Title: Unforeseen Circumstances 13/27
Author: Jadedragon
Rating: R
Spoilers: Season 4 up until Bad Beer, Angel Season 1, in my
verse, Doyle didn't die!
Paring: B/G, B/P mentioned
Summary: Buffy has to face the consequences of her night with
Parker
Notes: <> denotes thoughts
Thanks: Due to interference of RL, Wyrmie won't be available
to beta the rest of my story. (pouts) Ripperslover
will be stepping in to help me make sure that
everything is in order. Thanks for your help,
Sandra. Wyrmie, I'll be glad when RL calms down for
you!
Rupert watched as Quentin quickly took a glass globe out of his inner jacket pocket and threw it at the floor between them. Instantly, grayish brown smoke poured from the broken globe and he felt magick of a type he wasn't familiar with. The fumes overpowered him and he passed out as he felt his body being teleported.
When Giles awoke, he was alone; Travers was nowhere in the room. He found himself lying on a low divan in a room looking like something out of the Arabian Nights, but the colors were all wrong. Instead of the rich tones he would have expected, the colors were garish and neon-like. He looked toward the window and the light looked wrong, it had a reddish glow to it. Giles got up and made his way to the window and what he saw shocked him. He wasn't in Sunnydale anymore; he wasn't even on Earth. Travers had teleported them to a different plane.
**********
Everyone had pitched in to clean up the damages from the battle with Travers' troops while they waited for the Senior Mage to return. They all hoped that he would bring news of where Travers had teleported himself and Giles. Buffy pitched in needing to keep busy to keep her mind off Rupert and what could possibly be happening to him. She still worried, but felt that at least she was being helpful and active.
Soon the room was cleared of debris and back in some semblance of order. It had been over two hours since The Mage had left. Buffy was getting antsy since everything was now in order. She needed some action so she asked Ria to train with her. The two slayers went into the dojo and started on hand to hand.
Colin hadn't seen Buffy in action and was in awe of her prowess. She quickly overpowered Ria and started pointing out to the younger Slayer her mistakes and then would start again. Colin watched as Buffy taught his daughter some moves he had never seen in all his years of training and teaching. Her speed and agility were amazing, and her originality of combining moves was like nothing he had seen before. He wanted to spar with her himself to be sure, but he thought he might have found a new teacher for his dojo. He left the two Slayers knowing that Ria was in good hands.
**********
The Senior Mage materialized outside a large compound in the Qunitas Mountain Range where he sensed the magickal residue, which matched what he had found where the globe had been broken. This was the retreat of his brother's friend and he knew from the residue that it was where Travers and Rupert were. He scanned the area trying to locate where in the large compound Rupert was located and found that the entire compound was shielded from magickal searches. This further verified that Rupert was being held inside the walls of the retreat, it was very unusual for Mages to shield their abodes from other Mages. Something was indeed strange here.
The Mage teleported around the perimeter to find a way to slip in, finally he came to the cave he and his brother had used as children when they had visited here. He couldn't believe his luck; the old cavern was still open and led him to the underground storage rooms and under the shield. He knew he was taking longer than he had told Black Raven, but he knew rescuing Rupert would depend on the information that he gathered. He was just about to enter the storage rooms when he heard two humans talking. Why were there humans here? This was puzzling he thought as he listened to the guards' conversation from behind the hidden door.
"I don't understand why Travers is so paranoid! No one can find us here!"
The Mage listened closely as the humans on the other side of the hidden door continued their conversation.
"He's concerned that The Senior Mage may try to come and take the prisoner from us," the second voice responded.
"Is he secured?"
"Yes they've put him in one of the guest rooms in the south tower.
"What's so important about him?"
"Travers said he was the rogue Watcher Giles. That's all I know."
"I thought he and his slayer had been reported dead."
"That's what had been reported. He must not die very easy," the second man laughed.
"Well I can just imagine what Travers' has planned for him. He hates Rupert Giles."
"I know," he answered as they left the room.
The Mage stealthily entered the storage room ten minutes later and cast out with his mind to locate the exact location of Rupert, Travers, the other Watchers and any Mages that might be in residence. He located Rupert and Travers, both in the south tower. There were no Mages in residence, which he thought was strange, but there were approximately 20 Watchers from the Special Ops unit. He quickly left the way he came, no one the wiser that he had been there.
**********
Giles tried the door after he left the window only to find it locked. He didn't know where he was and wondered why Travers had taken him. Giles meticulously searched his room for any indication of where he was and anything he could use to escape. He found nothing of real interest. There were some books in a language he didn't recognize and a few magical items that he wasn't familiar with. Giles wondered if this could be the Mages' home world. He was still trying to make sense of what he had found when he heard someone opening the door to his room.
"Well, Rupert, imagine my surprise at seeing you still alive!"
"What do you want, Quentin?"
"Well, I want my rightful place as Chairman of the Council, but now that's impossible! Because of you, I'm an outcast."
"No one is to blame for that but you!" Giles told him.
"So instead, I'll settle for your death," Travers said as he left the room locking the door behind him.
Giles watched as Travers left the room. He had to escape somehow but had no idea where he was or what dangers might be in the surrounding forest. He again searched the room to see if he had missed anything.
**********
As soon as the Mage appeared, he was approached by Buffy, who wanted to know what he had found. Everyone else gathered around the table and sat down before he started telling what he had found.
"I have located Rupert on the plane where my brother's friend has his retreat."
"Is he alright?" Buffy asked.
"Yes, he appeared to be fine."
"When can we leave to rescue him?" Buffy immediately asked.
"First there are several things that have to be done. There are approximately 20 Watchers from the Special Ops Unit on the property. I was able to enter through a secret entrance into an underground storage area. Anyone who goes with me will have to have protective spells cast on them because of the atmosphere and to repel the dangerous indigenous species that live there. I feel a small force will be best," he paused as Buffy again tried to interrupt him. "Ms. Summers, please let me finish then I will answer all of your questions. There were no Mages at the residence only Travers, the Watchers and Rupert. I think we can take a small force with myself and 2 other mages, easily rescue Rupert and capture Mr. Travers. The spells can be cast in the next hour and we can leave then. I would like Angel, Wesley, Ria, Colin, Timothy, Keenan, Doyle, McTavish and Smythe to accompany me and two other mages. Before you ask Ms. Summers, the spells I must cast would harm your child, that`s why I didn't include you."
"I can't go?" Buffy asked crestfallen.
"It would be too dangerous for the child you carry," he again assured her. "If your child is hurt, the prophecy will be broken and the Council will fall."
Buffy was devastated. She wanted to help rescue Rupert. "Then what can I do to help here?" she asked, not insisting when she saw the determination in the Mages' eyes.
The Mage quickly mapped out the residence they would be rescuing Giles from and gave instructions to Buffy and the others who would stay behind to prepare for their return. Soon when they were prepared and the two mages had returned from gathering needed items from the Watcher's Council in England, they cast the protection spells on the group that would be accompanying them.
Within two hours the group stood together in the center of the room ready to be teleported. Once they reached the underground area they would split up into three groups. The Senior Mage would take Ria, Colin and Timothy with him to rescue Giles; another Mage would wait in the underground storage room with Wesley, McTavish and Smythe, while the third Mage would take Angel, Doyle and Keenan to set up a diversion. Everyone felt good about the plan and was ready to carry out their parts. When the time came, the Mages quickly teleported the entire group to the plane where the retreat was located, near the cave that led to the underground storage rooms.
The Senior Mage quietly led them through the cave to the hidden door and quickly everyone entered the storage area and went about their tasks. The group that was staying in the basement quickly set up their perimeter, guarding the escape route while the other two teams left to accomplish their missions. The third group quickly went to the area where the shield would have been cast to disrupt the casting and destroy the power emanators, which were responsible for the lights and other conveniences on this plane. Destroying these would hopefully leave the south tower less protected and make rescuing Rupert easier.
As the Mage led them, Angel, Doyle and Keenan watched the areas they passed. The place was decorated in a strange sort of Arabian Nights theme, but the colors were horrible, very harsh neon colors like nothing that any self-respecting Arab would have in his home. Also there were strange contraptions, which they assumed were items that were native to either this world or the Mage home world. On the way to the power room they only came across one Watcher who was quickly taken care of by Keenan with his kendo stick and bound and gagged by the Mage. There were only three men in the room when they arrived and quickly they were overpowered. The Mage immediately went and disabled the shield spell and the power emanators by destroying them. The four then waited for the other Watchers to come.
**********
Travers was in the library studying the manuscript that had been left for him by the Dark Seer. It told what needed to be done to halt the prophecy that had started coming true. Rupert Giles and Buffy Summers had to be killed before their abomination of a child was born. There were certain spells that would have to be cast on each of them before their deaths to insure that the prophecy would never come to pass. The spells were beyond his ability and he had to try to contact the Dark Seer for help. It had surprised Travers that the Seer hadn't already joined him - that had been the plan.
Travers was deep in study when the lights went out. He was in total darkness for a moment wondering when the lights would come back on when he realized that he wasn't on Earth anymore and the power source, which was used on this plane wasn't interrupted unless it was cut off or attacked.
< It couldn't be. They couldn't have found us already! > He thought as he made his way to the door. Once there he called for the Watcher near him to go and check on the power system and he headed for the South Tower gathering Watchers with him as he went.
**********
The Senior Mage led Ria, Colin and Timothy to the South Tower. He had stayed in the South Tower as a child when he and his brother stayed there for holidays and training in their abilities. The memories of those times were happy ones but now they were bittersweet, knowing that his brother would never come back here.
Three Watchers guarded the door to the Tower where Rupert was being held. They were quickly overpowered by Ria and Colin and bound and gagged by magick. Silently they entered the Tower and proceeded to the upper levels where the Mage sensed Rupert was being held. As the entered the floor where Rupert was, they found another two guards. Again, Ria and Colin quickly took them out and again the guards were bound and gagged by magick.
**********
Giles was still searching the room, trying to find something, anything he could use to escape. While he was looking he heard some sort of commotion outside of his door. He quickly moved behind the door thinking to try and knock out whoever entered to try and escape.
Slowly the door opened and Giles readied himself to pounce on the intruder, hoping it would be Travers. But just as he was going to pounce, he was caught in a freeze spell and couldn't move. But as soon as he recognized the Senior Council Mage, the spell was released. The Mage motioned for Giles to follow them silently and handed him the sword that Buffy had sent for him. Giles smiled to himself, he recognized his favorite sword. He knew that Buffy had chosen the weapon especially for him.
Quickly they made their way back down the Tower to the opening only to find Travers there with 5 Watchers waiting to stop them. As soon as they tried to exit the tower they were attacked but Travers and his Watchers were quickly defeated and taken into custody. The Watchers were magickly bound and gagged and left in the hallway at the bottom of the Tower. Only Travers was taken with them as they made their way back to the hidden opening in the underground storage room. The Senior Mage looked into the prisoner's mind and saw the manuscript that Travers had been reading and went to retrieve it, sending the others to the rendezvous point. As they approached the room the other group met up with them and they continued together. The Senior Mage soon joined them and once in the cave they secured the hidden door. The Senior Mage ordered the group to surround Rupert and Travers to protect them from possible attack by any of the animals before they could teleport home.
Cautiously they left the cave where the Mages prepared to teleport them home, but before they could cast the spells, Travers broke from the group and ran toward the cavern.
**********
"How much longer will they be gone?" Buffy asked Black Raven when the rescuers had been gone over two hours.
"Buffy, you must be patient. The Mage will do everything in his power to return Rupert to you. You must calm down, being this upset isn't good for you or your child."
"You're right, but I can't imagine being without him."
"You'll never be without him, he's with you now."
"I realize that, but I want him here holding me. I need him!" Buffy pleaded.
Black Raven took the Slayer into his arms trying to comfort her, wanting to prepare her if something happened to her lover. He had never seen two people so intent on each other. The love between the Watcher and Slayer was so apparent. They would be good leaders for the Council, but he knew it would be a difficult time for them. The future for them would be a rough one, but their love would see them through it.
**********
The group watched in horror as an animal that looked like a reptilian saber-toothed tiger attacked and mauled Travers as he approached the cave's entrance. The Senior Mage quickly cast a spell and the animal was teleported far away and a protective barrier erected around the injured Watcher. Quickly they teleported back to Sunnydale and as soon as they appeared he levitated Travers into the storage room that had been delegated as the first-aid station. Joyce and Cordelia helped him to bind Travers wounds. They had been working on cleaning and binding the wounds for about fifteen minutes, when Travers awoke, raving from the pain of the poison that the creature had injected into his body.
"What's wrong with him?" Cordelia asked as Travers started ranting.
"He was injected with a very powerful poison that has no antidote. That's why I didn't immediately take him to a hospital. He's dying," he told the women helping him.
Buffy and Giles watched from the door, holding each other. Both were glad that Travers would no longer be a thorn in their side, but shocked about how it had happened. The Senior Mage and Reginald made arrangements to have Travers teleported to the Council where he would be looked after. There was nothing else to be done; he would die a slow painful death from the poison. Travers and the Dark Seer would soon both be dead and the threat to Buffy and her child would be over. The Senior Mage made arrangements with Reginald to have several Watchers and Mages return and retrieve the incapacitated Watchers that had been left and look for any others that might still be there.
Within an hour the Mages were all gone and Travers had been teleported to the Council Headquarters. Everyone was so happy that Giles had been rescued and hadn't been injured. They all headed for home. It felt strange to Buffy and Giles to be going back to his flat, they hadn't been there in months, but it seemed like years. There was still a lot to be discussed but it could wait until everyone had a decent night's or rather day's sleep. They would meet tonight to discuss what needed to be done next.