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Chapter 18
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It was late when the travelers arrived at Heathrow. They took a taxi immediately to Council headquarters. Giles called Willow and arranged for her and Dawn to meet the returned rescuers and the newly rescued pair in the morning. He sadly imparted the news that Buffy had not been in that dimension after all and that the search was still on.

There had been little discussion among the group of rescuers about the disappointment they felt not finding Buffy in the same dimension as Angel and Illyria. All three were feeling the fallout, however. Emotions were running high and tempers were on the edge. Silence had been the order of the day to
prevent the verbal flare-ups they all had sensed but managed to avoid.

Even Illyria and Angel sensed the mood. Angel was beginning to feel miffed that his rescue was seemingly not worthy of a celebration of some sort. "I think it’s a good thing you got me out first. After all, now I can be part of the rescue team for Buffy. We’ll have a better chance to get her back with all of us involved. That’s probably why they had me so far away; you know, split us up, weaken us." Angel suggested.

"Sure thing, Dead Boy. Every successful rescue requires two souled vampire warriors on the side of good. Well, you’re on the good guy side at least most of the time. If it had been me, I’d have let you stay in the land of tortillas and Tlachtli. Hey, bet they’d have made you captain of the team, too!" Xander sniped at Angel. He had never liked Angel, originally because of jealousy and later underscored by the emergence of Angelus.

Illyria stared at the human she had chosen for her new guide with interest. "You dislike the vampire, human. How is it that you work with one you obviously disdain? My pet has also claimed the vampire is not his leader, although he often speaks as one. Your insolence, if the vampire is your leader, should bring a quick and painful death to you. I conclude that Angel is not your leader either." She began to stare at Angel questioningly. "Whom do you lead, vampire?"

"No one, it seems. Look, we have history among us. Not all good history. What’s important is that our goals are the same. That and we all care about Buffy." Angel hoped the subject of his place in the group would just be dropped at last.

"How can this quest succeed with no leader? In my world, the strong and wise lead and the enemy is crushed beneath the victor. The Wolf, the Ram and the Hart are not invincible to an enemy with the power that comes from strong leadership. You are all foolish and deserve to lose. You fight amongst
yourselves and win the battle for them," Illyria sneered at the group.

"Blue, if it wasn’t for the fear that you’d just keep on fightin’ until you ran the world, I’d vote for you. I see your point though. Maybe we should decide on a real leader, yeah?" Spike would follow Xander before he’d elect the Poof, however.

Xander raised his hand and announced his choice. "I vote for Giles. He’s head of the new Council and has all those resources. He’s always been good with the planning and researching. If we can keep him from getting hit on the head, he’s good in a battle, too."

"I don’t have a problem with that, providin’ he listen to other ideas and also providin’ he shares the plans. I don’t want to be sent on a one-way visit to someone with a great cross collection or anything." Spike stared hard at Giles with cold determination in his gaze.

"Spike, about that … I suppose now would be a good time to admit that I made a serious error in judgment. I’m sure you understand it was nothing personal. I truly felt you would be an unintentional danger to Buffy and the mission as a whole. I realize that I underestimated you and your commitment to choosing the right course of action. You needn’t think I’d do such a thing again. Besides, if I ever did, I doubt Buffy would forgive me again." Giles genuinely looked repentant as he looked Spike in the eye and apologized.

Spike didn’t answer at first, carefully watching Giles to determine his sincerity. "Right. We’re okay then. Lesson learned all round." Spike looked at Xander and continued, "Yeah, I’ll follow the Watcher."

Illyria didn’t appear to be offended to have been passed over as leader. "If the halfbreed is correct that you are in any way like Wesley, I concur. What of you, vampire? Will you challenge for leadership?"

"No. I can follow." Angel shot an angry glare as Spike snorted at his comment. "Well, I can! I followed lots of times. Don’t have any problem with it. Give me a good leader and I’ll follow anywhere he leads, ask anyone." He continued muttering as Spike began to laugh out loud.

"Looks like it’s settled then. Send up the white smoke, we got us a new Pope!" Xander beamed with joy that Angel had been put in the position of official follower and that no one else had been suggested to lead except the only one he fully trusted.

"What is this reference you make, Guide? Is there to be a burnt sacrifice to honor this Pope we will now follow into battle? What is your choice for the sacrifice, Pope?" Illyria looked hard at Giles as she waited for him to order the proper victim to the fires of ascension.

"Okay, time for the Guide to step up here." Xander grinned and prepared to explain his comment to the blue goddess in leather. "I’m thinking we should stop by a bookstore for some additions to the old Council library. Definitely needing some books on pop culture references if my goddess here hopes to keep up with the translations she’ll need."

" That might not be a bad idea at that. Yes, I’m sure they would be of help for a good many of us as well. As Buffy, Willow and Spike suffer from the same condition that you do, it would be required reading for any English speaking person dealing with the lot of you." Giles smiled slightly at the thought of the ancient god king in the middle of a group conversation filled with nothing but references to cult television, boy bands and modern music. "Indeed, it might save our lives to bring Illyria up to speed quickly. I’d rather not have her hit frustration overload on a bad hair day."

"Yeah, just imagine it hittin’ on a day she gets PMS", suggested Spike with a shudder. "Better defuse that bomb like the Watcher suggested. Good leadin’ right out of the box there, Rupes."

"Your selection as Pope, does it give you the right to make sport of me? Think carefully, Pope. I was worshiped before your grandfathers were even ooze in the primordial seas. I shall not be made the object of ridicule, even by this Pope."

"’Spose now wouldn’t be the time for a joke about that papal infallibility clause, ‘eh?" Spike quipped.

"This leader is now infallible? It is wise to make him the leader then. I shall heed his edicts if such is the case." It was fortunate for Spike that Illyria was not able to see the mirth that lit his face.

"Oh, yeah, bookstore immediately, if not sooner." Xander decided.

"See, we should have let her stay where she was. She’s going to wind up dusting Spike and eating Xander for lunch before we even find out where the Senior Partners sent Buffy. On second thought, maybe that’s not such a bad thing." Angel said.

"Oooh, somebody’s a sore loser. My guess is you’d better worry about pointy wood too, sire. At least she thinks of me as a pet. You, on the other hand, simply annoy her."

"Enough!" Giles decided it was the perfect time to issue his first edict as Pope, er, leader.

~~~

Dawn took off the eye mask she had chilled and been using since she’d finished sobbing herself to sleep the night before. It wouldn’t help to have red puffy eyes when they got back, she had told herself. She had been so sure that her sister would be coming home with the guys. It hadn’t even entered into her mind that Buffy might still be lost to them. Willow had given Dawn an herbal tea to help her rest, but all she had really done was cry into her pillow.

"Don’t be negative, Dawnie. If it was that easy to get Buffy back, she wouldn’t have been gone all this time. You trust Spike, don’t you?" At Dawn’s nod, Willow continued. "You know he’s not gonna rest until Buffy’s back safe and sound. Everything’ll work out fine. For some reason the clue lady sent us after Angel first. Now we have a full army and those Senior Partners don’t stand a chance! Why, we even have an ancient god on our side. It’s just a matter of time, sweetie."

Dawn had sipped at the tea and pretended to yawn before heading for the guest room. She didn’t want to make Willow worry about her. Of course, Willow heard the tears, even muffled by Dawn’s pillow.

Dawn was so like her sister, thinking a pillow could hide the sounds of distress her sobs made. Willow had heard that sound coming from Buffy’s room almost every night after Sunnydale had been turned into a crater. Buffy never said a word to anyone, acting as if she was getting on with her life and that all was fine. At night, however, when she seemed to think no one could hear, she poured her misery and loss into the cool linen and goose down. It was that nightly release, overheard by her concerned best friends and then her Watcher, that finally convinced them of the reality of Buffy’s feelings for the sacrificed vampire. It had been the beginning of a re-evaluation of the past few years on all their parts.

Now Willow had no difficulty knowing with certainty that Buffy’s vampire was worthy of the trust the Slayer had placed in him so long ago. Willow meant what
she had said to Dawn, Spike would not stop until Buffy was back. There was no way some evil, even demonic, bunch of lawyers could stop Spike when it came to finding the woman he loved. And when he did? They’d be toast.

***

"Dawnie, you about ready to head over to headquarters? You can gild a lily too much, you know. You’re already beautiful enough to launch ships, sweetie, and it’s just the same guys who headed for the States a few weeks ago."

"I’m ready, I guess. I just don’t want them to think they let me down by not finding Buffy, that’s all. Paint on a happy face, you know?"

"I think all the paint in the world won’t make them think you’re okay with how it turned out. Don’t worry, they won’t think you’re weak. I’d bet they’ve
even cried a little, not where anyone could see them or anything, but I’d bet they all did."

"Remember what I said last night about Spike? Well, look how it’s working out. He started trying to find Angel and Illyria months ago and didn’t give up. See
what happened? They’re back. Spike found them. Now he’ll find Buffy. You’ll see." Willow put on her best confidence face and gave a firm nod.

"I can’t wait to meet this demon god that took over Fred’s body. I hate that Fred died like that, she was a real nifty girl. But according to what Giles said
last night, this Illyria’s really got Xander in a tizzy." Willow smiled at the hope that her oldest friend might be on his way to healing finally. "Who’d
have thought little Xander would wind up destined to date every female demon he spends any time with, and now a god! Not what you usually find in the yearbook
under ‘most likely to…’. Well, maybe in Sunnydale you should expect it in a yearbook, I guess."

~~~

From the time they were all reunited, Dawn sat glaring at Angel. She knew in her heart it wasn’t fair to resent his rescue, but she just couldn’t seem to stop herself. Dawn had always been a little afraid of Angel and nothing had changed over the years to make her like him any better.

Spike had been on the phone to Connor in Northern California with the suggestion that he and Nina come to London at once to make sure they were all in a single, defensible place. Charles had declined the suggestion when he had seen them in LA. He had been happy to do his part in getting his former team members out of the dimension but was more than ready to go back to his work at the shelter.

"I’m done, man. I think I’ve given up enough: few pints of blood, few hearts, decent taste in music. You don’t need any more fire power than you’ve got already. You’ve already got a wildly overconfident human with no superpowers but lots of plucky courage; that role’s cast. I’m going to do what only I can…help out a bunch of regular folk who fight a different kind of demon every day of their lives. Something comes up and you need me--really need me for the good fight-- you know I’m there. But not this one."

"Only if you promise to come to Rome and meet Buffy after we get her home. Got another lady I’d like you to meet while you’re there, Charlie boy." Spike shook his friend’s hand and clapped him on the back. He would always remember how this human, a self-styled vampire hunter, had treated him first like a man, then like a friend.

"Good Lord, Spike, are you still trying to find a suitable boyfriend for that Italian woman? Are you planning to start a dating service when this is all successfully completed?" Giles shook his head in amusement at the thought.

"Got a soul now, don’t I? Means I got a conscience. Lady was nothin’ but nice to me and I had to lie to her, lead her on, bite her, hurt her. Not gonna romance her myself, but she’s a nice lady, could use a nice man to keep her on the straight and narrow. None better than Charlie." Spike nodded to the handsome lawyer.

Gunn laughed heartily and shook his head at the vampire, his friend. "I’ve seen your taste in women. She’s gotta be a looker at least. We’ll see about letting you play matchmaker after you get your girl back." Charles ignored the slightly hurt look Angel gave him when he referred to Buffy as Spike’s girl.

Charles wasn’t trying to hurt his former boss. It was just that in all the years he’d known Angel, Buffy hadn’t been a factor. He’d seen the sparks between Angel and Cordy and saw how obsessed Angel had been with human Darla. Gunn felt fairly certain that Angel had gone beyond mild flirtation with Nina the wolf girl, too. No, the only vampire Gunn had ever seen single-mindedly in love with the Slayer had been Spike.

"I’m glad you all decided to elect a leader anyway", said Willow, "’cause last time I decided to be the leader, it led to black eyes, the veiny face and much badness. Glad to not even be in the running for the job!"

"This Pope can be a woman as well, then?" asked Illyria.

"Pope, what’s the Pope got to do with this? Someone want to explain to the Jewish Wiccan how the Pope’s involved?" Willow was confused by the subject matter.

"I’ll explain it all later, Will. For now, why don’t I take my lovely goddess on a tour of the Council and show her a few things." Xander began to steer Illyria towards the door and out of the line of rapid fire comments sure to further confuse and irritate the marginally human being.

"Is anyone else scared that Xander is going to be her guide to the wonderful world of human speech, much less behavior?" asked Dawn.

"He did all right with Anya. Okay, she was never the girl next door, but she was fine eventually", Willow said in defense of Xander.

"Demon girl was all right, Blue will be, too. Probably be a good idea to keep Andrew away from her though. Don’t want the two boys havin’ a duel over the hand of their dream woman, after all. Besides, there’s only so many Star Wars references Blue can take before her head explodes. Best keep Junior Watcher far away." If Spike knew anything, he knew that Andrew was attracted to the same things in a mate as Xander was. Best keep them away from each other.

The woman entered the room just after Xander and Illyria exited. How she had gotten past the secretary, Giles was not sure. "May I help you miss? You shouldn’t be in here without a proper pass and visitor’s badge."

Angel’s jaw clenched as he saw the newcomer. "Lilah!"