Complement

XIX – Sounds of Silence
(Part B)

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They limped away from the wrecked Winnie, Buffy and Xander supporting Giles between them. They made their way as quickly as possible to the abandoned gas station in the distance. With the exception of Giles who was losing blood and unconscious, everyone was fine, suffering only a few bumps, scrapes and bruises.

Spike kicked open the door, he felt a lot like a piece of bacon left on the fire a tad too long, the blanket he was holding over his head had offered only minimal protection from the suns rays. Xander and Buffy gently lay Giles down on one of the counter tops. His stomach covered in his own blood.

There were three connecting rooms, and an out of order pay phone. The service garage off to the side was boarded up, as well as all the windows in the station. However, it was possible to peek outside by looking through the narrow gaps between the boards that had been put up haphazardly.

Willow cast a healing spell on Giles at Buffy's half-spoken request and was able to slow down the bleeding, but she was unable to stop the bleeding completely, the damage was too extensive.

Buffy peeked out through one of the gaps in the boards scanning the barren landscape nervously. She turned away from the window, wal walked over to check on Giles. Snapping at everyone who got in her way, she was on her last leg, she was overloaded and the responsibility for getting them all out of this alive weighted her down like never before.

'Please... Please... don't let me lose him too...'

Buffy couldn't even wrap her mind around the thought of losing the man who had been more of a father to her than her own. She felt as the tears began to well up in her eyes, and before she had a chance to shed them, the shit hit the proverbial fan again.

Everyone dove for cover as flaming arrows came flying through the boarded up windows, everyone except Xander, who risked sneaking a peek out one of the gaps.

"We got company...... and they brought a Crusade!"

"Willow!" Buffy yelled, as she heard the sound of axes hitting the walls, as the Knights rushed the gas station.

"I'm working on it!" Willow yelled back, grabbing her spell book and desperately paging through it.

The agonizing sound of wood as it splintered filled the air. The walls trembled with the force of the Knights attack. They gained entrance into the gas station through the now broken down office door. Buffy felt the adrenaline coursing through her, Slayer-Mode kicked in, and she began throwing punches and kicks, knocking the Knights that came at her out of commission. Vaguely she heard Spike scream in pain after hitting and taking out one of the Knights.

"The Key!" Buffy spun around and saw Gregor. His broadsword raised and poised to strike Dawn.

Quickly Buffy grabbed a mace from one of the fallen Knights and hurle at at him, striking his sword hand. Gregor dropped his sword as the pain ran straight from his hand ap hip his arm, he turned and looked right into the eyes of the Slayer, and if looks could kill, he knew he would be dead. He charged at Buffy and she punched him hard in the face, knocking him into a beam, a smile of satisfaction on her face as she watched him fall to the floor unconscious.

There were too many of them, they were smashing chain mailed hands through the rotten boards of the abandoned gas station. Xander thought almost hysterically to himself that it was like a warped version of 'Camelot Meets the Night of the Living Dead'.

"Enemies, fly and fall...circling arms, raise a wall!" Willow chanted her eyes once again glowing black with an unholy light. She raised her arms and the near equivalent of a nuclear explosion, exploded out from around her, out through the walls, flinging and throwing the Knights backwards like dolls.

Willow's nose was bleeding, and she casually wiped away the blood with her sleeve, acting as if it were an everyday occurrence. She brushed off their concerned inquiries as to her well-being, more concerned about the two clerics outside chanting, trying to punch a hole in the energy barrier she had put up around the gas station.

Spike walked over and looked down at Gregor lying unconscious on the ground, massaging his temples. "So. What's the story with these role-playing rejects?"

Her voice hard, Buffy said, "Let's find o"
<"
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Faith was going crazy, getting vague impressions, she knew Giles hurthurt badly and silently she prayed with Buffy that he would be all right. She was pacing around the room trying to control her own fear, not fear for herself, but fear for them. She could feel how tired Buffy was, how bone weary, how defeated she was starting to feel, her world was reeling, and Faith was frustrated and angry with herself for ever leaving. Fuck! She should be there! Instead, all she could do was try to send Buffy her energy, her strength, her love, support and every other fucking emotion she could think of to try an uplift her.

Then the adrenaline rush hit her and she knew Buffy was fighting again. Unable to just stand there and do nothing, she began punching and kicking at imaginary enemies. Had the Chosen Twon abn able to see each other, they would have seen that they were executing the same exact moves, in perfect synchronicity with each other. Faith turned and felt a moment of fear, for... for... Dawn, followed by a murderragerage, and then she was bending picking up an imaginary weapon and hurling it. She threw a punch, and then felt the adrenaline rush leave her. She felt a nervous calm come over Buffy, and sighed in relief knowing that they were all safe, at least for a little while.

Then unable to contain her own fear and rage she pivoted and put her fist through the wall, relishing the pain, and cursing herself again for not being there.
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Buffy, Dawn, Xander and Spike looked at Gregor who was tied to one of the lifts that were used to raise the cars. Gregor was glaring at Buffy and she was glaring right back.

"You sure Scarface here can habla the English?"

Buffy kept her eyes on Gregor when she answered Spike, "He understands me. Don't you?"

"You were warned we would return, Slayer."

"Took you long enough." Looking at his tattoo she asked him, "You supposed to be some kind of chief?"

Not breaking eye contact with Buffy, he glowered at her, trying to intimidate her. "General."

It didn't work, she stared him down and sarcastically asked; "In charge of what? Getting captured?"

"You do not frighten me, child." Turning his gaze away from Buffy, he locked eyes with Dawn. Dawn squirmfrigfrighten by the look he was giving her. "The instrument of chaos will be destroyed..."

Within a second Buffy was on him. [Faith felt Buffy's control slip and rage well up in her.] Buffy grabbed Gregor roughly by the face, twisting his face back hard to look at her. "Look at her that way again, and she'll be the last thing you ever see." Buffy snarled at him.

"As I was told. You protect the Key of the Beast." He snarled back.

Buffy backed away from him. [Buffy was struggling to regain her composure and Faith surrounded her with calming thoughts.] "It's not that simple."

For the first time Buffy saw something other than hate in his face. Gregor's face softened and he looked at Dawn with something that was almost akin to the concerned eyes of a father.

"Yes. The Key has been transformed. Given breath. Life." He continued telling Buffy sadly, "Yet this makes no difference. The Key is the link. The link must be severed. Such is the will of God."

Buffy quickly looked at Dawn out of the corner of her eye and saw how scaree wae was. [Faith felt Buffy get upset.]

"She doesn't remember anything about being this Key everyone's looking for! All she remembers is growing up with a mother and a sister that love her. What kind of god would demand her life for something she has no control over?" Buffy waited for him to respond, when he didn't she softly told him, "We're not your enemy. Tell your men to stand down."

Gregor hesitated but a second before answering her, "No."

"It's not her fault! She's human now!" Buffy yelled! [Faith felt it as Buffy lost her composure again.]

"The Key is too dangerous to be allowed to exist... no matter what form it has been pressed into."

Buffy moved closer to him menacingly. [Echoing waves of anger rolled over Faithd shd she knew whatever was happening was not good, not good at all.]

"I'm not going to let anyone..." Buffy trailed off as she heard wailing coming from the other room from Tara.

"Buffy!" Anya yelled.

'Now what?' Both Slayers thought in sync.
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Tara raged in the gas station.

Orlando raged outside of the gas station.

The patients raged at Sunnydale General Hospital.

All whispering, yelling out, "Time... it's time... it's ...\..."

Taroke oke free from Willow scrambling for the door, clawing at it, falling to her knees, sobbing.

Dante pulled Orlando tightly into his embrace, and slipped a dagger into Orlando's heart to stop his pain. And Dante saw the moment of sanity in Orlando's eyes before he died.

The patients at Sunnydale General Hospital broke free of their restraints, knocking the nurses aside. They made their way out of the hospital into the night.
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Giles was barely conscious, but he felt Buffy gripping his hand fiercely. [Buffy was struggling to keep from falling apart into tiny little pieces, and Faith silently cursed herself again for not being there. She did the only thing she could; she visualized surrounding Buffy with her arms, with her love.]

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"We should have stayed. If we had, none of this..."

"Don't," Giles paused for a brief second, his face etched with pain. "What you did... w-was necessary... what I've always admired."

"Running away?" Buffy smiled at him.

"Being able to place... your heart... above all else." He paused again taking a pained breath. "I'm so proud of you. How far you've come. You're everything a Watcher... everything I could have hoped for ..."

'Everything a father could hope for...' He thought to himself before he drifted back into the quietness of unconsciousness.

Buffy continued to cling to Giles hand after he passed out. [Faith's own bone deep sorrow joined that of Buffy's. She could feel Buffy struggling to find answers, struggling to figure out what to do. She smiled when an echo of calm determination come to her from Buffy and she knew Buffy had made her decision.]

"Willow," Buffy waited for Willow to look up at her, "Open a door."
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Car lights shined into the gas station and they all turned their head towards the door when they heard the car screech to a halt outside. The Knights sund und the car their weapons at the ready, and Ben's eyes flickered with fear. Taking a deep breath, he squashed down his fear, grabbed his medical bag and got out of the car.
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They all watch him worriedly as he examined Giles. It was Xr thr they had to thank that Ben was here, Buffy had been making very little progress in getting the Knights to allow help to come for Giles until Xander had stepped in and reminded them of the 'Rules of War', and that they had their General, Gregor.

Buffy had tried to use the phone a second time to call Faith, but it seemed that the spell Willow had cast to get it to work was a one shot deal. Willow had tried casting the spell again for her but it hadn't worked. Had she not been so worried about Giles she might have thought to have Ben call Faith for her. Then again, maybe it was for the best, because Faith would have wanted to come here and there was no way she could have gotten past the Knights outside. And Buffy wasn't going to put Faith in danger too, no matter how much she wanted her here. She purposely tried to block Faith from knowing that she was only about fifteen minutes down the road from the abandoned gas station. Buffy could have run to the motel without breaking a sweat if she wanted to, and she desperately wanted to.

Buffy hovered close to Giles as Ben finished applying a fresh dressing to Giles wound. They talked, Buffy trying to explain away the weird version of Camelot outside, while Ben just seemed casually to brush it off. Had she been in a clearer state of mind she might have wondered at his casualness of the completely weird situation like any other normal person. Instead, she focused on Giles holding his hand, watching his chest, making sure he was still breathing. When she was sure that Giles wasn't going to stop breathing she wandered into the back where they were keeping Gregor and heard the tail end of Spike and Xander's conversation.

"Could make a run for it. Use General Armor-All as a shield, get to the doc's car and..."

"Great plan. And while all the hacking and slashing is going on, what are you going to be doing? Throwing migraines at 'em?"

"Look, we stay here ale all die. At least this way some of us might..."

"No!" Buffy cut Spike off, the man and the vampire turned to look at her. "We're all going to make it. I'm not losing anyone." [Faith felt Buffy try to sound, be confident, but there was an additional echo of underlying fear and denial too. And Faith had a funny feeling that whoever Buffy was talking to would be able to hear a little of it in her voice if they just listened. Faith also realized that as this day had progressed the echo which was how she now referred to this new connection, had been getting stronger, broadening and she knew that Buffy was beginning to realize it too. Faith opened herself up totally to it, and just let herself feel all that Buffy was feeling, was doing.]

Buffy stared at Spike; he stared back and then dropped his gaze. "Check the supplies. See if anyone's hungry." She watched them as they left and turned back around when she heard Gregor's amused laughter, and moved closer to him.

"Dissension in the ranks. Seldom the harbinger of glad tidings."

Something snapped and Buffy raised her hand swinging it... [Fuck! Buffy had lost her control again! And Faith's own hand rose up swinging, slapping the ghost face of the Knight in front of her. 'Easy B' Faith sent to her.]

"Shut up!" Dispassionately Buffy watched as the General spat out blood, not caring that he was human and that she had just physically hurt him. She felt Faith surrounding her with her love, her strength, enveloping her, almost as if she was here holding her in her arms, and mentally she leaned into that touch.

Gregor looked at her with pity, with sadness. "Poor, frightened girl. You've no idea what you've gotten yourself into."

"Then why don't you fill me in?"

"Would it make a difference?" Gregor locked eyes with her. He saw the dratiratin hen her eyes for a brief second. Maybe, just maybe he thought to himself he could make her understand why they needed to do this, maybe he could reach past the human weakness in her that saw the Key as her sister, and not what it really was. Make her see that while the Key may be in human form, nothing about it, or what she remembered about it, was real. "What do you know of the Beast?"

"Strong. Fast. Hellgod."

"From a dimension of unspeakable torment."

"A demon dimension, I know. There were two other Hellgods that ruled with her, weren't there?"

"Along with the Beast, they were a triumvirate of suffering and despair, ruling with equal vengeance. But the power of the Beast grew beyond even what they could conceive -- as did her lust for pain and misery. They looked upon her, what she had become... and trembled."

"A god afraid?"

"Such was her power. They feared she would attempt to seize the dimension for herself, and decided to strike first. A great battle erupted. The very bowels of Hell trembled as the war of the gods spanned a thousand years. In the end, they stood victorious over the Beast... barely. She was cast out, banished to this lower plane of existence, forced to live and ultimately die trapped within the body of a mortal, a newborn male, created as her prison. Her own living Hell."

"Wait... male?"

"That was her punishment. To finish an ageless existence buried deep inside the flesh tomb of a normal average human man. A man that would grow, age, and eventually die, like all the rest of us. That is the Beast's only weakness."

Buffy nodded at Gregor. [Faith felt as an of understanding of something dawned on Buffy... but she didn't know what it was for.]

"Kill the man, and the god dies."

Gregor nodded and smiled at her, thinking he was getting through to her. "Unfortunately the identity of thman man vessel has never been discovered."

"I don't understand. I've seen Glory. Not a whole lot going on in the hairy chest department."

"You have seen a glimpse of the true Beast. Her power was too great to be completely contained. She's found a way to escape her mortal prison for brief periods before her energies are exhausted and she's forced back into her living cell of meat and bone."

"What about me?" Dawn asked from the doorway of the garage, Buffy turned to her. "What about the Key?"

"Dawn..."

Dawn looked at her sister, she may be scared, but one thing she had learned from Buffy was not to let fear rule you, not to let it stop you from doing or asking the hard things or questions. It was and still was one of things Dawn admired in her sister, Giles, the Scoobs, and, over the last few weeks in Faith. Especially Faith who Dawn knew had spent a good part, if not most of her life ruled by fear, and had managed to conquer it and turn her life around. "I want to know."

Buffy looked at her sister and she had to admire her. The kid was tough; as she looked at Dawn, she saw the determination and the fear. And Buffy knew it was a face that she herself had worn many times, and so had Faith. Dawn, like them, was refusing to let her fear make her run or back down. Proud of her sister Buffy turned back to Gregor and waited for him to answer her sister. [She felt the pride Buffy was feelior hor her sister, and oddly enough for Faith herself.]

"The Key is almost as old as the Beast itself. Where it came from, how it was created -- the deepest of mysteries. All that is certain is that its power is absolute. Countless generations of my people have sacrificed their lives in search of it, to destroy it before its wrath could be unleashed."

"But the monks found it first."

"Yes. And hid it with their magicks." Gregor voice was bitter when he spat out his answer to Dawn's question.

"Why didn't they destroy it? If the Key's as dangerous as you..." Gregor cut Buffy offorefore she could finish.

"Because they were fools! They tht tht they could harness its power for the forces of light. They failed... and paid with theloodlood."

"What do I do? What was I created for?"

"You were created to open the gates that separate dimensions. The Beast will use your power to return home and seize control of the Hell she was banished from."

Buffy and Dawn were stunned. Then Buffy laughed. [Stunned relief, relief was good, and laughter, that was good too. And Faith smiled.]

"That's it? That's Glory's master plan... to go home?"

"You misunderstand. Once the Key is activated, it won't just open a gate to the Beast's dimension... it's going to open all the gates. The walls separating realities will crumble." [The amusement and relief faded and Faith thought, 'What now?'.]

"Dimensions will bleed into one another. Order will be overthrown and the universe will tumble into chaos. All dark. Forever." He paused and turned to look at Dawn. "That is what you were created for."

A feeling of devastation crawled over Dawn's skin. Oh God, please no!

[Echoing waves of devastation and despair came at Faith. Then she felt as Buffy reached out for her, seeking her love, her strength, and Faith gave them to her, leaning further into the feel of Buffy being inside her.]
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Buffy walked through the doorway looking for her sister; she was sitting at a table with her back to the door. There was something so lost, so alone about Dawn that it made Buffy's heart hurt.

"Dawn."

"You think it's true... what he said?" She said it softly not turning around. Buffy sighed, and moved to join Dawn, sitting down next to her. They looked at each other, looked for answers.

[Faith could feel Buffy struggling, looking deep inside herself for an answer, and not finding one.]

"I don't know."

"Destroyer of the universe." Dawn paused trying to calm herself, holding back the tears she desperately wanted to cry. "Guess cutting school doesn't seem so bad now, huh?"

"It's not you... You know that."

"But it's in me, isn't it? It's inside me...... What are we going to do?"

[Uncertainty, worry, and concern for... Dawn? Yes, Dawn. Faith could feel as Buffy surrounded Dawn with her love. She closed her eyes and visualized her love for both of them, expanding it to surround them, to enfold them in it, just like Angel had taught her to do. And she prayed silently that not just Buffy, but Dawn would feel it too.]

Buffy pulled her sister into her arms, and rested her cheek against her head and promised her softly, "I won't let anything happen to you, Dawn... I promise." [I promise too, Gamin.]

Dawn leaned into her sister, taking comfort in her strength, in her love, and didn't think it was odd that she felt like Faith was there with them too.
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Gregor looked the doctor over carefully as he cleaned his surgical equipment in the sink. He wasn't a part of this little rag-tag group of the Slayers, maybe he had a chance with him.

"You!" Ben froze. Did the General know who or what he was? "You are not a part of this, are you?"

Ben relaxed, and suppressed the sigh of relief. "Just a friend of the family"

"And would you die for them?" Ben turned around and faced him. Gregor smiled at him, though it was more of a grimace. "Because that is what your future holds if you align yourself with the Slayer and her misguided people."

"It's my life. I'll do what I please with it."

"It's not just your life. Unimaginable legions will perish, including everyone here." Gregor lowered his voice, continuing to speak to Ben as if they were co-conspirators, "You can stop this. You can save all their lives... by ending one. The little girl. The Key. Destroy it, and the will of the Beast will be broken. She will fade, a distant memory... and this madness will end."

Ben turned his back to Gregor; he was thoughtfully considering his words. This might be his only chance to destroy the 'K... to destroy Glory, and be free of her, free to live his own life. He had to wonder if someone up there liked him, otherwise why would it have been him of all people that Dawn had let slip that she was the 'Key'. Him that Buffy had called for help.

That had to mean something. Didn't it?
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Dawn watched Giles, he was still unconscious. She saw that he was in pain, could hear it is las labored breathing. The concern, the love for Giles was written clearly across her face.

Ben approached, he quickly scanned the room, he was alone with Dawn. He chatted with Dawn about Giles condition, while he checked Giles pulse.

"You don't know what's happening." Dawn told Ben softly, her eyes still fixed on Giles.

"I don't have to." Ben moved behind Dawn over to his medical bag. He took a hypo out of it and began to prepare it as he continue tal talk to Dawn. "I just know that sometimes terrible things happen to good people. It shouldn't, but... it does. And it's nobody's fault." Ben turned away from his bag, the hypo poised; he saw that Dawn's back was still to him. He slowly approached her from behind, his face unreadable, as his mind warred with itself. His voice softened as he continued speaking. "That's just the way life is," he paused but a second when he reached her side, then moved past her and gave Giles the shot and watched as the older man's face relaxed.

"Is that going to help?" Dawn looked at his back and saw him stiffened; worry began to etch her face. "Ben?"

The hypo dropped from his nerveless fingers. He felt the terror, the panic start to overwhelm him, freezing him to the spot. Glory was coming, forcing her way out.

'Oh god NO! Not now! Not now you fucking bitch! Gotta get out of here!' and those thoughts e hie his paralysis. Hened ned quickly and went tearing into the garage bay where Gregor was tied up. Dawn followed him, close on his heels.

"You have to let me out!" His voice laced with panic, with terror.

"Ben..."

"You don't understand! I got to get out! Open a door! NOW!"

Spike and Buffy rushed in and looked at the terror stricken Ben.

"What happened?"

"I don't know! He just freaked out!"

"LET ME OUT!" Ben was frantic.

"Okay, W-Will, open a..."

Buffy was cut off by Ben's wordless scream of agony. 'Nonononononononotoolatetoolate,' he thought, and could only get out an agonized cry of "NO!" The change came over him quickly, quicker then ever before, and they all stood there in shock, in horror, at what they were seeing. Buffy pushed Dawn behind her, and took up a fighting stance. An echo came to her, and Buffy could have sworn it was Faith's voice in her head saying, 'What the fuck is happening?'

Glory stretched, surprised for a second, and then quickly took in her surroundings. She smiled evilly in delight. "Well what do you know! Little Ben finally did something right."

"The Beast!" Gregor was genuinely terrified for the first time in his life. His voice trembled and his body quickly followed.

"Hey! It's Gregor!" Before anyone could move, Glory grabbed an old rusted hubcap off the workbench and flung it at Gregor like a Frisbee. It sliced through the air, and buried itself into his chest, his spinal cord stopping it from slicing him completely in half. Gregor's eyes showed only a second of surprise, then the light died out of them, and his body slumped forward as he died. "Now it's not."

Screaming bloody murder, Spike launched himself at Glory, Xander half a step behind him. Glory whirled and backhanded Spike across the chest, sending him flying into Xander, knocking them both into the wall a few feet away, where they both slid down to the floor.

Hearing Tara whimper in fear, Willow's eyes flashed black, the unholy light glowing from them once again. She lowered her head and closed her eyes, and began to chant in Latin.

Buffy propelled herself at Glory with brutal force, while Spike and Xander tried to untangle themselves from each other and regain their feet. Without a thought, Glory swatted at Buffy like she was no more than just an irritating fly. The force of Glory's hit lifted Buffy off her feet, flinging her backwards. Airborne, she crashed into Willow, sending them both slamming into the wall. Both women bounced off the wall and landed painfully in a heap on the floor, Buffy's leg twisting under her.

Glory smiled, turned and looked at Dawn. She laughed at the fright she saw on Dawn's face. She moved quickly, and grabbed Dawn by the hand and started dragging her. Anya rushed forward and grabbed Dawn's other arm, effortlessly, Glory pulled Dawn free of Anya, and started running towards the door.

"Buffy!" Dawn screamed, the terror thick in her voice.

Buffy struggled painfully to get back up to her feet, and watched in horror as Glory crashed through the door taking her sister with her.

Glory's headlong rush into the night was stopped as she slammed into Willow's barrier. With a look of contempt, she sneered, "Yeah right!" Swinging her arm Glory's fist smashed inte bae barrier, punching a hole in it. Energy cracked from around the edges of the hole as it started to close almost immediately. Not wasting any time Glory pulledn thn through the hole with her.

Buffy ran out of the smashed door in time to see Glory pulling her sister through the hole. Running as fast as she could, she dove at the hole not making it in time, and collided painfully into the now closed barrier.

"Dawn!" The Chosen Two yelled together in anguish, one frhe phe parking lot of the abandoned gas station, one from the inside of the run-down rattrap motel.

To the sound of the Knight's battle cries, mixed with sounds of the dying, Buffy turned and ran with a slight limp back into the abandoned garage. She used the pain to keep herself from total panic, as the image of her sister's terror filled face threatened to overwhelm her.

"Willow!" Willow raised her head looking at Buffy when she yelled; her eyes were already glowing darkly with the unholy light. "Get it down! Now!"

"Hear... hear my plea... circling arms protecting me..."

Buffy turned around again running outside; the barrier crackled and disappeared before her eyes. Skidding to a halt, she slowly limped forward, her mind rebelling at the horror she was seeing around her. Scattered around her were the broken dead bodies of the Knights of Byzantium and the clerics. Buffy choked, forcing the bile back down.

Xander, Anya, Willow, Tara and Spiked rushed out from the building behind Buffy. They all slowed, then stopped as ttoo too stood staring in horror at the carnage around them. The sigven ven made Spike feel sick, and the thought that the thing responsible for doing this now had Little Bit made him reel with terror. Something he had not really felt in over a hundred years.

"We have to..." Willow trailed off, not even sure what it was she wanted to say, not yet able to even form a coherent thought.

Buffy slowly kept walking forward, her mind almost numb, her world reeling, she turned her head when she heard the dying gasp of the Knight called Dante; "The Beast."

Xander and Spike stood deathly still and staring, both frozen with shock. Tara whimpered and buried her face in Willow's shoulder; the whimper broke Spike out of his daze.

"The car! Get the keys!" Spike pointed at Ben's car, the motion of his hand released Xander from his d and bot both rushed towards the car.

Buffy stood still, her eyes wide with shock; unable to accept what she was seeing, what had happened. Willow, Tara, and Anya moved forward towards her. Buffy's knees threatened to give out on her, her eyes filled with tears, she failed, she let them all down, and Glory had her sister. 'DAWN! I'M SORRY! OHGODNO!' her mind screamed. Her promise to her sister meant ing;ing; she has failed her totally, completely.

"Buffy! Buffy, we have to find Dawn. We... We can't let Glory..."

y kny knees finally gave out and she fell crying, sitting down hard on the ground. Her mind shutting down, as a deep down to her bones fear settled in, hurling her down a dark tunnel into the abyss of her mind. Away from all of this... away from the carnage around her... the harsh reminder of her failure. She let herself fall into the darkness, welcoming the coldness of its absolute blackness. She was tired... afraid... without hoor tor the first time in her life... and hels ins in the wake of all that had happened.

"Buffy? Buffy!"

Willow walked towards Buffy, bringing Tara with her. Her concern for the blond-haired Slayer was quickly turning to fear over what was happening to her best friend.

"Buffy...You have to get up... We need you..." Willow looked down at Buffy and saw the silent tears that ran down her face, and watched as the light slowly faded from Buffy's eyes. "Buffy, please! Buffy..."

The silent tears continued to fall from Buffy's now empty, dead eyes, and Willow's voice began to fade.... As the reality of losing, of failing her sister slammed into Buffy again, sending her tumbling over the edge that she had been teetering on, into the dark, cool, calm of the open arms of the complete silence and darkness...
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"DAWN!" Faith screamed out into the empty room agaier ger gut twisting in fear, her body shaking in terror. She hadn't felt this kind of terror or helplessness since she was a child.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP IN THERE YOU CRAZY BITCH!" Came a yell from one of the rooms next to her.

"FUCK YOU ASSHOLE!" Faith screamed back putting her fist through the wall again.

She was reeling, her mind in a tailspin. In the last five minutes, she had gotten so many different echoes from Buffy that she felt dizzy, disoriented. They were coming at her so hard and fast that she was powerless, unable to block them. The only thing she knew for sure was that Glory had Dawn, and that she had failed them. She tried to calm her erratic breathing and concentrate, she began to focus, trying to find her center, and then the wave of desolation, the despondency, hit her like a blow to the stomach, doubling her over. Tumbling over it was the helplessness, the hopelessness that Buffy was feeling. The utter absolute failure Buffy felt at losing Dawn. They called out teir eir sisters that had lived inside of Faith for so long, awaking them again, the weight of them bringing Faith to her knees.

She felt as Buffy started to slide down the dark tunnel, one that Faith was all too familiar with, and cried out for Buffy to come back hoarsely. Afraid for her, afraid of what Faith knew lay in the darkness Buffy was descending into. Then Buffy's bone-deep fear and sorrow joined forces with the despair and anguish and they crashed into Faith, joining her her own escalating emot. .

She too hadn't kept her promises. Her promise to Buffy to kept Dawn safe no matter what. Her promise to Dawn. She had failed like she always failed, and Faith felt herself following Buffy down that tunnel, welcoming the darkness, the silence, the numbness, that she knew existed there, and her silent tears joined that of the keeper of her heart and soul.
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Gronx and Murk were packing. They talked about Glory in low tones, grumbling under their fetid breath about her and her many possessions. She yelled to them from the other room, letting them know that she could hear them. They scurried quickly into the other room, bickering and blaming the other on their way. She glared at them; they bowed to her in supplication, in fear. Hitting, and pushing each other, stopping immediately when Glory waved a hand at them bored with their behavior.

"Guys - I'm not gonna kill you. Not in the mood...... What do you think that's about?" A look of confusion crossed her face.

"In mercy does your power lie?"

Glory looked at Gronx like he was an idiot, which she thought to herself he was, all her minions were, they did serve a purpose though.

"No, brainless. In torture, death and chaos does my power lie. So tell me. Why am I not popping your head like a zit right now?" She looked to them for an answer and all she received was openmouthed stares, and dumfounded expressions. Did she honestly think that they would know? Righttttt! "Maybe I'm just hungry."

"Yes! We shall fetch a ..."

"Nah, I'm not hungry." She began pacing, the seamstress minion, who had been working on her ceremonial robe following behind her. "Uhhh! I'm just a little tight in this skin, is all. I've been waiting an eternity - well, twenty-five human years - and it all comes down to tonight."

"The portal shall open."

"And the Great Glorificus shall return."

"To the Hell I came from. Where I'm gonna rain down more super sized portions of slaughter, mayhem, and bloodshed than you scabs can even dream about." She flopped down ungracefully onto the sofa, a look of confusion again on her face. "So how come I ain't happy?" The minions looked at her even more confused then before. "I got everything I ever wanted. Still - something's off." She raised her hand, twirling, stretching her wrist as if it were stiff. Looking up turning her ask asking, "I don't know.... What do you think?"

Bound and gagged, tears silently falling, terrified, Dawn stared back at Glory.
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They were still at the abandoned gas station, Spike had managed to hotwire Ben's car, but no one moved to get in the car. Giles was thankfully conscious, in pain, but sitting up. Buffy was sitting on the floor, hands in her lap, her eyes empty, staring at nothing, catatonic, still shrouded in her silence.

Willow had been trying repeatedly to reach Buffy, calling her name, and getting no response. They needed to get out of here, it had been almost a half an hour since Glory had taken Dawn. Still they sat or stood, staring at Buffy waiting for her to move. Xander and Spike started arguing over what was wrong with her. Spike having had enough already, roughly grabbed Buffy by the shoulders shaking her, trying to snap her out of it. They look at him with skepticism, he was scared, and he was pissed that he was scared, but he wasn't about to let them know that. He grabbed Buffy again, and shook her even harder, still no response. Taking a deep breath that he didn't need, Spike pulled back his hand and slapped Buffy hard across the face, and then immediately grabbed his head in pain.

'GODDAMN FUCKING BLOODY CHIP!'

Xanderbbedbbed Spike and shoved him away from Buffy screaming at him, "Are you insane!? We could be dealiith ith neurological damage here. You want to kill her?"

"We've got to do something! I can't just sit here watching. You waste time with kid gloves. I'm willing to
gamble when all's said and done... Buffy likes it rough." Spike was on the edge of total panic.

Xander turned and punched him in the face; they began to go at it.

Willow raised her head, her eyes not quite black, and said one word in a quiet hard voice, "Separate."

Some unseen force pushed Xander and Spike back, away from each other. They were freaked and stared at Willow, as did Giles and Anya, they all waited for an explanation from Willow.

Standing still, she turned her head and looked at each of them. This was not the Willow they all knew. A little bit of the unholy light still glowed in her eyes as she glared at them. When she finally spoke, herce wce was calm, determined, intense, and soft. "Buffy's out. Glory has Dawn. Sometime real soon she's gonna use Dawn to tear down the barrier between every dimension there is so if you two want to fight, you do it after the world ends. 'kay?" While she had phrased it as a question, there was no mistaking it for one, she was telling them, not asking. Neither wanted to try to find out what would happen if they decided to test her.

Spike glared at Xander. Xander ignored Spike and moved away from him and joined Giles and Anya at the counter. Willow waited until everyone was still again before she continued. "Alright. First, we head back to Sunnydale. Xander'll take Giles to a hospital. Anya's looking after Tara, and Spike... you find Glory. Check her apartment first see if she's still there. Try anything stupid like payback and I will get very cranky." She paused and looked at each one of them again. "Everyone clear? Or do we have questions
T
There was long pause, they were scared of her, and a part of Willow was relishing that fear. Anya slowly, cautiously, tentatively raised her hand.

"Anya."

"Um... w-what will you do?" Okay, maybe not a good idea, Anya thought after she spoke.

"I'll help Buffy."

"Okay, then."

"The world is spinning." Willow moved over to Tara, her expression her mannerisms, her voice immediately softened. "The world is spinning. Straight, to the new day. Big day, big dag day ..."

"Shh, shh..." Willow gently told Tara, who began whimpering. Spiked moved closer to them, hesitant, afraid of the redhead that he always had thought was cute, but timid.

"Uh, Will?... Now, uh, don't turn me into a horned toad for asking, but... what if we come across Ben?" Spike was confused when they all turned and looked at him like he was stupid for even asking Willow that.

"Nothing, I don't think a doctor's what Buffy needs right now."

"Well, yeah. 'Specially not one who also happens to be Glory." Now he was sure they were looking at him like he had two heads, in fact they all looked confused too.

"What do you mean?"

"You know... Ben is Glory." Spike enunciated slowly, getting a little frustrated and confused himself.

"You mean... Ben's with Glory?" Willow was frowning at him, wondering what game Spike was up to now.

"With in what sense?"

"They're working together?"

"No no. Ben is Glory. Glory's Ben. They're one and the same." Spike grounded out between clenched teeth.

'Bloody stupid humans!'

"When did all this happen?"

"Not one hour ago! Right here, before your very eyes! Ben came, turned into Glory, snatched the kid, and... phht!... vanished. Remember?" Spike was practically squeaking by the time he finished. They were all staring at him with the same blank stare that both Buffy and Tara now shared. Uncertainly he asked them, "You do remember?" He paused squinting at all of them, wondering if they had gotten into Ben's medical bag. "Is everyone here very stoned?" They continued to stare at him with that same confused, blank look, like he had been drinking some drunk persons blood. Now he was bloody annoyed! "Ben! Glory! He's a doctor. She's the Beast! Two entirely separate entities, sharing one body! It's like a bloody sitcom! Surely, you remember!"

Nope! He could see they still weren't getting it. Spike had to force down the urge to slap Xander silly when he started talking to him like he was a two-year-old. "So you're saying... Ben, and Glory ..."

"Have a... connection...." Anya finished for Xander.

"Yes, obviously. But what kind?" Giles mused aloud.

Suddenly it was like someone had turned on the lights in Spikes head, he laughed and nodded to himself. "Ah! I get it. Very crafty. Glory's worked the kind of mojo where anyone who sees her little presto-chango instantly forgets. And yours truly, being somewhat other than human, stands immune."

"So... Ben and Glory... are... are... the same person?" Willow was still frowning, not sure if she had it right or not.

"Glory can turn into Ben, and Ben turns back into Glory." Xander's voice was low, awed, as he were speaking about finding 'Noah's Ark'.

"And anyone who sees it instantly forgets."

'Score one for the ex-vengeance demon!'

Spiked nodded and put his finger on his nose, and pointed his other hand at Anya as if they had been playing a game of charades. "And a kewpie doll for the lady."

"Excellent." Giles paused and looked at all of them. "Now. Do we suspect there could be any kind of link between Ben and Glory?"

They turn and looked at Spike expectantly, forcing air out of his lungs that he didn't have he just sighed very loudly, and rolled his eyes, he really wanted to growl at them, but he didn't want to get stuck out here in the middle of fucking nowhere.

'Stupid bloody humans. Fucking stupid fucking chip!'
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Willow grabbed Tara's hand, Xander and Anya supported Giles between them, and Spiked picked up the deathly still Slayer. They walked out into the night, all acutely aware of the missing member of their road trip crew and of the silence that hung heavy and thick in the air.

While Faith, all alone in the run-down rattrap motel, eyes empty, was on her knees, ensnared in the tunnel of her own absolute darkness and silence.
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Hello darkness, my old friend, I've come to talk with you again. ~ Because a vision softly creeping, left its seeds while I lay sleeping. ~ And the vision that was planted in my brain still remains within the sound of silence. - Simon and Garfunkel
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Continued in Chapter XX – As The End Draws Near