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IN THE INTERREGNUM-HOME OFFICE

Even with the daily reports, the numbers were changing faster than Holland was comfortable with. The start date for the endgame was still years away. The biomechanics division was working overtime to perfect the mutation. It couldn't be rushed.

Perhaps the best defense was a good offence. If enough red herrings were thrown in their path, he could prevent the Higher Ups from alerting their Champion too soon.

Holland looked up from his desk as she came in, "You wanted to see me, sir?"

"Yes Persephone. Please come in," he grinned indicating the chair across from his desk, "Sit. I know you're new here, but I think you can handle the assignment I have in mind for you."

"Oh, I can sir!" she said eagerly, "I can't wait to get my hands dirty."

Holland held up the file he'd just been poring over, "This assignment requires finesse. It's deep undercover," he handed her the file and nodded, giving her permission to look through the file.

Persephone slowly flipped the pages and smiled at the Regional Director, "Entropy engagement? That's ingenious! And, it should create just enough confusion to throw them so off track that they may play right into our hands," she bit her lip, "But what about the Champions?"

"Well," Holland sighed, "one of them is safely," he searched for the right word, "contained for the time being. The other, however, is your responsibility," He waved his hand in the direction of the file Persephone was reading, "You will notice that you will be entrenched, complete with a new identity, to be used for the duration of the operation."

She nodded, trying out her new name to see how it felt on her tongue, "Eve?" she smiled, "I could get used to that."
****************

OCTOBER 1, 2002-SUNYDALE

Buffy was still angry at him for leaving town and not letting her take out her revenge personally, "You wanted to talk, so talk. What's going on?"

He was uncomfortable being here, but he knew he deserved the disquiet he felt, "I was hoping you could tell me. You're the Slayer, connected to the visions. Long line of worthies? I'm just a guy with his ear to the ground, and even I can feel it. I don't know what it is, exactly, but something's brewing. Something's coming, Buffy. I don't know what, but, it's so big, ugly and damned it makes you and me look like little bitty puzzle pieces."
*****************

JANUARY 7, 2003 INTERDIMENSIONAL SPACE

"The First did not cause the disruption, only seized upon it," the oracle said.

"What caused the disruption?" Giles shouted into the howling of empty space.

"The Slayer," the oracle said.
*****************

APRIL 21, 2005

"You know something, Angelus, and I'm here to find out what that something is."

Angel looked at the determination in Spike's eyes and was very glad that it was there. He would learn to cope with the loathing and hatred that would be reflected in his eyes because of his subterfuge. He didn't like it. Never would, he supposed. But Angel was committed to keeping the grief over Buffy's death, his wife's death, on the pages of a journal, and out of Spike's eyes.

If that meant that he would be cut to ribbons by the shards of his gaze from now until he was dust, so be it. That was better than the ache he felt leaking from the pages of William's journal.

"What do you mean?" Angel asked.

The eyes looking at him flashed amber, "I think you know what I mean, Angelus. The little girl, I've seen what's left of her and even though there isn't much, unlike you, I can use my brain. I know that girl was more than she seemed," Spike tilted his head and regarded his grandsire with barely contained disgust. His voice rumbled with the effort to keep his anger under control, "At least to me. And, I'm betting that you knew that, somehow. And that's why you rushed to 'identify' the poor thing and had her remains cremated," Angel was astonished at the agony he saw in Spike's face. The pain he saw ran deep. It seemed that it was an integral part of him now. Angel knew he had failed, because now he could finally see his own reflection. Angel could see the kind of pain he felt when Connor left, in Spike's eyes. "You wanted to hurt me?" Spike continued, "I didn't think it was possible," Spike could feel the void in his chest and the tears well up in anger. He was not going to give him the satisfaction of tears. The fingers of his left hand itched as he felt the stake become part of his hand as it pressed up against the only obstacle that stood between him and the girl he thought of as his daughter, the girl whose life he wished he could have been part of but now could only grieve, "You will tell me what you know, and why you're leaving dead birds on some expectant mummy's doorstep. Why? Is the little tot she's carrying a threat to you, somehow? I thought 'hero' types like you respected the life cycle, and the human race," Spike said as he pressed the stake a little further, and was rewarded for his efforts with a sharp hiss from Angelus, "Or so help me, I'll dust you," Spike grimaced, "And then, you and I can both put that pesky old prophesy to the test. What do you think?"

Angel winced at the tiny starburst of pain the point of Spike's stake made in the center of his chest and rasped out, "I'll tell you what I know. I swear," he hissed through the pain, "Just put the stake down."
***********************

OCTOBER 28, 2004

Angel knew that Buffy was still in the hospital recovering from the injuries that she'd received in the old distillery. He knew the kind of depravity that Drusilla was capable of, and he was amazed that Buffy was still alive, let alone healing as quickly as she seemed to be. Given what he'd seen of her injuries, six weeks was an amazing recovery time.

Spike hadn't left her side in all that time. There were times when he had to be reminded to take care of himself so that he could be there when Buffy needed him. And, even though the prospect of the two of them together still stung him in a way that was unimaginable, he had things he had to make amends for, so if Spike couldn't stand in the gap that the human race didn't even know existed between them and their constant destruction, then he would do his best to fill it.



An eerily familiar voice made his stomach clench. If he'd needed nourishment to thrive, his stomach would have spilled out at the sound of it, "Glad to here that someone's taking up the slack, Angel. Someone has to."

Angel looked and saw the one man he never wanted to see again, "Holland," he growled, "What are you doing here?"

The well-tailored, Brooks Brothers suit shrugged and the face smirked, "I'm neither here nor there, Angel. And, why are you so surprised to see me? I told you we'd be doing business again soon. I just wanted to give you a heads up for the next Apocalypse."

"Why would you want to do that? I thought the Home Office's wheels turned with the grease of plagues and pestilence. Why would you want me to know anything is coming? Doesn't that put a crimp in your bottom line?"

"It does," Holland assured, "But we're not in the business of wiping out the entire human race. It's not cost effective. Without them, the wheels grind to a halt."

"What do you want me to do?"

"A child will be born in early 2006. That can't be allowed to happen," Holland said as he scribbled a name on a business card, "If she is born, first the Slayers will die, and then the entire human race."

"You mean Buffy?"

"Yes. Buffy will die," Holland nodded, wincing, "slowly and painfully. I don't even want to think about what she'll go through. And, Buffy's death will send Spike into a tailspin he won't be able to recover from. I'm sure you would do whatever you could to spare him anymore pain."

"I would," Angel admitted.

"That's what I thought," Holland said as he handed the card to Angel, "Here is the name of the child's parents. Keep it in mind."
*****************

IN THE INTERREGNUM- HOME OFFICE

Holland knew that the Higher Ups would try to alert the Champion of what he was doing. But, if he crated enough confusion, it wouldn't matter if the Higher Ups handed the Champion a roadmap and blueprint, no one could make sense of it. At least, not until it was too late to stop.

Being omnipotent really helped him do his job more efficiently. He'd even made sure to take care of both variables. Chaos Theory was a beautiful thing. And with Lila and Persephone taking care of one Champion and the other mad as Ophelia, there was no way he could lose. After all, it would take someone with a little wit to realize that, when deciphering meaning, sometimes it is the mad who truly do know the truth. And, let's face it, the Slayer may be long on strength, but she comes up short when it comes to reasoning.

So, how could he lose?
*********************





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