Dark are the Shadows
Ms Hunter Ash
BTVS/Dark Shadows crossover
ripperbard7@yahoo.com
frost29@post.com
rating: PG13
pairings: Willow/Tara, Barnabas/Roxanne, Buffy/Quentin, Giles/Angelique, Xander/Anya, Joe/Maggie
# # #
COLLINSPORT, MAINE
Barnabas sighed and wrapped his arms around Roxanne and held her tightly as they stepped out onto the patio at Collinwood. He nuzzled her neck from behind. “I missed you.”
“I can't believe you almost killed yourself,” Roxanne said as the held his arms close. “Don't ever do that again, please. No matter what happens.”
“I won't,” Barnabas said softly. “I need to see Julia tonight in addition to picking up my cloak, cane and ring. I was sleeping there.”
“In the hidden room?” Roxanne asked.
“Yes,” Barnabas said. “I was blind. Thomas and Julia flew out to California to encourage me to accept help and to come home.”
“You weren't healing?” Roxanne asked and shivered as his fangs touched lightly across her neck. He had refused to bite her so shortly after nearly dying despite her encouragement. He had argued that his control was likely very weak right then.
“No, even Maggie tried to get me to fight back more,” Barnabas said. “I'd lost you along along with Julia and everyone else in my past. I couldn't take it. If I hadn't been blind I probably would have left and wandered the earth for years without staying long in any one place or getting close to anyone.”
“And Josette and Sarah helped save you,” Roxanne said softly.
“Yes,” Barnabas responded. “It was a combined effort of most everyone. Buffy, Thomas, Josette, Sarah, Julia, Rupert and Angelique all had a hand in protecting me from myself.”
“I can't believe Angelique risked the daylight,” Roxanne said and turned in Barnabas arms and kissed him.
“She trusted Sarah who led her and me right off the cliff,” Barnabas said.
“She still loves you,” Roxanne commented.
“Yes,” Barnabas agreed. “She's not in love with me but she does love me and probably always will. Angelique isn't a threat, my love.”
“I know,” Roxanne said. “I'm not worried about her, my love. I'm going to stay here while you see Julia and Thomas, however. Almost losing you had to be terrifying for them. Take some time and try to make it up to them.”
“I will and then I want to hold you until sunrise.”
“Please,” Roxanne said softly and pulled back in his arms to look into his eyes. “Barnabas...”
“No, not tonight,” Barnabas cut her off. “I am not turning you tonight!”
“Barnabas, I've been a vampire for more years than I was human,” Roxanne protested. “You want us together for more than 30 years, I want us together for longer than a human life, there's one way to do it and you have that power.”
“I've only willingly turned Julie and that was because she was dying,” Barnabas said softly. “I can't condemn you to this life, damnit!”
“I already accepted!” Roxanne yelled. “And you bit me! I would have joined you soon and you know it. In a way, I did. We didn't anticipate me changing by going through a time portal and losing...us.”
“I need to...be more stable,” the vampire said after a moment. “I had worked myself up into facing the sun. Then everyone jumped in to save me including Josette and Sarah. I'm barely out of wet clothes.”
“All right,” Roxanne said softly. “This conversation isn't over.”
# # # # #
Barnabas hesitated at the door of the Old House and then knocked firmly.
He tried to smile when Julia opened the door. “Hello, I came for my things and to apologize.”
Julia motioned him inside and hugged him for a moment. “Come by the fire. The weather turning colder is aggravating Thomas injury.”
Barnabas followed her into the parlor and sat down. “I'm sorry your leg is bothering you, Thomas.”
Thomas nodded. “If I could stand up without a crutch I might hit you.”
“Thomas!” Julia exclaimed.
“What?” Thomas responded. “He terrified the hell out of everyone. You almost dashed out into the sun.”
“I am sorry for that,” Barnabas said. “I understand the anger and accept it. I have no excuse at all. I should have tried reaching out to all of you.”
“Just...don't try that again,” Julia said as she sat down. “Tell us about how Roxanne is here.”
“Well, she remembers....”
## # # # #
SUNNYDALE, CALIFORNIA
Willow smacked her travel alarm clock but managed to resist throwing it off the loft onto the hard floor below. She sighed and leaned up on her elbows and then sat up and turned the alarm off. It was going to be a long day. She had an hour to go get breakfast, get back and open the shop....
She leaned over the railing when she heard the backdoor being opened. Willow smiled when Xander walked in carrying a fast food bag and drinks.
“Breakfast!” he announced as he looked up at her. “I figured I'd help out since you didn't get much sleep.”
“Thanks, you're a life saver,” Willow said. “Let me get my shoes on and I'll come down.”
“Cool,” Xander said as he sat the food and drinks down and locked the door behind him. “Anya didn't get a lot of sleep either. When you think about it, it's pretty awful. Just to even shift in the bed you move your shoulder.”
“Wow, I hadn't thought of that,” Willow said and climbed down from the loft.
“She's in a lot of pain and really pissed off,” Xander said. “Those Watchers didn't even lift a finger to help her.”
“Let's hope they avoid us after that stellar show of bravery,” Willow commented.
“Yeah, I told Raquel to drop by, she seems pretty cool for having been raised by stuffed tweed shirt types,” Xander said. “I was, uh, thinking about calling Maine today and seeing how everyone is. I'll call Giles, not Buffy...not yet.”
“Yeah.”
# # #
COLLINSPORT, MAINE
“Well, that's interesting,” Giles said as he closed his phone.
“What's that, Rupert?” Joyce asked as she glanced up from a crochet project.
“Anya was hurt,” Giles said. “She and Xander stepped in to help the Potential with some vampires while her Watchers stood by. Anya's collarbone is broken. Willow and Tara have returned to help run the shop.”
“Won't those Watchers see Tara?” Joyce asked with a frown. “Will Anya be all right?”
“Anya should be, it's just an annoying and painful injury,” Giles said. “Willow and Tara are going to stay at the shop so, hopefully, they won't see Tara unless she and Willow go out to the Bronze or something. I told him about Barnabas and Roxanne, he was as stunned as we were.”
“Is it strange that I'm accepting the unbelievable rather quickly these days?” Joyce asked.
Giles chuckled and kissed her cheek. “Not after all we've been through.”
“What's planned for tonight?” Joyce asked.
“Well, Angelique had to dash over to her island,” Giles said. “A quarterly meeting with her lawyers and managers. The reclusive Widow Rumson will approve several things and directions or not. She'll be using magic to appear much older to them.”
“You're not going with her?” Carolyn asked as she brought a fresh pot of coffee to the kitchen table.
“Not this time,” Giles said. “I'm going to talk to the kids tonight. If she's not back by sunrise she'll be back tomorrow night, about 2 hours after sunset.”
“Barnabas and Roxanne are down visiting Julia and Thomas, are you coming with us to have dinner in town? Amy and Elizabeth are staying here but the rest of us are going to town,” Carolyn asked the Watcher.
“Not tonight,” Giles said. “I'll talk with Willow and Tara and then just...strum my guitar for a bit, see if I can get the mind to slow down a bit.”
“I have a feeling you don't accomplish that very often,' Carolyn commented.
Giles shrugged. “Not often.”
# # #
SUNNYDALE, CALIFORNIA
Willow glanced up as the door to the Magic Box opened and somehow kept from frowning. The trio walking in screamed Watchers and Slayer to the experienced Scooby member.
“Hi, can I help you?”
“You must be Willow Rosenberg,” Terrence Wallace said.
“Yes, the redhaired witch of the bunch,” Willow agreed. “And you're Wallace, Reyes and Raquel.”
“You recognize us,” Sandra noted.
“Kinda hard to miss,” Willow said. “Your clothing is a little heavy for southern California and your....bearing, your auras scream traditional Watchers and Raquel has some obviously athletic training and confidence. The British accent also helps.”
“You don't consider your Watcher to be 'traditional'?” Terrence asked.
“Giles has morphed traditional with innovative and intuitive, I'd call it,” Willow said slowly. “It worked best with Buffy, the situations and for all of us.”
“Because Ms. Summer was missed as a potential?” Sandra ventured.
“Yes,” Willow agreed. “She wasn't raised by the Council and Merrick thought taking her from her home and telling she'd die before she turned 18 wouldn't help anyone. Giles agreed. It also gave Buffy something more than....a concept to fight for.”
“What do you mean?” Terrence asked with a frown.
“Slayers are told to sacrifice themselves for the world,” Willow said. “That's... hard to grasp. People can relate to their immediate surroundings, friends, family, town, maybe even country. All of the world is hard to... relate to. Buffy has family and friends to fight for and then the rest of the world. Makes the stakes higher in a way.”
“Interesting,” Sandra said softly. “And you help in her endeavors.”
“Yeah, we each have strengthens and weaknesses,” Willow said. “That's what we bring. A team is usually harder to beat than a single fighter, even a Slayer.”
“And the other witch, Tara, is she around?” Terrence asked.
“Not right now,” Willow said easily.
“We were hoping to talk to both of you,” Terrence said.
“Probably not,” Willow said. “She's really shy and, well, especially around authority types. Tara had a rough life and she's still working on survivor stuff.”
“We heard you were shy once,” Sandra commented.
“Yeah, I was a church mouse,” Willow agreed. “Well, not really a church mouse, more like a synagogue mouse. Do churches and synagogues have mice? Anyway, yeah, I was. I've gotten a little better but...sometimes not so much.”
“We were hoping to talk to you both about Watcher Giles,” Terrence said.
Willow didn't bother to hide her frown. “My answer is the same as Anya's. Talk with Buffy and Giles.”
“You don't want to talk about how successful he is at being a Watcher?” Terrence asked.
“Not with that British hint of sarcasm,” Willow said firmly. “I've been around an Englishman for several years now, dry humor and all. He is successful and can describe how he's done things differently than a by-the-book-Watcher than I can. Why the push to find fault with him? You look hard enough and you'll find it, why aren't you wanting to find out why Buffy is old enough to be in college and how she's saved the world several times? Without his help that wouldn't have happened.”
“We'll give Watcher Giles a call,” Sandra said before Terrence could respond. “Thank you for your time.”
“Any time,” Willow said. “Oh by the way, British Watchers aren't superior to Americans who have actually faced down several apocalypses.”
“We'll see you around,” Terrence said after a moment.
Willow winked at a smirking Raquel as the three left the shop.
# # # #
Anya smiled as the two witches entered her hospital room an hour after sunset.
“Willow and Tara just got here and they brought dinner for Xander,” she said into the phone. “I will be all right, Giles. They said it will hurt for awhile and will take some therapy later but I am alive. I am also angry at your countrymen for not even offering me a band-aid!”
Anya covered the mouthpiece. “He's laughing,” she whispered loudly, causing the other Scooby members to smile.
“Here's Willow,” Anya said and held out the phone for Willow to grab as Xander unpacked the pizza and sodas she and Tara had brought in.
“Hey, Giles, how goes?” Willow asked. “Yeah, I met the Watchers today. They really want us to talk about you and tell them all the negative stuff. I told them to lose the British superiority complexes and talk to you and Buffy.”
Willow covered the mouthpiece. “He's laughing again.”
“We'll be fine here,” Willow said into the phone after a moment. “I'm not letting them near Tara for more than a minute and we'll run any purchases for the shop through Anya. She says you get to handle the books, though. He agrees, Anya. Yeah, the LA gang are on stand-by if anything comes up that the Potential and us can't handle. I get the feeling Raquel would love to talk to us without the Watchers around. We'll see what we can do. Uh, how is Buffy and everybody?”
Xander placed a slice of pizza on a paper plate on Anya's rolling table as they listened to Willow's end of the conversation.
“Oh wow, okay, give everyone a hug for us. We'll call tomorrow. Bye, Giles,” Willow said and hung up the phone. “Barnabas can see, Roxanne is back and everyone is doing okay.”
“Wow,” Tara said softly.
“How is Roxanne back?” Xander asked.
“Giles said they don't really know except that the Powers might have done it because Barnabas and Roxanne sacrificing so much,” Willow said. “Hand me some pizza, please.”
# # # #
COLLINSPORT, MAINE
Amy and Elizabeth quietly worked on a jigsaw puzzle as Giles played random songs, music and chords by the fireplace.
Amy smiled and tapped the puzzle as Elizabeth sat enraptured by the music. Elizabeth giggled and began looking for more puzzle pieces.
Giles looked up at the sound of knocking at the door. “Stay there, I'll get it.”
“Who could that be?” Amy muttered as the Watcher walked past them.
Giles blinked in surprise when he opened the door. “Quentin? What on earth are you doing here?”
Quentin Travers' expression was one that Giles was accustomed to, slightly disapproving or just...slightly scowling.
“I came to talk to you, obviously,” Quentin said. “May I come in?”
Giles frowned. “One, this isn't my house. Two, talk about what? Three, why come all this way, I could have met you in a more populated area or something. It had to take you forever to get here!”
Quentin nodded. “It did. Let me counter your bullet points. One, either we talk rationally or we can talk in England when you finally wake up as we take you off the plane.”
Amy listened closely at the partly open parlor door.
Giles' eyebrows rose. “What on earth? Fine,” he motioned Quentin inside.
“Where are the other two?” Quentin asked.
“Amy is in the parlor, Elizabeth is likely up in bed,” Giles said. “Why?”
“They'll find the phone isn't working just now so they won't be able to call your Slayer back before we've chatted.”
Amy went to a side stand and quickly wrote a note and motioned Elizabeth over to the corner of the room and opened the secret passageway door. “Get this to Julia and Barnabas as fast as you can. Can you do that in the dark?” she asked in a whisper.
Elizabeth nodded and took the note, coat and a flashlight that Amy handed her and disappeared into the passage. Amy closed the panel and sat down next to the fire.
“You were obviously watching the house hoping to catch me alone,” Giles commented as he opened the door to the parlor. “Amy, may I present Quentin Travers, my boss of sorts.”
“Of sorts?” Quentin asked.
“Well, you aren't exactly giving me reassuring thoughts about my employment,” Giles countered. “Amy, could you excuse us for awhile?”
“I'll make some coffee,” Amy offered. “Elizabeth is asleep and everyone else is out, Mr. Travers. Please excuse me.”
Giles motioned to a chair and sat down across from his fellow Englishman. “Now, what is this about?”
“The necessity of you proving that you're still human,” Quentin Travers said bluntly. “And why you and your Slayer are living with suspected vampires and who knows what else?”
“Ghosts.”
“Pardon?”
“Ghosts,” Giles said easily. “Collinwood and the Old House are haunted, some ancestors help watch over the family as ghosts. As for being human, I am not a vampire. Toss me your cross.”
“You're not wearing one?” Quentin asked as he pulled out a large wooden cross from his coat. He stood up and handed it to Giles and removed his coat.
“There aren't a large number of vampire attacks at Collinwood,” Giles said as he gripped the cross tightly, his eyes locked with Quentin's. After a moment he handed the cross back. “Want to check my pulse?”
“No, but we will be taking a blood sample tonight,” Quentin said as he sat back down. “This town and family has an interesting history and there's a lot under the surface, isn't there?”
“Yes,” Giles agreed. “I think this house or the other house are on a small hellmouth, a node. There have been some extraordinary things to happen over the centuries here.”
“Including at least two suspected vampires, one of which you appear to be very close to?” Quentin ventured.
“Perhaps, there have been hints over the years including attacks in the village,” Giles said. “None of which have occurred in decades. This is the place where the Leviathan attempted to gain a foothold in our world in 1970. That's how some of the family knew what was happening and what the stakes were. That led them to me and Buffy.”
“Just come out with it,” Travers said after a moment. “Either you do or you will be cuffed, taken out of here, drugged and you won't wake up until we land in England.”
Giles hesitated and then shrugged. “You won't get the history of some of the players out of me. They are no danger to anyone and we owe them. Without their help we wouldn't have defeated the Leviathan.”
“Go on,” Travers urged.
Giles sighed. “I received a box from a contact in the occult in New York...”
Twenty minutes later Giles finished with Buffy closing the gate with her own death without telling the Head Watcher the history between Barnabas, Julia, Angelique or Quentin Collins.
“My witches found a way to bring Buffy back,” Giles said. “That's why we're here. Buffy needs some time to settle back into being alive. She doesn't remember where she was, by the by.”
“And your vampire?” Quentin asked.
“Isn't dangerous unless threatened,” Giles said firmly. “She wasn't a willing pawn of the Leviathan and a dangerous sorcerer.”
“And you're connected to her and more,” Travers commented.
“Yes,” Giles admitted. “And I care for my family more than my own life and hers. I staked her during the fight, Quentin.”
“And if anything happens to her, you will die,” Quentin ventured.
“And rise as a vampire, yes,” Giles said.
“I'm at a loss as to how to deal with this,” Travers admitted. “We cannot leave you in charge of the Slayer, Rupert.”
“I'm not,” Giles said calmly. “Buffy is in charge of us. She is an adult, highly experienced, dedicated and willing to sacrifice herself. You cannot doubt my influence, training and guidance compared to that, Quentin. As for what to do, that's up to you. Just... forget the Collins family and my friend.”
Travers nodded after a moment. “We ignore one vampire in Los Angeles, what's two or three more on this side of the continent? Come along, Rupert, you can write an email to your bunch on the plane.”
Giles frowned. “Now?”
“You think I'd let your Slayer dig in, make demands and we have to lay siege to the house?”
Travers stood up and motioned Giles to his feet. “Turn around, Rupert.”
“Bring my guitar, please,” Giles said as he turned around. “You didn't kill my music the first time and you won't again unless you kill me this time.”
“That's not off the table,” Travers said as he handcuffed Giles. He picked up the guitar and placed it in the case and picked that up. “Shall we?”
“This is a mistake, Quentin,” Giles said as they approached the front door. “Amy! Tell everyone... I'm proud of them and love them.”
Amy bit her lip in the hallway as Travers opened the door.
“Quentin, you don't want to go to war with the Slayer and my kids, please,” Giles begged. “They won't let me go without a fight.”
“I'm aware of that,” Travers said. “Come along, Rupert. The car and escort are waiting.”
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