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Author's Chapter Notes:
Once again, all i can do is say sorry for the huge delay. More will be coming regularly again. Thanks so much for your patience.
"What's a Tomar?" Buffy looked between her companions for an answer.

Spike pulled his gaze from the dark haired Slayer to his love. "It's… a clan. Or an order would maybe be a more accurate description."

"An order? Oh God, not more assassins. Did I ever tell you how lame that was by the way?" She shook her head at him, feigning disappointment.

"They aren't assassins," Sam began, a bit lost by Buffy's comments, and led them down the street, passing people who were now getting off work at the numerous factories strewn throughout the city. "But Spike is correct. They are an order of sorts, with one clear goal in mind."

"Lemme guess: ending the world?" Buffy couldn't help it. What else could it be?

"Not exactly," Sam said as they turned a corner. They continued through the city, passing homes and businesses alike. "Although it could create an apocalypse."

"That's the end of the world," Buffy said flatly.

"What they wish for could bring about the end of the world, but it is not their central goal," Sam corrected.

Spike shifted the last bag he carried from one hand to the other. The blood for Ashton had been strangely considered his charge. "Have to go with Buffy on this, pet."

Samantha continued down the dimly lit streets. "Generally speaking, yes. But the Tomar don't wish to destroy the world. They wish to open it to others. Demons. They have tried unsuccessfully to open a doorway to other dimensions before, but soon they will have another opportunity to try again. If they are successful, with the state of our world, I don't think I will be able to protect the human populace."

"Again with the portals?" Buffy said, still not understanding. "Even if they can open this... portal thingy, can't you close it?" She blanched at her words then looked quickly to Spike before continuing. "Although avoiding the opening is a much better plan."

Sam slowed her steps. "Yes. As of yet, Mr. Emerson has only been able to find information on the ritual to open it, which is relevantly simple. Closing it could, however, be a problem. I'm afraid my only chance is to find someone of the order willing to give me the details on how and when to stop them from acting it out."

Buffy looked up at Spike as he walked beside her. "I thought you said there weren't any demons hanging around here. And already we've seen a gang of them, plus now… an order?"

"Said most vamps ran out and they were all gone when I got back. Didn't much care for the other demons at the time."

Sam looked back at them. "You regularly consort with other demons?"

Spike smiled. "Was one myself."

She stopped, hoping to confirm a suspicion. "A-a vampire then?"

Buffy and Spike both nodded, and the blonde Slayer figured it was time to let a bit of the cat out of the bag. "Spike was a vampire, but he-" She looked up at him, suddenly unsure of how to explain it. Spike eyed her, wondering what she'd come up with. "He didn't act like a vampire. Started killing demons and helping me." She looked back at Sam. "You know The Powers?"

Sam shook her head. "Although I do understand their control over the predestined."

"Well, they're like… deities for people like us. The not so normal. Anyway, they decided that he, or maybe me." She crinkled her brow, trying to find the words.

"Think it's more of a 'we'," Spike offered.

Buffy smiled at him and nodded. "'We' earned something, and they made him human."

Sam looked at Buffy. "That's why Ashton sensed something about him, and you?"

The couple nodded.

Sam seemed to take them in, studying the two, trying to make sense of these Powers choosing to put a Slayer with a vampire. Then to reward them for it. She herself was involved in such a thing. They had yet to mention any knowledge of this to her face. And so she remained silent, but considering whom it was she was working with, and The Powers' choice of those who have earned their lives back, she had to know. "Are The Powers evil?"

The shock of the statement was plain on Sam's sister Slayer's face just before she let out a happy laugh and shook her head. "Only sometimes." She kept up her giggles, remembering some of the 'evil' things she and Spike had done… and still did.

"Alright, Slayer. Enough with the hysterics." Spike tried to quiet her. The two were coming dangerously close to a conversation that could reveal more than it should.

"What?” She asked. Buffy pointed to Sam, still giggling. "You gotta admit, sometimes it felt evil." She waggled her eyebrows at him to which he cocked an eyebrow back at her.

Sam was fairly sure if she had an eternity she would never be able to figure out the dynamic of the strange pair.

It was then Buffy realized they'd stopped on the sidewalk but had yet to resume their pace. "Where are we going, Sam?"

"We are here." Sam pointed up at the sign hanging over the door beside them. 'The Hook and Claw' "Hand me your bag, Spike. And no talk of demons and such until you see it is clear to do so. These are humans in here."

It felt strange to be warned by another Slayer, but Buffy was ignorant to this time and place. Her only true map was Sam.

The elder Slayer opened the door and went in with the odd couple behind her.

The strangers to the pub took a moment to look over their new surroundings. There was a long bar along the wall to the right, with a collection of bottles and barrels along the wall behind it. The floor was strewn with small round tables, now partially filled with patrons.

Lamps lined the walls, giving the place a darker atmosphere, but the people seemed to be the hard working type. Dirty from their day and happy to have moments without thoughts of war, only joking and jibing with mates.

Sam strode up to the bar with confidence. This place was obviously familiar to her. She knew it well, and the people here knew her. An old man walked from a table to the bar, wiping tables as he went.

"Samantha." His eyes sparkled with glee at the sight of the young woman. "How good of you to come by this evening."

Sam smiled back and bellied up to the bar. "Mike. You know I come by every night."

He made his way behind the bar and stowed the towel out of sight. "I know, dear, but it's always good of you."

She lifted the bag and settled it carefully on the varnished surface in front of her. "Could you put my things back there for me?"

Buffy and Spike seated themselves on stools as well. Buffy beside Sam then Spike.

"Of course." Mike picked up the bag with a knowing look and set it down on the floor. Then carefully, he took the sealed jars and set them in a nook hidden from most of the people in the pub. His head appeared once again, a smile firmly set into place. "And who have you brought with you?"

Sam turned and made introductions. "This is Buffy and Spike."

The old man looked directly at the former vampire. "Spike? And how does one gain such an interesting name?"

"By reputation." Spike held out his hand. "Given name was William, if it makes you feel better."

The old man took his hand and nodded. "I believe William suits you."

Buffy watched the exchange with some surprise. Very few people had been given permission to call him William.

She looked back again at the old man. He was elderly, but here he was, doing what he could. He provided a bit of escape and a little freedom for the people helping in the way they could. He'd somehow earned Spike's respect just by being here.

The three were to busy with the exchange to notice Sam's face fall. The lessons she'd been taught had all been dashed away in one moment. The man she was sitting with had not just been any vampire. The connection didn’t occur to her until his given name was revealed. Spike, but also William. That lead her to only one very clear conclusion. He had been William the Bloody.

A shadow fell into place all around her. An unknown one of who this shockingly blonde man really was, what he had been, and who he now traveled and apparently fought beside. She shook here head, now dizzy from facts all discounting each other. Everything she'd been taught. Everything she'd grown to know, to trust.

But Buffy's case was different. Someone had decided it was. Sam's rules no longer applied to the Slayer visiting from another time. Buffy's rules had been changed for her, and in her favor. Without knowing it, Sam's eyes began to burn. For one of the first times in her life, she felt sorry for herself.

"Sam?" the shadow beside her called.

She brought herself out of her thoughts and looked to the side opposite Buffy, to Ashton. His heart was worn on his face each time she saw him. His love embedded in his moves to comfort and care for her.

She looked over to Buffy and Spike, then to Mike. They were all looking at her worriedly. She quickly wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry."

Buffy, now seeing the arrival of Ashton, only smiled gently. "Don't be. It can all get to me too sometimes."

Sam nodded, hoping Buffy either believed she was speaking of slaying, or that she would not speak of what thoughts she had truly let her mind be drawn to.

Ashton, however, knew Sam too well. Whatever had upset her had little to do with slaying. Once again it was him. He only hurt her, and he didn't even know how or why. "I may have found some information," he said quietly.

Mike nodded. "You want to go to the lower levels?"

"I think it would be best," Ashton acquiesced.

"First things first." Mike lowered himself behind the bar again and came up with a glass with etchings covering its surface. It was filled with the red liquid brought in moments ago, but its true contents was camouflaged by the decorative design. He handed it to his vampiric friend.

Both Buffy and Spike whipped their heads back at the bartender. Then it hit Buffy.

"Mike."

The old man nodded. "Yes?"

Buffy caught herself. She knew about this man. He had been outside the night Sam and Ashton first met. He tried to shield the vampire from the threatening Slayer. "Oh, I just-"

She looked back at Ashton, now sipping his blood while Sam brought him up to date on the activities planned for the evening. "I didn't know you knew. Who he was." She nodded towards the vampire, now finishing his meal.

"I see." Mike grinned. "Yes, well, let us say, he has been in my family for generations. Shall we?" And he winked.

Spike nudged her when Mike went to tend to other customers. "What was that about?"

Buffy smiled. "Just remembering something I read is all."

He cocked his head, asking a silent question, but she apparently was not answering and instead turned to Sam. "So, where to now?"

Sam turned to them, still unsure of what she'd just figured out about one of the blondes. "We go below."

Once the glass was drained of its contents, Ashton reached behind the bar and set the glass on a shelf below to be sure only Mike would be picking it up, then stood with Sam.

They all walked out the door, nodding at the old barkeep as they exited, and around the building to the back. The door there was large and seemed hinged onto the wall at an odd angle.

Ashton was about to open it, then turned around. "You can speak freely here, but not everyone is friendly. Please, keep your wits about you." He opened the door and descended the stairs. They each went in after.

Buffy was filled with a sense of quickened movement, but her feet paced with those with her, and she felt Spike's ever constant presence only steps behind her. When they reached the landing the pub appeared again. Only this time, its patrons were not dirty from work. They were demons.

Horned demons, scaled demons, a rainbow of colors and languages filled the room. And at the bar was a woman, aged like the man in the twin pub above, but, as the patrons were, she was also a demon.

Any man or woman who looked upon her would not be able to see what hid beneath her human graying hair and bright blue eyes. Buffy knew she was not a vampire, they gave off a specific frequency to her senses, but she was most definitely a demon. And one who could mask who she was inside.

Spike sensed it as well. This place reminded him of some of his favorite haunts in Sunnydale. Demons everywhere, all mingling together playing at being friends until one or the other of them got riled up. Then of course, all hell would break loose for awhile then settle until it all started over again. Generally a bloke could sit with others not of his kind with no troubles. Most differences were forgotten at the door.

"Hemphry," Ashton greeted the woman and sat at one of the simple round tables. Sam, Buffy and Spike joined him.

"Ashton. I trust Mike has made sure you've fed?" she said and placed ale in front of each of them.

The dark vampire picked up his drink and drank down a greedy gulp. "That he has."

"Good." She smiled. "And Sam, how are you?"

"I'm well." She took a small sip from the mug in front of her then set it down. "We have a few problems though, Hemphry. Ones I think that may need your distinct talents to solve."

The woman looked past her regular customers to the unfamiliar faces. "I see." She rounded the table to Spike and Buffy and shook her head. "I do see. You are not to be. Not yet." She raised one hand and set it just over Buffy's forehead.

"Hey," the blonde Slayer began to protest.

"Let her, luv," Spike said, watching the woman with an intense gaze.

Buffy shot him a look but stilled herself and let the woman place her palm on her forehead.

Hemphry closed her eyes and let her head fall back. "You are meant to be here, but it has not yet been your time. Your energy is… confused, displaced."

Buffy sat still. She felt nothing supernatural and was never sure if she believed in fortunetellers, but the woman was not exactly off base. All of a sudden, Hemphry snapped her hand away from Buffy.

"You understand part of your journey here. Its meaning." She looked from the dark couple to the blonde one. "Your goals are one in the same." She took a few steps towards Spike. "And for you, do not dwell on this past. You know." She paused, sensing the words needed to be said. "You are on your path, as they are." She looked back to Buffy. "Your path has been drawn out before you. All that is needed is." She looked about the room. "The power."

Spike looked at Ashton and pointed towards Hemphry. "She's pretty good."

"But what does it mean?" Buffy asked.

Hemphry came down from whatever trace she was partially under. "Unfortunately, I only see what I see, and the words are rarely my own. Their meaning is lost to me, but to you, they should have meaning."

Sam frowned. "But, Hemphry, our goals are not the same. These two wish to go home. I wish to prevent disaster."

"I am sorry, my dear. I do not control these things." She gave the young woman a sympathetic frown. "I do however have information on the talisman you have spoken of."

Ashton set his drink down. "That would be extremely helpful. What have you heard?"

The bar maid took his empty mug and set it on the bar behind her. "It is little. Only that its location has been discovered. The Tomar may have it, but they still must wait for the time." She turned and looked at the patrons. "I believe it will be soon. I have sensed from others that much."

Buffy looked the woman over. "Have you heard about a crystal?"

"A crystal? What type?"

Buffy opened her mouth to answer then realized she'd never known the name and looked questioningly at Spike.

He saw her confusion and looked back at Hemphry. "Not sure of its name, but it's what brought us here. It opened a doorway of such. Through time."

"Displaced energy. That's what it was." The fortuneteller nodded, happy that some of her words made sense. "I have not heard of such a thing. My specialty is dimensions, but I can keep an open mind for thoughts towards it."

"Appreciate that, luv."

She smiled at him. "Will that be all for you this evening?"

Sam and Ashton exchanged a glance before nodding. Sam looked back at Buffy. "There aren't a lot of vampires around here, but I've gotten word of a group of chaos demons causing trouble."

Spike smiled. "Chaos demons? I'd love a bit of that action."

The three headed out, thanking Hemphry for what information she had.

~~`~~

Quentin ducked behind a corner and scribbled down what he had witnessed. The four of them were fighting together. They'd obliterated the demons in seconds. The blondes were demons, that much was sure. What type? He could not discern.

Vampires seemed likely, because they had little reaction to the demon who'd shown himself on the familiar vampire's face during the battle. Not that he himself was close enough to see the change, but the feral growl that echoed in the alley could only be that of the demon.

The young man was tired now; he'd had to work to keep up with them since the group came from behind the building frequented by those seeking fermented liquids after working their menial jobs. He'd expected the vampire and Slayer but not the newcomers.

Whoever they were, they had managed to squeeze their way into the midst of his final project: 'The accurate keeping of accounts of a Slayer averting apocalypse.'

Unfortunately, their presence had already jeopardized this. He could not keep accounts of those he could not explain. Once again, he avoided mention of the blondes and stuck with relevant information on the Slayer herself and the vampire she continued keeping in her company.

She was no longer working immorally with him, but still, he was a constant. If he were gone altogether, things would be so much simpler. But he could not count on the Slayer to do this.

He knew her feelings for him had been her death sentence, but upcoming events had to be taken care of first. It was the only reason The Council did not end her life now. She had at least this to complete. One final task. It was foretold. Then, regardless, she would have to be put to death.

She would be gone after she quelled the Tomar.


Chapter End Notes:
Ok, easy clues to figure out. But fun cryptic can be good.



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