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Part 2

Rayzor and Zeke began to move forward as they engaged Jacob and Buffy in combat.  This was exactly the way the Dark Son had ordered them.  First, Rayzor and Zeke would battle them, see how strong and tough the two really were before their next test came.  And Rayzor already knew who he wanted.  He advanced on Jacob while Zeke approached Buffy with nothing short of glee in his eyes.

"Daywalker," Rayzor said, aiming one of his blades at the blonde man, "I've been looking forward to fighting you for a long time."

"Let your wait be over then." Jacob said as he raised his sword in anticipation of the battle.

Zeke stopped his advance for the moment as he watched his buddy attack Jacob.  Buffy waited also, content to let Jacob handle this unless it looked like he was going to be beaten, only then would she get involved to help him.

With a roar, Rayzor moved, striking multiple attempts with his blades against Jacob's face and chest.  The Daywalker was a master at the sword though.  Not as good as Buffy, but he knew how to handle himself and he met each of Rayzor's strikes head on, blocking each one and moving forward to deliver some of his own.  The beefy black man ducked under a sword overstrike and brought his right hand up and under Jacob's defenses, cutting through his shirt and making a clean cut across his skin.

Hissing from the sudden shock, Jacob stepped back as he looked down.  He'd chosen not to wear the vest tonight, and now he was paying the price.  There was a diagonal tear in his shirt and a cut was made across his chest, just a little blood dripping downward.  He looked down at the cut before he readied himself as Rayzor moved forward again.

This time it was Jacob who had control of the fight.  He met each and every strike that Rayzor attempted and countered with his own strikes.  He waited until he saw an opening and he went right for it.  With Rayzor's chest exposed for a fraction of a second, Jacob lifted his leg and kicked at Rayzor's chest as hard as he could, sending the man back several feet.  Following his attack, Jacob ran up and dove into the air, delivering a kick to the chest again that had enough force in it to knock Rayzor to the ground.

Back over to where Buffy was watching, she noticed Zeke now coming towards her.  She looked at him, noticed the bat in her hand, and decided that she could handle him on her own.  She put her stake away as Zeke tried several strikes with his bat.  Buffy dodged each and every one of them as she moved with lightning quickness.  As both Zeke's hands were wrapped around the bat, she waited until he swung at her again before she kicked him behind his head, sending the man down to the ground.  Recovering, Zeke got back to his feet and tried another series of swings at the Slayer.  Buffy sidestepped him and kicked him in the back of the head again, sending him sprawling to the ground.

Frustrated at being put on the ground, Zeke got to his feet and charged at her, his rage taking control of his body as he moved towards the Slayer.  This time, however, Buffy didn't try to dodge his attempt or even sidestep him.  She waited until he was close enough, then she merely reared back and hit him in the face as hard as she could with her fist.  The blow with her superhuman strength sent him flying into the air, crashing through a tombstone.

Seeing his buddy down, Rayzor walked over to where Zeke was trying to scurry to his feet.  Looking back at them, Rayzor smiled, spotting a figure as silent as the wind move up behind them, but enough feet back.  It was the Oriental man.  He held a long silver staff with an hook on one end and the other end being sharp and pointy.  As the man stuck the staff into the ground, Rayzor spoke.  "Don't worry Zeke, let my by Jin Kane take care of them."

Buffy and Jacob whirled, seeing Jin Kane standing there in the appearance of calmness.  He had his left arm crossed over his chest and his right arm curled over his left with his right hand touching his chin. He merely stood there, watching them.

"Jin Kane?" Jacob spoke up, recognizing the name.  "The Jin Kane that served under Emperor Chin?"

The man's head moved only a fraction, but it was enough to signal a nod.  "The same man." he said in a clear and crisp voice.

Jacob stepped forward, conscious of where Buffy and the other two attackers were.  "I have heard many say that you are a man of honor and integrity."

Jin Kane let his arms fall to his sides.  "What do you know about honor, you're a half breed."

Without waiting for further comment, Jin Kane pulled his staff from the ground and began moving forward, moving his staff expertly in different angles and directions.  Jacob sighed, knowing what he was about to go against.  Twirling his sword in a circle, Jacob advanced forward, engaging Jin Kane's staff with his sword.  The two men clashed their weapons together with a blinding speed and technique that was truly mindblowing.  Buffy watched with rising respect for both of them as they moved forward and backward.

One of them would have the momentary advantage, then the other would take it right back.  It continued that way for several minutes, the other Knights and Buffy watching with barely disguised interest.  Their clash of weapons ended when Jin Kane used the hooked end of his staff to catch Jacob's sword and he forced it down to the ground, embedding both the sword and the staff into the ground.  Jacob used his strength in his upper arms and he thrust his sword out, braking the staff and forcing Jin Kane to leap into the air, diving backwards to avoid having his feet cut.  Jin Kane landed softly on his feet, his arms outstretched as he landed.

As Jacob held his sword, ready to continue the fight, Jin Kane stood calmly.  "Honor is not in the weapon." he said with conviction, looking intently at Jacob, then at Buffy.  "It's in the individual."

Nodding once, Jacob stuck his sword into the ground.  Moving forward, he was about to engage Jin Kane in battle, when the Oriental man held a hand up.  He pointed first at Jacob, then at Buffy.  "Both." he said.

Jacob looked at Buffy, who nodded, and they both advanced on Jin Kane.  Jin used a very old type of martial art with Jacob, his hands and arms moving with thunderous quickness that was surprising to the Daywalker.  He managed to block each and every shot that Jin tried and even began to try to hit his own.  Jin blocked every shot that Jacob tried, however.  Blocking a shot, Jin suddenly twisted his body around and delivered a thunderous back kick to Jacob's chest, knocking the man back.  Turning his attention to Buffy, Jin motioned to her to advance at him.

She was a good fighter, but Jin was a lot quicker than she was and he repeatedly kept getting shots at her shoulder and neck, knocking her further back until he dipped down low and took her legs out from under her with a leg sweep.  Stomping his foot down towards her head, Buffy quickly moved out of the way and nipped up to her feet.  He was off balance when she was on her feet and Buffy took advantage of it.  She used just a regular fighting move.  With her left arm, she back handed him across the face, sending him down to the ground many feet back.  He somersaulted his body and landed on his feet as he quickly charged at Jacob.  This time, Jacob was more prepared for Jin and he kept blocking the attempted shots.

When Jin Kane tried an overhead strike, Jacob ducked under and retaliated by curling both hands into a fist and tilting his upper body, striking Jin with both fists.  His right fist hit Jin's chest while his left hit just above his abdomen.  Jin's body moved back as Jacob stepped back where Buffy was.  All three fighters were breathing hard.  Jin curled his hands together and began to move forward for another round of the fight.

"Enough!" came the voice from several feet back.

All three froze for a long intense moment.  Slowly, tentatively, Jin nodded his head at them, a silent show of respect to them.  They nodded back at him, showing their respect for his fighting abilities.  Buffy and Jacob turned to where the voice had spoken and they saw two figures walking towards them, just in front of a large crypt.

The figure ahead of them was the man in the dark suit.  He had a dark little smile on his lips as he slowly walked towards them.  A woman walked just behind him, her movements graceful, yet with a powerful walk that could be deadly as well.  The two slowed as they neared the two.

"Well..." the man in the dark suit said, "isn't this a glorious sight!"

Buffy looked at him with caution while Jacob just watched him, no reaction at all.

"The Slayer and the Daywalker, together again!" the man continued.  "My have I wondered if the two chosen fighters would ever cross paths.  And not only have they done so, but they find themselves liking each other, very much."

The Dark Son watched as they failed to react to his voice.  "You," he said, "have already met my Knights.  That's Rayzor and Zeke." he motioned to the black man and the white haired white man.  He raised his right hand to where the woman was. "This is Faithlyn."

"Greetings." Faithlyn quipped.

"And who are you?" Buffy asked.

The Dark Son chuckled, a sound neither the Daywalker nor the Slayer liked very much.  "Me, I have many names.  I am known to many as the Dark Son.  But you can call me Kell."

"What do you want Kell?" Jacob spoke up.

Kell approached Jacob, standing in front of him and gazing into the man's eyes.  "You, Daywalker, already have an idea what I want."

Buffy watched as Kell stepped away from Jacob and approached her.  "And that is?" she asked, letting anger fill her tone.

Approaching her, Kell looked into her eyes, seeing all the pain and horrors she had faced in her life and also seeing the truth she's hidden deep in her soul.  A truth she's gone to great lengths to keep hidden from all of her friends.  Kell now had an advantage over her and when the time was right, he'd expose that truth to all.  "I want the world to feel it's last drop."

Jacob's brow furrowed, not expecting that remark.  "What?"

Kell stepped away from them.  "Knights." he said.  The four of them immediately fell into step behind him.  "I came here tonight to bring forth your deaths, but now that I've looked at you and seen you face to face, I believe something else would be better suited for you.  Just a simple death would be too easy for you.  But die you will, I promise you.  Because, when the time comes, and you breath your last breathe, the both of you will bear witness to the End of Dayz."

With that said, Kell turned and began walking away, Faithlyn, Zeke, Rayzor, and Jin Kane silently following behind.  Moments later, Buffy and Jacob were silent.  Jacob more so because of what Kell had said.  The last words he'd spoken drew Jacob to something else he'd come across before coming to Sunnydale and he wasn't liking it very much.

"Jacob?" Buffy asked, lightly touching his arm.

He glanced down at her, shaking his head.  "I'm alright.  We should get back to your house and gather everyone.  There's something I need to tell you."

Buffy nodded, not saying anything else as the two slowly began heading out of the cemetery, each lost in their own thoughts.

---**---

Willow and Tara were in their bedroom at the Summers House.  Tara was laying on the center of the bed, her body slick with sweat and she was breathing hard.  She had her legs spread and she had her knees bent as her lover/fiancée moved above her.  Willow was in between her lover's spread legs, moving her body rhythmically against Tara's.  She had her exposed center rubbing against Tara's and Willow's mouth was covered over Tara's, both witches' tongues dueling for control.

The redhead had her fingers intertwined with Tara's and the women's hands were squeezing each other as they continued to move against each other.  Both women were desperately seeking each other's bodies out.  Suddenly, Tara's legs came up and wrapped around Willow's waist as she tore her mouth away from Willow's.  She screamed as her entire body shuddered in climaxed ecstasy.

Less than a moment later, Willow's body shuddered as she came, laying her body full over her lover's.  They stayed there, resting against each other for several long minutes before they found the ability to speak again.  "Um..." Willow said, at a loss.

"That was intense." Tara mumbled, nuzzling her face against Willow's red hair.

"Tare bear, intense is an understatement to what that was." Willow replied, resting her cheek against Tara's shoulder as she wrapped her arms around her.  She hummed as she closed her eyes, enjoying the contact of their closeness.  She'd missed this more than she cared to admit when they had broken up.

Tara smoothed her hands over Willow's back, feeling the sweat glisten on her fingertips.  "I do believe we may need a shower before we sleep."

Willow smiled dreamily.  "Shower can wait, this is cuddle time." she purred.

Tara smiled at her, letting the foot on her left leg smooth over Willow's lower calf.  She continued to rub her lover's back.  "Willow?"

"Hm?"

"How would you feel about us going away?" Tara asked, her eyes closed.

"What do you mean?" Willow asked, looking up.

Tara smoothed the hair from her lover's forehead.  "I mean, say in a couple weeks, we go somewhere private and spend the weekend together, just us."

"Just us," Willow's eyes lit up at the idea, "no Buffy, no Giles, no nobody.  Just us!"

"That's right.  How would you feel about that?" Tara asked again, her fingers rubbing Willow's cheeks.

Willow leaned forward and gave Tara a deep kiss.  "I think that's a wonderful idea honey.  Just you and me, together.  No interruptions."

"No interruptions." Tara said, smiling, "You can even update your diary."

Willow nodded.  "Yes, update my diary.  And we can do so much together.  Where would we go?"

Tara thought for a moment.  "Well, we could always rent a cabin in the mountains.  I could finally get the chance to show you how to ride a horse."

Willow put her head back down.  "The more I think about it, the more I like it.  Just you and me together."

"Mm hm." Tara murmured, rubbing Willow's back again.

Willow stayed silent for a little while, just basking in the happiness that was radiating through her body at the moment.  Then, she looked up as something occurred.  "What about the wedding?  I mean, shouldn't we prepare for it."

Tara moved her head in a nod.  "Relax Will.  The little get away will only be for just a weekend because we do have school to go to.  But," Tara sighed, her emotions shifting, "I'm more worried about something else."

"What's that?" Willow asked.

Tara's fingers moved down towards Willow's stomach.  "The baby.  A lot's happened to both of us during the past year.  The breakup, the magic addiction..."

"Your death." Willow whispered, hating the extreme sadness she still got when she thought about it.

"Plus other things that are just too painful for us to think about." Tara reminded her.  "I'm just a little worried that something might happen to you or the baby." Tara said.

"I know." Willow said, resting her chin on Tara's chestbone and gazing into her lover's eyes.  "But, Tara....I'm not going to let anything happen to me, you, or the child we created together.  I am going to have this baby and we are going to build our future together."

"Good." Tara whispered.  "You know, it's not gonna be too long from now till we get to go shopping for maternity wear."

Willow's eyes lit up, wanting to do just that with her fiancée.  "Ooh!  I can't wait for that."

"Yeah, me either." Tara replied, her hands running up and down Willow's sides.

Willow's breathing began to pick up.  "If you keep that up, we're going to be busy for a while."

Tara smiled seductively.  "Is that a promise, Miss Rosenberg?"

"No," Willow replied, leaning up on her elbows above Tara's face, "that's a guarantee."

Surprising her lover, Tara flipped Willow over and made good on the guarantee.

---**---

The next morning rolled around bright and early.  As soon as Buffy and Jacob had returned to the Summers House, most everyone were asleep.  Buffy was going to see if Willow or Tara was awake, but as soon as she looked inside their darkened room, she couldn't bring herself to disturb them.  They were asleep, facing her.  Willow was in front with Tara spooning her from behind.  Both witches had appeared happy and totally at peace and Buffy didn't want to disturb them, so she told Jacob they'd wait until today to tell them of their encounter.

With classes beginning today, the two witches were dressed and ready to head to the University.  Willow was dressed in her blue jean skirt that went down to her ankles and a dark navy blue sleeveless top.  She wore a white shirt over her shoulders and bare arms that was made with see through material.  She had her hair brushed all the way back.  Tara had dressed in a pair of her black pants and had a deep purple long sleeved shirt on over her upper body.  She had her hair arranged like the same way she had when she'd been at the University and had let a friend kiss her cheek.  It was less than a day before she and Willow had come back together.

Both witches were sitting on the couch at the far wall.  Dawn was sitting next to them.  The younger teen was wearing of her blue jeans with a dark blue button up shirt tucked into them.  Sitting across from the three of them was Giles.  The Watcher had dressed in one of his dark dress slacks and a business button up shirt.  Xander and Anya had just arrived.  Anya wore her dark pants with her pilgrim like shirt she'd wore when Willow had attacked them at the Magic Box.  Xander merely wore a dark red button up shirt with a pair of black jeans.

Buffy and Jacob were the only ones standing.  The Slayer was wearing one of her sleeveless white silk blouses with her black pants.  She had her hair in it's new curled look.  Beside her, Jacob looked the same as he always did.  His black pants, black shirt, it was all the same. He didn't wear his vest, though.  And Buffy had just finished telling everyone of their encounter with the man that called himself Kell.

"Just Kell, that's all he called himself?" Xander asked.

"That's it." Buffy replied.

Giles took his glasses off.  "I don't know what to make of it.  It's clear this Kell is going to be our next threat, but I don't understand what he's after."

"I do." Jacob said.

They looked at him.

"Have any of you ever heard of something called the Prophecy of The End of Dayz?" Jacob asked.

Most of them shook their heads, but Giles didn't.  "I've heard of it, but I'm afraid I don't know much about it."

"I was in Rome a couple years ago and I came across the Order of Makhali." Jacob told them.

"The Order of Makhali.  I haven't heard of them in a very long time." Giles said.

"Yes, the Order of Makhali aren't as strong as they used to be.  Mainly because their prophecies came into conflict with the views of the Catholic Church.  They were forced into seclusion many years ago.  But when I came across them, I spent time in their library.  Their library wasn't that large, but I got my hands on their most treasured beliefs.  That's when I came across the Prophecy of the End of Dayz." Jacob said.

"What is this Prophecy?" Willow asked, finding herself interested.

"The Prophecy of the End of Dayz tells of a time when the Gates of Hell would open and a powerful demon of hell known as the Dark Son would rise to Earth from it.  The Dark Son would remain on Earth for a period of ten days.  At the end of the ten days, there would be a perfect alignment of certain stars in space.  When that happens, the Dark Son would be able to forever open the Gates of Hell and release the Army of his father, Dekhleti, and bring forth the End of Dayz." Jacob explained.

"So basically," Buffy said, "this guy Kell is the Dark Son of a demonic being named Dekhleti and he wants to unleash an army to destroy the world."

"No, you misunderstand Buffy." Jacob said.  "If Kell succeeds here, he'll open the Gates of Hell.  And the Hell you all have heard, the hell that Satan resides in, that's not the only hell that the gates will open.  Every single dimension of hell will be opened.  And we're talking over a thousand of them.  If that happens, not only will Earth be affected, but every heavenly dimension will cease to exist.  Heaven, the one the Christians believe in, other heavenly dimensions, they all will be destroyed if the Gates of Hell are allowed to remain open."

"Wonderful," Buffy sighed, "another apocalypse."

"What does he need to do this?" Xander asked.

Jacob looked at the floor.  "Well, first of all, he needs the stars to come into the alignment.  But also, before that happens, Kell is going to need to absorb a certain amount of mystical power in order to use the alignment to open the gates.  He'll have to be at a specific time and place for it to work."

"Okay, then how do we stop it?" Dawn asked.

"If the Prophecy is correct, then the only way to destroy Kell is to destroy his Knights." Jacob replied.

"His Knights?" Buffy asked.

"Yes, a very long time ago, when each of the four Knights pledged their loyalty to him, Kell gave them Immortal life.  By doing so, he created a mystical link with them.  If we can destroy them, then Kell will lose all of his powers.  And when that happens, we can finish him off." Jacob told them.

There was some silence throughout the living room.

"Well, we need to find his hideout." Buffy said.

"Alright, let's reconvene at the Magic Box later today and we'll discuss this further." Giles said, rising to his feet.

As it was approaching midday, Willow and Tara headed off to the University, Dawn headed to the Bronze, Buffy stayed at the house, Xander went to work, Anya headed to the Magic Box, and Giles went to his new apartment.  And Jacob walked to his black car, suddenly wishing he wasn't involved in this mess.  Things were already complicated enough without having to add Kell to the mix.  Now that Kell and his Knights were involved, Jacob was beginning to wonder if he'd ever be able to find his mother's attacker.

---**---

The remainder of the day passed much too quickly for the group as they all went about their daily business before they returned to the Magic Box around sundown to discuss Kell's plans and do research about the Prophecy of the End of Dayz.  They were all at the Magic Box at the current time.  Willow and Tara were seated one on side of the round table, going through some of the history books as Dawn, Xander, and Anya sat around the other side of the table, going through other books.  Anya was behind the counter, also skimming through some of the older material that was still in the Magic Box.

Giles, Jacob, and Buffy were in the far back, where most of the Dark Magic books were held and they were looking through them to see if they could research anything called the Dark Son or Kell in particular.  They were all busy and not having much luck at their researching.

They had been researching for about a half hour when the bell at the front door chimed as the door was opened and someone walked in.  Anya approached the older man.  Even though the Magic Box was closed, Anya would've tried to sell him something, but his appearance made her wonder if he had money to buy anything.  He wore a pair of very faded jeans with a dirty brown shirt with a brown leather jacket.  The jacket had tears and holes all over it.  He had a face full of facial hair as he skimmed through the place, looking at face after face.

"I'm sorry, we're closed right now. Why don't you come back tomorrow and we can sell you something." Anya said brightly.

"I'm not here to buy anything....I'm..." the man's voice stopped as his eyes landed on Jacob at the far wall.

Jacob's eyes locked on the man's and his eyebrows widened at seeing who he was seeing.  Buffy and Giles glanced at him in confusion.  Without a thought, Jacob climbed down the steel ladder that led to the upper level where the darkest books were held and he approached the older man.  "Thomas, it's been a long while." Jacob said as he walked up to the dark haired older man and embraced him.

The man returned the embrace for a few moments.  "I had to come Jacob.  He's risen to Earth, hasn't he."

It wasn't a question, but a statement and Jacob knew it.  He nodded.  "Yes, Buffy and I ran into him last night."

Buffy, who had climbed down the ladder, walked over as the others watched with skeptical eyes.  She extended her hand.  The man grasped it and shook her hand.  "I'm Buffy." she said.

"The Vampire Slayer." the older man said quickly, recognizing her face.

Buffy's eyebrows hiked.  "How did you..." she looked questionably at Jacob.  The Daywalker shrugged.

"I've studied Sunnydale for many years, Miss Summers.  And I have crossed paths with many Vampire Slayers.  Allow me to introduce myself properly.  I am Thomas O'Hara.  About twenty three years ago, I was a monk with the Order of Makhali."

Hearing this, Giles rushed forward, eager to meet an actual monk of that Order.  "My name is Rupert Giles, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"It is an honor to meet a Watcher, Mr. Giles.  And I wish our meeting like this was under better circumstances." Thomas said with sincerity.

Giles nodded.  He motioned to everyone.  "Oh!  Allow me to introduce you to everyone.  This is Xander Harris, you met Anya, this is Buffy's younger sister Dawn, and those two are Willow and Tara."

The older man nodded to them all, his eyes flickering on Dawn's face a fraction longer.  "You.....you were the Key, weren't you?"

Hearing that title made everyone tense up and Jacob picked up on it.  "That business is in the past Thomas."

Thomas glanced at Jacob.  "What?  Oh yeah, I understand that.  I meant no offense to anyone, it's just, I've done a lot of research on this city and on the Hellmouth in general.  I had heard about a battle involving the Hellgod Glorificus and the Key.  My informants told me the Key was in human form and that it was a little girl.  I looked at her and somehow, I just knew." he said.  "Anyways, I've come here to help you.  I believe I have valuable information that you will need to fight the Dark Son and his disciples."

Reaching down, Thomas picked up his duffel bag he'd carried in with him as Giles led him over to the round table.  Most of the table was covered in different books, but they cleared an area of it off as Thomas put his duffel on a chair and opened it up.  Tara glanced at him.  "What can you tell us?" she asked.

Thomas glanced at her, then at everyone else.  "What exactly do you know about the Prophecy that predicts the End of Dayz?"

Jacob crossed his arms over his chest.  "Just that Kell has a limited amount of time before the alignment of the stars to absorb a certain amount of mystical energy so that he can open the Gates of Hell."

Thomas nodded as he removed a notebook that had his writing all over the pages.  "Well, that's only one part of the actual Prophecy.  And if that's all you know about it, then you don't really know everything."

Similar looks of resignation passed over their faces as Thomas finished his statement.

---**---

At the hideout of the Dark Son, Kell stood on the third level of the construction platform, looking at the other Knights as they spoke with each other in low tones.  His gaze locked on Jin's, just watching the Immortal man.  For centuries, Kell had watched the activities that happened on Earth from the Hell dimension he resided in.  He'd watched what his Knights had done while they waited for his rise and for the most part, he liked what he saw them doing.  But there was something about Jin Kane that didn't set well with the Dark Son.

Jin Kane had honor and he had integrity.  Those were two things that Kell knew would come into conflict between them one way or another.  Kell had knew that when Jin first pledged loyalty and that was so many centuries ago.  But still, even after all this time, he and Jin had never come to blows.  Jin's sense of honor never crossed with Kell's motives for Earth.  But, there was one thing that Kell knew.  Jin's honor code would come into conflict here.  That was something Kell knew coming in and he was prepared for the time when it happened.

He'd seen it as he'd watched Jin battle the Slayer and the Daywalker.  He'd seen the looks of respect that passed between Jacob and Jin and Kell knew, deep down, that before it was all over, there would be something that Jin wouldn't do and it would conflict against Kell's plans.  So Kell knew that when the time came and Jin refused to obey an order, he would take his head and absorb his mystical energy and be done with the fool once and for all.

Kell heard soft footsteps walk slowly to him and he turned, letting his human eyes glance at Faithlyn as she stopped next to him.  "Faithlyn, my dear." Kell said slowly.  "What brings you up here?"

Faithlyn's eyes flickered to the others down at the ground level before looking at him.  "I've come to have an assurance." she said.

"An assurance?"

She nodded.  "Yes.  I want a promise from you that when the time comes, you won't betray us."

Kell laughed.  "My dear!  You should know by now that I don't make promises I can't keep.  I can't tell you that I won't betray you when the chances are excellent I might do just that."

Faithlyn's face tensed.  "So you are going to turn on us."

"Of course." he replied.  "I'm evil Faithlyn, evil beings do evil things.  You should know that.  Look at everything you've done.  You had a chance to put your association with me behind you along time ago.  You chose to stay."

"I did it because I pledged loyalty to you.  That's something I can't break, even if I wanted to." Faithlyn said honestly.

He walked away.  "Loyalty is a virtue, Faithlyn, don't forget that.  And don't forget that disloyalty is not tolerated."

Faithlyn's face grew pensive as she watched him walk away.  She wanted to know what was brewing behind his eyes, but she knew there was no way for her to find out.  She growled in frustration.  She was beginning to wonder if bringing him to Earth was the best idea after all.

---**---

Thomas opened the notebook to a certain page that he was looking for.  Finding the page, he skimmed through several lines of writing, aware of the others watching him.  He began speaking of the information they needed to know.  "Alright, as I said, absorbing the mystical power is something he needs by the time of the alignment.  But, there is another element he needs to have before the alignment occurs."

"What?" Giles asked.

Thomas read from his book.  "From the day he rises to the day of the alignment, the Dark Son of Dekhleti needs to fulfill two elements.  The first is the absorption of a large amount of mystical energy.  The second element he must fulfill is to find and sacrifice a woman who bares his mark on her skin.  If the Dark Son fails in any of the two elements by the time of the alignment, the Gates of Hell will not open and the powers he carries from the Hell he comes from will be stripped away, leaving him mortal and vulnerable."

Buffy and Giles exchanged glances.  "So, there's a woman somewhere in the world that bares his mark?" Buffy said, her voice shocked.

Thomas rose from his seat.  "No, the woman is either in Sunnydale, or near Sunnydale."

"How do you know?" Jacob asked, not knowing this information.

"This woman bears his mark, that means he's in her blood.  At this moment, she can feel his presence here.  The closer he is to her, the more she will feel compelled to seek him out." Thomas said.  After a moment, he reached into his duffel and pulled out a thick volumed text.  Opening it up, he flipped to a page of markings that, at some time or another, were associated with the Dark Son.  "Do any of you know anyone who has any of these markings on their skin?"

Giles looked over the page.  He shook his head.  The same reaction came from Dawn, Buffy, and Jacob.  Thomas pushed the text towards the witches.  He saw Tara shaking her head in the same negative fashion, then he looked at the redheaded witch.  She had a look of dread on her face.  The others looked at her.

When Tara looked at her lover, she saw the look and was going to gasp at the thought of Willow being the woman Kell needs, but then a thought hit her.  "Willow, honey, you don't have any of these marks on you." she pointed out.

Willow swallowed.  "No, I don't.  But we all know someone who does."

Thomas steepled his fingers together.  "Who?" he asked patiently.

Willow locked gazes with the Slayer.  "Buffy, Amy has that symbol on her arm."

The redhead's finger was pointed to a symbol on the page.  They looked at the symbol for a moment.  It was of a triangle inside of a circle with an eye inside the triangle.  As Thomas saw which symbol she was pointing at, he sighed.  Any of the symbols except that one could mean just coincidence.  But the fact that it was that one, the symbol that the Dark Son has always used, meant one thing.  This girl, Amy, was chosen before her death to be sacrificed by Kell to open the Gates of Hell.

"Then, we need to find this girl, Amy, and keep her hidden until the alignment of the stars comes and goes." Thomas said.

Glances flicked from face to face, not anyone knowing what to say.  Finally, though, Willow spoke up, looking at Thomas.  "There are some things you need to know about Amy."

"I'm listening." Thomas said.

Willow explained, in rather vivid detail of everything Amy had done in her life.  Starting with her use of dark magic that turned her into a rat to her involvement with the warlock named Rack to finally, the recent events that led to her being taken to a monastery outside Sunnydale.

Thomas listened with a growing sense of dread.  He had hoped that this woman Amy might not have been the woman because according to the Prophecy, the woman with the mark would be someone who's life was tinged around darkness and anger.  And as he listened to the redhead, he knew that Amy was indeed the woman that Kell needed to fulfill his elements before the alignment happens.  After she finished, Thomas took a deep breath.  "We need to get to that monastery and get her.  Even though there is a magical barrier around it, Kell's powers are much too powerful now.  If he gets there before we do and takes her, all our efforts will be for nothing."

"We can leave first thing in the morning." Buffy said, her voice solid and had the tone that spoke of no argument.

"How long will it take us to get there?" Giles asked.  The only one of them who had been there was Jacob as he had taken Amy to the monastery.

"It will take us a few days to get there.  The monastery itself is deep in the mountains.  We can take vehicles only so far, but we'll have to hike much of the way there." Jacob answered.

"Alright, everyone, this is what we'll do." Buffy said, in leadership role, "everyone will go home and we'll all pack what we need to make this trip.  We'll get to that monastery and we'll get Amy out and keep her safe somewhere."

They nodded.

"What about Anya?" Tara suddenly asked.  "I mean, is she coming with us?"

"No," Buffy said, "Anya, you need to stay here and try to keep tabs on Kell's activities.  You can transport yourself to us if he makes some sudden move, right?"

"Yes." Anya answered.

"Alright, then it's settled.  We leave at first light for the monastery, Jacob will lead the way." Buffy told them.

As they all let the silence lengthen, one thing became clear to them.  They had a big struggle ahead of them.

---**---

It was around eight o'clock when Kell called a meeting with his four Knights.  He had arranged a long white dinner table with enough chairs for them to sit.  All over the table were different vintages of wine and many selections of delicious food.  Tonight would mark the beginning of Kell's quest to bring forth the End of Dayz.  His four Knights were dressed in identical white and light gray suits.  Faithlyn had on a glittering white dress.  And Kell was wearing a white robe that had intricate designs all over the fabric.

As they ate, Faithlyn began to remember a conversation she had just had with Jin Kane.  He had been leaning against a steel support beam at the time and he had looked troubled.  She had walked up to him and spoke with him.

"Is something wrong, Jin?" Faithlyn had asked.

Jin had pursed his lips.  "For the most part, men and women alike can only mend their ways only after they've made a mistake."

"Yes, that is true I suppose." Faithlyn had replied.

Jin had looked very pensive for several moments, his eyes looking over many things before looking at the night sky.  "One day very soon," he had said, "we all will serve very little purpose to Kell except dead."

She had just stared at him a moment, knowing the truth of the matter.  Then her eyes had gone upward and glanced at the third level.  Kell had been standing there, watching them with an expressionless face.  And Faithlyn had somehow knew that he had either heard their conversation or read their lips and for the first time in a very long time, she felt tendrils of fear race through her.

That had been less than an hour ago and now, they sat there, eating a delicious meal and drinking red wine.  Kell rose from his seat, lifting his glass.  "A toast." he said evenly.  "I see tonight....as a celebration of the spirit!  To all of you, who continue to serve me loyally.  Even those.....who might waver....at times." he said, his eyes locked on Faithlyn and Jin.

They glanced at each other before they tensed and returned the look at Kell.

He carried on with his words.  "You....are my flock!  You nourish....my soul." Kell began walking around the table.  "You are all part of a great journey, a destiny of fulfillment." he moved behind Jin.  "And here, my friends," he said, holding a sword in front of him.  He lowered the point to the ground, holding the handle.  "are the instrument of that fulfillment.  The giver and taker....of creation." he moved back to the front of them.  "Baptized in blood, it is the living that matters...after all."

Jin slowly reached down under his chair and grasped his sword, prepared to defend his existence if it came to that.  He had a sudden feeling of dread coursing through him.

"It sings like an Angel." Kell continued as he raised his sword to be even with his face, watching the blade as they smiled at him, except for Jin.  "Just listen." he whispered as he slowly pulled his hands apart, revealing that the sword he held was in fact, two blades of powerful steel.  As the two blades were seen, Jin's eyes flashed and he rose form his seat quickly, holding his sword in front of him.

As Jin moved up, Kell jumped onto the long table, extending his swords outward. One of them aiming at Zeke and Rayzor while the other was aimed towards Faithlyn and Jin.  Jin stared at him hard, slowly shaking his head.  He knew fighting was pointless now.  He and the others had been lured into this trap by Kell and Jin would face whatever happened now with honor, awaiting his death.  Kell projected power from his arms into the blades and powerful beams of white energy cascaded from the blades and struck the bodies of the four Knights.

They all yelled out as the powerful bolts of power surged through their bodies.  Kell slowly lifted his hands into the air, the blades lifting up.  And the four Knights bodies were in the air as well.  The energy slowly was drained from their bodies and entered into Kell's body as he yelled out his completion of absorbing the mystical energy he needed.  When it was over and the bolts of energy were no longer flickering, all that was left of the Knights of Dekhleti were piles of dust in the seats where they had stood and sat.

Smiling, Kell walked out of the room where the dinner had taken place.  He had just achieved the first element that he needed.  Now, he needed the girl.

---**---

Tara entered her and Willow's bedroom in silence.  The redhead was already in her sleeping clothes, a sleeveless pink top with a pair of boxer shorts.  She was rubbing a little lotion on her arms as her lover entered.  The two women shared a familiar look.  Another dangerous event was happening and they were involved.  But one thing they were happy about was that neither of them were really at the center of it.  Just involved.

"You okay?" Tara asked, not sure how Willow must be feeling now that they knew that Willow's high school friend, or ex-friend, Amy, was the center of Kell's plans.

Willow shook her head as she pulled the covers back and slid in.  "I'm just finding it all hard to believe that we're going to be helping Amy after everything she's put us through recently." the redhead said as she watched her lover.  Tara was over by the dresser.  She removed her shirt first, exposing her back to Willow's appreciative eyes.

Tara reached behind her to unsnap her bra and let the garment fall to where her shirt lay.  Unbuckling her pants, she slid them down and and put them with the other two items.  And finally, her back still facing Willow, she pulled down her white panties and put them on top of the other clothes.  Reaching into the dresser, she pulled out her sleevless cut off shirt and pulled it over her chest.  She grabbed a pair of her boxers and pulled them on before she picked up her discarded clothes and took them to the hamper on the other side of the room.  Reaching up, she let her hair down from the clip she'd had holding it up.  When that was finished, she climbed into bed next to her lover and cuddled up against her side.

Willow flipped out the light and before she lay back down, her eyes locked on the two suitcases that were filled with clothes they were taking with them.  She sighed as she relaxed against the bed and pulled Tara's body against her.

"What's wrong?" Tara asked.

"I hate this." Willow answered.

"What?"

"The constant fighting.  I hate having to constantly be involved in some conflict or another." Willow said honestly.

Tara pressed her cheek against Willow's skin above the shirt.  "I know you do.  I hate it too but...it's something we can't get away from.  Even if we moved out of the house and got our own place, I still think we'd always run the risk of getting into trouble one way or another."

Willow swallowed.  "Then how....how are we supposed to get married, raise this child together, knowing we're constantly going to have to fight every day?"

Tara pursed her lips, hating that Willow seemed to be in this much emotional pain.  "It's what we do Will.  We live and we do it as best we can.  Sure, we are going to have to fight to keep what we have and that's just a part of life.  What I guess I'm trying to say is......Will, we've already faced a whole lot more than any two people should have to....to just be together.  And our journey isn't over.  But I think deep down, that you and I together, can brave any storm, can face any danger, no matter how dangerous, and still come out of it together and happy." Tara told her lover, giving her a kiss on the lips.

Willow smiled at her, returning the kiss.  They both sighed together as familiar tingles surged through their bodies.  It seemed that every time they kissed, their passions flared.  But they knew that for right now, they needed to rest.  There was no time for lovemaking tonight.  Tara relaxed her body against Willow's and closed her eyes, feeling Willow's arm tighten around her.  Willow closed her eyes, just glad to still have this closeness with her Tara.

---**---

Jacob pulled his black Trans Am in front of the Summers House and turned the engine off as he opened his door.  He wore his usual getup, with his armored vest over his shirt.  His face was set in all business as he walked up to the front door.  He had his bags packed full of other shirts and pants, but mostly weapons.  Stopping in front of the door, he knocked softly before he entered.  There wasn't anyone in the living room, so he walked towards the kitchen.  He saw the littler Summers sister rinsing out a bowl she had ate cereal with.

"Hello Dawn.  Where is everyone?" Jacob asked.

Dawn smiled at him.  "Hey Jacob.  Um...Buffy's upstairs packing a few things.  Willow and Tara are upstairs, getting dressed.  And Giles came by this morning to pick up Xander and Buffy.  They're getting a van to take everyone else.  Buffy wanted me to tell you that me she'll ride with you and the rest of us will ride in the van."

He nodded.  "Alright.  That should work." he said, looking at the Slayer's sister.  Dawn was wearing a light purple long sleeved shirt with a pair of black pants.  She had her hair combed back.

Dawn looked at him.  She studied him for several minutes before she spoke.  "You like my sister, don't you."

Jacob was silent.  "What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean.  You like her as in.....you have romantic feelings for her." Dawn said.

Jacob sighed, he had hoped he'd kept his feelings guarded and a secret.  Obviously he hadn't.  "Yes, I do.  But there are complications."

"There always are.  Complications I mean.  Especially for Buffy." Dawn said.

"What do you mean?" Jacob asked, interested.

Dawn trusted Jacob, that much the younger sister knew.  And she thought he would be a good thing for Buffy.  That's why the next words out of her mouth were ones she knew she shouldn't say, but she felt dignified in saying them.  "It's just that the last guy, a vampire really, that Buffy had feelings for...well, he hurt her pretty badly."

"I know all about Angel, Dawn." Jacob told her.

She shook her head.  "I'm not talking about Angel.  I'm talking about the fling she had with Spike."

"Spike?"

"Yes, he's this creep who used to hate Buffy's guts.  Now he's all obsessed with her.  Stealing her clothes, even having a robot version of her to have sex with.  Last year, though, because of Buffy's recent situation, they kind of slept together for a while.  When she finally stopped it, Spike almost raped her.  We haven't seen hide nor hair from him since." Dawn explained.

Jacob appeared calm on the outside, but anyone who knew him well had seen him, they would have recognized the signs.  If Giles had been there, he'd of seen the lines of fury that were on his face and the look that was in his eyes.  Jacob was really wishing that this Spike was in Sunnydale so he could seek him out and give him a good beating.  Worse than that, Jacob was ready to stake him.  Jacob needed to get his bearings under control before the others arrived.  Sighing, he tried to calm down.

---**---

Less than ten minutes later, a black van pulled up in the driveway at the Summers House.  Giles, Xander, and Buffy exited the van as they headed to the house.  Entering, they entered the living room.  Xander was wearing a regular white t-shirt over a pair of blue jeans.  Buffy wore a blue sleeveless shirt with a flower design on it over a pair of her black pants, and Giles wore his usual gray sweater with a white shirt under it and a pair of black jeans.

Willow and Tara were sitting close together on the couch when they entered.  The two witches looked up as they entered the house.  Both were dressed for the long day ahead of them.  Tara was dressed in a long sleeved t-shirt of a deep green color.  She had the sleeves rolled up to her elbows.  A pair of blue jeans covered her legs.  Her lover had worn something different than that.  Willow wore a dark red top that covered her stomach, her chest and part of her shoulders.  A light green sweater was over her shirt.  She wore a pair of dark pants over her legs.

"You guys ready?" Buffy asked.

The witches nodded.

Jacob entered with Dawn.  "We're ready too." Jacob said, glancing at the Slayer.

"Alright, I'm riding with Jacob and the rest of you will go ahead in the van." Buffy told them.

"Once we leave, it'll probably take us the better part of two hours to get to the point to where we'll have to hike the rest of the way.  We should get going." Jacob told them.

Within moments, Jacob and Buffy were in his Trans Am, pulling away from the house.  Giles was driving the van with Xander in the seat next to him.  Dawn sat behind Giles with Thomas just behind her, looking through his notebooks.  And the two witches had taken the long seat in the back.  Together, the entire group headed out of Sunnydale, on their way to get Amy from the monastery before Kell could get to them.

None of them saw it, but Kell had been watching from behind a tree.  He smiled evilly.  They were going to lead him right to her.

---**---

The drive out of Sunnydale on towards the point where they would have to hike the remainder of the way was in relative silence.  Jacob and Buffy were in the Trans Am and ahead of the van Giles had gotten ahold of.  Right now, they were about fifteen minutes from reaching their destination and Buffy was watching the greenery they passed as she contemplated the conversation she wanted to start with Jacob.  It was a topic she'd wanted to approach with him for a while, but she wasn't sure if it was one he'd want to take part in.

Right now, they were on a pretty smooth dirt road that led to the point to where they would have to hike and they were fifteen minutes from that spot.  Forging ahead, Buffy decided to take the chance.  "Hey Jacob?" she asked, starting the conversation.

"Yeah?" the Daywalker replied, his hand staying on the steering wheel as he moved the vehicle forward.  He kept a conscious eye on the mirror every few minutes to make sure the van was following.

"If this is a little too personal, feel free to not answer.  I was wondering about.....the vampire that you've been searching for." Buffy said gently.

Watching him, she saw Jacob's face twitch as he thought her words over in his mind.  After a few seconds, he relaxed.  "What about it?"

"Do you know anything about the vamp?" Buffy asked.

Jacob watched the fields all around them for a few seconds as he prepared to answer.  "I don't know the vamp's name, but I've been able to learn a little about him.  Some of my contacts tell me he's killed two Slayers in his lifetime and that he has blonde hair." Jacob paused.  "This may or may not be relevant, but I've been told that the vamp was originally from England, well before he was turned."

Buffy tried to keep her feeling of dread from reaching her face as she turned her face to the window.  She was starting to have a really bad feeling about what Jacob told her.  A vampire that killed two Slayers, was from England originally, and had blonde hair.  And Buffy knew a vampire that had those three things in common.  Mere coincidence, Buffy hoped so, otherwise things were going to get a whole lot icky if Spike ever showed up in Sunnydale again.  She sighed and relaxed against the seat as their trip continued.

About twenty minutes later, the two cars arrived at the point where the vehicles couldn't go any further.  Both vehicles had moved slower and that being the reason they arrived five minutes later than normal.  Opening the car door, Jacob exited his Trans Am and popped the trunk.  Buffy was already out and heading back to where the van was stopping.  As the others began leaving the van, Jacob began moving through his stuff in the trunk.

He unsnapped his vest and slid it off so he could pull over his shoulders two leather slings on either side of the built in sheath that held his sword in place.  As the others watched in rapt fascination, Jacob first pulled out a rifle shotgun and sheathed it on the sling on his left side at his back.  He had a refill of ammunition in one of his pockets on his pants.  Reaching into his trunk, he pulled out a bazooka and snapped it into the sling on the right side of his back.  Then he pulled his armored vest back over his shoulders and snapped it closed.

"Where in the world do you come up with that stuff?" Xander asked, astonished.

Jacob picked his sword up out of the trunk and turned to them, sheathing it at his back.  "I have contacts all around the world.  Some of them are into weaponry.  Occasionally, some of them will give me new weapons.  I've only had this bazooka for a few months."

"Alright, we need to get moving." Giles said, his voice brooking no argument.

And that's what they did.  The locked the two vehicles up and grabbed the things they would need and began heading out.  Although suitcases were packed, they had decided that since they would be traveling for a lengthy amount of time, it would be better to leave them in the cars.  They only grabbed a change of clothes and headed out.

Jacob and Buffy were in the front, leading the way as Jacob showed them how to get to the monastery that had Amy in it.  Willow and Tara walked a few feet behind the two chosen ones with Dawn and Thomas a little ways behind them and Giles and Xander brought up the rear, the entire group heading upwards into the mountains.

"This is a beautiful place." Tara said, her eyes looking over the grassy fields and the few clouds that grazed the blue sky.

Willow nodded.  She'd removed the light green sweater and had it stuffed in the bag she carried over her shoulder.  "It's very beautiful." she said, appreciating the view of the area as they continued to move upward.

"You know..." Tara murmured, flicking her eyes to Willow's face, "if you wanted, we could.....um....have the wedding somewhere out here."

It was the one subject that they hadn't really talked about.  Even though the wedding was getting closer, they had shied away from speaking about it because of the arguments that had risen about it.  Willow had wanted at least some of her Jewish customs to be involved, but Tara wanted it to be the traditional handfasting that she'd learned about as a child.

"Out here, in the wild?" Willow replied.

"No." the blonde shook her head.  "I mean....out here....somewhere beautiful like this.  I just think it would be a nice place to have our wedding, that's all."

"Having a wedding out here would be a perfect thing, Tara.  I think we should plan it that way.  Well, given that we survive this mess."

"Oh...we will." Tara said, smiling at her lover.

"How can you be so sure?" Willow asked.

Tara put her hands in her pockets.  "Well, first of all, we have the Slayer and the Daywalker on our side.  And second, every single one of has a motivation to win and not let this guy Kell win." she said, "I mean, Xander has his future with Anya that he wants to have.  Dawn has her life in front of her and I do know she wants to live it.  You and me, well we have a wedding to have and a family to raise.  Giles has the motivation to see Buffy have her happiness and as for Buffy and Jacob, correct me if I'm wrong....but, they seem to be falling for each other."

Willow wrapped her fingers around Tara's forearm as she leaned closer.  "Yeah, they are.  At first, I was kind of surprised by it, but....they fit.  I wouldn't have thought it....but they do."

"Well, there you go.  We all have very good reasons to see this through, so we'll make it." Tara said.  "But to be honest, I'm more worried about Amy than anything else."

"Why?" Willow asked.

"Will, Amy hates all of us.  She hates you because it took you so long to turn her back to human and that wasn't your fault.  She shouldn't be blaming you for that because she was the stupid one, turning herself into one." Tara shook her head.  "Anyway, she's not too fond of you because you wouldn't do magic with her and she blames the rest of us for that too.  I'm just not convinced that when we get there, she'll accept our words and come peacefully."

Willow had her arm linked through her lover's.  "Maybe being in this monastery's doing Amy some good.  Maybe these monks up here are helping her gain peace with herself." Willow supplied, hopeful about her school time friend.

"We can hope." Tara answered, leaning into Willow.

Up ahead of the witches, Jacob was chatting with Buffy as the group continued to hike up the path that was now surrounded by the beginnings of the mountain.  He had unsnapped his vest to let some of the cool air hit him to help him cool off.  He had his senses alert, though, in case of any dangers that might come their way.

"Are you sure it's gonna take us three days to get there?" Buffy asked, wiping her forehead of the sweat that had gathered there.

Jacob glanced at both sides of the walls they were walking between.  "Actually, we've made very good time.  We're further along than I thought we'd be by now.  If we keep this up, we'll be there tomorrow evening."

"Good, that's very good." Buffy replied.

"Not much of a hiker, are you?" Jacob glanced at her.

"Me?  No way.  The most hiking I've ever done in my life is going through my yard when the grass is high." Buffy told him.

He chuckled.  "I've hiked a lot in my younger years.  Before....before the thirst for blood had taken control of me." he said.

"Before Giles found you." Buffy said.

He nodded.  "Yes, Rupert did a lot for me and he didn't have to.  He saved my life then."

"And...since then you've always gone after vamps and demons?" 

He shrugged.  "Like I've been saying, I want revenge on the monster that is responsible for my thirst for blood.  I want the satisfaction of knowing I achieved my quest.  That I brought peace to myself and to my mother's memory."

"And you think staking the vamp's gonna do that?" Buffy asked gently.

Jacob was silent as he thought about her statement. The questions she was asking him about his mother and the vamp that attacked her were a little personal to him, but the Daywalker knew that if he wanted a relationship with her that was more than just allies, he had to truthful with her.

"I think..." he paused, "I think that if I can at least confront him, confront the vampire that did this to my mother, to me, then I can have the peace I've always sought.  Because, every time I've staked a vampire, every time I've slain a demon, I feel like I've gotten back a little piece of the life I could have had."

Buffy nodded, keeping silence as they all continued on.

Continue on to Part 3.