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Author's Chapter Notes:
This story and Deserving will be updated on Tuesdays now. Enjoy!
Trips and Talents

Willow sat at the table in the new apartment, reading. Several books were laying about the table and in her hand a pen was held. She sifted through the texts, writing down the researched clues, trying to make sense of them.

"Tara?" she called into the bedroom.

A moment later, the dark blonde came out wearing pajama bottoms and a tank top. She was just getting ready to settle in for the night while Willow finished her notes. "Yeah, sweetie?" She sat on the chair next to the hacker.

Willow looked at the text one final time, then to her lover. "Have you ever heard of a muje-mite crystal?"

Tara scrunched her brow and shook her head. "I don't think so. Why?"

Willow pushed the book towards the witch. "It was something I read earlier. About demon's aspects coming out unwanted. One of the things that can trigger it is dimensional stuff; time shifts too. They're somehow related to the demon. How it interacts with its surrounding. But the thing is that someone has to make it happen. It's not natural."

"So you're looking for things that might cause the-the shifts?"

Willow nodded.

"I thought you said this stuff couldn't affect Buffy or Spike now."

"It shouldn't." Willow took another look at the sketched crystal. "But with the Hellmouth, and the vampires, and now Dru and Harmony…"

"What about the time shifts? Why would someone want to change time?" Tara asked.

The redhead shrugged. "Could be anything, but I'm thinking they want to change something here. Whatever is causing the shifts is aimed for someone, or something in Sunnydale. Otherwise it wouldn't affect them at all, I don‘t think."

"Does it have to be a spell?"

"No. The other cause was a communication trying to get through. In that case the demon is the part that can be called on but not the other part. For Buffy, the human part."

Tara nodded. "So the demon? It's trying to respond..."

"But the human can't or doesn't know how to." Willow finished.

"What's that got to do with the crystal then?" Tara asked, pointing at the drawing.

"Well, it has other properties, but it can open a portal. To another time, if directed properly." Willow creased her brow. "It's not the use though. It's the power source that got my attention."

"Why? What is it?"

"It's just one word. 'Pure'."

Tara's eyes widened. "Buffy?"

~~`~~

Buffy couldn't help it. She laughed. "So, Mr. 'I know what I'm doing', find 'em yet?"

Spike looked at her very much like he had when he'd decided he'd kill her a few days early five years ago on Back to School Night. "If you keep your gob shut for five minutes, I might."

He trudged forward into the underground tunnel, still unable to follow the scent.

"Bleeding pup's been prancing about wherever he wanted back 'ere."

Buffy grinned, despite the situation.

He'd made a huge production about her inability to follow the odor of such easily identified scents as perfume intermingled with the small animal, but had just as little luck when it became apparent that Harmony had maneuvered herself through the maze haphazardly earlier.

Every trail they followed twisted and turned, finally leading them back to the adjoining junction at the crypt.

"Flighty female. Probably couldn't remember how to get anywhere." He shook his head and turned back to Buffy, who leapt back nearly ten feet.

"Oooh. Shit," she said quietly and forced herself not to go into defense mode.

Spike cocked his scarred eyebrow at her. "What's that all about?" he pointed at her.

His golden eyes and ridged brow were completely evident with the flashlight she held.

"Oh. Nothing." Buffy shrugged as nonchalantly as she could. "You're a vampire, is all."

He tipped his head then brought his hand to his face. He let his fingers trace the familiar outline that he'd known for more than a hundred years. "This can't be good." He dropped his hand. "An' you?"

"Oh, no. Not me. Not testing it. Not doing it. Don't want to, and, may I reiterate, 'You can't make me'."

Spike just looked at her, not saying a word.

"I just vamped, didn't I?" She felt the elongated teeth against her tongue.

He nodded slowly, eyes still on her.

"Not again," Buffy said to the stone ceiling in defeat. "I'm not asking for completely normal, but would someone please tell me what's going on?"

As the last word came from her mouth, the tunnel filled with light. Both blondes disappeared, leaving the sewer minus two demon hunters.

~~`~~

Giles looked intently at the computer screen. The files he read were recently loaded onto the PC by Audrey. These files had information only the leaders in the Council were privy to.

He was currently reading over names of girls in line to become Slayers. One file in particular caught his attention, wondering how they could not tell her.

He knew now that he would and did in no way look forward to it. Her mother had just returned and was just as shocked with the new Council as the others had been.

Adjustments had been made by everyone lately. Here was another one, one that would cause yet another disruption to a particular family's life.

Richard walked into the communal den, central area of all the Council's libraries. "Mr. Giles?"

The boy ran his fingers through his mussed hair and took the last few steps to the Head of the Council sitting in front of a computer monitor. "I'm sorry, sir, I don't mean to interrupt."

Giles looked up from the screen and held up his hand. "It's quite all right Richard. What is it?"

"It's Buffy. Miss Summers, I mean. She called to tell you Faith is ready," Richard blurted out in a way that reminded Giles of his family in the States.

He grinned at the boy. "I take it you would like to go then?"

Richard smiled wide. "Very much so."

Giles knew that under normal circumstances, a well practiced Watcher would be assigned to a troubled Slayer. Of course, that's just what had happened before, and little good came of it. Keeping in mind the young man would have the support of Buffy and the others, Giles soon set himself to work, making the final preparations for Richard's departure.

~~`~~

Harmony drifted in and out of consciousness, yet retained every word said to her. She was to be calm, like a breeze. Open, like a book. Giving, like a lover. Quiet, whisper. Relaxed, as in sleep. Her eyes were clear now, looking back at her adopted sire, seeing and yet not seeing.

She breathed without need but found it helped to keep her concentration.

"Do you see it?" Drusilla's light voice asked. "Can you see Daddy?"

Harmony watched the visions, not through her eyes, but inside her mind. The man was large, bulky, and held a presence that made him almost regal. His long brown hair was pulled back at the nape of his neck, and his clothing was extremely dated.

She thought she recognized him. He had been around Sunnydale when she was high school. She even thought that maybe Cordelia had a crush on him at some point. He was Angel. From Angel Investigations.

Only he was not a souled vampire serving good. Not in this vision. He was eagerly taking a woman from the street and enjoying every last drop. The woman had been at the party, following him most of the evening. As he left, he'd been all too happy to give her his wanted attention.

The woman did not know until too late, what kind of attention.

Harmony knew the tactic for feeding all too well. It was one she lived by, quite seriously.

~~`~~

Their blue robes were worn now, looking as though they hadn't been washed or mended in ages. But it had only been a few days since they'd last seen to these two. At least from the sister‘s perspective. The skin on their faces was tighter, if possible, and the strange hue of gray blue their skin had held was now a deep and sickly green.

With effort, they worked together to rouse the unconscious forms lying on the dirt ground. "Do you think this was wise?" Akor asked as she tried to move Buffy.

Rashta got a low growl from the man when she tried to get him to sit up. "We had little choice."

"Do you think this has all happened before?" Akor finally received a responsive groan from the woman now beginning to rouse.

Rashta looked at her sister. "It is all I can hope. We have no communication with The Powers. We are cut off until we can repair damage not yet done.”

"What?" Buffy said sitting up slowly. Her head was dizzy at first, and there was a painful churning in her gut.

"Where?" She looked around and immediately recognized the place. "OK. Sure. Why not?" She groaned and saw the disheveled sisters. "You guys aren't looking so good. You do know that?"

Before they could answer, Spike sat up. "Not again!" He leapt up. "What now? We don't have seven bleeding days this time."

Buffy stared at him. He'd completely vamped out now. No mistaking the demon that had been resting inside him. "Down boy."

Spike looked back at Buffy, who was still sitting on the dirt floor. She too was as vamped out as she could be. "Speak for yourself."

Buffy felt the ridges on her forehead and stood up. Both sisters stood back quietly. Then Rashta looked at Buffy. "You wish to know what is happening?"

Buffy nodded and raised her eyebrows. "Yeah. It'd be nice," she said sarcastically.

"It is not our doing. It is one of yours. One who walked among his peers.” Akor eyed Spike. “One who has planned this for many years. It was not to be. He was not to have the means. But another provided his solution."

She looked at Spike. "She will open the gate. Only you can stop it." She looked back at Buffy. "Only you can save us."

Akor gripped her sister's upper arm for reassurance. They had no other recourse than calling upon someone they had Gifted. Someone who would want to keep things unchanged. Something from the outside, out of their reach, was destroying all they had worked for.

"Walked with his peers?" Buffy repeated.

Akor nodded. "Yes. He wishes for revenge and to right what he believes to be wrong."

"He?" Spike asked simply.

Both sisters nodded.

"And 'she' was provided the answer?" Buffy asked.

Again the sisters nodded. Akor raised her hands tiredly, and a screen Spike remembered all too clearly appeared on the cavern wall's surface.

It was London. Spike recognized that at once.

Buffy watched with interest as a man dressed in a long beige coat and a wide brimmed hat stood waiting in an alley. He walked slowly, pacing the small distance, then turned to face a woman.

Spike looked closely and knew. It was Drusilla. The man handed her something, but it was difficult to see exactly what. Then Dru lifted the paper and rubbed it against her cheek lovingly. The man quickly handed her a small crystal, possibly a gem, and then backed away.

Drusilla walked away, soon followed by a blonde woman, obviously Harmony.

The man waited until the women were out of sight and turned, finally giving Buffy and Spike a look at him.

"Travers," Buffy whispered.

~~`~~

Xander pulled up to the Summers house and parked along the curb. He walked in the front door as usual and looked up the stairs. "Dawn! You ready?"

Faith came out of the kitchen munching on a slice of toast. "She will be. I had to send her back up to change."

Xander watched the Slayer flop into an armchair. She wore leather pants that were a little too tight and a black tank top. Xander was suddenly very worried about what clothes Dawn was changing into.

He didn't have long to wait. Dawn came down the steps wearing a long denim skirt and a white peasant blouse. "I don't see what was wrong with my other outfit," Dawn said as she gathered her purse and notebooks.

"You mean other than the thong showing with your pants hanging off your hips and the fact that you were showing more cleavage than even I would?" Faith said then took another bite of her toast and eyed the teen. "If Buffy thought I let you out of the house like that, she'd kill me." She gave Dawn a cocky smile. "Or at least try to."

"Fine," Dawn said. "Let's just go, Xander. I'll be nun-for-a-day, but then I'm talking to Buffy. I so-o know she didn't dress like this when she was in high school."

It took Xander a minute to put the conversation together. "What? Buffy isn't here?"

Faith popped the final bite of her breakfast into her mouth and shook her head. After a dry gulp of bread, she cleared her throat. "They came by about midnight last night to make sure I didn't kill Dawn-"

"Huh?" Xander said, looking between the two females.

Dawn giggled at the memory, now put in a better mood. "I'm sure they just got down and dirty."

Xander gave the girl a more confused look, then a mildly disgusted one.

"I mean with patrolling. They were going to see if they could find Dru through the tunnels," Dawn quickly explained. "Looked like they took up residence in Spike's old place after all."

Xander nodded when he suddenly realized why Buffy was worried about Faith again.

Obviously she'd decided Faith was ok, though. After all, here she was. And Dawn seemed perfectly alright. "They got there after you did, huh?" He asked Faith.

She couldn't help but smile. He hadn't jumped to other conclusions. "Looks like."

Xander ushered Dawn out of the house. "We'll find out what's going on when 'the blonde ones' get back, I guess." He looked back at Faith. "Did you need a ride?"

"Sure," Faith said and followed them out the door. "Beats walking to work the first day."

~~`~~

Harmony blinked several times and stopped her mock breathing. "That was kinda, freaky."

Dru placed a hand on her childe's cheek. They were sitting on the floor across from each other. "You did well." She looked into her eyes again. "It is time for you."

Harmony looked at her. "But who?"

Dru looked at a dark corner. In it sat Sweets, awaiting a signal from the two vampires.

Dru clicked her tongue behind her teeth and coaxed the animal towards her. He sat beside the older vampire and wagged his tail. "Look at mummy," she said motioning at Harmony.

The pup pranced in front of the blonde vampire and sat again.

Harmony took a final look at Drusilla, who nodded at her to begin. She took a breath, still not used to the feeling in her dead body and tilted her head sweetly at her puppy. She repeated a mantra. One not used by her 'mummy,' but one that felt more comfortable to her. "Inside of you." Deep slow breath. "Inside of me."

She used no other movement than her deep gaze and the slight sway that came with the trance. Soon the puppy was swaying with its sire.

The rest of the early morning was spent getting Sweets to do tricks, all by commands of his sire. When Drusilla giggled with glee at her childe's easy prowess, the two laid down on the dirt floor, too exhausted to care, and fell asleep.

~~`~~

"When?" Buffy asked the sisters. "When did he do this?"

"The eve of your return," Rashta answered.

"He was a bit scarce after the show you put on, luv," Spike reminded her.

"I know, but still. He left and gave your crazy ex whatever she needed to do this." She pointed at the sisters then between herself and Spike.

"It has yet been done," Akor said.

Buffy looked them over again, then looked at Spike and his demon visage. "Looks like it's been done to me. And literally TO ME, too. What happened? And how do I make it go away?"

"The demon called was of us," Rashta explained. "It is the demon that we needed to contact to bring you here."

Akor picked up her sister's words. "You see, only those foretold to appear, the predestined, may enter this realm. The only others able to move about are those who naturally travel between dimensions. Humans and even vampires cannot. That is why when you enter this place with the demon strong, there is pain. But when the time has come for the Gift, you will have no pain before or after entering here. As long as it is destiny."

"And this part, why we're here now, isn't destiny?" Buffy asked, making sure she understood.

The twins looked down at the dirt floor that spread through the cavern. Rashta looked up.

"It is not. We have been cut off from The Powers. We cannot call upon those who should see us, and we cannot take ourselves from this place. Something has been changed in your world. Something having to do with your change. That is why it was only you," she motioned at the couple, "we could summon."

"Again I ask: what is it, and how do I fix it?" Buffy put her hands on her hips.

"You must go back to her and help her accomplish her task."

"Now you want us to 'elp Dru?" Spike said, confused.

"Not the vampire." Rashta raised her hand towards the screen and watched the vision on it change from one dark alley to another.

A woman was fighting against several vampires. Her fists were quick and decisive. She was there to make the kill. The area was unfamiliar, seemingly classic in its look. It was a dark night and wetness covered the cobblestones of the alley. She was backed up into a corner, seemingly trapped, when another figure, this one larger, came to the group from behind. Soon bodies were flung backwards, and the woman was again fighting against the demons.

When the alley was cleared, the faces of the warriors were easy to see as they walked out onto the street.

"Sam?" Buffy breathed.

"Once the stone is tainted, it can be used for more than its destined use. To open the doors meant to remain closed. Her final battle is now lost because of the tainted stone. The world must be saved."

~~`~~

A man in coveralls walked up the sidewalk of 1630 Revello and knocked. He waited a few moments and peeked into the window, looking for a resident. No one was in sight.

He quickly jotted down the order number and a note of how to retrieve the delivery then stuffed the note in a company envelope and pressed it between the knob and the door jamb.


Chapter End Notes:
I have both of my current fics set to end at the same time. It will be followed up by another story I have about half written. Thanks to everyone of you for taking your spare time to read the stories my strange little mind likes to make up.



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