Time and Time Again.Author: Citanul
Feedback: Be kind, rewind? Seriously though all feedback is welcome.
Spoilers: Just about all of them. Go watch the show. And Angel too. Also Agents of Shield a little bit. You know what, if a name you don’t recognize pops up most of the time you can find dozens of pages of character bio if you type that name and the word comics into Wikipedia. It’s almost scary how much page space comic book fans have taken up on that site.
Rating: NC-17 = Smutty smut smut smut. Seriously though they make love quite often.
Pairings: W/T, B/F, G/J, D/J, F/G, A/?, X/A. Also D/C (Though not till they’re older and even then maybe not so much with the graphic detail.)
Disclaimer: You all know I don’t own the rights to characters you’ve seen on TV.
Summary: A story of reincarnation and interdimensional travel made possible through the power of love. What misfortunes will our two favorite love birds be able to prevent with the aid of experience from countless past lives?
Author’s Note: Okay I'm taking too long to write some of these. Might have a few shorter chapters coming up. Anyway, we're back in the Dark Ages. I hope you guys like the surprise twist in this entry. Also one character was inspire by
this comic.********************
Dark Age Chronicles: Unless of Course War Were Declared“Commandant! A caravan approaches through the pass.” The ranking Southern Claw officer sighed as one of his many subordinates called for his attention. When he had first been assigned this remote outpost by the guild masters he hadn’t questioned the promotion. Though now that he had spent a year in the isolated box canyon he had come to understand just what the post meant to the leaders of the slaver guild.
“What?” The Commandant cried out in exasperation as he glanced over the delivery schedule spread out on his desk. “They’re a day early.”
“Should we release the hounds?” The lieutenant asked. The Commandant considered the suggestion for a moment before shaking his head in annoyance.
“No.” The leader said after a pause. “No. We can’t just release the hounds on every caravan that slips up on the schedule. We’ve had to cut back on them as is and double security on the ones we are sending through this territory. It’s probably just another shipment to the Mad Queen’s flesh carvers anyway. Let them through. Oh, and call my little brother up from the scullery. It’s high time he learned about guild law, even if he can’t summon a hellhound to save his life.” The Commandant’s last remark was uttered in a tone of embarrassment and disgust.
“At once Commandant Wells. I’ll fetch Andrew right away.” With that the Lieutenant was off and on his way to the ground floor of the small outpost. The Commandant stood and walked over to the small balcony attached to his office. He could see the lead wagons of the caravan coming into the remote box canyon the guild had chosen as one of its main way stations.
His guild outpost and canyon were located less than an hour’s ride off the main road at exactly the half way point between the port city that was Southern Claw’s headquarters and the walled capital of the Mad Queen’s small empire. The slaver guild had chosen the site specifically to prevent any roving packs of bandits or demons from making camp there. Their failed ties with the Dread Warlord Maclay were bad enough for business in the region. The last thing they needed was to give perfectly good hiding places over to the thieves that plagued Southern Claw’s cargo routs. No matter how boring he thought the mission was the Commandant followed his orders to the letter.
Tucker Wells’ duty was to defend his guild from the unorganized rabble of brigands and thieves that kept stealing whole caravans. Mysterious thefts aside the guild still had yet to get any concrete information on the newest player to enter the region. Commandant Wells had heard about the fall of Maclay at the hands of the Witch King. Months later he had even been at the meeting where the guild master decided to hire an outside contractor to test the new “royal” by kidnapping his favorite wench.
Nothing had gone smoothly for the guild after that night. Southern Claw’s stock of live product was in freefall. Monthly and weekly rumors of the occasional missing caravan had turned into almost daily reports of wholesale theft. If something didn’t happen soon the guild Tucker Wells had served for years would run out of viable product. Auctions would cease and the coffers would run dry.
With another far too weary sigh the Commandant turned from his balcony view and began the walk to the central courtyard that would house the caravan for the night. As he stepped out the front doors of his outpost a raven perched on a nearby post screeched at him. The Commandant flinched once before angrily waving the bird off.
“Tucker.” A small voice drew the Commandant’s attention away from the fleeing bird. Tucker turned and sneered at the boy waiting for him.
“How many times do I have to tell you Andrew?” Tucker growled at his younger brother as he descended the front steps of the outpost’s central keep. “In front of other guild members you call me Commandant! I didn’t sacrifice our parents and build up a pack of over a dozen hellhounds just to be called Tucker!”
“Sorry.” Andrew said as he cringed. “I was almost done cleaning the kitchens when your guy came to get me Commandant. What did you want me to do Commandant?”
“It’s time you understood what happens to people who fail the guild.” Tucker said as he led his brother over to the head of the caravan. “And what happens to the dregs we can’t unload in the meat markets.”
“Oh, okay I guess.” Andrew trailed off in disappointment as he followed along. The boy had no stomach for most of the depravity his brother reveled in. He didn’t like the idea that his livelihood depended on the sale and subjugation of others. Unfortunately Andrew had no idea how to strike out on his own without falling victim to his brother’s guild. “So where is this one heading?”
“That’s what I’m going to find out.” Tucker said as the lead wagon pulled up to them. “Driver! Where is the guild officer in charge of this caravan?”
The man with short wavy black hair sitting at the reins bowed his head as he spoke to Tucker. “Oh he was just seeing to the ruckus in the back of the line boss. He’ll be up here to see you in no time.”
“Sloppy.” Tucker muttered. “And you’ll address me as Commandant while you’re in my outpost.”
“Oh of course Commandant.” The driver replied with another submissive bow.
“Good, now where is this caravan heading.” Tucker asked before taking another long look at the line of wagons. “And why the hell are all the cages covered by those canvas tarps?”
“Special order your Commandant-ship.” The driver said as he spared a glance at Andrew. “Rush delivery for the Mad Queen. Apparently she wanted all the albinos left in stock for one of her schemes. We’re not to let any sunlight touch the cages before delivery.”
“First she takes three of my hounds and now this? What the hell could that daft bitch want with this many albinos?” Tucker wondered as he looked up and down the two lines of a dozen covered wagons that were forming in the middle of his outpost.
“No clue Commandant, sir.” The driver said as the last wagons in the lines came to a halt.
“There sure are a lot of birds out today.” Andrew muttered to himself in a quiet voice. The soft tone did little to stem Tucker’s annoyance at his little brother’s inane musings.
“Quiet Andrew!” Tucker shouted before turning back to the caravan driver. “Where is your master?”
“Oh, she’ll be right up.” The driver assured the Commandant as the sound of hoof beats and cackling ravens filled the air.
“She?” Tucker asked. The last time he had heard from the guild headquarters no women had even been considered for promotion to any officer rank. Something was not right.
“You know this place is kinda hard to find.” The driver said as the hoof beats drew near. “It’s a great hiding place.” The hoof beats stopped no more than a few feet away from the Commandant and his brother, but try as he might Tucker saw nothing. A soft huff of warm air hit his face and for the first time since mastering his hellhounds Tucker Wells panicked. “It will make a great staging point for our war.” Xander said as the air before Tucker rippled and quaked. “Not that you’ll be alive to see it.”
Tucker Wells fell backwards with a shout of terror as the nose of a massive black warhorse appeared only a few inches from his face. Atop the dark steed sat a figure in even darker jet black armor that seemed to cut through the daylight filling the canyon. The figure’s arms rose into the air and with a flick of the wrists the canvas shrouds flew off of each wagon in the caravan.
Tucker watched in shock as heavily armed men and women burst out of the now open wagons. Archers fired arrows into each and every guild member lining the courtyard. “Release the hounds!” Tucker shouted as he scrambled along the ground away from the Witch King.
Cages all around the outpost were thrown open and hellhounds charged forth. Before the demons could even reach the intruders female archers still standing in each wagon bed drew their long bows back and fired. Two thirds of Tucker’s hounds were felled in the blink of an eye. The Commandant looked up in time to see the Witch King raise one gauntlet in his direction. A glowing purple orb formed in the air above the ebony gauntlet and shot forth. The mystical projectile struck Tucker in the chest.
“What!” Tucker cried in a shrill voice. “What did you just do to…?” His question was cut short by a cry of pain as one of his last hellhounds lunged forward and sank its jaws into his arm. “No!” Tucker screamed as his remaining hounds turned on him.
All around the box canyon soldiers of the Witch King slaughtered Southern Claw guild members one after another. Slayers cut down any hellhounds still on the loose. The last demon to die was one of three that had been nearest Tucker when they turned on him. It had ripped off one of his legs, trying to carry the limb into the nearby bushes. Slayers’ arrows pierced the creature’s back long before it could escape.
“Search the buildings!” The Witch King called out to her troops in a deep, resonant voice. “We need to free anyone they kept here.”
“And any slavers still in hiding?” Xander asked as he stepped down from the wagon and drew his sword.
“We can’t have any word of this getting back to Southern Claw.” The Witch King said as her eyes drifted to the blonde boy still staring up at her in awe and terror. “I know you, don’t I?”
“No.” Andrew said as he realized the dark knight was speaking directly to him.
“This kid one of yours boss?” Faith asked as she strolled up to the Witch King’s side. “Or is he gonna try to stab us all in the back?”
“I’m not sure yet.” The Witch King admitted as Andrew cowered before her. “Something about him seems familiar.”
Before Andrew could even think up a plea for mercy or any kind of escape plan one of the many ravens flitting through the air came in to land on the armored figure’s shoulder. In a soft feminine voice it spoke directly to the Witch King. “Baby, don’t hurt him just yet.”
“Do we know him Sweetie?” The Witch King asked the bird in that same deep, masculine tone that the helmet seemed to project.
“It’s Andrew.” The bird replied as it looked back and forth between the Witch King and the boy. “You know.” It went on as Faith, Xander and the armored figure just gave it blank stares. “Tucker’s brother. The guy who summoned all those hellhounds. He sent three of those demons to the senior prom in our first life.”
“So he’s Southern Claw then.” Xander said as he glared at Andrew.
“Maybe.” The bird admitted. “The first time through he was part of Warren’s trio.” Andrew couldn’t help but notice the venom in the bird’s voice as it said the name Warren. He couldn’t help but wonder what everyone was talking about.
“Well he won’t be joining Warren here.” Tara said in her normal feminine voice as she removed her helmet.
“Yeah you took care of that guy.” Xander agreed in an overly amused voice. “Done chopped him up real good!”
“So we’re bringing him back home?” Faith asked as she saw the rest of the Slayers and soldiers coming back out of the now cleared buildings around the small canyon.
“Maybe not.” Tara said before kneeling down to look Andrew in the eye. “So Andrew, be h-honest, what did you think about your brother and the guild?”
“I didn’t like that he was hurting people.” The boy said as he cowered before Tara. “I never really even liked him, but with our parents gone I had nowhere else to go.”
“Good enough for now.” Tara said as she stood back up and reached out to offer Andrew a hand. “How would you like to lead Xander and Faith all around this outpost and tell them where things are hidden? It will make our search go a lot faster and help them trust you just a little bit more.”
“Okay.” Andrew latched onto the offer as quickly as he could. Tara pulled him up to his feet and he quickly looked up to Faith and Xander. “Come this way, Tucker had a hidden store room in the back of his office. I know where the key is.”
With that the Slayer and General followed the boy into the outpost. A moment later Tara turned to the nearest Slayer who was still standing by. “Rona please tell everyone that as soon as we’re d-done loading the wagons we’re setting fire to this place. I don’t want either of our enemies using it against us.”
“Of course Lady Tara.” Rona said with a polite bow. “I’ll tell everyone to loot as fast as they can before breaking out the torches.” Then the girl was off and spreading the news. Soldiers and Slayers alike picked up the pace as the now empty wagons began to fill with pilfered cargo.
The raven on Tara’s shoulder hummed at the flurry of motion going on in the background. “So should we make room in the Citadel for Tucker’s brother?” Willow asked through the bird.
“Actually I was thinking Larry could use a new squire up at the mine barracks.” Tara replied as she favored the raven with a smile.
“How thoughtful.” Willow said as she watched the soft expressions play across the face of her always. She adored the way the mirrored surfaces of the observatory walls so easily captured Tara’s beauty.
********************
“We should definitely be getting ready for some kind of attack from Southern Claw.” Gunn said as the inner circle gathered at the round table in the heart of the library. “We’ve been hitting them hard for over a year now. They have to be planning something.”
“Actually,” Giles chimed in as he skimmed over a stack of documents on the table before him, “according to these records Lady Tara liberated from the outpost it looks like they have yet to connect the dots.”
“Do what now?” Buffy asked as she managed to pull her eyes away from Faith’s for one rare moment.
“They don’t yet know that our charming monarch is responsible for the nearly constant raids.” The watcher elaborated for the group.
“How is that even possible?” Xander asked. “We’ve cut off almost all of their trade routs. They literally can’t ship people over land anymore. They have to know we’re the ones doing it.”
“Apparently their guild master has yet to figure that out.” Giles said as he flipped another page. “They know that the Dread Warlord Maclay is no more. It would seem they’ve been trying to gage whether or not they can make a client of the one who vanquished him.”
“They want to sell Tara slaves?” Alonna shouted in disgust as Faith began to cackle with laughter.
“So they like, really, don’t know what the heck they’re doing then.” Buffy added after Faith began to quiet down to a low chuckle.
Willow and Tara paused as they looked to one another before chiming in with the most likely explanation. “Well…” Tara said after a long, nervous pause. “We haven’t exactly been leaving any of them alive after our raids.”
For a moment no one responded. None of the member’s of the Witch King’s inner circle felt the urge to denounce Tara’s harsh actions on the battlefield. Few even understood just why the deaths of their enemies seemed to weigh so heavily upon both Tara and Willow.
“And that’s a bad thing?” Anya broke the silence with an incredulous huff.
“Killing humans hasn’t worked out too well for us in the past.” Willow admitted. “It’s not a habit we wanted to get comfortable with.”
“They were kidnappers, murderers and rapists.” Alonna added in a harsher tone.
“One could argue that they were barely human to begin with.” Doyle said.
“We know.” Tara relented as the concerned and questioning looks all around the table grew harder to ignore. “But we still don’t like the idea of sending any Slayers out to kill humans.”
“That really backfired on all of us the first time it happened by accident.” Willow told the group.
“So that’s why you had the girls on today’s run hold back until the demons came out?” Faith asked just before Buffy cut in with an even more confused statement.
“But we killed all those guys from Mad Queen-sylvania who tried to camp out at our front gates.” The Slayer said. “They were human and we led the charge. It’s not like Slayers don’t kill people in self defense all the time.”
“Okay, yeah, but all those guys were surgically altered by a mad woman who likes to stitch pieces of demons onto half dead bodies.” Willow said. “We couldn’t be sure they were all run of the mill soldiers.”
“Plus th-that was to defend your home.” Tara said as she held Willow all the closer to her. “W-we wouldn’t a-ask any of you to kill for us otherwise. A Slayer isn’t a killer.”
“Yes!” Giles jumped in to support the two women who seemed to grow all the more uncomfortable as the questions dragged on. “Quite right. There was a time some decades ago when the council had strict guidelines against collateral damage. Though in retrospect that may have just been another means of control. Regardless, the young women of the Academy are willing and able to defend the lives of each and every soul in this kingdom. That being said we should return to the issue of what to do about Southern Claw’s inevitable reprisal.”
“We also have another issue to deal with long before that happens.” Cassie said at the first sign of a pause coming from the watcher. All eyes turned to the young blonde at Dawn’s side. “We’re going to have visitors very soon.”
“You’ve seen something Babe?” Dawn asked as she held her girl’s clenched fist and stroked her thumb over Cassie’s knuckles.
Cassie sighed before she began to explain the convoluted mess that would soon unfold within the very walls of the Citadel. “The secret tunnel in the throne room is about to be compromised.”
“There’s a secret tunnel in the throne room?” Buffy, Faith and Alonna all shouted in unison.
“Um, yeah.” Xander said as he and many of the others around the table shared concerned looks. “That was like the first thing we put in during reconstruction. You guys didn’t know?”
“No!” Faith shot back. “Where is it? Is it a decent make out spot?”
“Oh yeah.” Gunn said as he and Fred looked to the Slayers. “I was wondering why we never saw you sneak in and out of there.”
“You knew about it and didn’t tell me Charles?” Alonna snapped at her brother.
“We kinda thought you knew Al.” Fred said in a slightly intimidated tone.
“Oh sugar plum. Please tell me that the Academy girls know about the other secret tunnels.” Lorne said only to draw concerned looks from the Slayers yet again.
“What other tunnels?” Alonna gave voice to the matching bewildered looks held by her fellow senior Slayers.
“The ones connecting most of the farther out neighborhoods to those hidden alcoves all along the town square.” Anya explained.
“She knows!” Alonna complained as she shot withering glares at both Xander and her brother.
“Wait, you Slayers don’t know about the emergency tunnels all over town?” Willow asked as she and Tara shared a worried look.
“I spent months designing this whole city all around making sure each and every person here had easy access to an entry point in case of invasion!” Xander cried out in exasperation. “How can you guys not know about the thing that has literally taken up three fifths of my time since the day we finished the wall?”
“That’s going to be a problem.” Tara remarked as it became clear the meeting was about to take an unexpected turn. She and her always knew that their family could more than handle the events plaguing Cassie’s mind.
********************
“There is a hidden entrance along the Northeast stretch of the outer wall.” The tall, muscular man with stark white hair and one glowing yellow eye told the General standing before him. He leaned over the table set in the middle of the General’s command tent. Across its surface were spread several maps of the Witch King’s realm. “A hidden door that will be impossible to find without my help. Behind that door is a tunnel that leads directly to the throne room in the heart of the Citadel. Once inside your strike team will have no trouble finding your quarry.”
“How did you come by this information?” The General asked in a deep voice that belied his altered physiology.
“I’ve been inside their city.” The old mercenary said as he ran one gloved hand through his snow white hair. “I also happened to be passing by the area when they were building that wall. I saw their architect place the cornerstone in the archway himself.”
“How convenient.” The General muttered. He ran one yellow claw over the largest map. The area pointed out by the mercenary was easy enough to reach. His men would surely succeed in their mission. Provided the secret entrance was actually there. “Once they’re inside the Citadel how will my men find their targets?”
“According to the villagers I spoke with all the bedchambers are in the hall just a few paces down from the throne room.” The white haired mercenary said. “They take up most of the second floor of the tower.”
“Good.” The General admitted as he rubbed a clawed hand over his dull yellow jaw, just below the line of stitches running across the lower half of his face. “Good. They’ll be able to retrieve the empaths and slaughter the Witch King and his inner circle. I’ll be sure to fill the strike team with the Queen’s stealthiest agents.”
“And will you be joining them on the mission?” The informant asked in a slightly too interested tone for the General’s tastes.
“That is no business of yours mercenary.” The heavily scarred soldier snapped. The mercenary thought for a moment that he saw the mottled patchwork skin along the top and bottom of the general’s face throbbed in the dull lantern light within the command tent.
“My apologies General.” The mercenary backed down immediately. “I didn’t mean to overstep.”
“See that it doesn’t happen again.” The glare in the General’s eyes was more than enough to cow almost any soldier in the Mad Queen’s forces. The fact that the mercenary hadn’t so much as flinched was an unexpected surprise. “I shall be observing their progress from the rendezvous point. Someone needs to maintain the feed back to the Queen’s laboratory.” As he spoke of the Mad Queen’s inner most sanctum a sneer curled his ebony lips.
“Of course General.” The mercenary said. He watched as a scowl hardened the General’s dark brow and stretched the stitches that held the sickly yellow demon flesh covering the top of his skull. “Glory to the Queen.”
“Yes.” The General muttered in disgust. “Glory to the Queen.”
********************
“Fred? What in heaven’s name are Charles and his soldiers doing to the throne room?” Fred’s mother asked as she and her husband came up to their daughter. Trish and Roger Burkle looked nervous as they watched the stream of soldiers filing in and out of the throne room. Each man leaving the large chamber carried one of the Throne room’s many pieces of furniture to another part of the Citadel.
“Oh, they’re just getting everything ready for the big showdown tonight.” Fred told her parents. The slender brunette’s oddly cavalier tone did little the ease their worries.
“What showdown?” Trish asked in a half panicked voice. “It’s not more of those soldiers from last time?”
“Looks that way Mrs. Burkle.” Gunn said as he joined them at the entrance to the throne room. “Mr. Burkle, sir.” He finished with a nod and the slightest hint of a bow.
“Now Charles, what did we say?” Roger asked in a far warmer tone as he faced the young man and smiled.
“It’s Roger and Trish to you mister.” Trish added with a mockingly stern waggle of her finger before leaning in to hug the nervous general. “You’re family after all.”
“Of course Trish.” Gunn said as he relaxed into the embrace offered by his girlfriend’s mother. Once Trish released him Gunn was quick to take up the hand offered by Roger. “It’s good to see you both. We don’t expect the fighting to break out of the throne room, but it never hurts to be prepared.”
“And just how would the fighting get through the walls, let alone all the way to the throne room here in the castle?” Roger asked as he looked back and forth between his daughter and the young general. He and his wife both wore matching stunned expressions.
It was a brief moment before Fred recalled that her parents had missed the last inner circle meeting the day before. “Oh.” She said before a playful smile broke out across her face. “Oh that’s the easy part. Cassie had one of her future knowledge thingies that she has and told Lady Tara that more of those stitched up goons from the Mad Queen’s army were gonna use the secret tunnel to sneak into the throne room in the middle of the night. So Charles and the boys, and Alonna and the girls are gonna set a trap.”
“We sure are Babe.” Gunn said as he let an arm slip around Fred’s shoulders.
“There’s a secret tunnel in the throne room that leads all the way out of the Citadel?” Trish asked.
“No Mama.” Fred replied with an even more amused smile. “It leads all the way to a hidden door just outside the outer wall.”
“Somewhere along the Northeast stretch of the wall according to Xander.” Gunn added.
“That’s over a mile away from here!” Roger all but shouted as he tried to grasp the scope of the previously unheard of construction project. “How did they keep that kind of work a secret?”
“Well it helped that everyone who was looking was distracted by the wall itself and the aqueduct.” Xander admitted as he came up and joined the group. “Hey, Chuck. How are the guys doing with moving everything?”
“Almost done Xander.” Gunn said as he nodded to the thinning stream of soldiers carrying the last of the extra banquet chairs. “All the big tables are gone. Next is the bandstand from the last ball. You know? The big party that your new girl and Gary’s wife turned into a circus.”
“To be fair Tara said that her mom would have loved to watch Anya and Hallie’s cat fight.” Xander protested as he rolled his eyes at the matching smirks worn by Gunn and each of the Burkles. “Goddess knows the Slayers all enjoyed the show.”
“Oh we all did Sweetie.” Trish added with a laugh at Xander’s expense. “That Anya made quite the impression. And here we were wondering when you’d settle down with one of the nice girls in town.”
“Or when the academy girls would start passing you around like a half eaten sandwich.” Roger quipped as his elbow lightly nudged the young man in the ribs.
“Daddy!” Fred shrieked as Gunn burst out laughing.
“Trust me.” Xander said with a shudder. “If you saw the way the girls fight over the last tray of pastries that comes out of the kitchen in the morning you’d realize that no man is crazy enough to volunteer to be an Academy chew toy.”
“And don’t you go getting any ideas mister.” Trish chastised her husband as Gunn continued to chuckle. “The best you can expect from one of those kids is a heart attack.”
“Oh now Trish. I was just joking with the boy.” Roger said with a suitably chastised grimace that soon gave way to another sly smirk. “Besides, we both know you’re more their type. What with the way they all seemed to clue in after watching Faith and Joyce’s eldest carrying on all over town.”
“What can I say?” Trish Burkle sighed as she held her head up high. “I’ve got it going on.”
“I can’t be here for this.” Fred muttered to herself before turning and fleeing down the hall and through the nearest entrance to the library. In her wake both Gunn and Xander stared in shock at the far too playful banter going on between the older couple.
It was another long moment before the two generals tore their attention back to the throne room and their remaining preparations. There was much still to do and neither young man was willing to let a single detail slip their notice.
********************
“Ahh! Where? Wha….” Andrew cried out in terror as he materialized in the center of the writhing conspiracy of ravens. The boy looked around at his new surroundings and could not believe his eyes.
Massive trees lined the edge of the clearing he stood in. Trunks wider around than Andrew’s arm span stretched towards the sky. A break in one part of the tree line revealed a wide open vista. Andrew saw that the clearing he stood in was half way up a small mountain. Beyond the foot of that mountain were gentle rolling plains and in the distance he spied a walled city arrayed around the base of a massive stone tower.
To the rear of the clearing stood the base of a cliff face. In the center of the pale stone wall was the opening to a small cave. The boy stared at the set of metal rails that ran along the ground and into the cave.
He realized they were tracks for a mine cart. He was at a mine. His eyes followed the tracks away from the mine entrance and over to another structure that stood off to one side of the clearing. A modest cottage with a large pen full of pigs sat against the edge of the tree line. Andrew stared in confusion at the dozens of pigs loitering about their fenced in pen.
Movement off to one side caught the boy’s attention yet again. His head spun around and he saw a large rectangular two story tall building that ran along the far side of the clearing. In the middle of the arched roof was an exposed lookout tower that seemed to be covered in little alcoves full of bird nests. A few dozen ravens sat on the roof and watched his every move.
Before Andrew could contemplate the watchful gaze of the conspiracy two men came up to him. “Well hello there.” The taller and more muscular man of the two said. “We were expecting a new recruit.”
“Hold on a second Larry.” The shorter bald man said. “This boy used to be a slaver. We don’t know if he can be trusted.”
“Snyder, look at him.” Larry replied with a dismissive shake of his head. “He’s barely older than the King’s squires. If not younger. Give him a chance to prove himself.”
“Alright.” Snyder grumbled as he eyed Andrew over once more. “What’s your name boy?”
“Andrew.” Andrew replied with a yelp as he stood up straight. “I’m not a slaver. That was my brother Tucker. He got promoted after he summoned a pack of hellhounds. Even if the guild went and sold three of them to the Mad Queen Tucker still had enough to run his own outpost. I tried summoning once. Flying monkeys are harder to control than you’d think.”
“Whoa now kid.” Larry waved off the almost panicked rambling with a laugh and a smirk. “Take it easy. There’ll be plenty of time for stories once you’re sorted here.”
“And just where are we putting him?” Snyder asked. “He’s too small for lifting the hogs into the mine carts and I refuse to take a child into the mines with our guests. It was bad enough he last time one of your boys almost walked across the threshold when Drusilla gave him the eye. I’m not risking anymore hypnosis incidents.”
“He shouldn’t go near the mines anyway.” Larry admitted as he looked Andrew over yet again. “So Andrew, if you weren’t a summoner like your brother what did you do at the outpost?”
“Oh, I was the cook.” Andrew answered with some noticeable pride in his voice. “I took care of the kitchens and made sure everyone was well fed. Even if Tucker and the other guild members didn’t want me taking food out to the carts that passed through.”
“There, see!” Larry said with relief as it became apparent where Andrew would go. “He can work in the barracks. The mess hall needs a decent cook. I’m tired of getting food poisoning every time it’s Percy’s or Hogan’s turn to cook.”
“Then stop putting those two idiots on cooking duty for their chore rotations.” Snyder snapped in exasperation.
“And then what? Have them take care of the Aviary? You know they can’t be trusted with Lady Tara’s birds.” Larry dismissed the notion as he pondered what duties to assign once Andrew was settled in as the new cook. “Knowing them they’d forget which job they had that week and scramble the eggs or bake the fully grown ravens into a pie. Can you imagine what would happen then?”
“No.” Snyder shuddered at the thought of the Witch King’s wrath should any needless harm befall the ravens that regularly roosted in the barracks. “No, I don’t even want to think about that.” Snyder quickly shook off the lingering dread and turned his attention back to the boy. “Alright Andrew. It looks like you’ll be our new cook. Come along. General Larry and I will show you around our little mining camp.”
“Okay.” Andrew said as he followed Larry and Snyder. Things were looking up for once in his short life. The boy could only hope that his cooking skills would more than earn his keep in this new place.
********************
“So tonight is going to be serious right? I mean, with everything Cassie said we have our work cut out for us. I know everyone can handle the initiative soldiers.”
“Mad Queen soldiers.” Tara interrupted her always as the slender redhead flitted around their bed chambers. Willow was so busy fetching various pieces or armor and strapping them to Tara’s body that she had let her nervous babble carry on and on. Normally Tara would have let the endearing babble fill the idle hours before the coming battle, but the mood was soured by the fearful turn Willow’s words had taken over the last few minutes.
“Right!” Willow latched onto the correction. “Right. She’s the Mad Queen here. There is no Initiative. Goddess, this is going to get confusing if we keep running into the same faces going by different names.”
“When Sweetie.” Tara amended with a soft smile as she pulled Willow into her arms. “When we keep running into the same faces. I’m going to spend as many lives as possible with you.”
Willow froze and raised her head for the first time since her nervous babble had taken over. The redhead fixed her honey blonde with a perplexed look before realization set in. Fear turned to confidence and then pride as Willow rushed to reassure her everything. “Of course. Of course we will. That isn’t even a question. You’re my everything.”
“No question Sweetie. I’m yours for as long as you’ll have me.” Tara said with a coy smile. “Or until the stars turn cold and fall from the sky. Whichever works for you.”
The smile was back on Willow’s face as she lost herself in deep sapphire eyes. “Always. Always will be just a hair short of long enough.” With that affirmation Tara leaned in and captured Willow’s lips. For one brief moment before the coming battle the two women found true solace in one another. No matter the dark premonitions hinted at by the young seer they knew their love would weather any challenge.
********************
“Cass, you okay?” Dawn asked once she found her girlfriend hiding out in her own bedroom. The vacant look that haunted Cassie’s gaze was beyond any Dawn had seen from the young blonde. “Honey?”
“Huh?” The seer gasped in confusion that only lasted a moment before she realized Dawn had tracked her down. “What? No, I’m fine Dawn.”
“Babe, please.” Dawn pleaded. “I know your whole future visions thingy is a pain. I can’t imagine going through what you do every day. But that doesn’t mean I can’t be there when you need someone to talk to. I’m here for you. No matter what.”
Tears built in the corners of Cassie’s eyes and for an instant she wondered what she had done to deserve such devotion. “I just…” Cassie’s words were choked off as a sob broke free from her chest. “Oh Goddess, I can’t believe I kept this from you.”
“Kept what from me?” Dawn asked as she wrapped her arms around Cassie’s shoulders. The blonde practically quaked with fright as she fought between giving into her girlfriend’s comforting embrace and withdrawing into herself to spare the young brunette from inevitable heartache. “Talk to me Cass.”
“There’s something I didn’t tell Tara and the others.” Cassie admitted as she fought back tears. “Something big. It’s going to change everything.”
Dawn was surprised by the confession. She had never known her girlfriend to withhold anything important that had been revealed to her. What’s more the secret was something so serious it troubled Cassie far more deeply than any that had come before. “Why didn’t you tell them? You don’t hold this stuff back so it must be important.”
“It is.” Cassie admitted as she looked up into Dawn’s pale grey eyes. “It’s going to change everything.” There was a long pause before Cassie could finish. “For us.”
“It’s something about us?” Dawn asked with far more interest than Cassie was comfortable with. “What did you see? Is it about our life together? Our wedding? You aren’t allowed to peek into the future just to look at my dress. Oh, it was about the first time we’re gonna sleep together wasn’t it? I’m gonna be so pissed if you’ve been keeping that from me. It’s not fair that you get to look ahead and perv out on all the things I’ll do to you.”
“No Dawn!” Cassie finally managed to interrupt Dawn’s incessant speculation. “It wasn’t any of that. This is important!”
The slim brunette caught the edge to her girlfriend’s voice. Whatever was bothering Cassie was far more serious than she had expected. In an instant Dawn’s carefree curiosity was gone. It was soon replaced with a dour expression and firm support.
“Okay.” Dawn managed after steeling herself. “This is serious. Tell me what’s going to happen.”
“That’s just it Dawn.” Cassie said once she settled her fraying emotions. “It’s already happened. What’s been set in motion can’t be stopped. Not by any of us.”
“How bad is it going to get?” Dawn whispered.
“Worse than you can imagine.” Cassie replied. “The war that’s coming, it’ll be worse than anything we’ve ever seen. They’ll come at us from all sides. We’re going to lose so much. The only…” The young seer was cut off by the emotion tightening her throat. It was a long tearful moment before she spoke again. “The only upside is that you’ll finally get to meet.”
“Meet who?” Dawn asked as she tried in vain to wipe the tears from Cassie’s cheeks.
“Him.”
********************
“I’ll admit it Anyanka, this is quite the shop.” Hallie said as she walked along the shelves that lined the wall across from the front counter of the shop. “Even with his rank in the army and the Citadel your boy toy must have pulled some strings to get it for you. Very impressive.”
“Well I’m sure your boy toy has a nice setup set aside for you.” Anya replied with just a hint of sarcasm. “Oh, by the way, how is the fruit stand doing Halfrek? We are living in a rudimentary communist society with a heavy emphasis on a modified reciprocity system. I’m sure he does well for the two of you.”
“Oh Gary does just fine.” Hallie snapped back before reigning in her tone. “It must be a relief to have such an influential man vouching for you around town. What with the fiasco you turned the anniversary ball into.”
“I’m sure your ball and chain has been talking you up around town.” Anya quipped back. “He’d have to, knowing how distrustful humans are.”
“Ladies we’re standing right here.” Xander protested as he and Gary finished sorting through Anya’s latest shipment. “Could we please put all this drama aside and move on as friends. Please?”
Anya and Hallie both glared at Xander for a long moment before letting out matching sighs of exasperation. They turned back to each other and couldn’t help but share small, almost imperceptible smiles.
“You are so lucky you’re cute mister.” Anya told Xander in a slightly raised voice as she went back to looking over her inventory records.
Gary gave Xander’s shoulder a reassuring pat. “Knowing those two I think things are going as good as can be expected. I’m just thankful the mourning period for their dead boss demon is over and done with.”
“Yeah.” Xander agreed in a quiet voice as he went back to helping with the stock. “Yeah, hopefully things will settle down for a while.”
Little did either man know the drama fired out whenever their former demons were in the same room was about to be eclipsed by much more pressing concerns. Secrets were about to be revealed. Lives changed. Enemies slain. Had Xander and Gary known what was to come they would have been thankful. In a few short hours no one would even remember that two former mass murdering vengeance demons lived within their city walls. The coming drama would be far more intriguing.
********************
“I just love the tile work Willow and Tara chose when they designed this bathroom.” Joyce said as she looked in Giles’ mirror and straightened the bodice of her dress. A sly smirk covered her face as her panting boyfriend struggled to recover from their latest play session.
“Ah.” Giles let out with a gasp as he finally stood and leaned against the counter beside Joyce. “Yes… I found it rather… Yes.”
“I also love the way I take your breath away Rupert.” Joyce smiled playfully as she ran one hand over his bare chest. “Makes it that much more fun when I send you a little wink in public and you almost trip over yourself.”
Giles took a moment to get his breathing under control. As the moment passed he leaned over and wrapped his arms around Joyce’s waist. “Anything for you my Dearest.” He whispered into her ear before placing a string of gentle kisses at the base of the lobe then down the length of her neck.
“Oh Rupert.” Joyce practically swooned into his embrace. “If only we had a few more hours to ourselves.”
“Alas, duty calls.” Giles muttered as he pulled away from the woman he adored. He was quick to help Joyce straighten her dress and tie the laces that ran up her back before righting his trousers. The couple walked out of the bathroom of Giles’ private flat and went about clearing the trail of discarded clothing that ran from the front door all the way to the bathroom they had just made such vigorous use of.
“The girls are ready I take it?” Joyce asked as she found her light jacket and his tweed blazer.
“More than ready.” Giles assured as he handed over her shoes and took his jacket in return. “I’d dare say they will acquit themselves impeccably.”
“Oh careful with that accent Rupert.” Joyce replied with a chuckle as she watched Giles pull on his shirt and then his blazer. “I’m liable to drag you back in there.”
“Or perhaps upstairs to the bed.” Giles added as he leaned in and kissed his girlfriend on the cheek.
“Now that is an idea.” Joyce admitted as she slipped her shoes back on. With the pair of them fully dressed he put his arm in hers and they strode towards the door. As Giles pulled his door open he and Joyce were startled to find a hand raised and ready to knock.
“Ah!” Vi exclaimed as she jumped back. Rona and Molly let out matching chuckles at the slender redhead’s expense. “Mr. Giles! And Ms. Summers! What are… never mind.”
“Indeed.” Giles said with a forced serious expression as Joyce stifled a giggle of her own. “How go the preparations for the intruders?”
“Everything’s in place watcher man.” Rona said as Vi failed to pull her eyes away from the older couple’s clasped hands. “The Academy girls are all ready and itching to show the Mad Queen all you’ve taught us. We’ll do you proud.”
“Here here!” Molly cheered as Giles favored the trio of Slayers with a grin.
“Excellent!” The watcher couldn’t help but feel pride at the way each Slayer had taken to the training after coming into their powers. “I have the utmost faith in each of you girls. I’m sure Lady Tara and Lady Willow do as well.”
The three Slayers nodded before turning and marching down the corridor Giles relaxed as he felt Joyce’s free hand come up to stroke his arm. “That was impressive, if a little on the drill sergeant side.”
“Ah, yes well.” Giles stammered for a response as he faced his girlfriend. “Old watchers trick, to convey authority with a new charge.”
“And that works on Buffy?” Joyce asked in stunned disbelief.
“Oh good heavens no.” Giles let out with a small chuckle. “No, Buffy has always been far too willful and headstrong for any such parlor tricks. No with her I had to depend on a good watcher’s absolute last resort.”
“And just what is that?” Joyce asked as they began the short walk towards the Library.
“A mix of frequent appeals to her innate sense of duty which she hides so well and praising her often hidden perceptiveness and intuition.” Giles stated as they walked. “Your daughter is rare even among Slayers Joyce. As often as not I felt like she was the one guiding me on our journeys.”
“I always knew she could apply herself.” Joyce muttered with a mix of exasperation and pride. “If only it didn’t take her being kidnapped by a sour faced jackass to find out.”
“I am truly sorry Joyce.” Giles whispered as his steps faltered. “There’s no excuse or justification for what the council has done to your family.”
“Our family Rupert.” Joyce corrected him without missing a beat. “That is always going to include you. I can’t thank you enough for finding and protecting her after that son of a bitch Merrick got himself killed. You showed me that you are nothing like him. You proved that I could always trust you.”
“Always Dearest.” Giles said just before Joyce leaned in and kissed him once more. The couple barely noticed the presence of three Slayers peeking from around the corner. They paid the trio of young women no mind. Everything they needed to concern themselves with at that moment was right there, within arms’ reach.”
********************
“Is it just me or has everyone hooked up around here but you and me Lorne.” Alonna asked as she watched people move around the cleared out throne room.
“Oh sweet pea, ain’t that the truth?” The green lounge singer agreed as he sipped from the drink one of Gunn’s soldiers had mixed for him. “Mmm, that boy knows how to mix a sea breeze.”
“It’s not like I’m jealous or anything.” Alonna protested as she looked to one side of the throne room and saw Willow perching in Tara’s armored lap. She looked towards the other side and saw Faith smirking at Buffy. A moment later the brunette winked broadly enough that anyone in the Citadel could notice. The dark haired Slayer then nodded her head towards the nearby archway that led into the corridor circling the second floor of the Library. Buffy’s eyes widened before she reached out and grasped Faith’s hand. In a blur the pair of Slayers sped out of the throne room.
Alonna could only roll her eyes in exasperation at the blatant display. “Those two are ridiculous.” The Slayer muttered to the demon. “And don’t tell me I’m just jealous. I’m not jealous.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it Sweetie.” Lorne replied with no hint of condescension or disbelief. “You’ll find yourself a girl soon enough.”
“But will she even be willing to date someone like me.” Alonna asked as doubt crept into her voice. “A super powered freak.”
“Honey, if your brother could land a catch like Fred you’ll end up married to some queen before you know it.” Lorne dismissed the Slayer’s doubt before taking another sip of his drink. “Or maybe one of those warrior princesses the bards are always singing overtly erotic songs about.”
Alonna let out a genuine laugh at the idea the demon had just planted. “Thanks Lorne.”
She said as she turned to face him. “You’re the best, you know that?”
“Try telling my mother that.” Lorne laughed off the Slayer’s praise. “Now that woman is hard to please, but she still managed to find a mate and splorch out a brood. You’ll do fine kiddo.”
“I know.” Alonna agreed as she took in the activity filling the throne room. With her moment of doubt settled and brushed aside the Slayer returned to the last bit of work that needed to be done. She would find her special someone, and no rag tag group of thugs stitched together by some mad scientist was going to stand in her way.
********************
“Where is he?” The General seethed as he looked around the small clearing just beyond the tree line.
His strike team stood by his side, anxious to start their mission. Each of the horribly disfigured soldiers looked up at the massive wall that stood just two dozen yards past the edge of the forest grove where they hid. The outer wall of the city loomed over the surrounding countryside. The sun had long since passed behind the battlements, casting the open ground outside the wall and much of the forest in shadow.
The General grumbled to himself once more as he flexed his gnarled yellow claws and ground the jagged fangs of his lower jaw against the round human teeth of his upper jaw. He had waited in the darkening forest for an hour already. The strike team had searched the base of the wall for half of that time and found no trace of their alleged entrance. The mercenary had promised to open the door for them. His absence vexed the General to no end.
“My apologies General.” The mercenary called out from a bush behind the strike team. “Did I keep you and your men waiting long?”
“Make me wait for your arrival again and it will be your last mistake Mercenary.” The General seethed as he spun to face down the mercenary. “This enemy is a threat to the sovereignty of the Queen! It must be wiped off the face of this world. Do not let your own petty concerns stand in the way of our goal again.”
“Sure, sure.” The white haired mercenary said as he walked through the crowd of misshapen soldiers. “Glory to the Queen and all that.”
“Glory to the Queen.” Each and every member of the strike team moaned as if the words overwrote their very wills.
“Glory to the Queen.” The General muttered before shaking his head clear of the apparent haze. “Don’t do that again!”
“Of course General.” The mercenary agreed as he hid his smile. “We should really get underway. Your men…” He paused to look around at the assembled “soldiers” before looking back at the General. “Well let’s just not keep them waiting for their mission.”
“Agreed.” The General growled as the mercenary examined the strike team.
The half dozen “men” standing around the mercenary were barely recognizable as such. Most had far more severe alterations than the General’s patchwork of yellow and ebony flesh or his superfluous claws and fangs.
Two appeared almost human save for the oversized arms hanging limply from their shoulders. Scaly brown and green flesh stretched over the muscular biceps of the short upper arms and proceeded to cover the far too long forearms that ended in clawed hands. The Mercenary recognized Polgara demon arms when he saw them. The fact that both men’s legs bent backwards and ended in cloven hooves did little to help their appearance.
Two more “soldiers” appeared even less human. Mangy fur covered their bodies in uneven clumps and patches. Their heads truly set them apart. One had the head of a large wolf sitting atop his shoulders. The other bore the visage of an oversized house cat.
Beside them the last two members of the strike team stood side by side. One was tall and emaciated. Far too slender to be human. Even the slimmest of women or young men the mercenary had ever seen were barrel-chested in comparison to this gaunt wisp. It wore a long black cloak that hugged its frail frame and form fitting black leather over its boney legs. The face was covered in an ebony shroud. Long slender snow white fingers with two extra knuckles on each digit clutched a metallic box with one long hose coming from it.
The last creature stood out as particularly hideous. It crouched on all fours. Its forearms were extended, ending in distinctly hooked demonic claws. Its hind legs were short, stubby little appendages with backwards bending knees and wide flat circular feet that the mercenary swore wouldn’t look out of place on a tiny rhino. The squat beast’s torso was wrapped up in strips of brown leather. The mercenary took this all in but was most shocked by what he saw on the creatures head. An oversized bonze sphere encased the entire skull. A thick hose ran out the back of the creature’s orb shaped helmet and connected to the box in the clutches of the gaunt figure. At the front of the sphere was a large glass lens covering where the face should be. Peering into the lens showed little until the mercenary caught the briefest glimmer of reflected light. For that instant he swore he saw a red honeycomb pattern that wouldn’t look out of place on a fly’s compound eyes.
“So about that secret door.” The mercenary said once he finally pulled his gaze away from the misshapen strike team. Without further hesitation he marched out of the tree line and towards the base of the looming wall. He reached out to the stone surface with one hand as if he was searching for something. The general and his team watched in silence and exasperation.
A moment later the white haired man’s knuckles curled and he began knocking on one particular stone in the wall. A second later he reached out to another stone six rows down and three to the left. He pressed and the stone block receded into the wall. A loud clicking resonated from within the stony edifice. The strike team watched as a section of wall folded inward and slid to one side. It revealed an opening just wide enough for one large man to walk through.
“Okay let’s go.” The mercenary said as he took one step inside the tunnel.
“Wait!” The general ordered. “This wasn’t part of the deal. You are staying here with me to monitor their progress.”
“What?” The older man asked as he spun to look at the misshapen soldier in disbelief. “That won’t work. They’ll need me to open the second door and to get them through the last stretch of the labyrinth.”
“What? You didn’t say anything about other doors. Or a labyrinth!” The General growled.
“Of course there are other doors!” The mercenary shouted back. “Once this tunnel gets under the heart of the city there will be junction points. I need to walk them through the twists and turns until they get to the gate that leads into the Citadel. Then I need to go down the specific side tunnel that unlocks the last three gates from this side. You didn’t think the tunnel led right to the throne room without any other branches or barriers did you?”
“You are to return here once the gates are opened then!” The general ordered.
“No can do.” He shot back with a smirk. “The mechanism that unlocks the doors and gates from the outside also closes the doors that lead back to the Citadel. Once I clear the way for them I’ll be stuck in a tunnel that leads to the middle of a field just inside the Western stretch of wall.”
“Why wasn’t any of this mentioned before?” The General asked in a cold voice that did little to hide his fury.
“You only asked if I could get your team inside. Which is what I’m trying to do right now! If you don’t want to get in there and take what you want then we can close this up and go our separate ways.” The mercenary stood his ground in the face of the outraged General. Both men glared as the last dregs of daylight gave way to the twilight.
“Fine!” The General shouted. “Just go. But be warned. The next time we contract your services we will be discussing all the details in advance.”
“Good, let’s go boys.” He called out to the strike team before turning and marching into the darkened tunnel.
The General glared and fumed as he watched his men follow the white haired old fool. The next time they met he would be sure to instill proper respect in the man. No one made a fool of one of the Mad Queen’s main generals. As the hidden door closed behind the last member of the strike team the General turned and began the short march to the rendezvous point. Before the night was over they would have the prizes their queen had been denied for so long.
********************
“Everything will be alright Sheila.” Tara assured the mother of her always. Both of the Rosenbergs stood by the entrance to the throne room. Both listened as their daughter ordered the soldiers within to prepare for their uninvited guests. “Cassie told us everything. We’ll show them they can’t just walk in here and take the people we love.”
“Of course.” Sheila said as Ira rubbed her shoulder. “Right, of course. You and Willow and the girls will protect us all. I just worry sometimes. I can’t stand the thought of anything happening to my daughter in law.”
“The fact that we have so much support from the both of you means so much to Willow and me.” Tara said as she held Sheila’s hands in her gauntlets for one long moment. Ira and Sheila smiled and gave Tara one last hug before turning and being led back to their chambers by the guards who would be tasked with protecting the main entrance to the living quarters. Tara watched them go, holding back a swell of emotion before turning towards her throne room.
“That’s good work everyone!” Willow called out to the soldiers and Slayers as Tara walked up the dais to stand at her side. “That should be the last of it. Oh, hi Baby.” The redhead’s greeting was cut short as the honey blonde pulled her lithe frame against her ebony armor and captured surprised yet eager lips in her own. Willow let out a soft moan as Tara’s reassuring embrace drove all thought from her mind.
The kiss only lasted long enough for every Slayer and most of the soldiers to notice and chuckle quietly amongst themselves. The mild laughter lasted long enough for Alonna to cast her glare around the room. The ebony Slayer’s withering gaze only ceased once it landed upon Buffy and Faith who were tucked in one corner of the throne room already lost in each others’ embrace.
“Alright.” Tara said after she broke off the kiss and let Willow stagger into her arms. “We’re so proud of the work each and every one of you has put in. Tonight we will show the Mad Queen that she has no power over any citizen of this kingdom.”
“Right.” Willow whispered before pulling herself together. “That’s right! Great work guys! We’ll show those poopy heads what for.”
“We better.” Dawn said as she and Cassie walked up to the dais that still held the throne in its center. In one hand she held Tara’s black helmet. In the other she clutched Cassie’s trembling hand. “They are not taking my girlfriend.”
At the sound of the young woman’s angered voice Buffy’s head broke away from Faith’s and shot up. “Dawn! What are you doing here? You can’t be here when the fighting starts. Take Cassie and go hang out with Mom and Giles.”
“Cassie needs to be here for this one Buff.” Willow said as she gave the young seer one lingering look of concern.
“And there is no way you are going to keep me from her while those animals are in our home.” Dawn added as Cassie finally stopped trembling.
“Sorry Buffy.” The young blonde said at last. “Things won’t play out right if I’m not here to send the right message.”
“Alright.” Buffy relented before looking to her little sister with an exasperated glare. “If you get killed I’m telling.”
“Noted.” Dawn said as she handed Tara her helmet.
All around the large chamber the citizens of the Witch King’s fledgling nation readied themselves for the coming fight. As the light died down they grew ever quieter awaiting the enemy. None doubted their victory.
********************
“Okay that should do it.” The mercenary said as he undid the last mechanism that barred the strike team from entering the catacombs under the Citadel. “I thought those mangled dimwits would never leave.”
“Ain’t no thang Nate.” A horribly gravely voice said over the comm. nestled in the mercenary’s ear. “We got this shit on lock. Those foos won’t know what hit them.”
“Didn’t we agree to use codenames while in the field? Medievalpool?” He asked his closest friend.
“Oh like it really matters at this point “Cable!” Medievalpool quipped back. “You know they already figured out who you are right?”
“Who knows?” Cable shot up from the hidden mechanism he had just unlocked. “They can’t know about me! If they know then how am I ever going to make it up to them? How am I gonna face them after this is done?”
“Relax you big doofus!” Medievalpool scoffed at his friend. “I’m talking about the readers. They totally saw you coming. Especially if they saw my movie. You know? The huge megahit that came out last Febuary and totally saved the studio from having to lease the franchise rights back to Disney. All it’ll take is a quick Google search and they’ll figure your whole shtick out in twelve seconds flat.”
“Wade, what the hell are you talking about?” Cable asked as he failed to grasp the incomprehensible string of out of context references his friend had made. “What do half of those words even mean?”
“Oh like you can’t figure it out future boy.” Medievalpool quipped back in a huff. A moment passed before he spoke again in a more serious tone. “Are we still doing this thing or what?”
“Of course Wade.” Cable said as he shoved the cover stone back over the locking mechanism. With every trace of his presence covered he prepared for the next phase of their horribly convoluted plan.
Cable removed his left sleeve to reveal his organic steel arm. The metal skin let off a silver gleam in the dim torchlight. The bright yellow glow from his left eye illuminated the multiple light scars around his right eye. He then removed his other glove and ran his flesh and bone hand through his short white hair. He stood and listened to his friend’s last remark.
“Those Frankenweenie rejects are walking into a meat grinder aren’t they?” Medievalpool asked over the comm.
“Oh yeah.” Cable agreed as a rare smirk worked its way over his face. “Not a one of them is walking out of this fight. No one threatens family and gets away with it.”
“Says the guy playing both sides before his big dumb reveal.” Medievalpool deflated Cable’s bravado with a single quip.
“Just get ready to teleport in Wade.” Cable muttered as he nursed his pride.
“Ready boss!” The madman answered far too gleefully.
“Bodyslide by two.” Cable spoke out loud before disappearing in a cylinder of bright white light.
********************
The hidden door slid open to reveal the darkened chamber. The members of the Mad Queen’s strike team peered into the darkness. They saw nothing in the quiet gloom. With some hesitation they took their first steps into the throne room of the Witch King.
As they slowly made their way out of the hidden tunnel a strange sense of foreboding came over each of them. As the last of them stepped into the room the smallest of their disfigured lot began to panic. The short squat creature that crawled along on all fours began to squeal. The lens on its spherical helm darted back and forth as if it was aware of countless objects hidden in the darkness but still unable to actually see them. It fidgeted while shifting its weight back and forth between each of its four limbs. As the rest of the strike team took notice of its fear the small beast began to lunge away from them. It got to the end of the hose linked to its helm before it was harshly yanked back by the deceptively strong gaunt figure holding the metal box it was tied to.
“Quiet the beast you fool!” One of the Polgara armed soldiers snapped in hushed tones. “We can’t afford to be noticed.”
“A bit late for that.” The wolf headed being said in a hissing voice as a single light flickered into being at the heart of the chamber.
“I was wondering when you would finally show up.” Cassie remarked in a bored tone. She was holding a single lit candle and standing in the only pool of light within the throne room. The young seer looked over the intruders with disdain before setting the candle on the ground and taking one step back.
“Sir, that’s the primary target.” The other Polgara armed soldier said as he shifted on his cloven hooves, ready to strike.
“Hold.” The cat headed figure hissed as it eyed Cassie for a long moment. “This is wrong.”
“You know I so rarely get the chance to see one of my predictions play out right in front of me.” Cassie mocked the intruders as she took another step back.
“What did she say?” Wolfhead asked. His pointed furry ears flattened back against his skull as panic set in.
“She’s one of the empaths we were sent to capture!” One of the Polgara armed soldiers said.
“Seize her!” The other Polgara armed soldier shouted. The duo nodded to each other as they began to advance on Cassie.
“Wait!” Cathead ordered as the two soldiers took more deliberate steps forward. “She knew we would be here.”
“Uh huh.” Cassie nodded with a truly sinister smile for such a young teenage girl. She stepped out of the small pool of light that the tiny candle cast.
As the young seer faded into the darkness another voice came from their side. “Okay that was worth the trouble of setting up this whole ambush.”
“The Witch King saw us coming.” Cathead said with a hollow raspy hiss that did little to bolster his men’s confidence.
“That’s right.” Cassie whispered from the darkness as a heavy iron portcullis slammed shut over the passageway they had snuck through. Hoods, shrouds and shutters were pulled from lanterns all around the massive chamber. Light pierced the darkness. As it revealed the others present the small band of assassins grew terrified.
Dozens of heavily armed and armored men stood in rigid formations blocking off all the exits and lining the walls of the throne room. Each man held a lit lantern aloft. Their light put the true threat on full display.
All around the intruders were young women in flexible leather armor. Each wielded at least one deadly weapon that was already drawn and poised to strike down their enemies. One small blonde from among the armed women stepped forward. In her hands she grasped a sinister looking weapon. One end of the weapon’s shaft ended in a wooden spike. The other in a heavily stylized red and silver blade that was curved with barbed tips that betrayed sinister and lethal purpose.
“This is the part where we chop you to messes.” Buffy said as she casually twirled the Scythe in slow circles.
Cassie had retreated towards the throne. She stood next to Dawn who had taken up a rigid stance beside the throne and its two occupants. Willow preened as she sat in the lap of the fully armored Witch King. As the King stroked her long red locks she looked to Cassie and nodded.
“You really shouldn’t have come here.” Cassie said in an almost apologetic tone. “You might have lived longer.”
With that the Slayers surged forward. In the blink of an eye both Polgara armed soldiers fully extended the long bone spikes hidden in their wrists. They were to no avail. Buffy flew through the air swinging the Scythe in a wide arc. The blade cleaved right through both their necks before they could even bring their skewers to bear.
The stubby creature went into a fit as terror set in. It finally yanked the control box out of the hands of the gaunt creature manipulating it. Its spherical helm swung wildly back and forth as it galloped between the legs of two Slayers. As they turned to chase the fleeing creature into the wall of soldiers led by Xander and Gunn the gaunt figure rose to its full height. It stretched long spindly arms out towards the two distracted girls. A slight hissing filled the air around the emaciated creature.
“Not so fast asshole!” Faith shouted as her short swords sliced through air and then flesh and bone. The gaunt figure let out a high pitched wail as its severed arms fell to the floor, writhing as their former owner screeched its last cry in agony and despair. The dark haired Slayer was only too eager to end its suffering by freeing its head from its shoulders.
The wolf panicked just as Alonna and a half dozen Slayers surrounded him. He drew a long thin rapier from the sheath at his side only to wince in pain as the ebony Slayer batted the weapon from his hand with her massive morning star. The wolf screamed in anguish as he clutched his now ruined hand. Alonna raised the weapon she had claimed from the first general’s corpse high over the kneeling wolf. He managed one last pained whimper as the oversized mace came down on him with a vengeance.
The cat faired only slightly better. With his fencing daggers he parried blows from two of the four Slayers circling him. His defense was undone the instant Buffy swooped in. The Slayer swung the Scythe, cleaving through both daggers and part of the cat’s right hand in the process. The cat fell to his knees much like the wolf. He hissed in defiance one last time before the Scythe cleaved through the ring of stitches around his neck.
“Got you now you son of a bitch!” Rona shouted as Vi grasped the metal box linked to the stubby creature. Both Slayers nearly cheered as the beast faltered. Rona’s sword pierced its shoulder, pinning it down as she went in for the kill.
“Wait!” Cassie shouted just as Rona was about to claim the twisted creature’s life. The young seer quickly made her way across the throne room. The Slayers watched in bewilderment as the girl knelt beside the downed creature. A muffled wheezing emitted from the bronze sphere encasing the creature’s head. The shudders of the dying beast only increased as Cassie grasped its helm and dragged the lens around to focus on her.
“Can you hear me Maggie?” Cassie asked the dying creature. “It’s time we had a chat. I know you’re the one who caused the deaths of my parents. I know that you’ve hunted me for my powers. I also know that this is the only time you’ll ever hear my voice.”
All eyes were on the young blonde as she mocked the Mad Queen through the dying beast. None save for Willow and Tara could understand why Cassie believed Maggie Walsh could see and hear through the odd helmet bonded to the creature’s head.
“I want you to know what I’ve seen.” Cassie went on in a cold voice. “You took my family from me. So my new family is coming for you.”
“Damn right we are!” Faith shouted as Slayers all around the room nodded and muttered in agreement.
“I’ve seen it happen.” Cassie said as she glared into the darkening lens. “It’s already too late for you. For your rule. For your kingdom. We’re coming for you. You will die. Your city will burn. The abominations filling your dungeons and slaughter houses will be put down, and that woman over there will personally ransack your labs.” As she spoke Cassie leaned to one side, exposing the creature’s view to Willow, and pointed one finger at the redhead. “She will make sure no one ever finds any trace of your research. Your life’s work will be undone. Your city will become the Witch King’s new trade outpost. You’ll be noted as a minor mercenary that fell in the early years of the Witch King’s expansion and forgotten immediately afterward. No historian will even bother to write down your name. Your whole life is for nothing.”
As she spoke Cassie reached down, resting her hand on the tubes leading into the dying creature’s headgear from the small metal box still in Vi’s hand. “Just thought you should know beforehand.” Cassie said with a smile. “You don’t seem like the type who’s smart enough to see it coming.” As she finished her speech the blonde gripped the cable tightly and yanked it free from the bronze orb. The creature let out a deafening screech before falling to the ground, motionless.
********************
“Damn it!” The General shouted as his clawed hands nearly crushed the radio relay device he peered into. The audacity of the young seer mocking the Mad Queen was bad enough. The fact that he knew the message would be received by his ruler only served to worsen his mood.
Before He could thrash and rage further a light on the side of the transmitter came on. The darkened screen that once showed Cassie looming over the dying beast now held a much more imposing visage.
“Forrest!” Maggie Walsh screeched at her general. “Did you hear what that little bitch said to me?”
“Yes my Queen.” Forrest said. There was no possibility he could even conceive of lying to the woman who transformed him into what he had become.
“How dare she?” Maggie Walsh went on in an outraged huff.
“Shell I go in there and remove her spine this night my Queen?” Forrest asked. Had she given the order he had no doubt that he would do everything in his power to comply.
“No.” Walsh said as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. “No. Come back to base. I’ll need you for the next mission.”
“What of the mercenary my Queen?” Forrest had to ask. He knew the white haired man had been complicit in their failure somehow. If only he could think more clearly.
“Forget that incompetent wretch for now.” The Mad Queen said before looking back up at her second general. “Just get back here on the double.”
“At once my Queen.” Forrest snapped to attention before standing up and sprinting in the direction of the Mad Queen’s city. In his haste he dropped the transmitter to the floor of the small clearing where he had awaited the strike team.
The face in the device sighed once more before shaking her head. “So… Alright. Fine.” Maggie Walsh muttered to herself as she powered down her own transmitter. “She wants a fight we’ll give her one. Won’t we Riley?”
The prone being continued to lie motionless on the workbench before her. Her greatest creation had perhaps the most egregious augmentations while somehow turning out the least deformed of any of Maggie’s soldiers. Not a single scar or stitch marred his face.
“I’ve worked too long. Too long, to let some little bitch and her petty tyrant threaten this project. Threaten me. The Witch King has no idea who he’s dealing with. Once he’s gone the empaths will beg to follow me. They’ll come around. It’s for the greater good. They’ll see that.” The Mad Queen picked up a surgical saw from the tray table beside her main workbench. As she loomed over her third general she continued to mutter to herself. “And if they don’t, well, first things first. Remove the complication, and when they least expect it… Break them down.”
********************
“So we’re gonna sing the song right?” Medievalpool’s voice came in over the comm. link as Cable tried to sneak through the upper levels of the library. The rare records he could actually find told him Lady Willow kept her secret research notes under lock and key in the depths of her lab. Fortunately primitive scientific discoveries were of no concern to him. What he sought was a far more elusive artifact. One he hoped could bring about great change in the future.
“Why do you always have to make these jobs weird?” Cable asked as he shook his head.
“Come on.” Medievalpool whined. “It’s our song. Our song! Nate. Nate Dawg. It’s our song.”
“Alright, fine.” The older mercenary muttered as he resigned himself to his fate. At the very least the distraction would make the search more entertaining. “We’ll sing our song.” Cable brought his metal forearm up so the inside of his wrist could be easily reached. He rubbed a small circle on the silvery surface with his free hand. The soft blue glow of a holographic display screen flickered into existence in the air before him. “Graymalkin, bring up my music files please. Play the instrumental track for Closer.”
Two quick beeps signaled that the command was recognized. A moment passed before the opening beat of the song poured out of the holographic display. Notes filled the air and Cable took a deep breath before letting out his surprisingly lyrical voice.
Hey, I was doing just fine before I met you
I drink too much and that's an issue
But I'm OK
Hey, you tell your friends it was nice to meet them
But I hope I never see them again
I know it breaks your heart
Moved to the city in a broke-down car
And four years, no calls
Now you're looking pretty in a hotel bar
And I, I, I, I, I can't stop
No, I, I, I, I, I can't stopAs they approached the chorus Medievalpool joined in. Cable couldn’t help but smile at the more humorous quirks his friend possessed.
So, baby, pull me closer
In the back seat of your Rover
That I know you can't afford
Bite that tattoo on your shoulder
Pull the sheets right off the corner
Of that mattress that you stole
From your roommate back in Boulder
We ain't ever getting older
We ain't ever getting older
We ain't ever getting olderCable stopped singing as he rounded one of the larger bookshelves tucked along the back wall of the library’s top floor. He all but cheered in triumph as he saw the artifact he sought for the first time. Hundreds of copies of one leather bound tome filled the shelves tucked away in this back corner of the stacks. With reverence and a shaky hand Cable picked up one of the fabled books. Just as he silently read the cover his friend belted out the words to their song in his abrasive off key voice.
“You look as good as the day I met you, I forget just why I left you, I was insane!” Medievalpool hollered over the comm. link. Cable smiled, both at his odd friend’s joy and the prize he clutched with reverence. “Stay and play that Blink-182 song that we beat to death in Tucson, OK!”
“I know it breaks your heart! Moved to the city in a broke-down car!” Medievalpool practically yodeled as he mangled the song. “Four years, no call! Now I'm looking pretty in a hotel bar, and I, aye, aye, aye, I can't stop! No, I, aye, aye, aye, I can't stop!”
“So, baby, pull me closer in the back seat of your Rover that I know you can't afford! Bite that tattoo on your shoulder, pull the sheets right off the corner of that mattress that you stole from your roommate back in Boulder! We ain't never getting older!” By the end of the chorus Medievalpool’s lines were nearly shouted out.
“Wade this is a stealth mission.” Cable said over the comm. as he tucked the tome under one arm and turned to flee the library. He knew the Mad Queen’s soldiers wouldn’t offer the Slayers much in the way of resistance. It was just too bad that the General hadn’t fallen for the trap.
“We ain't ever getting older, we ain't ever getting older!” Medievalpool chortled as the sounds of metal clashing against metal filtered in over the comm. link.
“Wade? Are you fighting someone?” Cable asked in a panic as he raced to the lower floors of the library of the library and ran out, towards the nearest of the large spiral staircases that led to the base of the Citadel tower.
“Slayers found me Nate.” Medievalpool cried out as more clashing sounds erupted in Cable’s ear. The madman was caught in a sword fight with some of the deadliest creatures in history and Cable had no idea where in the sprawling Citadel to find them. “Just keep singing with me! It tilts them like you would not believe!” Cable had no choice but to lend his voice to his friend’s fight.
So, baby, pull me closer
In the back seat of your Rover
That I know you can't afford
Bite that tattoo on your shoulder
Pull the sheets right off the corner
Of that mattress that you stole
From your roommate back in Boulder
We ain't ever getting older
We ain't ever getting older
No, we ain't ever getting older
We ain't ever getting older
No, we ain't ever getting olderCable sang his heart out as he sped through the Citadel. Had he relied more on his earliest training he would have remembered just how much of a target that made him.
“No you ain’t getting older asshole!” Faith shouted as she brought her blades down on Cable.
The old mercenary brought his metal arm up just in time to block both blades. A swift knee to the gut sent the world’s second greatest Slayer sprawling across corridor. Cable would have been proud of himself for holding off such a powerful Slayer if not for the dire circumstances.
“Oh you are so dead.” A voice he hadn’t ever expected to hear cut through Cable’s focus. He turned to see the petite blonde standing at the end of the corridor. She raised the legendary Scythe and for an instant Cable almost panicked.
“Hi Buffy.” Cable said just as the greatest Slayer in history took her first step towards him. “I see you’ve already found the Scythe. I knew the history books got that part wrong.”
“And just what do you know about my Scythe?” Buffy asked as she halted her advance.
“I spent over a decade of my life searching for it.” Cable admitted. “Once I gave it to your latest successor She saved my tribe. It really is an honor to meet you in your prime like this. Fray is never going to believe it.”
“What the hell is any of that supposed to mean?” Buffy shouted as she took a few more steps forward. As the Slayer advanced she noticed the book still clutched under Cable’s arm. “What did you take from the Library?”
“Something that will save countless thousands of lives.” Cable replied as he slowly began to step back from the Slayer. “But that can’t happen if I let you stop me right now. I really didn’t want it to come to this.” The mercenary slowly let his metal arm reach for one of the pouches at his belt. He didn’t want to cause permanent injury to the legend herself. But he knew holding back against such a threat would cost him his life. Thankfully their fight was sidetracked by a young girl’s voice.
“Everybody stop!” Cassie shouted. Buffy and Cable looked up to find the young seer standing at the end of the hall, blocking off cable’s escape. An instant later Cassie was joined by the Witch King and a dozen more Slayers. The old mercenary had no chance of reaching his friend now. “No body move!” Cassie ordered as she took a step towards Cable.
“Cassie don’t!” Buffy shouted as she watched the girl move. “He’s dangerous!”
“Not now Buffy.” Cassie said as she stopped several paces from Cable. The old mercenary looked down at the girl and couldn’t help but fail to choke back a sob building in his throat. This was not part of his plan. He never wanted their first meeting to be anything like this.
Cassie glared at the man for a long moment. Silence filled the hall as the Witch King and many of the Slayers facing Cable noticed tears building in his eyes. With a firm tone the young seer spoke to the intruder. “Nathan Dayspring Askani’Son Summers! You come over here and give your mother a hug right now!”
Eyes all around the hall widened in shock as Cable crumbled under Cassie’s scrutiny. The overly muscular man was all too quick to rush towards the girl and fall to his knees before her. He wrapped both is arms around her back and buried his face in her shoulder as his tears finally broke free.
“Oh Goddess Mom.” Cable sobbed as Cassie hugged him right back. “I’m so sorry. I, I didn’t want to meet like this.”
“It’s okay Baby.” Cassie murmured in his ear as one hand came up to rub his short white buzz cut. “It’s okay. You didn’t get anyone killed. You probably saved a few lives by having them fight us on our terms.”
“Wait.” Willow said as she and Dawn came around the corner. “What’s going on? Is he the one that tripped the alarm wards in the tunnel?”
“He did.” Cassie said as she continued to hold the sobbing mercenary. “Even if I didn’t see the attack coming he would have given us plenty of warning. We might have lost a few chairs and tables but those freaks would have been caught just as easily.”
“What’s going on?” Buffy demanded. “Cassie who is this guy?”
“Dawn.” Cassie called to her girlfriend as she ignored the Slayer. “Come say hi.”
“Cass? Babe?” Dawn was shocked as she stepped towards her girlfriend and the strange intruder. “What’s going on?”
“This is the big secret I couldn’t tell you earlier.” Cassie admitted as she turned slightly to face her girlfriend. “This is what will change everything for us.”
“Who is he?” Dawn asked as she finally met Cable’s eyes.
“Say hello to our son. Nathan Summers.” Cassie said yet again as the bottom fell out of Dawn’s world.
“Our son?” Dawn whispered in shock. “Our, we can’t have a son. We haven’t even, and we’re both girls. How would we ever… Who is this?”
“I knew I should have held this meeting off longer.” Cable whispered to himself as he took in Dawn’s reaction. “I’m so sorry Mom.”
“Stop apologizing Nathan.” Cassie ordered before turning back to face Dawn fully. “He’s our son Dawn. You need to accept that this is just another weird thing about our lives and give him a hug.” Dawn blinked in confusion as she stared back and forth between her girlfriend and the stranger. “Now!” Cassie snapped.
“Okay.” Dawn replied as she stepped up to the kneeling mercenary. “Hi.”
“Hi Mom.” Cable said as he and Dawn awkwardly hugged. “I’m sorry. I had this big dumb plan for the first time we were going to meet. I just, Goddess I didn’t expect to cry this much.”
“It’s okay Baby.” Cassie assured him. You’re our son and we love you. It’s just going to take Dawn a few hours for that fact to sink in. You probably get that from her and her sister. The Summers side of our family is full of stubborn people.”
“The stories did say “The Slayer” was a real hard head.” Cable admitted with a chuckle as he choked back another sob.
“Hey!” Buffy and Dawn both protested in perfect synchronicity.
Faith laughed as she came to stand beside Buffy. “Guy’s got a point B.” She then turned to the two younger girls with a confused look that was shared by everyone else around. “But seriously though, what’s the deal with you kids being this old guy’s Moms? How does that work?”
“Time travel.” Cable and Cassie said at the same time.
“No way!” Willow cried out in excitement. “So you’re saying you’re from the future. How far?”
“A few thousand years miss…” Cable paused for a moment as he looked to the redhead beside the Witch King. “I’m sorry who are you?”
“That’s Willow.” Cassie said as she waved in the direction of her slack jawed friends.
“Oh okay. One of the Witch King’s wives. That makes sense.” Cable nodded in understanding.
“Wives?” Willow shouted in outrage at even the notion that she would have to share Tara with any other woman. “As in plural? Tara isn’t getting any other wives! Not while I’m around darn it! Right Baby?”
“What? No! Willow is my everything!” Tara shouted as she quickly removed her helmet. “Of course it’s just you Sweetie! There’s no one but you. After everything we’ve been through how could I even look at someone else? You’re it for me.”
“Promise?” Willow asked in a mildly placated pout.
“Always!” Tara swore as she pulled Willow to her side.
It was a long moment before anyone realized that Nathan was staring at Tara with his jaw hanging open. “The Witch King is a woman.” He let out in a hushed whisper. “It all makes sense now. Boy the polygamist are going to hate this.”
“The what now?” Dawn asked. “Why would you think Tara had multiple wives?”
“The historical records that remain of this time in my future are spotty on most details.” Cable explained as Tara pulled Willow into a deep unquestioning kiss. “Everyone knows there was a figure named the Witch King. His empire rapidly spread across this land, bringing the light of knowledge and progress to the hordes of primitive savages.”
“Hey now!” Buffy protested again as Faith put an arm around her waist.
“I don’t think your time jockey nephew is a fan of our century B.” The brunette muttered in her girl’s ear.
“I’m just quoting what the records say.” Nathan said before turning back to his parents. “The Kingdom of the Witch King spread across the land. It stood for over a thousand years as a beacon of all that mankind is capable of achieving. When it fell it was centuries before civilization was able to rebuild and recover even half of what was lost. And at the heart of every myth and legend about the enigmatic Witch King there are his two wives. Lady Willow and Lady Tara. The smartest woman in recorded history and the wisest woman in recorded history. There are even a few skeptics who say the only reason he was called the Witch King is because he managed to take two politically powerful women as his brides. Even with all the troubles we face in my time many people refuse to accept that magic is a thing. Better the historical messiah be some sex crazed polygamist than a wizard or sorcerer.”
“I still don’t get it.” Buffy protested as her apparent nephew’s story veered off course. “How are you Dawn and Cassie’s kid? How did you get sent so far into the future to begin with?”
“The story I heard is kinda hazy.” Nathan admitted. “I’m not sure how much is secondhand hearsay.”
“Many years from now, on the day I give birth to you, there will be an attack.” Cassie said in a firm tone that drew everyone’s attention. “They’ll curse you with a plague that we have no hope of curing. I’m sorry Nathan. There won’t be any other way.”
“What other way?” Dawn asked as she suddenly grew more concerned for the son she hadn’t even thought of conceiving yet. “What’s going to happen?”
“You send me to the future Mom.” Nathan said as he and Dawn locked eyes once more. “Where I can survive. You give me up so that I have a chance at life.”
“But, that’s not fair.” Dawn tried to hold back fresh tears as she realized how much she was going to lose. “We can’t just send you off. Alone! We have to stop them from hurting you.”
“Right!” Buffy said as she looked back and forth between her sister, Cassie and her new, old nephew. “We have enough Slayers here to put anything in the ground. Who ever comes after you will just have to be slain long before you’re born.”
“It’s not that simple Buffy.” Cassie said in a forlorn tone. “Some things have to happen. No matter how much they hurt.”
“Mom is right Buffy.” Nathan said as he stood up for the first time in several minutes. “It sucks that I never got the chance to grow up with my family, but I survived. I was taken in by the Askani. I married. I have a life I wouldn’t give up for anything. My job in the future is too important to chase a past I can’t have.”
“Then why are you here?” Buffy all but shouted at the man she had come so close to slaying. “Why come back at all if you’re just going to leave again?”
“She has a point.” Joyce said as she and Giles came into the hall. “If everything Cassie says is true coming back here had to have been difficult.”
“It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life.” Nathan admitted as he ran a thumb over the spine of the book still clutched in his organic steel hand. “But the rewards are beyond worth any risks.”
“What are you doing with one of the Slayer handbooks?” Willow asked as she and Tara realized what he was holding.
“I hope you don’t mind.” Nathan said as he held up the large leather bound tome with the word Slayer embossed across the cover. “Everything else in the great library of the Witch King survives. Except this. For some reason all copies of the Slayer Manual disappeared a few centuries ago. Right around the same time as the last Slayers.”
“There aren’t Slayers in the future?” Buffy asked as she stared at the newly serious man.
“There’s one.” Nathan admitted. “The first in over five hundred years. The wielder of the Scythe you’re holding. I think you guys would like her. Now that I’ve met you both it’s clear that there’s so much of Buffy in Melaka Fray that the poor kid never had a chance to be anything other than a hero.”
“You’re her watcher aren’t you?” Giles said as he pieced together just what the man was hinting at.
“Got it in one Mister…?” Nathan began before looking to his mothers.
“Giles.” Dawn said. “He’s kind of engaged to my mom.”
“Rupert Giles.?” Nathan said as he looked back at the watcher. “The only watcher to survive the purge? The man who rebuilt the council to serve the Slayers that emerged from the chaos of this era.”
“Oh actually that was us.” Willow chimed in only to cringe as Nathan’s head spun around to face her. “The multiple Slayers thing. We unlocked their potential.”
“Of course.” Nathan said with a slight chuckle in his voice. “Of course that was you guys again. Should have guessed the Witch King and his... sorry, her wife did that.”
“You’re taking the book to your Slayer aren’t you?” Tara asked as she finally relaxed. She could tell by Nathan’s aura that everything he said was true. There was no deception coming from him or from Cassie.
“I’ve been getting by with her training as best I could.” Nathan admitted with some reluctance. “Duty to the family and all that. But to have one of these books in my hand after searching the whole world over for nonexistent copies… I can’t tell you how much this means to my time. Oh, speaking of my time.” He turned back to Dawn and Cassie with a playful smirk in his eyes. “Mom, Mom, would you like to meet your grandson?”
“Grandson?” Dawn shouted as Faith started to cackle and snort at Buffy’s side.
“Yes!” Cassie cried out as she practically bounced off the floor.
“Graymalkin!” Nathan said as he pulled up his metal arm and spoke into his wrist. “Give me a holofeed of home base.” Light poured from the palm of Nathan’s silvery hand. Before the eyes of everyone assembled a young man around Buffy’s age appeared in the hallway. He had short blond hair and wore a tight navy blue jumpsuit much like the one his father was wearing. He stood next to what looked like the edge of a table as he picked up various tools, strapping them to the tactical harness he wore.
“Graymalkin!” The young man called out as he readied himself for battle. “Bring up a real time holofeed of the outer perimeter. I don’t care what my father and Fray said about prophetic dreams or that the son of a bitch is her twin brother. If Harth comes for us again I’m dusting him myself!”
“Tyler.” Nathan called the boy’s attention. Tyler’s head shot up as he spun around looking for his father.
“Graymalkin, put up a projection of my Dad’s location.” Tyler snapped at the super computer. “Dad!” He cried out as the hologram of Nathan formed in what was essentially their living room. “You’re still in the distant past. What’s going on?”
“That’s a real time, two way communications channel between two distant points in the time space continuum.” Willow whispered as she tried to wrap her head around how advanced Nathan’s technology was. “That’s unbelievable! Do you guys know how impossible it is to pull off this thing we’re looking at right now?”
“Dawn’s grandson is as old as I am.” Buffy muttered to herself. “This time travel stuff is giving me a headache.”
“Tyler.” Nathan spoke again amidst the stunned mutterings of his mothers’ friends and family. “I want you to meet the family.”
“You didn’t!” Tyler said in disbelief. “After all the lectures you’ve given me about messing with timelines and destiny.”
“The mission went sideways.” Nathan admitted as he rubbed the back of his head with his normal hand. “But we’ve hashed out the main points. Say hello to both of your grandmothers.”
“Hi.” Cassie said as Dawn stared at the image of the young man. She smiled as she recognized something in Tyler that she truly adored. “Babe he has your eyes.”
“Hi.” Tyler said as he turned slightly to look at the two girls. “Okay wow. This, this is weird.”
“Tell me about it.” Dawn said as she finally wiped the stunned look off her face. “So Tyler… Read any good books lately?”
“We don’t have books in the future.” Tyler deadpanned. “We have these giant spikes that we jam into the base of our skulls so we can download dick and fart jokes from the collective’s municipal hive mind.”
“What?” Dawn shouted as Nathan just shook his head.
“Son, please don’t tell them jokes like that.” Nathan said as he squeezed the bridge of his nose. “They have no frame of reference for our era or technology.”
“Oh come on Dad.” Tyler protested with a laugh. “It was funny.”
“You’ve been spending too much time talking to Wade.” Nathan told his son.
“He’s your friend Dad.” Tyler replied as he too shook his head in annoyance. “So you met Grams and Gammy. How about Auntie Buffy, Auntie Faith and Great Gam Gam?”
“They’re all here too.” Nathan said as Buffy and Joyce came closer to the hologram of the young man. Giles was close behind. “You’ll never guess who your great grandmother is seeing.”
“Great Aunt Buffy’s watcher?” Tyler threw out a guess in a mildly disinterested tone.
“How’d you know?” Nathan asked.
“What for real?” Tyler suddenly looked up in horror. “Damn, that means I owe Fray fifty credits and a new spoiler for her hover bike.” Before he could say anything else a siren went off and the wall behind Tyler lit up. Those watching through the hologram were shocked to see several bright red dots circling an image of an outer fence with strange turrets lining the top of every other post. “Damn it. We got another couple lurks sniffing at the outer perimeter. Dad I have to take care of this.”
“Be safe Son.” Nathan said as he locked eyes with the image of his boy.
“You too.” Tyler quipped back. “I’m not the one cavorting around the dark ages with a madman who won’t stop talking about pop culture references only he gets.”
“Wade isn’t that bad.” Nathan defended the madman.
“Yeah, he is.” Tyler replied before looking to his grandmothers one last time. “It was good to meet both of you. Maybe next time won’t be such a mess on one of our ends.”
“I hope so Tyler.” Cassie said as she kissed he fingers and blew on them in his direction. The young man’s hand flew up to eye level, catching the kiss in mid air. He looked stunned at the automatic gesture before looking back to Cassie.
“How did you know Mom used to do that?” Cassie’s grandson asked in genuine wonder.
“Your Grams has a few tricks up her sleeve.” Cassie said before looking to Dawn. “Or am I Gammy?”
“You can be whatever you want to be Babe.” Dawn replied as she finally found her runaway train of thought. “Be safe Tyler. Don’t let the… lurks? Don’t let those things do whatever they do.”
“Wouldn’t be much of a member of the fabled Summers family if I let those bloodsuckers get the best of me.” Tyler said with a smirk before waving and turning to the display on the far wall.
“Vampires.” Buffy whispered as the hologram faded away.
“Yeah, we have a few tricky ones causing trouble in our time.” Nathan admitted as a strange sound echoed down the corridor. Loud, off key singing followed by rapid footsteps filled the air.
“We ain't ever getting older. We ain't ever getting older. No, we ain't ever getting older.” Medievalpool screeched as he came up behind Buffy, Faith, Joyce and Giles. “We ain't ever getting older. No, we ain't… Oh, hey you guys! Nate we gotta go man. I think I really pissed them off this time.”
“I just can’t take you anywhere can I Wade?” Nathan said as he shook his head in exasperation. “Things went a little off book here.”
“Yeah I really expected the Slayers to take less time catching up with… wait… You told them didn’t you.” Medievalpool said as he took in the furious glares from most of the young women standing around him.
“They know I’m their son from the future, yes.” Nathan admitted just as Alonna, Vi, Molly and Rona came running down the hall with Gunn and Xander in hot pursuit.
“So, are we not fighting anymore? Did you get yelled at by your jailbait mom for all this dumb cloak and dagger stuff?” The masked man asked his friend.
“I may have used his full name.” Cassie admitted.
“Ooh Nate. Your mom used your full name in front of all the neighbors. Damn but you must have messed up good and proper this time.” He turned back to the group of Slayers that had chased him and put his hands up. “Great hustle ladies! Red, keep that guard up. English girl, don’t lead with your chin next time. Soul Sisters, you both got that mad skill goin’ on. No notes for you.”
“I’m going to rip out your spine you son of a bitch!” Alonna shouted just as Faith grabbed a hold of her arms. “Let me kill him damn it!”
“I think she’s taking this a little personally.” Medievalpool stage whispered to Cable. “You stole their fancy schmancy how to guide right? Why you didn’t tell me to grab one last time I’ll never know.”
“They would have noticed the book in your hands as you fought your way out.” Nathan said as he walked over to his friend. “And I didn’t want your hands full when you took out all those other teams that thought they hired you.”
“That was your idea?” Buffy shouted as she fought the urge to deck her nephew. “Dawn could have been killed by this psycho!”
“Oh please, like I would ever let anything get to the handsy little brunette over there.” Medievalpool snapped back at the outraged Slayer. “Little Sis is safe with me. We tight like that.”
“How can we possibly believe that after what you did?” Tara asked the masked mercenary.
“You kidnapped her!” Faith added with a sneer.
“I was trying to teach her an important life lesson about not pressuring her girlfriend into premarital relations.” Medievalpool quipped, only to receive stunned looks from the girls and a strangled gasp from Dawn. “Don’t have kinky barn sex with your underage girly girl or else a costumed weirdo might appear and carry you off into the night. It’s an important life lesson. A lesson I say! Why else would it be in the ten commandments?”
“I don’t think that’s one of them Wade.” Cable whispered over his shoulder.
“Well it’s in the bible somewhere!” The mercenary retorted. “Besides, those two kids are safer with me than they are with anyone other than you guys.”
“What makes you think that psycho?” Faith snapped.
“They’re the moms of my very bestest best friend in the whole wide world.” Medievalpool said. “My best friend who they haven’t even gotten around to making yet by getting all horizontal with each other. You better believe that I ain’t letting any harm come to those kids. Not until the little blonde over there splorches out my friend over here.”
“Wade!” Cable shouted at his friend. “Stop talking about my mothers like that.”
“Oh like you don’t know where babies come from you big dumb time travelling weirdo.” Medievalpool replied with a bark of laughter.
“Yeah but still.” Cable grumbled.
“But nothing.” He shot back before a giggle escaped his mouth. “I said butt.”
“Yes you did Wade.” Nathan sighed before taking one more look at his parents. “I really wish we could stay.”
“I do too.” Cassie agreed as Dawn felt a sob build in the back of her throat.
“I love you guys, never doubt that.” Nathan told his mothers before turning to his aunt and grandmother. “Buffy, don’t ever blame yourself for what needs to happen to me. I’m in a great place in my life and I’d never have gotten there without all the hardship that happened along the way. Grandma, you raised two great women. Sorry you didn’t get to help raise me, but don’t lose any sleep over it. You deserve to be happy.” He glanced over to Faith and Giles for a moment as a sly smirk spread across his face. “Take care of these two. If they’re as bad as me they’ll be a nightmare at times, but my wife always said I was worth it.”
“Way ahead of ya future boy.” Faith waved off Nathan’s concern with a smirk of her own. Giles simply nodded his head in agreement as he held back a slight smile.
“So we’re just letting them go?” Vi asked as several of the Slayers standing behind Tara and Willow shook their heads to warn her off.
“Ha! Like you had a chance of keeping all this deliciousness locked up for your kinky little self.” Medievalpool laughed at the very notion of being caught again. “Smell ya later y’all! Bodyslide by two!”
“Damn it Wade I was going to…” Nathan’s words were cut short as the two mercenaries vanished in a pillar of blinding light.
“What the hell just happened?” Alonna growled at Faith as she finally calmed down.
“Our son has a penchant for the dramatic.” Cassie told the bewildered and agitated Slayer. She turned to her girlfriend with a coy smile before whispering in the brunette’s ear. “I wonder where he got that from?”
“Oh like I’m the drama queen in this relationship.” Dawn huffed as she glared back at Cassie. “Little Miss I Know Everyone’s Future But I’m Not Going Say Anything Until I Can Turn It Into Some Big Dumb Production Number!”
“Fair enough.” Cassie said as she pretended to be suitably chastised. “Does this mean I’m gonna have to talk you into conceiving our son a few years from now?”
“A little groveling wouldn’t hurt.” Dawn replied as she fought the urge to wrap her arms around her girlfriend.
“Noted.” Cassie said just as Gunn and Xander’s idle speculation drew their attention.
“But how do they… I mean they’re both… You know.” Xander whispered as Gunn looked on, equally confused by what had just happened.
“There’s plenty of ways for two women to conceive a child.” Cassie said before waving one hand in Willow and Tara’s direction. “Just ask those two.”
Willow looked to Tara with a curious but neutral expression. “She’s not wrong.”
Tara only smirked as she patted Willow’s arm that was intertwined with her own. “One day Sweetie. One day.”
********************
“Okay but seriously.” Nathan said as he stomped into the cabin in the woods. “No more fighting with the Slayers. Now that they know we’re on the same side there’s no reason to pick fights with the people defending my mothers.”
“There’s always a reason Nate.” Wade said as he followed close behind his best friend. “Is the occasional sparing session going to keep those junior Slayers on their toes? Yes. Is it my duty to give them that opportunity each and every time I break into that giant fortress? Definitely. Does the prospect of all out, balls to the walls, close quarters, hand to hand combat get me sexually excited? Most assuredly. Am I going to chase that dragon in the near future? You bet your sweet finely chiseled ass I am.”
“I’m beginning to regret introducing you to my folks.” Nathan muttered to himself.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m an embarrassing disappointment. Big whoop. Wanna fight about it?” Wade grumbled as he slouched into one of his cushioned lounge chairs.
“You’re not a disappointment Wade.” Nathan said as he looked to his friend for the first time in several minutes. “Far from it.”
“Yeah, fine, whatever.” Wade continued to ignore Nathan’s concerned gaze. “I gotta go refill my health potions. There’s food and beer in the fridge. If you’re heading “back to the future,” wink, wink, nudge, nudge lock the door on your way out.”
The masked madman pulled himself back to his feet and began to trudge towards the concealed hatch in the middle of his kitchen floor. Along the way Nathan halted his movement by lightly grasping his arm.
“You were never a disappointment Wade.” Nathan promised. “Never. You’re the only person I know I can trust in this time.”
“What about your family?” Wade asked as he took a moment to look his friend in the eye.
“I love them.” Nathan said before going on with the sad fact of his life. “But there are some things I need to do here that they wouldn’t understand. If my mother has the same gifts I do then she knows I held things back. I don’t want them to know how far I’m willing to go to do what needs to be done.”
“Like they haven’t killed to protect their own.” Wade scoffed at his friend’s obsessive light touch when it came to the Witch King’s inner circle. “Half of them are Slayers. Also the little blonde’s gift is stronger than yours will ever be. By a lot.”
“A Slayer isn’t a killer.” Nathan countered as he failed to grasp how Wade knew both his and his mother’s limits.
“These ones are.” Wade assured his friend. “Each and every one of them. This side story is named after the dark ages for a reason Nate.”
“There you go again.” Nathan said as he looked to his friend with concern. “This isn’t a story Wade. It may be one of countless alternate dimensions and timelines in the multiverse but it’s as real as they come.”
Wade looked to his friend with sadness and resignation. He put on a forced smile and nodded along with the lie everyone else accepted. With a heavy heart he went along with the grand deception Nathan and all the rest put so much faith in.
“It was good seeing you again Nate. We should do this again soon.”
“We will Wade.” Nathan promised. “Just not tonight. I have to make sure Tyler and Fray are safe. I’ll be back before you know it.”
With that halfhearted promise Nathan stepped back from Wade and brought his hand up to his metal arm. His fingers trailed along one line of organic steel muscle before a soft hum filled the air. In an instant the mercenary from the future was gone and the mercenary from the present was standing alone in a cabin furnished with all the amenities his friend had brought back from that distant era.
“Not a word from you.” Medievalpool whispered to the voices clawing at the back of his mind. “Not a single fucking word.”