It was during her shopping trip with Buffy and Anya that Willow figured it out. Something Anya said triggered the witch-vampiress’ memory and Willow knew what needed to be done. 

“Isn’t it amazing,” the vengeance demon had said as they walked into yet another store filled with things for both the human and demon community. 

“What is?” Buffy asked absently as she looked through a list of services. The stores they frequented catered more to the elite of society, but had enough business sense to allow those under them the same designs as well. What the rich and famous wore, so, too, did the masses wish to emulate. 

“How even now there are so many things to buy? I mean war or not, the economy is still booming. Nice to know that no matter what’s not connected to your little empire, it’s still the most prosperous thing out there.” 

Not connected, Anya had said, what’s not connected, meaning that there were things, so many things, that WERE connected. 

So now, three days later, Willow was sitting atop the Hellmouth, letting the energies flow through her and tweaking the last of her spell. She hadn’t told anyone of her progress, wanting to get it right, first. This was their long-term plan, after all, and she wanted to ensure success. Willow doubted any of her family would kill her for failure, but she hated when she couldn’t get something down. This was one of those times. 

The room was thick with magicks, coating the surface of the very air. They swirled and eddied across Willow, rubbing her skin in a familiar caress, seducing, reminding, begging, taunting her with their secrets and desires. She’d neglected everyone these last days in her attempt to understand and control the magicks here, and knew Paul was growing worried. 

Couldn’t be helped, this wasn’t something she could interrupt for the sake of reassuring her lover. Willow had a bad moment when she realized that lover brought home some vampiress to his bed, and the energies surrounding her blasted outwards in her jealously. It wasn’t that they both hadn’t taken other lovers, but the fact was, they’d never brought one home, not to their private domain. Willow was not appeased when Paul assured her the other woman was nowhere near their rooms, hadn’t, in fact, gone anywhere else but his study, but Willow managed to calm enough to refocus herself on the matter at hand. 

She was still torn between finishing what she was doing to confront Paul, and showing him that she could do this, could control these magicks and herself, on her own. 

All she needed was to find that one thread, the one fiber that spawned the other ones, that connected everything to each other, and all of that to ‘other’ things…to everything. Once she found that, Willow knew that she could use it to find the energy portal, and once she found that then it was simply a matter of opening it. Giles already had several ideas for that, and Willow heard from Saffir about the archives the Watcher’s Council kept and how there were several more ideas in those tomes. 

Three days later, she was still searching. 

Letting her mind wander to her family, Willow again found her center, knowing that thinking too much about the very many threads that wound around her would cause her not to see any of them. So she concentrated on her family, on the fact that she was closer to them than she had been even previously, that she found a kindred in Drusilla when it came to Spike, to the art of the Hunt, and to the care and feeding of Faith. None of those things would have occurred to Willow before; sure, she and Spike had good times and she still wanted the handsome vampipre, but she always felt somehow wrong with him, and it wasn’t, she believed, because she ‘swung both ways’ as Spike called it. 

No, it wasn’t that, but more that she had yet to find her place in the world. Fighting by the Slayer’s side for years had given Willow a confidence she hadn’t previously had, but even then, the former redhead felt left out, regulated to the sidelines. Now, now she was an intricate part of the Family that controlled the world, and would soon control so much more. 

Buffy and Angelus were the appointed leaders, true, but then it was Darwin’s survival of the fittest that dictated that. Their Family was strong, stronger than anyone else in the world, but not them. And they were good at the leadership thing, Willow, even now, hated that, hated making decisions that affected anyone but her and her Family. Who cared about the rest of this miserable world? But they did, because they knew it was a matter of seeing that their Family, and their legacy, survived long into the future. 

Connor was a different matter, and one Willow loved trying to puzzle out. She and Drusilla would spend long hours talking about the boy, his place then and now, and Buffy and Angelus’ vision of him for their future. She’d love to have a go at him, but didn’t want dissension in the Family; Buffy was overly protective of the boy, Angelus only slightly less so, and Anya had a jealous streak that rivaled any of theirs, and Willow couldn’t quite blame her. 

Still, it was interesting watching the youngest among them at work, he seemed to have inherited his father’s artistic talent; the plans he drew up for Buffy’s gift to Angelus was extremely impressive. The castle in Ireland promised to be magnificent, grander than anything the Island had seen since the days of Tara, Firbolg and the Tuatha De Danann. Their new stronghold guaranteed them a place no one could forget. 

Willow wondered if they’d bring Lilah with them, Angelus seemed over his vengeance against the now completely brainwashed woman. He did, occasionally bring her to his and Buffy’s rooms. Willow knew the couple enjoyed watching the human’s degradation and humiliation, and Lilah’s complete devotion to both Master and Mistress and their pleasure. Willow did not know, however, if they used her as the sex object Angelus turned her into, but strongly suspected it. Still, Faith seemed to enjoy Lilah’s charms well enough, though the slayer’s need far outstripped Lilah’s ability to please her and the myriad others Angelus ‘lent’ her to. 

Ah, Faith, Willow thought as she studied and rejected various threads, strings, potentials, and possibilities. Willow never thought she’d accept the second slayer to the point where the witch would let Faith anywhere near her, sexually. But then, things changed drastically in the last years, so it was maybe to be expected. And Hades knew Faith had a talented tongue! And hands, and boy, could she move her body. The slayer – which was pretty much all Faith knew any more – fed on the sexual energy of the beings surrounding her just as much as she did on the Hunt, on the Kill. It went hand in hand in a way the old Willow wouldn’t have understood. 

Faith was their greatest creation, the Family; she epitomized everything they could and would do, their power over good and evil, over creation, succession even. With Faith on their side, and not turned, not demonized in any way, it showed the demons that the Family could and would do anything, and it showed the humans that even against one’s own will, could they be made to serve. 

Willow chuckled as she dismissed yet another strand. She loved the power she wielded over everyone, so she shared, what did it matter? Ruling the world was a lot of work, it took time, energy, and organization and most of their Family weren’t really into that. Giles loved it, he reveled in it, and Saffir was the perfect companion for the once stuffy watcher. Buffy did it because she wanted more time with Angelus, and since Angelus wanted the world, then she helped him in every way she could. Connor was learning, and loving every second of that, and seemed to finally find his niche with his father and Sire. 

Which left Dawn; Willow sighed and discarded another potential filament. The girl had completely lost her mind, crazier than Drusilla, Dawn looked upon the crazed vampiress as a kind of mother figure and Dru loved every second of that. Willow often laughed at the interactions between the two, Dru’s caring and Dawn’s dependence on her. 

Dawn, Dawn, Dawn…. 

There it was! 

Willow felt it, she felt the rightness of it, felt it through her entire being, it felt right, absolutely right. Oh, this was it! This was what she’d been searching for, the link to everything and everywhen and everywhere and all… 

The power burst through Willow, it snapped around her in a rage of emotion at being discovered, at being identified, and fought, oh how it fought, it wasn’t meant, it screamed, it wasn’t meant to be harnessed like this or identified even, it wasn’t meant to be, and yet and yet there she was, identifying it, harnessing it, preparing to use it for not only her purposes, but for her Family’s as well.

There it was, beautiful and pure, and entirely everything and all hers. It was a part of Willow now, and that power continued to flow through her in ways she’d never before imagined. It flowed and swayed and pounded, fighting, fighting, fighting, but it was useless, it was all useless, because it was captured now, and Willow wasn’t ever letting it go, not ever, it was hers, now, hers, hers, hers… 

Paul burst through the doors shielding the Hellmouth from the rest of the house, and consequently the rest of the world. He’d felt the power the moment Willow did. The house shook and the tall vampire wouldn’t be surprised if the entire world shook with the strength of the magicks of whatever Willow was doing. He burst through the doors half-expecting Willow to have opened the Hellmouth and let loose the hoards of Hell in some misguided attempted at…something. 

He knew she was addicted to the dark magicks that flowed through her, and that she needed some of that power every so often because of that addiction, but he’d never seriously thought that she’d go out of control. A fact Paul was now rapidly rethinking. He raced across the floor, skidding to a halt just outside the protective barrier that surrounded the Hellmouth and Willow. Whatever she was doing, Paul didn’t want to interrupt and disrupt her concentration; the Hellmouth, which was still blissfully closed, didn’t need to be opened accidentally. 

Willow’s beautiful long black hair flowed around her, her hazel eyes open and looking blankly ahead, her hands raised to her sides as she sat directly atop the Hellmouth. 

“Willow!” Paul shouted, unable not to. He wanted to pound on the barrier, but knew the futility of that. He wanted to recite the incantation and step into the dome with her, but didn’t want to let the energy and magicks that were visible around Willow loose. 

Suddenly her eyes turned towards him, looked at him, through him, into him and Paul wondered if maybe disrupting her really was the best choice. 

“Dawn,” she said and smiled, “I know.” 

Paul had no idea what she meant, knew what she was working on, but wasn’t aware of the specifics. Then she collapsed; the swirling wind of colors and light stopping as she hit the floor. Paul quickly muttered the words that would let him in and stepped through the barrier. Gathering her pale body in his arms, the tall vampire rocked her gently. 

In no way did he love Willow nor she him; neither would consent to the Mating Ritual, they’d never bind themselves to each other the way Angelus and Buffy had, but they had a bond nonetheless. Paul cared for Willow, as much as a soulless demon who had never – even when alive – loved another being could. 

Brushing her hair off her forehead, Paul kissed her pale lips, whispering to her. The words didn’t matter; all that did was the soothing tone, the plea that was evident even to him. Never, never had he pled for anything in his long, long life, it went against every instinct within him, but as the words left his mouth, they seemed so right. Now, with Willow in his arms, unresponsive and colder than normal, he did. He beseeched anyone and anything listening that she was alright; he found, in those few minutes where he’d thought he lost her, that he couldn’t lose her. 

Paul may not have loved Willow, he may not have wanted so permanent a bonding as the Joining Ritual, but he cared for her. He couldn’t, he discovered in those few minutes that stretched into infinity, lose her. 

“Paul?” Her voice was weak, a reedy question of his name that was enough to get his attention. 

“Willow? Baby, what did you do to yourself?” 

“The Hellmouth, it was the answer all along,” she whispered, eyes still closed, head still resting against her lover’s shoulder. She couldn’t move and wasn’t sure she would have anyway. 

“I found the connection, the link that ties everything together. I found it, it’s a part of me now, until it becomes a part of Dawn.”
~~~~~~~~~~
Dawn was screaming. 

The sound echoed throughout the wing and trickled down into the main part of the mansion, causing everyone to run towards the sound. Simultaneously, the phones began ringing. Barking orders, Angelus followed Buffy and Connor into Dawn’s room where Drusilla was soothing the hysterical girl. 

“Master,” a minion said, his eyes downcast and his posture submissive. “Master Stewart is on the phone for you.” 

Grabbing the device, Angelus snapped, “What is it, Paul?” 

“It’s Willow,” the other vampire’s voice said clearly across the line. “She claims to have found it.” 

Before Angelus could reply, George, their butler, appeared more silently than half the minions in the house, and handed another phone to Buffy. “Mistress,” George bowed respectively. “Master Giles is on the phone.” 

Handing her the phone, he slipped away as Buffy demanded, “What, Giles?” 

Drusilla still tried to calm the wailing Dawn, Faith was growing anxious with all the noise and the scent of prey overwhelming, Spike scowled harder the harder Dawn cried, and Dru acted like nothing so much as a mother. It was nearly surreal. 

“Are you sure?” Angelus asked Paul now, certain that he was, but wanting to double check, just in case. 

“Oh, yeah, I’m sure.” There was something in Paul’s voice that told Angelus that Paul wasn’t going to congratulate Willow on her accomplishment and the master vampire wondered just what the witch did. 

“Good. We’ll meet as soon as Giles and Saffir can get here. How soon does Willow think she can perform the spell?” 

“As soon as we’re all ready,” Paul stated, then promised, “I’ll call you with details when I know them.” 

Angelus disconnected the line and turned to Buffy who was just finishing her conversation with Giles. “Well?” 

“Giles thinks the Hellmouth was either disrupted, opened, or Willow did something.” She raised an eyebrow in question as Connor and Spike gathered closer and the four of the moved out into the hallway. 

“Leave,” Connor sneered at the lingering vampires and they did so without further thought. The youngest among them smiled and turned back to his Family, waiting for his father to reveal the answer. 

Nodding at his son, Angelus smiled. “That was Paul,” he confirmed. “Willow was successful.” 

Spike let out a bark of laughter, clamping Angelus on the back, Connor joined him, moving out of the way just as Buffy launched herself into Angelus waiting arms. Her eyes were lighted up, sparkling in anticipation and joy, and in the split second before her lips attacked his, Angelus saw a small thread of regret, too. 

Pulling away, Angelus nodded to Spike. “Pack up the Family, my boy, we’re heading to Africa.”

Spike nodded and turned to Connor as Angelus and Buffy murmured to each other further down the hallway. “Your castle project, how long until that’s finished?” 

“It’s planned out, all the other castles are demolished and the materials are either there, or on their way to the site. With round the clock human, demon, and vampire slave labor, I’d say a year, tops. But that’s optimistic, so be warned.” 

“It’ll take us that long to wrap things up here, figure another six to nine months after that, just to set us up in there, make use of the place and whatnot,” Spike mused as Connor nodded. 

“If we push, it’ll take less time, but I don’t want shoddy workmanship slaves or not.” What Connor didn’t want was to disappoint Buffy. He knew that vampires didn’t feel emotions such as love, caring, affection, but it seemed his family was different in that and Connor was no exception. He loved Buffy like a mother and didn’t want to disappoint either her, or his father, by not completing this first major project. 

“No, no, agreed,” Spike nodded, still thinking. Long term planning wasn’t exactly his thing; he was more a act now, run from consequences vamp later. Still, this needed to be done and done right. 

“Okay, so by the time Rupert gets here, Willow recovers, they plan out the spell…it’ll never work on the first try; statistically speaking, something terrible will happen that try and we’ll need to clean that mess up first before moving on.” 

“We’ll figure the spell first then,” Connor agreed as the wailing from behind them finally subsided. Idly, the boy wondered if Dru knocked Dawn out, but then her heard muffled voices and decided that was probably a no. 

“Figure the spell, set it all up, take out the rebels, and move.”

Spike agreed, “It shouldn’t take us long to wipe out those left in Africa, but I know Angelus wants to go in himself. No army, no minions, just us. Kind of like his last attempt on so-called friends. Alleviate some of that excess anger.” 

“Is everything always personal with those two?” Connor wondered as the couple in question disappeared around the corner, Buffy still held securely in Angelus’ arms. 

“Yeah,” Spike shrugged. “Yeah, it is.” 

Dru opened the door then, exiting the now-quiet room. “Our little slayer is with the coming dawn,” she whispered to the vampires in front of her, stealthy moving up to Spike and wrapping her arms around his neck, rubbing her body along his firm one. 

“It’s happening, isn’t it,” she wondered. 

“Yeah, pet,” Spike smirked, “Yes it is.” 

Connor shook his head and went into the room behind the couple. Faith and Dawn were curled together, the latter still sniffing every now and then, the slayer looking fierce in her protective position around the girl. From the limited contact Connor had with Faith, he knew her to be vicious and strong, but not overly protecting or a strong leader. Maybe, despite her fierce love of it, it took becoming more slayer than woman to bring out all those traits in her. 

“Faith,” Connor said in a low voice, “Will you be okay here?” 

As a rule, they didn’t leave either Dawn or Faith alone, and especially not with each other. But things spiraled faster than anyone could have predicted these last few minutes and now Connor was the only one not currently caught up in something, so it was left to him to see to their safety. 

“Tired,” she said and Connor wondered if he’d heard her speak since arriving here. “Sleep now.” 

“Ah, okay then,” he nodded and wondered who Faith was talking about, herself, Dawn, or him. “I’ll have Nicole watch you then, alright?” 

Faith said nothing else, turning her head back to Dawn and closing her eyes. Well, then, Connor thought and left. He rang for Nicole and instructed the minion to watch the two women, calling immediately for either Dru or Spike should she need help. 

Turning in the direction of his room, Connor wondered what should be first on his list. Now that the time was finally right, there were so many things to prepare. Plans to finally execute, new ones to implement, spies to pay and kill, rumors to spread, and old friends to find and eviscerate. 

Life was never dull.
~~~~~~~~~~
Buffy laughed, a low throaty sound as Angelus slammed the door closed behind them. 

“Where do you want to go first, lover?” He asked, his lips already trailing across her neck to her breasts. 

“Everywhere,” she said, “Anywhere. I want to see it all, I want to see everything.” 

Vamping out, Angelus bit into Buffy’s breast, drawing a mouthful of blood before kissing his way to her other breast, not unaware of her reaction. “We’ll take a side tour before we reach Africa, okay? I know Giles said how he wanted to show you England, so we’ll do that before we head south. Anyplace else you want to see?” 

“The pyramids,” Buffy gasped as her lover’s talented mouth slowly dipped lower, his equally talented hands stripping her of shirt and pants in record time. “Versailles, all those places you took over for me.”

Smirking, Angelus licked her hip, breathing deeply at the arousal that slammed into him. “By the gods, you’re beautiful, Buffy,” he whispered and tasted her again, fangs slipped gently into her outer thigh, drawing just a little of her sweet blood. “We’ll see all those places, I promise.” 

“Angelus!” She cried as he finally, finally, made his way to her core, teasing her to the point of insanity with his tongue. He held her down, one strong hand gripping her waist to still her, the other twisting her hands behind her, raising her just high enough for him to fully enjoy her. 

“Wesley’s mine,” he reminded her though he needn’t bothered, she remembered well enough. “As for the rest, I don’t care. I suspect Ethan Rayne is with them, I’m sure Giles wants him.” 

“Yes,” Buffy whimpered as he mercilessly brought her to the brink of orgasm once, twice, only to stop her from falling over the edge. His mouth tasted her, his tongue seeking all her hidden secrets, his long fingers playing with her hip. 

Bucking up again, Buffy wordlessly demanded he end her torment and just as she was about to force the issue, flip them over and take what she wanted, Angelus released her, swiftly moving up her to enter her waiting body. Then he stilled, savoring the clenching muscles of her body, loving the way her eyes glazed with love and passion. 

She bucked her hips again and he moved, quickly thrusting in and out of her coolness, growling when her nails extended and raked down his back, when she deliberately clenched her inner muscles harder, trapping him within her. 

“Buffy,” he rumbled, kissing her around both their fangs, moving faster now. She bared her throat to him, drawing him down as she positioned herself at his throat, at his mark. 

“Love you,” she whispered just before sinking her fangs into his soft flesh, tasting the love and passion he felt for her, feeling him tear away to roar his completion as her own cry was muffled by his neck. 

Flipping them over, Angelus cradled Buffy against his body as they both calmed. There were so many things to do, but at the moment, those could all wait. His large hands continued roaming over Buffy’s back, feeling her spine as she all but melted into him, her muscles contracting and expanding, her body relaxing into his. 

“We’ll start tomorrow,” Angelus said, “Pick the places you want to see, the minions you want to take. It’ll be a small army, I’m sure Spike and Connor already planned for that.” He had absolute faith him his son and grandchilde to do his bidding, knowing they wanted the same thing and would follow both he and Buffy anywhere. 

“Are we touring first, or killing?” 

Laughing, Angelus tilted her head up and kissed her. “Touring, I want to give Willow and Giles enough time to gather whatever supplies they need and make sure the spell actually works.” 

Snorting, Buffy agreed. “Yeah, since historically speaking, they never do the first try.” 

Growling his displeasure at the thought that something could happen to her, Angelus reiterated, “They’re to get the spell right, or I’ll rip them limb from limb.” Returning to his original conversation track, he finished, “So, we’ll sightsee, they’ll work on the spell, then we’ll head to Africa.” 

“I can’t wait to see those ‘friends’ of yours,” Buffy smirked, “I have so much to thank them for.” 

And they’d be sure to scream when she did thank them, Buffy vowed, all of them.
~~~~~~~~~~
Wesley looked up, noting the way the group of demons and several magick users they had in their camp stopped their work, looked to the sky in awe, wonder, and fear. Dead silence descended over the camp and it seemed even the animals were silent for those few minutes. Oz, who was sitting next to him, sniffed the air like the werewolf he was and Wes wondered how much of the wolf was in the man and if the man fully realized that. 

“Something happened,” Oz said as he returned to carving their stakes. “Don’t know what,” he answered Wesley’s unspoken question. “But it’s big.”

Somehow, that wasn’t what Wesley wanted to hear.

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