Dark are the Shadows
Ms. Hunter Ash
a BTVS/Dark Shadows cross over
rating: PG-13
pairings: Buffy/Quentin, Xander/Anya, Willow/Tara, Barnabas/Roxanne, Julia/Thomas, Maggie/Joe, Giles/Angelique
# # ##
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
With a yell, several knights attacked the building with various weapons, trying to break through the boarded up windows or the front door.
Dawn screamed as an axe broke
through the wall next to her and a knight began trying to hack his
way in. “Buffy!”
Buffy started towards the counter only to be tackled by a knight working his way through a boarded-up door. The knight hit her hard and raised an axe over her.
Spike hit the knight with a right punch and then fell to the floor clutching his head. The knight turned and started to bring the axe down on Spike but Buffy kicked him aside.
Willow crawled over to where Tara and Angelique slept and began shaking Tara. “Come on, baby, I need help! Please! Just wake up enough to channel! Tara, help us!”
As Buffy exchanged punches with the knight the windows rattled and broke as the knights assaulted the building.
“It's a damned crusade!” Xander yelled and grabbed a fallen axe.
Buffy pulled the knight over her shoulder, dropping him hard and stomped on his face and he stopped moving.
“It's clear!” someone yelled and the General walked through the broken door and pointed the sword at Buffy.
“The key!” he demanded.
Buffy grabbed a mace and threw it at the General, knocking the sword out of his hand. He lunged at the Slayer only to be punched, grabbed and thrown face first into a support pillar. He fell to the floor unconscious.
“Will?” Tara muttered.
“I need our connection, baby,” Willow said urgently.
Tara raised a hand and Willow grasped it tightly.
“Enemies fly and fall!” she yelled and said something in Latin as her eyes turned black. “Circling arms, raise a wall!”
Buffy's eyes widened at the sight of a circle of light emanating from Willow and expanding. Xander watched as the circle expanding and threw the knights back and away from the building and a dome of protection surrounded the main building.
Dante stepped forward and hit the shield with his sword. Despite shimmering slightly the shield held.
“They have the general,” he yelled. “Clerics!”
Two elderly men in long black robes approached the shield and touched it.
“An energy wall,” one said. “A powerful one.”
“Can it be breached?” Dante demanded.
“The witch's magic pales to the might of our god. The infidels' wall ... shall tumble before us,” the second one responded.
The two men began chanting softly.
“Will, how long will that hold?” Buffy asked.
“Half a day maybe?” Willow answered and went to a window. “Or less if Heckle and Jekyll punch a hole in it.
Spike got to his feet slowly. “What's the story with these role playing rejects?”
Buffy looked at the unconscious general. “Let's find out.”
# # # #
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
“Angel, there are hundreds of ways they could take to get to LA from Sunnydale on back roads,” Wesley protested as the group poured over a large map on the conference table.
“He's right,” Gunn agreed. “They could zig-zag over dozens of roads. We could drive down the one they're on and, before we could reach them, they could turn onto another road and we'd pass 'em. Why are they radio dark? Does this hell-god have cell phone radar?”
“I don't know,” Angel said. “They might be in a cellphone dead zone.”
“We're stuck here, Angel,” Cordelia said softly. “We have to wait.”
Angel picked up a stapler and threw it across the room.
# # # #
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Buffy stood in front of the support pillar and glared at the general that was tied to said pillar.
“Are you sure he habla the English?” Spike asked.
“He understands me,” Buffy said with her arms crossed. “Don't you?”
“You were warned we would return, Slayer.”
“Took you long enough,” Buffy countered. “What are you? Some kind of chief?”
“A general,” he answered with a smirk.
“Of what, general of getting captured?” Buffy grumbled.
“You do not frighten me, child,” Gregor said calmly and looked at Dawn. “The instrument of chaos must be destroyed.”
Buffy walked to the pillar and put
her hands on either side of the General's head. “Look at her like
that again and it'll be the last thing you ever see,” she warned
and pulled back.
“I was told you protect the key,” Gregor said.
“It's not that simple,” Buffy said and glanced at Anya holding a towel on Giles' wound.
“Yes. The key has been transformed, given ... breath, life. Yet, this makes no difference. The key is the link. The link must be severed. Such is the will of god,” Gregor responded.
“She doesn't remember anything about being this key you're all looking for,” Buffy protested. “The only thing that she remembers is growing up with a mother, and a sister that love her. What kind of god would demand her life for something that she has no control over?”
Gregor shrugged.
“We are not your enemies,” Buffy said. “Tell your men to stand down.”
“No,” Gregor responded.
“It's not her fault!” Buffy yelled. “She's human!”
“The key is too dangerous to exist,” Gregor answered. “No matter what form it's been pressed into.”
“I will not let anyone....”
She stopped and looked at Willow as the witch shook her head.
“What is it?”
“I've been trying to... key into Glory's weird energy so we'd know when she was near,” Willow answered. “There's....okay, this will sound weird, there's a major disturbance in the force. The nutcase energy force.”
“Looks like one of those knights is nuts,” Xander said from the window. “Literally.”
“It's time!” the knight shouted and pounded at the barrier as the Scooby gang watched.
Dante walked up to Orlando and pulled him away from the barrier.
“The beast may have taken your mind, but I swear to you, she will never know the taste of your heart,” Dante said and pulled Orlando tightly to him. A moment later Orlando fell to the ground and the group could see a bloody dagger in Dante's hand.
“I want that witch shield down now!” he yelled at the clerics.
# # # #
COLLINSPORT, MAINE
“Oh,” Carolyn said softly and picked up the phone.
Cordelia grabbed the phone. “Buffy?”
“It's Carolyn, listen... I've had a flash,” she told her fellow psychic. “Giles is hurt badly and the others are stuck in a building and surrounded by enemies. I got the number six. I don't know if that helps.”
“Number six,” Cordelia said to the others. “Can you tell if its a road, highway or building number.”
“Road of some kind,” Carolyn said. “Hot and dusty road.”
“That helps, thanks,” Cordelia said. “If we figure it out and find them, we'll call.”
“Okay, good luck.”
# # #
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
“We didn't even get far out of Sunnydale,” Xander grumbled.
Buffy held Giles' hand. “I'm sorry.”
“For what?” he asked softly.
“We should have stayed in Sunnydale,” Buffy said. “This wouldn't have happened.”
“Don't,” Giles said and winced. “What you did ... w-was necessary ... what I've always admired.”
Buffy managed a small smile. “Running away?”
“Being able to place ... your heart ... above all else,” Giles whispered and gasped in pain.
Buffy bit her lip.
“I'm so proud of you. You've come so far,” Giles whispered. “You're everything a Watcher ...a father... everything I could have hoped for.”
Buffy felt tears filling her eyes as he winced in pain and closed his eyes. After a moment she pulled her hand away from his gently.
Buffy went to where Willow was sitting against a wall next to a sleeping Tara and Angelique. “Will, open a door.”
# # # #
LOS ANGELES
“How many damned roads in a 300 mile radius have the number six in them?” Angel complained.
“Too many,” Wesley agreed.
# # # #
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
A hole appeared in the barrier as Buffy walked out of the building followed by Xander. Dante and a few other knights stepped forward and they stopped at the edge of the barrier. Dante held up a hand to stop the knights.
“Speak,” he demanded.
“One of my friends was hurt when you attacked us,” Buffy began.
“And ten of my men are dead,” Dante snapped. “Honorable men!”
The second in command drew his sword. “Shall we balance the scale?”
“Will you let someone come and help him or not?” Buffy demanded.
“Give quarter to an agent of the Beast?” Dante exclaimed. “What madness would move me to such action?”
“I'm done asking,” Buffy said with a frown and started towards the knight but Xander reached out and grabbed her arm as the knights pulled their weapons and readied themselves.
“Whoa, whoa, hey,” Xander said quickly. “Uh, this is a war, right? There's one thing I learned from comics, there are rules.... or there should be if you're the honorable types you think you are.”
Dante didn't respond.
“Besides, we have your forehead general,” Xander added.
# # #
SUNNYDALE, CALIFORNIA
Both Joyce and Quentin glanced at the clock and then the door. Neither drawing attention to their thoughts that Buffy should have returned by then.
# # # #
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Buffy and Willow stood by a payphone inside the building.
“Discharge and bring to life!” Willow commanded and formed a sigil in the air.
Buffy lifted the receiver and nodded. She quickly dialed a number. “Dr. Wilkinson, please, it's a family emergency. Hi, it's Buffy, I need a really huge favor.”
After talking to Dr. Ben for several minutes she hung up the phone and then lifted the receiver and frowned. She looked at Willow and the witch shook her head. “It's hard keeping the shield up and fighting Pac Bell shut off notices,” she mumbled.
# # # #
Angelique stood at the counter holding one of Giles' hands and stroking his hair. “Rupert, please, you have to hang on,” she said softly.
“Why are you worried?” Spike asked. “He dies, he comes back, right?”
“We don't know that for certain,” Angelique said. “It may have been countered when he staked me. Besides, I prefer him to remain human for a few more years. Buffy and the others need him to be human.”
“Car is coming up,” Xander called from a window.
Buffy and Spike joined him at the window and they saw the car hesitate and then move a little further and Dr. Ben got out of the vehicle with a black medical bag in hand.
“Will,” Buffy called.
Buffy and Spike went to the edge of the barrier and motioned Ben inside the building.
The doctor moved immediately to Giles and grabbed the propane camp light and moved it closer. “This will not be fun in this light.”
Willow raised her head from Tara's shoulder and motioned with her hand and the overhead light above Ben sparked to life.
He pulled on surgical gloves and cut Giles shirt open.
“Can you help him?” Angelique asked anxiously.
“I'll let you know,” Ben muttered. He looked over at Buffy. “You forgot to mention the costume party with real weapons out there.”
“Sorry,” Buffy said. “I didn't know who else to call.”
“No, it's okay. I mean, yeah, not ... how I pictured seeing you again, but, uh ... I'll take what I can get,” Ben responded.
Spike rolled his eyes and returned to watching out of one of the windows.
# # # #
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
“Stop pacing!” Cordelia finally snapped to Angel. “We can't make them suddenly appear or call.”
“Sorry,” Angel muttered and sat down.
Wesley entered the office. “I've contacted a friend, he and a hacker friend are going to try and triangulate Buffy's cellphone. It might give us the last cell tower that her phone pinged off on. It'll give us a general area and they might narrow it down even more by finding dead zones near the tower.”
“Add in a road with the number six and we might be getting close,” Angel commented. “Good. Good work.”
“Let's hope it works.”
## # ##
COLLINSPORT, MAINE
“I don't want to call Quentin again and alarm Joyce,” Julia said as everyone glanced at a clock. “Damn this not knowing!”
“Totally,” Amy muttered. “Maybe Barnabas can help. He might be able to find Tara, right? He's the one that turned her into a vampire from what you said.”
Julia nodded. “Yes, it was the only chance we had to keep the Leviathan from coming through a gate.”
“Crossed fingers,” Carolyn said softly.
# # #
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Ben pulled a blanket up over the bandaged area of Giles' body and pulled his gloves off. “I think I got him stabilized but there's a lot of damage. He needs to get to a hospital as quickly as possible.”
“Guys with pointy swords have other ideas,” Buffy pointed out.
“Don't they always?” Ben muttered.
“Look, I know this must seem extra "Outer Limits" to you,” Buffy commented.
“This? Naah. I've seen things you wouldn't believe. You know, emergency room, full moon on a Saturday night,” Ben said.
Spike tried to light a cigarette but the bandaged hands were hindering the effort. “Ow.”
Xander walked over and took the lighter from a cautious Spike and lit it.
“Thanks,” Spike said.
Xander closed the lighter and absently put it in his pocket. “You know those things will kill you.”
Spike raised his eyebrows.
Xander rolled his eyes. “Right. Already there.”
They continued looking out a window.
“Did I mention today how much I don't like you?” Xander asked.
“You might have let it slip in once or twice,” Spike responded.
“How's the feelers there?” Xander asked the vampire.
“Nothing compared to the little bits we're gonna get chopped into when the Renaissance Faire kicks the door in,” Spike commented. “And here we bloody sit.”
“It's not like we got much of a choice,” Xander protested.
“Could make a break for it! Use General Armor-All as a shield, Spike suggested. “We get to the doc's car, and....”
“Great plan,” Xander grumbled. “And while all the hacking and slashing's going on, what are you gonna be doing, huh? Throwing migraines at 'em?”
“Look, we stay here, we all die!” Spike countered. “At least this way, some of us might get...”
“No,” Buffy said firmly. “I'm not losing anyone. See if you two can help with pulling some food together. There's not a lot, unfortunately.”
Buffy turned and looked at the General who chuckled and then smirked at her.
“Dissension in the ranks. Seldom a harbinger of glad tidings,” he declared.
Buffy crossed the room and backhanded him. “Shut up.”
The General spit out blood. “Poor frightened girl. You've no idea what you've gotten yourself into.”
Buffy folded her arms. “Why don't you tell me?”
“Would it make a difference?” Gregor asked. “What do yo know of the Beast?”
“Strong. Fast. Hellgod,” Buffy said.
“From a dimension of unspeakable torment,” Gregor added.
“A demon dimension. I know. She ruled with two other hellgods, right?” Buffy answered.,
“Along with the beast they were a triumvirate of suffering and despair. Ruling with equal vengeance,” Gregor added. “But the beast's power grew beyond even what they could conceive. As did her lust for pain and misery. They looked upon her, what she had become ... and trembled.”
“A god afraid?” Buffy asked with a frown.
“Such was her power,” Gregor explained. “They feared she would attempt to seize their dimension for herself, and decided to strike first. A great battle erupted. In the end, they stood victorious over the beast ... barely. She was cast out. Banished to this lower plane of existence, forced to live and eventually die trapped within the body of a mortal ... a newborn male, created as her prison. That is the beast's ... only weakness.”
“Kill the man ... and the god dies,” Buffy suggested.
“Unfortunately, the identity of the human vessel has never been discovered,” Gregor responded.
“I don't understand. Now, I've seen Glory. Not a whole lot going on in the hairy chest department,” Buffy commented.
“You have seen a glimpse of the true beast,” Gregor began explaining further. “Her power was too great to be completely contained. She's found a way to escape her mortal prison ... for brief periods, before her energies are exhausted and she's forced back ... into her living cell of meat and bone.”
“What about me?”
The two looked up at Dawn as she approached them as the others congregated in a smaller, side room.
“Dawn...”
“I want to know,” Dawn insisted.
“The key ... is almost as old as the beast itself. Where it came from, how it was created ... the deepest of mysteries,” Gregor said. “All that is certain is that its power is absolute. Countless generations of my people have sacrificed their lives in search of it, to destroy it before its wrath could be unleashed.”
“But the monks found it first,” Dawn said.
“Yes, and hid it with their magics,” Gregor answered.
Buffy shook her head. “Why didn't they just destroy it? If the key is as dangerous as...”
“Because they were fools. They thought they could harness its power for the forces of light. They failed, and paid with their blood,” Gregor said.
“What do I do? What was I created for?” Dawn asked.
“You were created ... to open the gates that separate dimensions,” Gregor explained. “The beast will use your power ... to return home and seize control of the hell she was banished from.”
Buffy laughed and Gregor looked at her in surprise. “That's it? That's Glory's master plan ... to go home?”
“You misunderstand,” Gregor replied. “Once the key is activated, it won't just open the gates to the beast's dimension. It's going to open all the gates. The walls separating realities will crumble. Dimensions will bleed into each other. Order will be overthrown and the universe will tumble into chaos ... all dark ... forever.”
“Damn,” Buffy muttered.
## # # # #
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