Title: Season Of The Witch

Author: BuffyAngel68

e-mail:buffyangel68@yahoo.com Yahoo IM: buffyangel68

Rating: PG for one or two bad words.

Disclaimer: Joss owns Buff and company. Mr. Spelling owns Piper, Paige and that crew. (Finally, something he put on the screen that I watch willingly!) Sue if you care to. Since I'm not making money off these characters, I have nothing and you will receive nothing.

Summary: BtVS/ Charmed X-over. Thought it was time these two groups found out about each other. Pain and general getting beat up may ensue. We'll see. The timeline is Sometime after Prue's demise and Buffster's season 6 resurrection. Oh, and because the sisters dealt with vamps later on this is sort of AU. Other than that.... eh, who knows.

Season Of The Witch
by BuffyAngel68

[Tara? Have you seen my new Wiccan catalog? I thought I left it here on the night table.]

[Which one?]

[Herbs for Fun and Spell-Casting.]

[Sorry, sweetie. I put it in the magazine rack when I was cleaning up this morning.]

[It's okay. Someone has to be the neatnik in this relationship. Leave it up to absent-minded me and I'd be putting hemlock in the chamomile canister. That would be a cup of tea to remember!]

[Not for long.] Tara giggled softly. The sound reverberated in Willow Rosenberg's head, the feelings it engendered making her slightly dizzy. When it was just the two of them, they always communicated telepathically, and had been doing so for over a year. They had kept it their secret, fearing that the others would worry they were isolating and pulling away from the world too much, but Willow and Tara merely saw the mind to mind contact as a higher level of the intimacy they shared. [By the way; I thought we talked about the negative me-speak. I love you just as you are, baby. Even when you're throwing clothes all over the room looking for your watch.]

[And I love you, supportive brick wall girl. Ah-ha. Here's the web addy I was looking for. I was really hoping Anya would have the Hellispont flower I need for the healing broth, but she won't get any in for a month.]

[That's weird. I swear I saw some in there yesterday.]

[Whole buds, yeah, but I need it pre-ground. The dried buds are like cement. I don't have anything that'll grind `em. Luckily the ad for this store had a URL.... wow. It's all the way down in San Francisco. Feel like a day trip tomorrow, lover?]

[I'm on night shift at the shop. Sure. It could be fun.]

[And if we manage lunch at Fisherman's Wharf and an hour or two gawking at dresses and shoes we can't afford, who'd dare judge us sneaky and time-wastey?]

[Noone!] Tara laughed again, her voice sending another round of pleasant chills through her girlfriend. The warmth and affection Tara felt for her was as clear in Willow's head as if they were in the same room, instead of several feet apart, separated by a bathroom door. [We'd better get some sleep then, baby. Lunching and window- shopping can take it right out of a girl.]

[Uggh! Too much Cordelia sounding! Get in here and drive her out of my head. Hurry!]

[I'm coming. Is the tea ready?]

[Yep. Nice and hemlocky with a touch of arsenic, just the way you like it.]

When Tara chuckled in her mind for the third time, Willow flushed, grinned broadly, put aside her laptop and crossed her legs under her. Silently, she began her nightly round of private prayer, giving her measure of thanks for all she'd been allowed to accomplish in her life and in her magic, and for the restoration of Tara's sanity. She prayed that the ones watching over her, Tara and the rest of their circle understood the depth of her gratitude she bore for friends, lovers and the mystical power that sustained her in a world that, just lately, seemed to be upside-down and sideways far more often than it was right-side up.

Gliding into the bedroom, Tara settled on the bed facing her lover and began her own personal litany of thanks and petitions of protection and eternal grace for Willow Rosenberg, the one person she clung to when the world confused, frightened and overwhelmed her, which was more often than not. In Tara's eyes, Willow was not a proper name for the tower of strength that was the powerful woman she'd come to adore. Privately (she had vowed her lover would never learn of it) she had renamed the redhead Luna-Athené, after the goddesses of light and wisdom. To her mind, the name represented Willow's finest and most evident qualities; the light of her white magic, which shone from her, and the power of a mind and spirit guided by a compassionate heart.

Finally opening her eyes, Tara found Willow gazing intently at her.

[You aren't supposed to ask about personal prayers, remember?] she sent gently and with a touch of good humor. [It was your rule.]

[I wasn't going to. You just looked so happy and at peace. I wondered.... that's all.]

[I'm always that way when you're nearby. Let's do our spoken unison prayer. My hemlock tea's getting cold.]

Smiling, Tara grasped Willow's hands tightly and the two women began to chant together. ""Guardian spirits; shield us and all those we care for through the long hours of darkness. Spirits of strength and endurance; guard our footsteps through the coming day, that we may not stumble and lend us your power, that we may face whatever confronts us with grace and equanimity. Goddess of the mystical realms; may your face shine upon our endeavors, may all we create, be it with magic or the works of our hands, be only for good, and may we bring honor to the names of all those who went before. As it was, so shall it be again. As it should be, may we see it come to pass. Blessed be." "

When the last drop of tea had been drained from their cups and the bedside lights extinguished, both women curled close to one another. Thoughts of seeking out the other's opinion on a bit of pleasure drifted muzzily through their heads, but were quickly over-ridden by fatigue and chamomile. Only moments after Willow stepped over the edge into true sleep, Tara followed.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

HALLIWELL MANOR, SAN FRANCISCO:
THE FOLLOWING MORNING

"Phoebe! Where did we put the Hellispont buds last time? I can't find the canister anywhere!"

Peeping around a corner into the kitchen, Phoebe Halliwell grinned sheepishly at her sister, squeezing her eyes shut.

"We're out. You used up the last of them teaching Paige the trap the demon spell, remember? I keep checking our favorite spooky supermarket, but all they have is the powder. Canister's in the dishwasher ready to be sterilized for the next batch."

"Why doesn't anybody tell me these things!" Piper muttered irritably from the top of the stepstool, making one last futile search through the cabinets. When Phoebe began to laugh, Piper whipped her head around and glared down at her. "What?"

"Nothing. Hearing that just reminded me of a Bugs Bunny cartoon I used to like."

"Really. Great. I've been reduced from head of the household to a blob of ink and paint."

Thumping her way back down to floor level, Piper snatched her keys from the table and headed for the front door, but halted in her tracks when an idea struck her. "Where's Paige?"

"Upstairs in her room. Why?"

Smiling thinly, Piper spun and marched up the stairs.

"I need a shopping partner."

{and a frustration sounding board. She'll have to learn to avoid me and my black moods sometime. Might as well be now....}

Several minutes later, Piper and Paige were belted into the Explorer and pulling out of the driveway. As it usually did, maneuvering and controlling the vehicle bled off most of Piper's angst and left her feeling relatively peaceful; at least enough to admit that her stress had other sources besides her sisters and running out of a necessary herb at a bad time.

With Paige's arrival and the adjustments she and Phoebe had been forced to make, Piper had convinced herself that her delayed grief over Prue's death would only be that; a delay. Paige had been thrust into a new family and a power that had her head spinning full speed. Phoebe was only beginning to talk out her confusion and pain over the loss of her sister. Once things had calmed down and she could find a moment to herself, she would scream and cry in private, but while the other two still needed her strength, collapse was not an option. She would grieve when the others no longer leaned on her so much.

{Yeah, and if I concentrate and look really hard, I can see the Statue of Liberty from here. God save me from ever completely swallowing the daily load of bull I feed myself.}

"Piper? Are you.... I mean, if you don't want to talk about it, I understand. I just thought..."

Startled out of some fairly dark mental pathways, Piper jumped slightly in surprise, then settled back, flexing and relaxing her hands.

"I'm fine, Paige. I'm just a little.... stressed at the moment. That's part of what this drive is for, to blow off a little steam. I'm really.... fine."

Gazing over at her newfound sister from the passenger's seat, Paige assessed Piper critically.

"No you aren't, but it's okay. Prue's only been gone a little while. It'll take time. I get that. I know Phoebe and I have depended on you a lot this past week, too. I'm sorry. It's just.... all this has got me dizzy. If I don't lean on something, I'm afraid I'll fall over."

"Don't apologize for what you can't control. I know you didn't ask for all these changes to drop on you out of a clear blue sky. If I have to be extra-supportive for a while.... I can do that."

"And console Phoebe, and run the club, and find your own time to be sad? Yeah, right."

"Look. Being `I'm here for you, and you and you too' girl is who I am. It's what I do. Let it go, alright?"

Paige nodded, but her arms remained crossed over her chest in an overt display of stubbornness and her expression remained vaguely irritated all the way to the store.

When they arrived, Piper locked the truck and strode up to the business' doors; unaware for the first few seconds that Paige was hanging back as if unsure she wanted to enter.

"It's just a store, Paige. Their stock may be a little.... unusual, but it's still a store just like any other. C'mon."

"Unusual. You mean witch stuff. For spells and protection. That kind of unusual." She replied, cautiously moving through the doors ahead of her sister.

"Exactly, but there are no bats hanging from the ceiling, no boogety-boogety's around every corner and noone's going to try and shrink you, I promise."

"Very funny. That was terrifying, Piper. I still have nightmares about it."

"Frankly, so do I, but I've gained enough distance to be able to joke about it, even if I can't laugh yet. It's never very long between life-threatening crises around our house, Paige. You learn pretty quickly to get over and get on before the next one shows up. You'll get the hang of it soon. Let's see. Fresh Herbs, Live Plants... there it is. Dried Flowers: Whole and Ground."

Stepping into the aisle she wanted, Piper spotted two other customers nearly at the other end of the row; a petite redhead and a tall, leggy blond who were obviously as into each other as they were into searching for what they needed.

{Live and let live.} she thought distractedly as she scanned the hundreds of boxes, bags and canisters for the name she sought, looking back once in awhile to make sure Paige was still with her. {They do look great together, though. Nice contrast in coloring, and they're both stunners.}

As the two pairs moved closer to each other, Piper's thoughts broke apart and scattered, a frown creased her brow and she raised a hand to absently rub at her left temple. Eventually her growing discomfort forced her to stop in her tracks.

"Piper? Are you alright?"

"Yeah. It's okay.... look, I told you what I'm looking for, right? If I give you the money, would you...."

"Of course. You're sure you're alright."

"I will be if I can get out of here. The redhead.... something about her..... I don't know. I'll see you in the car." Piper told her weakly, turning and practically running in the other direction.

"Okay. I shouldn't be long." Paige shouted after her before turning back to the shelves and surreptitiously tuning in on the conversation the other two were conducting. She found the task surprisingly difficult, as she was suddenly battling the first strains of what promised to develop into a monster headache as well as a touch of nausea announcing its unwelcome presence in the pit of her stomach. Despite the disturbing sensations, Paige dug in her heels and continued to listen.

"Helm-moss.... hellbane.... Hellispont powder! Wow, large and small bags. What do you think, baby? How much do we need?"

"I'm not sure. Somebody's getting smacked around or beaten up every other day, and demons are the evil soup du-jour back home right now. Two large maybe. What's the price?"

"Evil soup." The redhead giggled as she peered more closely at the label. "Like you get from McDonalds."

"Yeah." The blond agreed, chuckling too. "That stuff is definitely hell-spawned."

"Yay. This is a lot better price than I hoped it would be. I think I can afford three big ones."

Willow glanced over at Tara for a response, only to find her lover otherwise occupied in training a worried look on the young woman a few feet down the aisle from them. "Tara?"

"Uh-oh. I've heard and read about this, but I never thought I'd.... wow. You'd better go on and pay for those, Willow. I'll talk her down and meet you in a few minutes."

"Down? From where? What's going on?"

"It's complicated. I meant to show you the article, but.... things, you know? You're giving her wiggins. I'll explain later. You just need to go."

"Tara...."

"Not now, sweetie. Go." she murmured, pushing the bags of powder into Willow's hands and encouraging the other woman to move in the direction of the registers before turning back to Paige. "I'm really sorry. She had no idea she was making you green around the gills. Is your friend alright?"

"My sister, and she is now. What was that?"

"We're witches too. It's something that happens sometimes between powerful ST's and naturals. That was Willow, I'm Tara."

"Paige Matthews. ST's?"

`Self-trained's, like Willow and I are. Your sister must be really strong in her power, or else she never would have reacted so badly. It's like..... bringing together the same poles of two powerful magnets. The closer they get, the harder they push apart. In this case, the stronger witch, even if it's only by a little, usually repels the weaker."

"Really. I can't wait to tell Piper she got repelled. Don't mind the enthusiasm. Not that I'm glad she got sick, it's just that I'm kind of new to this, so most everything about magic is still really cool for me."

"Not so new. You felt it too, didn't you?"

"A little."

"That's a good sign. Your natural power will be very strong someday. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine now. I guess I should go. Thanks for the information."

"Wait. Were you looking for Hellispont too?"

"Uh-huh, but they don't have the form I need."

"Hang on... I know I stuck a bunch of those things in here a few days ago..." Tara mumbled, digging in her handbag. "Where did they.... ah. Here you go." She announced, producing a business card. "This place is only about an hour and a half away, and I know for a fact they're overstocked with the whole buds. Just call or e-mail and they'll ship however much you need at a decent price. Mention that Willow and I turned you on to the store and you might even get a discount. I wouldn't count on it, but you can try."

"Really? Hey, thanks.... Tara is it?"

"No problem. I'll even write Willow's and my e-mail addys on the back so we can stay in touch. There."

"Cool. Thanks again."

"You're welcome. Bye."

"Bye."

Back in the truck, Paige gave Piper a detailed account of her conversation and the events in the store.

".... and she said this place... `The Magic Box', would ship all the whole Hellispont buds we want."

"Huh. It was almost worth feeling like all my internal organs were trying to Macarena out through the top of my head."

"That bad?"

"That bad. What was that term you said she used?"

"ST's?"

"Yeah, that. Self-trained witches. Stronger repels weaker, hmm? And here I thought I was queen of witch mountain." Piper mused darkly, sliding the business card into her jacket pocket.

"Hey. Wait a minute..."

"I promise you can copy all the information off the card. After that, I have something else in mind for it...." she stated cryptically, dropping the truck into gear and backing out of the lot.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

"Phebes? Where are you? I need help, like now!"

Appearing from the kitchen, hands and face streaked with copious amounts of flour, the third Halliwell looked mild daggers at her sister.

"I'm a little busy at the moment."

"Get un-busy. It's time to try that spell you've been avoiding for months."

"I thought you understood why I won't go near that one, Piper. No."

"You can't run from this forever, Phoebe. I think you're ready."

"I don't."

"I wouldn't ask unless I had a reason; a very good reason."

"You don't ask, sis. You demand, you insist, you bully, you strong-arm...."

"Pheobe." Paige broke in, staring the smaller woman down. "Something really weird happened at the store today. It shook both of us up, but Piper got the worst of it. Before you make your decision and pour the cement.... can we at least talk about it?"

Glancing from Paige to each other, Piper and Pheobe spoke in perfect unison.

" " She's a Halliwell." "

Smiling thinly, Pheobe gave in.

"Fine. Let me get cleaned up.... and we'll talk."

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

"Self-trained witch?"

"Two, actually." Piper corrected her. "They both had some power, but I got this sense that the redhead is stronger than any of us might ever become and she couldn't have been.... twenty-five even."

"You're worried."

"Not... precisely. Concerned. There's a huge source of magical power out there we didn't even know existed.... power that could be turned against us."

"I don't know, Piper. Tara seemed perfectly nice..." Paige interjected.

"Tara isn't the dangerous one." Piper reminded her. "To be able to protect ourselves we need to know more about this... Willow. So. You up for this, Phebes?"

Breathing deeply, Phoebe swiped at a tear and shivered lightly, as if an errant draft of freezing air had touched her.

"I want Prue. She was so good at talking me through this kind of thing. She was the only one who really understood how much going to new levels of my power scared me...."

"I know, sweetie. If you really aren't ready, I can't force you. I won't."

"No. You're right. Without more info, we're sitting ducks. I have to try."

Sitting forward, Phoebe grasped Piper's left hand and Paige's right then recited a short spell. "Powers of knowledge, powers of light, Loosen the shackles on my inner sight. From the object I now burn Show me all that I might learn. Shield my mind from evil's eye And from the ones on which I spy."

On the third line of the spell, Piper dropped the business card into a copper bowl that already contained a modest flame.

The moment the last word of the spell was spoken, images began to bombard Pheobe, most coming far too fast for her to comprehend or interpret what she was seeing. It was nearly fifteen minutes before the torrent slowed and stopped, allowing her to open her eyes.

"Holy.... mother.... of pearl. Gotta modify that fourth line..... all... is a very bad word...."

"Phoebe?"

"I'm okay. That was incredible ... overwhelming..... I need a handful of aspirin and a forty-eight hour nap..... and I need them yesterday....."

Already unsettled and antsy about what had gone on that day, Paige took the opportunity to step away from events for a moment and left to grab a breath and dig up some pain reliever for Phoebe.

"What did you see?" Piper questioned her sister gently.

"Too much... way too much. Most of it is still all jumbled.... there was this blond girl.... beautiful, petite... it was like watching a kung fu\sci-fi double feature where the films got melted together..... she was kicking some major booty...."

"Whose?'

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

"Demons definitely.... vampires maybe. I've never seen one, so I can't be sure."

"Vampires? Wow.... Anything else exciting?"

"Like that isn't enough? It was a lot of faces.... the same ones over and over, mostly. I get a really strong sense of sadness connected with the blond..... a flash of all the other faces together involved in a group demon ass kicking. From your and Paige's descriptions, two of them could be your pair from the store. Somewhere in there is a tall dark and handsome I wouldn't mind being introduced to....."

Just then Paige returned with a glass of water and the pills. "Thanks Paige. Look, let me go get some rest, okay? I'll sort everything out and write down what I can."

"Sure. You were terrific, Phebes. The best."

"Yeah, I was wonderful." Phoebe moaned, rising slowly and moving toward the stairs. "See if I *ever* do that again though. Man, my head could just fall off right now.... I really wouldn't mind."

Paige watched Phoebe go, then turned to Piper.

"Now what?"

Retrieving the paper onto which all the information from the card had been transferred, Piper studied it for a moment before replying.

"Now, we start planning a trip to.... Sunnydale. Hmmph. Sounds like something out of a bad sixties beach movie. I'll make a list of what we need to take for a couple days away from home, you go grab the book."

"I thought you said it doesn't leave the house."

"It isn't going to. I just want to get some background info on this type of demon and copy down a protection spell or two.... or six."

"You really are worried about this aren't you?"

"Absolutely. Vampires.... that's something we've never dealt with. Facing an unknown.... yeah, you could say that worries me."

"When do you want to leave?"

"First thing tomorrow. I don't like the idea of this threat in my back yard and if there's anything I can do about it.... I'm doing it."

"An hour and a half away isn't exactly our backyard, Piper. And are you talking about the witches or the vampires?"

"It's close enough..... and both."

THAT SAME NIGHT: SUNNYDALE

"Buffy? Are you here?"

Startled out of her thoughts, Buffy Summers looked up from the meal she had cooked but was not eating and listened to her best friend make her way through the house.

"Yeah. In the kitchen."

"Hey. How are you doing? Did the day go okay?"

"Could have been better.... but I'm dealing. What about you? Did you and Tara have fun shopping in San Fran?"

"Some. It was good. We found the spell ingredient we needed, did some window browsing...."

"You have but-face. Give."

"Are you up for some advice dispensing? I mean, if you aren't I can come back tomorrow..."

"It's okay. Feel free to complain."

"No complaining. I need an... opinion. While Tara and I were looking for the Hellispont powder, we ran head on into something.... someone we *weren't* looking for. Two natural witches."

"Natural? You mean they, like, run around.... clothes free?"

"No!" Willow admonished her, giggling. "Natural as in born to their power."

"There is such a creature?"

"Absolutely. Well.... I can say that now that I've met one. Before I wasn't sure, but now I say, absolutely!"

"You're really pale, Wills. What happened at this meeting of the witches anyway?"

"I made one of them kinda... sick. Tara... she read this article on it? She said that it only happens when a strong self-trained witch comes in close contact with a natural at almost the same level of power. The stronger one repels the weaker one, who ends up with a headache, an upset tummy.... you get the picture."

"And she got repelled. That's good news, right? You're stronger."

"Not by much, I don't think. Buffy... I don't like the idea of a witch that powerful being so close by if I don't know anything about her."

"You mean whether she's kissing cousins with the dark side of the force?"

"Exactly. Tara said her sister seemed really nice, but she also said that the sister felt a little touch of the repelling. You know the smoke and fire thing...."

"Where there are two there could be more.... and maybe the really strong ones stayed home today."

"Yeah. Just what I was thinking."

"Great. Research party. The only kind of party I *don't* like."

"I'll handle the research. I already have a name to make a start on."

"Goody. I needed a cheery thought and no research is the best kind. So what do you need from me, or should I even dare to ask."

Trying hard to maintain a straight face, Willow dropped to one knee in front of Buffy, bowed her head and made her request in a horrid New York accent.

"Nuttin' of any great import, Godmother. I only ask that youse send someone ta the city ta check on dese new players, so that we will know if dey will be enemies or allies. Can dis be done, Godmother?"

Laughing in spite of herself, Buffy stuck out a foot and gently knocked Willow onto her rear end.

"I`ll go first thing in the morning. I need all the information you can get me by then."

Back on her knees, Willow began to fervently kiss Buffy's hand, murmuring praises in-between smacks until Buffy was screeching with laughter.

"Thank youse, Godmother. (kiss) Youse won't regret dis, Godmother. (kiss) I'll give ya a pedicure, (kiss) I'll take care of all yer hits (smack) fer a whole month (kiss) without askin' fer my cut, (smack) I'll even walk da Dobermans..."

"Willow! You're crazy!"

"It's good to see you laugh again, Buffy."

"It feels good. Thanks."

"I'll go get started on that research. What should I set my alarm for?"

`Let's make it eight. That way we'll have time to eat and go over whatever you come up with before I leave."

"Okay. See you for breakfast."

"Yeah. I'll be here."

As soon as Willow left the kitchen to head upstairs, Buffy's smile faded, but her heart was not in as dark a place as it had been, and, as much as she might sometimes feel angry about what Willow and the others had done, most of the time she still blessed the fact that they were around. Gazing down at her plate, she carried it to the microwave, re-heated the food, brought it back to the table and began to eat.

%%%%%%%%%%%%

FOLLOWING MORNING

"Paige! Are you ready to go yet?"

"Coming! Jeez, can't I even brush my teeth?"

"Here." Piper replied, holding out a container of mints. "Take one and let's go."

"I don't get breakfast either?"

Piper pushed the tin of mints at her again and smiled thinly.

"Are you done whining, now, because I'd like to get out of here sometime in the next *century*!"

Turning to Pheobe, Paige grimaced.

"If you knew she was this anal retentive about road trips, why didn't you warn me?"

"I needed a laugh?"

"Ha, ha."

"Paige...."

"I'm right here, Piper."

"Which means you aren't in the car."

Paige, in a fit of pique, stuck her tongue out at Piper, grabbed her overnight bag and stalked out of the house. As Piper turned to follow, Pheobe halted her with a hand on her forearm.

"Look. I want you to promise me you'll be really, really careful, okay? What I saw.... some of it was pretty nasty. I finally worked out what all the sadness surrounding the blonde was about. She died fighting one of the.... whatevers I think these people face on a daily basis. Don't take any chances, not even a tiny one.... and come back to me."

"Whatevers? I thought you said vampires."

"Yeah, well I've had time to sort out some of the images and unfortunately vampires are just the beginning. There's something uber-bizzare going on in this town, Piper. Watch your back.... and watch Paige's everything."

"I will, sweetie. I promise."

"You better. Bye."

"Bye. I'll see you tomorrow night. I'll be home by six at the latest and if there's a problem I'll call."

"I'll be waiting." Phoebe responded as she dropped to sit on the stairs, watching the one anchor she had left in the world walk out and shut the door behind her.

{I'll be right here. All day and all night probably.}

Closing her eyes, Phoebe began to pray silently for her sister's safety, petitioning by name or title anyone she thought might listen.



SAME TIME: SUNNYDALE

"Be really careful, Buffy. You and Dawnie both. I still don't think you should be taking her along. These women are real unknowns and unknowns are dangerous to you... to all of us."

"Maybe, maybe not. That's what I'm going there for, right? To find out. And Dawn's better off spending a couple days of her school vacation with me than running around free on the Hellmouth."

"Right. Just... keep one eye behind you all the time. You can't stop the knife you don't see coming."

"Will. I'm the Slayer. I can watch my back, do my nails and make cappuccino all at the same time. With a sprinkle of cinnamon and extra foam even."

"Buffy...."

"Okay. Solemn vow, on my honor I will be extra careful and try to stay out of Slayage trouble. Kay?"

"Good enough. Get going girl. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah. Probably around five or five-thirty. I'll call if I get stuck or I'm attacked by the shopping bug."

"Call? Come back and get me!"

"I am so all over that. See you soon."

Willow watched Buffy collect Dawn and head out the door, then dropped to the couch and prayed for her friend.

%%%%%%%%%%%%

"Read me that again, Paige. Just that one line."

"In the last year there were only 32 deaths or injuries due to barbecue forks, an improvement over the numbers of two and three years ago." Paige repeated, reading from the newspaper article she'd brought up on her laptop while they drove. "Every piece I've found is like that. Now I know where that picture with the three monkeys came from."

"Yeah. Don't look at it, don't talk about it and don't listen when anyone else talks about it. I understand the attitude I guess. The fact that your town is a haven for demons isn't something you exactly want to advertise."

Still focusing on her computer, Paige's eyes opened wide at the latest article she'd discovered.

"Listen to this. They had to build a new high school for the 2000 school year."

"That's not so unusual."

`Wait `till you hear why. At the '99 graduation ceremony, the whole school blew up."

"Blew up? As in exploded?"

"Uh-huh. The principal *and* the Mayor vanished, there were weapons and massive amounts of highly illegal explosives found in the wreckage.... the police blamed it on a war between rival street gangs who had set up competing PCP labs in the school basement. That's another pet theory of the Sunnydale media to explain away all the weird stuff that seems to happen in this place."

"Phoebe did say uber-bizarre. I guess she knew what she was talking about."

"Looks like. No wonder Tara and Willow became such strong witches. Living in Sunnydale it's a matter of self-preservation!"

%%%%%%%%%%%%%

"One more time, Dawn."

"You've already heard it twice."

"Maybe this time it'll make sense."

"I doubt it. but I'll try."

"According to this file Willow decrypted, one cop knows what these women are. He's the only one who knows and when they get in real trouble he protects them from inside the police department..... by doing stuff he shouldn't; stuff that could get *him* in even bigger trouble."

"Why would a cop do that? Why would he risk everything for them? I don't understand."

"I do. Giles did the same thing for you in school, right? He hid things and protected you from your principal. There were probably a lot of times he could have lost his job, but he did it anyway."

Stealing a swift glance away from the highway, Buffy favored Dawn with a proud smile.

"How did you get to be so smart?"

"Watching Willow and Tara and Xander."

"That wasn't the answer I was hoping for."

"Well Spike taught me some really cool stuff...."

"Don't go there! I don't want to know!"

"You asked."

"Yeah, well, I have a bad habit of opening the TMI trapdoor and falling through it into ewww-land. Just keep studying that file."

"Okay. Buffy?"

"What?"

"These women.... are they as dangerous as this makes them sound?"

"Maybe. That's what I'm going to San Francisco to find out. Don't worry. I swear nothing will happen to you. I won't let it."

Though she hid it from her sister, Dawn allowed herself a quick relieved grin.

"Thanks."

`No big."

%%%%%%%%%%%%

"We're getting close again. Look for the exit sign."

"Yeah, well if you'd been paying more attention to the map instead of the Sunnydale X-files, we wouldn't have missed it the first time, now would we?"

"Hey, when you read some of this, you'll understand. Writing Creative Fiction 101 must be a requirement to get hired as a news reporter down here."

"The cover-up can't be that massive. Other towns around here have to know something at least a little weird is going on. Don't they?" Piper commented as she made the turn onto the exit ramp that would take them to their ultimate destination.

"Apparently not. Either Sunnydale has one hell of an effective chamber of commerce or the whole town has selective senses. Like you said; don't see, don't hear, don't talk."

"Being that oblivious can get you killed as easily as it protects you."

"From what I've been reading, I'd say a lot of the residents of Sunnydale have learned that the hard way. How far out are we, anyway?"

"About half an hour. You sound nervous, Paige. There's nothing to worry about. After what we've been through, anything they try to throw at us I think we can handle."

"We'll see how you feel after you get a look at the obits for the high school for the four years before it went boom. When are we stopping for lunch? I mean, since I had a breath-mint for breakfast...."

"If you'd gotten up on time you could have had an egg-white omelet and cinnamon-raisin toast with me."

"Stop! That's torture! You're supposed to be a good witch."

"Why would I ever stop doing something I'm really good at? We'll find a place to eat soon. I'd rather stop *before* we actually get within the Sunnydale city limits. It'd make me feel better about what might be on my plate. I'll look over the computer stuff at lunch."

"Not a good idea to read this and try to eat at the same time. After lunch we'll switch places. You read, I'll drive."

%%%%%%%%%%%%%

"What's the map say, Dawnie?"

"We're about twenty minutes away. After we cross the bridge we'll almost be there."

"You feel like stopping to eat or driving through?"

"Stopping. Every muscle in my body is cramping."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Stop for lunch it is. You get anything more out of that file?"

"Oh, yeah, but half of it *I* don't even believe and I've seen a lot since I've been in Sunnydale."

"Should make interesting reading."

"Interesting? That is such an understatement...."

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

"According to the street map, we're almost there. It should be that house.... right there. Wow!" Dawn exclaimed. "It's huge! And it's beautiful! It looks so old fashioned. I love it!"

"You're sure we're in the right place?"

"Yeah. Willow's info says we are. Don't you love this place? It looks like a fairy tale house."

"A fairy tale house with witches living in it. That fits I guess. You stay until I check it out, okay?"

"You're treating me like a baby again! I can handle myself, you know!"

"You also have the Summers gene for finding trouble. I'd rather not double the chances something icky is gonna jump out at me when the door opens. Stay."

Dawn scowled and pouted, but she stayed.

Buffy walked up to the door slowly, eyes open and all senses on high alert, despite the fact that it was full daylight. She knew too well that not all dangerous creatures feared the sun. Her bold knock was answered almost immediately, but the reaction of the young woman who responded to Buffy's summons was, though very human, not at all what the Slayer expected.

"Yes? Can I.... Holy mother of.... Leo!"

%%%%%%%%%%%

"We should be getting close, now. What was that street name again?"

"Lemme see." Paige mumbled, staring at the street map they'd bought at a gas station on the way into town. "Revello Drive. Yeah. Turn left right here. We're at the right end. High numbers start here.... Okay. That's it, I think. Pull over."

"Pretty house. Pretty street." Piper observed.

"Pretty normal." Paige finished.

"Yeah, well we know that's not true. Looks are nothing in this town, if Phoebe's vision is even half accurate."

"Not to mention the articles and stats I pulled up."

"Right. Well. Shall we get this little meet and greet started?"

"Yeah. Right behind you." Paige affirmed, stepping out and grabbing her bag and her laptop before locking and slamming her door. She was only a foot or two behind her half sister, who had already rung the door-bell, when Piper screamed and stumbled backward away from the opening door, instinctively throwing up her hands and invoking her power.

The fear of all she'd read and heard surging through her, Paige began to run to Piper's aid, but stopped dead at the sight of one of her worst nightmares framed in the entryway, frozen in the act of bringing a mug to his lips.

Staring around her frantically, she saw a short, thick branch laying at the base of a tree halfway across the lawn. Orbing it into her hand, she used it to thoroughly concuss the bleach blond monster which had frightened her sister, bringing voices, then the owners of the voices from various points in the house.

"What the..."

"Spike! What did you do, lady?!"

"At least it happened in the foyer. I'm not steam cleaning blood out of the carpets again."

"Tara?"

"Paige, right?"

"Yeah. This is Piper. What is that?" she asked, pointing at the utterly still figure she had smashed to the hallway floor.

"He's a vampire, but it isn't what you think. Feel like coming in for coffee?"

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

"Mother of Leo? I haven't been to church in a while, but that's a new one on me." Buffy commented wryly as the brunette at the door swiftly backed away, alternating between panicked glances at her visitor and brief peeks over her shoulder as if she expected someone, or something to suddenly appear, which he did a moment later.

Watching the random sparks and swirls of light coalesce into a human form, Buffy dropped automatically into fighting stance, regretting leaving her weapons in the car. She had cause to be glad for her reflexes and healing abilities a moment later when the dark haired girl rose into the air a foot or two and hung there. This momentarily knocked the Slayer far enough off her mental balance that the other was able to land a solid kick to her jaw, catapaulting Buffy in an backward arc and landing her on her left side at the bottom of the steps.

"What is it, Phoebe? Are you okay?" the man intoned, moving to the young woman's side as her feet contacted the floor again.

"Her.... it.... revenant.... zombie.... dead woman walking. I really have no clue. I just wanted someone around... in case. Thanks for getting here so fast."

"No problem, but I don't think there's any real danger here. You can relax."

"What? Leo, you don't know what I saw...."

"Pheobe. Give me a minute, here, okay? You go on in the living room and catch your breath. I'll be right there...." at the sound of inrushing air behind him he paused. "and apparently so will Cole."

Smiling thinly, Leo moved down the stairs and studied the petite blond just rising to her feet, left arm cradled in her right hand. He'd seen the same "ask no questions, take no prisoners" look in many pairs of eyes before and knew enough to stay out of range, but he decided to speak to the woman and see if he could negotiate a truce before someone got hurt beyond the injuries he was afraid she might have already suffered. "What's your name?"

"Funny. Most people ask that before they decide my ass needs kicking."

"I'm sorry about that. I'm still not sure what it was all about, but if you and your... daughter would care to come into the house, I'm sure we can straighten this out over coffee or tea..."

"She's my sister and that's a really good idea. You do have a first aid kit, I assume?"

"Of course. How badly are you hurt?"

"I'm not. It's just a few scrapes and a dislocated shoulder. The scrapes will need cleaning, that's all." She informed him matter-of-factly. Walking back to her car and crouching by the passenger's door, she breathed deeply once or twice before slamming the affected shoulder into the car. She then rose, shook out the arm, urged the younger woman out of the vehicle and strolled back past Leo, who could do nothing but gape in shock. Abruptly, she whirled around and returned to where he stood, smiling and holding out her hand to shake. "Sorry. I'm just little miss forgetful, today. Buffy Summers. That's my sister Dawn. You coming in?"

After recovering his senses, Leo nodded and followed the other two up the steps and into the house.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

"A vampire. Yeah, I kinda got that from the face. And you trust him? You let him into your house?"

"Well, see he can't hurt humans. This secret group of government scientists captured him and was gonna do nasty things to him, but they didn't want to risk getting bitten so they put this.... microchip in his brain and it gives him a bad headache if he tries to hurt anything other than a demon or another vampire, which, I guess, is technically a demon too, but.... It's a really long story."

"Longer than that?" Piper asked, laughing gently.

"Oh yeah. I didn't even tell you how we found out the scientists were there or...."

"Tara." Willow broke in, handing her girlfriend a glass of iced tea and smiling softly at her. "It's okay. They don't have to know the whole history of the Scoobies in the next five minutes, sweetie."

"Sorry. I get so excited sometimes being able to tell the stories to someone who hasn't heard them before."

"Scoobies? As in Scooby Doo?" Paige questioned

"Yeah." Willow replied. "That's another long story."

At that moment, Anya and Spike returned from the bathroom where she'd been treating the scalp wound resulting from Paige's impromptu attack with a tree branch. Despite the assurances of safety Tara had provided, Paige rose and moved off to sit with her sister on the other side of the room, where Piper was forced to stay to avoid the worst effects of her stronger/weaker conflict with Willow.

"You two! Oy, what's with lettin' those bints in here? One of `em magicked me an' the other walloped me! If I wasn't chipped I'd be havin' a nice between meal snack about now..."

"Try it and I'll file your fangs for you." Piper growled, sitting forward slightly, her eyes narrowing in preparation for a fight.

"Okay, that's enough DC." Xander exclaimed, rising from the couch and dragging Spike over to dump him unceremoniously into a chair. "Sit quietly or my threat about the vet clinic will become a reality."

"Vet clinic?"

"DC is Xander's new name for Spike. It stands for Darn Cat. Like in the kid's movie? He does a whole lotta damage and causes trouble, but he never really hurts anyone. Xander keeps telling him that if he doesn't behave he'll tie him up and take him in to be neutered." Tara chuckled, blushing at the thought.

"Hey, it worked for my uncle's cat. Turned a nasty, skirt chasing, spit-in-your-eye-as-soon-as look-at-you hell-beast into a sweet, fat old lapcat who wouldn't hurt a fly. And he never looked at a female again. He just.... seemed to lose interest...." Xander teased with a wicked grin for Spike

"Yeah, you come over here an' say that to my face, Harris...."

"Mommy, little Willy's growling at me...." Xander taunted, his hands flying up to cover his eyes and his laughter.

"Willy? Willy?! I'll bleed you an' pain be damned, you wanker...."

This time it was Willow who halted Spike's tirade; Willow and a warning from his chip.

"Ow! Bugger all.... stupid chip.... stupid humans..."

"Me? Stupid? Did I get myself caught by a bunch of soldier boys with taser guns and then operated on? No...."

"Spike, sit down. Quit letting him get to you. And you stop making fun of him, Xander. Both of you just shut up for a while or I'll make you. And you know I can do it."

This threat had far more effect on the two men than Xander's had on Spike. Both glowered at Willow then each other, but they remained quiet.

Piper, glancing in wonder from one member of the group to the next, smiled uncertainly then voiced a question.

"Is it always like this here?"

"In the house, pretty much. In Sunnydale.... you haven't seen anything yet." Willow told her.

At that moment, the whole room became suffused with deep red light, pouring in through the windows and the transom over the door.

"It looks like we're about to...." Paige intoned fearfully.

"Mmm. My favorite color. Neat trick if I do say so." Spike added happily, staring around in fascination even as the others ran for cover or ran to find research books and weapons.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

"Okay, so explain this again. You did actually die.... but you were ressurected?"

"Right. The friend of mine that your sisters met in the store, she's a pretty powerful Wicca and she did this spell to.... bring me back. Now.... one more time. Why shouldn't I kill this guy? He is a demon, right?"

"His name is Cole, and he *was* a demon. Well, he still is, but now he's.. reformed. And mostly human. He actually helps us vanquish other demons. He's one of the good guys, now. And I sort of.... love him."

"Thank you, honey. I think." The dark haired man seated beside Phoebe remarked with mild sarcasm.

"A reformed demon who fights his own kind, has switched to the good side of the force *and* is in love with a human. Boy, that sounds way too familiar..."

"Bad memories?"

"Oh, you don't even wanna know. I could tell you some stories.... on second thought, there are way less depressing things we could talk about. Like, how did you do that trick? The levitation thing? You have got to teach me that. Something like that would be really useful in indoor combat."

"Sorry. It's nothing I can teach. It's just what I do. I was born with that power, but I'm just learning to use it. It's actually my second power to develop. The first was precognitive visons. That's actually how I knew about you before you showed up. My sisters and I did a spell with the business card Tara gave Paige. It enhanced my visions and let me see things about the people associated with the card, but.... I didn't get the back to life thing.... just the long fall, splat, funeral thing. That's why I was so scared when I saw you. Did I say yet how really sorry I am about that?"

"Yeah, a few times. It's okay. No big. I heal fast. Really fast."

"What is it you said you're called again?" Cole asked, his expression bland and mildly curious, a far cry from the thoughts whirring behind his eyes.

"The Slayer. One girl in each generation is chosen to fight evil and save the world from multiple apocolypses and break nails and ruin perfectly good clothes, blah, blah, blah. The whole thing is long and boring and I don't have it memorized. Not that Giles didn't try to make me...."

"Giles? Who's that?" Phoebe asked

"My Watcher. Another long boring explanation there. He was my friend and my trainer. Pretty much my dad all through high school. He went back to England where most of them come from. I think so anyway. I never really got that straight...."

Hearing footsteps, Buffy let her sentence, and the train of thought that went with it, drift into oblivion. Leo and Dawn appeared from the kitchen where he had been keeping her occupied while the other three sorted things out.

"The snacks are ready if you guys are." Dawn announced, glancing quickly up at Leo with a dazzled smile, then back down at her feet. "I helped."

"She sure did. She's a whiz in the kitchen."

This brought another smile from Dawn and a look of long suffering patience from Buffy. {Wonderful.} she thought. {Another Dawn Summers `I'm not going to talk about anyone else for the next six months' crush. We'll have fun, fun, fun till Dawnie takes our sanity away.}

"Sounds great. I can't wait to see what you whipped up." The Slayer chirped, grabbing her sister by the arm and tugging her away from Leo. Seconds later, an ominous crackling sound behind the two girls induced Buffy to throw Dawn to the floor and follow her down. An immense fireball zoomed inches above their heads and exploded the grandfather clock, showering the pair with fragments. Exhorting her sister to keep her head tucked in and her body out of the line of fire, Buffy leapt up and joined Pheobe, Cole and Leo in facing the threat.

"So this is a demon in your little corner of California?" she intoned somberly, staring at what could easily have been a human, had it not been palming another ball of flame.

"Yeah." Phoebe replied. "Isn't it in yours?"

"Like I said, I've got stories. Let's take care of this first, though."

"Agreed, but you better let us handle him. Fists and feet don't work well on this type of demon." Cole warned her.

"Don't see why not. They work on every other kind." Buffy reasoned, throwing a kick to the creature's midsection. He vanished and rematerialized behind her, leaving the Slayer sprawled in an ungainly heap on the floor.

"That's why. Pheobe? I'll distract, you chant."

"Got it."

Nonplussed, Buffy backed away and allowed the other two to work, returning to where Dawn sat watching, wide eyed.

"Pretty cool, huh?"

"Yeah. Really cool."

%%%%%%%%

SUNNYDALE

Panicked, Paige stared back and forth from the vampire, who was currently the only other person in the room besides her sister, to Piper, who seemed as frightened as she was, to the room in general, which, if anything, had grown more red.

"Piper. You're feeling alright, I hope?"

"Pretty good. Keeping my distance from Willow helps. I know what you're thinking, Paige and yes, I am ready to freeze him again if he even *looks* like he's about to get out of that chair."

"No, you bloody well won't!"

"Then don't get out of the chair!"

"I can do whatever I damn well feel like doing." Spike growled, pushing to his feet.

"I should warn you about something. Lately, my freezing power has started to go a little... haywire? Sometimes, instead of freezing things, it blows them into a million tiny pieces. Given that I've already frozen you once, I'd say you've got at least a fifty percent chance of being disintegrated, so if what you *feel like* is playing Russian roulette, then go ahead and make a move, you hairdresser's nightmare."

Spike's irritation and cocky attitude vanished and he sank back into the chair. "That's what I thought."

Just then, Xander rushed back into the room.

"You ladies okay? He didn't get out of line, did he?" the young man asked anxiously.

"No. I'm sure he would have loved to, but he's been properly warned about the.... unpredictability of a witch's power."

"Good for you. Go help Anya with the weapons, Spike."

"Me? Why should I do anything for you lot...."

"Because if you don't, I'll gladly let Miss Halliwell make good on her threat.... whatever it was."

"Can't. If I get up she'll blast me."

"Spike, get gone or I'll sic Willow on you and blasting is the nicest thing she'll do to you."

Spike grumbled and groused under his breath, but he rose from his seat and moved up the stairs.

"Thanks." Paige responded, breathing a deep sigh of relief.

"It's okay. He really is harmless. Pretty much anyway. He's like a tea kettle. He makes a lot of noise, but you won't get burned if you handle him right."

Just as Xander was settling in to begin searching through the dusty, ancient book he'd brought with him, the room began to shake as a basso profundo voice thundered through and around the entire house. Caught unawares, the scattered members of the group sought shelter wherever they happened to be until the shuddering and roaring ceased.

"SPIKE! YOU WILL PRESENT YOURSELF TO ME OR I WILL SHOW THE HUMANS NO MERCY! COME OUT OF THAT PITIFUL WOODEN DWELLING IMMEDIATELY, OR I WILL REDUCE IT TO SMOKING DEBRIS AND YOUR PROTECTORS WITH IT! YOU KNOW WELL ENOUGH NOT TO TOY WITH ME! I WILL NOT TOLERATE YOUR GAMES! YOU HAVE ONE HOUR TO EXIT THE DWELLING AND KNEEL BEFORE ME! REFUSE AND THE HUMANS WILL SUFFER!"

With this pronouncement, the red light vanished and the others slowly stumbled back into the living room to join Xander, Piper and Paige. Spike was the last to return, reluctantly dragged behind Anya. Eventually, he responded to the intense scrutiny of the group.

"Yeh? So what's everybody lookin' at me for?"

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

SAN FRANCISCO

"Balthazar is right, little girl. You stay on the floor. This is a game for grown-ups." the demon chuckled as Leo moved to crouch by Buffy and Dawn.

"That.... is not my name. Not anymore. Don't call me that again." Cole growled, taking a step forward. Phoebe pulled him back.

"Stop, Cole. He's baiting you. Don't let him. We have innocents to protect."

"Innocent? I think not. She might be young still, but that one has seen far too much to be innocent." The demon replied, pointing at Buffy.

"And your point is?" Phoebe retorted. "She fights evil. That makes her an innocent in my book."

"And the other one? Do you even have the slightest idea what she is?"

"The reason you're here, I'm guessing."

"How right you are, witch. Do know what you've allowed into your home? There are those who would pay ten times a king's ransom to have her under their control."

"Oh, yeah? And which one do you work for?"

"None of them. Possessing her would dangerously tip the balance of power in the underworld. I'm here to prevent that."

"By destroying her? Don't think so, pal. Not gonna happen." Phoebe countered. "Cole?"

"On it."

While Cole attempted to distract the other demon and Phoebe chanted, Buffy pushed Dawn into Leo's arms.

"Take her somewhere safe. Don't let anything happen to her."

"Wait..."

"There's no time. Do that.... sparkly, swirly thing and get my sister out of here!"

"Buffy, don't you dare...."

The remainder of Dawn's sentence was cut off as she and Leo disappeared. Reassured, Buffy rushed to join the fight only to find Cole and Phoebe had it well in hand. The demon blew apart in a whirl of flame just as the Slayer arrived.

"Not fair. My demons never do anything that cool. They usually just ooze colorful, stinky goo all over my shoes and make bad puns."

"Really?" Cole questioned, genuinely interested. "What do you say I go get those snacks and you can tell us some of those stories you mentioned?"

"We should wait to eat until Leo and Dawn get back. It's only polite."

"Back? Back from where?"

"Not exactly sure. In the heat of the moment I just shoved her at him and told him to get her to safety. I left the where up to him."

"You two go ahead and get the food. I'll call Leo and give him the all clear." Phoebe offered. Cole grasped her elbow and held her back from following Buffy.

"All clear for the moment. It might be better to...."

"No, Cole. If we're supposed to protect this girl, we need to know what the demon was talking about."

"And you think the kid's going to tell you?"

"I can hope can't I?"

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

T- 30 MINUTES

"Out with it, D.C.! What's this all about? What mess have you made that the rest of us have to clean up? Yet again."

"You shut your gob, Harris! Whatever's goin' on, it ain't my fault this time!"

"It called your name, Spike!" Willow reminded him. "It didn't say `Xander, get your ass out here', or `Anya, come out and play'. It said Spike! Start talking before we all get buried under what's left of Buffy's house!"

"I'm tellin' you, I don't know! I've got as much of a clue about this as you losers do!"

"Oh, D.C., if you let Buffy's house get destroyed, nothing and noone in this reality or any other is gonna save you...."

"How many ways can I say this? I... don't... know! I haven't done a damn thing to piss anyone off in months. Except for the times I was helpin' you slay, I've been hidin' in my crypt and gettin' bombed outta me mind! If the sight of me bloody plastered offended anybody, it ain't my fault!"

"THIRTY MINUTES, SPIKE! EITHER YOU COME TO ME, OR TELL YOUR FRIENDS TO MAKE PEACE WITH THEIR PERSONAL DEITIES OF CHOICE! YOUR ILL-CHOSEN HIDING PLACE WILL SOON BE RAINING DOWN AROUND YOUR EARS! YOU WILL SURVIVE, BUT THEY WILL NOT! EMERGE AND PRESENT MY TRIBUTE OR THOSE YOU CHERISH SHALL PAY THE PRICE!"

This time, the ringing words seemed to shock Spike. He had suddenly realized what was happening and everyone in the room knew it. Knowing that only kindness would get the truth from the vampire, and knowing she was the only one willing to give him any just then, Tara walked to where Spike stood, laid a gentle hand on his shoulder and spoke quietly to him.

"You understand now, don't you? What is it? What's this tribute he's talking about?"

"God... it can't be.... Angelus said it was a lark.... nothin' but a laugh. It's not possible..."

"What? It's okay, William. Talk to me."

"It... it was years ago for Lord's sake.... Angelus.... he an' Dru an' I were in the woods outside a little town in Germany. He'd stolen this... weird book off some wanker he'd drained. He was flippin' pages an' readin' bits an' pieces.... then he started laughin'. Said he'd found this ritual to call a demon an' we should try it... it was just a bit a'fun, see? None of us knew what the words meant an' we kept gigglin' over how Angel couldn't pronounce `em right. Dru kept wanderin' off, breakin' the circle.... Our ears popped, a chime rang an' that was it. We figured it for a bust...."

"Why are you connecting what happened that night with today?"

"The only German Angelus ever bothered to learn was a few basic words an' some numbers. The last line of the summoning spell was dead easy, I guess, so he said it in English.... `In my time will I call on you, then will the debt be repaid.' It never shoulda worked! Peaches, he botched the words up somethin' fierce! It never shoulda worked...."

"Yeah, well it did." Xander stated, gloomily. "I only see one solution. Pick Spike up by the scruff of the neck and toss him out the door..."

"Alexander Harris! I can't believe you just said that!"

"What? I'm not ready to die for his `bit of fun'! Think, Willow. It's the only way to save the rest of us."

"There has to be something else we can do...."

"Yeah, well, if you come up with something better before our time runs out, speak right up. Me? In another..... eighteen minutes I'm putting out the cat, no matter what anybody else thinks!"

"You try it, *boy*. I'll rip your heart out and feed it to the demon...."

"Think you can manage that *before* your chip gives you a migraine so bad your head explodes?"

"Alright, everybody shut up!" Piper shouted. "Spike, is it? You do remember the name of this demon?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Since Tara seems to be the only one who can stand you right now, why don't you and she grab Anya and go do some fast research. Willow and Xander, stow the weapons for now, but not too far away. We don't know if this thing even has a body we can do damage to. We've got four witches in-house. Let's see if magic works first before we resort to hand to hand or any other kind of combat. We'll meet back here in fifteen minutes. Not a second more than that. Go, people!"

As they exited the room, Xander leaned in and murmured into Willow's ear.

"Gee, think she's used to forcing order out of chaos?"

"I like her. Anyone that can make you and Spike stop sniping at each other gets my vote."

"I don't snipe! I was merely bringing up a few valid character flaws that he refuses to acknowledge..."

"Later, Xander. Weapons, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah. Someday I'm gonna have the last word with the bleached wonder."

"You mean like ouch or help? Maybe it'll be Buffy's name screamed at the top of your lungs."

"Very funny. Ha, ha. It is to laugh...."

"If you don't like my humor, Xander, stop being my straight man..."

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

"You took her where?! Leo, that really wasn't one of your better ideas..."

"I didn't do it! I was planning to take her to Paige's office, but mid-orb the elders diverted us."

"Why?"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you. The demon was telling the truth. This girl isn't what she seems."

"You could have fought them! They had no right to do what they did!"

"Fighting this wasn't an option, Phoebe. They made their decision and... she was gone before I could even say a word. They don't intend to release her."

"What are we supposed to tell her sister?"

"The truth. It's all we can do. She'll understand."

"Understand? You think she's going to understand that you let her sister get elder-napped?! This is a vampire slayer, Leo! She's killed more demons than either of us has ever seen! This woman could rip off my head and use it to play volleyball! What makes you think she won't kill us both?"

"I'm her only link to the elders. She wouldn't dare hurt me." Leo reminded her, slipping around his sister-in-law and backing out of the kitchen where they were privately discussing the situation.

"And where, exactly, does that leave me?"

"You had nothing to do with it. I'll explain that to her. I know she'll see reason...."

"Reason to turn us inside out and feed us both down the garbage disposal...." Phoebe grunted quietly as she reluctantly followed Leo into the living room where Cole and Buffy waited.

SUNNYDALE: T – 8 MINUTES

"The weapons are secured close by." Willow informed Piper as she and Xander moved nervously back into the living room.

"Good. Where are the other three?"

"Still upstairs researching, I guess."

"Well, we've got eigh.... no, seven minutes left before this house implodes, so if one of you would be willing to...."

"I'll go get Spike." Xander volunteered gleefully, before being overruled by Willow.

"Oh, no you don't Xander Harris. For the hundredth time, turning poor Spike into demon chow isn't the answer. *I'll* bring him down."

"Poor Spike? Since when did he become poor Spike except in the sense that he's always broke?"

"Go sit down, Xander."

"You never let me have any fun...."

"Sit, whiny boy! I have to go get the others back down here before time runs out for all of us!" Willow admonished Xander, turning and running up the stairs.

"I just hope the three of them came up with some kind of answer." Paige murmured in a less than hopeful tone of voice.

"Your mouth to a white-lighter's ears." Piper responded grimly.

"Leo! I can't believe I forgot.... Call him, Piper. Maybe he can help..."

"There's nothing he can do, Paige. If anyone would be useful here, it's...."

Abruptly, Piper's face lit up.

"Piper, no. You can't. Phoebe would never forgive you if..."

"If they can't find the 411 on this demon, Cole may be our only chance. I'm so glad they haven't found a way to charge for this kind of long distance call...."

"Piper, at least wait until we know what they found."

Though Piper's expression clearly showed her annoyance, she was forced to agree.

"Fine. As long as they show up and can verbalize the information in the next.... four minutes. One second longer and we're all gonna be buried alive."

"At least for the first couple hours anyway."

"Paige!"

"Sorry."

Just then, the research trio came trooping down the stairs and trudged into the room, followed by Willow. "Well? Did you find anything?"

"Nothin' you'd wanna hear at this juncture." Spike announced gloomily.

"Tara?"

"The books didn't say much. Just that this demon is pretty much... indestructible."

"Did they at least say what the tribute is?" Paige asked.

"Yes. Well... we were.... trying not to think about that." Anya commented sourly.

"That can't be good. Go on. The situation can't get much worse and we're short on time. What's the tribute?"

"Me." Spike replied, looking for all the world as if he were about to burst into tears.

"Cole!"

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

"Where... is... my.... sister? I won't ask a second time. You take me to her *now* Tinkerbell, or, pixie dust or no pixie dust, I will hurt you...."

"Look, lady, put him down! He tried to explain...." Pheobe yelled, to no effect, as Buffy persisted in holding Leo several inches off the floor. To his credit, Leo didn't simply orb out of her grip, realizing that such a move would only increase her fury.

"Yeah, well it didn't do much for me." Buffy shot back, her eyes never leaving the man dangling in front of her. "However it is you do what you do, wherever it is you lost Dawn, you take me there so I can find her."

"I can't. I tried to tell you, I didn't lose her. The elders took her. They won't let her go and there's nothing you, or I, or anyone can do about it!"

"Tell me something." Buffy asked Leo, a smile creeping onto her face that he instantly sent fear shooting through his heart. "These "elders" of yours.... they ever met a Slayer before?"

"Not that I know of."

"They're in for an unpleasant surprise. Let's go. I mean it. There's at least one of you in this room I know I can do damage to. I won't like it, but for Dawn.... I will do it."

Seeing in her steady, determined gaze that the Slayer meant every word, Leo surrendered.

"Fine. I'll take you. Just... put me down first?"

"And watch you vanish like Glinda the Good Witch of the North? Don't think so."

"I could have done that any time in the last few minutes." he reminded her.

Her smile transforming into tight-lipped acceptance, Buffy dropped Leo abruptly to the floor.

"So? Are we leaving?"

"We're leaving." he replied, dusting himself off as he regained his feet. "I should warn you that the Elders aren't exactly the best listeners and they can throw us both out whenever they feel like it."

"They can't be any worse than the PTB's. Arrogant, riddle spouting idiots. They'd make anyone nuts."

"You've petitioned the Powers That Be?" Leo asked incredulously.

"Not personally, but someone close to me has and they've interfered in my life a couple times. Best buddies, we're not."

"Hmmm.... guess you're better prepared for the elders than I thought."

Gripping Buffy's hand tightly, Leo orbed them both out. A moment later, Cole cocked his head as if listening, spoke to Pheobe then left as well.

"Gotta go, honey. Piper's yelling for help."

"Are she and Paige alright?"

"For the moment. In a couple minutes... who knows."

"I'm coming."

"No. If the power of three is necessary I'll come back and get you. For now, someone has to keep watch on the house and the Book of Shadows. Stay. We'll be fine. I won't let anything happen to them, alright?"

"Okay. The second it gets out of hand, and knowing us that's a guarantee...."

"I know. See you soon."

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

"Coal? If you want a fire, just wait a minute. You can make one outta the rubble if anyone's left who's in shape to flick a Bic!"

"I didn't mean coal for a furnace. I was trying to...."

Cole shimmered in next to Paige a moment later and Piper abandoned her attempted explanation. "This is Cole. Thanks for getting here so fast."

"No problem. What's up?"

"We've got a demon threatening to drop the house on us if he doesn't march outside and present himself as tribute." She told the new arrival, indicating Spike with a wave of a weary hand.

"Name?"

"Mychnederus." Spike provided right on cue.

"Oh, boy. How did you ever get mixed up with him?"

"Don't ask." Piper growled. "Any idea at all how we can stop this thing?"

"I take it you're not keen on being a tribute then?" Cole addressed Spike.

"Not as such, no."

"Good idea. Mychy's idea of a tribute.... very messy and very painful. The pain only lasts until he swallows of course, but he really believes in chewing his food well...."

"Cole! Could we possibly dispense with the graphic descriptions and get on with a plan for him *not* suffering a horrible death?"

"Oh. Yeah, sorry. Got carried away. How much extra magickal power do we have in house?"

Willow and Tara raised their hands. "Okay. Over here you two. The rest of you, find a coffee table to duck under or a major appliance to hide behind. For the next few minutes the middle of this room is going to be a slightly dangerous place."

Turning back to Piper, Cole reassured her, then shimmered out. "I'm gonna go get Pheobe. We need all the help we can get."

"It's that bad?"

"Worse. Be right back."

Part 6

SUNNYDALE: T- 45 SECONDS AND COUNTING

"Piper! Where is he going? Don't we need him here? Like to stop us all from dying?"

"He's getting Pheobe. Power of Three, remember? Not Power of Two and a couple acquaintances we picked up along the way." Piper growled as the floor began to shift subtly under her feet.

"We don't have time to wait for them to think up something and *then* get back here! In thirty seconds this house is going down and we become road-kill!"

"Look on the bright side, Paige. You'll finally get that perfect flat stomach you're always whining that you don't have. And it'll match the rest of you!"

In another corner, Willow and Xander continued their perpetual argument over Spike's intrinsic worth as something other than a sacrifice or dust in the vacuum cleaner bag.

"I don't care! You can't do it, Xander. I won't let you! It'd be the same as murder!"

"He's already dead, Wills! You can't murder a dead guy! The rest of us on the other hand, have lives we'd rather not lose...."

That doesn't mean it's right to just shove him out the door to face.... whatever's out there. Maybe he wasn't here from the start.... but he's an honorary Scoobie, now, with all the attendant privileges and protections."

"You can say that after all the things he's done? The only privilege Spike's entitled to is going out there and falling on the sword he and Angelus made, which is now dangling point down over our heads! He needs to face his past, Wills and I'm just the one to help him." Xander replied angrily, turning and moving toward the spot near the door where he'd last seen the vampire standing. Willow, unwilling to allow him to do something in anger he'd never forgive himself for later, grabbed his arm and held him back.

"Xander, no! You stop or I will make you!"

"You couldn't do it. I know you too well.... and you know this is the only way."

Just then, Tara came running up with news that pulled the rug out from under Xander's argument and his hatred of Spike.

"Somebody stop him! You have to make him come back..."

"Make who come back?" Willow asked. "What's wrong, baby?"

"Spike! He just ran outside.... he said he couldn't let any of us get hurt. We have to save him...."

Willow simply gazed at Xander. He immediately knew two things: exactly what she expected him to do and that he could not refuse her, no matter how much he might want to.

"Wills, no. I won't...."

"Resolve face. You know what resolve face means, Xander Harris. You go out there and rescue Spike before the demon can hurt him!"

"And what if the demon wants to hurt me instead?!"

"Either you go... or I will."

Faced with Willow risking her own life in defense of Spike, which Xander had no doubts she would do without hesitation, he turned, walked to the door and opened it, grumbling all the while,
his rhetoric cut off when he slammed the door behind him again.

"Pains in the ass, both of 'em.... the things I let her talk me into.... 'Get out there and rescue Spike'.... you watch, I'll save his worthless butt an' all I'll get is grief...."

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

"That was fast, Cole. Everything's not okay."

"No. They're dealing with a high level demon down there and time's running out fast. Definitely a job for the Power of Three."

"I'm ready. Let's go."

"No word yet from Leo or the Slayer?"

"Nothing, but it hasn't been that long. It's not time to be worried yet. Piper and Paige are the priority now."

"Don't forget the other two witches, the vampire, the vengeance demon and the civilian. Don't ask me what he's doing there. I couldn't even make a guess."

" 'Just a two day road trip' she says... 'I'll call if there's a problem' she says... Why do I listen to her?" Pheobe mused as they shimmered out.

%%%%%%%%%%%

"So? Where are these 'elders' of yours, huh? Why aren't they here? Don't bother to answer that. I know why. The cowards are afraid to face me. They know I can puree their kidnapping asses...."

"Please! You won't win any points with the Elders talking about them like that!"

"I have to talk *about* them since I can't talk *to* them. If they'd show up...."

"I warned you this might not work. Once they make a decision, it's made and almost nothing will get them to change their minds."

Buffy jumped eagerly on this tidbit of information.

"So they have reversed their judgments before?"

"Only once that I know of. They were determined to keep me and Pheobe's sister Piper apart. We tried to get married, the Elders pulled me back here, forced me to stay away from her.... it's a long story. The up-shot is that they were just waiting for proof that we could handle all the problems and stresses of being together and being what we are. Once we gave them that proof, they let us have the wedding."

"Speaking of which, what are you anyway?"

"I'm what's called a WhiteLighter. I'm sort of a... guardian angel for Piper, Pheobe and Paige. I help others too, but I'm mainly their protector."

"Yeah? Where have you been all my life? At least through high school. I really could have used an angel back then."

"You have one. You've always had one."

"What? And also huh? I don't have a guardian angel. If I did I wouldn't have died twice.... and my mom would still be alive."

"That's not how we work. We're not supposed to stop anything bad from ever happening to you. Our job.... put it this way, alright? You know the motto of Alcoholics Anonymous? The Serenity Prayer?"

"Lord give me the courage to change the things I can, the strength to accept the things I can't and the wisdom to know the difference. Right?"

"Exactly. A WhiteLighter wrote that. It's the first thing a new initiate is taught. Some things we can make better, make right.... some things, tragic or not, are meant to be and we can't change them. It's not an easy lesson, but if you can't learn and understand that, you don't become one of us. Your angel is one of the best there is."

"And you know this how?"

"The Elders understand how filled with death and sadness a Slayer's life can be. They wouldn't assign you anything less."

"Okay. Say I go along with this. I have a guardian angel. Who is it?"

"You must know I can't tell you that. If you figure it out for yourself, that's okay, but even if I knew I wouldn't reveal the angel's identity. Major no-no."

"What, are they gonna make you write 'I will not be a blabbermouth angel' five hundred times on the blackboard?"

"Something like that."

Suddenly, Leo tensed and his head came up. "They've agreed to see you and hear your petition for your sister's return."

"About time. Let's move."

"Don't be so eager. You're not in control here. They're not happy with what's gone on in this case and they want some answers. Conveniently...."

"... I demanded to be dropped into the hot seat. I stepped right in it, didn't I?"

"Not really. Just listen carefully and tell them everything you know about Dawn. Tell the truth and you'll be fine."

"Then they'll give her back to me?"

"I doubt it. Anything's possible, especially here, but I really doubt it."

"Possible I like. Doubt? Not in my vocabulary. Let's go. I've got questions to answer."

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Xander stepped out the front door of Buffy's house into a solid lightless mass. Even worse than a night without moon or stars, this darkness enveloped him as if he were drowning in gelatin made of India ink, or trying to find his way through a maze of cumbersome, clinging black velvet drapes.

"Spike! Where are you?! Say something so I can find you!"

"Harris, you stupid git! Go back in the house! I'm the one it wants, let it take me. Ain't nobody wants me around anyhow."

"Yeah? Tell that to Willow and Tara! They don't share our opinion.... Keep talking! I'll be there in a minute. I think I'm close...."

"Ya idiot! I don't wanna be rescued, get it? If I stop now the rest a'your little buddies in there'll be worm food! Go the hell back!"

"If I go back in without you, you don't want to know what Willow will do to me...." Xander replied as his flailing hands finally contacted Spike's leather jacket. "Okay! Time to go, DC. It's getting harder to breathe.... I need to get back inside.... before my lungs.... shut down.... in self-defense.... God... what... what's happ... happening....."

"Ahhhh.... ya fool.... damn, stupid humans.... you been breathin' this stuff... it's no good now.... gotta get you back...."

Suddenly, it was Spike who was eager to return to the house. His expression almost darker than the substance that surrounded them, the vampire lifted a now limp, barely alive Xander into his arms and ran, screaming for the people inside to shout and help direct him, praying they could hear his voice.

Part 7----

AUDIENCE CHAMBER OF THE ELDERS

"We welcome the Slayer and honor her. Your reputation has proceeded you, Miss Summers."

"Really? Flattery will get you less than nowhere. You should know that from the start."

"It wasn't a compliment, exactly. The reputation we speak of is for running your WhiteLighter ragged."

"Hey, mayhem is my life. My job is dangerous. If he can't keep up..."

"If he couldn't, you would have crossed the veil long ago."

"Been there, done that. Twice. The veil's getting so much use I might as well join a harem at this point...."

"Yes, we are aware of this. This is one of many facts of your life which induced us to retrieve and secure the Key when the opportunity arose to do so."

"She's not the Key anymore. She's my sister...."

"Incorrect. In human form or not, she will always be the Key. Therefore she will always be sought after by the forces of darkness. We have observed you closely since your unexpected resurrection. We were hopeful that you would rise above what has befallen others in this situation.... we prayed you would be stronger than they were. To our great dismay, our hopes and prayers were in vain."

"Others? This has happened before?"

"Many times over the centuries. Never with a good result. The spell the witch used is ancient and terribly powerful. Even when performed by the most learned of magic-wielders... at the very least it fails more often than not. W hen it does succeed, the resurrected often return significantly damaged in body.... or in mind and spirit, as happened with you."

"I... am not damaged."

"You are. We see this and it grieves us. You are no longer connected to your emotions or the basic nature of your soul. You care almost nothing for your own health or safety. You fight as the automaton made in your likeness fights; without passion or awareness of the purpose behind what you do. Particularly for this reason, we have assumed stewardship of the Key for its safety and that of the world."

"You can't just take her away...."

"We can and we must. You are no longer able to protect the Key with the zealousness needed to ensure its continued welfare."

"It's not like I asked to be this way! I didn't want to come back! Willow...."

"We know this also. She believed you were in pain, being cruelly tortured in an unknown aspect of Hell."

"If you know so much then why are you making me pay for what she did?"

"We protect the Key. It is not a punishment. There is no other option...."

"Yes, there is. Fix me. Whatever went wrong when she brought me back.... make it right."

"You make it sound so simple, child. It is not. Even we cannot repair what has been done. You must accept our judgment. You were an exceptional guardian of the Key. You prevented the Beast from fulfilling her plan and in so doing, sacrificed yourself. More should not have been asked of you than this. We now deem it necessary to take upon ourselves the mantle of guardianship."

"My sister...."

"... was never a reality. You believed her to be so because it was required of you. It is no longer required. This audience is ended. Your gifts are desperately needed, Leo. Return the Slayer to
the Halliwell house and then go to the Charmed Ones. They and others are in grave danger. Do what you can."

"We thank you for your wisdom and your counsel, great Elders." Leo intoned solemnly as he gripped Buffy's arm and orbed them back to the house. Buffy's final scream of rage echoed in the hall for some time after they'd vanished.

%%%%%%%%%%%

"Xander! What happened to him?!"

"Why did you send him out after me?! You humans can be such imbeciles.... Did you bother to look out the window before you nagged him to his death?"

"Spike, what happened?" Anya cried, rushing to join the group.

"The demon poisoned the air around the house! That way, he'd get his tribute without havin' to trifle with you lot..."

"We have to save him!" Willow cried, leaning over Xander in preparation for performing mouth-to-mouth. Anya pulled her away and handed her to Spike.

"No!"

"Spike... he's dying!"

"Already dead, most likely an' so will you be if you touch him. How's both of ya passin' on supposed to help any of us, hmmmm?"

"He's telling the truth, Willow. The poison will absorb right through our pores. I don't even dare touch him...."

"I don't care..... let me go! Xander!"

On the other side of the room, Cole and Pheobe shimmered in suddenly beside Paige, causing her to jump in shock.

"Damn! I swear I'm about ready to put a bell on your neck, Cole." She complained as Pheobe rushed to hug Piper.

"Please! I may be going straight, but I am *not* one of those wimpy guardian angels...."

"Care to rephrase that?" Leo asked wryly as he orbed in. Cole was silent. "We'll talk later." Piper immediately shifted her attentions to her husband.

"What are you doing here?"

"The Elders said I was needed. Someone must be hurt."

"I don't think so..."

Just then Piper heard Willow screaming on the other side of the room. "Once again, I speak too soon. I'm always doing that."

Leo left the three sisters and the ex-demon and ran to where Spike was barely containing an increasingly angry Willow.

"What happened?" Leo asked as he dropped to his knees at Xander's side.

"Who are you then?" the vampire growled.

"A doctor. I can help, but I have to know what's wrong."

"The air outside... 's poisoned. He walked out there like the idiot human he is, took one good breath an' here we are. Damn it woman, hold still! Can't ya see there's a doc tendin' the boy?"

Leo laid his hands over Xander's chest and a soft glow developed in the space between his skin and the young man's shirt. Several tense seconds later, Xander jerked slightly and began to cough. Leo turned him onto his side to prevent choking and looked up at the other two.

"Miss. What's your name?"

"Willow.... Willow Rosenberg. Is Xander alright?"

"He'll be fine. Willow.... I'm honored to meet you." he said, extending the hand he wasn't using to help support Xander. She grasped it uncertainly, confused at the reverence in his voice.

"Honored? I don't understand...."

Her sentence was abandoned mid-way through as the house began to rumble with authority. She stumbled sideways and would have fallen if Spike hadn't been nearby to catch her.

"And I don't have time to explain! I have to get this man out of here, you and Tara need to go to Piper and Paige. Hurry!"

Willow grabbed Tara and ran to join the sisters. Lifting Xander to his feet as gently, but as fast, as he could, Leo helped him walk over to where Cole waited, Anya hanging on his every step. Spike watched them go, then turned and slipped out the door again, sure that everyone was too occupied to notice his departure.

"I'm not gonna be much help, here, Leo. My power is nothing compared to Mychnederus." the smaller man admitted. "If I can get anybody out of the line of fire..."

"I've got him. I don't know about anyone else...."

"The ex-vengeance demon can go. Her powers are gone. She'll only get herself killed trying to help. I'll take her."

"Excuse me?! I'm standing right here and powers or not, I can still kick your butt mister..."

"Fine with me. Let's move though. The situations getting pretty shaky...."

"Lousy pun, angel boy. I'm definitely gonna have to give you a few lessons."

"If we all survive...."

"Uh-oh."

"What?"

"The quake. It's stopped."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"Not necessarily..... where's the vampire?"

"Vampire?"

"Bleach-blonde guy, brought the kid back in from outside? He's the sacrifice for.... damn."

"What? What's going on, Cole?"

"I'll explain back at the house. We can't do anything now but get these two to safety. I'll go first, you let Piper in on what we're doing, then follow. Make it fast. He doesn't look good."

Despite his reservations, Leo did as Cole directed, then, with Xander's arm draped over his shoulder, orbed himself and the weakened young man directly to the mansion.

Part 8- Don't They Know It's the End of the World.....

"SO. FINALLY YOU DECIDE TO COME TO ME. THE DEATH OF THE HUMAN MUST HAVE FIRMED UP YOUR GUTS AT LAST. KNEEL, CHILDE OF DRUSILLA, GRAND-CHILDE OF ANGELUS. I VOW YOUR PAIN WILL BE BRIEF."

"Yeh, whatever. Get over yerself and jus do it, wouldya?"

"EAGER FOR OBLIVION ARE WE? THAT IS NOT SPIKE. WHERE IS THE CREATURE WHO PAINTED SUCH LOVELY PICTURES OF TERROR AND DESTRUCTION? WHERE IS THE DARK BEAST WHO TOOK SUCH UNBRIDLED PLEASURE IN THE SHEDDING OF SWEET WARM HUMAN BLOOD; IN THE EROTIC POWER OF THE CHASE AND THE KILL?"

"Look, shut the hell up and take me! I'd rather not go to my final fiery rest with a migraine...."

"NO. AT THIS MOMENT I SUDDENLY FIND MYSELF IN THE MOOD.... TO PLAY. YOU WILL INDULGE ME, SHADOW OF WHAT WAS ONCE A VAMPIRE. ANSWER MY QUESTIONS BEFORE YOU DIE.... AND YOU MAY DIE MORE GENTLY THAN YOU ANTICIPATE."

{Bloody hell....} Spike thought grimly to himself, head down as he knelt before his tormentor. {Why couldn't I find another Hellgod to piss off..... nice threat to yer existence once in a while.... s'good fer the blood. Crikey, even Chaos demons are a bit a'fun on a borin' Sat'day night..... But, no.... I had to muck about with one that wants to *talk* me to dust! I'm never gonna learn....} "Fine." He finally said to the darkness around him. "Ask yer questions. But after, you make it quick, yeh? An' you leave the ones in the house be."

"AGREED. YOUR AGONY WILL NOT LINGER UNNECESSARILY AND THE HUMANS WILL BE SPARED. SHALL WE BEGIN?"

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

SAN FRANCISCO

"Here, Leo. Put him on the couch."

Leo began to comply, but transferred the young man's weight to Cole when he spied Buffy standing near the doorway into the sunroom, arms crossed over her chest and shaking with repressed anger that he knew wouldn't stay contained much longer.

"Can you take him? I'll be right back, I promise."

Cole glanced briefly in the direction Leo was looking and nearly dropped Xander to the floor.

"She's pissed. I've seen that look on demons once or twice just before everything went up in flames. Not that I know much about Slayers, but that look still can't be good..."

"Relax and watch over him, alright? Yell if he starts to have trouble breathing again."

"Leo, you don't get it..."

"Look, unless you have some reason to fear her, she won't bother you. You don't right?"

It took a moment, but Cole shook off his fear and responded.

"No. No, of course not. Gut reaction... from the old days, you know?"

"Good. Stay here.... just in case."

"Glad to."

Leo left Xander in the care of the two ex-demons and moved off to deal with Buffy.

"Where have you been?"

"I told you, there was an emergency in Sunnydale. One of your friends was hurt. I had to go help."

"Hurt? Who? What happened?" Buffy demanded, her own concerns forgotten for the moment.

"I think I heard W... one of the others call him Xander. The demon they're fighting poisoned the air around your house. He got caught out in it. I brought him here in case he needs me again."

"Needs you? I don't understand."

"I have the power to heal. It's limited, but I was able to save your friend."

"Where is.... never mind." She said, finally spotting Anya by the sofa. "Give me ten minutes with Xander, then you and I are going to talk."

"About what?" Leo asked, thought he knew perfectly well.

"Nice attempt at condescension. We are getting Dawn back if I have to tear that place apart cloud by cloud."

Tossing Leo a forbidding smile, Buffy turned away to see to Xander. Leo merely squeezed his eyes closed, laid a hand on the bridge of his nose, tilted his head up and vanished in a burst of glitter and light.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

SUNNYDALE

"What?!" Willow shouted. "What do you mean he's gone again? Who let him go?"

Tara wrapped an arm around Willow's waist and began trying to soothe her lover with small touches and soft words.

"Willow... honey, it's nobody's fault. Spike... he's doing something good. He's doing what he wanted to do...."

"But... he can't die! We can't let him! What did the books say about how to beat the demon?"

Tara hesitated too long and Willow, knowing instinctively that her reticence only meant bad news, felt her hopes failing.

"No.... we can't even drive it away?"

"It'll go when.... well, when Spike...."

Willow turned into Tara's arms and began to sob, talking into her lover's shoulder.

"I don't want anybody else to die...."

"I know, baby. I know...."

Standing a few feet away, Pheobe felt moved to go and try to augment the comfort the young woman was receiving, even moving a step or two forward before Paige halted her.

"Don't Phebes. We shouldn't.... get in the middle. Let's get to work on one of our traditional 'save the day at the last minute' spells, okay?"

"She just said there's nothing we can do, didn't she?"

"Since when have we ever gone strictly by the book?"

Pheobe shot Paige a look that spoke volumes. "Well, *that* book, yeah, but that wasn't what I meant and you know it. We've done the impossible before. I know we can do it again."

The youngest Halliwell sighed and resigned herself to coming up with yet another eleventh hour save.

"Menaced by monsters? Deviled by demons? Dial 1-800-CHARMED- ONES for 24/7 spooky janitorial service." Pheobe joked disdainfully.

Stepping up on her sister's left side, Piper responded to the humor in the words rather than to Pheobe's mildly caustic tone.

"We don't advertise, remember? We're witches, sis, not the Ghostbusters."

"Yeah, well, I don't see much of a difference anymore."

"I do."

"Uh-huh. Pray, tell."

"You're *so* much cuter than Dan Ackroyd. And can you see Leo marrying Bill Murray?"

"Nah. Harold Ramis, maybe...."

"Sheesh! Enough, you two." Paige interrupted. "Spell? Save the poor, harmless vampire from becoming demon Cracker Jacks?"

"Harmless? What..." Pheobe began. Piper cut her off.

"We'll explain after we save him, okay? Let's get working on the spell. Willow? Tara? Can you find paper and some pencils? And the book with the info about Mychnederus....."

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

SAN FRANCISCO

"You're sure you're alright, Xander?"

"Better." he croaked, sitting up slightly as a mild coughing fit shook him. "I'll be okay.... Buff... I need to talk to you... what I saw...."

"Shhh. Not now. You rest. I have to go somewhere, but I'll be back. Anya will take care of you. Try to sleep, okay?"

"Buffy...."

"Lay back. I promise we'll talk when I finish what I have to do." she admonished Xander, rising and turning to Anya. "Don't let him get up. He's still weak from the poison. Sit on his legs if you have to, but keep him on the couch."

When she saw the smile blossoming on the other woman's face, Buffy added a final instruction. "And no sex."

Anya's gleeful grin dissolved.

"But, you said...."

"No."

"But..."

"Anya, no!"

The former demon grumbled under her breath, but she finally agreed, allowing Buffy to turn her attention back to the problem of how to retrieve Dawn. She'd barely begun to contemplate a solution when Leo appeared before her, in a swirl of darker fog without the attendant flickering lights.

"What was that about?"

"A gag order." He replied sadly, gazing up briefly, then back to the Slayer.

"A gag order? What's that supposed to mean?"

"I went back to try to talk to them again. I thought maybe I could make them see... All they did was punish me for daring to question their ruling. I'm suspended for forty-eight hours. They left me my healing in case your friend Xander gets worse.... but that's all I have."

"You mean.... you can't get back? How are we supposed to save Dawn?"

"We aren't. That's the point. By the time I'm able to orb.... do the swirly light thing again," he translated for her benefit. "the Elders will have done.... what they think they need to do."

Buffy responded to this vague hint immediately, her voice suddenly tense and quiet.

"Which is what?"

"They've decided the only option.... is to dissipate the energy of the Key. Noone will ever be able to steal it or use it for evil again."

"Dissipate.... they're going to kill her? Your holier-than- thou elders.... are going to kill... my sister?" Buffy intoned, very slowly and with such steel underlying the words that Leo was tempted to step back. Instead he stayed in her face, knowing his job was to make her see the truth, whether the end result was fury or calm.

"It isn't your sister. It never was. You needed to believe that because it needed to be protected. It's nothing but a gathering of power..... too much power to risk it ever being stolen and used by the forces of Darkness."

"She.... not it. Dawn..."

".... is in the best hands, now. You did your job well, Slayer. You did all you could and more than you were asked to. Now it's time to let someone else take over. Time to take care of your friends..... and yourself ."

"I can't.... you don't understand....." Buffy raged, tears beginning to flow as she backed away from Leo. He chose not to follow, realizing that even his ability wouldn't heal her heart or see her through the grief she was only beginning to feel.

"They told me about your mother and the man you loved and all the losses you've had to face. I wish I could make it all different, but, even if I had my power.... there'd be nothing I could do. The decision's been made. I can't interfere or even keep arguing for you. They've seen to that. I don't even really know what to say.... how to ease the hurt.... I'm sorry."

"It's okay. That's what we're for." came Xander's exhausted, shaky voice from just a few feet away. With Anya's reluctant help, he had managed to get to his feet and shuffle his way to Buffy's side.

"Xander! You get back on the couch this minute!"

"No way, Buff. You need me, this is where I'm supposed to be." he countered, urging Anya to let him go. She complied and Buffy did exactly what Xander had hoped she would; she caught him before he could hit the floor, embracing him tightly. From somewhere in his weary body, he found the strength to wrap his arms around her as well. "I heard everything, Buffy. It's gonna be okay. You'll see. We'll make it okay again.... I promise."

Over Xander's shoulder, Buffy stared at Leo for a long time, until he began to squirm slightly under her gaze. Only then did she ask the final, most important question, though it came out as more of a statement.

"They won't make me forget again."

"No. None of you who knew Dawn will ever be forced to forget. The Elders aren't cruel.... just pragmatic."

"Inhuman." Buffy growled.

"The standard doesn't apply. They've never been human. Sometimes.... I admit it's a problem. We get angry, sad, passionate; they just get.... more pragmatic. They don't always understand how humans work."

"Then why do they bother with us at all? Why can't they just leave us alone?"

"You don't want to even imagine where mankind would be if they did."

Sensing Xander wouldn't be conscious much longer, Buffy abandoned the fruitless conversation, lifted him into her arms and deposited him back on the couch. She and Anya proceeded to tend to the young man as best they could, pointedly ignoring Leo, who took his cue and moved upstairs.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

SUNNYDALE

"Okay, are we ready to try this guys?"

"We have no choice. We need to do it now." Willow said, her eyes firmly on the paper that she held in her shaking hands.

"Okay." Piper ordered. "On three we start. One, two, three..."

On the agreed count, five voices rang out in nearly perfect unison.

"Ravager of soul and mind
a tribute here you will not find.
Release the heart that does not beat,
for in our words lies your defeat.
Demon, turn your face away.
Return to this house the light of day.
Vanish like the morning mist,
Demand we all, cease and desist!"

%%%%%%%%%%%%%

"Hey? You get bored or somethin? You said you'd make this quick. Ask yer next bleedin' question!"

"NO.... NO! WITCHES.... YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME, INSECT..... CRAWLING WORM THAT TAKES THE FORM OF A MAN! YOU SHALL PAY DEARLY FOR YOUR DECEPTION!"

Within seconds, Spike felt the darkness suddenly begin to swirl around him, molding tight to his body as if it were a living thing, binding his arms to his sides and dragging him forward on his knees.

"Well... knew it was gonna happen. Just didn't know when.... at least I got to give the Slayer somethin' nice before I went. Not enough of a good deed to get me a cool shady spot, I know.... I did love ya, Slayer. Wherever ya are, pet.... know that."

Anticipating the slice of needle sharp teeth into his flesh, Spike closed his eyes. In his years with and without Angel and the others, William the Bloody had gained a great deal of his own brand of courage, but it wasn't enough, he now realized, to make him want to see his death as it came for him. Admittedly, there had been humans that had found the strength to keep open eyes in the face of Spike's attack. They had been rare, but the demon within him had treasured those memories. Moments from becoming a victim himself, Spike screamed silently and berated himself for not possessing even as much genuine bravery as the humans he'd killed; for not being able to face death with his eyes open.

Wrapped in misery and self-flagellation, Spike failed to notice when the sensation of being tugged forward began to slow and falter. He continued failing to notice until the demon made it all too clear.

"NO! YOU CAN'T..... HOW DARE YOU.... MY TRIBUTE! I WILL HAVE MY TRIBUTE..... DAMN all witches to hellllll......."

With these final, fading words of rancor from the demon, Spike finally risked opening his eyes. To his delight, he could see everything around him clearly and the air no longer held the taint of poison. Whooping his relief and his joy, Spike leapt to his feet and ran back into the house, grinning like a maniac and determined to hug every witch he could get his arms on, whether they wanted him to or not.

 Season of The Witch: Epilogue---

SUNNYDALE: THE FOLLOWING MORNING

Slowly waking, Piper disentangled her arms and head from the confines of the sleeping bag in which she'd spent the night. Pushing up to a sitting position, she groaned quietly, but it was still enough to rouse Paige, wrapped in another bag beside her.

"Bad night, sis?" Paige mumbled, finally poking her own head out.

"Is there such a thing as a good night sleeping on someone else's living room floor? Remind me to make a chiropractor's appointment when we get home."

"I warned you not to sleep on your back." The redhead gloated, sitting up and stretching her hands high.

"I love you, even when you're insufferable, Paige."

"Nice to know. I was so worried about that."

"Enough!" Piper moaned. "I've got a pain in my back. The last thing I need is one in my butt! I don't know if I can even move, never mind stand...."

Rising easily to her feet, Paige moved behind her sister, tugged on her hands and walked backwards, sliding her out of the sleeping bag. She then lifted Piper to her feet by her armpits. She got nothing but a dark glare for her trouble.

"What? You're standing up aren't you? Go take a hot shower while I get the bags out of the truck. You'll feel a lot better."

"She's right, ya know." Spike drawled as he sauntered into the living room, sipping carefully at a mug of heated blood. "House full'a women, a free bathroom's a valuable commodity. Best lay claim to it while ya can."

Still wary, Piper shuffled past him and out of the room, trying to keep as much distance as possible between them. Paige merely watched him until he chose a chair to drop into then she settled on the floor a few feet from him. He grinned lightly, took another sip and spoke softly to her.

"You're not afraid, then?"

"I was."

"What changed 'tween yesterd'y an' now?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's knowing what you were willing to do for all of us." She told him, tilting her head slightly as she studied him. "Maybe it's knowing you couldn't hurt me, even if you wanted to. It could be your voice. I'm a sucker for an accent." She admitted, grinning wickedly.

"Right." He snarked, suppressing a laugh. " 'Aven't heard that one in a while."

"Paige? Piper?"

Pheobe's uncertain voice rang out from upstairs, prompting Paige onto her feet again.

"Okay. So maybe I just think you're cute." She told him, actually daring to playfully tweak the end of his nose as she passed on her way to reassure Pheobe. Spike's eyes widened in shock and he half turned around to give her a piece of his mind, but she was already gone. Frowning, he sank back into his chair.

"Cute? I am not!" he growled to himself. "Hot.... sexy p'raps. Dangerous definitely.... I'm William the Bloody, fer Lord's sake, not the Slayer's stuffed pig! Cute.... I'll show you cute, little missy...."

Despite his protests and grumblings over the title Paige had laid on him, it was only a few seconds before a smile returned to Spike's now ruddy lips and his mutterings took on a much lighter, far more bemused tone. "Thinks I'm cute. Criminy.... Tweak my nose willya.... rookie witch. She'd drive me straight up the wall most likely. Not like I 'aven't been there before.... leastways she's sane. We'll jus' have to see.... that we will."

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

THE HALLIWELL MANSION

"Please eat something, Xander. I made pancakes. You like pancakes.... at least you used to. Or I could make instant oatmeal. I looked but there doesn't seem to be much else. The angel said one of the women who lives here is a chef, but I don't see much evidence of it. You'd think she'd keep some decent food in the house...."

"Anya. Stop, please. I already have a headache."

"What exactly is that supposed to imply, Xander Harris? Are you saying I give you a headache?"