On the road May 15th 1 a.m.
Spike read the sign and knew soon they'd arrive in Salt Lake City. He kept an ear out for the baby as the others slept. Earlier he'd finally been able to sleep for a decent amount of time, but most of it was wracked with weird dreams and nightmares.
The dreams and nightmares all jumbled together making it hard for him to make any sense of them. Most of them had something to do with Buffy. Some of them where of her being pregnant, with his child and telling him how much she loved him. Other ones consisted of bloody battles with them fighting side by side. A few was a mixture of people he knew and didn't know fighting in the chaos. It was hard to figure out who was fighting for which side.
The one that woke him up, still left sent a chill up his already cold spine any time he thought about it. There, in living color, was a large beast dragging his slayer by her feet. He could hear her calling his name, but for some reason he couldn't get to her. It was like something was holding him back. He woke up before the monster's claw struck her already injured body.
"I promise, baby it won't end like that." He whispered as he continued to drive. "I will do it all over again if I have to, Luv. I will die for you."
He had no doubt he'd give up his undead existence again and again if it kept her safe and among the living. It didn't surprise him when Lorne took a seat beside him. The concerned looks the Pylean had been sending his way since he awakened warned him they'd be having a talk soon.
"Care to tell me what had you sleeping like a martini being shaken, not stirred?" Lorne asked, deciding not to beat around the bush.
"Hmmm, was that obvious was it."
"To me…Blue and the youngster were having a get to know you conversation. I had front seat to the how many times can Spike be shaken show."
"You're not gonna let this slide are ya, greenjeans?"
"Nope, sweetum's I'm not, so spill."
Spike listened carefully to make sure the others were asleep. He was surprised even Blue was sleeping so soundly. Knowing he wasn't going to get out of this he began telling Lorne about the dreams he's been having.
Lorne took a moment before saying, "A time will come you will want to sing for me. I'll be there, but not now. There is just too much going on, and I'm just too exhausted to deal. But you will know when."
"You know I don't-"
Lorne raised his hand stopping the vampires reply and said, "You will know when."
Spike nodded his head to appease the demon, even if he didn't think he'd ever let that happen. He'd seen what it had done to the good hearted demon when everything happened to Fred. The look in his eyes told him more then words ever could that night. The Pylean had blamed himself for Fred's death, feeling that his powers had failed him.
"You know there was nothing you could've done to save her." Spike offered, knowing how deeply losing Fred had touched his new friend.
"I could've not let the bastards touch me. I, like Gunn, made the mistake of letting my better judgment fall down on the job." Lorne spoke of his guilt of letting Wolfram and Hart have access to his brain.
"We've all had times like that. Hell, I still can't believe I had a relationship with Harmony, but then I was a different man back then. I made the mistake of not telling Buffy I was alive. It might have made a difference in a few things, or not."
"But we can't play the what if game, now can we." Lorne realized what Spike was telling him.
"Nope, mate we can't." Spike agreed, "What if I hadn't met Dru that night in the alley. Would the world be the same as it is right now, or would The First and his band of unmerry demons have taken over?"
"I guess it's a good thing we'll never know."
"Go get some sleep, will need ya to take over soon." Spike informed him, "I'm glad you're with us, Greens. I trust you, more then you'll know."
"The same goes for me, and don't think you will break me if what I see is bad. I still believe it can make a difference if we know in advance." Lorne reminded him.
"As you said, I'll know when." Spike reminded him with a serious expression, "I promise to let you know if and when."
"Wake me up when you're ready for me to take over."
"Will do, mate."
Lorne went to lie back down, feeling better about himself, knowing someone believed in him. Someone actually cared about how his little visions affected him enough not to chance hurting him. He had an idea what all of Spike's dreams where about. Now was a time he really felt the hole that Wesley left.
Spike felt better after talking with Lorne. Having voiced the dreams out loud, he came to realize they were not premonitions of what will happen. They were more like warnings, telling him of things he needed to avoid and to prepare for. One of them being he was never to leave Buffy's side during a fight that their strength was more powerful together. Now the biggest problem with that was going to make her realize it and let him be by her side.
*******
Rome May 15th 9am
Dawn sat staring at the letter, becoming more upset at what her sister had done. All she could think was Buffy had run away again. Just like she had done that one summer when Buffy and their mom had a falling out over Kendra's death. Later to find out it also was because she'd sent Angel to hell.
She had just hung up from Nick who had tried his best to defend her irresponsible older sister. The more she thought about it she felt abandoned yet again, only this time her sister hadn't died to do it.
Instead Buffy left one of the slayers here to baby sit her as if she was a child. Another thing to add to the list of what Buffy Summers had done wrong in her book. It's been a few years since she felt like a child. In fact, she believed she'd been robbed of her childhood since finding out she was made by monks and not by conventional conception. Something else she blamed Buffy for by being the slayer.
Dawn stomped over to the phone and angrily dialed her sister's cell phone. The frustration intensified when she got the automated message telling her the phone was turned off. It didn't matter it could've been off because she was still on the plane where the phone couldn't be used. Dawn thought it was because her sister was avoiding her.
"Bitch!" She muttered as she forcibly hung up the phone, causing Rona to give her a worried look and say, "Are you okay Dawnie?"
Dawn glared at the slayerette and replied with a condescending, "The name is Dawn, thank you, and as far as I'm concerned you can leave. I'm old enough to take care of myself."
Rona bite her tongue trying to keep from telling the spoiled brat what she really thought as she instead said, "Sorry, didn't know you felt that way, will remember to call you Dawn from now on."
"Thanks." Dawn snorted as she turned to the phone and dialed Buffy's ex-watcher's number.
Rona sat down, wondering what had happened to the sweet young woman that used to be Dawn Summers. The changes she noticed over the last couple months worried her. Any time she'd try and bring it up to Buffy the teenager had a way of always showing up, preventing her from talking about it. The slayer sat back and listened to how the young woman disrespected Mr. Giles over the phone. Never had she heard Dawn use profanity before, even if it was just damn, hell, and bitch, interchanged in her discussion about her sister.
Dawn felt like she was getting no where with Giles as she hung up the phone on him. Stomping her right foot several times she then made a sound like a growl before storming out of the kitchen. All Rona could do was regret ever answering the phone and promising Buffy she'd keep an eye on her sister.
*******
London May 15th 10 a.m.
Giles sighed as he heard all the issues that where now being presented on how to deal with old and new business. His mind not completely focused on the matters at hand, it kept wandering back to his concern about Buffy. Dawn called earlier, hysterical that Buffy had left without telling her or Nick she was leaving. Saying something about her sister was not acting herself of late.
He'd tried everything he could to calm the young woman down, but to no avail. She tried to make him call Buffy and make her get back on the next plane back to Rome. The last thing he expected was the obscenities and tone of voice that the teenager used to voice her discontent before rudely hanging up on him when he'd refused. Realizing what happened a year ago, he wasn't so sure she was not acting herself, but dealing the best she could with what had happened in Sunnydale.
The watcher thought that visiting both girls in Rome was long overdue, and now this worried him even more. He was sure there was something neither girl had told him about Nick. Something seemed off, he was sure Buffy was seeing this man on the rebound. His thoughts where that Buffy's feelings for Spike, was still much stronger then she let on about.
The vampire had managed to come between them, when he was sure nothing could. He'd made a tactile error in forming an allegiance with Robin to eliminate the problem, of Spike. The huge mistake drove a wedge between him and his slayer that today was wide and lonely. He truly had come to regret his actions toward the vampire, for the man had proved his love and trust in Buffy. Spike had been the only one that never turned his back on her or stopped believing in her.
Then again, Buffy's feelings for this Nick bloke could be making her run. He was sure with all the bad relationships she's had in the past, anything really serious might cause her to be scared and flee. The regret he had was missing her phone call. He'd live to be a hundred years and he'd still never really understand his slayer.
"Have you heard anything from L.A. concerning my son and Angel?" Roger Wyndham-Pryce asked.
"Sorry, Roger, I'm afraid nothing new has been discovered." Rupert sadly told the man.
"Can we at least try and find my son's body." Wes's father demanded.
"We are tying our best to do everything we can on all fronts." Giles promised his oldest colleague.
"I knew we should've neutralized Angel when he took over running of the L.A. branch of Wolfram and Hart." Roger went on to say, "My son would be here, safe with his family and not running around with that rogue of a demon with a soul."
"You are assuming a lot, Roger. We don't know all the details." Giles cautioned him, "It's a dangerous thing to play 'what ifs'."
"Mr. Giles, might I have a moment of your time." Gertrude Henderson, his secretary interrupted over the intercom. "The matter is rather important."
"Yes, Gertrude, I will be right with you." Giles answered as he turned toward the group of fellow compatriots. "Excuse me gentlemen, I will return shortly.
Giles excused himself and quickly joined his secretary who pointed toward his office and said, "I think you need some privacy for this one."
The head watcher raised his eyebrows as he turned to enter his office. For reasons he could not fathom he wondered what else could possibly happen or go wrong. The last thing he needed was something more to distract him from dealing with Roger. The man was a liability, who kept trying to convert the new counsel back to its old ways.
He picked up the phone and addressed the caller in a professional manner, "This is Rupert Giles."
"Mr. Giles, this is Miss Shears, I'm calling concerning a Dana Richardson, who is in our care. It would seem that over night she's made a rather dramatic recovery." She answered.
"Dana Richardson, can you be more specific about her recovery?" He asked.
"She's sane, probably more sane then either you or me." She answered. "You said to call with any significant changes in her condition, and this is rather significant I would say."
"Please keep her comfortable, and I will be there as soon as I can." Rupert instructed her, as he tried to shake off the dread this piece of information gave him.
"I hope you do hurry, she wants to be discharged immediately." Miss Shears informed him.
"Please let her know someone will be there to assist her with her needs and answer any questions she might have. Let her know I will be driving from London." Giles replied, wishing he had time to research to see if there was anything that would help him in this matter.
"I will do that, Mr. Giles. Have a safe journey and good day, to you sir." She answered before disconnecting the call.
Giles sighed as he leaned against the desk. The feeling in his bones and gut was telling him something bad was coming. His watcher's intuition was sending up red flags telling him this was going to make the battle with The First look like child's play.
*******
Dana stood looking out the window smiling. She knew the day had come she could walk without fear, no longer feeling lost or confused. The first thing she wanted was to buy clothes, something that reflected the woman she now was. Then she wanted to find out all she could about the watchers, for something told her they had a secret that needed to be told.
More dreams had come, showing her a village of women. They all had special powers, and were preparing to go to war. She noticed some of the men were human, and others were not. Some of the men's faces would be human one minute, and then the face of a monster the next. But they never hurt the women or children of the village. Little girls and boys were running around playing and some of the children were calling these demonic looking men 'daddy'.
She felt a connection to the women, like they were some how one and the same. The leader of the group was a petite woman with blonde hair and green eyes. She was wrapped in the arms of her mate with their children playing around them. The conversation between them appeared serious by the look on their faces as they talked and cuddled.
The woman tilted her neck, offering it up to her man only to have him refuse it. Then she turned and took his face gently between her hands and guided him to her neck. Dana had watched as he morphed and sunk his fangs into her neck gently taking only a shallow sip of her blood. The expression on both their faces was love for one another in the purest form as the woman licked the blood off his lips. His eyes then turned from yellow to the deepest blue as he said, "Mine and I love you."
"Miss Richardson."
Dana turned as she was pulled out of her thoughts and asked, "When can I leave?"
"Mr. Giles is leaving London as we speak and asks that you please wait for him. He told me to tell you he will tell you everything."
"Can I wait in the library?" Dana asked.
"Most certainly my dear, come this way." The older woman replied as she directed the young woman to the library. "I will go to the kitchen and make us some tea. I'm sure you'd like to catch up on the world and what has gone on since you've been ill."
Dana smiled as she replied, "I would love it."
"Then have a seat and I will be right back." Mrs. Shears directed as she then turned to fetch the tea and some scones.
Dana was amazed at how calm she was acting. Her old self would've been jumping and itching to just leave and fend for herself. Instead her new self, her true self was telling her she wasn't alone anymore and soon she'd find the one that would give her the answers she needed. The one thing she knew was this Mr. Giles was not that person; he was just a means to finding who she sought. She needed to find their leader, for the dream she had was meant for her to find the one that was to lead her, teach her, and mentor her.
*******
Willow paced back and forth feeling like something bad had happened. It was a feeling that wouldn't leave her. She'd tried to call Kennedy but no one answered either at home or on her lover's cell phone. Deep down she knew something was wrong, and didn't know what to do.
"Dearie, what is bothering you?" Agnes asked as she walked into the room
"I think something bad has happened." Willow answered.
Agnes took the young woman by her hands and pulled her over toward the couch. Death was heavy in her thoughts as she pictured a young dark haired woman in her mind. It told her all she needed to know, it had begun. Now was the time to prepare her prized pupil for what lay ahead.
"Willow, you should have someone check on your loved one. But, I must warn you the news will be grave, and you must keep you mind clear of hate and revenge. It will lead you astray and away from what you must accomplish. It is a test, to see if you can yet again be turned to work darkness with your gift. The choice is yours, but to let it take your soul this time would mean she died in vain. I'm sure she would not wish for you to avenge her, instead to fight the evil and not let them win."
Willow felt the conflict and temptation as her grief and need to avenge try and make another appearance. She could feel the darkness that once almost made her destroy the world knocking to be let forth.
"Why is this happening to me?" She asked her mentor.
"That is like asking why there is evil in the world." Agnes tried to explain. "Evil exists in all of us. It is a choice to be or not to be…for that is not the question. The question is why to be or not be, for within us lies the ability to be either good or bad."
Willow nodded her head in agreement as she felt a sense of warmth come over her. The words made her think and knew she again was at a crossroad in her life. The last thing Kennedy needed was to be her excuse for letting her emotions take her over the line.
"I will not seek vengeance for her death with be avenged once the evil is defeated." Willow whispered as she let Agnes' words remind her she had a choice. "I will not let her death be in vain, or let them have control over me. I'm the master of my mind and body and I refuse to let the hate and pain over take me again. I let Tara down when she died, I won't do it again."
Agnes hugged the young woman close and said, "That's right, my girl. You let the love they both had for you protect you from the darkness that threatens to steal away your soul."
"I think I need to talk to Giles." Willow said out of now where. "I don't know why I said that all of a sudden."
"You will once you see him, my child." Agnes replied easily, knowing she'd understand once she saw the man.
"I have to call him."
Agnes gently suggested, "Close you eyes and concentrate, where does your mind place him?"
Willow closed her eyes and put everything into locating Giles. She could see him driving out of the city, wondering where he was going. Concentrating more closely she noticed a sign, telling her where it was he was going. He was going to see Dana, the mentally ill slayer she'd helped calm down before transporting her to England.
"I have to go." She whispered, feeling some how that Giles was in danger.
"Go, my child but heed my warning. The enemy comes in sheep's clothing. Let your intuition be your guide, for all is not what it seems. Danger comes to you and yours in the mask of a friend." Agnes warned Willow the best she could.
"I promise."
"Let Megan drive you to where it is you need to go." Agnes offered, "You need not waste your powers on a transportation spell."
"And I might forget which side of the road to drive on." Willow offered, remembering the time she'd almost ran Agnes off the road one day for that same reason.
"Yes, would hate to fish Mr. Giles out of a pond." The older woman teased. "Let me go and fetch Megan, my dear. You call who it is you need to and then we will take one step at a time."
Willow nodded her head as she picked up the phone and dialed the number. "Maria, it's me Willow. I was wondering if you could check on Kennedy. She's not answering either phone. You can call me back at this number, and if I'm not here leave the message with Agnes." She told the woman who was the first slayer they found there. "Tell Kennedy to call me on my cell phone or leave her a message on the fridge telling her to call me."
*******
Somewhere mystical
Nick sat back and smiled as he listened to the classical music playing from his stereo. Everything was still working, even if Buffy was no longer under his power any longer. But soon that would change as well. He will get her back, and enjoy making her pay for leaving him.
Soon key players will be brought into play or taken to task. Rupert Giles will be eliminated, and Willow's soul will be his to maneuver. Her history of losing herself to her darkness will repeat itself, and she will be his once and for all. With the powerful Wicca and The Key there would be no way his army could or would be defeated.
He found himself aroused as he pictured taking the The Chosen one and raping her over and over into submission. Hearing her pleas for him to stop change to her begging him to fuck her over and over again was enough to make him find release. The mistake he made with her was now obvious, he should have beat her down and made her his before now. But he'd judged her as other slayer's he had before her, knowing now she wasn't anything like them at all. Just a few more things he had to finish before he reclaimed what was his.
*******
Somewhere in Wyoming
Oz pulled over in the rest area and prepared himself to take a little nap. He only needed an hour or two at the most. The closer he came to Cleveland, the more he could feel the tension mount. His demon could smell the approaching madness that was coming.
Over the past year and a half he came to understand his being, and now had complete control over the wolf. No longer did he need to be caged during the full moon. But even so, he didn't trust his control right now, would have to test it if given the chance once he was again on or so close to the Hellmouth.
"I am my own master." He chanted. "I control my body and the spirit of the beast inside me. We are one with each other." He practiced his prayer, as taught by the Navaho medicine man that Ernie had sent him too. He continued to chant as he fell asleep.
He dreamed of fighting, feeling a conflict between him and his inner demon arising. Feeling the call to let go and let the true nature of his beast take over until something happened that made him not lose control. A creature was dragging Buffy away from them. His Willow was trying to help her best friend but something was holding her back, something magical. He could see both women were in danger and his need to protect them came forth.
He found he had to chose, and before he could he woke up. Looking at the time he noticed he'd been asleep for two hours. Starting his car, he shook off the dream and returned to his travels. The feeling he needed to get to Cleveland in time to get a better idea on what was happening urged him on. He also knew Spike was right; the next one they needed to worry about was Buffy, including any one that was her friend. For her friends made her vulnerable to what was coming.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Just a note that after this chapter I will be taking a break from this story until I have Blood Lines and Love me for Me completed......I'm coming to the point I will need all my attention on this story and time lines......and it will need my undivided attention. So please be patient for I won't be away from it for very long........the other stories are picking up speed......