Xander's cell phone rang again. "Don't answer it," advised Dawn.
"I kind of have to," he told her. "It could be some demony thing."
"Well, yeah....." She shrugged, and went back to eating. Oz looked up as Xander flipped the cell phone open.
"Willow!" Dawn looked up, too. "Yeah, it's great to hear you, too. What's going on? Oh. That again. Yeah, I know it's still important. So, where're we going? London, huh? Oh, Giles's place. Well, can the three of us finish eating first? Yeah, we'll meet you back at your place. We're hurrying! Bye." He clicked it back shut.
"Willow?" Oz stopped eating.
"Yeah. They got a call from London. Giles and that other one figured out what's going on. So, we've all got to go back to get ready for our next apocalypse."
"Huh." Oz was quiet for a minute.
"Well, I'm ready." Dawn stood up.
"Hold on--I'm not," said Xander.
"So, are we all going?"
"Yeah. Willow's going to teleport us in groups. Buffy went to get Spike, and the other two. Deadboy and his friend."
"Sounds like fun," said Oz. "Another end of the world situation."
"Because we haven't had enough of those lately," Dawn pointed out.
"So, you guys are ready?"
"Seems like."
"I already told you," Dawn reminded him.
"Then let's go." Xander stood up and went to the cash register, paying for the meal.
**
They walked back into Buffy's house. Willow and Riley were waiting for them, and Buffy was gone--probably getting Spike and the others.
Dawn carefully walked around Riley, going to get her clothes. "We're leaving a note for Andrew," Willow told Xander.
"That's cool. He going to come with his own demon-summoning skills?"
"Well, no, it's just so that he knows where we are. You know, in case he gets worried--or needs one of your comic books--or the use of Buffy's bed," said Willow, grinning a little wickedly.
"I don't think she'll let him."
"Nope. Probably not." She kept on grinning.
"Okay, so, I'm ready," said Dawn, coming out of her room with a huge suitcase.
"Dawnie? We may only be there for a day," Willow pointed out.
"Well, yeah, but we may be there longer."
Willow gave her a skeptical glance, but she didn't say whatever she'd been planning on. The door banged open. Buffy tossed in Connor, and pushed Angel and Spike forward.
"In. Now. Get over yourselves. All three of you. We're going to London. We're figuring out exactly what's going on. We're going to fix it. Then you can all go back to brooding."
"Hey, now, I don't brood! The magnificent poof broods, love. I... Think," said Spike, finishing it lamely.
"Sure, Spike." Her tone went down a few notches. "Point is, we're going. All three of you are coming with."
"Fine," said Connor sullenly.
"Then let's go. Will? Teleport time."
"'Kay."
She took them in groups--first Connor, Angel, Spike, and Buffy, figuring that Buffy could restrain the other three from killing each other. Then she took Riley, Dawn, Oz, and Xander. Finally, she arrived in London to stay, suitcases and all.
"Willow. Good to see you." Giles stepped into the doorway, smiling at her.
"Hey, Giles." She even managed to smile.
"I.... I never told you how sorry I was about Kennedy."
"It's fine," she shrugged. But it wasn't fine. She wasn't ready to work with Angel, not so soon after.... She didn't know how Giles could stand it--could stand Angel.
He put a hand on her shoulder, not certain how to handle the situation, then got to business. "We found the answer to our apocalyptic troubles."
"Do the others know yet?"
"No. We waited for you." She nodded mutely in response.
"They're all in here, if you'd care to come along." He walked a little ahead of her into the living room. She followed him.
Everyone from Rome was there--Riley, Buffy, Spike, Angel, Dawn, Xander, Connor, and Oz. Faith was there, which made sense, because she'd been living with Giles lately. Illyria was also there--Giles and the other Watchers had been doing research with her and about her. Rona, Vi, and some of the other Slayers were there, too.
"May I speak now?" Illyria looked pointedly at Giles.
"Yes, Illyria. Er--go ahead."
"Faith looked in the books. She looked over it. All humans would look over it unless they knew exactly what to look for. It's a spell of a certain kind, and effects all of us. The Senior Partners probably cast it. It affects the Slayers because Angel and Spike were of assistance in Sunnydale. They cast it after us in revenge. We must return to the site of our final battles, to face old foes, and others, before all hell will reign down."
"Would've thought you'd go in for that sort of thing," said Spike from his position on the couch. Illyria turned to cock her head towards him.
"It would destroy me, too. I do not wish to obey the rules of those who would destroy me; those who destroyed Wesley. I still feel grief."
"Right, then. So we all go back to our respective big battles, kill the oogly booglys again. Then we come back here to hide from the Senior Partners again. Sounds like fun. Let's go."
"Spike," said Giles reprovingly.
"What, Rupert? S'not like we can just sit here, and wait to fight with hell itself. Well, we could, but--"
"Spike's right," said Buffy. "We'll have to go back."
"Go back where?" asked Xander. "Sunnydale's gone, remember? Dead Boy Part II took care of it."
"Two things. One, don't be calling me part two of the poufster. Two, Sunnydale's still there, whelp. It's just a big pit instead of a big hellmouth." Spike smiled a little.
The dig at Angel was more for old times sake than anything else--getting off a shot at Xander was the real aim. That, and getting the message across.
"If we go back to L.A., the Senior Partners will kill us the minute they find out." Angel crossed his arms.
"I don't think so. This apocalypse, Angel, is real. It may be the final one, the one that you needed to fight."
"The one with the soddin' Shanshu prophecy," breathed Spike.
"Yeah." Angel hadn't told Spike yet about signing the prophecy away--then again, had Spike been right all along, it wouldn't matter, because it wouldn't have been his to give away.
"Well. Either the great brooder or yours truly can become human. Sounds like fun. All while kicking the collective arse of the Senior Partners. Let's go, then."
"Spike, it's a bit more complicated than that."
"Why?"
"Because you played a pivotal role in Sunnydale as well."
"Well, of course I did." He stared at Giles, not getting the point. "So what?"
"How are you going to accomplish being in two places at once?"
Spike kept eye contact, silently, for a minute longer, before turning around and throwing up his hands. "Bugger that."
He turned back. "I was more important in Sunnydale, no telling what you would've done without the Liz Taylor gem."
"Spike, I'll need you in L.A. You've got to be with us. We'll need you. There's no going around it. You were important there, too."
Spike looked at Angel, recognizing his point, then turned to look at Buffy and Dawn.
"They'll need me in Sunnydale," he said quietly.
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