Title: Keys to Heaven
Author: Michelle
Rating: FRT
Pairings: mostly genfic, but there is some Giles/Willow
Summary: After the final battle with The First, Rupert Giles faces something worse than any demon: a human determined to save the world at any cost.
Timeline: Post-chosen
Disclaimer: These are not my characters. They belong to Joss, Twentieth Century Fox, UPN, WB & Mutant Enemy. This is purely for fun.
Dedication: This story is dedicated to ladyforash and oreadno1. This story wouldn't have been written if it hadn't been for ladyforash's You Choose story. Some scenes in that ongoing story sparked the plot for this story. Thank you for the inspiration and the support you've given me, ladyforash. oreadno1 has been encouraging me to expanding my writing beyond my usually genfic and Buffy/Giles fic. Because of her, what started out as pure genfic, now has Giles/Willow sprinkled throughout. Thank you for the support and encouragement, oreadno1.

A Watcher's greatest fear is the loss of his Slayer. Most Watchers throughout history have ever only lost one Slayer. This is not because they learned from the experience and kept their next Slayer alive. There was rarely a second Slayer for any Watcher. Losing a Slayer was like losing a child, and in some cases, like losing a lover. No Watcher ever wanted to go that kind of pain twice. After the loss of a Slayer, a Watcher was expected to retire and pass on the responsibility to someone else.

In rare occasions, a Slayer didn't die. Sometimes a Slayer was injured beyond her ability to heal. In these circumstances, the Watcher was expected to help his Slayer die, ensuring that a new Slayer would be called. After performing this duty, the Watcher most often took his own life. It was tragic, but that was how things had be done for Centuries.

One Watcher and his Slayer changed all that. They changed the rules. In the face of overwhelming odds, neither admitted defeat. A lone Slayer and her Watcher surely would have died in the final days before Sunnydale fell, but an army of Slayers defeated the enemy.

Unfortunately, the victory celebration was short lived, and the Watcher was about to experience something no other Watcher in history had even imagined.

Sunnydale was gone. Most people in the world didn't know a thing about it. The newspapers and television news crews didn't give it much thought as they reported on the small city that was completely destroyed by an earthquake. The world just thought it was the way life was in California. Only a small group of unknown heroes knew the truth. Sunnydale had been a hellmouth, and they had destroyed it to save the world from unspeakable evil.

"The world should be grateful," Giles said as they stood at the edge of the crater that was once Sunnydale.

"For what?" Xander asked. "For saving them from an evil they didn't even know existed?"

Giles didn't have an answer for that. Of course the world didn't know about the vampires and demons, and they weren't ready to know about them.

"Yeah. I've saved hundreds, maybe even thousands of people, and they never say thanks," Buffy said. "But if we weren't there to save them ..." She shuddered.

"I wouldn't want to live in a world without Slayers," Dawn said. She looked at Giles. "Or a world without Watchers."

Faith threw up her hands. "Guys! We won. You're bringing me down talking like that. We should be celebrating."

Willow smiled. "I thought you said you wanted to sleep for a week."

Faith smacked Willow's shoulder. "I said a I could sleep for a week. Didn't say I wanted to."

"So. What do you do to celebrate saving the world?" Andrew asked. "I've never saved the world before."

"I say we go shopping," Buffy suggested.

"That's you answer for everything," Xander said, turning and heading for the bus.

"I like shopping," Buffy responded as she followed Xander.

Giles listened as everyone started talking about what they wanted to do to celebrate. He smiled. "Maybe the world will be grateful even if the people in it aren't," he said to himself as he looked at the sky. The sunshine and fluffy clouds promised nice weather for their journey, wherever it would take them.

~~~~~~~~~~

Giles was lost in thought as he drove down the deserted road. He thought about what had happened since he'd arrived in California seven years before. He had been through so much. They all had been. Willow and Xander had been forced to grow up too soon. The years at the high school should have been filled with fun and friends. Instead, they had been filled with demons and vampires. At least they had Buffy as a friend. Without her, they might not have made it out of high school alive.

The college years hadn't been much better, Giles thought. Yet he fondly remembered the research sessions in his flat. Having everyone over was the one thing that had kept him sane during that year. He would never admit it to any of them though. Once he bought the Magic Box, they moved the research sessions to the shop. It wasn't the same though. He'd been afraid he would never have that cozy feeling back again, but in those last weeks in Sunnydale, the feeling returned. There were many more people and wasn't his house, but it was home. He'd been with family again. Now as he drove the bus, he thanked whatever deity might be watching over them for sparing so many of them. The final battle could have been much worse.

Everyone had been asleep when he started driving. He hadn't seen a need to wake them. Now he glanced into the mirror to see if they were all still asleep. In that instant, the world was turned upside down. It was as if a giant hand hand plucked the bus off the road and turned it over. Giles half expected to see a large face staring through the windows at him. There was nothing to see. It was just a clear, sunny day.

As the bus came crashing down, he felt the too familiar buzz of strong magic in the air. He'd never felt anything like it. Not even Willow's power had felt like this. As he lost consciousness, he knew they were in in for the battle of their lives.

When Giles came to, he was on a stretcher. He was being lifted into an ambulance. He looked around, trying to see the others, but he couldn't see anything from where he was. "Where are the others?" he asked.

He heard a brief conversation as the paramedic asked someone close by. He couldn't make out much of what was said, but he heard something about three males and two females. The paramedic spoke to Giles, "They're on the way to the hospital already."

"There were more of us," Giles said. "Where are the others? Where are Buffy and the others?" He tried to sit up, but someone held him down.

"There were only six of you on the bus when we found you," the paramedic said.

Giles thought of protesting, but then he remembered the strong magic he felt as the bus crashed. His head spun with the implications. "Someone took them. You have to find them."

"You can file a police report when we get to the hospital," another paramedic said as the ambulance took off.

The police wouldn't be able to help. Giles knew that. They wouldn't have the first idea on how to find or rescue anyone taken by magic. He didn't know why he thought the paramedics would be able to find them.

Giles closed his eyes and silently swore vengeance on whoever had done this. They would pay. He would see to it himself.

~~~~~~~~~~

Buffy was unprepared for the crash. She tried to hold on and stay alert, but as the bus came crashing down, her world went black.

Whispered words woke her sometime later. She wouldn't have given it a second thought if she recognized the voices, and she might have been comforted if one of them was Giles. These voices belonged to no one she knew, and they were harsh even as whispers. She kept her eyes closed and struggled to listen.

"We removed all glass fragments and washed away the dirt, sir."

"Nothing else?"

"No, sir."

"Remarkable. They are healing more quickly than I anticipated, especially the blond one. Tell me what you know of her."

"She is the oldest, and she is the one who died and was brought back."

"Do you think that has affected her healing?"

"It is possible, sir. I have a theory about that." The other man made a curious noise. "We believe she may have received additional Slayer gifts when she was resurrected."

"The power of two Slayers?"

"Possibly three, even four ... She was resurrected once, but she was revived twice."

"Tell me more. I want to know everything about her."

Buffy strained to hear more, but she heard them turn and walk away. She thought she heard them leave the room. She wanted so much to open her eyes and look around, but she didn't want to risk having them know she was awake. There was no telling what they might do. Instead she kept her eyes closed and waited. They would be back.

As soon as he was released from the hospital, Giles took Willow to the site of the crash. He was disappointed to find that everything had been cleaned up. There wasn't even the slightest trace of magic. He knew that the magic would have all dissipated, but he'd been clinging to the hope that they would find something.

"It's been over a week, Giles," Willow said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I know," he said. "I was just hoping for some clue." He scuffed at the dirt with his boot.

"I can still feel Kennedy. Can you feel Buffy or Faith?" she asked.

"Yes. I can feel all of them, Buffy more strongly than the others." He looked at the sky. "It's time to go. We don't want to be caught out here after dark."

After Giles had driven in silence for a while, Willow turned to him. "I just wish they hadn't taken the scythe too. I'm sure I could find them if I had it." Giles sighed and nodded.

Willow had been released from the hospital first, and while she had waited for the others to be released, she had tried to find the Slayers and the scythe. At first she had just tried to find the girls. When she didn't have any luck with that, she tried to locate the scythe. She had hoped the scythe would be in a different location.

"You said the scythe was behind the same cloaking spell as the girls?" Giles asked.

"I wouldn't call it a cloaking spell. It's just that every time I think I'm getting close to finding it, my spell goes poof. The same thing happens when I try to find Buffy or Kennedy." Willow sighed. "It doesn't make any sense."

"Have you tried mapping out where this happens?" Giles asked. There was a hint of hope in his voice. Maybe they could at least narrow down where to search.

"Yeah, and it all just leads back to me. It's like there's a spell that's seeking me out and stopping me. Giles, whoever or whatever this is has magics and abilities I've never imagined." She opened her laptop. "I have been trying other methods, non magic methods, to find them." She typed a few things in and cursed under her breath. "But I have to be careful. I can't search for directly or I might be discovered. I'm just looking for clues."

"What kind of clues?" Giles asked. Still after all this time around Willow and computers, he was unsure on how to use them. He hated to admit that they frightened him. He was glad that Willow understood and was patient with him in these things.

"I don't know yet, but I'll know it when I see it. Right now I'm just surfing as much as I can."

When she was quiet for longer than he expected, Giles glanced over at her. "Find something?"

"Maybe," she said. "There are some posts on some Wicca sites about someone stealing magics. It's been classified as just an urban legend, but I want to keep an eye on it."

"Just be careful, Willow. I don't want anything to happen to you too."

~~~~~~~~~~

Willow had made the decision to go to Los Angeles and stay with Angel and Wesley. Giles didn't like it, but he couldn't think of anywhere else to go. At least Angel was staying out of his way. Wesley and Fred were proving to be helpful with research even though there were no solid leads yet.

It had been weeks since Giles had been released from the hospital. He knew Willow and the others were worried about him. He supposed they had every reason to be. Even before the battle in Sunnydale, he hadn't gotten more than a few hours of sleep each night. Now he couldn't remember when he had last slept.

When Fred brought him his tea, he was sitting at Wesley's desk pouring over newspaper articles and web pages that Willow had printed for him. Giles grunted his thanks for the tea as he moved the papers around on the desk. He was sure that if he stared at them long enough, the answer would be clear.

"Are you sure they're not in another dimension?" Fred asked quietly.

Without looking up, he answered, "If they were in another dimension, I wouldn't be able to feel them."

"What if the other dimension was here?" Fred asked excitedly. "I mean what if part of another dimension was brought here somehow?" She grabbed her notebook out of her pocket and scribbled some notes. "That would explain the problems with Willow's locator spells. They could be in a spot that's just a small place in our dimension, but is giant in the other dimension. It could even be a place as small as a phone booth here."

That finally got Giles' attention. "If that's the case, it could be anywhere."

"I'll go tell Willow and Wesley about it," she said, leaving Giles alone with his papers and tea.

With renewed inspiration, Giles began reading the papers once more.

Buffy remained still where she lay. She had woken some time before, but hadn't dared to open her eyes. From what she could tell, she was strapped down on a cot of some sort. The straps didn't feel like much, but she was unable to move her arms or legs even the slightest bit. She guessed that she was being restrained with magic and the straps were merely there as a reminder of her bonds.

For a while she listened as people moved about the room. No one talked which frustrated her. She wanted to know what was happening, but she didn't dare let anyone know she was awake. The last time she'd been awake, she made the mistake of opening her eyes. Immediately someone came over and injected something in her arm. She'd blacked out almost instantly. She wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

After what seemed like hours, she heard the people leave. She still didn't dare open her eyes. Not yet, she told herself. She waited a long time to be certain no one was in the room before she finally opened her eyes. She glanced around, moving only her eyes. She couldn't see much, but a clock on the wall caught her attention. It was 3:27pm, Tuesday. It didn't give a date, but at least she would now know how long she was out each time now.

Feeling a little more in control, Buffy closed her eyes and waited for the people to return.

~~~~~~~~~~

Willow sat next to Giles on the couch. She was working on her laptop, and he was reading a book. "I hope the protection spells hold better tonight," Willow said.

"The spell Wesley added to them today should help until we get a better physical barrier put up," Giles said as he turned a page.

"I can't believe the mayor wouldn't listen to you about the curfew." Willow shuddered. "Without Slayers here to fight the vampires and demons, it's not safe after dark anymore."

Giles put an arm around her and rubbed her shoulder. "They'll learn soon enough if we don't find Buffy and the others soon."

She leaned her head on his shoulder. "What are you reading?"

"Fred gave me a book on portals and dimensions. She thought it might help, but it's mostly math and physics. I can only understand about every fourth or fifth sentence."

Willow giggled. "I remember you said something like that about Buffy when you first met her."

Giles tilted his head to look at the laptop screen. "What are you working on tonight?"

She sighed. "I'm still trying to find any surviving Watchers or Slayers. The First couldn't have killed all the Watchers, right?" she asked uncertainly. "I mean there has to be some out there somewhere. You can't be the only one left."

"I don't know, Willow," he said.

"And the Slayers," she said. "Where are all the girls I made into Slayers? The ones in Sunnydale couldn't be all of them."

"We need to prepare ourselves for the possibility that they've been killed. Without Watchers to find and teach them, they wouldn't know what to do with their new powers." Giles sighed and tossed his book aside.

"Do you really think we'll find them, Giles?" Willow asked, closing her laptop. "I mean do you really believe it? It's been a long time. Sometimes I wonder if I still feel Kennedy at all. I wonder if I've just imagined it all along."

"I really believe we will find them," he assured her. "I still feel Buffy. Some days I can sense her so strongly that I feel she's trying to contact me. I can't give up on them."

"I'm just glad you're here," Willow whispered. "We'd all be lost without you."

"I'd be lost without you," Giles whispered.

Buffy remained still as she listened to people moving around the room. No one was talking, and that frustrated her. I can't learn anything if you don't talk, she thought. She wished she could just see the clock. Knowing the day and time helped her feel a little better.

Suddenly, someone grabbed her arm, and her breath caught in her throat. Thinking she'd been caught, she waited for the prick of the needle in her arm that would send her to sleep again. It didn't come. Instead, she felt something being tied around her upper arm. Then she felt the needle slide into her arm. She had to fight to remain still as she suddenly realized that they were drawing blood. What are they doing? she wondered. She knew that whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

"Get three vials from that one," someone said. "He thinks she's the key to all the cures."

Buffy silently cried, wishing she could do something to stop them. Giles, where are you? I need your help, she thought. I don't know what they're doing, but I know you could stop them.

As soon as the people left and she heard the door close, Buffy opened her eyes. She didn't care anymore if she was caught. She needed to see where she was. First, she glanced at the clock on the wall. It showed 7:18 pm, Thursday. Then she looked around the room. The room was filled with hospital beds. When she looked closer, she could tell the Slayers were on the bed, and they were all strapped down like she was.

Giles, please. We need you, she cried as she felt another needle in her arm. She cried as her world went black once again.

~~~~~~~~~~

Giles gasped as he sat bolt upright in bed, sweat dripping from his face. "Bloody Hell!"

Willow rushed to his side. "Giles, what happened?" she asked as she sat next to him and took his hand in hers.

He took a deep breath to calm himself. "I think Buffy was reaching out to me in my dream," he said. "She's in trouble. Someone is experimenting on her and the other Slayers. I saw them." He took another deep breath and looked at Willow. "It was probably just a dream and my wishful thinking."

Willow reached up and touched his cheek. "Maybe not," she said. "I found something while you were sleeping. Do you remember the reports about someone stealing magical powers?"

"Yes. What about it?" he asked. "Well, I found out that it was a scientist. Well, actually he's a doctor that specializes in research." She got up and grabbed her notebook and brought it back to Giles. "Both his wife and daughter have some serious and rare diseases. When he couldn't find a medical cure for any of them, he turned to magic."

"He stole magic from others in an attempt to cure them," Giles guessed.

"Yes," Willow confirmed. "Now there are rumors that he may have cures, but needs volunteers to test them. I'm seeing ads all over the internet wanting terminally ill patients for a research study."

"Of course, he wouldn't want to test it on his wife and daughter," Giles sneered. "But what does any of that have to do with Buffy and the Slayers?"

"I think he's somehow using the Slayers to create this new cure," Willow said. "Giles we have to rescue them soon. Who knows what he's doing to them?"

"Can't we just answer his ad and get to him that way?" he asked.

Willow sighed. "It's not that easy. I looked into it. The candidates don't go to him to apply. Someone is sent to them. If they pass the screening process, they are transported to the medical facility where the trials will take place."

Giles silently seethed. If he could, he would rip apart the fabric of the universe to bring the Slayers home.

Giles paced as he waited for Willow to finish speaking. Several times, he'd wanted to stop her and ask questions, but he waited. Willow had been researching non-stop all night. This new lead sounded promising.

When she was finished, he stopped and turned to her. "Let me get this straight," he said, running a hand through his hair. "He cured his wife and daughter, and now he's opened his 'health resort' to anyone that needs cured of any ailment."

"That's the word on the 'net," Willow said.

"It doesn't make sense." Giles started pacing again. "He must have a bigger agenda. There must be something we're missing. He invites them to his resort for free, promises to heal them completely, and doesn't ask for anything in return."

"And there's still no phone number or address, just the contact form on the website," Willow punched some keys on the laptop. "I'll search again. If we don't get Buffy and the Slayers back soon ..."

"I know," Giles said. The world was in trouble without the Slayers. Los Angeles was overrun with demons and vampires, even with Angel and his team out every day fighting them. He knew the rest of the world was worse. There were a few havens around the world where various covens had set up safe zones for people, but they would soon run out of room for new residents. It was only a matter of time before the vampires and demons outnumbered the humans. Then along comes this man with the keys to heaven, or so it seemed.

Giles stopped suddenly. "That's it!" he proclaimed, startling Willow. He sat down next to her and stared at the computer screen. "Does he say how long people need to stay?"

"No," Willow answered. "What ...?"

"He's got them all in another dimension. Right?" Giles asked.

"That's the current theory," she said looking at him. "Giles, what do you think he's doing?"

He waved away her question and asked one of his own. "What ages is he targeting for this? What type of people?"

Willow looked back at the computer and typed in a few things before answering. "People in their twenties and thirties and single, divorced or widowed."

"He's creating a new world." When he saw Willow's puzzled look, he explained more. "He's so angry with this world that he doesn't care what happens to it, but he needs people to populate his new world. Once he has enough people, he'll close the portal."

"And we'll never get them back."

~~~~~~~~~~

Buffy wondered why she seemed to wake when the other Slayers didn't. Of course, maybe they did, and she just didn't know it. She really doubted it though. Something deep inside her told her that if they were ever going to escape this place, she was going to have to find the way. She couldn't count on the other Slayers or outside help.

This time when she woke, she risked a super quick glance at the clock before closing her eyes again. It was 9:52 am, Saturday. Why does it feel like I've been here longer than a week? she asked herself. Have I lost more time than I thought?

She was startled out of her thoughts by a sound that sent a chill up her spine. She hadn't realized that she'd become accustomed to the sound of all the heart monitors. The constant beeps that showed that they Slayers were still alive had become a comfort to her. Now that comfort was shattered as one of them blared the shrill noise of a constant flat note. One of the Slayers was dead.

Buffy lost all sense of time as she listened to them try to revive her again and again. The didn't stop until the sharp sound of boots hitting the floor drowned out the noise. The boot strikes echoed around the room.

Suddenly all the noise stopped except the constant beeping for the Slayers that were still alive. The silence was unbearable for her, and she knew it must be terrible for whoever had let this happen.

Finally, someone spoke in a weak voice. "It was the dreams, sir. They've been working to keep the Slayers asleep."

"So, what went wrong?"

"We think she had a nightmare. We can't control what they dream, only that they dream at all. She must have had a heart attack from the nightmare."

"Fix it! I don't want this happening with any of the others. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," a chorus of voices answered.

Buffy listened as the doctor turned and left the room. Once the door closed behind him, she opened her eyes. The others weren't paying any attention to her, but she didn't care if they did. She needed to know which Slayer was gone. It was important that she know. She caught only a glimpse before they pulled a sheet over her face, but it was enough.

Her resolve strengthened, she set her mind to finding a way to escape.

~~~~~~~~~~

Giles couldn't sleep. He really wasn't sure why except that he had a restless feeling. So, he sat watching Willow sleep. He thought about what had happened since that fateful day when the bus had crashed.

Dawn and Xander had grown closer. Dawn had lost a sister, and Xander had lost a best friend. It was natural that they would comfort one another. At some point, they had decided to share a room. This didn't surprise Giles at all as he had chosen to share a room with Willow. Though with Willow, he had told himself it was because they researched together. It was more convenient. He kept trying to convince himself of that.

The truth was that they also found comfort in each other. They both felt responsible in a way. He had encouraged Buffy's plan to turn the potentials into Slayers, and Willow had performed the spell. It didn't matter that they couldn't have predicted this outcome.

He stood and walked around, trying to shake his sudden melancholy mood and the restless feeling. Moments later, he felt the loss of one of the Slayers. An instant later, Willow cried out and sat upright in bed. "No!" she cried.

Giles was at her side instantly. She fell into his arms, crying. He feared he knew what happened, but he had to ask. "What's wrong?"

"Kennedy died. I felt it," she said between sobs. "Didn't you feel it?"

"I felt one of them die. I didn't know which one." He held her tighter, trying to give her his strength. "I'm sorry, Willow." He pulled her with him as he lay back against the pillows. He held her until her crying slowed.

Willow looked up at Giles with wet, red eyes. "I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I just ... It shouldn't get to me like that. She been gone for a long time."

"Yes, but she was still alive," Giles said as he wiped a tear from her cheek. "There was still the hope that she would come back."

"I don't know why I hurt so much. I didn't even know her that long." She leaned back and looked into his eyes.

"Willow, you were with her when she became a Slayer," he said. "That's the bond you shared. That's why you could feel her. You were her Watcher." He brushed hair off her cheek. "I'm sorry you lost her, but it will get better. It won't always hurt."

Willow reached out and touched his cheek. "Thanks for being here when I needed you."

"I'll always be here for you," he said with a smile.

"I know. That's why I love you."

Something different woke Buffy. Something had changed. After listening for a while, she opened her eyes and looked around. She didn't look at the clock. The need to count the passing days had vanished, replaced by an urgent need to find what woke her.

As her eyes caught on the red and silver object, she saw movement from the door. They would never make it in time to stop her.

Buffy smiled as she reached out, summoning all her power.

~~~~~~~~~~

It had been days since they learned of Kennedy's death. Willow was coping better than Giles had expected. She had confided that she really wasn't sure that she loved Kennedy, not the way she had loved Tara anyway. She had just latched onto the first person that had shown interest.

Giles had felt the urge to kiss Willow the night Kennedy died. He wanted to kiss away all the hurt and tears, but he hadn't. It would have been taking advantage, and on that night he wasn't entirely certain where it would have led them. Instead, he had kissed the top of her head and held her in his arms as she fell back asleep.

Not long after that night, Willow had woken Giles from a sound sleep. He knew she hadn't meant to wake him, but she was excited about something. Even if he hadn't heard her brief squeal, he was certain he would have woken from feeling the excitement in the air.

As he opened his eyes, she jumped on the bed waving some papers in front of him. "I found it! I don't know how to open it yet but I found it!"

He dragged himself to a sitting position and grabbed his glasses from the nightstand. "What?" he asked, still not sure what all the excitement was about.

After he put on his glasses, she held the papers up for him to see. "I found the portal." She pointed to a spot on map she'd printed out. "It's been right here all along. We just didn't know it."

"Is that ...?" Giles started to ask.

"It's the alley behind the hotel," Willow confirmed. "I don't know why I didn't realize it before. This is why I had trouble with the locator spells before. I was too close to the portal. I thought it was pointing back to me, but it really wasn't. I really can't believe it. Wesley and Fred are trying to find a way to open it because I don't know much about portals. They couldn't believe it either. I found it. I actually found it."

Giles smiled as he listened to Willow babble. She did it when she was excited, and that hadn't happened in a very long time. When she started to go into details about how she discovered the portal, he decided that details weren't all that important to him. Without a word, he reached up and took her face in his hands. She continued to babble until his lips met hers. He kissed her slowly but firmly. When he pulled back moments later, she looked up at him with a dazed look in her eyes. "Willow?"

"Yeah?" she responded slowly.

"Are you alright?" he asked as he rubbed the back of his hand over her cheek.

"Uh ... I think so," she stammered. "I wasn't expecting that."

He pulled his hand back. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have -"

"Do it again," she whispered.

~~~~~~~~~~

Buffy saw the scythe move. At first she thought she had imagined it. Then it moved again, and she knew she'd done it. Taking a deep breath, she concentrated only on the scythe and how much she needed it. It flew into her open hand. As soon as it hit her palm, she felt the power surge through her.

People burst through the door as she broke out of her restraints and stood. One of them raised a hand towards an alarm button. "I really wouldn't do that," Buffy said. "I can stop you before you can blink." In a flash she was standing in front of them. "You see. This weapon here was made for me." She glanced at the other Slayers as she twirled the weapon in her hand. "Well, for all of the Slayers, but since I'm the only one who's awake ..." She looked back at them and smiled at the terrified looks on their faces. "Why do you think that is?"

"I d-don't know," one of them stammered.

"Are you going to kill us?" another asked.

"That all depends on whether or not you help me."

~~~~~~~~~~

Giles forgot about everything except the feel of Willow's lips against his and the warmth of her body. She leaned into him and tossed the papers aside as he kissed her again. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close as he opened his mouth to her. She took the invitation and slipped her tongue past his lips. At the same time he felt her slide one of her legs between his.

He hadn't realized how much he needed this. It was obvious that Willow needed it too. He rolled her onto her back and trailed kisses along her chin and neck. She rewarded him with a moan and rubbed her thigh against his growing erection.

"Giles, I want you so much," she whispered in his ear. "I need you."

He groaned and kissed her hard. At that moment all he could think of was ripping off her clothes and taking her hard and fast. "Do you want -"

His question was cut off abruptly, and he suddenly felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over him. He felt Willow shiver and knew she'd felt it too.

"Buffy," they both said together.

"She found the scythe," Willow said.

Giles jumped up and pulled on his shoes. "We need to find a way to open the portal." He grabbed Willow's hand and pulled her to her feet. "Right now."

They hurried out of their room and downstairs to find Wesley and Fred. Downstairs Fred and Wesley were running out of the office. "We got it!" Fred shouted. "We can open the portal."

Gunn and Angel came in from another room. "It's about time," Gunn said. "I've been wanting to shut this guy down for a long time."

"We need to go now, guys," Willow said. "Buffy is awake and has the scythe. She'll be looking for a way out."

"How do you know ...?" Fred asked.

"There's no time to explain now," Giles said. He turned to Wesley. "Get everyone who can fight or do magic. We're opening the portal in five minutes." He turned back to Fred. "What do we need to open it?"

Willow took notes as Fred detailed how they would open the portal. Giles recognized the spells needed. It would takes four of them to open it, but it wouldn't take long.

As Willow and Fred gathered the supplies needed, Giles began to plan his attack.

Buffy stood beside Faith. The other Slayers stood behind them. They all stood facing the terrified group of doctors and scientists.

"Now," Buffy said. "I've never killed a human before."

"I have," Faith added offhandedly.

"But that doesn't mean I won't start," Buffy said. "I have a whole bunch of reasons to want each and every one of you dead." She twirled the scythe in her hand. "Pretty, isn't it? Deadly too. This can cut a person in two." She held it up. "The long way." She paused to let it sink in, and smiled as they seemed even paler than before.

"We really don't want to kill you guys," Faith said. "But if you don't tell us where your boss is ..." Faith cracked her knuckles. "Let's just say we've been too long without a fight." She look at Buffy. "I don't know about you, B., but I'm just itching to kill something ... or someone."

Buffy just smiled.

~~~~~~~~~~

It was just after dawn when they opened the portal. Giles was thankful for that. With the sunrise, the vampires and most of the demons had slunk back to their homes. It would be hours until they ventured outside again. That gave Giles plenty of time to find Buffy and the other Slayers and bring them back.

Wesley and Fred stayed at the portal, one on each side of the door, to keep it open until Giles and Willow returned. Xander, Robin, Angel, and Gunn stayed behind to fight off any demons that might wander into the alley. Andrew and Dawn were keeping watch over the pertinent websites from inside the hotel.

Knowing they were as prepared as they could be for anything that might happen, Giles and Willow entered the portal and began their search.

It really didn't take as long as he feared it would. No one they encountered seemed to know anything was amiss. Giles hoped it was because Buffy had prevented an alarm from being raised.

~~~~~~~~~~

Buffy tapped her foot as she waited. She'd known they would give in. She just hadn't expected them to cave in so quickly.

When the door finally opened, it wasn't the doctor that walked through.

Buffy handed the scythe to Faith before she threw herself at Giles and Willow. "Oh my god, I am so glad to see you guys."

"I'm sorry it took so long for us to find you," Willow said. "I can't imagine being held prisoner that long."

"It's only been a week or two, Will," Buffy said. "I'm fine."

Giles and Willow pulled back and glanced at each other, then looked at Buffy. "Uh, Buffy ..."

"What?" Buffy asked. Clearly, there was something they weren't telling her.

"It's been almost two years," Giles told her.

"No way," Faith said. "You mean we've been locked in here and used as lab rats for two years."

"Yes," Giles said.

"He's really going to pay now," Buffy said. She turned to the group of doctors and scientists. "Where is he?" she demanded.

One of them spoke up while the others shrank away from her. "He said he was on his way. His office is a long way from here."

"Who?" Willow asked.

"The main doctor guy that brought us here. I don't know his name."

"Why should you? You're supposed to be asleep." The voice rang out behind Willow and Giles.

Buffy turned slightly toward Faith and tilted her head a bit. Faith tossed her the scythe.

"Nap time is over," Buffy said as she raised the scythe.

~~~~~~~~~~

Giles knew Buffy could handle most any threat, especially with the scythe, but she didn't know what she was up against with this guy. He couldn't warn her without giving away what he knew. He just hoped Buffy and the others would follow his lead.

"Dr. Hope," Giles said as he turned to face the man. "That is certainly an ironic name for a man who left all these girls without any."

"You're not seeing the big picture, Mr. ..." Dr. Hope said.

"Don't pretend you don't know me," Giles said. "We both know you did enough research to know all about me and the Slayers."

Dr. Hope chuckled. "Yes, Mr. Giles. I know who you are. I'm really surprised you didn't attempt a rescue before now. Though it won't do any good. In a few moments, you and your witch will be dead, and the Slayers will be asleep again. Did you know their blood can cure most any disease and illness? Not the blood of one of them alone, but different ones combined together with hers an do wonders." He pointed at Buffy.

"All this because science and medicine couldn't cure your wife and family?" Giles asked. "It seems a bit extreme."

"I'm saving people," he answered. "Giving them hope."

"You're taking away the lives of these young women to save others," Giles insisted. He hoped he could keep the doctor talking and distracted long enough for Willow to quietly work her magic, and he hoped Buffy would wait quietly for a signal.

"Sacrifices must be made for the greater good," the doctor stated without emotion.

"Oh wait," Buffy interrupted. "I've heard that line before. It wasn't true then, and it's not true now."

Giles smiled. "She right." He took a step forward. "There's one thing I still don't understand. Why bring everyone here? Why create this world for them?"

Dr. Hope's expression darkened. "Your world poisoned my family. It was because of the imbeciles there and their negligence. I want no part of your world. It has done nothing to help me. Why should I help it?"

"But you are," Giles said. "You are saving the people you bring here."

"They're my family. The rest of your world can go to hell," Dr. Hope spat.

Giles finally understood it all. The screening the doctor was doing was genetic screening. He was testing to see if the people were in his family tree. He only wanted to save his family.

"Enough of this!" the doctor shouted. "Say goodbye to your Slayer." He opened his arm wide and spoke a few words under his breath. A bright light appeared for a moment, but then it fizzled. "What?" he asked as he realized he couldn't move.

"Just a little binding spell," Willow said, smiling. "Well, not too little. You have a lot of power, but not as much as me right now." She raised her hand. She was holding the scythe with Buffy. Each of the slayers raised their hands. They were all linked in one long chain. "I got a little power boost."

"Now, we are going to leave," Giles said. "All of us. After we are gone and the portal is closed, the binding spell will release you. I hope you are happy in this world you created. It's the last one you'll see."

Without glancing back and without a word, they all filed out of the room.

One scientist block there way at the end of the hall. He held a gold urn. Before they could question him, he handed it to Willow. "I'm sorry about what happened. If I had known, I never would have helped him." As Willow took the urn, he said, "It's Kennedy's ashes. I saved them. Dr. Hope never bothered with the names of the Slayers, but I knew them all. I tried to keep them comfortable because I knew you would come for them some day."

Willow reached out and hugged the man. "Thank you."

"Go," he said. "I will make sure that no one follows or raises an alarm."

"We need to go now, Willow," Giles said.

Willow whispered another thanks before she ran off with the others.

Giles was lost in thought as he stood at the window watching the sunrise. They had come a long way since the day they had closed the portal. The Slayers had immediately been scattered around the world to battle the demons and vampires. It had taken several months, but the world was beginning to get back to some sense of normalcy. He chuckled at that term. There was no such thing as normal in a Watcher's life. He wasn't even sure what normal felt like.

In an effort to keep the world safe and as normal as possible, Willow had used the scythe to once again activate new Slayers. This time, veteran Slayers were sent to be their Watchers. It had been Dawn's idea, and Giles wasn't sure about it at first. It did make sense though. Keep the 'regular Watchers', as Dawn called them, away from the front lines. They would be needed to do research and could be sent to the Slayers if and when they were needed. It was better to have experienced Slayers training the new Slayers.

Giles turned at the sound of the bed creaking. "Good morning, Love."

Willow stretched and yawned as she swung her legs over the side of the bed. "Good morning."

He walked over to stand in front of her. "Did you sleep well?" He gave her his hand and helped her stand.

"Better than the last few nights," she said.

"Do you know what today is?" Giles asked.

"Of course I know what today is, Silly," she said with a laugh. "It's five years today since we closed the portal and rescued the Slayers."

Giles laughed at the serious look on her face. "It's was also five years ago today that we first made love. I thought I should make this a special day."

"Oh really?" she asked, not sounding at all surprised.

"Really," he said as he bent down and kissed her very pregnant belly.

"And what are you going to do to make it more special than the last four anniversaries?" she teased.

In one fluid movement, Giles dropped to one knee in front of her and took her hand in his. Slipping a ring on her finger, he asked, "Willow, will you marry me?"

"Yes," she answered and tugged his hand up.

He stood and kissed her. This is what normal feels like, he thought.

~~~~~~~~
The End
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