Illyria slid down Angelus' hard body. Her eyes turned from silver to an emerald green. "You're learning, lover. Angelus, I wasn't closing you out. You just have to accept both of us, or this won't work. What you will see will be hard to take, but trust us." He nodded as his hands moved to touch both of his marks. B/I looked at him. "We thank you, our mate. Let us finish this. We have an enemy to kill before we can focus on our new life together."
Turning back to the portal that stood frozen while the lovers worked out their problems, her voice filled the room with her power. Each person listening not only saw the images that occurred so long ago, but found themselves seeing from inside the person's or creature's view.
The portal showed Illyria leading her army in battle. It wasn't the woman who stood before them wearing Buffy's body. Standing over six feet tall with silver hair so dark it looked black, her skin the same pale silver that colored her cheeks and forehead, the one thing that remained the same was her silver eyes. Illyria was moonlight personified. Watching her lead the army was mesmerizing, she never made one unnecessary move. The swing of the large sword decapitated a demon, then she used the downward arc to kill yet another. Her body continued its deadly ballet until bodies surrounded her. Illyria gracefully stepped over the carnage to move forward into the fighting to start another dance.
"Damn, I thought B was something with that scythe, but this chick kicks some wicked ass."
Angelus stood transfixed by the carnage, violence, and deadly grace with which Illyria fought. She lacked Buffy's passion, but it didn't take away from her own allure. He found himself looking at her in a new light as a separate part of Buffy. Angelus didn't realize the huge step he took toward a future until this moment had been beyond his grasp.
The scene changed once more to show a large wolf-like creature with amber eyes. It reminded Willow of Oz, but this wolf wasn't out of control. Sharp intelligence shone clearly from its eyes. It bowed in front of a throne where a strange creature sat. Its skin was green, although it wasn't tall or majestic like Illyria or Ra, but the power emanating from it couldn't be ignored. Ra entered, followed by a half-man, half-fawn like creature. The two ancients dismissed their servants to discuss private business.
"Little did Tannin and Ra know that their most trusted advisors were plotting against them. You see, the two Ancients sought knowledge of all creatures and worlds. They were peaceful and nurturing. Those who came to them for shelter found it. Their curiosity led to many discoveries which increased their power. Their advisors hungered for power once they tasted it while they journeyed through the cosmos. No matter what they wanted, they couldn't kill us. Only a few had that gift, and we guarded it. There were ceremonies and trials to ensure that we did not become corrupted by our powers."
Faith went ghostly white at those words. She felt Wesley's arm wrap around her, but she shook him off. Her back stiffened as her eyes returned to the story unfolding on the portal before her. Faith knew she would learn a lot about herself as a person and a Slayer today. She just had to stand strong.
The 'Wolf' and the 'Hart' hurried into a darkened room. There sat two others whose greed filled the small chamber. "Are our master's happily occupied?"
"I will not show you all the tiny pieces that led to these betrayals, but I will tell you this. The Ancient Ones held the power in their bodies that allowed them to be able to see beyond. This power couldn't be stolen. The ones you call the Powers are one side of the same coin as the Sr. Partners." Illyria looked toward a guard to nod her head. "It was at this time they started working together. The Powers, believing us too powerful to not be evil, and the Partners too evil to not want our power. Somehow, they found the Deeper Well, I am not sure if Ra or Tannin found it, or someone else."
The Wolf and the Hart watched as a group of beings surrounded Tannin and Ra. The two Ancients screamed as their bodies turned to dust. They were placed into solid looking blocks. A man with a Ram's head joined the other two. He watched the block slide into the Deeper Well. The creatures looked at one another, then laughed cruelly. Colors whirled by, finally settling in a bedroom where Illyria lay in the arms of her lover.
Angelus growled; his eyes turned into twin amber flames. He stepped behind her, wrapping his arms around her slender waist. A bright light flared, bathing Illyria's body in a strange green glow. Dawn gasped, her hand flew to cover a silent sob. The light slowly dissipated, leaving only Illyria alone with her lover.
"We could have children. Once their life force grew strong, enough we gave them our memories, then placed them in the womb to await the time they matured enough to be put into their final resting place. A second birth would complete the cycle of an Ancient One. Aurora is such a child. She was not allowed to mature into a true Ancient One. I hid her among the stars when I went to Ra's aide. His cries for justice rang out to me across the cosmos. I was too weak from the birth, and left my First behind to ensure no one knew of my child. The ones I took with me were part of the traitorous ones you call the Powers." She turned to Angelus. "The Oracles were there. The sister was my second and her brother was that of my lover's. Themisis fought valiantly to free me, but it was too late. Once I fell, the other Chosen soon followed. Once we were gone, the rest of the Ancient Ones did not last long. They are all locked away, forever frozen in the Deeper Well."
No one said a thing as they absorbed every word. Illyria narrated each scene portrayed. They watched her fight those she trusted, taking down more than half before she fell. Angelus roared, seeing her body turn into silver dust that was entombed in the sold block that later found its way to W&H.
The portal changed once more to show another battle; this one between the Powers and the Partners. Both sides sustained heavy loses until the battle came to a draw. They agreed to divide the cosmos evenly, each taking certain worlds as their own, only leaving a few to share equally. Earth remained the crown jewel of the agreement, because the Ancient Ones slumbered there.
Humans evolved as their numbers grew. The forces of good and evil fought for dominance over these new creatures. The Powers forced full demons out of the dimension, but the Partners weren't willing to be outdone, and allowed the last true demon to infect a human, creating the first vampire.
The audience knew this, but what came next shocked them all, including Buffy.
A warrior was needed to protect the people from the growing number of vampires. The Shadowmen captured a girl, chaining her to the cave floor. They called on dark magics to infuse the girl with the strengths of a demon, but none of their weaknesses.
"Watch what they set in motion; what led to this place, this exact moment." Illyria's voice kept them from looking away from the portal.
The Shadowmen pounded their staffs on the ground while chanting in ancient Sumerian. Aligned directly opposite, on the other side of the world, stood the Deeper Well. As the rhythm increased, the First Slayer struggled in her chains. The silver dust in Illyria's sarcophagus stirred. A beam of light shone from the large diamond on the top as a fine mist escaped. It surged through the earth toward the chained girl.
"NO! That is impossible. The Slayer was given the power of a demon, not an Ancient One. You are manipulating what we are seeing." Giles shouted at the portal and the woman who controlled it.
Illyria looked at him while her silver marked face remained an immobile mask. No emotion showed in her stance or in her eyes. "You humans always deny that which displeases you. Why is this? Their magics forced me into the Deeper Well, do you not see the irony. The same magic created a Slayer by pulling part of my power from me as I slept. Tell me, mage, what demon do you know whose essence passes to another host on their death? Do you not know that Ancient Ones are eternal? Did you not wonder why the Slayer was called the Chosen One?"
Wesley patted the older Watcher's shoulder, knowing how difficult this information was to swallow.
"The power wrapped itself inside the Slayers, but before they could reach their full potential, the Council would dispose of them. The cycle continued for years, until the balance was in serious jeopardy. The Powers, desperate to keep their foothold on Earth, searched for an alternative. Angelus, the Scourge of Europe, caught their eye. He served the Partners as one of their most treasured players. They gambled him away on a whim, a silly loophole they thought would occur the first time he slept with his sire. They were wrong."
"My soul was a bet? I was nothing but a pawn?" The dark-haired vampire roared, his face morphed as he started to pace.
"Not only you. My mate, calm yourself, and I will show you the rest."
She showed them how Whistler manipulated the Codex, hoping the Master would kill Buffy; that having to kill Angel would break her; allowing Kendra to die; knowing Faith was already touched by darkness. "Did you not wonder how the Powers and the Council could lose two Potentials in the same generation? They knew of Faith and saw her as a weapon that if called, could be useful. Both thought she would bend to their wills. Neither knew of my shell. My first stirring in centuries came when Buffy Summers' essence joined with mine."
A teenaged Buffy with long hair, dressed in a cheerleading outfit stood in a school gym. She performed an intricate gymnastics routine. Suddenly, she collapsed on the floor. Panic broke out as the others in the squad screamed, then rushed to her side. No one noticed the pale streak of silver dust that settled over her body. Buffy jumped up, knocking everyone out of her way. A Slayer was born, but also so much more. The first true connection to a Chosen One was made.
"Buffy Summers' essence awakened a part of mine. My First began to watch her closely. She watched Angelus as they tried to use him to control her, but she was not within their reach."
One silver eye turned green as a tear fell down a smooth golden cheek. Angelus reached out to brush it away. He brought the moisture to his lips, drinking in her pain, as if he could take it into himself and away from her.
The others watched in fascination, never having seen this side of the demon that terrorized their lives.
"Show me all of it, Lyria," Buffy's voice softly demanded. "Buffy Summers, are you sure that you want to see all that has been done by them?" Nodding her head wearily, Buffy replied, "Just do it, get it over with. Don't drag this out anymore. We will have to just deal with it." Buffy spoke to Illyria, ignoring the others.
It was odd to see this split body participating in a two-sided conversation. "It's like watching tennis, but there aren't any pretty yellow balls or the nice sweaty men in tight shorts," Anya said in a stage whisper. The others rolled their eyes, but secretly agreed.
Breaths caught, brows broke out in sweat, tears flooded eyes, screams of heartbreak and outrage sounded in the room as the air grew thick with power. The scenes in the portal flew by ,bombarding them with memories. It showed them as nothing more than puppets whose strings were jerked this way and that at the Powers whim.
Illyria chose her own brand of justice in this matter. Her shell relived each terrible event of her life stoically. Understanding and anger raced equally through her system. The others, her 'friends' that watched, were drowning in her feelings first hand. Every hurt, betrayal, disappointment, pain, every emotion she never felt she could share, they experienced it a hundred fold.
"STOP!" "No More!" "Its enough, just stop. Please, stop."
Willow's knees buckled when wave after wave of sadness and despair hit her. She never knew Buffy lived with that each day.
Shouts of almost orgasmic pleasure escaped even Angelus' lips when Illyria allowed them to feel the peace and joy Buffy knew in heaven.
Faith's nails sunk into her hands, blood dripped down to the stone floor below. She couldn't believe B survived all this. She even fought Illyria to a draw, winning the right to share her own body, rather than dying. Re-living the events of her life as a plaything brought whispers of the darkness she fought creeping back. It wrapped around her like a python squeezing its prey before it swallowed them whole.
Illyria turned to the dark-haired Slayer, shedding her silver exterior to reveal the golden-skinned woman beneath. Emerald eyes stared into troubled brown ones that were drowning in a sea of darkness, anger and self-doubt.
A small hand caressed Faith's cheek for a single moment causing her to close her eyes, savoring the contact. Shock met the echo of the slap that came seconds latter.
"Snap out of it. You paid your dues. We both have. Didn't you see what they did? They knew, Faith. They knew about your Father dying. They knew about your stepfather. Worst of all, they could have helped you. The Watcher you cared for so much could have been in your life all that time. Faith, just think of all those years you could have had with her. They sent Kakistos, they let the Partners have their fun because they knew what it would do to you." Emerald eyes blazed with a fire that burned away all the self-doubt Faith felt. Faith stood up straighter. Buffy made her see that she chose the path her life would take from this moment forward. She took a step closer to Buffy. Her hand cupped her cheek then combed thought the long blonde hair admiring the silky texture.
The air around them shimmered as the fissure created by the Powers healed. Each woman took a deep breath letting out a sigh of relief. The power they shared that joined them as sister Slayers joined them on a different plane, one of understanding and acceptance. They stepped into each others arms, ignoring the rest of the world. Stepping back, Faith and Buffy smiled at each other.
Buffy turned to the others. "Here's your chance to really make a difference. You've seen what they've done to our lives. How they used us to keep power that never should have been theirs in the first place. Now, do you want to do something about it, or do you want to go back to living in denial?"
Giles and Willow stepped forward as if they were joined at the hip. "Buffy, what do you plan to do? How can you fight the Power and the Partners? Even with Illyria's powers, she couldn't defeat them before; what makes you think she can do so now?"
Illyria surged forward, an Angelus-like smirk crossed her lips. "Mage, did you not listen when I told my tale? I only succumbed due to Aurora's birth. My second lusted for my power, but couldn't have it, nor any of the Ancients. They only have what little powers they attained over the years." Seeing the confusion in his eyes and the others, she all but growled. Waving her hand, a slipstream opened and she stepped through. Then, mere seconds later, stepped back out. Beside her stood Mayor Richard Wilkins III. The others gaped in horror at her, then at him.
"Do not worry yourselves; this is the human form of your enemy before he made his bargain." They finally noticed his outdated clothes, but still didn't trust this man in any form.
"How did you do that? You just went back in time and plucked him out to bring him here? You have to take him back, or you will destroy.." Willow started to babble at the implications. Fred was surprisingly silent, not seemingly bothered by this display of power.
"Witch, do not dare believe that you have the power to tell me what to do!" Illyria opened a portal which Kyria pitched the former mayor of Sunnydale through.
Illyria turned on her heel without another word to leave them standing there. Angelus joined her, as did Dawn and Faith, although, Wesley tried to pull her back to talk with him. Anya, Lindsey, Harmony, Connor, and surprisingly Lorne quickly followed. Kyria closed the ranks protecting her mistresses' flanks, while Syria motioned for the soldier to leave the room.
They marched out with the precision of a well-oiled war machine. The blue haired warrior looked at those remaining in the chamber.
"You have until dusk; then your decision will be final. No words will be accepted. If you do not wish to fight at our god-king's side, then walk out the front gates; none will stop you. Know this humans, this is your only chance. You do not get seconds that the shell has told us about. They do not exist - not with regards to this, not anymore. Choose wisely, if any of you think that you are strong enough together, or that you can once again work with the Powers." Her ice-blue eyes held them frozen in place. "Think on this. They cannot see into this place or time. They cannot help you or harm you, but I can. I will take much pleasure in the years of torture that I will wring from your frail bodies, until they are withered husks. Only then will I allow them to die. With Illyria's last breath, she put us to sleep until she could come for us, with a single breath across the cosmos, through space and time. Think on that, humans, servants of the ones who betrayed the Ancient Ones, before you even garner the idea of betrayal." She left them, closing doors they weren't even aware existed.
A few moments later, the door opened and a body was thrown inside. It was Cordelia Chase. She stood up to glare at the door. "You don't have to be so rough. I get it already. I'm a servant and you are the big strong soldier guys. You just wait until the Powers hear about this. They are going to fry your ass, buddy." She kicked the door in frustration.
"Cordelia, do shut up." Wesley sighed, raking a hand through his hair, trying to remember the last time he felt this exhausted. The basis of the world as a whole just shattered before his eyes. Everything he spent his whole life fighting for was a lie, a complete and utter lie.
The bedraggled seer stomped over to her former co-worker. "I can't believe that no one stood up for me when that silver Barbie in a Buffy-suit made me play Cinderella. Why didn't any of you help me? And another thing," she took in a large breath of air to start her tirade but was cut off when no sound would come out of her mouth.
Everyone turned to look at Willow, who shook her head. She looked at Giles with wide eyes. He shrugged. "She was giving me a migraine. We have a serious decision to make, and don't have time to sit here and listen to one of Cordelia's tirades. I had heard that she grew up while working here, but it appears that was only a rumor."
Cordy stomped her foot when they ignored her. She finally gave up and listened to what happened while she was bowing and scraping. Her eyes grew wide at some of the events they talked about, then she simply closed them out, waiting until they would allow her to talk. She would show them that they were wrong and that the Powers weren't evil, that Illyria was the evil one. The Powers gave her the visions, then made her part demon to save her life, and she wasn't about to let Buffy Summers, Illyria, or anyone else take that away from her.
Buffy turned to look at Angelus. They stood in the large bedroom, neither saying a word. Finally, Angelus couldn't stand it any longer. He walked across the room to pull her into his arms. Picking her up in his arms, he carried over to a large chair where he sat down with his precious bundle.
"What are you going to do if they don't want to help?" He massaged the back of her scalp, causing her to lean her head back on his broad shoulders.
"They will be allowed to leave. I have to be sure that they are with me, with us, Angelus. The way they turned on me at the end in Sunnydale can't happen again, and I won't allow it. That is why I sent a special guest to join in the decision making." An innocent smile graced her lips but the gleam of mischief that lit her eyes told him that she was up to something.
"What have you done, Ioniin? Tell me so that we can stop talking about others and return to much more pleasurable things." He nipped his mark, then purred next to her ear.
Buffy squirmed in his lap, knowing exactly what he was doing. "I sent in Cordelia to allow her to bring her own views to the table. Willow and Giles don't seem to stand up well when someone else gives them an out. Cordelia can do that probably better than she thinks. They want to believe that everything that they have been through was all for a better purpose. If anyone falls for Cordy's sales pitch, then we know that they can't be trusted, even if they want to stay. I'll know if they are really committed, and so will Illyria. Cordy is gone either way. I only kept her here for a little humble pie and until Illyria could raise this place. I would never trust her, and I know that you don't."
She leaned in to kiss him hungrily. Buffy turned in his lap until they were face to face. "Make me forget, Angelus. All that we learned today, make me forget it all, everything but us. I want the rest of the world to go away. Illyria, the Powers, the Partners, everyone except us doesn't matter. Just kiss me until I want to die, then bring me back to life again."
Angelus closed his eyes as her words wrapped around him. He stood with her in his arms, then laid her on the bed with the greatest of care. Buffy looked up at him with huge emerald eyes mossy with love and want. She opened her arms to her lover and he willingly crawled into them. Their lips met in a heated kiss. Their clothes melted away, until skin molded to skin. Each sighed as a feeling of coming home swept over them.
Fingers traced over smooth skin lovingly, soft words spoke of love, forever and always. Kisses followed fingers, until they weren't sure they could stand another moment apart. They aligned their bodies in perfect synchronicity. The smallest movement of her hips caused him to fall into her waiting heat.
Angelus bent his head to drag a fang across the taut peak of her nipple. Buffy arched her back to provide better access for his ministrations. His large hands held her much smaller ones above her head, immobile. His tongue snuck out to lick away the rich blood that beaded up from the shallow tracks of his teeth.
It had taken all his strength up to this point not to move inside the inferno of her tight sheath. The minute her rich heady blood hit his tongue, he was sent over the edge. His hips crashed into her where she accepted him happily.
Buffy wrapped her strong legs high around his waist. She moved her hips from side to side, as he moved inside her. Her inner muscles clenched barely allowing him the ability to escape her feminine web.
Leaning back on his thighs, Angelus watched his cock sliding in and out of her pussy. He admired the way his skin reflected the golds of her skin tones. Buffy wet two fingers then teased the wet tips around her nipples. Her hands moved to cup them then wandered down her stomach to where they were joined.
Angelus watched in fascination as Buffy revealed her clit to him in an almost peek-a-boo way. She teased it the same way she had her breast then continued on in her journey. His breath hitched when she wrapped strong fingers around his hard length. Her hand created an extension of their connection. The minute he pulled out of her, she held him tightly only to slowly allow him to escape.
It was too much for him. Everything he saw and felt today meant nothing to him. All that mattered was right here, right now with her - Buffy. He would gladly fight the world for her. Angelus bent his head to sink his fangs into his mark. Her body flooded around him and his soon followed. He licked the mark to close it.
"Was that what you have in mind, Ioniin? Did the world leave us alone?" He leaned on an elbow to look down into her flushed face.
Buffy smiled at him with a beautiful satisfied smile on her face. "Yes lover, you more than made the world leave us alone, I think you might have made it move too." Her eyes twinkled merrily. "I know I shouldn't ask you this now but I just don't know who else I could ask." Buffy's voice faded away.
"What do you need, Buff?" A dark eyebrow rose in question.
"Ya think you could do it again?" She rolled on top of him with a happy giggle.