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Author's Chapter Notes:
Betaed by Tasha, any mistakes are entirely my own.
Prologue

“I have bad news,” the demon known as Doc told his sect brothers. Each demon was as identical as the next. They were gathered in a room with a large round table where they usually convened to discuss the disasters happening across the dimensions. “Glorificus has been defeated or otherwise thwarted in several dimensions. We must stop this atrocity from happening in my dimension.”

“There is more bad news, I’m afraid.” Doc Two stepped forward. “My dimension has been locked. I feel the presence of the traitors there. They have vanquished Glorificus. Even now her brother Amon is searching for something. He has departed my dimension by himself, leaving his brother behind with the Slayer.”

“What does he expect to find?” the first Doc asked.

“I could not ascertain the purpose of his journey, I’m afraid,” Doc Two replied. “It can’t be helpful to cause though. We must try harder to help Glory.”

“The Watcher killed Ben in my dimension,” yet another version of Doc spoke up. “What if we eliminate the Watcher?”

“Didn’t you report that the troll hammer did too much damage to Glorificus and thusly her host?” Doc One asked Doc Three. “It wasn’t just the Watcher’s handiwork.”

“If we could just figure out who the Key is?”

“I know who it is.” Doc Three put a fist to his forehead. “If I could just remember who it was. There’s some kind of damned spell on the identity.”

“It is the Slayer’s child. That is the only explanation.” The Head Doc tapped a pile of papers sitting on the table in front of him while he spoke directly to Doc Three. “The only clue we have is a tiny spot of blood from your jacket.”

“The Slayer doesn’t have a child.” Doc One looked around at the other Docs with confusion on his face. “She has a mother and a sister but no children.”

“There’s more,” the head Doc continued. “From the blood sample I was able to extrapolate the identity of the father. However I don’t know how it is possible. Lord Chesterfield disappeared in 1880. He can’t be still alive. Of course, that might be the reason the monks picked him to provide the DNA for the father.” He opened the file, and he removed a picture.

When Doc Three took the picture into his hands, he hissed in anger. “I know him. He’s that blasted vampire that tried to rescue the Key. Of course, he doesn’t look the same. The hair and clothes are radically different, but I’d know him anywhere. He was working with the Slayer in my dimension.”

“Will eliminating the vampire help the cause?” Doc Two asked in a cautious voice.

The Head Doc tilted his head while he thought over the suggestion. “Let me consult with our Seers. I will return shortly.” He left the others whispering in his wake when he rose to his feet and swept out of the room.

Getting Glorificus home, and into the seat of power, had been the goal of the Sect of Cerberus. It still irked the sect as a whole that some damned Greek stole their name to represent a three headed dog . The original meaning of the name had been ‘Protectors of the Glorious One’, but there were no mortals that remembered that now.

After a tense thirty minutes, the Sect Head returned with several Seers behind him. He waved for the Seers to take seats before he started to speak. “While eliminating the vampire, as well as the Watcher, is sound in theory, the Seers tell me that it is impractical. There are just too many dimensions to deal with. The Seers took one dimension and tried to eliminate the vampire at different points in the timeline. Something thwarted us at every turn. We didn’t even attempt with the Watcher.”

The Seers all nodded in agreement. Whatever was helping the Slayer and the vampire remained hidden from their sight. This indicated to them that whoever they were dealing with was as powerful as Glorificus.

“My suggestion is that we try harder in the stopgap dimension.” The Head Doc handed Doc Three a folder. “Go there. Help your brethren with the opening of the walls. If we can succeed in that dimension to get Glorificus home, we can bring down the others.”

Doc Three took the file with a nod. He would do whatever it took to succeed. He would even give his own life. He left the meeting room ready to do his duty.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Anqet, also known as Kibene Keeper of the Well of Devotion, leaned over the basin of water where she watched the contents with great intent. She was so occupied that she didn’t notice her lover D’Hoffryn, leader of the vengeance demons enter the room.

“Kibene, my love,” the demon announced himself. “What has you so enthralled?”

Anqet looked up with a smile. Despite what she was studying, she was quite happy to see her lover. “I’m glad you’re here. I want you to watch something, and tell me what you think.” She waved her hand over the pool, and it reset the scene that had her so enraptured before.

As the tall, blue-skinned demon watched the scene with the Cerberus sect, Anqet whispered in his ear.

“I’ve done what I can.” The goddess bit her lip for a moment. “I was able to cloud the Seers’ minds and redirect their visions.”

“So, the vampire can be eliminated?” D’Hoffryn hitched up an eyebrow.

“Anyone can be eliminated if the desire is strong enough, my love.” Anqet put her hand on D'Hoffryn’s shoulder. “I have been waiting many lifetimes for the emergence of the Immoral Guardians. I will not let the Sect of Cerberus demolish the dimensions for one worthless Hell-God such as Glorificus.”

“This Amon the Sect mentioned. Can he be of help?” D’Hoffryn tapped his chin with one long, pointed fingernail.

“Amon has his own destiny to fulfill.” Anqet led her lover away from the pool of water. She sat him down at a table that in an instant became covered in the most succulent delicacies of his home dimension. “I am not worried. The Sultana can handle anything thrown at her. She’s Immortal after all, and she and her mate have all the time in the world.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“Spike, did you notice that something was off with Mom at dinner?” Buffy called out of the bathroom to her mate. “I saw her massaging her forehead several times.”

Yeah, so did I, Spike projected his answer back through his mind instead of yelling. I asked her about it, but she just brushed it off as too much work and not enough sleep.

She gave me the same excuse, Buffy replied. I asked Reggie about it, but he said she has been going to bed early the past few nights. I used my senses to look at her, but there was nothing there.

All we can do is keep an eye on her, pet. Spike rose from the bed, and he went to join Buffy in the bathroom. Once there he found her naked and ready to get in the tub. He curled his tongue behind his teeth. “You want to reenact cave Buffy, Slayer?”

“Spike smell nice.” Buffy giggled. “Let’s get the gang together and go to the beach tomorrow. I could use a day in sun. I won’t even make you wear a swimming suit.”

“You don’t think I’d look good in a Speedo?” Spike took off his shirt, and he tossed it at his mate.

“Yeah, that’s the problem,” Buffy growled. She flashed Sultana green-gold eyes at her mate. “No one but me gets to see you naked.”

Spike let out a bark of laughter. “All the important parts will be covered, pet, but, yeah, we can go to the beach. Call the others later.” His gaze changed from amused to carnal. “Right now, you need a good seein’ to.”

“Last one in is a dirty, dirty vampire.” Buffy vaulted into the water and bubble filled tub. She sank her body down under the heated liquid while she watched her mate prowl towards her with a predator’s grace.





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