Disclaimer: I blame Kennedy on Joss.

Author’s note: Some dialogue taken from ‘Chosen’ Thanks to BTL for the great beta!
_________________________
Chapter 49: The Liz Taylor Collection

Buffy wanted to be far, far away when Angel and Liz emerged from the pyramid. Spike, however, was being a stick in the mud. He wanted to confront the poofter about why he was back in Sunnydale when he had Dru to take care of in LA.

Spike never knew when to let things lie.

Sure enough, Liz and Angel came out of the pyramid, not hand in hand like Spike was expecting but in an earnest conversation. Liz was holding a file folder like it held the secrets of the universe. Buffy pulled Spike away from the pair and behind another crypt, far enough away to still hear what was going on but not to be seen. Buffy didn’t like spying on Liz, but Spike wouldn’t be happy with anything less.

“I’ll have the guys go through this, see if there’s anything new. Reliable source?” asked Liz of her vampire companion.

“Not remotely,” was Angel’s answer.

“Any port in an apocalypse,” Liz noted wryly.

“I brought something else as well,” continued Angel, removing something from an inner pocket of his jacket.

Buffy peered around the corner of the crypt to see what it was that this murderer was giving to Liz.

Angel held out the item for Liz to inspect. The amulet dangled from its silver chain, the jewel sparkling in the moonlight.

“I can already tell you, I have nothing that goes with that,” Liz remarked.

“It’s not for you,” stated Angel simply.

“’Splainy?” asked the slayer.

“I don’t know everything,” he started. “It’s very powerful and probably very dangerous. It has a purifying power...Cleansing power...possibly scrubbing bubbles. The translation is...anyway, it bestows strength to the right person who wears it.”

“And the right person is?” asked Liz questioned, taking the amulet from his a hand.

“Someone ensouled but stronger than human. A champion. As in me,” answered Angel smugly.

From behind the crypt, both Spike and Buffy fought the urge to laugh out loud. Angel was no champion in their minds. Far from it in fact. But on the other hand, Buffy was pressed to think of just who would wear the amulet. Three names popped into her head. Faith, Liz, and herself. All slayers, all ensouled.

“Or me,” continued Liz.

“No. I don’t know nearly enough about this to risk you wearing it. Besides, you’ve got that real cool axe thing going for you,” noted Angel.

Buffy silently agreed with Angel on that point. She wasn’t going to risk Liz to any magical amulet thing to save the world. Faith on the other hand...

“So you’re going to be with me in this?” Liz asked Angel.

“Shoulder to shoulder. I’m yours,” answered the elder vampire.

“No,” stated Liz softly.

“No what?”

“No. You’re not going to be in this fight,” answered Liz.

Buffy felt a tug on her hand. Spike had had enough of listening to the two former lovers prattle on about mystical do dads. With a shrug of her shoulders she gave into his wish to confront his grandsire. They stepped out from behind the crypt and started walking towards the pair.

“Why the hell not?” Angel asked, getting angrier as the seconds passed, casting an eye at the advancing couple.

“Because I can’t risk you,” Liz replied honestly looking down at the ground, aware now of Spike and Buffy’s presence in the cemetery, but not willing to let the subject she was on with Angel go.

“You need me in this.”

“No, I need you gone.”

Spike and Buffy were standing just off to the side, as if waiting for the conversation to end.

“Why?”

“If I lose...If this thing gets past Sunnydale...then it’s days, maybe hours, before the rest of the world goes. I need a second front and I need you to run it.”

“Okay, that’s one reason. What’s the other?” asked Angel waiting for some juicy tid bit to come out.

“There is no other,” Liz stated simply. She looked up from the ground and smiled at Buffy and Spike. “Out for patrol?”

“Thought we’d take a gander at all the baddies in the cemeteries tonight. Didn’t know we’d find this piece of scum,” noted Buffy with a saccharine smile. She looked Angel in the eye with just the tiniest bit of hatred.

“How’s Drusilla, Angelus?” asked Spike with purpose.

Liz turned sharply towards Angel and glared. “Drusilla?” the Slayer asked.

“She’s human now, all souled up and everything,” informed Buffy. “And living at the Hyperion with Angel.”

“Didn’t the witch tell you when she got back from LA?” asked Spike.

“No,” answered Liz. “And you didn’t volunteer that information either!” She pouted at Spike.

“It didn’t come up before.”

“So all this time you were shacked up with Drusilla and you think that you can swoop in here with all the kissing business and what? Have a little slayer on the side?” Liz was mad now. “You know what? Go! Go be a second front for the apocalypse but you better hope that I die, ‘cause if I come out of this thing alive I’m going to kick your sorry ass back to hell.”

“Liz! Hold on, you are jumping to conclusions!” Angel tried to defend himself.

“Really? Maybe I have to jump to conclusions sometimes. I don’t get told all the important information. Like you shacking up with Dru. Is that how you lost your soul this time?”

Instead of answering, Angel took a step away from her.

“I can’t talk to you when you are angry like this. If you would just calm down we can talk about this rationally, like adults.”

Buffy knew that Angel wasn’t going to win this argument anytime soon, and that she and Spike really didn’t need to be here for it. She tugged at his hand and he nodded, his smiling face telling her that he was pleased as punch that Liz was letting the poofter have it.
_________________________
Buffy and Spike returned to the house hand in hand, hoping that Angel had buggered off once and for all. The house was much the same as they had left it,. Willow, Dawn, Anya and Giles were researching, the potentials were watching movies, Faith was carving stakes, and Robin was sitting annoyed in the corner waiting for something to happen. Xander and Andrew were in the kitchen arguing about what to have for dinner.

The pair of demons greeted those that cared and began to head down to their basement cot, only to open the basement door and be interrupted by Liz barging into the house, her anger still full force from her talk with Angel.

“Did you find out anything about the scythe?” asked Willow getting up from the dining room table. Xander walked into the dining room looking for new news and possibly trying to get away from Andrew. Buffy and Spike followed behind, not willing to miss any of the fallout from the fight with Angel.

Liz put down the scythe on the table and stepped away. Buffy fleetingly wondered if Angel was dust or if he’d gotten away with his unlife. Having an argument with a slayer holding that weapon? Not the most brilliant move the former Scourge of Europe made.

“It slices, dices, and makes julienne preacher,” explained Liz.

“Caleb?” asked Giles.

“I cut him in half,” Liz explained.

Willow, erupted into a smile. “Well all right!”

“He had that coming,” added Anya.

“Hey, party in my eye socket and everyone’s invited,” added Xander.

Everyone turned to look at Xander for a moment, unsure as to how to respond to that comment.

“Sometimes I shouldn’t say words,” he mumbled.

Liz looked away from Xander and at Buffy for a moment. “Can I talk to you?” the Slayer asked.

Buffy nodded and released Spike’s hand. Without a word, Buffy followed Liz to the back porch. It seemed that this place had become their place. The air around them was warm and fresh, the night sky was full of stars and buzzing insects, but Buffy knew that it wasn’t about the weather that they were going to talk about.

They were going to talk about the amulet.

“Did you see what he gave me?” Liz asked, getting straight to the point.

Buffy nodded. “I did. Shiny ugly piece of the Elizabeth Taylor collection.”

“Right, and did you hear who gets to wear it?” continued Liz.

Buffy nodded again. “Someone with a soul, who’s not human.”

“So that means there are three of us in this house that can wear it. Me, you, and Faith. I have to make a choice, and whatever choice I make, it’s going to affect the people I love and care for. I want to know that you’ll take care of Dawn for me. You are the closest thing she has to family. You have to protect her, get her out of danger. You said you’d take her away at the last minute. I think this is it. I’ve got an idea and it’s going down tomorrow night.”

“You don’t want me to fight by your side?” Buffy questioned.

“If you do, who’ll take care of Dawn?” Liz countered.

“Well I was thinking Spike actually. I don’t want him part of this fight either. He’s crazy flammable, if you remember.”

“So you were going to send Dawn away with Spike?” asked Liz.

“No, it was more of a, pushing them through a portal kind of thing I was thinking of.”

Liz nodded.

“And I was thinking that you should let me wear the ugly gem,” added Buffy.

“What?” Liz asked, more than a little shocked.

“Hear me out. I’ve got a whole rational explanation. First, you have three slayers to choose from. I’m not going to let my great great granddaughter risk her life again for an ungrateful world. You’ve done it too many times already. I figure maybe I should risk my life this time. I’ve never done it before. It could be fun. Faith is young yet, and she needs to actually live part of her life, outside of prison, before she gives it up for any world saveage. ‘Sides I think you’d be really miffed if she ends up being a martyr for the cause.”

Liz nodded at that.

“As much as I’d like to stick around for you, Dawn, and Spike, the truth of it is, that Dawn needs you more than she needs me. I am not going to let her lose her sister. So you can just forget about wearing the god awful bit of jewellery my dear.”

“You seem so convinced that it’s going to kill you,” noted Liz sadly.

“Yeah, well I have sceptical thoughts about saving the world and getting off scott free. I don’t trust Angelus and I certainly don’t trust ugly amulets provided by Angelus,” explained Buffy.

Liz laughed a bit. “I don’t blame you there.”

“Your plan, whatever it is, I’m on board. I’ve been around long enough to know when someone’s a real leader, and you are it Elizabeth. Don’t let the rest of them pull you down or make you question your decisions. You are the Slayer, not them.”

“Thanks,” noted Liz with a small blush. “Now all I have to do is pull it off.”
_________________________
The core Scoobies, Buffy, Spike, and Faith stood, or sat in various locations about the room, each one shocked in some way at Liz’s plan.

With the voice of a small child, Liz finally piped up. “What do you think?”

“That depends,” started Xander. “Are you in any way kidding?”

“You don’t think it’s a good idea?” asked Liz, unsure of herself and her idea.

“It’s pretty radical, Z,” noted Faith.

“It’s a lot more than that. Liz, what you said, it flies in the face of everything we’ve ever...of what every generation has done in the fight against evil,” intoned Giles. “I think it’s bloody brilliant.”

“Thanks Giles,” responded Liz. “What about you?” Liz turned to ask Buffy.

“I’m proud of you,” whispered Buffy sincerely.

“Whoa, hey!” exclaimed Willow. “Not to poop on the party here but I’m the guy who’s going to have to pull this thing off.”

“It is beaucoup d’mojo,” Faith commented.

“This goes beyond anything I’ve ever done. It’s a total loss of control and not in a nice, wholesome, ‘my girlfriend has a pierced tongue,’ kind of way,” Willow prattled on.

“Oh, now I have a mental image in my brain,” whined Buffy.

“I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t think you could do it,” explained Liz.

“I’m not sure I’m stable enough,” added Willow in a small voice.

“You can do this, Willow. We’ll get the coven on the line and we’ll find out how they can help,” offered Giles.

“Oh!” interjected Dawn. “Pierced tongue.”

“And it’s time for the Nibblet to do something else,” noted Spike stepping towards Dawn and ushering her out of the room.

Buffy looked fondly at the members of her family and wondered just how they would take to being stranded in New York while this went down. She had a rather large hunch that they weren’t going to like it at all.

“Come on,” directed the mistress of Arashamahar to her former fiancé. “Let’s go assemble the cannon fodder.”

“That’s not what we’re calling them sweetie,” responded the carpenter.

“Not to their faces,” explained Anya. “What? Am I insensitive?”
_________________________
tbc...