Summary: Set post-Chosen. After the Slayers are activated, the balance between good and evil is disturbed, and the Scoobies are flung to the far corners of the world to respond to the crisis. In the midst of all of this, will they be able to keep their relationships strong? Or will they be divided by circumstances and torn apart by fate? Follows my short story Yesterday.
Rating: PG-13
1 :: 2 :: 3 :: 4 :: 5 :: 6 :: 7 :: 8 :: 9 :: 10 :: 11 :: 12 :: 13 :: 14 :: 15 :: 16 :: 17 :: 18 :: 19 :: 20 :: 21 :: 22 :: 23 :: 24 :: 25 :: 26 :: 27 :: 28 :: 29 :: 30 :: 31 :: 32 :: 33 :: 34 :: 35 ::
“…We’re heading your direction tomorrow. We’ll be there with all the forces we can muster…” ~Excerpt from an email from Rupert Giles to Wesley Wyndam-Pryce
“I’m going.” Dawn was beginning to feel as though she was a broken record, and as though she would never manage to get out of Bath. She was trapped here just as surely as she’d been trapped in Sunnydale.
“You can’t,” Giles repeated for the third time. “I’m sorry, Dawn.”
“You’re going to need me!” she exclaimed. “Miriam said that my blood was going to be needed to close the portal.”
“And it will be,” Miriam assured her. “But we’re bringing your blood with us, and only your blood. There’s a ritual—”
Dawn jumped to her feet. “No! Spike is there, and my sister’s going to be there as well. I was in Sunnydale; you know I can fight.”
Giles sighed. “I’m leaving you in charge here, Dawn.”
She sat abruptly. “What?”
“I’m leaving you and Oliver in charge. Someone is going to need to look after the little ones.” Giles met her eyes. “I realize how much I’m asking of you, Dawn, but there is no one else. Not to sound callous, but it’s a consequence of your competence.”
She glared at him. “That’s not fair.”
“I’m aware of that.”
“When are you leaving?”
“In the morning,” Miriam replied. “We can do the ritual tonight. It’s fairly simple and straightforward.”
“I’m sure Oliver would be happy to help you.” Giles’ tone held no hint that he knew how close she and Oliver were. “I can’t ask him to accompany us for obvious reasons.”
Dawn frowned. “Isn’t there anything you can do for him, Giles?”
“There may be something that we can do when we return.” Miriam took a deep breath. “I think it might be best if we finish the ritual now. I have some packing to do yet.”
Dawn knew that was the only answer she was going to get for now, and that she would have to be satisfied. “Whenever you want.”
While she would much prefer being the one to go to Los Angeles, she appreciated the trust that Giles was demonstrating. She still hated being left behind, but at least she knew it was for a good reason.
~~~~~
“Do you think I’m doing the right thing?” Giles asked as he unbuttoned his shirt.
Miriam looked up from her suitcase as she took stock of the contents. “Hmm?”
“Do you think I’m doing the right thing?”
“Are you asking because you want my opinion, or because you want my reassurance?”
“Perhaps a bit of both,” he admitted. Giles sat on the edge of the bed, dressed only in his undershirt and boxer shorts. “I know that Dawn will do a fine job here, but…”
“But you’re wondering if we should be going.” When he nodded, she continued, “I do believe that we should go. Buffy is going to need you, I think, and I’ll need to offer explanations. And I will be needed to help close the rift.”
Giles sighed. “I wish you had told me this before.”
“What would you have done?” she asked, closing the suitcase. “If I had told you what was to come, would you have done anything differently?”
“I might have.”
“And if I told you that what I had seen indicated that if you had we would have been in worse trouble?” Miriam’s back was towards him. “The trouble with having knowledge of the future is that you know too much. You know who will live, and who will die. You know that others will blame you for withholding information, and that you will not be forgiven.”
“Who said that I wouldn’t forgive you?” Giles asked. “Or that I held it against you? I’ve had enough dealings with the coven and you over the years to know that you had the best of intentions. The same is unlikely to be said for Buffy. She has a tendency to hold a grudge.”
“I understand that.”
“But that doesn’t change anything.” Giles rose to place his hands on her shoulders. “Not between us.”
“Then you trust me.” It was a statement, rather than a question, and Giles didn’t answer in words.
Her lips were soft and demanding under his, and she gripped him with an unexpected strength. They had been dancing around this for weeks now, if not months, and Giles was ready to end the dance.
This part of the dance, anyway. There was so much more to come.
~~~~~
Oliver watched out the window as Dawn pulled up in one of the Council vehicles. She had been one of those to drive to the train station, which would then take the group to the airport.
He wasn’t disappointed that she wasn’t going, but he knew that she was, and Oliver could understand why. Her sister and Spike were in danger, and she was stuck in Bath, holding down the fort, with the few Slayers left.
Giles had taken every Slayer age fifteen or over, leaving three children behind—Rose, Nora, and Harry. All of the Watchers had been older; the very few who had been under age fifteen had been taken home by parents or other relatives. Those who had insisted on taking their kids home had lost relatives when the old headquarters had been destroyed.
Oliver had no doubt that he and Dawn were more than capable of taking care of the kids, and he was incredibly grateful that Talia had been of age to go. She would not have been a joy to have around.
Dawn disappeared from his field of vision, and Oliver swung himself around towards the front entrance. “Dawn?”
“Yeah.” She dropped her purse on the floor by the door and walked straight into his arms.
Oliver put his arms around her as best as he could while still leaning on his crutches. “Let’s sit,” he murmured in her ear.
“Where are the kids?”
“I suspended lessons for the day,” Oliver replied. “I doubt we’d get anything done.”
He led her back into the study, and they both sat on the couch, leaning against one another. It was a relief to ditch his crutches and just be able to hold her as she clung to him. It was a relief to feel as though he wasn’t a burden or a hindrance, but a help.
“This sucks.” She muttered the words into his shirt, and Oliver stroked her back.
“I know. I’m sorry you couldn’t go.”
“Giles was right. I hate it, but he was right.” Dawn shifted so that she was lying against him, and he tugged her close. “Somebody has to stay here. Buffy would hate it if I was in L.A., and she’d just worry.”
“I didn’t think you’d care about that,” Oliver replied.
Dawn sighed. “I don’t, but in this case, she’s going to need every warm body.”
“Let me just say that your body is quite warm.” It was the boldest pass he’d made to date, and Dawn smirked at him. “I want you to be honest with me.”
Dawn closed her eyes. “The last time we went into a battle like this, Buffy left me with Xander, in a pretty safe place. This time, there is no safe place, Oliver. I have enough information to know that. She’s freaked out enough about Spike; she doesn’t need the extra worry.”
“What do you think is going to happen?”
“I don’t know.”
Oliver thought she sounded lost, and he pulled her closer. “I’m sorry, Dawn.”
“Don’t be. Please don’t be.” She twisted so that she was facing him. “I’m not even supposed to exist, Oliver. I was a big, green ball of energy that was never supposed to be a person.”
“They did a really good job, you know.”
“Thanks.”
Her smile was an invitation that Oliver couldn’t resist, and he kissed her. Dawn’s reaction was to wrap herself around him, swinging her leg over him so that she was straddling his lap. He pulled her closer and thanked his lucky stars.
~~~~~
“Our flight is scheduled to be on time into LAX,” Giles said as he took a seat next to Miriam. “From the news reports I’ve seen, it appears as though there’s several square miles that have been declared off limits by the National Guard.”
“Have you been able to get through to Wesley or any of the others?”
He shook his head. “No. Neither Wesley nor Faith are answering their mobile phones, although that may be because service has been interrupted. It’s impossible to say. What have you heard from the London group?”
“It’s working as planned,” Miriam confirmed. “They’re sending a group on to Bath, mostly consisting of the aged and children. The others have elected to stay and fight.”
Giles shook his head. “I had no idea our spell would wreak this sort of havoc.”
“Why would you think it was the spell activating the Slayers?” Miriam asked. “I do not believe that it’s the sole cause. There are too many other factors to consider.”
Giles opened his mouth to respond, but he was interrupted by the ringing of his mobile. “This is Giles.”
“Rupert, it’s Wesley.”
“Thank God,” Giles breathed. “What’s been going on?”
“I don’t have time,” Wesley replied, his voice crackling. “The phones here are spotty at best. We’ve been trying to get through for the last twenty-four hours.”
“I’m coming,” Giles said quickly, wanting to assure him that help was on the way. “I have every Slayer possible, and Kennedy—”
“They’re here. They managed to find their way without too much trouble. I doubt that you’ll have the same luck, however. The army has arrived, and they’ve sealed off the section we’re in.”
“Let me deal with them,” Giles responded. “What do you need?”
“What don’t we need?” Wesley asked rhetorically. “They opened a portal, Giles. The demons have stopped pouring through; it’s down to a steady trickle now. We need to get it closed off.”
“The coven members and Willow should be able to help with that. What else? Casualties?”
“I don’t know.” His voice was hoarse. “I—Faith and I are in one piece, as are most of our Slayers, aside from a few minor injuries. One of the girls who came with Kennedy was killed; I don’t remember her name.”
“That’s fine.” Giles took a deep breath. “And Spike?”
“That’s one of the things I don’t know.” There was some sort of commotion in the background, and Wesley said, “I have to go. I know that we lost Angel, and Spike’s missing, along with one other. If you can get your friends at the coven to find out where he is, we might be able to muster a rescue party.”
“Wesley—”
“I have to go.”
The phone went dead in Giles’ hand, and he flipped it close with a snap.
“What is it?” Miriam asked softly.
“Angel is gone,” Giles murmured, unsure of how he felt about that. “And Spike is missing. I don’t know much else.” He met her eyes. “We need to get there, Miriam.”
“I would teleport us both, but we won’t have the power to close the portal then, or to do what else needs to be done.” Her hand rubbed soothing circles on his back. “We will be in time, Rupert.”
“I don’t know how you can be so certain,” he said fiercely.
“Because we must be.” Miriam’s expression was as grim as he’d seen it. “There is no other choice.”
~~~~~
Talia was having a hard time standing still as they all waited for Giles to tell them what the next step was going to be. She’d been grateful that she had been deemed old enough to go, and that Giles had needed Slayers too badly to leave many behind.
Fighting—really fighting, and not just sparring—was the only way to prove yourself as a Slayer. Talia knew that she still had a lot to prove.
“Listen to me,” Giles said as they gathered around him in the airport. “The area of Los Angeles that we need to reach has been closed off. Miriam and I are going to see what we can do about that. Meanwhile, you should try to get something to eat and get some rest if you can.”
“In an airport?” Jules asked dubiously.
“You might be grateful for it being in an airport shortly,” Miriam said tartly. “Where we’re going, sleep in a safe place is likely going to be difficult to come by.”
Talia was really glad that she hadn’t asked that question, because it had been running through her mind. Not that she usually had any trouble falling asleep; she’d been able to nap in her classes, even when the desks were uncomfortable.
She watched as Giles and Miriam hurried off, speaking between themselves in hushed tones. The other coven members asked around to make sure that everyone had enough money changed to get a meal, then went to eat themselves.
Talia started to wander around the airport. She’d slept on the plane, and wasn’t feeling tired. Being in a new country, ready to go fight demons, was too exciting.
“Talia?”
She turned and saw Buffy heading towards her. “Buffy? When did you get in?”
“Just now. There were some flight delays. Where’s Giles?”
Talia shrugged. “I don’t know. He said something about the army closing off a part of the city, and that he’d have to figure out how we’re supposed to get in.”
“And the others?”
“Eating and sleeping if they can. I couldn’t.” Talia looked beyond her to see a red-haired woman with a short, red-haired man at her side, followed closely by four girls who had to be Slayers. “What are you going to do?”
“Kick ass,” Buffy replied. “It’s what we do.” She turned to the redhead. “Giles and Miriam are somewhere around here, making arrangements. I want to get there as soon as possible.”
“We could always rent a car and get as close as we can,” the woman replied. “You could sneak in the rest of the way.”
“Buffy!” Giles came hurrying up to her. “I thought you were supposed to be here hours ago.”
“Our flight was delayed,” Buffy replied coldly. “What did you find out?”
“Buffy, I—”
“I don’t want to talk about that now. What did you find out?”
“Not much from here. We’re going to have to get a motel room and make a few more calls,” Giles replied, apparently deciding that it wasn’t a good idea to argue with her at the moment. Talia could understand why; Buffy was a little scary when she was brassed off.
And she was definitely mad.
“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go.”
Talia watched as the others trailed in Buffy’s wake as she sailed off, and she wondered what Buffy knew to have her so angry. Although she was worried about Spike, too, she knew that he was going to be okay.
After all, this was Spike.
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