Chapter 6 -- Maneuver...

Spike went up to his room, where Buffy was taking a pair of sturdy boots out of the closet. She tossed them on the bed beside a leather jacket and pants. She had her Slayer look back. "This is for you," he said, handing her the sword, complete with belt and sheath.

She tossed it on the bed beside the boots and the jacket. "I'm going to Giles's," she said. "Will you drive me?" She pulled on the black leather pants.

"Ann's bringing him here and moving Dawn somewhere safe."

"What do you mean? Dawn's safe with my dad." She looked at Spike. "Dawn is with my dad, isn't she? Spike?"

"Dawn is probably being driven to her lawyer by their housekeeper."

"Her who? Their what? Wait! Señora Rivera! Dawn's housekeeper?"

"Yes. It's complicated, but after Ann and Nancy Polias forged Joyce's new will, they said Giles and Dawn needed a housekeeper. For appearances' sake."

"Faith's lawyer is also Dawn's lawyer?"

"Yes. Ann said it would be easier to establish a will written by a reputable but out-of-town lawyer who was agreeable to some mild chicanery in a good cause. Nancy can also protect a client even more strongly than Ann can protect Tara. Dawn will be the safest of us all."

"Why driving? Why didn't Ann just move them?"

"She says teleporting Dawn is a bad idea."

"Why? No! Later," Buffy said. "We'll talk later."

"OK." Spike drew the knife. "Oh...," he said.

At Spike's awed voice, Buffy looked over at the knife. It was a dagger, about as long as her forearm and it seemed to be made of cold flame. It was green, actually many shades of green, ranging from very pale at the edges to near black around the center rib. "Did she make that?"

"Probably." Spike strapped the sheath on to his right arm and slid the dagger into it. He took a short leather jacket out of the closet and put it on, checking the sleeve width around the wrist. The hilt was almost unnoticeable and readily available. "That's good."

Buffy took up the sword and drew it. It was obviously made by the same weapons smith. The sword was light for its length and wonderfully balanced. It was sharp on both sides of the tip for about ten inches, and was single edged from there back to the hilt. This weapon was ice colored, pale gray-blue at the tip and the edge, shading through blue to black along the back. The hilt was black and the crosspieces steel gray. "How did she know I can use a sword? All she's seen me use are stakes and crossbows."

"I believe Angel mentioned it," Spike said.

"That one was a stick, compared to this. When did you and Angel start being civil to each other?"

"At your funeral."

"At some point, I want to hear every detail." Buffy sheathed the sword and pulled on her boots.

"Sure. I'm going to call Gang Long," the vampire said, heading out the door.

"Why? If he's safely away, leave him alone."

"He's not just a boy. He eats demons. It's his job. Oh, and remember I said there are lions here?"

"Yes, but I didn't understand."

"They'll all help. Slayer, this is probably the best defended house in Sunnydale, at least against demons." Spike left.

***

Gang Long ported into the library. He was in dragon shape. "Demons," he said, his long red tongue flicking out and in.

"Lots of them, according to Cordelia Chase," said Spike.

"Here's Giles," Willow said, looking into the foyer.

Giles walked over to the stairs, sat down and put on his shoes. "Ah, Spike, Willow. Ann says Glory's family is after me. Hello, Tara."

"So we're told. Buffy," Spike called up the stairs. "Giles is here." Giles stared at him, then up the stairs.

The Slayer came down. She was carrying the sheathed sword, but put it down to hug him.

Giles paled. Buffy pulled back and looked at him. "She didn't tell you?"

"I...." Giles sat back down. This time, it was Spike who went for a glass of wine. Buffy sat down beside her Watcher.

"It's me. I'm back, my memory's back. She should have warned you."

"She may have. I woke up fully to find Carlotta Rivera and Dawn running down the stairs and Ann briefing me as I was trying to dress. Then she sent me here. Thank you."

Spike handed Giles the wine, which shifted to single malt. Giles drank it.

"Where's Dawn now?" Buffy asked.

"Señora Rivera is driving her to Nancy's, wherever that is. Ann wouldn't tell me, in case we lose tonight."

"You forged Mom's will?" Buffy asked.

"We were considerably upset, all of us. Dawn didn't want to leave Sunnydale. Ann and Nancy arranged it."

"Where's Ann?" Tara asked.

"She went on to Xander's and Anya's."

"Gang Long," the vampire said. "Do the lions need to be alerted?"

"I'll go tell them. They may want to move the cubs." The long ported out.

"What is this with lions?" Buffy asked.

"Guardian lions," Giles said. "What most people call Fu dogs. Dawn likes the cubs."

"They like her," Willow said.

Gang Long and two huge curly-maned lions ported in. Buffy recognized them as the statues from driveway gate. Now they were walking and were jade-colored, one very light lilac and the other palest milky green. OK. Buffy decided to think about them later.

Ann ported into the foyer. She looked over at Gang Long and the lions: "Good. We are sufficiently private here that you may join in the fighting if you wish."

"In our own forms?" the green lion asked. Buffy stared. Walking statues were strange enough, but talking, walking statues were even stranger. On the other hand, it was Ann's house and strange things happened here all the time.

"Certainly," Ann said. She raised her head, listening, then Anya and Xander appeared. He was holding a crystal vial, which he immediately held to his nose and sniffed. He seemed to wait for something. When nothing happened he grinned, capped the vial and put it into his pocket. "Buffy. She meant it."

"Xander," the Slayer said, hugging him.

Ann nodded. "Now," she said. "Cordelia Chase's vision shows Glory's family and groupies coming here after Giles and Dawn. I assume she means the other Hell Gods, Glory's father and son, and more minions. Three sets of enemies. I think I'm best used against the senior god. The junior god, the war god, is for Buffy. The rest of you, Tara, Willow, the shouyu, Xander, Anya, Spike, Gang Long, protect Giles, keep the minions from stabbing me or Buffy in the back and kill all minions you can."

"Sounds good," Buffy said. "War god?"

"More or less. Soldier's god," Ann's voice held distaste. "Army god. He's not as strong here as he is in his home dimension, or as strong as one of the free local gods. You're stronger now than you ever have been, Buffy, stronger than you ever will be again. At the moment, you are very nearly as strong as either of them."

"They still defeated Glory," Xander pointed out. "I mean we did too, but just barely and it took all of us and a wrecking ball."

"It took both of them and an army," Ann said. "It is very possible they are overconfident, since Glory died when Ben was presenting, Ben being only human and easy to kill. They may think we are a walk-over. I would like you, Gang Long, and the shouyu," she turned to the huge lions with a graceful inclination of her head, "to be concealed at first. Show yourselves after the fighting starts, then do what seems good to you. Do you want me to send the cubs away?"

"Send them to Claire's, please, Jingwu," the lilac lion said. "Despite their opinions, they are too young to deal with kuangmei, although they are advanced for their age."

Ann nodded and waved one hand. "Buffy, keep the sword sheathed until they confront us. Spike, the knife too."

"Are they good against gods?" Spike asked. "Or just demons?"

"Both," Ann said. "One thing, Buffy. As in some fairy tales you may have read, if you don't kill him outright; if you just wound him and he begs to be freed of his pain, don't, do not, strike him again. Everyone remember that."

"You don't have your sword," Willow said.

"Not this time," Ann said. She smiled over at Gang Long, who grinned back at her. "Guns for everyone else, I think. These will work well against the minions. Don't bother trying to hurt either of the gods with them."

"Uzis," Xander said. "Good. Anya, I'm setting yours for single shot. You get excited."

"Only when people are trying to hurt me. I don't deal well with pain."

"So where so we find them?" Buffy asked.

"They'll come here," Ann said. "When they don't find any of you in Sunnydale, they'll find this address and they'll come here. I left a note on the front door on Ravello and on Tara's and Willow's."

"Slaughter and maneuver," Buffy said, and smiled at Ann.

Ann smiled back and said, "Exactly. I want to disguise you a bit, Buffy. They don't know you're back."

"They've never seen me."

"The minions may have."

"All right."

Ann put her hands together over Buffy's head, spread them and moved them down the girl's sides to Buffy's feet.

"Wow," Willow said. "That's good."

"Can I see?" Buffy asked.

"Only until you draw the sword."

Buffy looked in the mirror by the closet. "I like the eyes," she said.

"You and Liz Taylor," Spike said.

"Spike!" Willow said.

"A very young Liz Taylor," he said. "You never saw her when she was young."

"He's right," Ann laughed. "I copied her eyes."

(Chapter 7)

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