, too. Now that I’m here… can I… Will you let me help? Try to find Connor? Try to get him back? I can only imagine what he means to Angel, and hope he’d understand that the child is all that’s left of Darla. My only possible link with her.”

“Yeah, I do understand, Lindsey. If you can help Angel get Connor back, I know he’ll be grateful. I think he’ll understand. I know he will, if I have anything to say about it.”

Cordelia stood suddenly, turning to try surreptitiously to wipe the beginning moisture from her eyes, before looking at Lindsey again.

“Go catch some sleep. I’ve got a lot of things to handle. Faith was killed recently too. Let me get the immediate stuff handled and then… Connor… Well, we’ll work on it later, okay?”

He caught her arm quickly but gently.

“Let me help you. I can sleep later. I think there is more you need to fill me in on. Especially if I’m gonna help and you’re down one member.” His eyes pleaded, although he didn’t say a word more. His eyes spoke volumes.

“Yeah.. I guess I need to fill you in completely on everything instead of just the ‘highlights’, if you’re gonna help. Yeah, that’d be good, Lindsey.” Cordelia glanced at the others.

“Gunn, can you help Fred finish up with the preparations I arranged for Faith? Lorne, we might need your ideas. You know, that dimensional stuff?”

Cordelia glanced toward Gunn. He was the only one who’d known Lindsey from before, except Lorne. But Lorne liked the lawyer and Cordelia knew Gunn trusted her enough to trust her lead on accepting Lindsey McDonald’s help. Her head moved in the slight flicker of a nod as she caught Gunn’s eyes.

Gunn and Fred both nodded in agreement as the dark man took Fred’s hand to lead her toward the front door. Lorne simply looked saddened as he followed the seer and the lawyer to the office in the back.

                                                            *********************************

Giles took a taxi from the airport to Buffy’s house. He’d not expected to find Angel there, but welcomed the vampire’s assistance.

Buffy and Dawn almost unbalanced him in their anxiousness to hug the older man. He was used to rib creaking hugs from Buffy, who would suddenly pull back, realizing she was using a bit too much strength. Dawn didn’t have that understanding yet and Giles gasped as he felt his bones flex painfully.

Buffy realized instantly what was occurring and pulled Dawn back before she broke a rib.

Angel shook hands with the Watcher, that edge of guilt always present since his return from hell, knowing what this man had suffered at his hands.

“So it’s true, Giles? Dawn’s the next one?”

“So it would seem. Nice to see you, Angel. This may take both of us, if not more, before it’s over. We’ll discuss this later.” Giles shrugged off his jacket, which Buffy took at once.

Dawn had perched on the front edge of a chair, watching with trepidation.

“Are you okay, Giles? I didn’t mean to hurt you. I’m not used to this yet. I pulled the door off in the kitchen too.”

Kneeling to take her hands, Giles looked into Dawn’s eyes, trying to reassure her.

“It’s alright, Dawn. Buffy kept my ribs black and blue from bruises when she first started. We’ll get you used to things quickly.”  Kissing the top of her head, he stood up.

“Buffy, perhaps you can show Dawn some of the very basic things while I speak with Angel?”

The slender blonde Slayer agreed as Giles headed for the kitchen, Angel behind him.

Both men took a chair at the dining table, the door now removed from it and sitting against the far wall. Giles looked at the door, then at Angel.

“Well, I see. So how is it that you’re here, Angel? Not that I’m protesting, although it is somewhat of a surprise.”

“Cordy had a vision.”

Angel launched into a narrative of Cordelia’s vision that sent him to Sunnydale, as well as the information he’d gotten from Buffy once he’d arrived earlier in the evening.

“That certainly explains a great deal. I received a couple of notes about this situation in the last twenty-four hours, however it wasn’t nearly as clear as what you’ve told me. Your information helps to clarify the majority of what the notes hinted at so cryptically. I should tell you that I’m in contact with members of the Kalderash clan on a regular basis, Angel.”

The vampire only nodded. Angel had heard a lot about the previous adventures from Cordelia in the last couple of days.

“Good, you know. Well, there’s a great deal more you probably don’t know and should, especially in light of the circumstances around Faith’s death.” Giles reached into his trouser pocket for the two notes and handed the ivory vellum to Angel.

“Once you read these, I’ll tell you the rest of what I know.”

                                                **************************************                   

‘Lend me your fire, so I can burn

Save all my ashes for my return

Not with a scream but with a sigh

Keep your head down low and keep your hands held high’

“So you want to be as you were?”

The demon laughed. It was an evil sound that promised more than one asked for. A sound that reminded the listener of why they had feared the dark when they told themselves they were alone, while the small quiet voices at the back of their head asked how much they’d bet on that fact.

It was a laugh to never trust.

Spike ignored it, caught up in anger as he was.

“Yeah, that’s what I want.”

                                                ***********************************

Buffy had tried to go over the beginning basics of slaying with her sister while Giles talked with Angel.

Buffy realized all too quickly that while she was good at slaying, she didn’t have the patience to teach someone else, especially her sister, to slay vampires. But knowing the two men upstairs needed to talk, Buffy doggedly kept trying.

The two Summers women had been working on basic moves for over an hour when Buffy finally admitted defeat.

“Giles, I’m gonna stake Dawn now, okay?” She called up the stairs, hoping her Watcher would take pity on her and descend to the basement to instruct Dawn. Instead, the smooth British voice drifted down the stairs to her. “Buffy, can you and Dawn come up here, please?”

Buffy groaned as she looked at a very frustrated and sweaty Dawn.

“That’s his ‘I’m your Watcher so do what I tell you - voice’. You’ll get to know it well, I’m sure. C’mon, let’s see what’s up.”

Buffy bounced up the stairs ahead of Dawn, who was beginning to wonder when the bouncy-ness would come, like the extra strength had done.

“Yes, oh-Watcher-of-mine?” The small slender blonde quipped.

“Sit down, Buffy. Dawn. We need to talk for a few minutes then patrol.”

“Giles! Dawn’s not ready to patrol!”

“I understand that. Nor were you when you started, however with you, myself and Angel along, I’m sure she will be safe and might even get to experience a second vampire kill.”

“Second?” Buffy looked askance at her sister, wondering when Dawn had staked a vamp.

“Halloween. That boy.. ?” Dawn whispered, voice heavy with sadness.

“The one you went out with?” Buffy was afraid she had the beginning of an idea.

“The one she’d kissed, Buffy. I suspect it was her first kiss.” Giles interrupted quietly. He’d seen what Dawn had done and had been with her immediately afterwards. He knew how upset the girl had been.

“OH! Dawnie….” Buffy stretched her arm, hand gently touching her sister’s cheek.

“I’m sorry, Dawn. Been there, done that. Still hate it.” The blonde Slayer looked directly at Angel, her eyes full of apology.

“She’ll be fine, Buffy. But Giles has information for both of you. We kinda put all the bits we had separately, together. The resulting whole isn’t good.” Angel hadn’t wanted to tell her at all, but Giles had insisted. Buffy had enough to worry about with Dawn being the new Slayer and Spike missing after a fight, one friend dead and the other doing a serious ‘Angelus’.

“What’s wrong? How much more do I have to worry about?”

Buffy was tired and frustrated. She missed Spike, was worried about him. Then there was Willow and Tara and now this thing with Dawn as the new Slayer…. Buffy thought it was more than any one Slayer ought to have to handle at once.

“Quite a bit, I’m afraid, Buffy. I believe the Council has learned about your, ah, deaths, which Angel tells me has now increased to three?”

“Well, not really. It was only kinda.. I was still mostly alive.”

Giles sighed deeply as he shook his head slightly.

“Buffy, remember what we found out about each time? Remember what happened after the first one? I must caution you to be more careful.”

“Giles, it wasn’t like I stood in the middle of the firing range and said ‘Hey guys, somebody shoot me now!’. I was in my own backyard minding my own business.”

“I know. I just.. worry. But back to business. We believe the Council knows, which is why we think they had Faith killed. I’ll wager they also know who the new Slayer is and that they are certainly unhappy it’s Dawn. However, if they could get their hands on the two of you… Well, it might be Selene all over again, if they were to have their way.

I want to contact Wesley to be Watcher for Dawn.” Giles raised his hand to forestall Buffy’s protests, as well as the glares from Angel at the end of the table.

“He’s not the man you knew as a Watcher, Buffy. He’s been through, well, ‘trial by fire’ for lack of a better term. He’s learned to fight demons in L.A. with Angel, who says he’s a good man in a fight. However, he made a mistake recently that has left him at loose ends. Angel will explain that part of it to you later, but I beg you to not judge Wesley on that basis. I believe he will take care of Dawn quite well. I think that having her as his Slayer may well save his life as well. It will give him purpose again and build his own self-confidence as he guides Dawn.”

Buffy had looked to Angel for an explanation, but knew by his expression that no words would be forthcoming yet. She could tell he was angry with Wesley for some reason, yet he’d nodded at the comment about Wesley being a good man in a fight and about taking care of Dawn. Trusting Angel as she always had, Buffy let it go for the moment.

“Okay. So you guys are coming with us to patrol? Does Dawn have to go?”

“Buffy, you can’t protect her forever, just like I couldn’t do for you. She has to learn and the three of us with her is a good start. Your friends have patrolled with you for years and none of them are Slayers. Dawn is.” Angel quietly admonished the woman he’d loved and would always care for.

                                                            *************************************

The darkness was thick and pressed against him like the body of a lover. The creature touched him gently, along his arm, across his back. It was soft and warm like Buffy when she snuggled against his back as they lay in bed at night.

The warmth grew everywhere the thing had touched him. Grew until he felt like his skin was on fire, until he feared his flesh would burst into flame from the heat of it, yet still it seared, deeper and deeper into his body, each movement more painful than the last.

The pain was like acid, eating him alive, as he struggled through the stifling darkness, biting his tongue so hard, trying to keep the screams inside, that he tasted the metallic copper of his own blood before darkness overwhelmed him.

                                                            ***********************************

“Dawnie, let me show you again the best way to hold your stake.” Buffy tried to cover how worried she was at having Dawn with her on patrol, Dawn planning to stake a vampire.

“No, Buffy. All three of you have shown me. I’ve watched you for years. And Spike showed me.. Like, just in case. That’s how I knew.. Before.”

“Oh. Spike showed you?”

“Yeah. Over the summer while you were gone, he taught me a lot about slaying. I think he was worried something would happen to him, or that he’d fail in some way. He was really worried about that.. He said he’d already failed both of us once too often…”

“Heads up!” Angel whispered tersely, stopping all conversation.

Ahead of them, crossing the open space in front of a crypt were three vampires. Without discussion, the quartet broke into a run toward them. Buffy tackled one, just as Angel tackled the one on the left, leaving the middle vampire standing still with shock. Giles and Dawn converged on him.

Giles threw a punch to the vamp’s face, bruising his hand, as he knew he would. Dawn managed a passable kick to the vampire’s knee, causing him to stumble, and as he did, she slammed the stake into his heart from the back, then watched him crumble into dust leaving her holding the stake awkwardly in open air.

The teen looked up to see Buffy kick her vampire over a headstone only to then jump him stake first. Angel was doing as well with his, twisting the vampire’s head from his body, so the vamp crumbled as dust out of Angel’s arms.

“Is everybody okay?” Giles asked, slightly winded. “Good work, Dawn.”

“Fine, Giles. Out of shape? Stay with us a while, we’ll fix that.” Buffy teased the older man.

“That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.”

                                                            ****************************************

‘Where perfect dreams meet the perfect life

My days are the richness of your praise

And I can’t imagine what it feels like

To fully know all that you say

And everything, and everything

And everything is holy, holy, holy’

Cordelia hung up the telephone and just stared at it. She was still staring at it, yet not seeing anything around her when Lindsey entered the office.

“Cordy? You okay? Vision?”

“What? Oh, no. Just… Angel called and Giles got on the phone too. They want me to go do something for them.”

“Something you don’t want to do?”

“Not so much don’t want to do as just don’t feel comfortable doing.”

“Want me to come with?”

Cordelia flashed him a brilliant smile.

“Would you? Yes, I’d much rather have someone with me. Thanks, Lin.”

She moved to gather up her purse and keys.

“Ready? Better to just do it and get it over with.”

“Give me a second to get some shoes on and yeah. You gonna tell me where we’re going though or are you just keeping me in suspense?”

“We have to go see Wesley.”

                                                            ************************************

The quartet had disturbed several more vampires over the next hour. Buffy forced herself to stand back as Angel and Giles instructed Dawn. Buffy just kept the stray vamps off their backs. Sometimes literally.

Having covered enough ground for the evening, they’d turned back toward the Summers’ house when the men struck.

Dawn raised her stake with a tired, trembling hand.

“Dawn, NO! They’re human!” Buffy yelled as she kicked the man closest to her. She hadn’t felt that telltale alert of her Slayer senses from any of the four men. They were dressed in black from head to foot, including the ski-type mask pulled over their head. Even their weapons were black coated so as not to betray them with a stray gleam from light on a silvered surface.

“They’re ‘Raptors’, Buffy.” Giles shouted, as he struck his own assailant in the nose with his already bruised fist.

Dawn was not only at a disadvantage, but was a liability with this group. All four men were human and well trained; so while Buffy, Giles and Angel could fight effectively against the assailants, Dawn could not.

For a brief second, Buffy was glad that Angel was beside her instead of Spike, since the blonde vampire couldn’t fight against these humans, regardless of how despicable their actions. Spike, on the other hand, would have known to make Dawn one of the first priorities and gotten her to safety, leaving Buffy and Giles to handle the attackers. Instead, Angel had snapped off a stout branch from a nearby tree, tossing it to Dawn to use as a cudgel, should any of the Raptors, as Giles had called them, manage to break through the circle of defense Buffy, Giles and Angel held around the young Slayer.

Angel knocked out one of the men, then casually tossed him into the bushes at the side, to break his fall and remove him from the area. Left lying on the ground, the unconscious attacker would have been a trip hazard.

Unfortunately, one of the men realized he’d not get through the defensive circle and instead focused his attack on Giles, rightly assuming the Watcher to be the weaker link of the defenders. Facing two Raptors on his own, Giles caught a hard blow to the side of the head just as Angel rendered his own man unconscious.

The Watcher went down, dazed, as both of his attackers rushed past him scooping up Dawn, and breaking into a ground-eating run.

Angel had gone to help Giles, but was waved away. “I’m alright. Forget about me. Get Dawn!”

Buffy took in the situation at a glance as well, even occupied with her own assailant.

“Angel, get Dawn! I’ll see to Giles.”

Buffy put her anger and frustration into the force behind the next kick and the man crumpled in a heap as her foot caught him across the temple. The Slayer looked toward Giles for an instant, only to see him waving her on behind Angel.

There was no further hesitation as she broke into a run behind the vampire.

Buffy and Angel rounded the corner of the hedges in time to see the two men shove a struggling Dawn into a waiting van, which then pulled out from the curb.

Panic stricken, Buffy pushed herself even harder, putting on a short lived burst of speed that brought her to the back of the van in time to catch a door handle and jump to the bumper of the fleeing vehicle.

As she pulled herself forward attempting to find a more stable balance, the second back door opened suddenly and one of the men lashed out with both feet as he grasped a rack bolted to the van’s inside roof. One foot caught Buffy in the shoulder while the other struck her in the center of the chest, sending her tumbling into the street as the van sped further away.

The Slayer hit the pavement hard, rolling with the impact as she tried to minimize the damage she knew she’d sustain. Angel had been only precious seconds behind her and dived to the pavement to halt Buffy’s rolling skid across the asphalt.

“Oomph!” Buffy lay on the hard warm street next to the dark-haired vampire.

“That hurt. I think I’m missing about half my skin now. You okay? Giles? Good, cause we have to go find them now.” Buffy stated as Angel had nodded an affirmative to both of her questions.

“We have no idea where they were going, Buffy. But we’ll start looking.” Having struggled to his feet, Angel held out a hand to help Buffy up. Rising slowly, she winced with each movement that pushed her upright.

“Let’s go get Giles, then we have to find Dawn.” She didn’t wait for an answer from the vampire as she limped away to find her Watcher.

Giles was standing in the cemetery with the unconscious Raptors; one hand braced against a convenient headstone, when Buffy found him.

“They took Dawn, Giles. We have to go look for her.”

“We can plan the search from your house as well as from here, Buffy. We have no idea how long these men….” He waved his hand slightly to indicate the unmoving men on the ground.  May be out. Obviously there are others and I’m sure they will know where your house is as well. They may contact you there. There must be something they want if they only kidnapped her instead of attempting to kill either or both of you. I suspect what they were after..”

“Was me! If they’re Raptors, Giles, they want me and you know why. The Council knows about me and wants me for their obscene experiments. Dawn will be their bait.”

“I think both of you are right. They’ll be after you, Buffy. Let me help you so we can get back to a phone faster.” Angel had drawn up even with Buffy and Giles as they stood carefully, favoring their injuries.

Buffy glanced up at Angel with an expression he’d never seen and couldn’t quite interpret.

“I’ll walk. I’ll            be just fine by myself.”

With that comment, she suited word to deed, limping away from the two men as they watched her leave.

“Did I say something wrong, Giles? Is this because she’s with Spike now? I’ve never seen her like this before. She’s not refused my help like that before when she was injured.” The vampire was confused, seeking answers from the only other person who might have them.

Giles motioned for Angel to walk beside him as they followed Buffy home, although they were a bit slower. Angel kept pace with Giles, knowing better than to leave him alone.

“How much did Cordelia tell you of what we’d discovered regarding Slayers? Most of it? Good. Then if you understand that and understand that she is closer to her ‘roots’ as we might call it, than any other Slayer, and she’s just had her third death, regardless of how ‘slight’ it was according to her. Well, I believe we’re seeing the results of that, as she becomes even more like the first Slayer, more like the daylight version of a vampire.”

                                                            ***********************************

Spike lay limp, battered, every nerve ending screaming. The rock floor of the cave seemed to be covered with small needle-sharp lumps, according to his back, even though he knew it hadn’t been when he entered this chamber.

Two glowing green eyes emerged out of the dank darkness to hover several feet above the injured vampire.

Sarcastic humor helped him cover the pain.

“So, I made it through your lil’ chamber of horrors. Picnic actually. I’ll be taking my reward now and going on my way.”

“You can barely move, vampire. Just what ‘reward’ do you think you’ve earned?”

“What we discussed at tha’ beginning. All this damp cave affectin’ your mem’ry now?”

“My memory is fine, but thank you for your concern.” The demon was as sarcastic as Spike.

“I need to hear you say what you want.”

“Fine. I want to be like I was before… Before this chip tried to rot my brain, before tha’ bitch tried to make me think I was nothing.”

A wave of pain flowed through Spike as he lay on the floor of the cave causing him to momentarily forget the demon was still there.

“Just wanna be someone she can love as much as I love her.” The words were soft, a whisper of sound through teeth clinched against the pain of his body, tortured by the trial he’d endured. Endured for her, endured for himself. To try and reclaim himself from what he thought she’d made of him.

The demon caught the soft words Spike had spoken only to himself. His pain and exhaustion caused the deeply buried desires to surface. It was the real answer the demon had been seeking.

“That is what I needed to know! It is done, vampire. Once you leave this place, do not return. There will be nothing for you here again.”

The demon waved his hand slightly creating a flash of greenish-blue light just above the floor next to Spike. As the light faded, a decanter of liquid remained.

“Drink. Sleep. You will be healed when you awaken. Then you must leave. The change will happen while you sleep.”

The glowing eyes faded back into the dark of the cavern.

Spike rolled carefully to his side, unable to hold back the groan of pain the movement caused. He grasped the decanter in a shaking hand, pulling it to his lips and drinking.

It wasn’t blood, but something with the same viscosity. It was sweet and bitter at the same time, and seemed to leave a trail of heat inside of him.

Spike didn’t care right now. He’d won the trial. He’d be back to the ‘Big Bad’ and then he’d show Buffy the way things were gonna be… But first, he had to sleep.

The darkness of that blessed oblivion overcame him only moments after he let the decanter slip from his now lax fingers.

                                                            ***********************************

‘walked on the stones

then sank through these oceans

heaven’s fields laid bare

I’d give up the ghosts

locked up inside me

if I ever once had cared’

Lindsey stood behind Cordelia while she knocked on the door to Wesley’s apartment.

She’d tried to explain on the drive over everything she could about the estrangement between Wesley and, well… everybody, because of the one between Wesley and Angel.

Lindsey understood more about where Wesley was right now than he was ever willing to explain to anyone.

They heard noise behind the closed door moments before it was jerked open. Wesley took one look at them and tried to slam the door shut. Lindsey quickly reached past Cordelia to catch the door, holding it open.

“Let us talk to you, Wesley. It’s not what you think.” Lindsey told the haggard looking man.

“I’ve already told your associate no. What more do you want of me? And you, Cordelia… With them? I never would have thought it, but then I’d never have thought any of this.”

The ex-Watcher released the door so quickly Lindsey almost fell face first inside the apartment, pushing Cordelia in front of him.

“Fine. Suit yourselves.” Wesley walked away to resume his seat at the small table. It was covered with partially filled dishes, as was the counter behind the surly man.

Cordelia walked toward him, looking for the man that had been her friend.

“Wes… I had no idea. When I got back… I tried to talk to him, but Connor’s…”

Wesley stood so suddenly his chair slammed into the floor behind him as it fell. He leaned toward Cordelia, both arms stiff, braced against the table.

“Don’t you think I know!? Don’t you think it runs through my mind in an endless loop, night after night, not to mention every waking hour? D’you think I don’t know how special and rare that child was and that this is my fault?”  He turned quickly away from them. “Don’t you think I wish every day that she had done a better job with that knife so I didn’t have to look at myself in the mirror and know what I did? Just leave me alone.”

Cordelia took a hesitant step toward her friend, reaching to touch him, but stopping short of contact. She was unsure how the brunette would take the gesture.

“Wesley, I understand why you did what you did. If I could make it better, I would. Don’t you know that? But that’s not the reason we came. Giles called me. Faith is dead, Wesley. She was killed in prison. They think it was the Council. A new Slayer has been called, of course, but it’s Dawn. Buffy’s sister, Dawn. Giles wants you to go to Sunnydale to be her Watcher.”

Wesley turned to face the seer, his lips curled into a sardonic smirk, cold harsh laughter oozed from his lips. “Her ‘Watcher’? I couldn’t keep Connor safe, but they want me to be ‘Watcher’ for Dawn? Do they think I can really keep her any safer? Does Giles even know what I’ve done, what I am?”

“He knows. He knows all of it, Wesley, not just whatever Angel may have said. Buffy and Giles want you to be Dawn’s Watcher. I think you should too.”

“Wonderful. So you’re all in agreement. How marvelous. And did Angel agree too? Did they ask him what he thought of my ability to protect an innocent?”

Cordelia had never heard Wesley sound so sarcastic or bitter. They had to fix this before he was so twisted inside he’d never recover.

“Actually, they did. Angel agreed that you where the best man for the job. The best one to protect Dawn. I think so too, Wesley, for what it’s worth.”

Cordelia took another step closer. She was finally close enough to touch him. Very carefully, the brunette touched his shoulder. It saddened her to feel him flinch at the touch of her hand, but after the initial reaction, he leaned into the pressure of her fingertips, desperate for human contact, and that was even worse.

“Wesley…. it wasn’t entirely your fault. Not at all. In fact, your only mistake was in not confiding in someone, but I feel like that’s my fault. If I’d been there.. You’d have talked to me. You made a mistake, but we’ve all made mistakes. Every one of us is trying to make up for those mistakes in some way, even Lindsey. Angel fed a locked room full of lawyers to two vampires, he killed Jenny Calendar, he’s made a lot of mistakes even with a soul. He’s not perfect, Wesley. Neither am I, neither are you, but you can do this. They need you to do this. Please?”

“Wesley, I know you don’t know anything good about me at all, but all I do know about you has been good. I trust Cordelia and she trusts you. Help them, Wesley.” Lindsey had moved up on the other side of the disheveled man.

Wesley was silent, unmoving, while he stared at the far wall for what seemed like hours. Finally blinking, the gaunt man gave a deep, painful sounding sigh, shrugged one shoulder and looked at Cordelia.

“I suppose in a twisted sort of way, it makes sense for me to start my reparations in Sunnydale. After all, I made horrible mistakes there too. So I should resolve things there before I attempt the ones here. Let Mr. Giles know I’ll do it.”

“Lindsey can take my car and drive you. You can give him directions. How long should we give you to pack and be ready?”

“A couple of hours should be plenty. If someone is willing, everything here can be packed or given away. I – I got everything in order before I…”

Cordelia slid her arm around his shoulders.

“It’s okay, Wes. I know. I understand. We’ll go call Giles and let him know, while you get your things ready, then be back shortly to help you. I’m guessing you might want that bit of time alone? Lindsey can drive you as soon as you’re ready.”

Impulsively, she leaned closer to gently kiss his stubbled cheek.

“You’re still my friend, Wesley. Still part of my family. You’re still part of his family, even if he’s angry with you.”

Stepping away from Wesley and toward the door, Cordelia reassured him once more before leaving.

“We’ll be back in just a bit.”

                                                            **************************************

The man answered the gently burring phone on the desk, bringing it to his ear.

“We have one of them.”

“Which?”

“The new one.”

“Send a note. Offer to trade her for the other one. That’s the most important one. You can rough her up all you’d like, just don’t kill her. Remember how dangerous she is, and how much more dangerous the other one is.”

“Right, gov’ner.”

Neither man said goodbye, but simply disconnected the call.

The man in the room smiled unpleasantly, pouring another cup of tea as he waited.

                                                            ********************************

Buffy paced the floor in uneven, jerky steps. Angel had gone to pick up something to eat from Willy’s while Giles waited with the Slayer for a call, or note… Anything.

A knock at the door broke the silence of the waiting room. Buffy reached it in three steps, pulling it open wide, yet there was no one in sight. She saw the white envelope taped to the door and pulled it off, turning back inside to read it with Giles.

            ‘ We have your sister. If you want to see her alive again, come to 346 Lakeside Drive. Give yourself to us and we release your sister unharmed.’

Buffy turned the note loose, leaving it in Giles’ hand as she grabbed her jacket from the chair only to find Giles grabbing her arm.

“What do you think you’re doing, Buffy?”

“What does it look like? I’m going to save Dawn.”

“No, this is completely unacceptable. You’re not going to give yourself to those thugs. Once they have you as well, I seriously doubt they will release Dawn. Why should they? They’ll have you both and you’ll both be on the next boat back to England so the Council can use you in their vile experiments! I will not allow you to do this!”

Buffy just looked at her Watcher, an odd expression crossed her face..

“You won’t ‘allow’ me, Giles? There is no ‘allow’. This is my decision, not yours. I love you, Giles, but I also love my sister and I have to save her. She’s the new Slayer, not me.”

“Yes, she is the new Slayer. And has no training at all. We can’t depend on the Council to help her, not when they want to use her. I have no idea when Wesley will be here, or even if the man will come. Spike isn’t here to help and Angel doesn’t have the dedication to Dawn that you and Spike have. Regardless of all of that, YOU are my Slayer and I care about you. I love you too, Buffy but I cannot let you deliberately put yourself in the hands of people that will only hurt you.”

Buffy turned and pulled the older man into an unexpected hug, then pulled away, his grip on her arm slack from surprise.

“Giles, You’ll always be my Watcher and I’ll always be your Slayer. But Dawn is my sister. Besides, you don’t imagine I plan to stay in the hands of those killers, do you? C’mon Giles, I thought you knew me better than that.”

“I thought I did too. Right up to the point where you dove into a portal of hell-light and killed yourself. I’ll find Angel and we’ll be right behind you. Try not to get hurt again, Buffy.”

Buffy smiled at Giles then.

“That’s my Watcher! I’ll be expecting you two to come help me out, Giles. I have to go now.” She turned away and headed for the door as Giles grabbed his own coat and keys, heading for his rental car.

He knew the route Angel would probably take to Willy’s and back, so he’d drive to get the vampire then meet up with Buffy.

                                                *******************************

Willow sat on the floor of the darkened room. Everything she gazed on in the darkness had a haze around it, like the edges were fuzzy. It had been that way since she absorbed all the magick of the books. Looking from one item to another, the now black-haired, dark eyed witch saw an ominous deep red glow start around one particular item.

* Buffy gave us that. Buffy…. No, they will not have her!*

Willow stood in the center of the room, extended her arms and began to turn. Slowly at first, but she picked up speed rapidly until she was a blur of color in the darkness. With a flash of green fire, the whirling witch vanished.

                                                *********************************

Buffy knocked on the door of the seemingly deserted building numbered 346 on Lakeside Drive. It was a street that had seen better days. The houses were large, but few were lived in and even those seemed as tumbled down, as ready to fall apart at the seams, as the deserted ones. The old burned out factory was only a block away and Buffy wondered if the vampires in the neighborhood had caused the people to move away.

*Vamps certainly don’t increase the property values anywhere. *

She raised a hand to knock on the door, hearing the sound echo inside the virtually empty building.

Long moments passed before the sensitive ears of the Slayer heard a shuffling sound on the other side of the door. It opened slowly about three inches as the barrel of a gun looked out.

“Step in front of the door and hold your hands out to the side.”

Buffy assumed the voice belonged to the unseen man holding the gun behind the cracked door, so she did as she was told.

“I’m here like the note said, now release my sister.”

“D’you come alone?”

“Yes. Where is Dawn?”

“She’s fine, but if you don’t shut that hole in your face, she may not be fer long. Now turn around.”

Feeling the anger rising inside of her, Buffy clamped her teeth together, biting back the threats she wanted to make, and turning around as she was told. Within moments she heard movement behind her and was knocked to the ground by some blunt object slamming into her back between her shoulders.

Feet appeared next to her face, one of them moving to press hard on her neck, pinning her to the ground.

A second person grabbed Buffy’s hands, locking them into shackles before moving away enough to grasp her by both arms.

“Let’er go now.”

The gritty boot moved from her neck as the man behind picked her up from the ground.

“Don’t weigh much, and he’s worried about her?”

“Don’t let that fool you. She’s right dangerous. Get her inside.”

Buffy needed to find Dawn, needed Dawn to be alright, so she let the two men manhandle her into the building and down the stairs to the basement where she saw another of the black-clad men standing beside the chair where Dawn was tied.

“Soon as we get her tied up, you can let that one go, outside.”

Dawn looked at her sister, pleading with her eyes for the slender blonde Slayer not to sacrifice herself again. The teen knew better than to say anything around these men. The corner of her lip was swollen where they’d already struck her to hush her.

The man next to Dawn pulled a pillowcase over the teen’s head as the final knots in the rope securing Buffy were tied.

Working the knots loose from the ropes holding Dawn, the girl was finally released from

her bonds. The Raptor caught her by one arm to lift her from the chair, her legs stiff from restricted circulation.

“Com’on. Ye best be going if ye’r gonna go at all.”

Practically dragging Dawn up the stairs, the man then shoved her into the waiting van where a final captor drove her several streets away before pushing her from the van to fall sitting in the street, pillowcase still over her head.

With shaking hands, Dawn pulled the cloth away, pausing to touch her bruised lip. She stood carefully on legs still unsure of themselves and looked around to see where she might be.

She didn’t recognize anything, but crept quickly and quietly to a tree, scooping up several branches she thought she could use for stakes if necessary. The area seemed deserted so far. It was wooded with no buildings of any kind in sight.

Hearing the sound of someone approaching, Dawn pressed back against the tree, branch in hand, ready to defend herself.

As the noise came closer, the teen almost fell from relief, then stepped into the path of the approaching demon.

“Agggghhhh! Dawnie, what are you doing here? Jeeze, you almost scared me!”

“Clem, I’ve never been so glad to see anybody! Can you help me get home? I’ll tell you everything along the way.”

The saggy, wrinkled-skin demon took Dawn’s arm as he led her back the direct of her house.

“Dawnie, it’s not a good idea to be out here so late, There’s all kinds of bad guys, oh and gals too, this time of night. What were you thinking, sweetie?”

“Clem, this may come as a surprise…”

                                                            **************************************

Buffy looked at the third man as he entered the room.

“Is my sister alright? She looked like someone hit her.”

One of the closest Raptors slapped Buffy across the mouth, splitting her lip slightly.

“Yeah, and that’s how she got it too. Mouthin’ off just like you.”

“Don’t touch me again, you creep. Human or not, it won’t keep me from beating the crap out of you.”

The other man slapped her with a ringing blow to the side of her head as he laughed.

“Won’t be doin’ a thing, luv. Those shackles are meant just for Slayers. You won’t be getting out of them, so unless you wanna be unconscious for your trip, you might wanna keep that hole shut like you was told.”

Buffy flexed her arms slightly, feeling the metal give. She took a deep breath and got ready.

“Yeah, they might have been made for normal Slayers, but I’m not normal anymore. That’s why you were sent after me. You see, the problem is…”

Buffy pulled her arms apart, breaking the bands that held her wrists as well as the ropes holding her to the chair and stood up.

“… I’m Buffy.”

The men looked at each other in shock. This was not suppose to be possible…

But before anyone could move, a blast of air from inside a glowing green flash, knocked all of them off their feet.

Buffy watched the area where the green fire had been and was the first to see the black-haired Willow standing there.

The witch turned, pointing a finger at the closest man. Fire flared from her fingertip, covering the man in a sheet of flame for seconds before he disappeared. There wasn’t even ash left to mark his passing.

Willow pointed to the next one as Buffy got to her feet, charging her friend.

“Willow, NO!”

With a sweep of her other hand, Willow pinned Buffy to the wall of the room and in quick succession blasted the other two men as well.

Lowering the hand, Buffy was released from the wall and fell to her knees before standing to face the woman who had been her best friend.

“Willow, you can’t do that. They were human. Come back and let us help you.”

“I was the one to help you, Buffy. I brought you back; I won’t let them take you. I won’t let them hurt you.”

“I understand, Willow. I do. But you can’t kill humans, it’s murder.”

“And killing demons isn’t, Buffy? Do you think they don’t have families or friends or feelings? ‘ If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh?’

Tell me you could kill Spike or his wrinkled friend and it not be murder.”

“Willow.. I don’t know what to tell you. But you just can’t kill…”

The door burst open as Angel and Giles charged inside. Angel kept going to tackle Willow, but Giles was shocked into hesitation by the woman’s altered appearance.

“Willow-”

Angel flew across the room to hit the wall, sliding down into a vampire shaped lump on the floor. Giles walked toward Willow talking to her as Buffy hurriedly checked Angel, all while trying to keep an eye on her friend and her Watcher.

“Giles. So you wandered back again. Have a good trip and all that? Did you come for Buffy or Dawnie or just little ol’ me?”

“Willow, I came because I was needed. Let us help you, Willow. I was shocked to hear about Tara. I know you must be in terrible pain.”

Willow slashed the air with her hand, flinging Giles back into the wall next to Angel.

“You know nothing! You have no idea how I feel!”

She raised her hands and blew the ceiling of the room apart in a burst of green light.

Buffy tried again to move toward her friend.

“I know, Willow. You know that I know. When I had to send Angel to hell, knowing you’d just given him back his soul, knowing the man I loved was back and that I had to kill him…. I do know, Willow. Please let us help you.”

“Doing just fine now. Don’t think I need any help.”

“Willow… You do need help and we can all do that. We’re all here because we care about you and wish to help you.”

The new voice came from behind the witch.

Willow stepped sideways to turn her head slightly to see who had just spoken, yet managed to keep Buffy and the others in her peripheral vision.

“Wesley, right? Long time no see. Let’s keep it that way.”

She turned her back to the ex-Watcher, dismissing him as any kind of threat.

“I think I need to be going now, Buffy. Nice seeing you Giles, Angel.”

Willow started turning again and in seconds that intense green fire flashed around her, leaving only an empty space where she had stood moments before.

“Well, well. People come and go so strangely here. Just what I’d expect of the hellmouth.

Hello Mr. Giles, Buffy. Cordelia had a vision that sent us here and the light display above the house was an excellent guide.” Wesley deliberately ignored Angel.

Another unknown man moved into view beside the tall slender brunette.

“Does she work for those Council guys or is she one of my ex-employers people?”

“Neither, Lindsey. She is, or rather was, it seems, one of Buffy’s best friends and a magick user of sorts. It seems she’s improved a great deal since I saw her last. I can’t say I care for her new look, though.”

“Can we all just get out of here? I need to find Dawn. We can discuss all of this back at my house, please?”

Buffy wondered if Dawn was alright, where she was, where Willow had gone… In fact, she had more questions than answers, which was very upsetting.

“Sure. I think we can all fit in Cordelia’s car. I can take everybody back to your place, if you just give directions.”

Lindsey replied. He knew who Buffy was, of course. He’d recognized her from her description. He’s also seen surveillance photos of her in Angel’s file at Wolfram and Hart. The photos did nothing to convey how tiny and petite, or beautiful she was. Nor did they even hint at the power that emanated from her small frame.

                                                ****************************************