Chapter 38 – The Gathering
This was what family was, Buffy thought as she stirred the spaghetti sauce
she was making for dinner. It reminded her of the time before she was chosen
and her own family was still intact. Her mother and father teasing each other
as Joyce cooked while Dawn and she annoyed them because they wanted some of
their attention.
Carefully, she put the lid
back on the pot, checked the noodles then turned back to face her new make
shift family. Anya and Angel were discussing profits from the Magic Box and
something about internet stock. Spike, Xander and Dawn were playing Crazy
Eights. She smiled, at peace for the first time in forever.
Buffy walked over behind
Spike and he leaned back into her arms. His attention was never taken from his
hand though because he was determined to win. Their laughter had been growing
louder the longer they played. Dawn was cheating quite openly but neither of
the men cared. The contest was between them not the teenager.
Kissing Spike’s temple,
Buffy let her hands run along his shoulders and down his arms. The three of
them had sworn to find balance somehow. This idyllic scene could only be a part
of their lives. Not the majority. She understood their demons even more now.
She had felt the hunger, the raging violence, and the coldness that her lovers
controlled with their hearts. They needed freedom to release some of it just as
surely as the slayer blood called for her to follow it. If nature could give
equal time to day and night then she had faith they would find a way, too.
The telephone rang and she
stepped away to answer it. A quick glance at the clock told her that it was
probably
“Hello,” Buffy said,
smiling.
“Oh, god, Buffy, it was
Glory…,”
“We’re on our way,” Buffy
said. “Hang on, we love you.” She hung up the phone, turned the dials on the
stove off then turned again to find everyone standing. Ready and waiting for
wherever they were needed. “
Nothing more needed to be
said. With moves that were too well practiced, the house was closed down,
jackets donned, and they divided for the car ride over. Angel led the way
barely keeping the car on the road with the speed he drove. Dawn’s hand in
hers, Buffy kept her gaze peeled out the window. She prayed that they wouldn’t
lose someone else, not so soon. The two cars were parked side by side, barely
stopping before they were abandoned, as the group ran for the entrance.
Ignoring the warnings that they couldn’t all go in, they went anyway. They
didn’t even need to ask, Angel led the way, following the scent of the girls
that were a part of them.
“I’m so glad you’re here,”
“How is she?” Buffy asked,
this time she was in the lead. Everyone else waited behind her as they waited
for
“I’m okay now,”
“Her hand is broken,”
“Eew,” Dawn said. “How does
she do that?”
“Puts her fingers into your
head,”
“How did you stop her, pet?”
Spike asked.
“Flew her about fifty feet,”
Buffy breathed a sigh of
relief and let herself accept that everyone was all right for the moment. Her
eyes closed, she swallowed then it was back to business.
“Why was Glory after you?”
“She thought I was the key,”
“How did she know you
weren’t?” Angel asked.
“She tasted my blood when
she broke my hand.”
Before they could ask any
more questions, the doctor returned to wrap
“Yeah, right,” Dawn said,
rolling her eyes. “You just don’t want me to look at the icky stuff. It’s not
fair.” She opened the door. “Can I have a cigarette?”
“No,” Angel said, watching
as the pair left the room, both arguing over who should be able to smoke. He
shook his head and leaned against the wall to wait. Buffy went to him, needing
his strength, grateful when one arm encircled her waist. His thumb caressed her
arm.
They watched as
“This was really
inconsiderate of Glory to do this,” Anya said. “We had plans and now they are
ruined. And poor Xander is reduced to eating chocolate. It’s going to make him
fat.”
“It will not,” Xander said,
through a mouthful of chocolate. He raised one finger and added, “I am not
fat.”
Angel snickered but didn’t
say anything. Buffy just smiled. Maybe they could still salvage dinner. It was
either that or they were going to be reduced to pizza again. She wrinkled her
nose. She never thought the day would come when she couldn’t stand the thought
of eating one of her favorite foods.
“Help, help,” Dawn yelled,
running through the entrance. “It’s Spike.”
Everything else was
abandoned as they ran to the parking lot. Glory had to be getting desperate.
Her minions were attempting to kidnap Spike. Their nasty little hands kept
grabbing him as he continued to fight them off. Angel was first by his side
with Buffy right behind him. The creatures kept coming though. Buffy punched
one then kicked another as it attempted to jump on Angel’s back. He grabbed one
by its robe and swung it, knocking down two others. Finally they took the hint
when Spike threw one through a car window. They helped their comrade then
scurried off.
“The little soddin’ bastards
were trying to get me,” Spike said. “What the bleedin’ hell did they think
they’d get with a vampire?”
“Maybe they don’t know
you’re a vamp,” Angel said, with his hands on his hips.
“She’s going to go through
everyone,” Buffy said, “until she finds the key.”
“Get everyone together,”
Angel said. “Nobody is alone from this point on.”
Spike returned to the
hospital to find
“Giles, its Angel. Is Jenny
with you?” He paused. “Good, get to the mansion now. Glory is attacking. Bring
only what you need and whatever research we’ve got on her. The rest of us
should be there shortly.”
It was done. Whatever peace
they had been enjoying was over and it was time to prepare for battle.
~~~~~~~
The mansion was finally
quiet. Earlier it had been filled with activity as everyone had settled in. A
protection spell had been placed around the perimeter to warn them of any
intruders. The bedrooms had been cleaned up so that everyone would have
somewhere to sleep. Groceries had been procured along with items from the house
on
Angel had a large pile of
books in front of him with Giles mirroring him on the other side. Buffy was
curled up with Spike on the couch wading through some information that
“Oh, dear,” Giles said,
softly. His finger was running over the page of a book.
“Did you find something?”
Buffy asked, sitting up.
“Yes, I think I may have,”
Giles said, absently. “Give me just one minute.”
Everyone remained silent but
continued to stare at him while he read over whatever text he had found.
“Well, come on, Watcher,”
Spike said. “Give us a smidgen.”
“Um…well, uh,” Giles took
his glasses off and laid them on the table. “According to this, uh, it’s
possible for Glory to be stopped.”
Buffy hurried to the table
to try and read over Giles shoulder. He blocked her by laying his hand over the
page.
“What, Giles?” Buffy said,
straightening back up. “Is it bad or what?”
“I’ve read over this very
carefully, Buffy,” Giles said, standing. “And there’s not much margin for
error. You understand what I’m saying?”
“It might help if you said
it,” Buffy said, crossing her arms and standing a little straighter.
Angel and Spike both rushed
to her side, their arms sliding around her. Thankfully she took their support
as they waited for Giles to finish.
“Um…Glory plans to…open a
dimensional portal…by way of a ritual bloodletting.”
“Dawn’s blood,” Buffy said,
leaning back into her lover’s embrace.
“Yes, once the blood is shed
at a certain time and place…the fabric which separates all realities will…be
ripped apart,” Giles said. He paused for a moment to look around at everyone
then he sighed before returning to look at Buffy. “Dimensions will pour into one
another, uh, with no barriers to stop them. Reality as we know it will be
destroyed, and…chaos will reign on earth.”
“You said there was a way to
stop it,” Angel said. “So, how do we?”
“The portal will only close
once the blood is stopped…and the only way for that to happen is…um…”
“Would you just spit it
out?” Spike asked. “Just tell us what to do and we’ll do it.”
Giles looked at Spike then
turned to Buffy. “The only way is to kill Dawn.”
“Read it again,” Angel said.
“There has to be something you missed. Tell us why and how this ritual is done.
We’ll find a way out.”
“There isn’t,” Giles said.
“So, you’re telling me that
the only way to stop this is to kill my sister?” Buffy asked.
“Yep, that’s pretty much
what he said,” Xander said.
“Can’t we just stop the
ritual from happening?” Anya asked. “I mean, Glory has to find Dawn first.”
“I love smart women,” Xander
said, beaming at his girlfriend.
“Glory still doesn’t know
who the key is,” Buffy said. “She pretty much figures its one of us but she
doesn’t know who.”
“Yeah, but she’s going to be
looking,” Jenny said. “If she was going to pick us off one by one then she
knows we’re together by now.”
“We have to get Dawn out of
Sunnydale,” Angel said, pacing. “You said that it had to be done at a particular
place and time, right?”
“Yes,” Giles said.
“Then we get Dawn out of
town until the time has passed,” Buffy said. “Do we know when?”
“A matter of days,” Giles
said. “There’s some text that needs to be translated that would give us the
time.”
“You and
Buffy nodded. “I know. I’m
just scared…and tired.”
“It’ll be okay, pet,” Spike
said, joining them. “I’ll protect her to the end of the world.”
“What would I do without the
two you?” Buffy asked, smiling as she snuggled into their embrace.
“Hopefully, you’ll never
need to know,” Angel said, reassuringly as he reached for his ringing cell
phone, “Yeah, hello.”
“Angel, its Wesley. Doyle
just had a vision and it’s not good. Not good at all.”
To be continued…
Author’s Note: Dialogue was
borrowed from the Buffy episode’s Spiral and The Gift.
