The Witch, The Warrior, and the Vampire

Chapter 20
Preparation

As Buffy jogged home, her mind was working overtime. Not all of her Slayer dreams came true. Ok so they did, but not necessarily exactly the way they played out in her dreams. The dream did not mean Angelus was coming back. The dream did not mean Angel and/or Angelus would dust Spike, as she watched helplessly. And Faith was already dead right? All the dream meant was she had a bunch of vampires to fight. Soon.

Buffy slipped soundlessly into her home. She could hear Dawn, Willow, and Tara bumping around getting ready to go to the Magic Box. She paused for a second at the foot of the stairs and listened. The sound of water running was noticeably absent; Buffy grinned as she dashed for the bathroom, reaching the door seconds before Dawn. “Sorry, you snooze you lose!” Buffy taunted her sister and stuck out her tongue.

“Selfish pig.” Dawn answered with a grin, and went downstairs to watch cartoons until it was her turn to get ready. Before Dawn had a chance to decide between Power Puff Girls and Spongebob Squarepants, Buffy was dashing out the door, wearing her ‘comfy’ clothes, and with wet hair dripping down her back. “See you at the Magic Box, got an errand to run, bye!”

Dawn squealed and let out a stream of curse words that w hav have made Spike proud when she realized there was no hot water, again. She made a mental note to remind Buffy to have another hot water heater installed when the extra bathroom was added on to the house.

~*~

‘What was that sound? Why wouldn’t it stop?’ It couldn’t be the alarm clock, he’d just gone to sleep seconds ago. He rolled over to turn the clock off. Except he didn’t roll over, he turned and landed face first on the hardwood floor. Swearing, he opened one eye and tried to determine where he was. There was that incessant sound again. ‘Why wouldn’t it stop? Oh for god’s sakes, it was the bloody phone.’ He stood and tried to find the phone, but there was a marching band in his head and he couldn’t see anything because someone dumped a thousand pounds of sand in each eye. Groping blindly, he found the phone. “Wha?” His throat felt like he’d swallowed razor blades. His mouth tasted like a sewer.

“Giles, good morning. It’s Anya.” Her chipper voice was somewhat painful to his sensitive ears.

“Uhhh,” he managed to croak as a form of greeting.

“Buffy had Slayer dreams all night, meeting at the Magic Box in an hour.” Anya, having ascertained Giles’ state, decided to make things as simple as possible.

“Ungh.” Giles rubbed the sleep from his eyes blearily, then groped for his glasses.

“Want me to call the mansion?”

“Gahh.” They didn’t seem to be in the immediate area.

“Ok, I’ll call them, see you in an hour.” Anya rung off, still sounding far too upbeat for the time of day.

The phone somehow found its way back into the cradle and he staggered back towards the couch. ‘Glasses, where were they?’ Ah, on the coffee table. He sat down on the couch and with a trembling hand reached for and put his glasses on. There, that was better. What had happened last night? Why did he feel like this? What was he stepping on? Looking down at the evidence of the previous night, it started coming back to him. Both his bottles of fifty-year old Scotch were empty. Two tumblers. Two? Morgaine. She’d been there and drank him into a stupor, not for the first time.

Ashtray. Filled with cigarette butts. That certainly explained the taste in his mouth and the rawness of his throat. A wave of nausea hit him and he groaned, sinking onto the floor. He closed his eyes but it only served to make dizzy. Opening them, he stared at the coffee table trying to figure out what was on it. An envelope, a note, Morgaine’s handwriting. Moaning, he reached for the note. It took him several minutes to actually understand what was written on it.

Rupert, left a tea for when you wake up. Drink it, Morgaine.

He opened the envelope and sniffed the contents. He pulled himself to his feet and stumbled towards the kitchen to put the kettle on. He knew from many, many years of experience he had just enough tim sho shower, shave, and brush his teeth before the kettle would be ready. Holding his head between his hands and staggering up the steps, he concentrated very hard on not throwing up.

~*~

After a quickie in the shower with his wife, Xander headed to the kitchen for breakfast. He grunted at Spike when he passed him, and was surprised to see his sire had heated up every bag of blood they had. A couple of empty ones on the counter let him know Spike had already fed and the rest was for him. His game face rippled forwards and he greedily drank everything Spike had prepared for him. As the familiar sounds of Anya getting ready filled his ears, he settled on the couch and watched the news.

Spike walked in, black jeans, black t-shirt, Docs, and duster already on. “Mind if I smoke inside?” Xander shrugged and Spike lit up.

“You ready for this?” He asked.

Shrug.

“Feed?”

Nod.

“Nervous?” Spike eyed the younger vampire closely.

Xander didn’t move a muscle, but answered Spike in his head. ‘Nervous? Hell yeah, I’m nervous. I haven’t been around this many people yet, much less two Slayers at the same time. What if I can’t control myself? I don’t want to embarrass myself in front of everybody. I haven’t even seen Tara and Dawn yet. I don’t know how I’ll react to them. I’m not ready to face all the Scoobies at once, much less those people from England. Can’t I just stay here and you fill me in? Why do we even have to go? We’re vampires, we’re not supposed to run around during the day. Makes my skin crawl. Doesn’t it bother you? And why am I so jumpy? I just had more blood in one sitting than I had all day yesterday, why do I feel like I need more?’

Spike studied Xander as he smoked. That shit about vampires being able to read minds was just that, shit. So was that stuff about being able to communicate with other vampires telepathically. What they could do was feel vibes, energy, hear and smell clues and signals humans couldn’t.

True, they could sense their sire and fledglings over great distances by using the bond between them, but it took concentration and an innate talent. If one was particularly skilled, that vampire could feel emotions through the bond as well. Not all vamps could do it. Most didn’t want to. Spike had learned e ske skills in the first few months of his existence, and learned them well. It had been necessary for his survival. Darla and Angelus had been a dangerous and deadly combination to more than just humans. Learning how to read them had kept him undead. Barely.

For the past hundred years he hadn’t used those skills, much. Drusilla may have been stark raving mad, but she was forthright about everything. With Xander he used them constantly. If he concentrated hard enough, he could almost feel Xander’s thoughts. Right now his childe was suffering. Suffering in a way only two other vampires had ever suffered, that he knew of. Blood wasn’t the only thing the demon required. It required family, fighting, fucking and feeding. Sinking fangs into flesh and sucking. The hardest adjustment to the chip had been fighting his natural desire to do just that. He often wondered how Angel had handled that basic need.

Xander couldn’t feed from humans; his soul, sire, and friends wouldn’t let him. He’d not been given permission to drink from Anya, and in truth, was afraid to. What if he drank too much and accidentally killed her? Spike hadn’t given him an open invitation to drink, he had to offer. Xander’s pride wouldn’t allow him to ask. He was lost in his thoughts and didn’t notice Spike standing in front of him. Suddenly he was pulled to his feet and pressed tightly against his sire. Spike’s head turned to the side and Xander’s eyes focused on the long column of pale, hard, flesh offered to him. He slowly sank his fangs in, relishing the feel. He sucked slowly, delicately, savoring the feel of actually feeding. He closed his eyes and lost himself to the sensation. Control returning with each small sip. When he was gently pushed away, all the doubt and worry was gone. He could do this. He was ready. Xander Harris, former glorified bricklayer was ready to be a full-time Scooby. Anya stood by the door with two blankets and the car keys. It was time to go.

~*~

Buffy stared at the door in front of her. She hadn’t been inside since before her senior prom. She swallowed hard and took a deep breath to brace herself; she didn’t know if she was ready to face the memories that lay on the other side of the door. She raised her hand to knock and the door swung open. Buffy found herself staring into a pair of silver eyes. She cleared her throat but before she could say anything, Morgaine stepped aside and gestured for her to enter.

“Maggie will be down in a minute.” Buffy nodded, stepping reluctantly into the living room of the Crawford Street mansion.

Morgaine disappeared upstairs, leaving Buffy in a room full of memories. Good and bad. Angel feeding from her, breaking up with Angel, finding out Faith was working against them, fighting the evil Watcher, training with Angel, talking with Angel, Angel giving her that dumb book she never even opened for her birthday, chaining Angel to the wall over there, leaving her claddaugh ring on the floor, killing Angel, fighting Angelus. Her first memory of the damned mansion was about Angelus. She’d always hated this place, because of that. “Hey Buffy, you wanted to see me?”

Buffy looked over the girl in front of her. She seemed so young, so innocent, so frail. All necessary in a Slayer. Made it easier to lull the vampires into a sense of complacency. “Did you have Slayer dreams last night?” She got right to the point.

“Yeah, how’d ya know?” The redhead tipped her head inquisitively at Buffy, curious.

“Tell your Watcher you’re going with me and we’ll meet them at the Magic Box. We need to talk.”

“Sure.” Maggie went tearing across the mansion and Buffy was once again left alone with memories she’d rather forget, memories she had thought were buried deeper than they obviously were. She sensed movement behind her, and turned around to see Morgaine studying her.

“I think I’m going to need you to do some spells today, so bring whatever you’ll need for the others.” Morgaine gestured at the bag on the floor at her feet and Buffy nodded. Maggie reappeared and the two Slayers walked out into the morning sun.

~*~

“What do you mean I have to stay here until it’s over with?” Cordelia demanded. Her brown eyes flashed dangerously at the golden humanoid male in front of her.

His sister and companion answered. “You won’t be sitting here waiting, we have other work you need to do.”

“Well, what if I don’t want to do it?” Cordelia’s lower lip jutted out stubbornly.

“You don’t have a choice, kid. You can do what they tell you, save some lives in the process, or go back to Sunnydale and watch everyone you care about die.” Whistler put one hand on Cordelia’s shoulder, trying to placate her. She wrenched away from his grasp as if she’d been burned.

“Keep your hands off me, you freak!” She glared at the fashion-challenged little demon.

“Ms. Chase, the people you care about will die if you join them; it’s written in the stars. However, if you complete the tasks given to you successfully, you will be returned to help them at a time when you will be most needed. If you learn the lessons we have to teach you, you can save them all.” The male’s tone was infuriatingly calm.

“You know I’m stubborn and pig-headed, what if I don’t want to learn the lessons you have to teach me?” She stood, hands on hips, in full Queen C mode.

“Then they will all die.” The female stated in the same placid manner as her brother.

“And let me guess, the world will end, blah, blah, blah.”

“No, the world will not end, it will change. Earth will become a hell dimension. Demons will rule and humans will be kept as cattle or pets. The Balance will be upset for three millennia before this very same group of people are finally reincarnated and given the opportunity to restore the Balance. But you my dear Ms. Chase will live for those three millennia in the hell that Earth will become. You will become the favored pet of the Master. He will use your visions to further his own ends. Your demonic nature will ensure you live. You are not just immortal now, but eternal.”

Shaken to the core, Cordelia finally managed to ask, “Eternal? What does that mean?”

“It means kid, nothing can ever kill you. Bullets, knives, vampires, all of those things can hurt you, but you’ll live. Hurt you a lot, I might add. As the Master’s pet, I’m sure you’ll become quite accustomed to pain and torture.” Whistler could see that he was getting through to the brunette; already her shoulders had lost their indignant bearing.

Resigned to her fate, Cordelia held her head high, looking straight at the golden male in front of her with a courage she really didn’t feel, and asked, “What do I have to do?”

~*~

In exactly one hour, everyone but Buffy and Maggie converged at the Magic Box. To his surprise, Giles’ hangover was gone. He made a mental note to get the ingredients for the tea Morgaine had left him. James, Bridget, Morgaine, Willow, Tara and Dawn were seated at the research table drinking coffee and chatting.

Xander had settled against a wall as far away from the others as possible; Spike and Anya flanked him on either side. He’d nervously greeted James, Bridget, and Morgaine then quickly named the scents of Tara and Dawn. Tara he’d named Purity, and without even a hint of sarcasm, he’d immediately named Dawn Energy.

Morgaine met Giles’ eye across the table. He could tell she was gathering her power. He shuddered inwardly at what that meant. The bell over the shop door rang and all heads turned to see the two Slayers enter carrying boxes upon boxes of Krispy Kreme doughnuts. “Guys, you’ve got to try this!” She Maggie bustled towards the table and opened a box of steaming doughnuts “Why don’t we have Krispy Kreme in England? The sign over the door said “Hot Doughnuts Now,” these are sinful!”

“Buffy, tell me you remembered the jellies.” Giles looked hopefully at his slayer.

“Duh! Of course I remembered the jellies, Giles. And I remembered the chocolate Bavarian cream-filled too.” She said as she winked at Willow.

“What about the custards?” Tara and Dawn asked at the same.

Buffy didn’t dignify the question with a response as she deposited the single most important requirement for a successful Scooby meeting on the table. “Dig in. I’ll talk while you eat.” Buffy sat down on the ladder that led to the loft; with Maggie beside her filling in the blanks, she told every detail of the dream she and Maggie had shared. They left out no details. Buffy faltered towards the end, and it was Maggie that told them all how Angel and Angelus had simultaneously decapitated and staked Spike as he protected the three Slayers mourning the loss of their sister.

Silence filled the Magic Box. Since it was Sunday, the store was closed, and there would be no bell jangling to ease the awkward silence. It was Xander in the end who broke it. “There is no way on earth I’d ever let that fucker dust my sire.”

“Thanks, mate ‘preciate that, but it’s not the most important part of the dream. Sounds lihe nhe nights of no nasties to fight is are over with. The dream was a warning; we’ll ‘ave to plan patrols and assign everyone a role.” Spike said from his place on the counter.

“Spike’s right.” Buffy interjected. “We will have to plan out patrols and get everyone to help, but I think the real significance was Angel and Angelus being together at the same time.” She flicked her eyes towards Spike and steadily met his gaze. “You said yourself that he wasn’t acting right when he was here this week, and that the call from the Master was getting stronger. We need to figure out what that call is and how to stop it. Ans iss is the last thing any of us need.” Buffy turned to the witches. “Is there any kind of spell you can do to determine what’s going on while the rest of us plan patrol?”

Morgaine immediately grabbed her bags and started for the back of the store. “I brought what we’ll need. Come girls, we’ll set up in the training room. Spike, we’ll need you for the spell since it‘s working on you as well.”

“Don’t like mojo being performed on me, Morgaine.” The vampire noticeably tensed.

She smiled, “We won’t perform it on you, we’re going to trace the spell using you. There’s a big difference.” Morgaine left the room followed by Tara and Willow.

“Buffy, aren’t you worried about Spike getting killed?” Dawn mentally kicked herself; she hadn’t meant to sound so whiney and needy. Buffy reached out and played with a strand of Dawn’s hair in quiet contemplation before she met her sister’s eyes. “No, I’m not. See, Faith’s already dead. In the dream, I was mourning her and not paying attention. I’ve already mourned her and I’m paying attention now.”

“S’right Nibblet. Not gonna let Peaches hurt me. It was a warning, not a prediction. Big Bad’s too hard for Angelus to kill. He’s tried for over a hundred years, and hasn’t succeeded yet.” Spike pulled both his women close and held them. Breathing in their scents, feeling their hearts beat, he kissed the tops of both their heads. “Run along Nibblet, do your witchy stuff, and pay close attention so they don’t turn me into a stink beetle or what all.” Dawn hugged the vampire close and left to join the witches.

“Xander, get your map out. It’s strategy time.” Buffy’s eyes bled to steely gray as the Slayer took over. At sundown the fight would begin. The Slayer locked eyes with her sister slayer. “Maggie, pay attention, you’re getting ready to find out why I’m still alive.”

~*~

Angel sighed as he sat down at his desk. He hadn’t slept yet. The AI team had spent countless hours hypothesizing why the Powers had summoned Cordelia. A waste of time, really. They wouldn’t know until she returned. It had taken even longer to calm Connor down. His son had taken the absence of his adopted Mother to heart. Angel had often wondered if it had been a good idea to let Connor know Cordy wasn’t really his mother. Cordelia though had been adamant about it. The boy deserved to know his origin and family ties such as they were.

In the end, it had been Ryvr who had gotten through to him. Amazing that an offer of training would calm the boy down when hugs, kisses, and love had not. Surely those were Darla’s genes running through the boy and not his. Angel acutely felt the absence of Cordelia. She kept him grounded, centered, focused on what was important. He extended his senses to locate the people in the hotel. Ryvr and Connor were in the basement training room with Wesley was acting as Watcher. Gunn and Fred were out on a case. Lorne had returned to his apartment. Now was as good of a time as any to see if his investment had paid off.

Angel pushed a button underneath his desk, and a wall slid open behind him. Taking a key from the center of a hollowed-out book, he opened the door behind the sliding wall. He entered a state of the art surveillance room. He’d made many contacts in his private investigations field, but none as important as the college kid from UCLA, who called Sunnydale home. The boy was a genius with electronics, robotics, and all the other technical stuff Angel would never understand. Taking care to close all the doors behind him and to set up the alarm that would alert him to anyone nearing his office, he settled into a comfortable chair and switched on the monitors.

It was time to see if his little spy had done what he’d paid him for. When he had turned everything on, he realized he only needed one of the cameras he’d arranged for to be in use at the moment. He quickly realized Warren had miked the store as well as gotten the cameras installed everywhere he’d wanted them, with one exception. Xander’s apartment. Once he managed to get a camera installed there, he’d give the boy his bonus. A high-pitched giggle escaped him; wouldn’t the little geek be surprised when he ate him and didn’t turn him.

~*~

“We know that the Master is trying to influence Willow, Spike and Angel. We’ve got our patrol routes planned. Morgaine, Willow, we need to find a counterspell or a blocking spell to stop the signal the Master’s sending out. I want you guys, Bridget, Tara, and Dawn, to research that tonight while the rest of us patrol.” Buffy indicated.

“Buffy, I want to help you.” Dawn said as she started to plead her case to help patrol that night.

“You are, Dawnie. If we can’t stop what the Master’s doing…the rest of my dream may come true.”

Dawn squared her shoulders and held her head high. “I won’t let him kill Spike. I’ll research.”

“Thank you, Dawn.” Buffy said and hugged her sister close. “All right, every one that’s patrolling tonight, get some rest. We’ll meet back here half an hour before sundown.”