Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters here in. They belong to BVTS and it's creators Joss and WB. Don't hurt me for borrowing them. They needed to come out and play....
(thoughts in Italics)

Sunnydale: Galan's Lair

Galan paced, he was waiting. He had to wait till the moon was completely dark or else the spell would not work. He knew that the Witch's mate was here, had found her rooms and was even now with her, it was of no consequence in what was about to happen. He could feel the power that emanated from their bond simply because they were in physical contact. He knew that also meant that the witch had every intention of trying to defeat him in a magical game before it was too late. He would teach the witch to play games and then attempt to change the rules.

He walked over to the large stone altar that had been finished hours before, picked up the dagger that sat there studying the black volcanic glass blade. The ancients had been using this very kind of knife forever in magical rites. He put a large silver goblet to the right of the center.

He sighed he was becoming restless he wanted to get the evening underway, only he feared that his impatience would lead him to failure. She had outsmarted him at nearly ever step of this game. She had managed to bring within the boundaries, a non-player, a vampire into the very center of the game. He now not only had to force her to open the gate he had to force the vampire to help her do it. His fist came down hard. Why the hell had she fought so hard, she would have lived. She was magical, nothing with magic in it would have died. It merely meant that ninety percent of the human world would perish and that the special ten percent would thrive in the shadows. He was creating a haven for those who were of the other.

He paced the room a couple of more times, giving an airless sigh he threw himself into the large throne-like chair. He rested his head against its plush headrest and closed his eyes. In his mind he saw the world as he wanted it, with her at his feet. She would beg for the vampire's life and once the gate was opened, he'd kill her mate and take her for himself. Oh she'd fight him, but if she didn't, it wouldn't be half as much fun.

He would take that which she loved above all else from her and then he would break her spirit and take the broken pieces and create what he craved. She was a passionate creature and she could be taught with ease that pain and pleasure were like two sides of the same coin. He would have her, because it was meant to be. She was meant to fail this time.

Sunnydale upside:

Buffy and Tristan paced each sort of moving around the other. Each of them stayed at their respective homes until 11 that night when they were all scheduled to meet in a pre-determined location. Buffy knew that Willow had thought of everything, her plan was fool-proof and yet she worried, she couldn't shake the murderous rage that had emanated from Angel when he'd gone after Tristan, before storming out in the darkening night to get Willow. They had two hours glancing at the clock, no one and a half before they had to leave.

The gate wouldn't be opened, but there were so many other things that could go wrong. No matter what happened to Willow and Angel the five of them had been endowed with the power to stop it from opening, no matter what the bastard did. It did not however bar Willow from being harmed. What if they lost Angel, or Willow in the battle to come.

She shivered both thoughts blackening her mood further, there was no way to choose which would be a greater loss, her best friend or the man that she had once loved to distraction. She smiled when warm strong arms encircled her waist. Without thinking about the consequences, she leaned willingly into the offered embrace, wondering if Xander and Cordelia were in much the same embrace at Cordelia's. Her parents had gone away on their yearly trip, leaving her house empty, save herself and one of the hired help and now Xander undoubtedly.

"Don't fret. He wasn't prepared for what Galan was going to do to Willow. She's fine as I tried to explain to the moronic vampire. The pain was to draw him to her and like a fool he went. It matters not, she must have known he would go." Tristan said soothingly into the Slayer's blond locks. He rubbed her shoulders gently trying to calm her, while making her aware of the fact that she could lean on him and he would not think less of her.

"You know you are still human, Buffy Summer's. Being the Vampire Slayer doesn't mean you don't need people or that you don't have the right to sometimes break down and cry. You've been through a lot in your short life and this is killing you, not because the world rests on your shoulder's now, but because you know you've lost something that will never return. You've lost your best friend and in her place is a woman where a half grown child once stood. I know, I understand, I watched her change as well." Tristan said.

"How long have you known Willow?" Buffy asked suddenly. Tristan smiled softly at the question. "I knew her before her soul ever took up residence in that body. She had always been watched over by me and my kin. We watched a strange vampire, who was all too human in many ways, try to protect her from everything, especially himself. It was the hardest thing my people have ever asked me to do, to shatter her already shaken world by bringing this to her." Tristan said, allowing for the first time to share his thoughts with another, about what he'd had to do to Willow. "I surmise I felt as your first Watcher did when he came for you."

Buffy shook her head, slowly, she turned in his arms and hugged herself closer to the fae surprised by the warmth she felt seep into her at his touch.

Willow pulled herself out of Angel's arms, and looked up worriedly. "They're coming." she said, without meeting his eyes. Angel gently captured her chin in his hand and lifted, leaning down, he pressed his lips to hers, the kiss was soft and full of promise, and unspoken words. She wrapped her arms tightly around him, just as the door opened, to admit two burly vampire guards. They moved to grasp Willow's arm and pull her away from Angel, when Angel snapped, growling menacingly at the two. They took an uncertain step back, not sure who this vampire was, or if he was the famed consort of the witch.

Angel stalked toward them, the taller of the two, with blond hair and fine, roman features met Angel's advance, game faced and growling a warning at the dark haired vampire. Angel's only indication of even noticing was the darkening of his own growl by a few degrees. The blonde male lunged forward, catching Angel on the underside of his jaw, with a solid blow, causing him to stumble a little. Angel's hand shot out and cuffed the blond along the side of head. Gaining better footing, Angel kicked out with his leg and caught the other vampire completely off guard causing him to fall to the ground. Angel growled again, warning them away, he felt Willow step closer, was aware of her pressing a piece of sharp wood into his hand. Rounding on the blonde who had righted himself, he thrust the stake cleanly into his chest. The dust settled before the other came at him, Willow watched, the dance was not so fast this time. The shorter vampire appeared to be slightly faster and his smaller height allowed him to land some nasty hits on Angel before he managed to nail him with the stake as well. Not the most impressive of Galan's guards, Willow thought ruefully, until she saw why. Galan himself was slowly making his way into the chamber, she felt her blood grow cold at the thought of his touch, of what he had done only a short time ago to her, using Angel's image to try and trick her. One indiscretion and the bond between she and Angel would cease to be.

"So," Galan said, "you're the famous Angelus." His tone was cool and formal. He looked at Willow, "So witch, you chose a vampire as your mate, rather insightful and tricky of you, and I must say this will be fun. But as much as I would love to chat with your consort little witch, we have an appointment with the shadows, do we not?" Galan took Willow's hand, which she reluctantly allowed. She couldn't afford to have him think she had an alternate plan. He had to think he'd won or everyone would be in danger.

Spike slipped into the room now containing only Angel, who stared after Willow shock evident on his game face. "She didn't even fight him," Angel said in a stunned whisper.

"No she can't, if she had he would have dusted you, or tried. She can't afford for him to see what she is capable of...it's too soon." the British vampire replied in a matching whisper.

Angel waited in silence with his blonde child. Spike spoke only fleetingly of how impressive he found Willow. He rambled on for a few minutes before falling silent. He waited with Angel, only glancing at the door when footsteps would go by it. The door opened again and two guards came to bring him to the room, he didn't resist knowing he would soon see Willow. Upon entering the room though. Where he froze at what he saw, it was the same from the vision Willow had, had earlier. Willow was standing in the center of the room, bloody ribbons cut from her flesh. Galan was standing to one side speaking so softly that only she could hear the words.

Angel jerked against the hold the guards had on him, he hadn't fought assuming that for the moment it was better to see what was happening before acting. He saw Galan turn and smile. "Welcome." Galan said, "It appears we require your voice." Angel was pushed forward into the room, by the two guards and for the first time since he'd been left alone, his mind was flooded with Willow. Whispering little instructions, on what to do, how to act, what was happening, her mind was working so fast and so completely that it took Angel's own mind a full minute to catch up with everything the young woman had shot at him.

He grasped on to three very important things, the gang was ready and in place, Galan expected him to add his voice where needed and that he was to do so, and third that when the gate opened he needed to be ready for a huge backlash because they were basically performing a huge spell in the circle of another spell.

Buffy waited in the clearing with Tristan, Cordelia, Amy and Xander, the only missing party was Giles. Buffy could feel her worry start to stir, if Giles' didn't get here soon they wouldn't be able to form the circle and all would be lost. She gasped as she felt the ground beneath her feet start to tremble very faintly, like a soft purr. Buffy stared at it for a moment worriedly. It was the first sign, and Giles' still wasn't here. She ran toward the center where Amy stood. She stopped in front of the witch, "Giles' isn't here yet and they've started. What are we gonna do?" Buffy demanded worriedly. She may not have liked asking for help but at this point she needed to know that there was something they could do.

"I can't do anything until he gets here. He's the beginning, I can't bypass him... if we do...the spell to open the gate might still work." Amy said worriedly. She hadn't thought about what would happen if for some reason one of them wasn't there. Damn it. Why hadn't she planned on this. Because you weren't expecting anything to go wrong.

"Look...everyone get in your places," Amy said her voice shaking. She thought she was gonna die. She didn't know what would happen if she couldn't hold the formation until Giles' had gotten there. Amy prayed that Willow was right in gifting her with the trust involved in performing this task. She closed her eyes and slowly began to draw power down into herself. The Dark of the moon was goddess Hecate's moon. She knew she could draw on her patroness this eve to aid her, but only so much, before it would blow apart. She turned to Buffy.

"Okay this is what we'll do. You start, then Xander, then Cordelia, and then we have to hope that Giles is here by then." Amy said the worry in her tone making it clear to the others that she really had no idea what to do if he didn't show up. She needed him here, she wasn't ordained to act as the Eastern caller.

Buffy glanced down at the sheet of paper that she still clutched in her hand from their little practice earlier. "Buffy," Amy interrupted her thoughts, "those words don't matter. It's what's behind them that does, just say what you need to happen. What you feel, it's not about memory, it's about understanding." The Slayer looked at her in some confusion.

Buffy remembered Willow explaining that while the spells in Giles old books needed to be word for word, she could easily make her own spells. The spells need only contain the correct correspondences and if she was able to find those, she could speak gibberish as long as her goal was kept in mind.

Taking a deep breath and grounding herself as Willow had taught her, Buffy began to speak. "Guardian's of the southern Sphere, come be here. I call you, as the daughter of southern fire, I call you be here now. Stand as guard along this quarter, holding strong against the shadows that threaten." Buffy's voice trailed off and mentally she added what she had no words for. She knew Willow had been correct she was the warrior of the southern wind, she saw herself fighting, saw them all standing as one against the forces of darkness.

Xander picked up as her voice left off, his own voice stronger then he could ever remember it being. He wasn't good with words and other then the softly spoken call, he said nothing Instead he concentrated on what he needed to happen saw the circle beginning to form like a beacon of light in the dark night.

Cordelia came next, her voice raised she called to the guardians of the north and the earth, and although her voice fell quiet her mind called to the guardians. A simple mantra, let no harm come, let no evil happen.

Amy picked up her own call a few moments later at Cordy's cue. She raised her hands to the heavens hoping even before she began, that somehow Giles' would come, he had to be there. She even looked toward the edge of the clearing hoping to see the lights of Giles' old car coming up the dirt road. Nothing. She sighed softly and began her own chant. Her voice was clear and the strongest of all of them, she was the most comfortable with what had to be done.

She finished her call, her eyes opened and she glanced about the circle. It was there, cast from South to North lines of power and strength woven triplicate because of the number of times each had been called. Yet there remained a slight lightening in the circle where the east should have added it's strength, Amy stared despairingly at that part of the circle willing the strands to tighten and double. She knew that without Giles to do the call she could do nothing but mentally will them to be there.

"I'll look for the Watcher." Tristan said suddenly, drawing Amy's eyes to his forgotten form, he headed into the cover of woods, a bright light nearly blinding them. Amy could make out the form of a cat running where the man had once been. She smiled in some relief, hoping that if anyone could find Giles the fae shape shifter would be the one.

Amy turned to face Buffy who was fighting to remain standing in her place. All of them could feel the ground shaking beneath their feet they knew what it meant the gateway beneath their feet was starting to open, glancing at the sky. Amy sighed the moon would be completely new and dark in a matter of minutes and she had no way of knowing if the circle would hold.

Amy could feel the power from below spiking as they finished and a cacophony of sound tore through the night. She gasped as she caught sight of the power suddenly arching out of the ground in a brilliant waterfall of blue and red meeting somewhere in the middle to create indigo light. It moved out then grew brighter as more energy followed it in arcs from the earth. Amy watched as the energy first pushed against the southern side of the circle surrounding Buffy, lifting the Slayer and shaking her in it's anger to escape. The Slayer's scream of pain died nearly as it started as the spell seemed to realize that the southern corner was strong and unbreakable.

It moved, arched, and pushed against the quarter where Xander stood. It pushed the boy against the edge of the circle with savage force as it seemed to beat at the edges of the circle. Amy watched worriedly as it stretched the confines and then seeming to realize it would not find a release there it moved on, to Cordy. The former cheerleader looked terrified for just a moment as the energy moved toward her and then she got a classic Queen C look on her face and they seemed to hear her voice in their heads because her lips didn't move, "Don't even think you're getting past me." Sure enough the malevolent force didn't touch her but did try to pass the confines of the circle to escape. It rebelled and writhed against the magickal prison before turning back and heading toward Amy.

She stiffened having long ago learned to actually feel what it was, and knowing that this would be rather painful, it moved around her in sharp arcs, about her looking for breeches of power, seeming to squirm it's way along the edge of the circle. A breech which it would find when it reached the bare eastern quarter. It left her with her thoughts, she cursed herself she had all but told it where to look.

She watched as it pushed against the thread bare weaving and stared in shock as it was pushed back, slowly strands were being added to the space, each one crisscrossing the others, as it built up a stronger barrier. The power of the spell from below thrust toward the only opening left in the wall, Amy watched as it moved through the opening, and then was pushed back with another thread of power from the circle.

She watched as the stopped energy suddenly fell back in on itself and then the terrible wailing that had rent the night air stopped, she heard instead a single scream as the power moved back from whence it came.

Sunnydale: Galan's Lair

Willow screamed holding her head as the spell came back hitting both she and Angel brutally with it's unrealized power, she watched through watering eyes as Angel was pushed to his knees beneath the onslaught.

The blast of energy hit the sight where the gate was slowly opening, the vortex that had been created, turned suddenly in on itself. Making it look like a reversed cone of power, it began to suck things into it rather than spew things forth. Willow's hair whipped before her eyes, and blocked her view. She was aware only of the sudden changing of the light within the room as it shot from it's indigo readiness to a sudden burning orange before the gate way simply exploded. The sound was deafening, and Willow covered her ears, her eyes continuing to water, and her body feeling as though it too was being torn apart from within. The explosion threw Angel who was closest several feet, and he slid into unconsciousness

As soon as the maelstrom released her, she started for Angel, only to be grabbed about the waist by Galan. She struggled against the Fae's hold, only to hear him laugh. "You may have stopped me, but you will lose as well, little witch, see how eternity feels." He growled and drew the blade quickly across the witches straining throat. Her scream died in a gurgle of pain as blood began to gush from the wound. He felt her slump against him as she lost consciousness.

A cry of animal rage howled through the air of the chamber as Angel came to, only to see his beloved witch slump in their adversaries grasp.

Above:

"Giles," Amy screamed as the older man came into view aided by the now human Tristan, he leaned heavily on the fae's arm, his clothing ripped and dirty. "What happened?" she demanded, worriedly.

"It doesn't matter now, we need to see how they fared?" Giles said as Tristan led him toward the edge of the clearing. He waved his hand before them and in a show of power that was uniquely his, they found themselves facing a dark entrance that led underground. Buffy stared shocked as the display of magic and power continued, holding his hand up before him, the fae called forth a light. They continued on the path and found themselves in a small outer chamber, all of them froze when they heard a keening wail rip through the air. Buffy didn't recognize the sound but somehow knew it was Angel, the gate hadn't opened but from the sobs that were being heard from the other room something much worse had happened.

Buffy rushed past the others, entering the room, but stopping short at the scene that met her gaze. The room was in a shambles, a large stone slab was turned on its side, Angel was standing next to Willow's fallen form. His hands dripping with blood as he knelt beside the hacker. He gathered her into his arms, his form shaking as he held her to him. "Willow, please," he rasped against her hair. He held her tight, trying to call to her mentally, completely unaware that he was drenching himself in her blood.

"Angel!" Buffy gasped running over to the vampire he shook her touch off of his shoulder, growling as he lay Willow back down on the stone floor. Buffy's breath caught as she saw the wound that stretched from either side of Willow's neck. Mentally she knew there was no way the hacker could have survived such a wound and Angel's reaction only seemed to confirm her thoughts. She turned to Tristan to ask what had gone wrong, he had sworn Willow wouldn't die. That she would be fine. Angel drew in a single unneeded breath and started to babble a little incoherently at the hacker before turning to face all the stricken people in the room, as he gathered Willow in his arms. He turned again laying her back down gently as his eyes fell on Tristan. Before the fae had a chance to even speak Angel was off the floor his bloodied hands around the fae's neck. He growled low and menacingly at the fae and holding him aloft began to shake him. "You promised she wouldn't die, you promised me she would be okay and this is your promise?" Angel demanded shaking him a little harder with each word.

"Angel wait," Buffy tried to intervene, she noticed that the wound on Willow's throat had begun to heal and was infused with pretty blue light, when it receded there was no wound there. "Look it healed. Angel she healed." Buffy yelled reaching up she grabbed his shoulder, only to be thrown off brutally, she hit the floor dazed.

Angel dropped the fae in a heap on the floor and was once more at Willow's side, he called to her mentally and when he felt no reply he began to growl once more the sound dark and constant, a warning to anyone foolish enough to come closer.

Angel was beside himself, he wasn't sure what was happening. All he knew was that she was gone, he couldn't feel her, for the first time in forever, he couldn't feel his little witch. She lay quiet in his arms breath being drawn slowly into her body, but nothing lived in her mind. He looked up to see Tristan looking over at the pair, he growled at the fae.

"What's wrong with her?" he demanded. The fae looked sadly at the vampire, this was the one thing he hadn't thought about. When Galan had slit the witches throat he apparently had worded a spell that would stop her soul from finding it's way to wakefulness he could see the dead man's magic all around her.

"We need to get her out of here." He said finally. Angel gathered her up in his arms and looked at the fae standing there as if Willow weighed nothing in his arms. He started walking silently out the way he had entered the strange chambers. Their progress drew the attention of only Spike and Dru, the British pair moved quickly over to the group, Buffy tensed as they approached.

"Don't get your knickers in a bunch Slayer, I want to know of the witch." He looked worriedly at Willow's pale face. Though he hated to admit it he rather liked the sassy little thing. He looked at his sire's tired eyes and the worried faces of the witch's friends. "Here put her in there, no one will bother you. I'll see to it." Spike said.

"No. We need to get her to someplace where she is powerful, her home." Tristan said. "The spell is a sort of lose your way kind of thing. When she was hurt she hid in the depths of her mind in order to evade him, and the spell has made it so she can't find her way back." Angel nodded curtly at Tristan before he continued to walk. He took the steps that waited before them slowly, thanking the heavens for the continued darkness.

By the time Angel had reached Willow's, he realized that the only one walking with him was Tristan and his gaze must have been questioning, because the fae spoke for the first time since they had left the vampire's lair.

"The Witch stayed with the two vampires they said something about taking control of the pack. The one you called Spike said he would bring her along later and check on Willow. The Slayer, the Watcher and the others had to go back the other way, their cars and stuff were still in the clearing, they will meet us at Willow's." Tristan said.

"What am I supposed to do?" Angel asked sounding completely lost to the fae. He understood, he himself had no idea what to do. This wasn't supposed to happen, Willow should have come through unscathed, it simply wasn't fair.

"I don't know." he admitted softly as they made it to the sidewalk outside Willow's house. The Fae followed Angel up the walk and opened the door for the vampire who stepped through, carrying Willow up the stairs and into her room. He placed her gently on the bed and settled down beside her, his arms wrapped around her slender form.

Ionmhuin? Angel tried to call her again, his mind frantic for something anything that would tell him what to do.

On the periphery of his awareness he knew when the others began slowly entering Willow's room. He was aware of them but didn't move from his perch beside the silent hacker. He hurt inside, the distance between them while only mental, was killing him, he was reaching for what had always been there, only to find it gone and he didn't know what to do.

"Tristan?" Buffy asked as she entered the quiet room. He turned to look at her and drew her slowly into his arms. Drawing a surprised look from Xander, who moved over to where Angel watched Willow.

"There is nothing to be done," Tristan said when he saw that Giles was leafing through an old text. "The magic at work here is older than the human race." He sounded resigned, he didn't think there was anything that could bring the little redhead back and he could already see the darkness surrounding the vampire next to her.

"Are you certain?" the haggard looking Watcher demanded. Tristan nodded, he knew that the Watcher as well as the others all needed to rest. "Look," he said "I'll find something for all of you to use for bedding and you can camp out on the floor. There is no way to break this spell as far as I know, and even if there is you're not going to locate it when you all need sleep." Tristan said. He looked sadly at the vampire who had settled on his side holding the hacker desperately close.

They all heard the rumbling purr that came from the vampire on the bed and stared stunned, he was vocalizing like an animal, his purring seeming to take on a pleading quality. The group realized that they were encroaching on a somewhat private moment if not for the mated pair, then at least for the vampire.

Tristan left the room, the others close on his heels. He felt his own fears come to the fore, he's thought that the vampire would be the one to harm her. He never dreamed that this would happen. She could go on like this indefinitely. Her body would never change and her mind would wonder in the mist beyond, possibly never finding a purchase on reality again.

Angel blinked he wasn't even aware of them leaving or that they had been there really. He'd felt Xander come closer and then back off. He knew why, he knew he'd growled at the boy and had caused him to pull back. He just couldn't stand it she was gone. He closed his eyes, clutching her more tightly his lips pressing a single kiss to her soft lips, as he continued his vocalizations, before the exhaustion that Tristan had been talking about overtook him.

Next
Previous
Knightout main
Fanfic