“Yes, you know,” Ethan continued, not noticing that Dawn seemed to be suddenly preoccupied. “Rapunzel throwing her hair out of the window so that the prince could climb up and rescue her. I wouldn’t even bother thinking about it if I were you. Your hair isn’t that long.”

“So is everything here based on fairy tales?” Dawn asked conversationally, sitting down on the end of the bed.

“Almost everything yes,” Ethan volunteered, happy that someone was taking an interest in his work for once. “They may not be specific fairy tales. Demons are pretty much demons, there may be the odd dragon or damsel in distress that isn’t particularly attached to anything, but other than that…”

“What are they going to have to do?” Dawn asked momentarily forgetting the need for escaping the tower and finding her sister and her friends. She needed to know what Buffy and the others were facing.

“Well,” Ethan began, opening the door and holding it wide for her. “Why don’t I show you?”

“This isn’t some fairy tale. When I kiss you, you don’t wake up from a deep sleep and live happily ever after.”

****

Xander and Anya were searching for something. They had no idea what it was exactly, but Angel had told them to find some sort of landmark that they could work from in order to find Dawn. He couldn’t remember the map that Darla and Drusilla had shown him exactly. He hadn’t had long enough to memorise it. And of course, he hadn’t been expecting to be thrown into this ‘game’ in the first place.

The young man’s thoughts were abruptly interrupted when he ran straight into the back of his fiancée, who had stopped dead in her tracks.

“An? Are you ok?” Anya ignored him, turning her head slightly to the side as if listening for something. “Ok. Not liking the ignoring and the weird silent thing,” Xander said, trying to ease the suddenly tense atmosphere and mask his own nervousness.

Anya shushed him. “Do you hear that?”

Xander listened carefully but could hear nothing above the soft whisper of wind through the trees. “Hear what?”

The ex-demon frowned. “Nothing,” she said, shaking her head as if to clear it. “I must have imagined it.”

“O-k,” her fiancée drawled, looking around them once to be on the safe side, before leading Anya on their way again.

They had walked about ten steps when Anya stopped again. “Alright, I know I heard something that time,” she said determinedly, searching frantically around her.

“An, there’s nothing here,” Xander told her, more worried than he wanted to admit about what was happening to his future wife.

“No, I heard it Xander. There’s something here. I can feel it.”

“Feel it?” Xander asked sceptically.

Anya nodded. “You know… The way Buffy says she always knows when there’s some big bad thing arou…” She stopped and frowned. “I can see things better too. Like Buffy. My hearing… It’s like Buffy’s. My senses are all heightened…”

“Like Buffy’s,” Xander breathed, finally catching on.

“Xander,” Anya said wonderingly, “I’ve got Slayer senses.”

****

Cordelia’s eyes started to drift close as the constant motion of Angel’s pacing slowly sent her to sleep.

“Do you think they’re ok?” Angel asked abruptly, shocking Cordy back to full consciousness.

“What?”

“Do you think they’re ok?”

Cordelia grimaced in annoyance. “They’re fine. They’ll be back soon, stop worry…”

“No,” Angel interrupted shaking his head, “Not them. Buffy and Dawn and everyone.”

Cordy’s face softened when she heard the genuine concern in her friend’s voice. “I’m sure they’re ok too. I mean Buffy; well she’s Supergirl or Wonder Woman or something. And Spike’s strong and good in a fight, as we know from never being able to kill him. Are you sure he’s on our side now?”

Angel’s face twisted slightly, but he nodded in answer to her question. “Yes I’m sure. And if you don’t believe me, maybe you’ll believe the Host.”

Cordelia’s eyes widened in amazement. “Lorne says Spike’s good?”

“Yeah. They seemed real firm friends.”

Cordy shrugged and rested her head against her arms, which were folded on the table. “Then I guess it’s ok.”

“No! No it’s not ok. Spike’s working for the good guys. He’s an evil, soulless vampire, but he’s on our side now. I don’t…” He stopped and resumed pacing as Cordelia looked up at him with interest.

“This isn’t about Spike is it,” she announced intuitively. “This is about you and your evil twin.”

Angel sighed and sat down dejectedly next to his friend. “Angelus could never, would never do what Spike’s doing. Not even if he had one of those government chips inserted into his brain. And especially not for love.”

“Does it upset you more that you never could or that Spike so easily can?” Cordy asked shrewdly.

“Angelus Cor, not me.”

Cordelia rolled her eyes. “He’s in you. There’s no point in talking about him as if he’s a different person. He’s not. He’s you without a soul. And no I don’t believe he ever could do what Spike is. And for some reason, it’s not that strange that Spike has a good side. Your problem is that your Grandchilde doesn’t need a soul to let his good side out. And come to think of it, he never did.”

“What?”

“He helped Buffy save the world long before the government decided to turn him into a lab-rat for their scary conditioning experiments. And I have to say, I always admired the way he fought Buffy head on unlike…” She trailed off as Angel looked at her with a wounded expression, before deciding it was best to just get it all out in the open. “Unlike Angelus, who thought it was fun to terrorise her family and friends first. Spike never went in for that mess with the victims mind crap. He was direct. That’s good.”

“Cor,” Angel started nervously, not really wanting to ask the question he knew he had to. “Are you ever afraid of me? Of what I might do?”

Cordelia looked away, unable to answer with him staring at her. “I’m more afraid that one day you’ll do something and I’ll be forced to kill you,” she told him quietly.

“I don’t want to hurt you Cordy. Ever.” The words were spoken so fiercely that Cordelia jumped slightly in her seat as she turned her head to look at him.

“I know.”

Dawn refused to show any fear in front of Ethan Rayne. Both Buffy and Spike would be disgusted if they thought that she had been intimidated by anyone as petty, arrogant and sick as him. Instead she stood her ground. “That’s twisted.”

“Yes, it is isn’t it?” Ethan replied with a cruel smile.

The teenager moved around the table, addressing her question to the man, but fixing her eyes on the model in front of her. “Who’s in each team?”

“Hmm,” Ethan mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Your sister is with your vampire friend Spike, the two witches and the Watcher that isn’t Giles. What’s his name?”

“Wesley.”

“Right. The other team consists of Angel, Cordelia, Xander, Anya and my old friend Ripper.”

“Isn’t that a little unfair?” Dawn asked, raising an eyebrow. “I mean one team has a vampire, a Slayer, two witches and a Watcher. The other team has a vampire, a Watcher and three people with no special skills. Unless of course Cordelia’s visions are going to be useful to them in some way.”

Ethan smiled again, feeling rather proud of himself and of what he had managed to accomplish. “Actually Dawnie that’s not strictly true.”

“What d’you mean?” Dawn asked, starting to feel even more uncomfortable and scared for her sister and her friends.

“Each team consists of a Knight, a Princess, a Sage, a Warrior and a Sensory. Any skills they have in reality will be stripped away and they will receive the skills of the character they are playing.”

“So Spike and Angel will be immune to sunlight and garlic… If they’re the Knights then…”

“No Dawn. Not even I can stop what is a physical fact. I can take away or give strength, or disable a skill for a period of time, but not even I can change the fact that vampires dust in sunlight. That is something they’ll just have to deal with.”

“So Spike and Angel are the Knights?” Ethan nodded in reply. “Wesley and Giles the Sages.” Again Ethan inclined his head. “And the Princesses? Let me guess. Buffy and Cordelia.”

“Very good Dawn,” Ethan affirmed patronisingly.

“And what special skills do the Princesses have?”

“Not a single one. Princesses as I’m sure you know, are there to be rescued.”

“That’s nice Willow. And you went mental when?”

Cordelia - ‘Halloween’

****

Tara, dragged from sleep by the anxious movements of the confused redhead, sat up next to her girlfriend, rubbing her eyes. “Honey? What’s wrong?”

Willow’s eyes were focused on Spike who lay on his side on the opposite side of the cave. His face had taken on a joyful expression and the thought that he was dreaming of Buffy crossed the young witch’s mind for a moment. Then Willow remembered why she’d been staring.

****

Buffy closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, before opening them again. No. They were still there. Seven dwarves.

“Um, hi,” Buffy greeted when she was more presentable, drawing the group’s attention back to her. “I’m Buffy.”

“We know Princess,” the dwarf who had fetched her clothes told her with a smile. “I’m Valdo.”

“Oh,” Buffy said with a surprised smile. She’d at least been expecting Happy or Doc. “Well it’s nice to meet you Valdo. But I’m not a Princess; I’m travelling with my friends. I’m trying to reach my sister.”

“The Princess Dawn, but of course milady.”

“You know about Dawn?”

“Everyone in the kingdom knows what has happened Princess. If there is any way in which we can help you need only ask.”

“Well,” Buffy told them, feeling happier with the knowledge that there were people here to help them, “If you can show us how to get to the place where Dawn is being kept, we’d all be very grateful.”

****

Tara ran to the entrance of the cave to check for Buffy while Willow moved to wake Spike. She hoped her friend was somewhere nearby, because she dreaded to think what Spike might do if Buffy was lost or injured. As it was, the prospect of waking him and informing him that Buffy was missing was daunting.

“Spike,” Willow called softly, shaking the vampire as best she could while she remained at arms length, “Spike wake up.”

The vampire’s eyes were open instantly. “What?”

“Buffy’s gone,” Willow told him and then winced at the expression that crossed his face. He looked as he had on numerous occasions when she had woken him from a nightmare in those long months following Buffy’s death. She’d had to break the news to him over and over as the dreams, just for a second, gave Spike hope that his Slayer had been saved. If there was one thing Willow hated, it was that look in the vampire’s eyes. They looked dead.

“I mean,” the redhead tried to explain, “she’s not here. In the cave.”

Spike shook himself free of the fear that had suddenly overcome him and sat up. “Is she outside?”

Willow shrugged. “I don’t know. Tara’s gone to check. I just thought you should know in case…”

“Yes?” Spike growled angrily, jumping up and starting to pace. “What use will I be if she is missing? It’s daylight in case you hadn’t noticed.” He continued in this vein for a while, cursing the fact that he was a vampire and therefore unable to help his love and her friends whenever he was needed.

His ranting woke Wesley who groggily stood and moved to join them. “What’s going on?”

Spike ignored him and walked as close to the mouth of the cave as he could, while Willow explained to Wesley what had happened.

****

The dwarves immediately silenced and Buffy turned to face her friend with a smile. “Hey Tara. Guys this is Tara. Tara these are the seven dwarves.”

“Oh,” Tara said nodding her head as she sat down next to Buffy. “Snow White’s seven dwarves?”

Buffy nodded. “But not Disney’s. Obviously infringement of copyright is too hideous a crime even for two evil vampires like Darla and Drusilla.”

“Of course,” Tara agreed with a slight smirk.

Buffy turned back to address the dwarves. “Do you know who Tara is?”

“Why of course Princess,” Valdo answered Buffy’s question. “She is The White Warrior.”

“The White Warrior?” Tara asked, growing more and more curious by the second.

Valdo stood and made his way to the centre of the half circle, facing the two girls. “Two small groups battle in this land to save its inhabitants from evil.”

“Of course they do,” Buffy muttered under her breath, but smiled at Valdo as he continued.

“The White Knight, my Lord William leads, you Princess and you Lady Tara, alongside the White Sage, my Lord Wesley, and the White Sensory, the Lady Willow.”

Buffy and Tara stared open mouthed at the man before them. Before they had a chance to comment, he went on.

Buffy didn’t give anyone time to speak before she began. “Will, Wes, these guys are going to help us find Dawn. This is Valdo their leader; he’ll explain everything you need to know. Tara go with them, help explain as much as you can.”

Tara led the dwarves to the back of the cave, gesturing to Willow and Wesley that they should join them.

The Slayer then turned to Spike. “We’re probably going to need some sort of plan of attack. Whatever’s guarding Dawn isn’t going to be friendl…”

She was cut off by Spike’s mouth, which came crashing down on her own, moving fiercely and possessively over her lips as he drew her body to his in one sharp movement, holding her in a tight embrace. When he pulled away he glared down at her with a mixture of anger, fear and love burning in his eyes. Buffy merely stared back into the beautiful blue orbs, feeling weak from the devastating kiss.

“Never, ever do that again,” he growled before dipping his head and kissing her again.

It occurred to the Slayer that she should protest such behaviour, but any thought of putting an end to it fled as she became lost in the feeling of kissing the man who was supposed to be her mortal enemy.

“Liar!”

Buffy - ‘Lie To Me’

****

Angel and Cordelia both shook their heads, while Xander turned away. “Xander?” Giles prompted as the others stared at him.

The young man sighed. “Alright. When we were fighting that thing I felt a little different. Stronger; more able to handle the situation. Seemed easier to fight than usual.”

Anya continued to stare at her fiancée while the others turned back to Giles. “Why didn’t you tell me?” she hissed at him when the Watcher started to theorise with Angel and Cordy.

“I didn’t know if it was anything important or just a fluke. I didn’t want to worry you.”

The former demon stood and walked quickly outside. Xander didn’t spare a second before following. “An? What’s wrong?”

Anya spun to face him, her eyes blazing with hurt and anger. “We’re getting married Xander. You’re not supposed to hide things from me.”

“I didn’t want to worry yo…”

“Really? So every time something bad happens your going to hide it? Every time you think I’m better off not knowing you’re going to lie? Or just until the time Buffy comes to see me at three in the morning and tells me you’re hurt or dead or worse?”

“No that’s not what I…”

“Do you know how scared I am?” Anya asked quietly, the young woman turning into a scared little girl before his eyes. He didn’t think he was supposed to answer and so sensibly refrained from talking. “I keep wondering what’s it going to be like. Us. Being married. Most of the time I think it’s going to be great. We’re going to be happy, ‘cause I love you and you love me and that’s all that matters. But sometimes I get scared. What if you realise that you don’t want to be with me forever? What if something happens to you and I lose you?”

“That’s not going to happen,” Xander tried to reassure her, stepping closer.

“You don’t know that. But all I’m trying to say is that if you can’t even be honest with me, how is it ever going to be right and good?”

“Anya,” Xander started quietly running his hands up her arms to her shoulders. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the strength thing. I promise that I will never conceal the awful truth from you again, even if it makes you anxious and crazy.”

A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth and she shook her head slightly at herself. “I’m sorry I’m already half crazy.”

Xander laughed. “Are you kidding?” He asked leading her back inside. “That’s why I love you.”

“We can take you as far as Enoi-Mreh. You can see the castle from the hilltop. The road will lead you directly to the castle gates,” Tara heard Valdo inform the others.

“What’s Enoi-Mreh?” Willow asked, filled with curiosity at this strange world they been plunged into.

“It’s a ruin,” another of the dwarves piped up. “Legend has it that Enoi-Mreh is haunted by…”

Valdo silenced the dwarf with a sharp stare, while the others pulled him back down, whispering amongst themselves.

“Pay no attention My Lady,” Valdo addressed Willow. “Enoi-Mreh is as safe a place as you will find. Silly stories are passed around to attract attention. Nothing more.”

Willow turned her attention back to her best friend who was still trying to think of the right words to explain what had happened. “Willow…” The redhead raised her eyebrows in question as everyone silenced, waiting to hear what Buffy had to say. “Can I talk to you outside?”

Willow shook her head. “No, I think you should say it here.”

“I, I, I…” Buffy stuttered looking back and forth between her friends, trying to explain without hurting anyone. “I kissed Spike,” she finished lamely and Willow frowned at her in confusion.

“Yeah. We saw that. And?”

“And… I like kissing him,” Buffy shrugged, and with a smile to equal the Buffybot’s, she walked quickly past the others to discuss that night’s plans with the dwarves.

“I’m gonna kill you. Will that blow the whole Karma thing?”

****

“Thank God,” Cordelia panted as she joined him. “I must be really out of shape.” Angel looked down at her concerned, but she waved away his concern and smiled. “Is that it?”

Angel looked back towards the castle and nodded. “Yeah.” After a moment, he turned to face her again. “It’s going to take a while to get there. Are you going to be ok?”

Cordelia sent him a withering look. “I’ll be fine. You’d just better hope there’s some shelter, or I’ll be carrying you back to L.A. in my coat pocket.”

“Um, guys,” Xander exclaimed suddenly. “I think you might want to see this.”

The others turned to see what Xander was looking at and gaped as the landscape before them changed. The forest rearranged itself into an intricate maze, which led right up to the castle walls.

“Now what do we do?” Cordy asked, her eyes remaining fixed on the trees as though trying to memorize their layout.

“It’ll take us forever to get through that,” Anya added as Angel and Giles shook their heads in answer to Cordelia’s question. “We might never get out.”

“But that’s the only way,” Xander pointed out, becoming a little more panicked. “We can’t get to Dawn and the others if we don’t go.”

“We are going,” Angel told them determinedly and set off towards the beginning of the maze, which had opened up for them at the bottom of the hill.

“Angel are you crazy?” Cordelia shouted, running after him. There is no shelter in there now. And there’s no way we’re going to reach the other end before daybreak.”

The vampire spun to face her, anger mixing with sorrow in his face. “What else can we do Cor? Like Xander said, there’s no other way.”

“So Xander’s right? For the first time ever. Have you thought about walking around the outside?”

“That’ll take even longer. Look, I’m sorry, but I have to do this. We have to do this. So we can take our chances and go this way or we can go back to the cottage and die. Which is to be?” The last statement was addressed to the whole group who had, by this time, joined them.

After they’d been walking for about an hour Wesley tugged discreetly on Buffy’s shirt and they slowed allowing the dwarves to move ahead out of earshot. Buffy looked up at Wesley in question.

“I have a bad feeling about this Buffy,” he told her quietly. “There’s something not right about this place they’re taking us to. I think, and Willow agrees with me, that this is some sort of trap.”

“I’m not stupid Wesley,” Buffy hissed back, not unkindly, “but we haven’t got any other leads and we could wander around the forest forever without some form of help. Frankly I’d rather take my chances with the little guys, than do nothing.”

Wesley nodded, his apprehension dissipating a little once he knew that Buffy was on her guard. They quickened their pace again and the space between them and the dwarves was quickly closed.

“Uh,” Wesley began nervously a few moments later.

“Spit it out Wes,” Buffy told him after about a minute’s hesitation.

“Well… you and Spike…?”

“None of your business,” Buffy interrupted firmly and Wesley sensibly remained silent.

“What’s wrong sweetie?” Tara asked her girlfriend as she watched Willow watch Buffy.

The redhead started and turned to face her lover. “Oh. Nothing. I’m just thinking about this place we’re going and what beasties could be there waiting for us.

Tara gave Willow a knowing look. “You don’t you don’t have to cover with me. If something’s bothering you, you can tell me.”

Willow hesitated a moment before answering. “Buffy and Spike…”

“Ah,” Tara replied as Willow paused, but said nothing more as she waited to hear what Willow thought.

“Spike and Buffy.” Willow stopped again and Tara gave her an encouraging smile. “Am I crazy to think that that might be a good thing.”

Tara sighed with relief. “No. No you’re not crazy. I think so too. Good thing.”

Willow frowned. “But, vampire.”

“He loves her.”

“I know that. But I’m the best friend. It’s my job to be worried.”

Tara smiled. “Well I’ve made it my job, as best-friend’s girlfriend to be their official matchmaker.”

“You’ve just been their unofficial one up ‘til now?” Willow joked with a smile.

“Yes but now I have best-friend’s approval. Don’t I?”

She turned back to address the dwarves and found that they had disappeared. “Where’d they go?”

Willow looked around in confusion. “I don’t know. They were right there.”

Buffy sighed. “Well I guess this is where we find out if they were on our side.” She looked up towards the ruin and turned to Willow. “Getting any weird vibes? I mean, is there anything up there?”

“Well we’re not going to get the Little Bit back standing around here all day,” Spike drawled with a roll of his eyes. “Let’s get on with it.” He started up the hill and Buffy ran to catch up with him.

“Um, are you ok?”

He looked down at her and then back up towards their destination. “Fine. You?”

“Fine.”

“Buffy…”

“Spike…” They both started talking at the same moment and laughed slightly as the tension was broken. “Please,” Spike continued, “You go first.”

Buffy took a deep breath and fixed her eyes on the edge of Spike’s shoulder. “I just wanted to say that I understand about that thing… before. I know you were upset and I’m not getting all weirded out about it.”

“Oh.”

“Oh?”

“Um, Buffy?” Wesley’s voiced interrupted the Slayer and vampire, but they weren’t paying attention.

“Not now Wes. Oh? What does ‘oh?’ mean?”

“Buffy I really think you should look,” Willow called out urgently and the Slayer turned, irritated, to where her friends were staring.

“Don’t warn the tadpoles!”

Willow - ‘What’s My Line Part 1’

****

“We are never getting out of here!” Xander told them, panicked after an hour and a half.

“Calm down sweetie,” Anya threw over her shoulder as she tried to judge which way to turn. Like Angel, she was trying as hard as she could to keep track of the direction in which they were headed. But mazes were meant to be confusing and she had to concentrate as much as possible.

“But we’re lost,” Xander cried, looking around him as if hoping to see a sign pointing them in the right direction.

Cordelia pulled Xander away from the others as they tried to focus their attention ahead. “Will you calm down? Panicking isn’t going to help anyone,” she hissed.

“Oh, I know you have absolute faith in Deadboy,” Xander replied sarcastically, “but you might remember that I have no such belief in his ability to get us all out of here safe and sound. And before you say it, Anya’s had these ‘special powers’ for less than a day. I am nowhere near confident that they can do this. I’m not even confident I can do this.”

“Left?” the former demon asked Angel, smiling up at Xander in thanks.

“Left,” Angel agreed and the small group headed along the left path, praying that they wouldn’t encounter any demons along the way.

“It’s a dragon,” Wesley whispered, rather pointlessly as the group stared up in awe at the creature.

“What are we going to do?” Tara asked looking back and forth between her girlfriend and the Slayer.

Willow gave a small shrug and glanced at Buffy quickly before returning her gaze to the dragon. Buffy couldn’t tear her eyes away from it. Her mouth hung open slightly and her mind went completely blank.

“Uh, Umm,” Wesley stuttered as he struggled to switch his brain back into working mode. “Uh, yes I think so. About dragons anyway, but as to how to get past one…”

“Can’t we just go around another way?” Willow squeaked.

“It’ll take too long,” Spike said determinedly. “There has to be a way to get past it.”

“A Minotaur?” Anya hissed at Giles as they stood staring at the beast at the end of the path.

“Well the Minotaur was trapped inside the Labyrinth in Greece,” Giles told them. “So obviously we’re faced with the same challenge. To, uh…”

“Kill the Minotaur,” Angel finished for him, looking back along the path to see if there was another way to go. “Ok, Giles you take the girls the other way. Keep going. Xander and I’ll catch up when we’ve…”

“When we’ve what?”

“Angel you can’t do this alone!”

“I’m not going anywhere without Xander!”

“Cordy, Anya, please. You have to get to Dawn,” Angel reasoned, moving so that he and Xander were standing a little behind the others. “Xander’s the only one besides me with the strength to fight this thing. We’ll be ok.” He stared Cordy straight in the eyes as he finished and she nodded, gently leading Anya in the opposite direction.

“I love you,” Anya called back to Xander.

He smiled bravely back at her. “I love you too.”

The two males watched as their friends disappeared from sight and then turned around, walking slowly towards the Minotaur. “So, uh, how do we kill this thing? What’re its weak spots?”

“I don’t know,” Angel answered. “No one ever found out.”

“What?”

“Well in Greek legend, Theseus killed the Minotaur. But no one knows quite how he did it. Some say he used a sword. Others say he used his bare hands. So let’s hope it was the latter and that together, you and I are as good as he was.”

“So you’re saying that in all probability we’re going to die?”

“Most likely.”

Xander nodded and straightened his shoulders. “Just so long as I know.”

“This wasn’t exactly what I had in mind,” Spike told Wesley as the group cautiously approached the ruins.

“Well there isn’t anything else we can do. It’s either try and find a way past it or go around. And as you said, we don’t have time to find another way. We’ll just have to take our chances and do the best we can. We do still have you and Tara.”

Tara looked round at Wesley in shock at his statement. “Me?”

“Now that Buffy’s lost her powers, you’re the strongest person here, along with Spike,” Wesley reminded her, looking apologetic but sounding fiercely determined at the same time.

Tara swallowed nervously but then raised her chin, staring the vampire straight in the eye. “Let me come with you. I want to help. This is what I’m supposed to do. I wouldn’t have this strength otherwise.”

Willow squeaked in fear and gripped her girlfriend’s hand a little tighter but she didn’t try and stop her. She knew how brave Tara could be and how willing she was to sacrifice herself for those she loved. Just like Spike.

Buffy however was not going to let him go without an argument. “Are you crazy? You’ll get yourself killed!” she shouted, pulling him round to face her.

“Better me than all of us,” he told her through gritted teeth. “You still have to get to Dawn.”

The Slayer’s face crumpled. “I don’t want to lose you.”

Spike cursed and drew her to him quickly, crashing his lips down on hers once again. Before she had time to respond the way she wanted to he pulled back. “It’s only a dragon,” he told her with a cocky grin as he moved her firmly, yet gently away. “One measly dragon against the Big Bad and Goldilocks here.” Willow and Buffy both smiled a little as they held onto each other, watching the young witch and the vampire continue up the hill.

“If anything happens to me, you get the hell out and catch up with the others,” Spike told Tara quietly as they walked away, their eyes on the ruin and not on each other.

“And if anything happens to me you do the same,” Tara agreed bravely.

Spike looked across at her and couldn’t help but be awed once again by the strength of her courage. “Damn Scoobies,” he muttered, silently agreeing to Tara’s request.

Rounding another corner, Anya and Cordelia came to an abrupt halt, causing Giles to quicken his pace to catch up with them. “Anya! Cordelia! What is it?”

“Is this the centre?” Cordelia asked as Giles stopped next to them. “Did we make it all the way through the centre?”

“It certainly looks like it,” Giles answered, following the brunette into the large square lined with tall hedges. There was a sundial in the centre and a small bench, which Anya gratefully collapsed upon to rest.

“Should we wait here?” she asked lying back and closing her eyes. “We should wait here right? For Xander?”

“And Angel,” Cordelia added, looking towards Giles. The older man smiled back at her supportively.

“Of course we will. For as long as we can anyway. If they aren’t here by daybreak, I think we should continue to the castle. God only knows what’s happening to Buffy and the others. We really do need to find Dawn as quickly as possible.”

“Poor Dawnie,” Anya said, sitting up so that Cordelia could sit next to her. “She must be so scared.”

“She’s been in bad situations before Anya. She’s a very brave girl, I’m sure she’s fine.”

The former demon, seeing through Giles optimistic words, was about to comment when Cordy decided to intervene. “What kind of bad situations has Dawn been in? She was too young to patrol or help out when I was still in Sunnydale. I guess she’s grown up a lot these past couple of years huh? Has she been getting into trouble? Trying to take on the bad guys herself?” She looked back and forth between Giles and Anya who wore matching expressions of surprise. “What?”

The voice startled Spike and Tara who had very cautiously entered the ruins, watching their surroundings closely. Turning to their left they saw an eye blink through one of the stone arches and then gasped as the dragon raised its head, staring down at them over the crumbling walls.

“Spike!” the vampire shouted up to the dragon, stepping in front of Tara to try and shield her somewhat from their adversary.

“You do not have to fight me,” the dragon told them lowering its head so that it could converse more easily, and even Spike couldn’t prevent a sigh of relief at the words. “I will take you and your friends to the castle at Tolemac.”

“Thank you,” Tara answered with a bright smile. “We’d appreciate…”

“I will take you,” the dragon interrupted, “if you can answer a question.”

“A question?”

“Yes William a question. You can’t get something for nothing. Especially here. So answer this question and I will help you. If you get the answer wrong you and your friends will remain here and I shall ask another question tomorrow. And the day after, and the day after. Do you understand?”

Both Tara and Spike nodded, though neither looked happy at the prospect of being stranded there indefinitely. The dragon cleared its throat and began.

“What was born the same time as the world, is destined to live as long as the world, but is never 5 weeks old?”

“Wow,” Cordelia breathed, a moment after Giles and Anya had finished their story. “You mean Dawnie… Wow.”

“You get used to it,” Anya told her nonchalantly and then stood and started to pace.

“Well you were right Giles,” Cordelia continued talking with the Watcher. “She’s very brave. I’m sure she’ll be giving her captors a run for their money. But you know Darla and Drusilla are pretty scary. Even for someone who’s faced a hell-god. I mean, I’ve seen some pretty bad things in my line of work. I’ve been impregnated with demon spawn, had to suffer horrendous visions from the Powers, was almost killed by these priest guys in an alternate dimension, not to mention the hundreds of demons I’ve had to face and the number of times I’ve had to sit through Angel singing at Caritas… But still Darla and Dru remain at the top of my all time fear list. Along with Angelus and Sp…”

“Spike?”

“I guess I shouldn’t say that huh? Since he’s working for the good guys now.”

“Cordelia, I understand your… mistrust of Spike and occasionally I continue to share it but, no matter what has happened in the past, I know that Spike has done things, good things, that I would be doubtful to expect from even the best among us.”

Cordelia looked as though she had more to say but Anya’s excited cry stopped her, and she and Giles made their way quickly to where the former vengeance demon stood. She was pointing eagerly at the sundial. “This writing here. I recognise it. The sundial can take us to the castle. We just have to touch it, repeat the phrase and we’ll be transported to the end of the maze. The castle.”

Giles bent down to inspect the text and Anya beamed brightly at Cordelia. “It certainly looks like…”

The Watcher got no further as Angel and Xander came hurtling into the centre from the right. They were both breathing heavily and laughing. Anya and Cordelia immediately ran across to them; Anya lovingly stroking her fiancée’s face before pulling him into a fierce hug, while Cordelia tenderly inspected the cuts on Angel’s face.

“Are you ok?” Anya asked, refusing to let go of her lover.

“I’m fine An. Tired, but fine.”

“Yeah,” Angel agreed, taking Cordy’s hand away from his face and holding it tightly between both of his. “Have you figured out which way to go? We really need to keep moving.”

“The sundial,” Anya told them, turning her head but leaving her body wrapped around Xander who laughed slightly and held her firmly against him.

“Yes,” Giles explained further, “the sundial should take us to the end of the maze. We just have to touch it and… and say the words apparently.”

“Thank God,” Xander said as the small group stepped forward. “I thought we were never going to get out of here.”

“Correct,” the dragon shouted delightedly, jerking his head back away from them as sparks of fire began to fly from its mouth in its excitement.

“Hey!” Spike shouted, jumping quickly out of the way. “We answered the damn question. There’s no need to go killing us now.”

The dragon’s mouth turned up in what Spike thought was a smile as it spoke again. “Go and fetch your friends. When you return I shall take you to the castle as I promised.”