Dark are the Shadows 12/30/2019

Dark are the Shadows
Ms. Hunter Ash

A BTVS/Dark Shadows Crossover

rating: PG13
pairings: Xander/Anya, Willow/Tara, Giles/Angelique

# # #

Buffy hesitated to move as Glory made a show of looking around the living room.

“So, this is where the Slayer eats, sleeps, and…doesn’t dust? Oh, look at this photo, so cute!”

Glory picked up a photo in a frame and showed it to Buffy and set it back down. “I can’t even stand it. Personally, I need more space, but uh, this is good for you, right? It’s so quaint.”

While the super-powered woman rambled, Buffy turned to the fireplace and picked up the poker. When she turned around Glory was right in front of her.

Glory sighed as she took the poker from Buffy.

“Buffy, if I wanted to fight, you would be able to tell that by being dead already. So play nice, little girl,” she said as she sat down in a chair.

“What do you want?” Buffy demanded.

“The key, why else do you think I’d come here? See, I think you know where it is and that’s a good thing,” Glory said as she pointed the poker at Buffy.

“I’m glad you think so,” Buffy said.

“Well, it’s the only thing keeping you alive right now. Because you may be tiny queen in the vampire world but to me, you’re a bug. You should get down on your knees and worship me!”

Buffy’s eyes widened as Dawn trotted down the stairs without looking around. The young teen hesitated when she saw Buffy’s expression.

“Oh big deal, stronger than humans, right?” Glory ranted. “Who isn’t? I could crush the life form you as easy as you’d break a nail. But I need the key.”

Dawn swallowed and started back for the stairs.

“Kid!”

Dawn froze.

“Come here a sec!” Glory called.

“Leave her out of this,” Buffy said urgently.

“I’m not asking twice,” Glory warned.

“This is between you and me,” Buffy protested.

“No, this is between me and my key. You just happen to be the thing in the way.”

Dawn moved around into Glory’s eyeline. “And you are just the darling-est thing I ever did see in my life. What’s your name, honey?”

“Dawn,” the girl responded.

“Dawn? Did you know your sister took my key, Dawnie? And she won’t give it back! I bet you know where she put it, don’t you?”

“She doesn’t know a thing,” Buffy said.

“I know some stuff!” Dawn protested. Who the hell was the woman?

“I bet she takes your stuff all the time without asking, doesn’t she? Where’s my key, Dawn?”

“Go upstairs, Dawn,” Buffy ordered.

“You’re always talking about stuff I’m not supposed to hear. I’m going to figure it out, you know,” Dawn warned.

“Upstairs now!”

“Oh, I like her, she’s sassy,” Glory declared and then grew serious. “And I’ll kill her. I’ll kill your mom. I’ll kill your friends and I’ll make you watch when I do.”

Buffy’s jaw clenched.

Glory stood up. “Obviously this is a one-time deal. Next time we meet, something you love dies a bloody death. You know you can’t take me. You know you can’t stop me.”

The hell god dropped the poker on the floor and walked out the door.

“Oh God,” Buffy whispered. She ran to the stairs and saw Quentin holding Dawn with a hand over her mouth. “Good call.”

# # ##

Giles slipped out of the bed he was sharing with Angelique and slipped on a pair of jeans and went downstairs and pulled the cloth away from the mirror.

“I still know a bit of magic…” he mumbled. “Mirror, cast your reflection away from this room. Show me another, show me Nicholas Blair… where Nicholas Blair is…”

Giles smiled and sat down as Blair and Tom Jennings came into view.

“I told you we should keep an eye on that insane hell god,” Nicholas said. “What? Oh yes, almost sunrise, isn’t it? Well, tonight you can feed from the witch again, just don’t change her yet. Too bad Glory didn’t kill the Slayer tonight when she had the chance. Yes, go! Go to sleep.”

Giles blinked and covered the mirror. Buffy? Buffy had a run in with Glory? Quentin and Dawn were with her.

“Rupert?”

Giles looked up and smiled at Joyce. “Just wanted to see if Nicholas was up to anything before grabbing a couple of hours sleep.” He looked down at his bare chest and feet. “I, uh, didn’t think anyone was awake.”

Joyce chuckled. “I can see that. Oh, I hear the Jeep.”

“Good,” Giles said. He sighed with relief when Buffy opened the door and she was followed by Dawn and Quentin. “Nicholas mentioned to Tom that you had a run in with Glory. I was worried.”

“Yeah,” Buffy said. “She showed up at the house and threatened to kill everyone around me if I don’t give her the key.”

“What the hell is the thing, anyway?” Dawn asked.

“I’m not telling,” Buffy said. “Uh, interesting lack of clothes, Giles. Damn, you’re kinda furry.”

“Yes, well, I’m going back to bed for a few hours,” Giles said. “Let’s hope she doesn’t find this place. I’m glad you’re all are okay.”

“Love you too, Dad,” Buffy said with a smile.

# # # #

Buffy smiled as Giles adjusted his tie at the courthouse later that day. “You look good, Giles.”

“Too thin, too pale, I know,” he said but smiled. “I may keep the beard.”

“I like the goatee, that looks really good on you,” Buffy commented. “On Nicholas it… looks like he’s being a villain. On you it looks… dangerous.”

“Interesting,” Giles said and his smile widened as Joyce and Dawn walked down the hall from the ladies room. “Hullo.”

“Hi,” Joyce said and accepted his hand.

Buffy thought how odd it was that he was marrying her mom while sleeping with Angelique but…it would keep the Council from suspecting who his actual bedmate was and her mom and Giles were fairly comfortable around each other.

As long as Buffy and Dawn weren’t teasing them.

“Are you two ready?” Buffy asked. “Maybe you guys can do a ceremony with the best man and everything later.”

“Make at sunset and make it a three-way,” Dawn suggested.

“A what?” Giles stammered.

“You’re kinda marrying Mom… spiritually or something and Angelique….”

“Let’s go inside and see the judge,” Joyce said quickly.

“I’ve got the camera and Dawn has the birdseed,” Buffy said with a grin.

In twenty minutes, Joyce Summers and Rupert Giles were married and outside the courthouse Buffy and Dawn threw birdseed at the couple and then hugged them both tightly.

“Let’s go move some of your stuff in that’ll fool immigration and the Council,” Buffy suggested.

“I agree,” Giles said. “Quentin will probably be here tomorrow morning. I’ll open the shop and wait for them.”

“Such joy shall be had by all,” Buffy predicted. “Not.”

# # # #

// Barnabas! Barnabas! //

The vampire struggled to focus.

// I’m… here. //

// Thank gods // Willow sent. // Blair said you were fading quickly into madness from the hunger //

// It’s… difficult. I’m injured and… delirious. How long…? //

Had he dreamed about the strange man and woman? Was it a vision? Was it an actual spiritual trip where he had been given a choice?

// Tonight is the fifth night since they grabbed you. Barnabas…please try to hang on // Willow begged.

// I chose to be here. Here, right now. I’ll hang on… just… if you are here when they break open the wall get any humans out of my reach… I won’t have control. // Barnabas warned.

// Okay. They’ll find us! I know they will. // Willow sent to the vampire.

// Hard… // Barnabas let his mind begin to wander again. Anything to ignore the pain.

// Barnabas? // Willow bit her lip and touched the newly reopened wounds. She felt as weak as a kitten but she had to get free and get help for both of them! She reached under her pillow and pulled out a small piece of metal from the cot and began working at the lock on the shackle.

# # #

Angelique smiled when she opened her eyes to find Giles waiting with a mug of blood. “Good evening,” she said. “How did things go? Are you a married man, Rupert?”

“Legally, yes,” Giles said. “Emotionally… I’m fond of Joyce and things might have developed a couple of years ago but that passed us by, my love. Are you really going to be all right with this?”

“Yes,” Angelique said with a smile. “I’m not as jealous as I once was and I don’t feel like you’re leading me on and putting me aside.”

“Like Barnabas did?”

“That’s how I saw it and he admitted it,” Angelique said and took the mug from the Watcher. “You need to sleep tonight or you’re going to be a mess when your potential boss gets here in the morning.”

“I’m afraid you’re right,” Giles agreed. “I’ve been getting short periods of sleep here and there but that’s not really restful in the long run.”

“We have to find Barnabas and Willow soon,” Angelique added. “If Tom Jennings is feeding on her regularly it won’t be long before…”

“She dies and becomes a vampire,” Giles finished and the vampire witch nodded.

“With Nicholas and Tom Jennings to guide her,” she added.

“Sod that,” Giles muttered. “What about finding Roxanne? You’re close to Barnabas and he’s the one that turned her.”

“We can give that a try,” Angelique said after a moment. “How can she find him if we can’t? Tara is also a vampire because of him.”

“I don’t know,” Giles admitted. “Julia suggested it and didn’t really know why she suggested it.”

“Interesting. Let us try it.”

# # # #

Buffy watched as Giles slept on the sofa while Tara and Angelique worked to try and find their family members or Roxanne.

She glanced over as Quentin walked up beside her.

“He’s not getting enough sleep,” Buffy said softly.

“Which is why I slipped him some herbs in his tea that are slightly…well, they’re light sedatives,” Angelique said. “He won’t wake up if you carry him up to the bedroom.”

“That was underhanded,” Buffy said with a frown.

“But necessary and he had mentioned that he had to get some sleep but that his mind won’t slow down,” Angelique said. “I suspect that happens a lot.”

“Yeah, he often falls asleep on his sofa,” Buffy said. “When will he wake up?”

“Around 8am,” Angelique responded. “Give or take an hour. Enough time for him to drop by your house to coordinate with your mother over any messages he received, to brush his teeth and open the shop while waiting for your Watchers.”

“Don’t make a habit of it,” Buffy said after a moment.

Angelique chuckled softly and turned back to her mirror.

Nicholas stepped back into the shadows of the upper landing on the 2^nd floor. He calmly walked to the end of the hall and down the back stairs to rejoin Tom at Nicholas’ car.

“Well?” Tom demanded.

“There are times when it’s good to be me,” Nicholas declared. “They are as lost as ever. With company coming tomorrow they’ll be even more confused and off balance. Soon, Tom, very soon and you will have all the blood you want.”

“Good,” the vampire muttered.

# # # #

Dawn smiled as Joyce grabbed Giles’ arm and handed the Watcher his car keys. It was just so…domestic! Maybe Angelique would go away and not come back… She wouldn’t mind if her mom and Giles made it a real marriage.

“Buffy said she and Quentin would be at the Magic Box shortly,” Joyce told her ‘husband.’

“Good, Travers said they would be there shortly after I open the shop,” Giles said. “See you this evening.”

“Just be careful,” Joyce urged.

Ten minutes later Giles was setting up the Magic Box for the day, getting the till ready, sorting through the mail and turning on lights that would highlight the crystals and other objects for sale. He dialed Buffy’s number and smiled when she answered quickly.

“Hullo, it’s Giles,” he said. “I thought I’d give you a heads-up. Quentin Travers sent a rough outline of the review they want to do and I’m afraid its bad.”

“We’ll be there in 2 minutes,” Buffy replied.

Giles hung up the phone and took a sip of tea and smiled when Buffy and Quentin Collins walked in. “Hullo, sorry to bear bad news but you should know what to expect. I had Dawn print this out.”

Buffy took the paper and frowned as she looked over it. “Council history? What classification is a Lei-Ach demon? Testing on various forms of combat… what’s this one?”

Giles glanced over her shoulder. “A form of Japanese fighting.”

“Have you taught that?”

“Some of it, yes,” Giles said. “Without the Japanese words.”

“Latin? They want me to translate Latin?”

Giles nodded.

“Okay, I’m going to read this while we go pick up breakfast,” Buffy said. “We’ll bring you back food. Mom said you didn’t eat this morning.”

Giles chuckled. “Should I just wave a white flag? With three Summers women watching me like a hawk I’ll put on weight soon enough!”

Buffy smiled and hugged him. “We’ll be back in about 30.”

Ten minutes later Giles glanced up from the accounting books and saw Quentin Travers and four other Watchers enter the store. Giles frowned as one of them turned the OPEN sign to CLOSED and locked the door.

“What the hell?”

“They’re going to investigate your items to see if you’re contributing to the darkness surrounding this town,” Travers said. “It will remain closed until we’re done with our review of the shop, your job performance and review of the Slayer’s abilities.”

“There’s several items that could be dangerous here,” a Watcher called over to Travers.

“Get the hell away from my items unless you intend on buying something,” Giles snapped. “I had assumed we were going to discuss things.”

Travers nodded at the round table in the store, “Let’s discuss things.”

Giles glanced at the Watchers. “You all stand around and look somber.”

The one-time Watcher rolled his eyes. “Good job.”

“You used to respect us, Giles. You used to be one of us,” Travers scolded.

“You used to pay me. If you recall, firing me was not my idea.”

“Touche,” Travers said. “But you were on the inside once. You know what sort of resources we command. We’ve discovered information about this creature, your Glory. Some of it is clearly vital and the rest merely extremely disturbing. And it won’t be handed over until we’re convinced that you and your Slayer are prepared for it, thus the review.”

“I’m not having you put her through another one of your insane tests,” Giles said as he leaned over the table.

“It’s not a test, it’s a check of her methods. We need to know this information is safe.”

“Of course, you can trust her, you’re being ridiculous,” Giles grumbled.

“We’ll see. Now where are those misfits that aid you?”

“My partner is off on a buying trip, Xander is working, Willow and Tara are out of town researching for a university paper Willow is working on and… hmm, who else?”

“Mrs. Summers and Buffy’s sister,” Travers said.

“I can have her and Xander come over but you are not speaking to Dawn,” Giles said firmly.

“What?”

“American teenage girls aren’t especially… forthcoming when it comes to their older sisters,” Giles said. “They’ve all been under incredible stress. Joyce is undergoing treatment for a tumor in her brain. The girls have been worried and, in spite of that, Buffy has continued with her duties.”

“Very well, we’ll decide after talking with Mrs. Summers,” Travers said and Giles went to the phone.

# # # #

Buffy hesitated and then opened the door to the Magic Box with her key and stepped inside with Quentin.

“Hi, we brought Giles breakfast, Mom said he didn’t eat this morning,” she said cheerfully. She resisted laughing at Travers’ confused expression and she could tell by the smirk in Giles’ eyes that he hadn’t told the Council of his recent nuptials.

“Your mother knows that Rupert didn’t have breakfast?” Travers asked as Quentin Collins unpacked the Styrofoam boxes of food from a bag.

“Well, duh,” Buffy said. “She did manage to get his socks to match.”

Travers looked at Giles with a look of surprise. “You… spend much time with Mrs. Summers?”

“Well, yes, actually,” Giles said calmly and held up his hand, showing off the gold band on his finger. “We decided to make it official.”

“You… married your Slayer’s mother?” one of the Watchers questioned.

“Well, did you want me to marry my Slayer?” Giles asked and Buffy dropped a stack of napkins.

“Giles!”

“Sorry,” Giles said with a laugh. “Ask your boss, he recognized my feelings for Buffy as that of a father, after all.”

“This is most irregular!” the lone female Watcher exclaimed. “Field Watchers don’t get married until they retire from the field!”

“Need I point out that I’m not officially a Watcher?” Giles countered.

“When will her mother… your wife and step daughter arrive?” Travers asked.

“Mom and Dawnie?” Buffy asked.

“The Council wants to talk to them and all your friends,” Giles said.

“You gotta be kidding!”

“And we are also curious as to who the tall gentleman is,” another Watcher said.

“Quentin Collins, I’m in California on business,” the immortal responded easily. “Rupert is acquainted with some of my family through mutual interests and I came over from the Bay area to meet him and I’m finding Buffy’s company very enticing.”

“What is your business, Mr. Collins?” Travers asked. “And what sort of mutual interests? This is something of a private conversation.”

“The occult and supernatural happenings,” Quentin answered calmly. “My family and I are considering expanding our business to the west coast and I’m investigating the pros and cons. We are in the fish canning business and processing of fresh caught fish in Maine.”

“The occult?” Travers asked with a frown.

“Yes, my cousin is psychic and has had many experiences,” Quentin said. “She knows a Dr. Adam Spektor who knows Rupert and the ball rolls downhill. There aren’t a lot of people that one can take seriously in the community, after all. That’s about the extent of our conversation, Mr. ….?”

“Travers, Quentin Travers,” the other man said. “We have many questions for friends of Rupert and Buffy.”

“And I have a fondness for keeping my private life private,” Quentin said firmly. “I don’t discuss vampires, werewolves, curses, the Leviathan, Old Gods and ghosts very often with strangers.”

“Leviathans? You’ve had experience with the Leviathans?” the woman with Travers asked, her eyes widening.

“Yes,” Quentin said. He glanced at Giles and the Englishman nodded ever so slightly. “That was one of the main reasons for coming to California.”

“I was sent a Naga box from my friend Dr. Adam Spektor who specializes in the occult but was going out of the country,” Giles said. “A sorcerer and witch were working to open a gate that would allow the Leviathan to enter our world and eventually blast the gate open for the Old Ones. With help from Quentin, Buffy’s strength and intelligence and my research we were able to thwart them.”

“What happened to the sorcerer and witch?” Watcher #3 asked.

“The witch was also a vampire and I staked her,” Giles said. “After she had bitten me twice.”

“And you managed to stake her?” Travers asked.

“Yes,” Giles said. “The sorcerer apparently pissed off his master, he disappeared in flames.”

“And my boyfriend, a Green Beret soldier, was killed,” Buffy added.

“And the box?” Watcher #3 asked anxiously.

“Destroyed on the altar, the only place it could be destroyed,” Giles said.

“The only place?” Watcher 3 repeated.

“What, you don’t know that? Well then, you probably didn’t know about the prophecy book that only those in the hive mind with the Leviathan can read, right?” Giles asked and Buffy worked hard at not smiling. “Hmm, I thought you always had more information than us.”

“Enough,” Travers said firmly. “We’ll discuss the Leviathan later. Right now, we are dealing with the review.”

“No, we aren’t,” Buffy said firmly.

“Buffy, I can sense your resistance and I don’t blame you,” Travers said. “I don’t believe that your Watcher has reminded you lately of the resolute status of the players in our little game. The Council fights evil. The Slayer is the instrument by which we fight. The Council remains, the Slayers change, it’s been that way from the beginning.”

“Well, that’s a very comforting, bloodless way of looking at it, isn’t it?” Giles said scornfully.

“Rupert, let me talk to Buffy because I think she’ll understand me. Glory is stronger than you. She’s a more powerful instrument, if you will. We can help you. We have information that will help. Pass the review and we give it to you without reservation. Fail the review, either through incompetence, or by resisting our recommendations…”

Giles moved from around the counter quickly. “Resisting your recommendations? She fails if we don’t do whatever you say! How much under your thumb do you think we are?”

“How much to you want our help?” Travers asked.

Two of the Watchers grabbed Giles as he started towards Travers. “She’s not your bloody instrument and you have no right to do any of this!”

“I understand you think this is unfair,” Travers said easily. “But there are factors which should motivate you to go along with the review. Now, I don’t want to do this but obviously we could shut this place down permanently.”

“You can’t do that, you don’t have that kind of power,” Buffy protested.

“Of course we do, and a great deal more. In fact, if you insist on fighting us, we’ll arrange to have Rupert deported, marriage or not. Never to set foot in this country again. Now perhaps you’re used to idle threats and sloppy discipline, Miss Summers, but you’re dealing with grownups now. Am I making myself clear?”

Buffy frowned.

# # # #