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Chapter 23


Willow refused to cry within her constraints, denying the Beast the opportunity to see one moment of weakness. She needed to remember a spell, any spell, to get free.

“Willow Rosenberg. Stupid human.” The Beast’s voice boomed, making her cringe. “You think playing with spells and trinkets will make your meager powers grow? All you have managed to do is disturb forces you have no comprehension of. The magnitude of chaos you have caused within dimensions is nearly immeasurable. The Powers That Be are now involved, in an attempt to save their champion that you so carelessly tossed into an unknown realm.” He paused, taking a good look at her before he continued. “Without the Slayer, the world as you know it is out of balance. You would think I would enjoy the imbalance, but you’d be wrong. The world won’t allow an imbalance. It makes sacrifices to correct itself. And since I’m not one for self-sacrifice, I’ve come to make things right. ” The Beast paced around her as he spoke, the walls reverberating with its heavy footfalls on the floor.

Facing her, he went on. “I am here, not because of your pathetic attempt to summon me, but because I have a job to do. Now, I could kill you—that’s an effective option—or I could teach you a lesson.”

Willow struggled within the bonds that held her.

“I think I will get far more satisfaction teaching you a lesson, but I’m confident you will soon be begging me to kill you, just to end your torment.”


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Spike didn’t think that he would be safe if he just hung out in the woods. The sun would be setting soon, and he realized there was no shelter around, other than the large cave obviously belonging to the Neanderthals who ran around in the clearing. Taking advantage of the sun not frying his skin, Spike climbed up the hillside directly across from the cave. He needed to find a spot where he could get an overview of the area. He not only wanted to look for Kaia and her blond hair, but he wanted to be able to watch out for whatever threats he needed to be prepared for.

At the crest of the hill, he found a tree with a thick trunk to lean against, which was also sturdy enough to support him, should he need to climb it.

Spike watched the cave people return to their lodgings, as day became night. Noticing the sentries who took up posts at the entrance of the cave, he figured he needed to be alert. They were protecting their home from something.


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The phone rang in the living room of the Summers’ house, just as Tara was walking in the door with Giles, having picked him up at the airport. Dropping her keys on the table, she managed to grab the receiver before the call went to the answering machine.

“Hello?” she said quickly.

“Tara? Hey, it’s Cordy. Just wanted to check in with you and see if anyone was able to make it through the portal yet.” Not giving the Wiccan time to answer, she went on. “Also, wanted to let you know, Willow’s spell on Angel has worn off. He’s pretty freaked out, and has a tummy ache from all the ice cream he ate on the way back to LA.”

“Yeah, Cordy. The portal chose Spike. And I know everyone will be relieved to know that Angel is doing better.”

Tara listened as Cordy relayed the information to Angel, and his rant that followed.

“Ok, Tara, I have to go calm my broody boss. Don’t hesitate to call if you need anything.”

Tara could hear Angel in the background, yelling, “Spike? Are you kidding me!? Spike is the only one who can bring her back?! Maybe Tara misunderstood the Oracles. Let me talk to her… Gimme the phone, Cordy.”

“Gotta go. Tell Giles I said, hello stranger,” Cordelia said hurriedly. “Chat again soon.” And the line went dead.

Tara hung up and turned to Giles, and Dawn, who was just coming down the stairs, yawning. “Willow’s spell on Angel wore off, but now he’s all cranky because Spike was chosen,” she told them with a shrug that showed how little she cared about Angel and his reactions.

With the exact same degree of interest, Giles set his luggage down and asked where he could put his things.

“You will be staying in my room, G-man. I’m bunking with Tara,” Dawn offered. “Also, it’s officially your turn to Buffywatch. I have school. But, if one of you wants to forge Buffy’s name on a note, I will be glad to take the next shift too.” Dawn searched their faces, hoping for a nod.

“No deal. Go get ready, and I will get breakfast together while Giles checks in on Buffy.” Tara was in mom-mode.

Giles followed a grumpy Dawn up the stairs, and into her bedroom, as the girl opened the door for him. Dawn was smirking as she left him there so she could take a shower.

“Good Lord! How am I supposed to sleep with all these stuffed animals, Dawn?” Deciding he would just bag them up, he went to check on Buffy.

Buffy had always been like a daughter to him; he loved her. Even though she had grown so much as a person since she had walked into his life, she looked smaller than ever before, the way she was curled up in her bed. He saw the orb Tara had told him about, its energy swirling constantly within its confines.

I hope Spike knows how to get her back. Surely the Powers That Be know what they are doing…




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Buffy and Groma decided that they needed to hide the entrance to their cave, allowing Buffy more rest at night. With branches and plants, they fashioned a panel that could be secured at sundown, camouflaging them into the face of the bluff. Buffy had even managed to rig a chimney flue through an existing crevice in the rock above them. With the new security measures in place, both women seemed to relax more.


As the baby inside her grew, Buffy found a new peace within herself. She had never considered having children—her life expectancy being so short, and being attracted to vampires sort of ruled it out. Now, every evening, before they closed the door, to tuck themselves in, Buffy sat in the sun—her hand resting on her belly, feeling the life growing inside her—and spoke to Kaia. She told the girl about the things she’d done during the day, told her about dreams she’d had, shared stories of her life back home.

Groma witnessed the bond between Buffy and the child, and prayed that Buffy was right. She missed Kaia, but she was willing to wait for her daughter to return to her.


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Darkness fell, surrounding Spike in the shadows of a foreign land. Then, as if on cue, he sensed them. Vampires, definitely, and old. Very old.

He watched as they appeared from nowhere, hunting for food, hunting for blood. Draining everything that crossed their path. He watched so intently that he almost missed the rapid heartbeat hidden within the bushes directly below him.

That’s a human! Spike quickly cooked up a plan and silently made his way down the hill.

He could smell him now. It was a young boy, and he was terrified. Spike needed to get close enough to grab him, cover his mouth, and get him back to his cave.

Reaching out rapidly, he secured the boy, but not before he screamed at the top of his lungs. The panicked child kicked and bit him, struggling to be released. Trying to ignore him, Spike ran towards the cave, struggling to not drop the squirming child.

“Will you stop fighting me, boy?! Trying to save your ass!” Spike whispered, noticing the other vampires had seen him and were now chasing him. Running, Spike had to wonder if Buffy had this kind of reaction back in Sunnydale while playing the hero. This job sucks. Whoever said being a hero was rewarding was an idiot.

The sentries saw Spike rushing their entrance and immediately took a defensive stance against him.

“Let us in!” Spike screamed repeatedly to no avail.

As he reached the entrance, he released the child, who kicked him on the shin—hard—before running into the cave, leaving Spike with a sore leg and surrounded by four large cavemen with sharp wooden spears pointed at his chest.

“What the hell is wrong with you people?! I save your brat and I get bitten, kicked, and now you want to poke me with sharp sticks! Unbelievable!” Spike looked back, assessing his situation.

Figuring he was better off fighting the vampires, he turned and ran back towards his original spot on the hill. He made it about halfway before an ancient vampire tackled him.

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