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Author's Chapter Notes:
Just to warn ya, I've never been to England. When I originaly drafted these I had a beta who lived in the area and tried to help me write portions that were not too far fetched. Hopefully its vague enough to pass mustard.
T'mure

The two blondes followed the brunette through an unfamiliar hall. The twists and turns made both truly aware of how large the facility had to be. Together they had found their way back to the living quarters in the building, but it had taken the combined memories of both. In the short time they had been in the Council's headquarters they had easily covered five miles, possibly more.

Randall finally came to a stop and opened a door. Inside was a large wooden rectangular table. At its head sat Mr. Travers. "Miss Summers, please come in." Randall walked in after the couple and took the seat directly to Quentin's right. Buffy and Spike walked along the opposite side. She took the seat next to the head of the Council, Spike beside her.

Mr. Travers leaned forward and laid his arms one over the other as he began. "Before I can allow you to leave, there are some things we need to discuss. First off, let me say how pleased I am that you have decided to continue your duty while here. I am a bit wary of the idea of a Vampire patrolling, but he has, as of yet, not given me a reason to disallow it."

"Glad to hear it," Buffy said as she sat up and leaned towards the older man. "Now how's about the key outta here so we can get to it?"

Quentin looked over the girl. "A Slayer feels the need to do her duty. I understand your anxiety, but you must listen to what I have to tell you first." He brought up a small black pouch from his jacket's inside pocket. He laid it on the table and began.

"Before Watchers can 'graduate' into active duty, they must first find a piece of information in their specialty that we did not share with them. Randall, for instance, read through several Diaries and discovered the test Slayers went through at the age of 18."

Silently Buffy wondered if it was because so many probably died then.

Quentin nodded with approval at the young man. "Several hundred years ago, a Watcher who was performing his 'graduating' task in the dark magics, was trying to combine a locator spell with a traveling spell. It was a complicated task. The integration of two castings can often go very wrong."

The older man pulled a piece of paper from the small pile next to him. "This is where he was while performing the spell." The map was London. Quentin pointed out an area called Bow. "He was trying to take himself here." Quentin's finger moved over the paper near the Thames River. "Now, he preformed the spell and left Bow, but did not appear in front of the Globe Theater as planned."

Quentin pushed the paper aside. "His spell worked, but, instead of traveling the distance along the surface of the planet, he went below it, and came here." He looked around the room. "This area is almost two miles directly below London, and has acted as the Council's home for nearly 300 years." He sat back in his chair. "Of course, it was much smaller in the beginning, but over time, we found ways to build and construct our own self reliant community."

Spike and Buffy were somehow unimpressed.

"The families you see, the children, all of us are involved in the Council. Watchers are not only trained to care for Slayers, they are trained in magics, demonology of several kinds, and, of course, keeping record of the Vampires. Even the guards you saw yesterday were raised here. We are self contained, a secret. You both must understand this."

Buffy finally understood the purpose of the speech. Her gaze was cold when she spoke.

"What? Are you afraid we're going to bring more friends back, or start a revolt?"

Spike thought about it for a minute. "I think it's both, Pet."

Randall shifted nervously in his chair.

The old man took a breath. "Miss Summers, the secret of the Council's location has been kept for centuries. This is the same lecture I give to all who learn the exits of this place. The Church is an entrance. No one can come in for the first time by any other." He looked past her to Spike. "The fact that you got in at all still vexes me. The magics that protect this place are strong, but they did not see you as a threat, so I will try not to treat you as one."

He picked up the small pouch and turned it upside- down. Two leather bracelets fell out. Each had a green crystal tied to the middle of it, carved into a cross. "These, along with a short spell, will allow you passage through any entrance."

Buffy plucked one up. "These crystals, do they need to be crosses to work?" She watched Quentin shake his head. "Good." With concentrated pressure, she broke the tops off of both crosses. "Much better," she said and handed one to Spike. "So what's the spell, and where are the doors?"

~~`~~

"Here it is," Giles said as he stood and walked over and in front of the TV. The Scoobies gave him dirty looks, but he did not notice. "T'mure was the mate of 'she who walked in evil, before the last was lost'."

Tara stood from her seat on the floor next to Willow. "T'mure?" And she sat at the table. Giles went to it and sat next to her.

"Yes, the name the Vampire said before Spike woke this morning. I thought I was looking for her, not her mate." He flipped through the pages. "There is no illustration, but I am sure this is the correct reference." He turned to a passage and began reading.

" 'They were the last of the true. Demon, fully and pure. The visage was hidden as the demons ruled. As humanity's power grew on the earth, and the souled became aware, the demons recessed.

The mates refused to run from their home. They called forth the Vampires who had fled by the taking then giving of blood. In revolt, the mate was taken by his childer in punishment for pulling them back to that which they had fled.' "

Giles turned the page and found the next was missing. He pulled the binding with more force and saw three pages torn out. He looked over to Tara.

She looked between the pages. "Why would someone tare out those pages?" She rubbed her fingers over the torn edge. "I think they've been gone for awhile. The edges are yellowed."

Giles inspected the tiny bit of paper more closely. "I think you are right. Whatever was written here is long lost now. I have the strangest feeling that we need to know what those pages say."

Tara turned to Willow. "I think we need to request a library visit tomorrow." Willow stood up, as did the rest of the group while Giles went over his discovery with the group.

~~`~~

Quentin dismissed Randall before leading the couple through the halls.

They had still not been led anywhere near the area of the Watchers Portraits.

Quentin stopped at the entrance of a hall with no portraits, only mirrors. There were a dozen doors on either side. The aged Watcher walked up to one of the doors and opened it. The couple looked in at an empty dark room.

"Now," He took hold of Buffy's wrist. Above the door a diagram lit up. It was a small diagram, simple, but if you had seen a map of London, the river was easy to pick out and the City of London was also marked. A green area above it was also glowing. "This door will take you to Tottenham."

He let go of the woman's wrist, and the diagram dissipated. "The diagram only appears if you are touching the door." He moved down the hall. "For your first patrol, I suggest Westminster." He turned to Spike. "You are familiar enough with your home to lead her through, are you not?"

Spike looked from the door to the man. "As long as they didn't go movin' Big Ben or Parliament, I think we'll be fine."

"Ah yes, Randall said you both had a gift for direction." He allowed Buffy to open the door, and behind it was another dark room. "You forgot, there is a spell." She closed the door, and waited.

"Remember, only those bearing the crystal can enter. Also the door from the other side moves nightly, so be sure to return before sunrise." He pulled a paper from his breast pocket, and handed it to Buffy. He nodded to them both, and left.

The two watched him walk away then looked back at each other, smiling broadly. Buffy lifted the paper, and read aloud. "Our entrance blessed, our exit granted. Our exit blessed, our entrance granted." She twisted the knob slowly and opened the door. The alley outside was dark, but the sky was lit from the lights of London. She looked back at Spike who seemed in awe of the light sky.

He was taken back. He didn't remember the sky being that bright. He looked down at the girl and smiled before passing her and leading her out into the night of Westminster.

~~`~~

Anya slipped the robe off of her shoulders as she slid into the bed next to her husband. "It was nice of Willow and Tara to offer us the first night of privacy."

"Yeah, Wills is cool like that," he said as her pulled her close to him.

~~`~~

Willow set the laptop up and clicked the play repeat buttons on her screen. "All set up. Anyone wants to watch anything tonight, all they are going to see are sleeping Scoobies."

Tara rolled over and watched as the redhead got into bed next to her. "You did tell them tomorrow was our turn right?"

Willow nodded and curled up next to the blonde.

~~`~~

Quentin set himself up with tea and awaited the show. The couple walked into the room.

The husband lifted the sheets and slipped under them while the woman walked over and let her silken robe fall to the floor. Quentin dropped his spoon and bent to pick it up.

When he looked back up at the screen, the couple was completely covered up to their necks. They were sleeping soundly.

The old man sat there staring, sure they would start soon. When they did not, he set his tea down behind him and turned the dial that unlocked the safe. He once again pulled out the last known part of the lost prophecy.

A few pages from a book discovered almost 60 years ago came out as well. His last task before becoming a watcher so many years ago. The connection with the Slayer that had been stolen from the Council by some all knowing Powers that he himself still did not believe in. He should have burnt them long ago. He never could bring himself to do it.

"The eighth year cannot be reached," he whispered the words of the man who had trained him. "The eighth year cannot be reached."

~~`~~

"Spike!" Buffy yelled as another Vampire leapt at him from behind.

He quickly staked the Vampire on him, jumped up, and turned just as another Vampire landed in front of Buffy.

She kicked the Vamp across the graveyard. The slayer turned and gave the other an uppercut that knocked him into the statue of an angel. One hard, well- aimed throw of a stake, and dust flew through the air. The other Vampire stood and ran towards her.

Spike punched then kicked in rapid succession his demon. The Vampire kept mumbling at him. "William...William??"

The confused evil blood sucker was hit once more before a stake plunged into his heart "Spike, mate. News sure does travel slow in these parts." Dust was the reply. He turned and saw the vampire Buffy was taking on running to attack the Slayer.

Spike jumped and began running to her. "Buffy!"

She turned but a split second too late and was knocked to the ground. "Oomph."

"Slayer,” Spike began with a hint of mirth as he came up behind the last of their foes. “I have plans for this body." His face descended after dispatching the last of the foursome that had interrupted their midnight tour while dust fell over her.

She looked up at the black clad Vampire still holding his stake.

She pushed herself up. "What is that? Eleven in two hours?"

Spike looked around the cemetery. "I think someone knows you're in town, ducks."

"You, too, I bet. I heard more than a few screaming at you for being here." She dusted off her pants.

He continued looking around, him. All seemed clear now. He sighed and looked at her again. "Wanna see Buckingham Palace?"

She smiled up at him, and the two walked towards the lights emanating from the palace.


Chapter End Notes:
Now, you may be asking yourself why Quentin is just letting ol Spike out to run rampant. If not, you might wanna wonder why Quenting is letting ol Spike run rampant.



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