Dark Are the Shadows
a BTVS/Dark Shadows/and more crossover
Ms. Hunter Ash
ripperbard7@yahoo.com
frost29@post.com
rating: PG13
pairings: Buffy/Quentin, Giles/Angelique, Willow/Tara, Xander/Anya, Julia/Thomas, Barnabas/Roxanne, Maggie/Joe
The Usual: I don't own any of the canon characters nor contributing storylines. The plots and original characters are mine. No harm to any copyrights is intended.
# # # #
Barnabas coughed and rolled over. He got to his hands and knees.
“Barnabas! You....idiot!”
“Angelique?”
“Yes, now shut up a minute,” she snapped and sat up, leaning against a wall of a cave. //Rupert... you can hear me. Hear me!//
Giles blinked and tapped Buffy's legs.
“Angelique? Where? How?”
//We're in a cave, the tide is coming in// Angelique said. //No one can get here past the water and the rocks until the tide goes out. We'll sleep soon....//
“You knew about a cave?” Giles said and sent.
//No, I followed a little girl hovering just off the cliff, it was Sarah, Barnabas' sister. Tell everyone we're safe for the day. We'll get him out of here after sunset. Rupert...//
“Just stay safe,” Giles said. “I'll be waiting.”
Buffy held up her hand as Carolyn and Dawn ran towards them. They slowed and kept quiet.
Giles opened his eyes. “They're in a cave and the tide is coming in, they're cut off.”
“In addition to it being dangerous trying to get them out of a cave in the daylight,” Buffy said.
“Angelique and Barnabas?” Carolyn asked anxiously.
“Yes, a little girl waved Angelique off the cliff,” Giles said. “God, that gave me a heart attack.”
“Sarah! Barnabas' sister,” Carolyn exclaimed and Giles nodded. “I'll call Thomas.”
Buffy touched Giles' arm. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, it was just frightening,” Giles admitted. “To lose either of them but to lose both...”
“It would destroy everyone,” Buffy said softly. “Come on, we've been up all night, let's try and get some sleep and maybe get your fangs to go back to being just regular teeth.”
Angelique sighed. “Damnit, Barnabas.”
“How...? The sun was rising, I could feel it.”
“Josette told Thomas where you were and they called the big house,” Angelique said. “I was just about to go up to bed. I heard you were at Widow's Hill and heard Sarah singing London Bridge is Falling Down. I trusted her. She motioned me off the cliff with you.”
“Sarah...”
“Now shut up and go to sleep,” Angelique said wearily as she laid down and placed her head on his leg.
# # #
Thomas closed his phone and smiled at a pacing Julia. “He's safe. Sarah led Angelique to the cliff and off it. There's a cave in the rocks. They're out of the water and out of the sun.”
Quentin sighed with relief. It had taken both himself and Thomas to keep Julia from dashing out into the sun.
“Oh thank God,” Julia said softly.
Thomas wrapped his arms around Julia as she began to shake.
“Oh God, Tommy,” she whispered. “Come to bed and hold me.”
“Of course.”
“I'll keep watch down here today,” Quentin offered.
# # #
Later that day
SUNNYDALE, CALIFORNIA
Anya looked up as the bell over the door to the shop dinged and frowned slightly. She didn't think the middle aged couple and teenager were there to buy anything.
“Welcome to the Magic Box,” she said with a sales-clerk smile. “Is there anything in particular you're looking for that I can help with?”
“We were hoping to talk to you, Ms. Emerson,” the male said. “I'm Terrence Wallace, Watcher Wallace. This is Sandra Reyes and Raquel Devlin.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Anya said politely. “How may I help you?”
“We'd like to know more about Watcher Giles and his Slayer,” Sandra Reyes said.
“Then you should talk to them when they get back,” Anya said. “I can say that we work well together, he is a good friend and partner.”
“And the claims that he's a ghoul or something?” Terrence asked.
“How could he be a ghoul?” Anya asked with a confused expression. “He was bitten by a vampire, not fed vampire blood. He staked the vampire so he can't be a ghoul.”
“No?” Sandra asked as Raquel wandered around the shop.
“To become a ghoul you have to be fed vampire blood several times,” Anya said. “Then the ghoul hangs out in graveyards and sewers and digs up corpses. Giles likes his steak medium-rare and there's been no limbs from corpses in the fridge.”
The color drained from Sandra Reyes' face.
“Why would well trained soldiers claim he's not human?” Terrence demanded.
“Ego.”
“Pardon?”
“Ego,” Anya said. “They broke into a private home hoping to capture Angel. The vampire with a soul that helps Buffy out sometimes. He helped us deal with the Leviathan and 3 of those soldiers were there and knew there's one vampire off limits. When Giles and Buffy's boyfriend resisted their home invasion and they couldn't find Angel their fragile male egos were bruised. Willow's spell made them see things to confuse them. It did work.”
“Interesting,” Terrence said with a frown.
“Are your egos bruised?” Anya asked.
“What?” Sandra responded.
“Your ego,” Anya said. “You are asking about the highly successful Watcher to the longest living Slayer and hoping he has faults and isn't human so you can bring him down. Does that involve your egos?”
“I must protest!” Terrence exclaimed.
“Okay,” Anya said calmly. “Whatever it is, you're wrong so there's no point in trying to determine your thought processes. Do you wish to buy something?”
“Wait, it is not our egos,” Terrence said quickly. “The Council is worried. He trains and guides the Slayer, if he's been corrupted then the world could be lost if his Slayer is misinformed or mislead. Especially with his history.”
“The Council routinely tells lower field Watchers about the background of the Watcher to the Slayer?” Anya asked. “That doesn't seem right. He hasn't summoned demons since he was a teenager. Are you going to buy something?”
The bell above the door chimed and Anya smiled. “Hi, guys! Come on in, there's some new books that came in by Llewellyn and also that new company that seems to be publishing more indepth books. Over there on the shelves.”
She turned her attention back to the Watchers. “I have customers who buy things, this makes the shop money. This is an important thing. Either buy something or please look around or leave. Call and ask Giles or Buffy your questions. Thank you.”
“We'll... return at another time,” Sandra said as she touched Terrence's arm. “Raquel, lets go get some lunch.”
“Nice to meet you, Raquel,” Anya said. “Come back and ask questions about what Buffy does and how she's been successful later. Goodbye.”
The two Watchers were frowning when they walked out of the shop.
Xander stepped out from the backroom with a grin.
“Anya, that was fantastic!” he said and hugged his girlfriend. “You did great and put them in their place! Hey, Raven, hey, Merlin, nice to see you two.”
# # # #
COLLINSPORT, MAINE
“Barnabas, wake up.”
The vampire raised his head and cocked it slightly. He felt Angelique sitting up next to him.
“Sarah?”
“Barnabas, you can't leave yet,” Sarah said. “People need you.”
“I.... can't anymore,” Barnabas said softly.
“Yes, you can,” Sarah said. “I was sent. I'll be close.”
Barnabas could feel his sister kiss each bandaged eye and then felt a chill. “Sarah?”
“She's gone, Barnabas,” Angelique said softly. “What did she mean?”
“I don't know...my eyes,” Barnabas said softly.
“What about them?” Angelique asked. “We need to get you out of here, the tide is going out.”
“Unwrap my eyes,” Barnabas said. “Please.”
Angelique sighed. “I can barely see in here. I can lead you out into the water and we can fly back to the cliff with you following my....screeches.”
The vampire witch carefully unwrapped Barnabas' bandaged eyes and winced at the scarring around them and then she frowned. “Can you see?”
“I believe so,” Barnabas said. “I can make out your eyes and face. Sarah...”
“Come on, lets get out of here,” Angelique urged. “Our family will be going insane up there. Our clothes are ruined, you know.”
“Please don't yell,” Barnabas asked over the sound of the crashing waves.
Angelique sighed. “All right. Just promise you won't try and kill yourself permanently again. If it gets too much I'll...help you into a coffin with a cross and let you sleep a vampire sleep.”
“No, I won't try that again nor will I leave,” Barnabas promised.
“All right, we'll have to get wet again,” Angelique said.
“Why did you risk it? If you haven't pulled us into this cave...”
“Barnabas, I love you and always will,” Angelique said. “I doubt that I'm IN love with you but I do care and always will. Now, come on.”
# # # #
SUNNYDALE, CALIFORNIA
Xander and Anya walked out of The Bronze after a night of “decompressing” as Xander put it. They had gone out for a dinner of fast food and then spent time lounging at the nightclub.
The young couple frowned and hesitated as they passed the alley behind the club.
“A fight?” Xander ventured.
“Let's go,” Anya said firmly.
The two stopped just inside the alley at the sight of the Slayer Potential Raquel fighting three vampires and the two Watchers that were just...watching.
“Help her!” Xander yelled at them.
“We're Watchers, we don't fight,” Terrence protested.
“Screw that,” Xander said with a growl and pulled out a stake.
“Look out!” Anya yelled and stepped in front of Watcher Sandra when one of the vampires turned and threw a piece of rebar at the woman.
“No!” Terrence yelled as Anya fell back into Sandra Reyes and they both hit the pavement.
Xander ran down the alley and jumped one of the vampires and rammed his stake through the vampire's back.
Raquel spun and buried her stake into the chest of one of the other vampires.
The third vampire looked at the Potential and the others and took off at a run in the opposite way.
“Anya!” Xander yelled and scampered to his feet.
Xander carefully pulled Anya into his arms as Sandra managed to get out from under the former demon.
“That kinda hurts,” Anya said softly and looked at the piece of metal in her shoulder. “I think I need some help.”
“Thanks for the help,” Raquel said as she walked up to the group.
“You're welcome,” Xander said. “Let's get her to the hospital.”
“We...”
Xander looked up with a glare. “You'd let your potential die and now you won't help my girlfriend who just saved your life. Go to hell. Raquel, you want to learn some real stuff about being a Slayer and surviving, meet me at the shop after 5 tomorrow.”
He pulled out a cell phone and dialed 911. “Unless you want to explain why you just stood there while two druggies jumped my girlfriend, I'd get out of here,” he told the two Watchers. “Hang on, An, we'll get you some help.”
Raquel squatted down and placed a hand at the base of the metal to help staunch the blood and keep the bar steady. “Go on, I'll be back at the house later,” she told the Watchers.
“You really should come with us,” Sandra protested.
“No,” Raquel said firmly. “I'm old enough to die for the world, I'm old enough to help someone that YOU owe.”
# # # #
COLLINSPORT, MAINE
Giles smiled as Angelique and Barnabas changed into human form on top of Widow's Hill. He quickly hugged Angelique. “I was worried. You nearly gave me a heart attack,” he said softly and then kissed her.
“I'm sorry about that,” Angelique said and touched his cheek gently.
“Barnabas!” Julia hesitated to hug her husband then then embraced him tightly. “Please don't do that again!”
“I won't,” Barnabas said. “I promise.”
The two vampires glanced at everyone standing nearby, a crowd that included Buffy, Dawn, Joyce, Carolyn and Thomas.
Dawn ran over as Julia stepped back and looked up at Barnabas. “You can see again!”
“Yes, someone healed me through Sarah,” Barnabas responded and hugged Dawn. “I'm sorry. I just... I don't know.”
“It's okay,” Carolyn said. “Let's get you two into some dry clothes. Come on, its cold out here. Oh hang on.”
Carolyn pulled a cellphone out a coat pocket and clicked it on. “Hello? Amy, slow down! What? Yes, Barnabas is with us. Wait... what? Amy?”
The mistress of Collinwood clicked her phone off with a confused expression. “Amy said she has good news and that Barnabas needs to get there ASAP.”
“What on earth?” Giles asked.
“I haven't a clue,” Carolyn said.
“Come on, Barnabas, let's see what's up and I can change out of this salty wet outfit,” Angelique suggested and in a moment a wolf was leaving the group behind.
“Go, we'll follow along,” Julia told Barnabas.
Barnabas nodded and was off at a run as a wolf in a moment.
# # #
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
“Yes, just a moment,” Cordelia said into the phone. She covered the mouthpiece. “Willow! Phone!”
Willow looked up from across the room as she clacked away on a computer keyboard. “Okay, thanks!”
Maybe it was Buffy...
“Willow here,” she said as Tara looked up from her laptop. “Oh, hey, Xan. What? Oh damn! Is she going to be okay? No, of course we can come back.... let me think... I can help run the shop while Tara is sleeping up in the loft. You can camouflage the loft? Awesome. We'll be there before sunrise, okay? Okay, just try and relax. Give Anya...no, don't hug her. Tell her we'll help and we're sending good vibes. All right, bye, Xan.”
Cordelia walked over as Tara set her laptop aside.
“Xander and Anya helped the Potential Slayer out and Anya was hurt. She got a piece of rebar through her shoulder. The doctors say she'll recover but it won't be fun for awhile and she's worried about the shop.”
“Oh wow,” Tara said softly. “Think we can avoid the Watchers?”
“Yeah,” Willow said slowly. “We'll stay at the shop. If they come around we'll tell them to come back during the daytime, that we're worried with Anya being gone that shop might get broken into or something.”
“Okay,” Tara said.
“Xander said he'll put up fake walls and boxes and stuff to hide that there's any room up in the loft,” Willow added.
“You'll need to leave in time to get back before sunrise,” Cordelia commented. “You two call if anything happens, okay? I know Angel and I will be worried as hell.”
“We promise,” Willow said.
# # # #
COLLINSPORT, MAINE
Angelique and Barnabas took human form at the threshold of Collinwood. The ancient vampires hesitated at the door.
“You won't know until you go inside,” Angelique said softly. “Barnabas, I'm not really angry about what you tried. I was...scared of losing you.”
Barnabas kissed her cheek. “Thank you, I won't try again.”
He opened the door and peered in. “Amy? Elizabeth?”
Amy appeared at the door to the parlor and smiled. “Oh you can see! That's fantastic! Come on, in here.”
Barnabas looked at Angelique and stepped aside politely, holding the door open. He closed the large door and stepped around the woman responsible for his centuries of life.
“Go on,” Angelique said softly.
Barnabas stepped next to Amy and glanced inside.
“Don't be so cautious,” Amy scolded. She shoved him inside and closed the door.
Barnabas looked around quickly and his mind stopped, stunned into a dull roar that filled his ears and made him light headed.
Standing near the large windows was a familiar figure.
“It can't be,” he said softly.
Roxanne turned from the window with a smile and the two met halfway across the room, holding each other tightly.
“Oh God, how is this possible?” Barnabas asked. He pulled back slightly and touched her face gently. “Roxanne?”
“I'm here, my love,” Roxanne said softly. “I don't know how. All I remember was a bright light and Oberon and I were somewhere... spooky and very disturbing. It felt like we were deep underground but there was power all around. A hooded figure stepped forward and raised a hand and pointed at me. Then he pulled back and yelled that I was his now. Then everything went white but it felt...safe. Next I knew I was outside the door here. Are you all right? Your eyes?”
“I was blind until a half hour ago,” Barnabas said. He kissed her gently. “I missed you terribly.”
“Where's your ring? And why are you wet?”
Barnabas heard the door shutting behind them and Angelique and Amy's excited voices. They could hear voices of the others arriving on the other side of the door. He ignored whatever was happening on the other side of the door and hugged Roxanne tightly and then drew back with a startled expression.
“You...you're warm? A heartbeat?”
“I'm human, Barnabas,” Roxanne said softly. “I don't know why.”
“Damn you! Why do you continue to test me?!” Barnabas snapped as he looked up. He sighed and looked at Roxanne and smiled. “We'll figure this out later along with why I'm wet. Come on, everyone will be surprised and ask a lot of questions, you know.”
“As long as we can be alone soon,” Roxanne said softly.
Barnabas nodded and took her hand. “Oh, there's something that'll be a shock, Buffy is back as well. The group in Sunnydale were able to bring her back with magic.”
“Wow.”
He opened the door to the parlor with his other hand.
“Amazing,” Giles said softly.
Carolyn smiled and walked over and hugged Roxanne. “I am so glad you're here! We can always use another person around here who hasn't heard all the stories! Between you and the Giles-Summers family here I'll never run out of tales to tell!”
Roxanne laughed and Barnabas felt her relaxing slightly.
“And Barnabas has been missing you quite badly,” Angelique added. “Barnabas, Julia went back to the Old House to let Thomas know what's happening. She said to come down and get your cloak, cane and ring later.”
“Thank you, I will,” Barnabas said. “And... thank you for earlier.”
“I'm just glad it worked out,” Angelique said and then frowned. “Roxanne?”
“She's human,” Barnabas said. “There's no explanation for any of it.”
“All right, everyone into a car,” Carolyn said. “We're going out for dinner and give Barnabas and Roxanne a chance to catch up.”
# ## ##
SUNNYDALE, CALIFORNIA
Xander smiled when the door to Anya's room opened and Willow stuck her head in. He got up and stepped out into the hall as Anya slept thanks to pain medication.
He quickly hugged Willow and Tara. “Thanks for coming, guys. She's really worried about losing money with the shop since she can't get there for a couple of days and she definitely won't be opening boxes or much of anything with that shoulder like it is.”
“You said that you two helped out the Potential Slayer,” Tara said. “What happened?”
“Let's go sit in the waiting room up here,” Xander said.
In a few moments he was telling them about the encounter in the alley behind the Bronze and how Anya had saved the Watcher.
“They weren't going to help at all?” Willow asked with a frown.
“No, the potential insisted on helping,” Xander said. “She might be cool, they aren't.”
“We'll handle the shop while Anya is healing,” Willow said. “If you could lend a hand for an hour or so during the afternoon. I'll dash over to the gym and get a membership and I can grab my showers there.”
“Good idea,” Xander said. “I'll work on the loft area and disguise it.”
Tara nodded. “Until Anya can be at the shop we'll tell people we're staying there to reassure Anya that no one is going to break in.”
“And we won't open the doors once we're closed,” Willow added. “Those Watchers can come around in the daytime.”
“I hope Buffy and everyone comes back soon,” Xander commented. “I'll call Giles tomorrow about Anya's injuries.”
Willow nodded. “Tell him... we miss everyone.”
# # # #
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