Chương 39: Ch.38
Anya got tired of helping us clean up and asked. "Can't one of you witches just fix everything with a spell or something?"
I chuckled while Willow told her. "Magic isn't to make our lives more convenient or easy. It's to be respected and cherished and used to protect. Why do things with magic when doing them by hand is just as effective?"
Anya snorted. "You're just saying that because you're afraid you'll go all black eyed and veiny again. Seriously there's three witches and a god here and we're sweeping up class with brooms when a simple spell could fix it all in seconds."
Dawn spoke up. "I'm with Anya on this one."
Sighing I told her. "You just don't want to clean. Either way I've used magic as far as it needs to go with the repairs. The rest can and should be done by hand. I'd repair the wards but I'm seeing no point as the First can just tear them down whenever he wants to. Besides, Spike won't be able to come inside if I do and we can't really leave him out on the front lawn when the sun comes up."
Xander asked. "Why not? I like the sound of that. The guy could use a tan."
I chuckled. "He has a soul Xander, and while the demon in him is a right bastard, the soul, what makes you and him human and not a monster is innocent. It would be in agony before his fiery death anyhow."
Xander tried to argue that Spike was already a monster but in the end he knew I was right. Towards sun up they brought him back saying they found him burying a body in a basement. They'd been attacked by more vampires he turned and dusted them all. They told me he was talking about it to something there.
Sighing I told them. "It was probably the first. Best guess is that it can make itself visible to someone and not to others when it chooses to. Odds are it's been messing with him since he came back to Sunnydale. Take him to the basement and chain him up. There's the shackles from the demon that made you see lala land still there."
I turned to Spike as my eyes flashed a greenish red mixture. "Behave yourself and don't resist them."
As if he were compelled he nodded and looked at me funnily before following them downstairs. I finished helping with the cleanup and headed down to deal with the problem. Buffy sent Willow to the butchers store to get some blood once it opened and I stayed with Spike working my way through his pain and clearly loopy mind to what he'd been seeing.
When I found it I told them all he'd done and what the First was doing to him. "He's been brainwashed. If I didn't know any better I'd say he's helpless but even now he's fighting what the First has done to him. It's worked him over real bad with mind games and mental torture. It keeps using your image Buffy, to get him to do what it wants. Each time it gets him to kill it blocks the chips receptors and he follows it's will as you're the one asking him to do it in his eyes."
She frowned. "Can you get it to stop doing that?"
I shrugged. "It depends on him mostly. I can only influence him. He himself must do the work and find what his trigger is. It could be a memory or a code word or even a smell that sets him off. Either way we need to ween him off of human blood and back onto animal blood. It'll help some."
Buffy nodded. "Willow should be back soon. She called to tell me she hit a snag and is bringing some company. Andrew's back in town."
I nodded solemnly. "At least she hasn't killed him. Is the short one with him? John or something."
She sighed. "Johnathan, and I didn't ask. Let's hope they're not here to rob or kill someone else."
I nodded and headed upstairs to wait for their arrival. Buffy followed and asked. "I'd there anything I can do to speed up the process?"
I looked her over and asked. "How serious are you because it will be up to how much you want to help him that decides my answer."
She sighed. "He's got a soul now and with him we have one more warrior to fight the First with. We need that advantage now that Willow can barely cast magic and Alice is human again."
I sighed. "Then yes, go, sit just inside his reach and talk to him. Make sure to touch his hand or something and tell him that you're real. The other, the First, can't touch him. Tell him the only way to tell the difference is a simple touch. That way when it messes with his head again all he has to do to know it's not you is touch it. Then he'll know it's a fake and another beastie like all the rest we've fought."
She looked at me deeply and I cupped her face saying. "You need to become a full fledged leader. A general of an army. I can't flip out every time you need to do something I'm uncomfortable with. But if you kiss him or sleep with him Buffy I'll dust him and leave. I-I can't handle that much."
She snorted cutely. "No worries there-"
I shook my head. "Don't, don't wave it off. I know you're attracted to him. I can feel it. It's the connection I have to him and all vampires that draws you near. Faith feels it as well and channels it into her anger. But you've been with Angel and you know that attraction is real and it scratches an itch on occasions. I get it, I do. I felt the same even when you were with Riley. I feel it all the time even now. It sets my skin ablaze and urges me to touch you, to hold you. But know that I love you for being Buffy more than any slayer connection. That's why I answered your question honestly."
She nodded and kissed me. "I love you too you know. I can feel it it's true, but I'd never act on it. Trust me, I'm with you."
I nodded and smiled. "I do trust you. That's why I said something in the first place. Go, be the general and do the hard things. I'll be here when you're done love."
She sighed and headed back downstairs. When Willow came back with Andrew and handed me the blood I put most of it in the fridge while asking her. "Did the other one come as well?"
She shook her head. "Don't know. He's not speaking about him but he could be in town screwing with things as well. Anya and Xander are interrogating him as we speak."
I sighed. "Then go help Tara with the lamp. She's trying to fix the wiring as it keeps flickering and going out. I'll go help Buffy with Spike. Tell Xander that Alice and Faith volunteered to help get the information out of our new guest. They're bringing over the last of our wiring tools from the house for Tara. They may be a while because they seemed to want to work off some steam together."
Willow blushed but nodded before leaving. I headed downstairs with a cup of blood and a straw in it. I handed Buffy the cup saying. "Feed it to him. He'll respond to it better. Xander and Anya are upstairs taking a crack at our new guest. Willow's helping Tara fix the lamp right now."
She nodded and started speaking to Spike. I ignored it as it must be done to get through the crazy. Sighing I headed upstairs and relaxed on the couch watching the two lovebirds fix the lamp together. Faith and Alice arrived towards dark and headed upstairs to have their own fun trying to get the weasel to talk. They seemed calmer now and more satisfied.
Towards dark I felt something off as my senses were filled and I'd begun to get sleepy. A boat load of bringers attacked the house and while everyone was fighting I turned to outside where the first was watching me with his bringer entourage.
Growling I threw several blasts of fire burning them alive. The first smirked as I came out onto the front porch. "You may have upgraded yourself but you're still no match for me even now. You're just a chained dog. Oops sorry I meant god. Silly me."
He was wearing Buffy's visage now but I didn't care. I ignored him and lit another dozen bringers on fire and tore nearly fifty in half thinning the herd. More attacked the house but I took care of the majority of them. That is until Buffy came outside saying. "They've taken Spike!"
I growled and tried to sense him but he was clouded again. I turned to the First as she/he said. "Looks like I win this round, bye bye. I'll see you for the next match."
It blinked out of existence and I lit the fleeing bringers on fire as another dozen added to the body count. Snorting i burned the bodies of the rest and headed inside. "Is anybody hurt?"
They each shook their heads and I sighed. "He distracted me with the hundred or so bringers outside. If they'd gotten in, well, I couldn't risk it."
Faith spoke up. "They went after Andrew trying to knife him. I'll see about finding out why they wanted him dead so badly. He probably knows something."
I sighed and turned to Buffy. "Lead on."
She nodded and gave us our orders. I was to protect the home front while she scoured the town for the bringers looking for where they took Spike. I tried to remember what happened next but funnily enough it escaped me and I found my mother's influence there.
Sighing I told her. "Be careful. I've a feeling things are about to get bad. Use the wrist bands and if there are to many cut and run. We can always come back in force."
She looked me over with amusement. "I thought I was supposed to be the leader."
I sighed. "You are. I'm just the worried boyfriend that doesn't want you dead. I don't think I could survive loosing you again."
We kissed before she took off. Faith got to work on Andrew with Alice, Xander and Anya. I sighed and cleaned up the house with the rest of the group. Towards Dawn Buffy came back and Andrew finally spilled.
He admitted to killing Johnathan and trying to open the seal of Danzalthar. When Faith asked what it was I backhanded the fool and knocked him across the room breaking the chair he was tied to and giving him a fat lip.
He started begging for me not to hurt him any more while I just growled. "You stupid fool! The seal of Danzalthar is the only thing keeping the hellmouth closed. It's the only thing that stands between this dimension and all others getting access."
Dawn spoke up. "I thought that was the key?"
I shook my head. "The key is like a skeleton key to this reality. In essence the back door. The seal however, covers each hellmouth keeping the worst of it all out. Even if it's just activated he's unlocked the door. Now all the first needs is blood to bring something forth from whatever dimension he chooses. A dialing process if you will."
Andrew started crying and Buffy stopped me from simply killing him. Sighing I told her. "I only know a little about the seal itself as it's the thing Alice and I came through after we arrived. The plant demons was simply a cork, stopping the worst things down there. We never ventured out as I could feel even then we'd be dead before we got back. When the hellmouth opened and we got out I thought it was sealed for good with Giles's spell. Now that this fool has activated it we're fucked."
Xander asked. "It can't be that bad, I mean, you and Alice came through and you're not evil right?"
I shook my head. "No, but the one that opens it now can focus on the dimension they want to connect with. If they have enough blood to offer it they can call forth an army. Legions of things far worse than this dimension has. If they do so the old ones in the deeper well will sense it and awaken and the war for this planet begins."
I turned to the group. "Buffy if to many things get out I can't stop the old ones from sensing them, they'll awaken to fight off the invaders then turn on the humans. It'll become a nightmare world of death and carnage. I'm still bound and even if I wasn't I can't interfere on that scale without shedding my mortal coil. My body would die and I'd become a full god, unable to return to human form. I could put them back to sleep but I'd never be able to return to you all. The laws that bind gods forbid affairs with mortals. While you and the Faith are slayers you're only connected to a goddess and not one yourselves."
She looked at me then looked at Andrew. "Take me to this seal of Dan-whatever. I want to see it. We need to find a way to cover it or deactivate it."
They left to deal with the seal in the hopes that they could stop the First from bringing anything out. I on the other hand had to stay and protect the house and continue the repairs. If the bringers showed up in force again I was the only thing standing between them and all our friends being murdered bloody.
When they came back Buffy told us. "We found it and reburied it but the First must've gotten something out because there was a giant fixture with blood all over it."
Sighing I told her. "We need to get Spike back then, odds are he was what they bled out over the seal. If they dig it back up they could use him repeatedly because vampires don't bleed out and die like humans."
Willow spoke up. "I'll do a locator spell and see if we can at least narrow down the search."
I sighed. "Use the magic you took from me. That way there's no risk of going black eyed. I don't think we could win if you went evil and joined the First. It could hurt me through my connection to you."
Buffy frowned. "Wait, how?"
I sighed. "A mortal can't draw all the power of a god without dying, but with Willow as a link, the First could in theory do so. It's not mortal and it wouldn't care if she dies in the process."
Both Buffy and Faith looked worried now but they agreed that we needed to narrow the location down. Willow started her spell and when she was almost done the First struck. Since it couldn't use her own magic against her directly it used the dark magic inside her as the link between it and my magic.
Instantly I was on my knees as I felt a massive draw on my magic. Willow screamed and I saw the image of a demon creature come out of her mouth as I passed out from the heavy toll it took on me.
I woke up a few days later and Buffy and Faith were there with Alice. Faith told me. "Xander broke the foci or whatever and the First list it's grip on both of you. Willow was fine but a little out of it afterwards as it wasn't her magic it was using up. Giles showed up not long after we got you upstairs. He brought some wannabe slayers with him."
Buffy picked up from there. "Giles and I went to where the First was held up the First time while Faith held down the fort. A Uber vampire was there waiting for us. I got my ass handed to me before escaping. One of the newbies took off and wound up dead. I went to stop her but the Uber vamp was there and well, what you see is the aftermath. I'm still not fully healed."
Alice sighed and finished it. "We found the First pretending to be one of the girls after Buffy and Xander found the actual girl's body. We've got a plan because it's coming tonight but we were kind of hoping you'd be awake for it. We didn't want to leave you here unconscious so we helped Willow and Tara make a potion to wake you up."
I nodded and and sat up. "I feel drained. Mentally. I can still fight if I need to but my magic's shot and I'm not strong enough to clean the fresh taint the active seal is letting off. Even if I wanted to I can't put the wards back up now as the rain would just corrode and break them down."
Buffy nodded. "That wasn't part of the plan anyway. Can you feel the vampire or whatever?"
I reached out with my senses and shook my head. "Whatever it is it's far removed from my bloodline. If it came from the seal then it's probably something the First has altered in some way. Either way it's beyond my reach."
Giles came in and spoke. "I figured as much. The Turok-Han are an ancient race of vampires far removed from what they are today. They are to vampires what neanderthals are to humans."
I shook my head. "If that's what it is then I'd be able to feel and control it. It's been altered and changed drastically to be outside of my grasp. The First has likely bred them specifically for this purpose to have such control of something so primordial."
He raised an eyebrow but nodded. "Perhaps you're right. Either way it doesn't bode well for us. It appears to have a dense molecular structure that makes it impervious to average stakes."
Sighing I turned to the girls. "Then perhaps it's time you brought out my mother's gift to you. It wouldn't be impervious to that no matter it's bone density."
Faith shook her head. "I'd rather take its head off. This thing isn't worth the risk and even if we can't stake it, nothing survives without a head."
I chuckled. "On that you'd be surprised but I get your point."
I stood up and asked Giles. "How many were you and the order of Taraka able to save?"
He sighed. "A dozen maybe more. The orders been wiped out along with the watchers council. The girls should be arriving in a week tops."
Sighing I nodded. "And the holy weapons and texts from the watchers archives?"
He smiled. "On that front we're much better. I was able to swipe most if not all the texts and forgotten records. They're in the bag."
I nodded. "Is the coven in the loop?"
He nodded. "They're actively looking for potential slayers and sending them our way."
Sighing I nodded and told the girls. "We've been preparing for this outcome for a while now. After you've finished whatever plan you have tonight it's time I showed you what I was up to this last summer."
Giles took off his glasses and asked. "Are you sure it's time for that?"
I nodded. "We've had bringers and the First coming and going since it reared it's ugly head. After tonight even if the First does come it can do nothing but talk and even then it won't be able to hide what it is."
He nodded with a smile. "Then it's complete then?"
I nodded with a smirk. "Nothing a no one can destroy it now. They'd have to be a full god unbound or the First at full power and in the flesh."
He grinned and slid his glasses back on. "Let's introduce you to the girls then. Hopefully they won't be like Buffy and Faith there first time seeing you as you are now."
I snorted. "Not possible. They may be potentials but they're not slayers yet. They don't have access to the essence and vice versa."
Both Buffy and Faith looked relieved by my words while Alice was more amused than anything else. We headed downstairs and what greeted us was six very anxious girls that looked at me with a mix of curiosity and fascination. I frowned a little saying. "It's rude to stair."
They each in turn looked away and one of them, the lesbian hanging with Willow and Tara from the looks of her, spoke. "They're like me. There's something about you that we can't quite put our finger on. It's like you're the hot girl or something."
I snorted. "Pass. What they're feeling is just a notion of possibilities. I've no more interest in kids than you do in Andrew here."
I waved to the skinny malcontent in the corner. He proclaimed. "Hey, that's no fair! I-"
I looked him over. "Yes? Please continue, you what? Helped the First activate the seal allowing this Turok-Han to come out later. And many more if he has his way? Or the fact that you joined up with two other idiots and ended in both mine and Tara's deaths? Or robbed banks and killed a poor girl when you tried turning her into a sex slave?"
He backed away and I advanced as I continued. "Please tell me what I said about you isn't fair or accurate because I'd really like to no what to put on your headstone when the evil you helped unleash finally kills you!"
He was curled up in tears as Buffy stopped me yet again. Sighing I turned to the girls. "I apologize for my behavior but I'm a little on edge after being nearly sucked dry and almost killed her again. As it is I'm mentally exhausted and quite cranky so please point the way to something I can hurt real bad."
Buffy smiled. "Well if the Uber vamp comes and I'm killed your welcome to beat it to death with my corpse."
I growled and looked at her now. "That's not funny nor fair on me love."
She sighed. "I know and I'm sorry. I guess you're not the only one that's cranky and exhausted."
I sighed and held up a hand, using a small healing spell to get rid of her aches and pains. It wasn't much but it was all I could do at the moment without passing out. It did it's work though as it jump started the slayer healing and fixed her up. Even the bruises and cuts on her face healed up right before my eyes.
When it was done I released the magic and nearly fell over. The potentials looked at Buffy saying. "Wow, that magic really worked to heal you right up."
Faith caught my arm and helped steady me telling them. "You should see him at full strength. We're talking sex that breaks houses and-"
Buffy covered her mouth. "Enough of that. Most of them are still to young to even be thinking of sex let alone hearing of your conquests."
Faith snorted as Buffy removes her hand. "They were yours to B. You were riding that wave with me if I remember right."
I chuckled weakly. Help me to the chair. Once I'm sitting I can focus on recovering from some of my mental exhaustion at least. The magic can wait until tomorrow at least."
Giles took off not long after that to gather and find more potentials to add to those that are coming. Alice went with him as she needed a break from the potentials we already did have. As night fell the bringers started showing up on our lawn scaring the potentials inside while they watched on.
Both Willow and Tara were a bit iffy on the magic's while I told them it'd be fine so long as it's not Glory level strong. When the Uber vamp came we were gathered in the living room. When it broke down the front door both Willow and Tara made a show of putting of a forcefield.
Willow's eyes turned black and Tara whimpered as she was working together with her lover. When Kennedy said. "They can't hold it, what do we do?"
Buffy told us. "Run, go out the back!"
I stayed beside her until she told me. "Go, protect the girls."
I growled but nodded as she was in charge. I followed the girls out and partially shifted my hands, killing bringers that tried coming after the girls. We regrouped on the street where Buffy and Faith were to hold off the Uber vampire. They told us to follow Xander to a place he knew was safe and we left them there when everything inside me said I needed to stay and protect my mates.
When we arrived at the potential new public library Willow told us. "Spread out and be quiet."
I growled and she looked at me. I heard her voice telepathically speaking to me. (Please just follow along. I know you want to go back and help them but trust us. Trust them, they have a plan all you need to do is follow along.)
I sighed and shifted my hands back nodding to her and backing away into the shadows of the cement walls. I watched as the Turok-Han made its presence known while the girls were arguing and they backed away. I watched as Faith turned on the flood lights for the site and backed further into the shadows.
Buffy did her big speech while flipping down to ground level off the platform. Xander and Willow had everyone back away while Buffy confronted the Turok-Han once more. While they fought I watched in the shadows until it started to gain the upper hand. I roared and stepped out of the shadows revealing my full vampire form resembling Van Helsing's Dracula, wings and all.
My form wasn't to far off of what the Turok-Han itself resembled except purer and far more deadly. I drew the gaze of everyone there as they weren't expecting my reaction to the ancient albeit malformed vampire. It too saw me and growled while backing away.
It feared me instinctively knowing I'd kill it in this form. I was and am the progenitor of all vampire species as a whole. In this form I felt the link between us. Even after all the First's tinkering I felt the connection there and the fear it brought to the Turok'Han. I am it's ancestor and like a garden snake facing a titanoboa it knew it could not face me and survive.
It shrieked away trying to make itself as small as possible while I fully stepped out of the shadows, my hulking nine foot form with a wing span doubling that stretched out. My shark like teeth revealed rows more as I roared again.
Buffy used the distraction to wrap a piece of barbed wire around it's neck and pop off its head, dusting it. At that moment they all looked back to her while she wiped off the dust from her hands. "Here endith the lesson."
The potentials looked at her like she was crazy while Rona yelled out. "Lesson? You just dusted that scary ass mofo and an even bigger and scarier one shows up, this time with wings!"
I shifted back and Buffy smirked. "Look again."
They all turned back to me and I shrugged. "I'm not exactly fully human, surprise, neither are any of you except Xander and Willow. "
Rona snorted. "What the hell are you then? Because you looked a heck of a lot like the Uber vampire but bigger and a hell of a lot meaner!"
I shrugged again and Faith snorted. "My boy's jumbo sized in the sack and an animal besides. But if you need a title then he's Ryan, boyfriend extraordinaire."
I chuckled at her antics while the girls still looked at me with fear. "Right, well, I'm complicated. If you need an easy answer ask Giles when he gets back from China in a couple days. Until then let's head back home, it's time I revealed the goodie surprise at the end of tonight's thunderdome contest."
Buffy tried answering their questions as they followed us back to the house. Once there I headed to the fenced in area two houses down. I stopped and they did as well. "Ladies and Xander please enjoy the new home. Xander already knows what's inside but has been magically spelled to be unable to reveal it with his permission of course."
I opened the gate and told them. "Welcome to the compound, where only beings not evil by nature can enter."
I stepped through the barrier and they followed. They all gasped in awe at the sight of it as they first stepped through. I explained to them. "We didn't need it until tonight and I couldn't reveal it until it was time for various reasons but it is magically warded and sanctified from the ground up. Every single spec of dirt is purified so anything evil that steps foot through the wards will be severely injured and weakened. There's no part of this place that doesn't repel evil in all it's forms. Saying this I should warn you, there's no meaningful violence tolerated in this place."
I let them look around as I told them. "I call it Sanctuary, a place to feel safe at night even if the world turns to shit outside. That being said, while you are here you will respect and follow Buffy's and Faith's orders. They have years of slaying experience and this isn't a place to hide in like a fucking turtle. It is a base of operations where those battle weary and tired may rest their heads and train for the future battles."
Willow asked. "What's powering these wards? It must be massive with the energy I'm feeling."
I smirked. "A forty foot in diameter twelve ton green diamond ward stone with a hundred minor twenty eight pound diamond ward stones as backup. It took several days to carve and shape with all my skill and power. Not to mention the months it took to complete this place."
All the girls's eyes bugged out now. Even Tara and Willow were surprised not to mention Buffy who asked. "Is this what you spent several months looking for?"
I nodded. "I hit nearly every major diamond mine on this earth and dug most of those up completely before I was forced to use a massive amount of power looking for it. I found it in Australia deep in the outback near a dormant volcano nearly forty miles below the planet's surface. It took a massive amount of power even with my control over plants to dig and pull it up."
Sighing I told her. "Buffy, you should know something. When I did the massive search spell I found one other like it being used in LA. To my knowledge the only super power in LA with that kind of swing is Wolfram and Hart. There's one other thing, the senior partners of that law firm are old ones. They were weak back in the day and managed to flee this dimension early on when Senaya started killing demons. They are the wolf, the ram, and the hart, or stag as you would refer to it. The wolf FYI is no relations."
The potential slayers were listening in and one of them asked. "Why would they be any relations and to who? You?"
I ignored her and Buffy sighed. "So evil has a place just like us now."
I nodded seriously and she sighed. "We'll deal with it after we kick the First's ass. For now let's put it on the back burner and get all the stuff from my house and move in. As long as we have this place we might as well put it to use."
I chuckled. "I'm that case you'll be glad to know there's a hundred and fifty rooms and each have their own shower. The water being holy and spelled to always be hot when in use."
There were cheers all around from relieved girls by my words. I continued. "Every room has beds and a mini fridge. That's not including the main kitchen and war room. Both of which are fully stocked and ready for use. If you have a question about the place simply touch a piece of it and think, it'll provide you with the answers momentarily. You can't get lost as the hallways are spelled to lead you where you want to go. There's a massive library as well as other thing we'll not need for now."
I looked at the girls and told them. "If the first does manage to come into the premises he'll not be able to stay in a solid looking form. All I ask is that you don't give in to it's lies. If need be I have a safety net that will see you all protected so there's no need to fear anything that steps through that gate."
They all looked relieved so we went back to the house and collected everything. Then Anya, Xander and Faith went to the magic box and emptied it out. All the magic supplies and everything that could be of use was brought back including the weapons.
I showed them where the armory was and they seemed surprised that it was already fully stocked. Even Buffy who was getting ready to go save Spike was a bit happier now that we had a safe base of operations.
I showed Tara and Willow to the library and the adjoining magic casting room. Sighing each time Willow got a bit sizzling when she tapped into her magic's. I finally told her. "Your power is to dark to be used here. Use what you took from me and you'll be fine. Anything else will get that reaction, I'm sorry but I can't change that even if I wanted to."
I rubbed the back of my neck as I continued. "The ward stone is protected by my magic to be sure but it goes beyond that now. It'd take a literal full powered god to deactivate or destroy the barrier into the ward stone. Not even I can get in now that it's up and running. I had to make it that way so that there was no loopholes for others as well."
Willow nodded with a slightly sad face saying. "No biggie, at least it'll protect everyone if I go all dark eyed and evil again."
Tara took her hand with a small smile. "Don't worry, you won't go evil, I'm here now."
They shared a smile and told them. "There's a special bedroom in the back of the magic arts room for the slayer coven as I like to think of us. It's basically me, you two and Alice right now but soon I'm thinking Dawn and maybe Xander can be trained up. They both have potential however limited. As for Anya, she has magic from her days before the vengeance thing but it's mostly curses and not so good stuff so I'll leave it up to you two to decide on her admission."
Willow's eyes shot up. "Slayer's coven, that's like, big, wow! I mean, that's a lot of responsibility."
I nodded. "Just think on it. For now though get some rest, I'll go with Buffy and Faith to find and retrieve Spike. I made a special bracelet for him to mask the demon inside him so that he could come inside as well without bursting into flames."
I held up the bracelet in question and they asked. "Are you sure that's a good idea? What happens if the First copies it and gives it to all its followers? Or worse if Spike goes all fangy and kills someone?"
I smirked. "A neat trick that would be. I made this special as its linked to the ward stone through the same magic that built it all. I had to do both simultaneously to get it to work. So there's no chance of copying it and any violence against others attempted inside is automatically stopped bracelet or not."
They seemed more relieved now and I left them to it. Buffy and Faith led the way to the First's current underground lair where Buffy was chased out of to begin with. There we found him tied to a wall to which Buffy cut him down with a bringer's knife she'd snagged off one of the bodies I left behind on the way inside. They were more of just leftovers from what we could tell as the main group was long gone by now.
Spike looked at her weirdly saying. "You came. You're real."
She nodded. "I'm real, I came to get you. It's time to get the heck out of here before they send a group to try for us again."
I tossed Spike the bracelet. "Wear it, you'll need it to get to where we're going."
He put it on and we left heading back in the tactical armored SUV that was one of many I'd gotten for Sanctuary. When we arrived passed the wards the gates closed automatically behind us and Spike flinched for a moment before the bracelet activated, protecting him.
I told him. "Take that off at any time while inside these grounds and you'll be auditioning as a Roman candle before your big part as the pile of dust. Nothing demonic can get inside without agony and eventual death if they're lucky. It gets much worse the longer they're in here for. So be smart, the bracelet stays on. No one can remove it except you anyway as to do so means malevolent intent and the wards would stop that."
He nodded. "Thanks."
I chuckled. "Don't mention it. Now, you have your pick of rooms but you'll be happy to know that Alice left a gift for you."
I held up the ring saying. "The Gem of Amara. Protects it's vampire wearer from any life threatening harm. Unfortunately for you, it isn't as powerful as the wards so remember-"
"Keep the sodding bracelet on, I got that." He took the ring and slid it on. I shook my head. "Might I suggest you use it as a tie ring instead? I mean, fingers are so easy to chop off or just take it off by force."
He slid the ring off and went to take his shoe off as I cut off the engine. "Maybe take a shower first. Wear the ring though cause all water hear is holy water."
He looked at me like I was stupid. "That's gonna bloody well hurt either way isn't it?"
I smirked. "Something's are worth the pain. Pick a room and take a shower. From now on you're safe at least for now. The blood is in the main kitchen fridge till you pick a room, then you can move it to the mini fridge in the room you pick. This is not a motel so you do your own damn laundry or I'll take back my gifts and kick your ass back to the bringers and the First."
Buffy asked. "But I thought-"
I raised an amused eyebrow and she changed her mind. "Yeah, definitely do your own laundry Spike."
When I showed Buffy the general's quarters where we'd be staying she and Faith decided now was a good time to test its durability. I'm kind of glad the walls are sound proof here as it'd be real awkward otherwise. When all three of us were mutually satisfied and they were nearly purring from satisfaction Buffy asked. "Can you really take back the bracelet and ring?"
I shrugged. "I wasn't sure at the time if I'd need it so the bracelet was originally meant for me. It will respond to my will and return if I call it. As for the ring, I'd be destroyed if I took the bracelet but then it's useless to me and Alice no longer needs it. If I thought Angel would use it wiser I'd have sent it to him out of understanding for your past feelings for him."
She sighed. "You're such a good boyfriend."
I chuckled. "And you're such a good mate. Both of you are. I don't know what it'd be like without you or if Alice would've understood what was happening if we weren't already together when I became what I am, but I'm glad things turned out ok when it comes to us."
The both side while I kneaded their perky butts with my hands. Working up to another round that saw them both to tired to continue. When they fell asleep I sensed my seed trying to take root inside them and with a thought and a lite spell I dissipated it. They and we didn't need those kinds of complications right now.
With a thought I cleaned them out with a spell and cleaned the bed and us next. Now that I was on these holy and pure grounds my magic came funneling back to me creating a storm outside that would poor for two days straight yet none would touch the compound or the grounds around it as we were in the eye of it.
Over these next few days Buffy and Faith whipped the would be slayers into shape as more came into town daily now. I spent my free time connecting Buffy's house to the compound via a portal doorway. If someone comes to or sends a message to that house the compound will receive it.
So when Giles did show up with an asian potential slayer girl and walked through the front door of her house he and she ended up in the compound where the girls were gathered. He and Anya went to kick over a few stones for leads on the First while Buffy, Faith and Spike took the potentials to Willy's for the next round of training.
Willow got a call from the Devon coven about a potential in town so she decided to do a spell to seek out the potential. Dawn went to air out the room and got hit with the spell at the doorway. When they started jumping to conclusions I told them. "Don't be dumb, I'd know if she was a potential, I'd feel it. The reason she was hit is because there's a girl at Buffy's front door and so that door is connected to it. It went through her to the girl on the other side."
Dawn's eyes looked down and she opened the door to reveal her friend Amanda. I sighed and tapped on Dawn's shoulder. "Don't be down on yourself. You're the key after all and with that comes the potential to be a bad ass witch on Willow's level."
Her eyes shot up with a brilliant smile to accompany them. "Really?"
I nodded. "Just not on Tuesday's."
She snorted and squealed before running to Willow and begging her to teach her. I turned to the potential slayer at the door that was starring at me in fascination. Sighing I told her. "Come in. I'm sure you have questions and we can answer a few no doubt."
She caught herself and looked around. "How is your house so different and big on the inside when it's not on the outside?"
I chuckled. "One of the many questions we can answer. I'll leave that to Willow here. Now, why are you here?"
She caught herself again and told us. "I-I don't know if I'm seeing things or not but something attacked me in the school a little bit ago. I think, you'll think I'm crazy, but I think it was a vampire. It lunged at me and I barely dodged in time and locked the door as it hit its head. It should be locked in the chemistry room at the school right now."
I frowned then felt out with my power. I felt it there and nodded. "It's a vampire and it's waiting for you to come back. On the bright side it's dumb as a box of rocks and the sun rises on the windows there so he'll be dead by morning if no one goes and falls into its trap."
She looked relieved for a minute then asked. "How do you know these things?"
I shrugged and turned to Xander. "Show her around and I'll call Buffy, she's teaching the other potentials right now so she'll answer if only to not hear them complain."
He nodded and asked. "Are you sure teaching Dawn magic is a wise thing?"
I shrugged. "I'm not teaching her, I'm teaching you. Willow and Tara are teaching her."
He frowned then brightened up as well. "Then I'll be right back sensei."
I frowned. "Don't call me that. You can call me by my name or beg Willow to teach you with Dawn."
He looked to Willow who shook her head saying. "Not gonna happen, teaching one student is all I can manage and even that'll be only when we have spare time for now."
He looked to Tara who told him. "I can teach you about potions and herbs and some basic spells but the more powerful stuff I can't touch on, yet."
She looked at me and I sighed. "In time you will be able to access my power like I promised but we need time to create an amulet or a link between us. That'll require you siphoning my unfettered pure energy into yourself which will again take time and patience to get used to."
She nodded and told Xander. "Sorry, not a lot of time on our hands as is right now."
He sighed and told me. "Alright Ryan, it seems it's just me and you then."
I raised an eyebrow and told him. "Don't make me do the same to you that I did to Andrew."
He glanced over to the weasel himself with no mouth and and a pouting expression. "Got it, I'll be going now. Come with me potential slayer to be."
He took off with the girl to show her around while I called Buffy to let her know we found the potential in town. She sighed in relief and I told her about the vampire in the school. She said she'd take care of it before dawn as she was teaching the potentials in a crypt right now.
I hung up not long after telling her I loved her and I'd see her when she gets back.
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