The Slayer Wars:Absolute Truth Ch. 14-17

Chapter Fourteen

“Well, you’ve had an eventful week,” Giles finally said after Buffy and Xander relayed their recent events.

“What about you?” Willow asked eagerly. “What was so important about your mysterious, sudden road trip?”

“Well,” Giles began, “I had to dig up some sources–quite literally, actually– about these rogue Slayers and how to defeat them. It seems Buffy was right in that merely fighting the girls won’t solve the bigger problem.”

“Yay me!” Buffy cheered.

“But,” he continued, “something has to be done.”

“We said that before, Giles,” Xander reminded him. “And we all ended up not speaking for a week.”

“Yes, well,” Giles cleared his throat, “be that as it may, I believe I may have found a solution.” He paused and looked meaningfully at the group.

“Spit it out already!” Dawn blurted out.

“Buffy, do you remember the rogue Slayers I told you about before? The German girls during the war?” Giles asked. Buffy nodded.

“What German girls?” Willow asked.

“It’s a long story,” Giles answered. “It’s quite involved and–“

”A Nazi Slayer and her wanna-be gal pals went rogue and tried to hold the world for ransom during World War II,” Buffy stated simply.

“...and apparently quite easy to summarize,” Giles finished. Spike shifted uncomfortably in the corner.

Buffy was back to business. “What about them, Giles? Is there a connection?”

“Well, after I recounted that story to you, I stopped and thought about the similarities between those girls and our rogue Slayers today. So I did some research, contacted some witnesses and former Council members, and it seems that these rogue Slayers are getting their power from the same place,” Giles’ tone darkened. “The First.”

A fearful silence fell on the group. “But I thought the First was scrunched,” Dawn said slowly.

“The First can never be ‘scrunched,’ Dawnie,” Buffy said. “I knew that going in. We defeated the Bringers and the Turak-Hans, and shut down the Hell mouth, but the First can never be truly destroyed. It will exist as long as the world exists and it can give power to whoever it chooses.”

“And it chose to give power to Slayers?” Xander asked. “Forgive me if I don’t follow the evil logic here, but why would the First give power to it’s enemy?”

“That’s the point,” Giles said. “The First didn’t seek these girls out to give them power. They sought it out. And according to my sources, that fact alone – that these rogue Slayers made a conscious decision to accept power from the First – makes them all the more powerful.”

“...just like Caleb...” Buffy murmured.

“Unfortunately, yes,” Giles replied. No one said anything, but each one wondered how they would be able to defeat a horde of girls with Caleb’s strength, when even Buffy had difficulty destroying Caleb by himself. Buffy’s expression was set with worry.

Spike suddenly stepped forward. “So when do we fight?”

His question jerked them out of their dark thoughts, and they stared at him as if he had lost his mind.

“When’s the big rumble gonna go down?” he repeated his question.

“Spike,” Xander sighed exasperated. “We can’t just go charging in against an army of super-charged evil Slayers without a plan... or lots and lots of weapons.”

Giles spoke and brought out a thick stack of papers. “Actually, you’re both right. There will be a ‘rumble’ and I think I have a plan.”

Giles’ words broke through their earlier fears, and the gang visibly perked up. He knew he had their full attention. “This is fairly complicated, so listen carefully. Because these girls chose the First’s power, they can also essentially ‘unchoose’ it, or reject it. But they must be convinced via a spell.”

“Isn’t that like magically brainwashing them?” Dawn asked.

“No, not at all,” Giles answered. “This spell,” he held up the papers in his hand, “is in essence a cosmically powerful truth spell called the Alpha Veritatum, or ‘first truth.’”

“I’ve heard of that spell,” Willow said. “It’s said to be far too powerful to use on one person, so supposedly no one has ever used it. It was supposed to use a combination of elements to reveal the truth to the affected group of people... like if a ruler had deceived the people in his land or someone tried mind-control on a large scale.”

“Exactly,” Giles said. “But in our case, we would use it to reveal to the young Slayers the truth of their calling – the true nature of a Slayer, as well as the results of their actions. Once they see the truth, I believe most will reject the First’s power and abandon their present course of action, choosing ultimately to fight for good.”

“Three cheers for your optimism, Rupert,” Spike said hastily, “but you said most. What about the rest of them – the ones who don’t fancy giving back all that power?”

“According to the spell, those who choose to accept the truth will be ‘cleansed’ of the First’s evil power, instantly glowing with the power of ‘truth.’ Those who choose to remain aligned with the First will be ‘transformed by the truth into their own true nature,’ whatever that means. I’m still working on the translation. At any rate,” Giles continued sternly, “those remaining Slayers, in whatever state they may be, must be stopped or they will overrun this world.”

“Are we sure this will work?” Buffy asked. “I mean, is this what they did last time?”

“No,” Giles answered. “There’s no record that the Council employed magical means to stop the rogue Slayers before. We still don’t know how they stopped them.”

“This sounds like a good plan, Giles,” Buffy said. “But I can’t help but feel that whatever happened to those girls in Germany is connected somehow. Something or someone was involved back then and that is the key to solving our problem here and now.”

“I’ll keep looking, Buffy,” Giles said. “But I don’t know how successful it will be.”

“Thanks,” Buffy replied gratefully. “Ok, everyone, let’s get to work.”

“Hey, Sargeant Slave-driver,” Dawn said sarcastically to Buffy. “Can we have dinner first? I am no good at ancient translations on an empty stomach.”

“Yeah, my stomach has been growling for a while, and I don’t want Spike to get any ideas,” Xander added.

Buffy glanced at the time and smiled apologetically. “Sorry, go ahead. I’ll be down in a sec.”

The gang filed quickly out of the room, anxious to eat a hearty meal before settling into heavy research mode for the night. Buffy sat down at the table, concentrating intently on the papers Giles had presented. Suddenly, she looked up.

“I can feel you, ya know,” she said. “I am the Slayer.”

Spike stepped out of the corner and stood next to her. “Couldn’t help myself, luv. Vampire on the prowl and all that.”

“Well, go prowl somewhere else,” she said half-heartedly. “I’ve got work to do.”

“Studying the mega-truth spell, huh?” he asked, leaning over her shoulder.

“There’s gotta be something in here that connects with the rogue Slayers from World War II. I just have that feeling that we’re missing something,” Buffy said intently.

Spike sighed heavily. “And as usual, your spider-senses are right on the nose,” he mumbled.

“What was that?” Buffy asked.

“Listen, Buffy, there’s something I gotta tell you,” Spike began.

“I hate it when people start sentences like that,” Buffy said, worried.

Spike knelt next to her chair. “You remember that night a few years ago when you asked me to tell you how I killed two Slayers?”

Buffy frowned in thought. “Yeah...”

“Well, I didn’t tell you everything.”

“What do you mean?” Buffy began to get anxious.

“I told you everything about those two Slayers–the Chinese girl and the one in New York–but I left one out,” he looked cautiously up at her.

“You left one out?” Buffy repeated slowly.

Spike took a deep breath. “I didn’t kill two Slayers... I killed three.”

Buffy blinked. “What? When?”

He stood and began to walk as he told the story. “At the start of World War II, I was in London. I was living high off my offing the Chinese Slayer and I didn’t care who knew about it, be they demon or human. Well, the war started and I was on my way to Germany to cash in, so to speak. But before I could leave town, I got picked up by a couple of rough-looking demon hunters and dragged into some dungeon north of town. Chained me up good and proper, and before I knew it, two old codgers in tweed told me they had a business deal for me. They’d let me go to Germany scot-free–plus a wad of cash – if I would off a potential Slayer on my way. I was looking to put another notch in my belt, so I took them up on it. Found her, did the deed, and went on my merry way.”

Buffy stared blankly at him. “What are you saying? The Council hired you to stop the first rogue Slayer? You... killed her? Just for money?”

Spike was irritated. “Yeah, well, I was a different guy back then.”

Buffy stepped back. “I’m not so sure.”

Spike stepped into Buffy’s space and spoke angrily. “You were the one who told me I could be a better man.” His voice softened. “I thought you believed in me.”

“That was before I knew you killed for money,” Buffy shot back. “It’s one thing to blindly follow your demon instincts to kill for food, or to have your mind taken over by an evil super-power... but to kill just for the sake of killing-and to get paid for it?” Buffy looked at him with disgust. “That’s something that I never thought you were capable of, Spike.”

He snorted. “You never really knew me at all, luv.”

She glared at him and spoke menacingly through clenched teeth. “Don’t call me luv.”

“Why the hell not?” Spike chuckled ruefully. “Afraid your pals are going to find out you’ve been warming up to a killer... again? The merry-go-round just keeps a-turnin’...”

Buffy looked up at him. “You’re right. They need to know the truth.”

Spike was surprised, but Buffy continued. “I’m going right now to tell them what you’ve told me. They need to know.”

“Fine then,” Spike replied, trying to sound casual, as Buffy left the room. “I expect I’ll get booted from the Fortress of Solitude, so don’t expect any help from this end when you’ve got to fight these super-chics!” The door slammed as Buffy exited.

Bugger, Spike thought. I’ve just bollocksed things up for the both of us.



Chapter Fifteen

True to her word, Buffy went straight from the library to tell the gang about Spike’s involvement with the first Rogue Slayer. After the initial shock wore off, most were worried about trusting Spike in their upcoming fight.

“I mean, what happens if Kennedy shows up with a wad of cash and says ‘I’ll pay you a gajillion dollars if you get rid of Buffy’?” Xander asked as they gathered in Giles’s office.

“That’s exactly the point, Xander,” Buffy said. “I know you guys were doubtful of me trusting Spike last year, but I thought he had changed.” She paused, “But that was before I knew he killed for money. I mean, he helped us for money just a few years ago – that’s the kind of motivation that just doesn’t change.”

“Can we still trust him?” Dawn asked.

“I don’t know,” Buffy answered simply. “To be honest, my instincts say yes, but my brain tells me to keep something sharp and wooden at all times.”

“I’m with Buffy-brain,” Xander said.

Willow spoke up. “I hate to be the bringer of good news here, but Buffy – besides you, Spike’s the strongest fighter we have. And he does have experience of taking on two-I mean, three Slayers. He might be kind of valuable in our current situation.”

The group paused in thought as the truth of Willow’s words sank in. Buffy finally spoke. “I know. I’ve thought about that. I’m not saying we should boot him out just yet. I really don’t know what to do about Spike’s revelation.” She looked down. “I just thought you guys should know. He’s been an ally... and a–friend,” Buffy looked up cautiously at Giles, “and it’s important that we all make good decisions.”

Giles gave Buffy a small but warm smile. “Thank you for sharing this with us, Buffy,” he said. “It helps us all make good decisions when we work together... and we don’t go galloping half-way around the world on our own to find the solutions.”

Buffy smiled back. “Well,” she sighed, “if we’re all done here, let’s get to work on our Abba Vertebrae spell.”

They worked relentlessly through the night, scouring old texts and manuscripts for all the information they would need to perform the Alpha Veritatum spell. They discovered that it actually was a much earlier form of the essence spell they had used several years ago to combine their essences to help Buffy defeat Adam. Each member of the group - Giles, Willow, Xander and even Dawn - would contribute some essential element to the spell, and Buffy was the “carrier of the truth,” as the spell called it, to the Rogue Slayers.

They decided, albeit silently, that Spike could not contribute to the spell. While his strength and fighting skills might be helpful, the trust factor was still an issue. Giles also remarked that because Spike still was a vampire, his demon nature might pollute the spell and affect its outcome. But even if the Scoobies had wanted to include him, Spike was nowhere to be seen. The moment Buffy had left him in the library, Spike had taken off to the woods. He needed a good, long prowl to clear his head and decide what to do next.

One by one, Buffy’s friends nodded off throughout the library. Dawn was stretched out along a row of stacks on the upper level, snoring softly; Xander and Willow’s heads rested heavily on the long table, and Giles was reclined in a large leather chair near the window, clutching a thick volume to his chest. Buffy looked up from her book and yawned, seeing her sleeping friends. She smiled at their dedication, and thanked whatever higher powers that had sent her such loyal and true friends.

Her thoughts wandered to Spike, and she wondered if she would ever know how true he was. I was wrong about him, she thought. I thought he always spoke the truth, but he doesn’t. When he’s around, he forces me to face up to what I know to be true, but it seems like he hides the truth about himself. And now I don’t know if I can trust him to help us or not.

Perplexed, Buffy looked for an answer. Suddenly, a thought came to her. Spike doesn’t always tell the truth... not even Giles always gives me the truth. I have to find the truth on my own – I have to find my own truth.

Buffy felt proud that she had made such a discovery on her own, but looking around felt sad that no one was awake to share it with. “Yay me,” she said softly, then returned to her book.

After a while, Buffy finally succumbed to her fatigue and rested her head on the table in front of her. She dreamed of random things like shoes and cheesecake and ballerinas, but soon the random images faded away, and Buffy felt herself walking into a dark room. She felt a presence but could not see anything. Buffy tried to speak, but found that her voice did not make a sound. As she stepped forward, a light grew from the center of the room and she saw two men fighting with swords. She stopped suddenly, but squinted to get a better look at the men. She was astonished at what she saw. Fighting fearlessly with long, fast swords, were Giles and Spike.

Forgetting that she couldn’t speak, Buffy tried to call out, but then realized that she didn’t know whose name she would call. As Buffy watched in horror, Spike began a string of offensive moves and was very close to finishing the match with Giles, when the flesh began melting off of Giles’s body. His skin and clothes melted away to reveal Willow standing in his place. Without missing a beat, Spike continued his assault, but Willow fought back, as if she had been a master swordsman all her life.

He’s going to kill her, Buffy thought. She tried to run to Willow’s aid, but her feet were stuck to their spot. Buffy watched, frozen, as Spike and Willow battled. Willow held her own, but after a while, Spike gained the advantage and pressed her further and further back. As he was about to deal the final blow, Willow’s skin began melting away, just as Giles’s had done, and suddenly, Xander was standing where Willow had just been.

Xander attacked furiously and drove Spike back several times. But as before, Spike

quickly recovered and came very close to slicing Xander’s stomach open. Just then, Xander’s body began to melt away and Buffy saw Dawn appear in front of Spike. Buffy tried to yell and run to her sister, but to no avail. Dawn! Buffy screamed in her head. No! Don’t! But it was too late. Dawn was already engaging Spike and to Buffy’s surprise, pursuing him relentlessly.

Buffy cringed every time Dawn’s sword clashed with Spike’s, and while watching their every move, Buffy tried desperately to free herself to help her sister. She watched as Dawn’s sword moved like lightening and drew a long but shallow slice across Spike’s chest. He roared and leaped at her. Dawn screamed and tried to block him, but Spike was too fast and as he moved back, Buffy could see blood streaming down her sister’s side.

Buffy heard another scream and thought at first it was her own, but realized it had come from her sister. As she stared, frozen in horror at her sister’s wound, Buffy’s watched in astonishment as Dawn’s body also melted away to reveal Spike standing in her place. This Spike, however, had the blood of Dawn’s wound dripping down his side. The first Spike smiled devilishly and returned to a fighting stance. The bleeding Spike looked down at Dawn’s wound - his wound - and was visibly furious. He launched himself at his opponent, and the two fought viciously. The two Spikes fought for what Buffy felt like was hours, but neither gained the upper hand.

Abruptly, the two Spikes stopped, picked themselves up, and approached Buffy. Anxious, Buffy again tried to free her frozen feet from the ground, but she was rooted to the spot. Frozen and without any weapons against two Spikes, Buffy’s blood was rushing through her veins.

“Easy there, Slayer,” the second Spike said.

“Slayer’s all hot and bothered,” the first Spike said suggestively.

Buffy tried to spit out an angry reply, but couldn’t.

“Aw, kitty’s been declawed,” the first Spike leered.

A loud voice boomed above them. “Slayer,” it said, “you say that being a slayer is about choices and making good decisions. Here is your opportunity to prove that. You must choose which of these is the true Spike. Your choice determines the outcome of their duel.”

Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around? Buffy thought. I watch how they fight, see who wins, then I tell you if it’s the real Spike or not?

“This is a decision that you and you alone must make,” the voice boomed. “Your influence here is weighty and your decision is vital.”

I don’t even know the real Spike anymore, Buffy thought.

“Yes, you do, luv,” the bleeding Spike answered her.

“Or do you?” the first Spike asked.

Buffy thought over her interations with the Spike who had fallen out of the sky in her bedroom just a few days ago: how relieved she had been at seeing him, a comfortable night’s sleep, his support and encouragement, and his desire to tell her the truth. That was the Spike that she had known before they destroyed the Hell mouth in Sunnydale and that was the Spike that she had known here. But then she remembered what he had told the truth about and it chilled her. She remembered what he and Drusilla had done and how he had killed the Slayers all those years ago. Buffy closed her eyes and shuddered.

But before she reopened her eyes, she felt a weird sensation. As if two breezes, one bitingly cold and one light and warm, were blowing on her at once. The cold air seemed to penetrate the entire right side of her body, while the warm breeze played lightly around her left. As she opened her eyes again, she realized that the cold sensation was emanating from the first Spike, who stood leering at her. She turned to the second Spike, still bleeding, and felt the light, warm air flowing from him. And suddenly she knew.

Buffy opened her mouth to speak, and was suddenly able to do so. “All those years ago.”

The Spikes looked at each other. “Huh?” they both said.

“Spike killed three Slayers and terrorized Europe–all those years ago. He did those things, but that was then. Now,” she paused and looked at the second Spike’s bleeding side, “he’s a different man... a good man... who helps and tries and fights – which, he reminded me, is my job too.” She found that she could step forward, and Buffy placed a hard right hook on the first Spike’s jaw. She stood over him and spoke authoritatively. “That’s the real Spike,” she pointed to the second Spike, now beaming with pride. “You,” she looked back at the first Spike, “are the thing that used to be, but are no longer. He is the true Spike.”

The first Spike growled and tried to attack Buffy, but the second Spike blocked him and threw him back down. “If you don’t mind, luv,” the true Spike said to Buffy, “I’d love to finish this once and for all.”

“Be my guest,” Buffy gestured him forward.

“Well, you kinda have to wake up for it to really work,” Spike said simply.

“Huh?” Buffy was confused. “For what to work?”

“Pet, I love you, but sometimes you just need a good–“

SMACK!

Buffy jerked up, awake. She quickly glanced at her friends, still sleeping throughout the room. No one moved. Boy, are they gonna be mad at me, she thought sadly.



Chapter Sixteen

The Scoobies began to awaken one by one early the next morning. Somewhat refreshed, although stiff, they shared their collective research and came up with a plan.

“To finish this once and for all,” Buffy began, “we need all the rogue Slayers in one place.”

“We’ll set a trap,” Willow suggested.

“Wil, honey, these are Slayers,” Xander pointed out. “They’re not gonna fall for a trap.”

“No,” Buffy said, “but I’m betting they’re getting a little bored of all the small-potato fights they’ve been getting into.”

“What are you suggesting?” Giles asked. “That we fight these girls?”

“Yeah, Buffy,” Dawn added. “Not all of us have superpowers.”

“No,” Buffy said, “but none of these girls know that, except Kennedy. And we can use that. We can send out the word that we’re pulling something big to stop the rogue Slayers – they’ll welcome the challenge and odds are, Kennedy will want a piece of me herself.”

“Set ‘em up and shut ‘em down,” Xander remarked.

“Exactly,” Buffy said. “We can do the spell from here and use that abandoned warehouse that we staked out the other night.”

“But Buffy, what about after the spell?” Willow asked, concerned. “Remember what Giles said about the immediate effects? How are you going to get into a building swarming with evil Slayers?”

Buffy swallowed and looked warily at the group. “Well,” she began slowly, “I have a plan for that too.” She paused. “Spike is going with me.”

“What?!”

“I don’t think–“

”Are you crazy?!”

“Can we trust–“

Buffy stopped their protests. “Look guys,” she said calmly. “I know you’re not psyched about this plan. But I - well, I had a dream... a Slayer dream, and it helped me see the truth about Spike... finally. I know our trust in him has been shaken, but my instincts are telling me that we need him on this.”

“We need him, or you need him...?” Xander said pointedly.

“We need him,” Buffy said certainly. “He’s my friend, and I still believe in him.”

Giles sighed heavily. “My thoughts on Spike haven’t changed since we had this same conversation after you had his chip removed. I certainly hope you know what you’re doing.”

“I don’t know it,” Buffy said. “But I believe it.”

The friends finally adjourned their meeting, after agreeing to meet at sundown that evening to start the spell. In the meantime, each one would do his or her part to spread the false information about a big showdown at the warehouse. “Bad news travels quickly in evil circles,” Giles had said. “Or in this case, violent news. The girls should be gathered and anxious for a challenge by evening.”

Buffy spent the remainder of the day just like she always did before a looming battle - training and working out intensely. She thought she was alone until she felt a familiar chill on her neck. “Got another deep, dark secret to share, Spike?”

He stepped out of the darkened corner. “You take all the fun out of stalking, pet,” he said. “And no,” he added, more seriously, “ no more secrets.”

“Good,” Buffy replied as she paused to wipe the sweat from her face. “I’ve decided I don’t like secrets.”

Spike scoffed. “Quite a 180 from a few years ago when you threatened to kill me if I told anyone about us.”

“I know,” Buffy admitted sincerely as she walked toward him. “But we were both different people then, weren’t we?”

“Yeah, I guess we were, at that.”

He looked at her a moment, then spoke again. “Are you sure you’re gonna stick with this no-secrets thing?” he asked. “You sure you only want the truth?”

“Positively,” Buffy answered. “It may hurt like hell, but the truth really does set you free.”

Spike snorted. “Well you got the hurting like hell part right.”

“What do you mean?” Buffy asked.

“Ever since you told your pals about my doing in the first rogue Slayer, it’s been all thunderclouds and glares.”

“They’re just thrown,” Buffy replied. “Can’t say I blame them.”

Spike sighed and turned away from Buffy. “Look, I’ve changed,” he said simply. “I don’t blame the Scoobies for not trusting me - I’ve done a bloody lot of untrustable things, mostly to you lot. I’ll help where I can and I don’t blame you if you don’t want me around, but I’m not gonna go all Peaches and mope about it.”

“That’s not what I want,” Buffy said, more gently. “And I don’t mind so much... having you around.”

Spike turned and faced Buffy again. His face held an expression of restrained hope. “What happens now?”

She looked back at him. “I honestly don’t know,” she said simply. “And that’s the truth.”



Chapter Seventeen

The sun began to set, and the group of friends gathered to begin the spell. As they began, Giles gave them some stern warnings. “This is perhaps one of the most powerful spells in all of ancient history,” he said gravely. “The magics that we are conjuring are powerful and dangerous and delicate. We must strictly adhere to the very letter of the spell, or else all our lives... and especially Buffy’s... could be lost.”

The friends looked intently at one another, then Xander suddenly slapped Giles on the arm. “Way to be a downer, G-Man!”

“Yeah, thanks for the pep talk,” Willow chimed in, laughing.

“Giles, please,” Buffy interjected. “You act like it’s the end of the world.”

At that, Buffy, Willow, Xander, and Dawn burst into unrestrained laughter. “The end of the world!” Xander said through his laughter.

“Yeah!” Dawn added, gasping for breath. “That’s a good one!”

Even Spike, leaning casually against the wall, couldn’t stifle a grin.

“Buffy, really,” Giles cautioned. “You should really be taking this more seriously - you have the most at stake here. If you don’t return to this house and return our spirit gifts within one hour, we could all die.”

The four friends’ laughter died down, and Buffy finally spoke as she was wiping the tears from her eyes. “I know, I know. I just couldn’t help it. Feels like old times, huh?”

Giles cleared his throat - a not-so-subtle sign that he was getting irritated and was ready to begin the spell. “Remember everyone,” he warned, “this could be very dangerous for all of us.” He paused and turned to Spike. “Spike, unfortunately the success of this spell rests largely in your hands. You must make sure Buffy gets safely to the warehouse and keep her safe until the spell is released. There’s no indication of what may happen once we release our spirit gifts to her.”

“You just work the mojo,” Spike said, “and I’ll take care of Buffy.”

“Yes, that’s precisely what I’m worried about,” Giles snapped back.

“Giles, that’s enough,” Buffy said sternly. “Look, the truth is, I trust Spike. He came clean about killing the German Slayer and he didn’t have to. And we don’t have time to sit here and debate the issue - we’ve got to stop the rogue Slayers before we have another world war on our hands. Spike’s in and that’s the end of it.”

Giles sighed loudly and motioned reluctantly to the others. Xander, Willow, Dawn and Giles formed a circle around Buffy, joined hands, and closed their eyes. Giles began reciting the spell.

“To defeat a great evil, we need a great truth. We ask that the Alpha Veritatum be released from these to show those who are lost the true way of their calling. The carrier of the truth is the Slayer, the warrior chosen to fight the forces of darkness. Her strength and knowledge of the nature of a Slayer will help to free those who have become infected with darkness.” As Giles spoke, the space around Buffy began to spin around her and if their eyes had been open, the group would have seen a faint shimmer begin to glow within the circle.

Giles continued. “Next the spirit gifts, used to influence the vision given to the lost ones. From Dawn, we add the energy of the Mystical Key and the hope for a better future. From Willow, we add the power and goodness of magic and the ability to choose good over evil. From Xander, we add the true spirit of friendship and love. And from myself, we add the virtues of caution and wisdom.”

Spike watched warily as each one in the circle took turns blowing a puff of powder in Buffy’s direction. As they did so, the powder swirled upwards around her. “Alpha Veritatum, now found in the being of the Slayer, be released to the lost ones and help them find their true calling.” Buffy opened her eyes, but acted as if she were still entranced by the spell. She stepped slowly outside the circle, but as she did so, the circle of friends slumped to the floor.

Spike moved quickly to Dawn and checked her pulse.

“They’re not dead,” Buffy said plainly to him.

Sure enough, Spike felt a faint pulse under Dawn’s skin. “Just sleeping, then?”

Buffy nodded, and Spike looked closer. Her eyes were still the same hazel color they always had been, but they sparkled unnaturally with magic. “Buffy,” he asked slowly, “are you still... you know... with us?”

“Yes,” she chuckled, then became self-conscious. “Why? Do I look different? What happened? Do I have something on my-?”

“No.” It was Spike’s turn to chuckle as he rose and approached her. “But your eyes... I’ve never seen them so...” He paused and stared deep into her eyes. “... so... sparkly.”

“Sparkly?” Buffy asked, amused.

“Forget it,” Spike huffed in embarrassment, and started towards the door.

Buffy stopped him and looked up at him. “Compliment taken,” she said sincerely. Spike’s face softened and he took a moment to gaze down at her radiant face. “Now move your undead British ass,” Buffy said lightly. “We’ve got a revolution to stop.”

As they made their way to the warehouse, Spike and Buffy reviewed Giles’ instructions. “We won’t have much time,” Buffy reminded him. “So let’s make this a quick show and tell, okay?”

“Fine with me, luv,” Spike replied. “Not keen on staying long in a hornets’ nest of evil Slayers anyway. Besides, Giles said your body could only hold the spell for an hour. After that-“

”I know, I know,” Buffy interrupted. “Death by magical draining.” She sighed impatiently. “I thought you people would figure it out by now that death really isn’t high on the what-scares-Buffy-the-most scale.”

“Yeah well, you don’t have to be around when you die,” Spike said. “The rest of us have to deal with it and it scared the bloody hell outta me the first time. Not looking for a repeat performance.”

“Spike,” Buffy stopped and faced him. “I said it before: I trust you. If it gets that far, I know you’ll make sure I get home before it’s too late. But if all goes according to plan, we’ll be home in time to watch an ep of ‘How I Met Your Mother’ before the spell starts sucking us dry, ok?”

Within a few minutes, Buffy and Spike had reached the warehouse. Lights were on inside the building and they could see the shadows of dozens of girls inside. “You ready for this, luv?” Spike asked.

“Oh yeah,” Buffy replied easily, but stopped suddenly. “But... ooh...” she said quickly, as a shiver ran through her body.

Spike looked at her and the brightness of her eyes had intensified. It looked to him as if her eyes were on fire. “Buffy...?”

“I feel all...” she looked at him “... sparkly.”

“Magic?” he asked, and Buffy nodded. “Guess it’s time to go, then,” he replied.

They quietly entered the warehouse and headed for the main storeroom. “That’s where most of the girls should be,” Buffy said.

“And a little tussle with you will draw the rest of them out,” Spike added.

“Here’s hopin’,” Buffy said reluctantly.

With that, the two charged into the room and began fighting with a handful of rogue Slayers. Sounds of the fighting rang through the storeroom and soon Buffy and Spike were surrounded by nearly one hundred young girls, hungry for violence and the end of their main opposition. Buffy and Spike easily handled their opponents, but were soon enclosed by the crowd. As they stood back to back, still fighting, Spike turned his head and hollered toward Buffy.

“Not that I’m not having fun here,” he yelled and blocked a punch. “But any idea when the mojo’s gonna kick in?”

“No clue,” Buffy said, and landed a kick to her opponent’s stomach.

“Hey!” a voice suddenly rang out above the crowd. “What’s going on here?”

The crowd of girls split and Kennedy walked steadily toward Buffy and Spike. “Oh,” she said casually. “It’s you.” She looked them over. “What are you trying to do, beat us down one by one?”

“Well, you know what they say, if you can’t join em, beat em,” Buffy quipped.

Kennedy scoffed. “You are such a blond. I can’t believe you are supposed to be the almighty, end-all, be-all Slayer.”

“Look, you snobby bint,” Spike interrupted. “Are we actually gonna do some violence here or are we gonna just stand about and insult each other all night?”

Kennedy angrily spoke. “I don’t think–“

”Ooh,” Buffy suddenly said as another shiver ran up her spine. “And... ooh.”

“Buffy...?” Spike touched her arm and felt a shock. He yanked back his hand.

Buffy turned to him. “Are you okay?”

Spike opened his mouth to reply, but stopped in awe. Buffy was glowing. Literally. “Are you?”

Kennedy and the crowd of rogue Slayers stood in disbelief at Buffy’s glowing form. “Yeah,” Buffy replied slowly. “I can feel it - the spell. I can feel everybody... hear their voices... Dawn, Giles, Xander, Willow... all of them.”

Spike suddenly seemed to remember they were surrounded. “And are they saying anything particularly helpful, luv?”

Buffy could faintly hear Willow’s voice still chanting in the background. She looked at Spike and smiled confidently. “Willow, it’s time to power up.”

The light emanating from Buffy suddenly surged brighter, and Buffy fell immediately into a deep trance. Spike and all the rogue Slayers froze, watching in awe as Buffy’s body began to float up into the air, high above the warehouse floor. As she rose, Buffy’s blond hair flashed different colors - brown, then gray, then red before returning to its natural golden color. Her eyes, still flashing with energy, changed from hazel to icy blue.

After this transformation, Buffy stopped and faced the girls, standing in mid-air. For an instant, no one in the warehouse moved. Then, as if suddenly remembering where they were, the group of rogue Slayers surged forward to fight.

High in the air, Buffy’s hand went out to stop them. “Peace,” she whispered, and the girls immediately paused, relaxed, and stared intently at her, as if entranced themselves. Buffy spoke again: “Know the truth.” Her lips began to move rapidly, but the only sound to be heard was the thrumming beams of light shooting out from all around her. The warm light fell softly on the faces of the transfixed girls below, and as it did, Spike watched the girls’ faces change, as if they were trying to figure something out. Images and memories - both past and future - flooded the girls’ minds, and sensations of peace and struggle, knowledge and ignorance battled within each girl’s spirit. After what seemed like hours, Spike saw some of the girls’ faces change again, as if they had finally discovered the answer they had been searching for.

He looked back up at Buffy in astonishment. He thought Buffy’s strength and beauty was unsurpassable, but once again, he had been proven wrong. As he watched the powerful magic flow through and around her in golden rays of light, his soul warmed, and for the first time since he had regained his soul, he felt settled and right and peace. Buffy’s voice spoke softly in his mind: This is your truth, Spike. Embrace it, enhance it, and be even stronger.

Spike and the rest had stared at Buffy for what seemed like hours, but after a while, the light began to fade and Buffy’s body began to descend. She lit gently on the floor, unconscious, next to Spike. While the rogue Slayers remained stunned from the truth spell, Spike knelt to check on Buffy. As he did so, he remembered Giles’ words:

This is where things may become complicated. Once the truth spell has been performed, the girls will still have to decide in their own minds whether they choose to be allied with The First Evil and receive its power or to reject it and live their lives using their potential Slayer abilities for good. It’s not clear as to how long this will take, but the spell implies that you won’t have long to get Buffy out of there. Most likely, she will be unconscious or at best extremely weak due to the power of the truth spell. And from the moment we combine our spirit gifts, she only has one hour to return them or else we all might be in mortal danger. The Alpha Veritatum spell is far too strong to be kept in a human body for very long, even if it’s a Slayer. After one hour, the spell will essentially start draining her body for the strength it needs to continue and she will die.

Giles’ last instructions to Spike stood out: You must protect Buffy at all costs, Spike. She’s counting on you, and so are we.

Set with determination, Spike hefted Buffy into his arms. He stood and was about to walk out when dozens of girls across the room gasped as a white light began to surround them. The rest of the rogue Slayers seemed to growl as their hair and eyes changed to a dark, inky black. Instantly, fights broke out across the storeroom, as girls who had chosen the First’s evil power fought viciously against those who had rejected it.