Chapter 18:

Standing in Angel's office Buffy glanced around to the group assembled there. Everyone was present and accounted for. She tapped her foot impatiently as she waited while Angel talked on the phone. She needed to do something, move around a bit to expel the energy she felt coursing through her limbs. It was a rough combination of the left over adrenalin from watching helplessly as Laura collapsed and the fact that after months of slaying non stop she hadn't been out for days.

Now standing in the fancy office at the top of Wolfram and Hart she was feeling a bit antsy. At least she wasn't the only one. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Spike pacing across the office. With every lap he completed he earned another glare from Angel.

Wesley was sitting on the couch next to Fred his knee as close to hers as possible. Oh yes there was definitely something going on between the two of them Buffy was sure of it.

On the other side of the room Gunn was talking to some green skinned guy that Buffy hadn't met.

Before Buffy could think of a good reason to bolt out of the room Angel hung up the phone.

"And?" She sounded as impatient as she felt.

"Their not sure. It's almost like some kind of parasite is invading her body."

"Meaning what exactly?" Wes asked.

"Whatever it is it's cooking her organs. They'll liquefy in a day's time."

"And that's a wonderful mental picture, thank you."

"It doesn't match anything in our archives. Whatever it is it might be mystical in origin."

"What about the sarcophagus?"

"I've thrown everything we have at it and nothing's worked." Fred sounded as upset as Buffy felt.

"What about you Wes?"

"We've been trying to look it up but the symbols, the markings don't match anything we have."

Buffy was listening carefully at the lack of information that was being passed around. Something just wasn't right about the whole thing and it was sending little messages to the back of her mind. But she was unable to get what it was trying to say.

"Where did it come from?"

"It just showed up at the lab. Someone delivered it last night."

"In the middle of the night someone dropped off a really old unasked for stone box?" Sarcasm was still her friend in a tense situation.

"You think this was deliberate?" Wesley seemed to be putting something together in his mind.

"It would make more sense. Maybe the Senior Partners?" Angel asked as he looked at Gunn.

"It doesn't add up. But I can go hit the white room."

"What about that Lindsey guy? He likes to play games." Angel gave Spike a slight nod.

"Since we have his address now it's a good place to start."

"I'm going I've got to get out of here." And she wasn't kidding.

"I'm right behind you luv."

"We can call it a double date." The green guy replied at which Buffy felt a smile emerge onto her lips.

"Let's not." Angel commented as he headed out the door.

*******

Buffy stepped into the apartment and looked at the strange markings on the walls. Not something Better Homes and Gardens would include in their decorating tips.

She and Lorne began to search through the living room looking for even the tiniest scrap of paper giving them a clue about what was happening to Laura. Spike and Angel began to make their way to the back of the apartment.

"Well I'll be damned all over again." She could hear the surprise in Angel's voice and rushed to see what he had found.

She entered the room behind the two men who were standing in front of the bed. On it was a woman that normally would probably be pretty attractive that was wearing only a man's dress shirt and looked like she hadn't moved in days.

"Whose your friend?" She was really curious now.

"Eve's no one's friend pet. Used to be the poof's liaison with the Senior Partners." He sneered at Eve. "Bet you’re a bit lonely though now huh?"

"Don't come near me."

"How long before they notice your missing Eve or do you have that many sick days saved up?"

"What do you want?"

"Answers. Mystical parasite a young woman's infected with it."

"I don't know anything about it."

"How about your boyfriend then? Any schemes throwing coffins about?" He took a menacing step closer to the bed. "Sarcophagus older than anything we know."

"Lindsey and I have nothing to do with that. I don't have any reason to lie." She looked at all four of them in turn. "Have you heard from him?"

Buffy hid a smile as she watched Spike roll his eyes at the pathetic woman.

"You aren't telling me anything useful."

"Why would we do anything to someone we don't even know?"

"Because it wasn't supposed to be someone you didn't know." She said it quietly the wheels in her mind spinning.

"Buffy?" She looked into Spike's eyes for a moment.

"Think about it. Who would have been the first one to touch that thing? Only she was distracted because we went to the lab."

"They were trying to get to Fred." Angel's voice sounded flat as the implications set in.

"Why would we want to do anything to her? Why would we even care?"

Heads turned as the sound of Lorne's fist connecting to Eve's face sounded in the room.

"Ow that really hurt." Lorne leaned in right into Eve's face. "Here's the thing Eve. You're going to sing for me and I'm going to read you right now. And here's one more thing; Winifred Burkle once said to me after a sinful amount of Chinese food and in lieu of absolutely nothing: "I think a lot of people would choose to be green. Your shade if they had a choice." If I hear a note, one quarter note that tells me you had any involvement in this and these two won't even have the chance to kill you." Lorne straightened up.

"I wanna help you I swear I don't have a thing against Fred or this other chick."

"Croon it to someone that cares." Spike snarked.

Buffy watched as Eve sighed and then took a deep breath.

"Memories all alone in the moonlight-"

"Stop! I should kill you just for that." Lorne rubbed his temples. "She's clean."

"You sure?" Angel didn't sound convinced.

"Yeah. She reads clean her future's not too bright but..."

"What do you mean?" Buffy watched, as the woman seemed to curl into herself.

"Nothing's written in stone of course but if I was you I'd make like Carmen Miranda and die." Lorne turned to head out of the door.

"Wait. You're not going to tell them about me are you?"

"Hell of a bargaining chip." Spike said and Buffy watched, as Angel seemed to mull that over in his mind.

"They can't help you. If you're talking about a sarcophagus. There’s nothing that doesn't match with our records except for what came before. The old ones."

"The original demons. Before human kind. They were all driven out of this dimension."

"The ones that were still alive. But before that they were killing each other all the time and they don't die the way we do. Wesley may not know it but his source books can conjure up anything not just our own stock. Tell him to look for the texts that are forgotten, the oldest scrolls. You need to find the Deeper Well."

*******

Back in Angel's office Buffy could feel a headache coming on. The waiting was always what she had hated. After all she was the original action girl and right now there was nothing she could do. The fact that a nice young woman that she had just met was now lying in a bed getting ready to die was clawing at her insides. They were almost the same age and Laura seemed to have the normal life that had always been just a dream to her. Now it was all going to be taken away in one fell swoop by an ugly twist of fate.

"It's called Illyria, a great warrior and monarch of the demon age murdered by rivals and left adrift in the Deeper Well." Wesley looked as though he had been run over by a truck.

"Which is?" Wesley was starting to sound like the watcher she remembered.

"A burial ground a resting place for all the remaining old ones."

"This one ain't resting." Gunn replied.

"No. I don't think this is merely an infection. Laura's skin is hardening like a shell. I think she's being hollowed out so this thing can use her to gestate. To claw it's way back into world. That's speculation. Either way she dies." His voice held a tone of defeat.

"Do we have any chance of finding the Deeper Well?"

Wes nodded to Angel.

"I already have. It's in England, in the Cotswolds." He handed him a slip of paper. "That's the location to the inch."

"How soon can we be there?"

"In one of our jets four hours." Fred answered.

"It will have a guardian maybe several." Wesley warned.

"I've been looking for a good fight." And Buffy wasn't surprised to hear the anticipation in Spike's voice.

"How do we know going there's gonna help?"

"The Deeper Well is almost like a prison for the dead. If something gets out it's written that it can be drawn back to the source."

"Then it's our only shot." Angel sighed.

"We'll keep working here but yes I think it is." Buffy watched as Fred stuck a comforting hand on Wesley's arm.

"Buffy are you coming?"

She turned towards Angel and thought about it for a moment. "No I'm going to stay here. Maybe go and sit with Laura."

"Well if nobody thinks it's too ridiculous I'm going to go pray."

"No it's not. Time is not on our side."

"Nobody's on our side."

"Let's go." Angel gestured to Spike.

"Can you give us a minute Angel?" She looked into his face and saw an empty acceptance. He nodded to her and left the room.

Everyone else had filed out in the meantime and now they stood looking at each other.

"You sure about stayin' luv?" God his eyes were just so blue.

"Yeah she's probably scared and she's alone. No one should have to deal with that on top of all this."

He stepped closer to her and wrapped her in his arms. She rested her head against his shoulder taking the comfort from his embrace that he offered.

"Promise me you'll be careful."

"Nothin' s gonna happen to me pet." He placed his fingers under her chin and tipped her head to look at him.

"I want to believe that." Her eyes searched his and she could see her concern mirrored there.

"Then believe it. We'll go be heroes and be back in no time." She melted into him as his lips slowly brushed hers.

"I love you." She put more feeling into those words then she felt was possible for a human being.

"I love you, Buffy always will." He took her hand in his and feathered a kiss on the back of it.

He took two steps back and looked deeply into her eyes. Slowly he dropped her hand and went out the door.
 

Chapter 19:

Buffy walked into the room quietly not wanting to disturb Laura. The sound of the machinery buzzing in the room seemed overly loud and she watched the silent rise and fall of her breathing. Putting a chair closer to the bed Buffy sat down.

"Hey." Laura's eyes opened slowly.

"Oh hi. I didn't mean to wake you."

"I wasn't really sleeping. Is something up?"

"No not really. Angel and Spike are trying to find some answers for you."

"Oh. What brings you by?"

Buffy shrugged at the other woman. "Thought you might like some company. This place looks like it could get pretty boring."

"It is believe me."

"How are you doing?"

"You mean other than the fact that everyone is walking on eggshells around me, I feel like total crap, and it's a strong possibility that I'm gonna die. Pretty good." The smile she gave Buffy didn't touch her eyes instead there was only fear and sadness there.

"Look Laura these are good people they aren't going to give up." What else could she tell her?

Laura sighed. "I know I can tell. And everyone has told me stories about what they've done. But I can't help but think that this morning I was just looking forward to watching a little TV tonight and now..." She gestured around the room.

She was at a loss there wasn't anything she could tell her that would help she knew. But the urge to stay with her and somehow be there for her when she was unable to do anything else kept Buffy in her seat.

"What stories have they told you?" Maybe if she could just distract her from everything else it would be enough.

"Just a little bit really. Some of the stuff the other people that work here have seen." Now Buffy couldn't help herself she was curious to know how the others saw these people.

"Okay like what?" Laura didn't look like she wanted to share. "C'mon you can tell me I promise it won't make it back to them." She had an evil thought. "Or if it's really embarrassing I promise that they won't know I found out from you."

That earned her a small smile and a slight nod.

"Okay but you didn't hear it from me."

*******

Buffy couldn't help herself she was laughing.

"I wish I had gotten here when that was going on. I wouldn't have let them live it down." She giggled again. "I'm so gonna use that against Spike. How could he get his ass kicked by a puppet? Let alone an Angel puppet."

Laura was smiling but Buffy could see her eyes fighting to stay open.

"Oh you're tired you should get some rest."

"No. I'm fine really." The loud yawn that followed left Buffy a little short of convinced. "Okay so I'm a little tired."

"Please. You need to get some sleep."

"It's whatever drugs they've got pumping into me. Don't worry about it." She shook her head like she was trying to clear it. "I don't want to go to sleep." Her voice shook a little and Buffy looked at her sharply.

"Why?"

"If I sleep I might miss something. It will be time I won't ever get back." A few tears slipped out of her brown eyes.

Impulsively Buffy grabbed her hand and clasped it tightly.

"I can't promise anything Laura, you know that, but I swear if there is any way we will find it."

Her eyes seemed to search Buffy's. "I've never been this scared before."

"I'm right here Laura I promise I'm not going anywhere and you won't be alone." She could see the shine of relief in her eyes as they started to drift closed.

********

She wasn't aware of how long she sat in the chair holding Laura's hand and watching her sleep. It must have been really late and she could feel the pull of sleep on all of her senses.

At least Laura was sleeping comfortably. Maybe it was a good thing that the doctors had insisted on the powerful painkiller cocktail in her IV push. She couldn't imagine the amount of pain one must feel as you cooked from the inside.

She was just letting her eyelids close when she heard someone’s footsteps enter the room. Raising a weary head she looked over to the doorway.

"Hey Wes." She kept her voice low not to disturb the sleeping patient.

"Buffy how is she?" Wesley's face looked drained.

"She's scared Wes. I don't blame her, I just I don't know what to do."

"Hopefully Angel and Spike will be able to stop this. In the meantime why don't you go and get some rest Buffy?"

"Like you have." She shook her head at him. "I promised her that I would stay."

She heard the scraping of the chair across the floor and Wesley sat next to her. He placed a hesitant hand on her shoulder.

"You've been here for hours Buffy at least get yourself something to eat."

"I don't want her to feel alone."

"I'll stay with her until you get back."

She opened her mouth again to protest but quickly closed it not having any sane reason to give him. Instead she sat a moment longer the humming machines a grating noise in the background.

"It's hard you know?" The sound of her voice surprised her. "I'm used to being the one who can charge in and save the day. I feel useless, helpless in a way. I hate that."

"You can't save everyone Buffy."

She let out a long sigh.

"But isn't that what I'm supposed to do? You know I've saved the world more times then I can count. But the thing is that's not what I remember. It's the ones I couldn't save. So many people have died that shouldn't have."

"That's always been the case I'm afraid. Death is always going to win in the end." She looked into his warm caring eyes.

"But that's not always true is it? Look at me I should be dead now and I'm not the only one. I mean Angel and Spike have both died and come back and I don't mean in the vampire sense. How is it fair that we're still here and someone like Laura has to go through this? What makes us so different?"

"I'm afraid I don't have the answers to that. I doubt anyone on this plane of existence does. But the fact remains that you are here and you're still doing your best with the situation that you've been presented."

"But it's not enough is it? She's still going to die." She squeezed Laura's hand a little tighter. "She told me that we're almost the same age just a few months off. And yet her life is just like I would have pictured mine if I weren’t the Slayer. She got to grow up and have normal relationships and finish college and find a job that she really liked. She was just really starting to live. And now it's all being ripped away."

"If there's a way they'll find it."

"Maybe, I'd like to believe that." She let out another sigh. "Maybe I'll just go and stretch my legs a little. Will you stay here?"

"Of course."

She placed Laura's hand into Wesley's and stood up stretching cramped muscles. Making her way around the back of her chair and around the back of his, she walked towards the door.

"Thank you."

He just gave her a slight nod.

********

She walked down the quiet hallway and passed the lab they had been in earlier in the day and she could see Fred hard at work trying to figure out the stupid piece of stone that started all of this mess. She continued down the hall passing another lab where she could see Gunn talking to that guy Knox.

Standing rooted to the spot she watched as Gunn picked up a metal cylinder and hit Knox over the head with it. He crumpled easily to the floor.

She burst through the door in time to see Gunn look around and raise the metal for a second blow. Grabbing his arm she pushed him back.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Goddamn bastard he's a part of this! He knew!" She looked and saw the truth written in his eyes.

"Get him out of here. Put him someplace where Wes can question him." She moved back towards the door. "I'll tell him to find you."

She went quickly back down the way she had come turning this bit of info in her mind. If Knox was somehow responsible it meant that Fred was the intended target after all. That her theory had been right.

Coming through the door she was horrified to see Laura thrashing in a convulsion on the bed as Wesley tried in vain to hold her down. She rushed to the side of the bed to help him. After a few minutes she stilled her hair plastered to her forehead from the sweat of her exertions.

Buffy was taken aback for a minute when she opened her eyes and looked at her.

"Buffy?" Her voice was low and weak.

She clasped her hand in hers again. "I'm here Laura."

"You didn't leave."

"I told you that you wouldn't be alone." Wesley was standing on the other side of the bed watching them carefully.

A slight smile passed her lips.

"You know I'd like to think under different circumstances that we could have been friends."

Buffy could feel the sting of tears behind her eyes. She placed her other hand on top of their joined ones.

"I think we already are." Tears were streaking down Laura's face now a slight nod her answer.

"I don't want to go." There was a catch in her words.

"Then don't Laura just keep fighting."

"Can you tell my family that I love them?"

Buffy could only nod mutely at her, the pain in her throat keeping her from speaking. She stared into the warm brown eyes in front of her.

A set of convulsions racks her body and Buffy grasped onto her hand a little tighter.

"Tell them..." Her voice trailed into a raspy whisper. "Tell them I tried to stay."

And with a shuddery sigh her last breath passed from her body.

Buffy felt the tears start to streak down her face and barely registered the long tone that came from the machinery behind her. She stared down into the blank face in front of her that only seconds before had been so full of life. Slowly she drew her hands back away from Laura's body.

She only looked up as she heard the click and sudden silence as Wesley turned the machines off. She met his eyes and was about to speak when Laura's body starts to convulse violently. In reaction the both of them automatically take a step away from the bed.

Her eyes snap open and are a startling blue, at the same time her body jerks once and then twice. Buffy watches as the woman she had known as Laura swung her legs from the bed and stood up. She stared as the new being looked down at its own body and a slight sadistic smile spread on her lips.

"This will do."

Chapter 20:

Wesley took a step towards the thing that now wore the body of a woman Buffy was considering a friend.

"Laura?" The question received no answer and the silence in the room choked the air around them.

"Illyria?" Buffy asked pushing the feelings of new grief down.

She studied the new creature carefully seeing Laura's features masked in a hard visage. There were streaks of blue in her hair and a slightly bluish tint to her complexion. But the feature that most startled her was the crystal blue eyes that hardened at her name where once warm brown ones had been present.

"My name. You think because I have come in the form of a human that you can speak to me?"

Buffy could feel the new power of this thing before her hum in the air around her. She knew that on her own she wasn't enough to take this being but she wouldn't cower either.

"Well I either call you by your name or make one up for you. I was trying not to be rude."

Illyria gave a glare at Wesley and turned her attention back to Buffy.

"I thought humans would have long died out by now. Instead you've grown insolent."

"Do you remember Laura?" Wesley took a step forward.

A hard glare was the only answer she seemed willing to give.

"So you don't know who she is?" He questioned again.

"Nor do I care. You waste my time. We are done."

Buffy strode forward so that she stood directly in front of the blue creature.

"I don't really think we are."

Illyria seemed to study her more carefully and Buffy could feel those cold eyes almost looking through her.

"You are different than this other one. Not as weak. But easily breakable all the same."

This was just pissing her off. She had fought a god before and won in the end. This one wasn't getting a scared little girl she was facing a full on Slayer who was tired of having her buttons pushed.

"You'll find that I'm not as easily breakable as you would think."

Without a word the thing reached back and back handed her in the face. She gasped as she reached the other corner of the room in a flash and connected hard with the wall. Unable to help herself she let out a small groan with the impact. That hadn't gone very well she realized as she pulled herself to her feet.

"I remember now Laura was the name of the shell."

"The name of the woman you killed." Wes replied matter of fact.

The words hit Buffy hard and she suddenly found herself blinking back-unbidden tears. Again she pushed the feeling aside knowing that there would be time later for it.

"This is grief. I am sensing human grief. It is disgusting."

"Well you better get used to it." Buffy spit out between clenched teeth.

Wesley drew the curtains back from the window and pointed out to the lit up Los Angelus sky line.

"Look humans rule the Earth." Buffy watched cautiously as Illyria moved towards the window. "They will last for millennia...like roaches crawling everywhere. Crying and sweating and puking their feelings all over you." Illyria turned her head away from the sight. "Go back. Sleep until the humans are gone. They are stupid and weak. They'll kill each other off and you can return to the world you deserve." He hissed the last word almost into her ear. "Leave this shell."

Her head turned back to him sharply and Buffy knew that he had gone just a little too far.

"You seek to save what is rotted through. This carcass is bound to me. I could not change that if I cared to, but you have opened my eyes to truth. If the world is truly overrun by humans..." She placed a hand on his chest and gave an effortless push on him towards the window. "Then I have work to do."

"Wes!" Buffy managed to shout as she watched his body bounce against the shatterproof glass and an "Ummph." of pain passed his lips.

Blocking the door she stood in front of Illyria ready to stop her only she never got the chance. With one grasp of her arm and a flick of her wrist she went flying over her head and into the emergency cart next to the head of the bed.

From her new position on the floor she watched as Illyria strode out the door.

Getting to her feet she glanced over at Wesley.

"Hey you ok?"

"Sure never better." The linoleum muffled his voice.

She gently reached out and pulled him to his feet. "You should alert security, not that they would be able to stop her or anything but maybe let them know she's loose in the building."

"Right. Where do you think she was going?"

"I don't know but after your little humans run the Earth speech I'm thinking it can't be good."

He turned back away from her. "I'm going to check on Fred."

Hearing her name smacked a memory for Buffy. "DAMN! Knox!" She grabbed Wes by the arm and pushed him towards the door.

"What?"

"I need to know where Gunn would take someone to talk to them."

********

With Wesley and Fred in tow she entered Gunn's office. Gunn and Harmony were already inside staring intently at the chair in front of them.

"You tied up Knox." Wesley was sure good at the observations today, Buffy rolled her eyes.

"We're gonna torture him." Buffy noticed a distinct sound of glee coming from the vampiress.

"Umm why?" Fred hesitantly asked like she was afraid of what the answer could be.

"He knows what's going on. Been hiding it the whole time. I just need a few minutes alone."

"He's involved in this?" He ground the words out.

Buffy could read the shock in Fred's eyes. She knew the other woman was bright enough to put two and two together. Just as much as she knew Wes had figured it out.

"Pretty sure."

Wes turned and faced Buffy a hard gleam to his eyes. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Yeah why didn't you?" The mockery in that voice made her want to slap him.

"I found out just before I went back into the room." She watched as the hardness in his eyes passed.

"I can handle this whatever he knows..."

"Doesn't matter anymore. Laura's gone."

Knox let out a little snort of a chuckle and all eyes turned on him.

"Sorry...It's not what you think. It's just so beautiful." He looked directly at Buffy. "Tell them. Tell them what happened."

When there was nothing but silence for a few moments Wesley answered for her.

"The infection, Illyria, consumed her. Took over her body."

"Then it's still Laura, right? This thing is just controlling-"

Buffy cut Gunn off. "She's gone."

"You don't know that."

"Wait I'm confused." Well how much didn't that surprise her. "It looks like Laura but it's not?"

"She's so much more than that now. Beyond flesh. Beyond perfection. I had chosen Fred because she had a warmth that took you in and held you until everything cold and distant melted away. She's the most beautiful, perfect woman I ever met. She was the only one I thought was worthy. But Laura she was a good second choice." Buffy could see the other woman trembling slightly and was glad that she had Wesley who without a word moved his arms around her while his eyes seethed hatred for the man in front of them.

Unfortunately Buffy's own blood had begun to boil and she grabbed Knox by the throat.

"Buffy don't. We need him." Gunn held a soft plea in his voice. "I know how you feel but-"

"Do you? I watched helplessly as she died. And she was in so much pain and scared and brave. And she was so much better than this. Now she's gone." She could feel the tears returning again and fought with them silently for a moment her grip neither tightening nor loosening.

"I know." Angel said from the doorway. Buffy met his eyes and then the warm blue ones of Spike. Her hand fell back to her side.

********

They were gathered back in Angel's office all of them with faces downcast more lines marking their faces then they would care to admit.

"So England was a bust huh?" Buffy decided that she liked Gunn he had that directness she had associated with Anya that at times could be quite refreshing. Especially when not discussing orgasms or money non-stop.

"Not entirely we found out where the sarcophagus came from. There were thousands of them." Angel looked unsettled about the fact.

"Minus one." His voice drifted past her ear from over her shoulder as she stood in the circle of his arms.

"What about the Drogyn character wouldn't he help?"

"Couldn't. We were too late." He let out a tiny sigh.

"I should have seen it. Knox. He sang for me and I should have seen it." Lorne had his head down and Buffy could feel the despondency from across the room.

"It's not your fault." She watched as Lorne raised his head and stared at Gunn.

"If I had concentrated harder, read him better Laura might-"

"Look there's a lot we might have done, all right? Starting with never coming to Wolfram & Hart in the first place. We can beat ourselves up over it later, but right now-"

"I'm sorry Angelcakes." Lorne walked out of the door.

"Lorne..." He called after him.

"No let him go. If he's doubtin’ himself he won't be any good to us."

"Lorne's right we should have seen this coming." Gunn said walking towards Angel's desk.

"It wouldn't have made a difference. Drogyn said the sarcophagus was preordained to be released. Nothing could have stopped it from arriving."

"That's not completely true. I played a round of piñata with lab boy while you were gone. The sarcophagus was stuck in customs and it should have stayed there but someone got it out."

"Who?" Fred questioned.

"I'm working on it."

"Good for you Charles not a moment to lose."

"Wes I know how you feel but you need to keep it in check. We all do for Laura's sake." Buffy could feel Angel's eyes boring into her.

"There is no Laura anymore."

"You don't know that." Gunn denied.

"We watched it gut her from the inside out. Everything she was is gone. There is nothing left but a shell." Wesley's eyes held hers for a moment before dropping away.

"Then we'll figure a way to fill it back up."

"The thing only took over her body. Just the tip of the theological."

"It's the soul that matters."

"Trust us. We're kind of experts."

"What about her- if her organs have been liquefied?"

"Flash fried in a pillar of fire saving the world. I got better."

"You really think there's a chance of bringing her back?"

"Laura's soul is out there somewhere. We'll find it and put it back where it belongs." His voice took on a hard edge. "And then we'll make every son of a bitch that had a hand in this pay. We all on the same page?"

"Where do we start?"

"We need the big guns."

"Willow." Spike stated.

Buffy had been silent through the whole conversation listening but not really hearing. Words filtered in here and there but her thoughts were centered on the last moments Laura had been in that hospital room. The feeling of watching her life slip away almost like it was sand running through her fingers. She had noticed how quiet Fred was also and knew that she felt a tremendous amount of guilt. It was written all over her face.

Willow's name penetrated into her preoccupied mind and she quickly connected it to the ideas being passed around the office.

"No." Every head turned to look at her. She could feel the disbelief thrum through the room.

"What?" Angel asked his brow furrowed in confusion.

"No." She shook her head. "This stops now."

"Buffy if there's a chance-"

"No." She said the word more forceful this time.

"Pet?" The soft question from behind her made take a deep breath.

"Do you even know where her soul is? Do you think that just because this thing took control of her body and killed her that her soul is just out there floating freely?" She could feel Spike's arms tighten around her and she was sure that he understood. But the others were staring at her in confusion.

"I won't let you mess with things you don't understand. Something you don't have the right to do. That no one has the right to do."

"Buffy-"

"No Angel. She's gone we have to accept that. The price is just too high." She turned in Spike's arms resting her head on his shoulder. "We can't play god and change things with magic that we don't like."

"Normally I would agree Buffy but the circumstances-"

She lifted her head and looked at Wesley. "You forget that I am the only resurrected human in the room. I know what it's like to be brought back. And unless you can prove to me that she ended up in some hellish hell dimension then this discussion is over."

"You know we don't have any way of knowing-"

"Exactly Wes. If there is even the slightest chance that she isn't in one I won't allow you to do this."

"Buffy-"

"No she's right Peaches. Learned that lesson the hard way." His hand was stroking her back holding her even closer and she dropped her head back to his shoulder.

Everyone was silent for a moment not sure of what to say.

"We need to find her. Illyria, find her and keep her locked up somehow." Lifting her head again she looked back over to Angel.

"Well you two talked to her. Any idea where she was heading?"

"Well I don't know where she was going but I know where she's been." Buffy turned to see Harmony stride into the office her hand rubbing her bruising cheek. "Smack her a good one for me huh?"

Chapter 21:

Buffy stood in the doorway of the lab flanked by Angel and Spike, Wesley and Gunn just behind her surrounded by as many guards as they could find. They were armed with machine guns which truth be told made her extremely nervous.

"I'm ready to begin." She spoke with a flat tone and it sent shivers up Buffy's spine.

"Or we could just hang out." Angel replied as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Another warrior. I was beginning to wonder if you would be the only one." She replied as she looked at the Slayer.

"Plenty of us to go 'round luv."

"Two half breeds and a bunch of primitives. Is this all that challenges me now?" She sounded disgusted and disappointed.

"And don't forget one Chosen One. Plus a whole lot of bullets."

All the guns in the room aimed at her.

"Enough to incapacitate even you." Wesley added.

"We know what you are Illyria." Angel stated as he walked towards her. "We've seen the rest of your kind. All the old ones sealed away forever, like you were. Where you should have stayed. You've taken something of ours, something precious. Stand down and I promise we won't destroy you taking it back."

Illyria seemed to regard him coldly for a moment.

"I decline." The words had barely left her when her hands wrapped around the lapels of Angel's jacket and threw him toward the lab window. Unlike the one in the medical area it was not shatter proof.

There was a great crashing noise as his body broke through the glass barrier and began to hurtle to the cement below.

"Get her!" Gunn gestured wildly as he yelled to the security officers.

Spike, Buffy, Gunn and Wesley moved to close in on her when it seemed that she suddenly disappeared. One second she had been standing right in front of them and the next Buffy had thought she had seen a quick blur and poof no Illyria.

"Damn where the hell did she go?" She all but stomped her foot in aggravation.

After a quick search of the hallway they made their way to the lobby as the elevator let out a ding signaling its arrival. Buffy stared as the doors opened to display a rumpled and slightly bloody Angel.

"So how'd you do?"

"Not as bad as you but not good." She watched as Wesley gave him the once over with his eyes. "There's no trace of either of them."

"I put security on code Black. If she shows up again-"

Buffy looked over at Gunn. "She won't. She has what she needs."

"Knox?" Fred asked as she stepped into the lobby.

"And some spiffy new threads."

"Any idea how she got passed you?" The stare they got from Angel shone with disappointment.

"One second she was there and the next poof." Gunn gestured with his hands.

"You think she's a teleporter?"

"I don't think so. No characteristic displacement in the atmosphere around her." Wes replied thoughtfully.

"I fancied I saw a blur just before she went all Houdini." Spike moved closer to where she was standing.

"Yeah I saw that too."

"Like she was pulling a Barry Allen." Gunn looked at their blank faces. "Jay Garrik?" He let out an exasperated sigh. "Like she was going really fast."

Something seemed to strike Wesley knowledge suddenly shining in his eyes.

"Or we were going really slow."

"Great she's a god and she can alter time." Angel dropped his head.

"That would make sense." Fred seemed to tap her chin thoughtfully.

"In what way?" Everyone turned to face the small woman.

"I was running some tests from the other lab. There was like this giant spike in power readings and that must have been when she manipulated the time around you. But the whole time she was talking to you guys there were these weird power fluctuations."

"Weird how?" Buffy walked closer to her.

"Even when she was just standing there the power in the room was still really high but not steady. Like she was leaking power even when she wasn't using it."

"And you think this means?" Gunn asked.

"I think the body she's using isn't strong enough to hold the power that came to her. Even with the enhancements the virus gave the shell it was still only a human body. We just aren't built to hold power like that." She took a breath and looked at Buffy. "If my calculations are right her shell is going to start to break down. When that happens the power contained inside of her will cause an explosion of sorts."

"How big of an explosion?" Buffy was sure she didn't want to know. Leave it to Angel to ask.

"Something like the size of an atomic bomb." Buffy just gaped at her this was not getting any better.

When no one spoke for several minutes Buffy shook herself out of her shock.

"It still doesn't change the fact that we need to find her. Any ideas?"

"I've got a few contacts I can try." Gunn headed for the elevator.

"Wes, Fred maybe you should see if Knox left something. Recheck her sarcophagus see if there's something we missed before." The pair nodded at Angel and walked back up the stairs.

The three of them looked at each other and began to walk to Angel's office. Once inside Angel moved to sit behind his desk.

Buffy stared at the dark vampire for a moment watching as his famous brood face began to take hold.

"Drop it Angel." She said as she crossed to the front of his desk.

"What are you talking about Buffy?" His dark eyes leapt up to meet hers.

"You. Whatever it is that you're thinking go ahead and drop it. This doesn't change anything it just makes it a little more complicated. There's still an apocalypse we have to avert."

"And how do you know that this isn't part of it?" His tone was challenging.

"I just do. Look there isn't anything I would like better then to sit back and take stock after this whole mess but we don't have the time. We need to find Illyria and we need to get the hell out of here."

"Why Miss Summers you've just got here. I'm sure there's something we can do for you." Three heads turned at once towards the sound of the new voice.

In the doorway of the office stood a man about six feet tall with dark hair. He was dressed in gray suit and held himself with an air of authority.

"Why do I even bother having security?" Buffy heard Angel mutter.

Buffy took a step closer to the stranger.

"Nice suit. And you are?" Her arms crossed over her chest.

"Pardon the interruption. Marcus Hamilton I'm the new liaison to the Senior Partners." He stuck his hand out. No one bothered to take it. Recovering quickly he dropped the hand and moved closer to the desk.

Buffy's gaze flickered back and forth between Angel and this Hamilton guy.

"You're replacing Eve?"

The man nodded back at Angel.

"Became official this morning. I'm looking forward to working with all of you." Buffy could feel Spike bristle behind her.

"You weren't really thinking of leaving were you?"

There was something about this guy that immediately set her teeth on edge. For some reason she knew instinctively that lying to him was the only way to go.

"Well I really am tired I was hoping to go and get some sleep." She said it with her best flirty blonde voice and managed to bat her eyelashes at him. She kept herself from visibly relaxing as she saw the grin that came across his lips.

"Of course it really has been a long couple of days hasn't it?" Out of the corner of her eye she watched Spike's reaction and cringed inwardly at the stiff way he was holding himself. She would just have to explain later. "I was hoping that you would actually like to join our team Miss Summers. Spike here has already pretty much become a member in his own right."

She took the chance to look into Spike's eyes hoping that he would understand the role she was playing.

"Well Mr. Hamilton, please call me Buffy and really I hadn't thought that far ahead just yet."

"Of course Buffy but only if you'll call me Marcus." He gave her an appraising glance and she had to fight the shudder of revulsion she was feeling from showing. "Now I understand."

"What's that?" She was not looking forward to the answer.

"How you got one vampire to lose his soul and another to get one. A beautiful goddess such as yourself could get man or beast to do just about anything." God the guy was sleazy.

The low growl from Spike indicated what he thought of the conversation. She threw him a quick glance and then looked at Angel. If anything the taller man looked like he was going to be sick. Buffy didn't blame him.

"Um thank you." She mumbled.

"Well I'll just be going then I wanted to make sure we got acquainted a little. I look forward to working with all of you I just have so many ideas." He was turning to leave and she let a small sigh of relief.

"I don't need your ideas. This is my office." He was really way too territorial for his own good.

"We'll talk more later." He turned back around to face the occupants of the room again. His eyes roved over her again. "It was a pleasure to meet you Buffy." And he went out the door.

Once it clicked softly behind him Buffy shook her head.

"Sleaze." She breathed the word shaking her head in disbelief. Looking back into Spike's eyes she could see the hard edge to them. He was not happy.

"What?" She asked him knowing that he might not be wanting to talk about this in front of Angel, but she didn't care the sooner they dealt with this the better. It wasn't her fault that he was so insecure about them. Well that wasn't true it was her fault but he needed to understand that no matter what happened he was the only one in her life.

"That was disgusting." She waited tapping her foot silently. "Could you have fawned over him a little bit more?"

"Please like I enjoyed that. Besides what would you have liked for me to do? Tell him hell yes we were getting the hell out of here? Like they weren't going to do something to stop us."

"Looked like you were enjoying it a little bit too much." He grumbled.

"Is that what you really think?"

"He has a point I thought you were having a good time." She gave Angel a glare.

"And you would know a good time how? I was just trying to distract him."

"Why didn't you just flash him? He would have been distracted then and I might not feel as nauseous as I do now." These two men were going to be the death of her.

"Knock it off already." She walked in front of him. "It was an act. You know it."

"Do I?" His voice had dropped and she could hear the note of doubt in it.

"What do I have to do?" She placed a hand on his chest over the place where his heart had once beaten. "I'm yours, all of me." Her hand moved from his chest to his cheek. Green eyes searched blue as she tried to find her answer. "Tell me how to prove it to you and I will."

She watched a look of complete sadness filter through those expressive orbs she loved so much.

"I don't know Buffy." He said it with such resignation that she felt her heart break a little.

She dropped her hand from his face and paced away from him. Turning she happened to look over at the desk and noticed that Angel was gone. She hadn't even heard him leave the room.

"Spike." He looked up at her. "Do you trust me?"

He gave her a strange look. "Course."

"Then listen. I love you. I've never felt this way with anyone else. Everything I am belongs to you. Every breath, every heart beat and every thought that runs through my head. All of it is yours. Without you there is no me." She took the last step that placed her in front of him again. Taking his hand she placed it over her own beating heart.

"Besides do you really think I would be interested in that slime ball with an expensive suit? I mean yeah he's got good taste in clothes but hello he works directly for the senior partners and did you hear that line? Beautiful goddess." She snorted. "Like that's so original."

The confusion was slowly seeping from his eyes and she knew that her words had reached him if only just a little. But words were overrated and she was more comfortable being action girl.

Tilting her head up she brushed her lips tenderly against his. Pulling away she gave him a slight smile.

"Are we better now?"

"Don't know pet. Maybe if we try that again." He wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her closer to him. She met his lips in more tangible kiss their lips tasting and sucking against one another. Buffy let out a sigh at the feelings of love that came through just the meeting of their lips. She couldn't imagine herself more contented then she was at this moment.

The sound of someone's throat clearing began to intrude and reluctantly she pulled back from his embrace.

Looking at the door she took in the image of Fred shifting from one foot to the other.

"I'm sorry but have you seen Angel?"

"I think he went upstairs. Something wrong pet?" Buffy gave a funny look to Spike surprised to hear the endearment used on someone else. He'd really gotten close to these people and she was glad that they had accepted him so readily. The thought of the way she and her freinds had treated him over the years gave her a fresh pang of guilt.

"No I ah I just wanted to talk to him." Buffy stared at her intently trying to figure out what could be making her so unnerved.

"I could just pop up there see what the poof is doin' if you want." He had already stepped away from Buffy apparently not needing her to ask.

"You don't have to it can wait."

" 'S not problem pet. Be back right soon." He turned and was to the private elevator before either woman had a chance to say anything.

As soon as the doors closed behind him she turned to face the brunette.

"Fred are you okay?" As far as questions went Buffy knew it was really lame but she was unable to come up with a better one.

She seemed to give Buffy a serious look before thinking deeply about how to answer the question.

"I think so. Not great but..." She shrugged.

"But something else is bothering you." Buffy didn't think she really needed to point that out but she was hoping it would help get Fred to open up a bit.

"No I'm fine really. Very much with the fineness." She nodded as if she was agreeing with herself. "But there is a small thing."

Buffy waited sure that Fred would tell her if she was ready.

"I'm a little worried about Wesley."

"In what way?"

"I don't know just a feeling really. Something about the way he's reacting to everything that's happened with Laura."

Buffy knew exactly when his demeanor had changed. "You mean since he found out that Knox wanted you to be the host for this thing."

A slight nod was her answer.

"Fred how long have you and Wes been together?"

Fred looked at her with surprise.

"We, together, I mean, we've only just had our first kiss."

Buffy smiled at the woman. "And you've been working together for how long? He's in love with you Fred anyone can see it."

"What?" The stunned expression on her face made Buffy's own smile grow.

"Take it from someone who knows. He's probably been in love with you for like ever. And from the way you've been around him I'd guess that you love him too."

A coy smile graced her lips.

"Promise you won't say anything?" Buffy couldn't help herself she let out a little giggle as she nodded her head. "I just figured it out like a couple of days ago. That was why I kissed him."

"You made the first move. Wow."

This time Fred blushed and giggled in return.

"I know." Her face fell though. "I just worry about him though. And the way he just kind of tore out of here well it makes me wonder what he was thinking."

"Where did he go Fred?"

"We found Knox's cell phone and this one number popped up. Wes went to go check it out."

"If you want I can go and see what's up."

"Would you? I mean I know he can take care of himself but..."

"Not a prob. Just give me the address."
 

Chapter 22:

Buffy stood just outside of the door the sound of voices not quite raised drifted through the air. She paused a moment becoming perfectly still as she began to make out words.

"I didn't think anyone would get hurt." Through the little window in the door Buffy watched Gunn's hunched body language.

"Nothing from Wolfram & Hart is ever free. You knew that." She watched as Wesley stepped into view.

"I couldn’t go back to being just the muscle. I, I didn’t think it would be one of us. I didn’t think they would try with Fred." The man was crying Buffy could hear the tears in his voice.

Wes walked closer to Gunn and Buffy felt her throat tighten at the obvious intent showing itself in his manner.

"I understand not wanting to go back not wanting to be who we were. I understand it. And I can forgive it." She watched him look at the instruments on the table near them. "But you knew what was happening. You knew who was responsible and you didn't say anything. You let her die. I'm less forgiving about that." Buffy strode through the door her hand reaching for his arm as the last words were spoken, stilling the scalpel in his hand. He looked at her face his eyes dark and clouded. She shook her head at him.

"Stop Wes and think. Is this really what Laura would have wanted? For you to hurt your friend."

"It doesn't matter what she would have wanted. She's dead." The coldness in his voice was like ice water running over her skin.

"Then do you think Fred would want this? She's still here Wes. Think of her." His eyes lowered.

She could feel the intensity of Gunn's eyes on her and she looked at the man tears still streaking his face.

"Go home Gunn." He seemed unable or unwilling to move. "Go. I need him right now and he's not going to be able to do anything if he's concentrating on what you did. Let alone what the others are going to do."

He hung his head a slight nod barely perceptible in his hunched position. He walked past her and out the door.

********

"What the hell were you thinking?" Buffy winced at the yelling coming from a normally quiet vampire. She was only used to the yelling from Spike.

"I wasn't alright. I did what I had to do."

"I don't remember seeing attack Gunn on the agenda this morning. What if Buffy hadn't shown up when she did?" She didn't remember him ever being this physically upset.

"She did and nothing happened." Wes bit back defiantly.

"Is that supposed to make it okay?"

"No. It's not going to be okay. Laura's soul..." He paused the pained expression on his face causing him to age in front of her. "Her soul was destroyed resurrecting Illyria."

Angel backed away from Wesley then his anger dissipating into the air.

"Are you sure?" Wes gave him a curt nod. "What about Gunn?"

"He let the sarcophagus into Wolfram & Hart. What he knew, when he knew it, it doesn't change what happened. He let her die."

"So did I." When Wes looked up at Angel he continued. "At the well in England, there was a way to save her but only if thousands of others died in her place. I couldn't let that happen. I need you to focus Wes. I need you to put this aside and do what needs to be done."

He gave a deep sigh. "Illyria."

"We need to stop her before-"

"She makes a lot more available parking space in downtown?" Spike asked coming in the door.

"What did you get?" Buffy asked.

"A name. Vahla ha'nesh."

********

She was once again sitting in Angel's office wondering if she would ever be able to get some sleep. She was running on fumes and knew they were a long way from being done. The thought of a potential big battle with a god of all things was not helping her at all. She just hoped the others were doing better then she was.

Watching as Wesley opened a book and rested it on the desk she finally made herself get up and take a look. Staring blankly at the pages she could make out a building of sorts in the drawing.

"It's her temple where she was supposed to be resurrected."

Angel pointed at the crude drawing of some kind of demony thing.

"That's Illyria?"

"In its native form."

"What are all the smaller bits?" Spike asked.

"Her army of doom." Wes deadpanned.

"Why can't it ever be an army of bunnies or kittens? Always with the doom."

The others ignored her.

"They were entombed with her."

Wes nodded to Angel. "Waiting for her return."

"To Los Angeles?" Spike raised an eyebrow.

"This is where her temple was millions of years ago. And it's still here."

"You'd think I would remember seeing something like that next to the Ralph's."

"It's out of phase with our time stream. She's the only one who can open the gateway."

"Any idea how we stop her?"

"Well I did find this." Fred handed a polished gem to Angel. "It came from the sarcophagus."

"May I?" Wes asked Angel and he handed it to him. Turning the stone in his hand Wes nodded slowly. "That might work." He handed the stone back to the vamp.

"We ready to go then?" Spike asked as he rocked forward on the balls of his feet.

Angel walked over to the weapons cabinet on the wall. Opening the door he grabbed a sword and tossed it over to Spike. He grabbed a second one for himself.

Curious as to what he had stashed in there Buffy walked to him and peered inside. Her eyes passed over the collection lighting in appreciation on the spectacular assortment. Searching from right to left she glanced at the remaining sword and a couple of battle axes moving to the corner she spotted a crossbow and a very sharp looking katana. Underneath those she saw something smallish wrapped in a burgundy cloth. She couldn't help herself and reached out to draw back the corner of the material.

She gasped as it fell away exposing the silver blade. It shone in the low light of the office fluorescents glinting on a blade broken by ebony scrollwork. Inset in the handle were three small red stones that were surrounded by silver coils wrapping around each in a design that reminded her of a Celtic knot.

Tearing her eyes away from a dagger that before now had only existed in her sleeping mind she looked imploringly at Wes.

He moved to stand just behind her shoulder bringing the weapon into his field of vision. His eyes darted from the dagger to Buffy and then back again. Slowly reaching a hand out his fingers gently brushed the handle before pulling it out of the cabinet.

She could feel the tightening in her chest as the reality of the moment finally hit home. The thing was real. The dagger she had held and wielded so ineffectually in her dream over and over again was real. And she knew that if the dagger was actually real something tangible in this realm then the images she saw and so desperately wished away could possibly be real. It wasn't like the thought hadn't occurred to her before, not when she had had as many prophetic dreams as she had, but it was easier to tell herself that it was harmless that it was only a dream when there was no proof of its existence.

Now she could only watch helplessly as Wesley walked over and gently laid it in the center of Angel's desk. He murmured a few words to the book he had left sitting on the desk and opened it.

The room was silent and she could feel everyone’s eyes moving back and forth between Wesley's quiet perusal of information and the expression on her face that she could not seem to control. To her it seemed like eons had passed when only a few seconds had ticked by. When he lifted his eyes from the book to look at her she knew.

"Tell me it's not the one." The words were a whispered wish the last vestige of hope she had left.

Either Wes hadn't heard her or he didn't know how to answer her because the words were never spoken.

Angel eyes darted from Buffy to Wes then to the dagger, his brow furrowed in thought. He brought his eyes back up to center on Wesley.

"The one what?"

His eyes seemed to settle on only her not knowing how much he should say in front of the others.

"Buffy asked me to research this particular dagger."

"Why?" He turned to face her.

She sighed deeply. "I had a Slayer dream and the dagger was in it. Seemed like it was important so I asked Wes if he could get all watchery and do a little research."

Angel's arms folded over his chest. "And what exactly happens in this dream?"

"As much as I would love to continue this discussion don't you think it would be better if we took care of the Illyria situation first?" She really didn't want to talk about it right now.

The glare from Angel suggested to her that he was not okay with that at all.

"Fine. I promise I'll tell you all about it when we get back okay. I really just want to go and stop her before she takes out all of Los Angeles."

He gave her another hard look and she turned away to glance at Wesley who gave her a small understanding smile. He could appreciate the fact that she was uncomfortable about all of this. Only he didn't know the real reason.

The time it took for Angel to turn that phrase around in his mind seemed an eternity to her as she tried to keep the emotions running through her system in check. This was no time for her to have a breakdown it just wouldn't do.

"I-"

"She said she'd explain later Peaches." His low growl of words seemed to take Angel aback for a second. Buffy recognized the sound for what it was. A warning, one demon to another, to back the hell off.

The dark vamps looked from her to Spike and then back to her. A look of defeat seemed to pass through his dark eyes.

"Alright but I want a full explanation of what this is all about the second Illyria isn't a threat. Clear?"

His tone made her bristle and she fought to control it. She was already wound tight enough as it was he didn't need to be helping. Burying the anger she felt rising she refused to answer him.

"Let's go." She addressed the others in the room.
 

Chapter 23:

********

Standing silent outside of a bank Buffy carefully pushed all other thoughts from her mind. They were here to do one thing and that was to stop a demented god king from raising an army and destroying the world. Or from exploding whichever order they happened in.

Spike's hand accidentally brushed against hers and she instinctively grabbed it. Holding it tightly she stole a glance at him her heart lifting a little to see the small smile and tenderness in his eyes.

Her attention returned to the task at hand as Angel opened the door and stepped inside. She quickly followed with Spike's hand still in hers. Wesley followed in behind them letting the door slip shut behind them with an almost imperceptible swish.

They stood watching the two figures before them waiting.

"Showtime." Knox exclaimed as he straightened up.

"Got any good seats left?"

Knox looked them over and shook his head. "Guys you should scan the headlines here. You can't win this."

"Then we all die trying." Wes replied flatly.

She felt Ilyria's cold blue eyes travel over them trying to assess the mixed group.

"Why?"

"You want the short version? Let's start with you walking around looking like the woman you murdered."

Her glare turned solely on Angel.

"You think your actions will restore her?"

"No." Buffy answered as she took a step forward.

"Yet you seek a confrontation you cannot win."

"What you're trying to do, raise your army reclaim your world innocent people would die. Like Laura. We can't let that happen."

"You are the protector of these people?" Illyria sounded incredulous.

"Yes." Angel and Buffy answered together.

Buffy gave him a slight look and took another step towards the god.

Illyria's eyes raked over Knox coldly.

"Even this one?"

He took a nervous step backward.

No one seemed to speak for a long minute. Each trying to process the thought of how much this one dirt piss poor excuse of a human being had cost them in such a short amount of time.

"Yeah even someone as pathetic as he is. It's what we do." Buffy shrugged in his direction and gave a glare to the demon god.

"You are the lowest of the low, Knox but Buffy's right cause when it comes down to it your still a part of humanity. Even if it is the part we'd all like to see buried about six feet under ground." Angel walked forward until he was right next to Illyria.

The group was so focused on the danger of the entity before them that they ignored the presence of the human man. But he didn't lose track of them or what they had said about him. Reaching into his coat pocket he pulled the small gun he had stashed there out.

Buffy had heard the slight metallic click that came from the direction of the lab rat and turned to see the gun raise in her direction. She could almost groan knowing that in the company she was in only two in her party were actuall vulnerable to the weapon now raised. Unfortuanately she was one of them and she had nothing on her that would even come close to stopping a bullet.

She flinched as the report of the gun bounced along the walls of the bank making the sound stretch on longer. Taking a deep breath she could feel no pain and let her eyes focus on the last spot that the man had stood.

He was laying in a growing pool of blood his eyes staring sightlessly at the ceiling.

Buffy turned her head and looked behind her to see Wes standing with his gun now dropped to his side. His eyes moved from the new corpse to her.

"You've destroyed my Qwa'ha Xahn!" Illyria accused angrily.

"He more then had it coming." Spike bit out of clenched teeth.

"It offends me that you think he matters." Her voice was cool once again.

"You're right he's not the problem you are."

Buffy watched as Angel swiped at her with his sword missing her completely. As if that was their cue all of them moved in on her.

She couldn't keep track of all of the movements in the fight it was happening so quickly. Buffy only concentrated on trying to get closer to rain her own blows and yet keep out of the way of the others. She managed to get in one good solid punch which didn't seem to faze the thing before she was thrown into a nearby wall. Pushing to her feet she again went lunging for the god as she stripped Angel of his sword.

"Unimpressive." The dismissive tone made her hackles rise. She would be sure to show her something impressive.

The thought had no sooner flitted across her brain when Illyria and Angel seemed to disappear from view. Damn that time thing was a bitch. She gathered herself waiting for the moment when the effect would wear off. Across from where she was she could see Spike do the same. Behind her she could hear the slight groan from Wesley as he stumbled to his feet.

Not more then a few seconds past when they were again in front of them. The others began to move towards the now running Illyria trying to gain ground on her. But Buffy had been standing directly infront of her path and she had to pass by her. She pounced on the former god king as she dove for the portal that opened.

The blow knocked them both through the entry and they tumbled into her temple each one rolling smoothly to their feet. Sparing a quick glance behind her Buffy saw that the portal was now closed and they were alone.

"You are too late my army will rise-" Her words had trailed off and Buffy looked around noticing that the once proud temple was in a state of neglect and disrepair. The once proud statue of the demon god was now toppled and no army waited to bow at her feet.

"This, this is not possible."

"And yet..." Buffy shrugged.

"My world it is gone." Illyria sank to her knees.

Things were looking up in Buffy's opinion at least there was no army of doom for her to fight. The only thing left was the fact that the womanly shaped body in front of her had the chance of exploding and taking out a good portion of the Los Angeles area with her. Concentrating she thought about how Illyria had manipulated time in the past and thought of something.

"But there are other worlds out there." She said it quietly the idea still forming in her minds eye.

Standing quickly Illyria faced Buffy and cocked her head in contemplation.

"I'm sure someone as powerful as yourself isn't limited to just this world or time."

"You are suggesting something?" There was no hostility with the words just a curious lilt.

"This time, this world, it's moved past you but I'm sure there are other places, other times, where you could go and be worshipped the way you would deserve." Yeah she knew she was laying it on pretty thick but what could it hurt?

"I have traveled more words than your small little mind could even fathom. Time grew still in my grasp and I traveled the dimensions as they trembled before me."

"Right." She shook her head. "So like I was saying. Why stay here? You could go anywhere. Rule as you were meant to."

"This is the world I am meant to rule. It will once again lay at my feet."

Buffy had to stop and think she needed to convince her but she didn't want to end up as something she cleaned off the bottom of her shoes.

"Illyria have you noticed anything different about your shell?"

Her glance down at her own body was almost comical and as tired as Buffy was she had to bite back a small tickle of exhausted laughter.

"It still serves me." This was a little more difficult then she thought.

"Look hard truths kay? Your in a human body. It isn't strong enough to contain all the power you have. You already know that. So why don't we just make this a little easier on all of us and you just hop into a little portal and take over which ever dimension you perfer." She took a step forward. "There's a chance that this way you get to stay all existy like."

"If need be I will take you all with me."

"I don't think you understand. If you stay we will do everything we can to make sure that doesn't happen."

"You believe that you could possibly stop me?"

Buffy shrugged. "Eventually we will find a way. It's what we do. It's what I do." She moved even closer to her. "This way we all get what we want."

Illyria was staring at her intently and it was giving her a case of the wiggins. She had hoped that the simple explanation would make the god see that there really was no choice in the matter. Time seemed to stretch out between the two of them and she was sure that Illyria was doing her little time control trick.

"I shall go but only because it pleases me to do so."

Buffy let out a breath she had no idea that she had been holding. Relief began to flood through her and she felt herself almost giddy of the prospect of this ending without having to beat the crap out of the thing. Or having the crap beaten out of her.

"Yeah." She wasn't sure she could say anything else without pissing her off.

The shimmer of light caught her eye as another portal seemed to open in front of them. Illyria took a couple of steps forward and then took another look at Buffy.

"The battle you are about to wage. You will not live past it."

Turning forward once again she stepped through and the portal closed behind her.

She just stared at the now empty spot for a second before turning her head and seeing the new portal where she had originally entered this place. Calmly she walked through it.

********

They had met back at the office a tense bout of silence flowing in between all of them. She had tried very hard in the car on the way back to convince Angel to let her get some sleep before the great reveal on her dream. But he had remained his own stubborn pain in the ass self and refused to let her off the hook. No matter how many times she had argued or how many growls Spike threw his way.

So they were now gathered in Wesley's office the dagger now sitting on his desk. Wes was sitting behind his desk the book from earlier open in front of him.

Fred was hovering near his shoulder unsure of where to stand. Her unease could have had something to do with what she had been told about Wes's actions while he had been gone. It was a lot to take in about a man you believed to be totally stable and loved.

Spike was sitting in an armchair just as she was facing the desk and Angel stood just off to the side of it his arms crossed over his chest a slight scowl on his face.

No one had said anything in so long that Buffy had begun to think they were waiting for something.

Her mind started to wander and she wondered briefly just how much she should tell them about the dream. Sure the room where they gained access to the caverns was important and the fact that she was with both Angel and Spike was something she could tell them. Describing the demon was a given of course and she knew that explaining the fact that she was trying to use the dagger would feature also. But to tell them about the end of the dream. No. They really didn't need to know that. Her own reactions to it were still to painful and raw. Having to listen to them and their reaction, well she didn't think she could handle that. Besides it wasn't like everything that happened in her dreams came true. Most of the time.

Her eyes focused on the group noticing for the first time that they were all watching her expectantly. That's right she was the one who was supposed to be doing the talking.

She mentally shook herself out of it.

"Ok big dream thing. So the three of us Spike Angel and I start out in this white room with a bunch of long lights set in the walls that has this big round raised part in the center that kind of looks like it's filled with water but I know it's not. There's a set of metal stairs and on top of that there's this control panel thingy. And as I watch Angel places a crystal into it and it starts to open." She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "When it opens-"

"Wait. This thing in the center does it kind of look like a big aquarium?" Angel interrupted a thoughtful look on his face.

"Yeah kind of I guess. But it really isn't filled with water it's kind of like an effect." She looked him over carefully. "Why?"

"I've seen it." Everyone turned to look at him questions written all over their faces. "When Lindsey was here the last place we fought was that room he was trying to get the tank open. Cordelia stopped it."

Buffy took a nervous breath trying to keep her heart rate under control. No need to get both vamps upset about her being, well, upset. The room though was real, great another thing that the dream was right about. This wasn't getting in the better column.

She cleared her throat gently. "When it opens we step down into it and we're suddenly in this giant cavern."

"What did it look like?" Wes asked.

"There wasn't really anything to look at. It was just like this big hole in the earth." Wes nodded at her. "The dream jumps a bit there and the next thing I know is I'm fighting this big ugly red thing with four arms and two swords holding that dagger." She gave it a withering stare.

"And then what happens?" Angel was the one asking maybe he had been around ex watchery types for too long. Always with the endless questions.

"That's where I wake up." She shrugged hoping against hope that she was convincing. She could feel Spike's eyes boring into her like he sensed she was holding back. As if his intense gaze could prod it out of her. Knowing that she refused to look at him.

Angel also didn't have that ok-so-you-told-us-what-you-know look on his face but he didn't say anything.

"So what else did you find on the dagger Wes." She was more then happy to throw the looks to him instead and was grateful when he began to speak.

"Like I told you before Buffy this dagger was only supposed to exist in myth and legend. It's name Xhesineis comes from an ancient demon language meaning purity. Legend has it this dagger was used to kill the last of the pure demons. It was forged using the blood of a pure warrior. The only other thing that I discovered is that it uses some sort of sacrifice to gather its power. The text is vague however."

"Aren't they always?" She stood up and took a few paces. "I feel like I'm missing something. Like the answer is just on the tip of my nose."

"Tongue pet." Spike corrected her automatically.

She let out a deep sigh. This wasn't helping. There were no answers to her dreams to be found in books and they were wasting time.

Glancing over at Angel she pushed the thoughts of the dream out of her mind and grasped on to the other uncomplete task of her visist.

"Have you made a decision yet Angel?"

He seemed startled at her sudden question. He gave her a look like he needed to tell her something important going so far as to open his mouth when they were interrupted by a knock on the door.

Snapping his jaw shut Angel answered the door.

"Oh good everyone's here." Hamilton replied as his gaze swept over the collection of people.

Buffy couldn't suppress the low groan she felt. It was quiet and only the beings with super vamp hearing had caught it. Both of them gave her a funny look.

"Something you wanted? If you didn't notice we're in a meeting here." Angel stated as the guy breezed past him and into the room.

Buffy felt herself tense as his eyes seemed to light up at the sight of her. There was definiately something about this guy that caused her this uneasy queasy feeling.

"I'll only be a moment. I just wanted to make sure I introduced myself to the rest of your team." His eyes took in Fred and Wesley before settling once more on Buffy. "Hello Buffy it's good to see you again."

"Marcus." She said it with only a slight smile not letting the ick factor get to her. For some reason she was getting the feeling that he hadn't come in here just to meet Fred and Wes.

He seemed to turn his attention back to the people he hadn't met and Buffy let the drone of the conversation fade into the background. Angel was hiding something. She was sure of it just as she was sure he was going to tell them what when this suited menace had come in. Apparently they weren't going to get anything done as long as they were within the walls of this building.

"Angel." She said interrupting. "It's getting really late-" Which was a mild understatement since she could see the sky lightening with the coming dawn. "maybe we should all meet tomorrow?"

He seemed to look at her gratefully and without the dissappointment she saw in Hamilton's face.

"That's probably a good idea."

She almost let out a shout in thanks that she could finally get out of this place and maybe, dare she hope, get some sleep.

"Miss Summers, Buffy-" He corrected at her raised brow. "if you haven't yet made arrangements the firm would be happy to put you up in one of L.A.'s finer hotels."

She cleared her throat slightly. "No." She blinked realized the word came out a little to sharply and backpedaled. "No thank you I've made arrangements already." Giving him a little bigger smile she shrugged. "I really appreciate the offer though."

"Of course. If you need anything please just let us know." The way he had said us sent her the clear message that he meant himself and she fought another shudder of revulsion. "If you'll all excuse me then?" With a brief nod he left just as quickly as he had come in.

"Can we please get out of here now?" Buffy turned her imploring eyes to Spike.

"Yeah." He gave a glance to his Grandsire. "Peaches we'll call you later, set up a time to meet."
 

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