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Author's Chapter Notes:
Sorry it took so long! I love you all, please read and review. And remember something important; nothing is what it seems.
Disclaimer: If I owned Buffy, why the hell would I be on this site writing fanfiction? Sometimes you people just Don't think.

Out of the Hellmouth
And Into a Plausible Conclusion

Willow absent-mindedly flipped through the text she was reading telekenetically. The "adults" were all up to their elbows in research trying to find out what the prophecy meant, or better yet; who the Vessel was. So far, their luck had been rather poor. The Hakalea weren't exactly easy to research, being a relatively new find in the supernatural world. And other than the prophecy about them (which they could hardly understand) they weren't really a popular subject.

"Eureka!" exclaimed Xander happily, causing everyone to look up with a glimmer of hope in their eyes, "No wait...never mind."

"Xander," groaned Buffy as she slammed shut another dusty tome, "Please don't shout 'Eureka' unless you're sure. It's extremely agitating."

Xander narrowed his eyes, looking offended, "Don't get all snippy with me because you miss bleach boy. It's not my fault he decided to turn into his grandsire over here," he snapped, gesturing to Angel. At the hurt look on Buffy's face and the angry look on Angels, he wished he hadn't of said that.

"What Xander meant to say, rather than opening his mouth and inserting a shoe store, was that we're all a little on edge, especially due to recent events, and we shouldn't take that out on anyone we care about, because we'll regret it later," said Willow, ever the mediator, "Right Xand?"

"Right," answered Xander as he shoved his face into his book again, not wanting he far stronger best friend to hurt him for his accidental cruelness.

"He didn't deserve you anyway," said Angel, looking up from his own book into Buffy's eyes.

"You really think so?" asked Buffy, slightly forlorn, but also a little giddy from the praise her ex boyfriend was giving her.

"No one deserves you, you're too special," he replied, a grin painted on his face. Suddenly a hand flew to the back Angel's head and the smile melted away.

"Hello! Current love interest, here!" exclaimed Cordelia rather heatedly as she crossed her arms and plopped back into her seat, a glare setting on her face.

"Cordy; it was a purely platonic compliment, would you relax!" replied Angel as he sat up from his desk and wrapped his arms around his sort of girlfriend. The rest of the room rolled their eyes.

"I can almost understand Connor and Dawn being distracted by their personal lives, but this is ridiculous!" exclaimed Giles, extremely annoyed at the unprofesionalism, "Angel, you of all people should respect how important this is."

"I do, Giles, but no offense, but I'm more of an action guy than a reading very big dusty books guy," said Angel as he went back to his desk, feeling somewhat like a chided child.

"Well get over it because we need to figure this out, and before we're all under mind control."

"Again," said half the room under their breath before continuing to look through the volume.

***

"So why are we doing this again?" asked Amanda as they trudged through an old, rundown apartment building, toward the basement.

"Because we need to talk to Spike," answered Dawn for the hundredth time, as she began to get annoyed with her best friend. Vi and Molly followed close behind, along with Andrew who seemed to be very freaked out by the rats. Connor was at the back of the looking rather annoyed.

"Why are we assuming that Spike is going to know anything?" asked Connor as they climbed down the stairs, unable to use the broken elevator.

"Because Spike knows demonic languages better than anyone I know," replied Dawn, also for the hundredth time, "And for the record Connor, no one asked you to come, so if you want to leave you're welcome too."

"I'm staying."

"Than quit whining like a five year old," Dawn said, wishing Connor would just leave, as she still mad at him for not understanding her need for a break.

"Am not!"

"Guys!" Andrew, feeling like he was back in the trio and it was Jonathan and Warren in front and behind him, "We're here."

Dawn went up to the basement door and knocked slightly after no answer was giving she knocked louder. Still she got no answer so she banged on the door and eventually yelled, "Spike, if you don't let me in right now I'm gonna kick your ass!"

The door swung open, "You could try."

Dawn rolled her eyes and breezed past him into the basement, the others following close behind.

"We need your help."

***

"Wait a minute, I think I found something!" said Xander excitedly. Much as in the boy who cried wolf; this time, no one looked up, "No, seriously guys: I found something!"

Buffy sighed and decided that it couldn't hurt to ask, "What did you find, Xander?"

Xander smiled at the recognition, "Lookie, lookie!" he said proudly, pointing to a passage in the book he'd been reading.

"Vessels:" Buffy read aloud, causing everyone to look towards her, "Over the years, many beings have been said to be the Vessel, including the vampire which the master of Aurelius to reach the surface," Buffy inwardly shuttered at reliving her first death.

"But the most elusive and confusing is the Vessel of the Hakalea; a demonic army prophesied to bring about an apocalypse of sorts. Little is known about this vessel, but there was a poem found in the late eighteen hundreds abour it, that read:

Great power, but oddly molded. Within great protection enfolded. Younger than what first appears, powerfully sorrowed and assailed with fears. The Vessel stands in company direct with those already sworn to protect. And it's power has already been used for good and evil and was occasionally abused. It's safety is important to all, but the least likely person with protect it from fall."

The entire room was silent for a minute, "Well that was ominous and cryptic," said Fred finally, as she slammed her own book shut.

"So...does anyone understand that at all?" asked Anya, extremely confused.

"I think I did," answered Cordelia, surprising pretty much everyone, "What, I was a higher being and I'm a seer. Don't act so surprised!

"So the Vessel already holds great power, but it isn't whom anyone who didn't know them would expect. They're already heavily protected....they're younger than they seem, and they've had a lot of pain and sadness and their life, how am I doin' far watcher men?"

"Pretty well," said Wesley with a smile.

"I think you might be on to something, Cordelia," agreed Giles, surprising even himself as the words came out of his mouth.

"Okay," began Cordy again, "What else? It's already well protected, but it's power has already been used, for good and bad...and although everyone wants to keep it safe, the person who's actually going to be able to won't be the one we expect. Anything I missed?"

"No, I think you hit the nail on the head there, Chase," answered Faith, mildly impressed.

Buffy ran over the facts in her head, "Oh my God!" she gasped.

"What?"

***

"What? Do you know what the words say?" asked Dawn as she showed Spike the prophecy, pointed to what they weren't able to decode.

"Yeah, Nibblet, I think I do," Spike answered, I shocked look playing on his face, which mildly worried everyone in the basement.

***

"Buffy, what is it?" Willow asked again.

"The Vessel...it's Dawnie."





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