Wowza. Nice job.

Thanks. Kind of a plotty little thing inspired by the paragraph cut from "Chosen" about Dawn. I tried to think of all the little strands that didn't get developed for her character. Her impulsiveness, her physical competence, her research, her magic dabbling, her mordant streak, that touch of sadism. I realized she was kind of a combo-scooby with elements of each, and with some training she could be an effective agent for the Angel lead W&H.

Running her forward in time she seemed like a gothier Sydney Bristow. I wanted her to have a partner and once I put her in Europe, Oz popped in the scene. I extrapolated for him that he wouldn't have stopped at being able to just stop the Wolf, but would be able to access it at will - merging with it. Making him a useful agent as well.

It actually gave me a little insight into how Angel might look/work next year.

how Angel might look/work next year.

If only. Wuh.

Liked that a lot, Hec.

Oooh, very nice, Hec.

fic. Primarily for non-F2Fers. Nyah. (at least I'm not whitefonting it)

Giles walked slowly towards the front of the bus. The remaining sunlight prickled on his skin, itching and stinging. But the feeling was fading. "How close can I get?"

"Depends," Spike said. "I wouldn't be too eager to go experimenting. You okay?"

Giles nodded, stepping cautiously out the bus door and onto the ground. The blue sky above made him wince; outside the gate was a patch of bright sunlight that burned his eyes just to look at.

People were starting to appear, heading for the chapel for evening prayers. Among them was Xander, who spotted the vampires by the bus and wandered over.

"Going to join us?" he asked in a friendly way. "Oh, wait, no, vampires and churches, two great tastes that don't taste great together."

"I didn't know you were Catholic," Giles said.

"Maybe I'm not. Maybe I just like places where the evil things can't go."

Spike nudged Giles. "Let's go for a stroll, Ripper, take a look at the place." He smiled at Xander. "Say hello to your little scaly friend for us, mate. Cute kid." Xander glared at them and went into the chapel.

"What cute kid?" Giles asked.

"I'll tell you on the way."

The patch of direct sun had faded, and Giles felt stronger with every passing minute. His eyesight sharpened as the blinding light gave way to rising dark. "This feels good," he said, feeling the night breeze starting to build.

"Not much for the country," Spike commented. "Too quiet."

They strolled around the walls, checking the terrain. When they reached the barn, Giles paused to look at the animals.

"What?" Spike asked.

The cows and the horse moved nervously, watching the vampires anxiously. Giles stepped closer to the horse, which sidled as far away as it could.

"My family has a farm in England," he said softly. "I went back last summer, during the usual slow time in evil activity. I rode for hours, with nothing to worry me except for possible gopher holes and where to stop for tea." He reached towards the horse, which stomped and pulled harder on its rope. "There's a horse there I raised from a colt. He'll run from me now if he can, won't he."

Spike leaned against the barn wall, far from the animals. "Angelus rode whenever he could. He was country gentry, probably rode before he could walk. Somehow he always found these nasty brutes, as vicious as him, and he'd go riding for hours. About the only living thing he'd ever show any patience with, his horses. Darla thought it was all too human of him, and Dru as terrified of the beasts."

"And you?"

"Horses are for pulling things, not for sitting on. Never saw the sense in trying to break your neck by jumping over a fence that was put there for a purpose. Disgusted with us all, he was." He tugged Giles away from the animals. "But he always found horses that didn't mind what he was. And he'd come home and go on for hours about how the fields and woods looked in the moonlight and how one of us should go with him and see. Closest he ever came to poetry, talking about riding."

Giles continued walking. "Warwickshire is lovely in the moonlight."

They continued around the convent, studying the approaches. The convent bells rang again, and they heard the worshipers leaving the chapel.

Spike stopped in front of the gates. "Do they lock up at night around here?"

"Yes, they do. There are coyotes around here, and the sisters worry about the chickens. They'll close up the barn, too." Giles blinked as Spike shifted into game face. "What?"

"Shift, your sense of smell will be better. The country smells are messing me up."

The world changed colors when he let go of his human face. The plants in the field pulsed faintly, and Giles could almost see the evening breeze. He breathed deeply, tasting the smells. "Horses. Multiple horses. And sweaty people."

"And metal that's been out in the sun all day. They're not coming fast, but they're coming." Spike grinned, licking his fangs. "Come on." He headed down the road.

"Why?" Though Giles followed anyway.

"Ought to tell Slayer how many of them there are."

"Oh, makes sense."

"And I'm not eating out of a baggie tonight."

"Oh, yes. Even better."

The convent's dinner was served immediately after Vespers in the lamp-lit common room of the dormitory. The meal was chicken soup, supplemented by cheese and bread donated by the Scoobies. The cook, Sister Teresa, went around with her soup pot, making sure everyone got enough. Tara was fussed over by Sister Mary, the herbalist, who praised Willow's choices of remedies for the pain of Tara's hand and the distress in her mind.

Savlin, Baynar, and two other Minoto sat near one end of the long refectory table. Baynar kept leaning forward so he could peer around his mother and wave at the new people. Dawn waved back and made faces so that the little boy would giggle and duck back behind Savlin. The other two Minoto adults were less comfortable in the company of strange humans and watched out of the corners of their eyes, occasionally speaking softly with Savlin.

Joyce talked happily with Sister Agnes about the history of the convent, occasionally asking Anya for additional historical information.

Xander turned down yet another offer of more soup from Sister Teresa, then leaned closer to Buffy. "Do I look like I'm starving? She's like my Grandma, 'Eat, Lexi, you're too skinny.'"

"No, I think you've just been adopted by a bunch of Aunts. I think we all have." She grinned as Dawn failed to keep Sister Teresa from either refilling her bowl or patting her head.

Loud knocking came from the front door. Sister Agnes looked up and frowned. "Who could that be? Everyone's here--" She looked at Buffy, who grimaced.

"Not everybody."

Sister Agnes firmed her shoulders and got up to investigate. Buffy followed quietly.

Spike and Giles waited at the open front door of the building. Both of them looked a bit rumpled, and Spike was bouncing on his toes. Giles smiled slightly and nodded to the nun. "Good evening, Sister Agnes."

It took her a few moments to find her voice. "Good evening, Mr. Giles. I was--very surprised to hear about what happened to you."

His smile became sadder. "It was rather a surprise to me as well. I am sorry we've had to bring such strangeness to your doorstep. Things are, however, developing rapidly."

Buffy came up to stand beside Sister Agnes. "What's going on?"

"There's a troop of Knights of Byzantium, they're probably ten minutes away."

She went into first-things-first mode. "How many?"

"About thirty."

"More or less," Spike added.

Sister Agnes frowned. "Should we be worried? Maybe they don't mean any harm."

"The man riding in the lead has the look of a fanatic about him," Giles said. "They're fanatic about finding and destroying the Key before Glory gets hold of it. I doubt they're willing to be reasonable."

Buffy peered over Giles' shoulder and saw that the front gates were closed. "Is it too late to get on the bus and make a break for it?"

"They're on the only road, and we'd be trying to fight a running battle at night."

"Are you sure it will come to a fight?" Sister Agnes asked. "Surely they'll respect sanctuary."

Spike shrugged. "They might. Miracles are your business. But I think it's more likely that I'd be able to step into your chapel without flinching."

Sister Agnes crossed herself. Both Spike and Giles averted their eyes until she was done. "What do we do?" she asked calmly.

Giles smiled at Buffy. "Do you think Anya knows much about the proper conduct of sieges? I confess, all my knowledge is theoretical, but it should be quite exciting."

MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE!!!

MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE!!!

I am now at the interesting part where I get out an actual piece of paper and start drawing arrows and circles and maps with "Then he goes over there, but I've got to get her over here before then, then these guys come around here--oh, hell, where did *he* go, he's supposed to be over there!" Timelines and who does what where when and making sure it makes sense.

Stupid work. Where's the endowment for Connie To Not Need To Go To Bed So She Can Go To Work Tomorrow?

t digging through pockets

Do you accept Canadian funds?

Or, possibly, a beta? Because I can help you keep this straight - or gay, whichever you need.