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Chapter Five

The morning in Sunnydale started off as many other mornings did.  The vamps and demons of such stayed out of the sun and lurked in the shadows while the city's citizens went about their daily routines.  The students at UC Sunnydale went about their classes without a care in the world.  In one house, however, things were different.  The Summers' house was mostly quiet.  Downstairs, Giles and Buffy were having some breakfast.  Dawn had just left to spend the day with her close friend, Janice.

When Buffy had returned home after patrolling, she'd told her younger sister about the ritual they'd done because she knew it would be too much of a shock if Dawn woke up today and saw Tara alive and well.  She told her sister about the woman named Sonya Baxter and that she'd helped them do the spell that opened the portal.  Dawn had, at first, been a little shocked about the news of Tara's being alive again, but now, Dawn was getting used to the idea again and spending the day with Janice would give her more time to cope with the recent developments in young adolescent life.

Xander had left the house just before Buffy returned and had gone back to his place.  Giles had told Buffy that Xander was going to swing by the house sometime today.  Neither Buffy nor Giles had heard or seen Tara or Willow since they put them to bed, but that was as expected, Sonya had told them before she left.  Sonya had told them that they would both need some rest before they rejoined them.  So, the slayer and her watcher merely were waiting for the two Wiccans to come down.  Buffy just hoped that Tara wasn't going to look at the world the same way Buffy had when she returned.

Buffy was dressed in her light gray turtleneck sweater and black pants.  She was finishing up her breakfast plate of a few eggs and a piece of toast.  Giles was enjoying the same.  Giles had already finished his plate and was rinsing out his plate before he turned back and faced Buffy.  When she returned home last night, Buffy had told him about her encounter with Deacon.  One thing that Buffy had told him was her concern about their being something that they weren't noticing.

"So," Giles began the conversation, "Deacon still had the steel over his forearms?"

Buffy nodded.  "Yeah.  He said that you were the reason he had them.  Is that true?"

Giles sat down across from the slayer as he answered.  "Well, it's a difference of viewpoints.  I was involved in a conflict that led to his arms becoming like they are, but I wasn't the direct cause for it." the Britishman sighed.  "About ten years ago, the Watcher's Council was constructing a new building for their library.  Workers started ending up dead.  They had assigned me to find out the cause because they figured it was a vampire doing it and I had already proven myself to be a decent enough fighter.  It was Deacon and a small group of his subjects feeding off the workers.  I led a small group of men and women from the Council against them and...well, to make a long story short, it ended with molten lava burning away Deacon's forearms and part of his hands.  I never saw him again."

Buffy took another bite out of her toast before she spoke again.  "That Prophecy about La Magra...do you think that's what Deacon's in Sunnydale for?"

"I can't see no other reason for him being here.  All of the research the Council has collected on him pretty much comes to the same conclusion.  Deacon's never had any desire to end the world like most of the other enemies you've faced.  He doesn't want to bring an apocalypse.  Deacon's ultimate goal is to rule the world.  And if he can harness the powers of the Blood God, he can rule the world without a problem." Giles explained.

Buffy frowned.  "What about this Sonya woman?  I know she helped us last night, but can we trust her?"

Giles took several long moments thinking about the question before he could formulate an answer.  His past with the powerful Witch was stormy to say the least.  He and Sonya had been involved for over two years before Giles had learned that her only interest in him had been because her superiors had ordered it.  And even then, she had proven to him that she was an opportunist, plain and simple.  She really didn't care for no one and nothing.  Just anything that could benefit her desires or the desires of the Witches Committee.

"Giles?" Buffy caught his attention.

"Oh.....well," he paused, "the truth is I don't believe we can trust her.  As long as I've known her, Sonya has always been about only one thing.  Herself.  She's the type of person who will do whatever it takes to achieve her goal.  That's the way she's always been.  I'm having a hard time trying to come up with a reason why she'd help Willow get Tara back.  Having Tara back does not help her in any way." Giles said.

Buffy rose, having finished her breakfast. "Maybe the Committee's got a reason for having Tara alive."

"Perhaps." Giles agreed.  "But, the one thing that concerns me is that Sonya told us that the Watcher's Council sent her here.  The Watcher's Council and the Witches Committee have never ever been allies for anything.  Even when Glory was trying to return to her dimension, they wouldn't agree on anything to help us out.  Sonya's hiding something.  I don't know what it is, exactly.  But, I know she's hiding something."

"About this Deacon vampire or something else?" Buffy asked.

Giles shook his head.  "I don't know.  I wish I did, though.  Until we can figure out what her agenda is, we can't lower our defenses.  She's just as much an enemy as Deacon is.  After Xander gets here and Willow gets Tara down here, we need to discuss this matter in depth.  I'll explain everything I can about Deacon's plans and hopefully, we can come up with a course of action to make against him."

Buffy nodded, rinsing her plate out.  One thing was certain for Buffy, things were going from bad to worse and it only took a matter of moments.

---**---

Sonya Baxter exited the bathroom of her hotel room and walked over to the chair where her laptop was located.  The small red blinking light on the screen indicated that her boss wanted a report.  Sonya sat down and pressed the comlink button to open the transmission channel.  Her superior was on the screen in a matter of moments.  "Sir." she said quietly.

The man with the dark hair and blue eyes looked back at her.  "Miss Baxter.  What news have you of your mission?"

Sonya leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs.  "The resurrection was a complete success, sir.  Miss Rosenberg was gained the entrance to the portal and she brought Miss MaClay out safe and sound."

The man on the screen nodded, pleased with the result.  "And the connection?" he asked next.

Sonya nodded.  "Yes, I had them convinced that I was helping Miss MaClay with the convulsions.  They believed me.  I created the connection with her.  Miss MaClay, from now on, will be our link to the slayer and whatever business the slayer gets involved in."

"Good.  Everything's moving along swiftly." the man on the screen said.  "Alright, and what about Deacon?"

Sonya smiled, a smile that Buffy and the others would never have seen on her face.  It was a smile of deception.  "He's here.  He has the bones of the First.  And I am pretty sure he's located the temple.  I estimate probably about four days before he can move on with the ceremony."

"Things are going better than any of us could have hoped.  The Witches Committee has invested a lot of time and finances on this project, Miss Baxter.  Failure is not an option." the man on the screen said.

"I understand sir." Sonya said.  "But, there is still one thing that could get in our way."

"And that would be."

"Jacob.  I haven't felt his presence, nor have I seen or heard anything that would indicate his arrival.  But, I know he's coming.  He won't stop until he's destroyed Deacon." Sonya said.

The man on her screen nodded.  "Yes, Jacob will arrive in Sunnydale.  I don't yet know when, but it should be soon.  Should I send some reinforcements to help you deal with him?"

She shook her head.  "No sir.  If he gets in my way, I will take care of him."

"See to it, then." Sonya was ordered before the communication link ended and Sonya was left in the peaceful silence of her hotel room.

---**---

In Willow's bedroom, the redheaded witch was coming her wet hair with her brush when she heard the sheets rustle as Tara woke up from the very deep slumber she'd been in since returning to Earth from the limbo realm that she'd been trapped in for the past few weeks.  Willow was dressed in a pair of faded blue jeans and her pink shirt.  The same outfit she had wore the day before Tara's shooting.  Willow walked over to the bed and sat down on the side that Tara was lying on.  As Tara's eyes fluttered open, Willow nearly collapsed in relief at seeing the familiar blue eyes.

Then Tara's eyes locked on hers and the blonde smiled at her.  The feelings Willow was now feeling from that sweet smile made Willow want to cry, but she refused to give into the temptation.  She needed to make sure her lover was really okay with being back on the mortal plane.  Willow leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on Tara's forehead.  "Are you okay, baby?" she asked quietly.

Willow's face was only a few feet from Tara's and Tara didn't like the distance, so she reached up and placed a kiss on Willow's lips.  "Yes, I'm very much okay, Willow." Tara answered as she sat up and rested her back against the headboard of the bed.

Willow watched Tara for the next few moments, merely reacquainting herself with the reality that her lover was once again alive and safe.  She felt tears stinging her eyes, so she looked down.  "Tara?"

Tara leaned forward.  "Yeah?"

"Are you....you really are here?" Willow asked in a tiny voice, not daring to look up.

Without actually voicing it, Tara knew exactly what Willow's concerns were about her being on the bed.  Tara swung her legs around the bed and positioned her body so that she was sitting directly behind Willow, spooning her.  The blond Witch wrapped her arms around Willow and pulled her close.  "Will?  I'm not going to lie to you.  I have.....emotions and feelings about being back that we are going to have to talk about.  There's a lot for us to talk about.  But, and look at me Will." Tara said, waiting until the mist green eyes met hers before continuing.  "I'm beyond grateful for you coming after me and I'm glad you did.  Being back here, with you, is so much better than being trapped in that limbo realm."

Willow nodded, leaning back against Tara's chest.  "I missed you so much, Tara."

Tara rested her cheek against Willow's.  "I know and I missed you so much too.  Being separated the way we were was horrible enough, but to see the darkness you dove into to avenge me, that was worse." she said sadly.

Willow's body stiffened as the words penetrated into her mind.  "Tara....you know about what I did?"

Tara pursed her lips as she nodded, looking into her lover's eyes.  "Willow, the dead can hear the thoughts of the living.  And, I was constantly in your thoughts when you went after Warren.  And....after that was over.....I felt the pain you were in.  I felt the rage as much as you did.  You wanted the pain to stop so much that you didn't care what happened, just as long as it stopped." Tara paused, rubbing Willow's stomach with her fingers.  "But, and I want you to believe me, nothing you did or will ever do in the future will change the way I feel about you.  Nothing.  Will, you took a human life....and we will deal with that together.  But, it's not going to change how much I love you."

Willow nodded, closing her eyes.  Less than a split second after her eyes closed, she felt soft lips gently pressing against hers.  Willow allowed herself to relax into the kiss and she returned it, gently moving her lips against Tara's slowly.  The kiss wasn't one to lead to passion, it was one of promises kept and one of a future to be built upon the foundation of their love and devotion for each other.  Tara pulled back slowly.  "Now," she said slowly, "w..why don't you let me take a shower and we'll go downstairs?  I'm kind of hungry."

Willow snickered as she rose.  She watched as Tara grabbed a couple items of clothing from the dresser and headed to the bathroom.  After she was gone, Willow's eyes fell to the carpet by the window and her breath caught.  The blood stain was still there and it made Willow want to vomit.  She knew they'd have to have the entire room redone before Willow could feel safe in this room again.  Otherwise, they'd simply have to move somewhere else.

Willow sighed as she headed downstairs.

---**---

Deacon entered the living room of the penthouse suite and headed to the table where the prophecies were scattered across it.  Kolon and the other vampires that were deciphering the ancient text were in their crypts at the different cemeteries.  They would be returning at nightfall.  Deacon sat down and grabbed the notebooks that the vamps had been using and he started going through the work they had already done from the parchments.

Kolon and his assistants had pretty much described in detail, what the ceremony was and everything it entailed in order for a vampire to successfully harness the powers of La Magra, the Blood God.  Deacon would need a total of eight sacrifices, eight vampires to stand underneath the sacred symbols of La Magra in the temple.  They would form a circle around him.  The bones would be placed in a circle right around Deacon.  Each vampire would represent a section of the bones.  When Deacon would begin the chant, a section of the bones would mystically rise from the floor of temple and merge with his body.  As the last of the bones of a section entered him, the vampire of that section would lose his lifeforce to Deacon.  It would continue until every bone and every last vampire's lifeforce was merged with him.

The combination of the bones and the sacrifices would give Deacon La Magra's power.  The only thing about the ceremony that worried Deacon was that there was a reference of the Slayer's blood.  Kolon had deciphered that Deacon, or the vampire seeking the Blood God's power, would need to have tasted the Slayer's blood before he could perform the ceremony.

Deacon wasn't concerned with Buffy as a threat, but he was concerned with the two witches who were Buffy's pals.  The very second he'd arrived in Sunnydale, Deacon had felt the pure fury, the power that Willow Rosenberg possessed.  He'd felt the battle that had taken place just weeks earlier and Deacon knew that Willow still had power, despite her losing all the dark powers.  And Tara MaClay.....what Deacon felt coming off her was powerful...intense.  Deacon knew through his researching of the magicks that there were two kinds of magic forces.  There was the magicks based in light and the magicks based in darkness.

Willow's power came from her abilities to harness and control the magicks based in darkness.  But Tara's, Tara's true power was from the magicks based in light.  And Deacon knew that witches who's power was based in light was so much more powerful than any witch who uses dark magic.  But, if Willow and Tara discovered how to use their combined abilities together, Deacon knew they would have a very good chance at beating him, La Magra or not.  Most of his powers now came from his consumption of witches and warlocks and the blood he took from them.

But, things were progressing better than he'd hoped.  His subjects had already discovered the temple.  It was buried inside a chamber that was buried under ground, just outside Sunnydale.  They had already uncovered it and was getting it cleaned for when Deacon came to see it later on today.  Before Deacon could proceed with the ceremony, he needed to look at the temple to get an idea of how the ceremony would proceed.  But before he could even look to the ceremony, he needed to find a way to get Buffy's blood.  That meant luring her into a trap. And the only effective way for Deacon to do that was by threatening the life of someone she loves.  Deacon considered his options before he chose a course of action to implement against the Slayer and her friends.

---**---

Xander had arrived at the Summers' House and was sitting at his usual spot on the couch.  Giles was sitting on the opposite side of the couch with Buffy sitting in the middle of it.  Sonya Baxter was sitting in the chair.  None of them were really speaking, just sitting there as they waited for the witches to come downstairs.  They heard muted voices upstairs before they heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

Then, Willow and Tara were seen. They left the stairs and stopped in the entrance way to the living room, just looking back at everyone in silence.  Willow, Buffy carefully noticed, was holding onto Tara's hand in a vice grip as if she was afraid she'd disappear if she let go.  Tara was dressed in the yellow long sleeved seater and the red dress that she'd worn when she had discovered Willow's betrayal, back when that demon had arrived and made them all sing and dance.  It was also an outfit Tara knew Willow adored.  The two slowly entered the living room.

"How are you feeling, Tara?" Xander broke the silence with the question.

Tara shrugged.  "I'm......okay I guess.  I'm a little cold, but I think that's just nerves."

Willow's head snapped up.  "Do you need me to get you a blanket!  I don't want you catching cold!"

Tara placed her cheek on Willow's cheek to calm her. "Don't worry about it, sweetie. I'll be okay."

Willow smiled a small smile as the two walked over to the spare chair and shared it, sitting so that their shoulders, arms, hips, thighs, and lower legs were touching.  "What's...going on?" Willow asked, seeing the seriousness in the atmosphere of everyone there.

Giles put his glasses back over his eyes.  "There are some things we need to tell you.  It involves a vampire.  Sonya told us this last night after you two were put in bed.  It's rather disturbing news, but it's news that all of us needs to hear."

Willow and Tara glanced at each other before they relaxed into the sofa and listened.  Giles explained, in detail, everything that Sonya had told them last night.  From Deacon's mystical powers to his strengths that separated him from normal vampires.  He explained it all.  He told the two witches of Deacon's ultimate goal, to resurrect the powers of the Blood God, La Magra.  When Giles was finished explaining it, Willow and Tara were both leaning forward, Willow more so than Tara but they both were stunned speechless by the news.

"Wha....how?" was all Willow could manage through her astonishment of the story.

"Cccan we sstop him?" Tara stammered.

"Yes, Deacon can be stopped." Sonya answered as she rose from the chair.  "We have a good chance at beating him whether he succeeds with the ceremony or not.  The better time to stop him, though, is before he can complete the ceremony.  With you once again among the living, Miss MaClay, we have the chance to beat him before he succeeds.  You and Miss Rosenberg have the combined talents to successfully chant an ancient spell that will bind all of Deacon's mystical and magical powers.  When you do that, Buffy can slay him without having to worry about that power being unchanneled."

"Wait....I can't do spells.  I can't do magic at all." Willow rose and faced Sonya down.  "Everyone here knows what happened last time.  It nearly destroyed everyone and everything when I did magic before."

Sonya crossed her arms over her chest.  "Miss Rosenberg, it's not the magic that makes a person addicted, it's the dark magic.  You became addicted because you depended on the spells that you casted from the dark side of magic.  That's where you made your mistake after the incident with Dawn Summers.  You were using dark magic.  Magic based in light has no qualities that are addictive.  And you will be casting with your partner and I know she won't let anything happen to you."

"That's right." Tara said as she rose from the chair and walked up to the redhead.  She put her right arm around Willow's shoulders and gave her a squeeze.  "You trust me, right Willow?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"Of course." Willow said.

"Then trust me on this.  We can do this if we do it together." Tara swore to her, squeezing her shoulders again.

Willow nodded, still a little hesitant, but willing to trust her girlfriend's instincts.  Sonya retook the conversation.  "Now.  If something happens and Deacon completes the ceremony before they bind his powers, the only way to stop him will be for you, Miss Summers, to somehow taste his blood so that you'll become as strong as he is.  Those are the only options in defeating him."

Buffy rose from the couch.  "Well, then we stop him before he completes this ceremony.  I don't really want to have to taste his blood just to have a chance to beat him."

"Do we know where this temple that this is all taking place is?" Xander asked, having sat by and listened to everything from his position on the couch.

Sonya walked over to where she had her jacket setting on the chair.  She reached inside an inside pocket and pulled a rolled up piece of parchment.  Unrolling it, she showed it to Giles.  "According to this scroll, the temple is located outside Sunnydale's city limits, to the north.  It's buried underground, but I'm pretty sure that Deacon's forces have already found it and have most likely already prepared it for the ceremony.  I also know that Deacon has the bones of the First, so he's pretty much ready for the ceremony.  The only thing he needs now to be completely ready is one thing."

"And what's that?" Willow asked, still relaxed with Tara's arm around her.

Sonya opened her mouth to answer, but a loud and savage bang at the front door made her reconsider.  Buffy went to the door and opened it and her eyes widened when she saw what was standing there.  It was a figure wearing a blanket over it's shoulders and head.  At first, Buffy mistook the figure for Spike, who always wore a blanket over him.  But, Buffy recognized the figure of the body wasn't a match for Spike's masculine form, so she merely waited.

The creature, a vampire, looked at Buffy and raised the blanket a little, still protecting it's skin from the sun's rays.  "Slayer." the vampire seethed.

The others were standing behind Buffy now, except for Sonya, who was standing back in the living room, staying out of the vampire's sight and watching the scene with interest.  Buffy stared back at the vampire before she spoke.  "Yeah, that's me." she said, simply.

The vampire locked eyes with her.  "My master, the one called Deacon, wants you to be delivered a message.  He has valuable information to give you.  This information involves all of you.  Come to the Smith Heavens Cemetery tonight after the sun sets and he will gladly give you the information." the vampire said before he threw the blanket off his body and the sun's rays scorched his skin.  Moments later, he was nothing more than dust.

Sonya narrowed her eyes.  This was not what she was expecting at all.  He's changing the game plan. She mused.  I wonder why.

Buffy slowly closed the door and turned back to her friends.  "What was THAT all about?"

Giles shook his head.  "Deacon wants to meet us for some reason."

"Cccould he be setting u-us up?" Tara asked.

"Perhaps, but it doesn't make any sense.  Deacon wouldn't voluntarily want to give us information.  And, if this is a setup, surely Deacon's smart enough to realize we wouldn't walk right into it." Giles said, returning back to the living room.  Sonya was standing off to one side, her face deep in thought.

"So, what do we do then?" Xander asked.

"We be very careful." Giles answered, facing them.  "We go, but we be very careful and we watch each other's backs.  The chances are slim, but Deacon may have useful information for us.  And, if this is a trap he's pulling us into, then we'll deal with whatever comes.  That's all we can do."

Reluctantly, the group nodded.  Sonya grabbed her jacket and pulled it over her shoulders.  "I'll meet you guys at the cemetery." Sonya said, not waiting for a response as she headed out the front door.  Tara watched her leave feeling a faint sense of something.  There was something about Sonya that made Tara's defenses rise.  She couldn't explain it, but for some reason, Tara couldn't find it in herself to trust her.  She hoped she was wrong about that.

---**---

Kolon and several other vampires stood in the penthouse suite as they listened to their leader, Deacon.  Deacon was telling them what tonight's mission was about.  Just after finding the passage about Deacon needing the Slayer's blood before the ceremony, he found a second passage that intrigued him even more.  It also simplified things greatly.  Deacon walked around the room as he looked at each of the vampires who had been fighting for Deacon for many years.  They were like his advising council, his most trusted subjects.  Kolon, though, had been with him for the longest.

He stopped in the center of the room.  "Alright, listen up." Deacon ordered. "We are two days away from the ceremony.  Two days away from everything we all have been working so hard for.  We have the bones of the First, we have the Temple of the Eternal Night prepared.  The only thing we lack is the one element that tonight is all about.  Tonight is all about her.  Makeese sacrificed himself to deliver the message to the Slayer.  They will walk into our trap knowing it's a trap, so they'll be prepared.  I want all of you to understand something.  Failure is not an option.  If we fail tonight, we won't have the chance to do the ceremony in two days.  Does everyone understand me?"

All the vamps in the penthouse nodded, knowing what Deacon said was the truth.  Deacon smiled.  "Good, the Temple is prepared and the only thing that remains is for us to snare the Slayer and her little band of do-ggoders into the trap.  Tonight, we capture her and our work will be complete.  Nothing will stop us from making the Vampire race the dominant species on Earth.  Our victory over humanity begins tonight!" Deacon roared.

The vamps cheered along with him.

Chapter Six

Buffy and Xander were going through the chest that the Slayer kept most of her weapons in.  She had already taken out her axe and her best sword while Xander had grabbed one of the other sharp swords and several small throwing knives.  Buffy also had an assortment of different sized wooden stakes and had them placed off to one side.  Giles was in the basement with Willow and Tara.  Shortly after Warren's shooting of Buffy and Tara, and after they'd stopped Willow from ending the world, they'd helped Willow clean out Tara's dorm room and moved all of her stuff into the basement until they could figure out what to do with it.

Tara had a few magic books that would help them tonight when they dealt with the vampires they knew were going to attack them.  They were still wondering what the deal was with Sonya's sudden departure from the house just moments before the vampire let himself be dusted by the sun.  Shutting the wooden chest, Buffy picked up the duffel bag she had and placed her sword and axe inside it, along with some of the throwing knives and a few of the stakes.  She would keep the other stakes in her clothes when the time came.

"Hey Buffy?" Xander voiced.

Buffy turned to him.  "Hm?"

Xander took a deep breath and released it.  "Is it just me or does Tara seem....I don't know.....a little different to you?"

Buffy looked at him.  "Xander, she's reacting to being back pretty much the same way I did.  She's staying quiet most of the time and I'm sure Willow's noticed it, but it'll get better.  The one thing I am concerned with, though, is that both Tara and Willow seem like if they're not touching each other in some way, they'll waste away.  I mean, did you notice they way they were sitting and standing, constantly touching in some way or other."

Xander nodded.  "Yeah, this whole thing is right up there on the creepy mode.  I mean, we were at her funeral, then she's back on the same day and now, we're rushing off to face this vampire who's got powers no other vampire should have.  I mean, what if something happens and we lose someone tonight.  With all the vamps we're going to face, there's a good chance someone could get taken."

"I know....I..." Buffy responded before a voice interrupted her.

"We're not losing anyone." Giles stood at the entranceway to the living room, his face a stone mask.

"Giles..." Xander started.

"No." Giles interrupted.  "Xander, Buffy, both of you listen to me.  We're not going to lose anyone tonight.  Willow and Tara have gone through enough pain and misery for any of us to even consider that an option.  No matter what happens tonight, we're all walking out of this together."

Ashamed at what they were thinking, the two nodded and looked down.  "What are Willow and Tara doing?" Buffy asked after a moment.

Giles relaxed his posture and walked into the living room.  "They're in the basement, going through some of Tara's magic books.  They've found a spell that can generate sunlight.  Willow's tried the spell in the past, but it never panned out.  But they did it in the basement a few minutes ago.  It'll help us deal with the vampires tonight." Giles said.

"What about Willow's...magic problem.  Won't using the magic tempt her to relapse back into using the dark magic again?" Xander asked.

Giles shook his head.  "No, it's like Sonya told us.  Only the dark magicks are addictive to humans.  Willow has used magic since she was in high school and she never had a problem with it.  She only started having the addictive problems after Glory attacked Tara last year.  Because it was then that Willow first used dark magic.  As lone as Tara keeps Willow away from the dark magic, there will be no problems."

"Good." Buffy exhaled.  "Are we about ready to head out there?" she asked, noticing that it was just about the time to head to the cemetery as it was starting to get dark outside.

Her Watcher nodded.  "Yes.  Let me go get them and we'll head out."

Buffy and Xander rose from their places near the wooden chest.  Xander was dressed in a pair of blue jeans and his light golden brown button up t-shirt.  He put his brown jacket over his shoulders as he grabbed a small duffel bag with some weapons in and swung it over his shoulder.  Buffy was decked out in one of her solid black turtleneck sweaters and a pair of black jeans.  She had her hair braided back at the base of her neck.  She swung her bag of weapons over her shoulder as she rose.  Giles returned a few moments later with the two witches.  Willow was wearing the black outfit she wore the time she and Xander had been heading to the Magic Box when Tara was leaving.  The blonde had been looking for Buffy at the time.  Beside her, Tara was wearing the pink jeans that Willow had bought her the previous summer and a black short sleeved shirt.  She had on her blue jean jacket over her shoulders.  In Tara's right hand was a small piece of paper that she took from the magic book she and Willow had been looking through.  With their combined talents, they had found the way to generate the simulated sunlight.

"Are we ready?" Buffy asked.

"Yes.  Let's get moving." Giles said, heading to the door.  The Watcher was wearing a pair of faded jeans with one of his gray sweaters on.  Under the sweater was a white t-shirt.  He had his long black overcoat on.

The group left the house relatively quetly.  Giles and Buffy were in front while Xander walked in line with the two witches.  No one really said anything as they moved through town towards the cemetery.  They entered the cemetery just as the sun was leaving the city for the night to come.  All five of them were silent and very cautious as they moved through the cemetery, watching everything around them for anything out of the ordinary.  They didn't know enough about Deacon to tell what kind of vampire he was.  They didn't know if he'd just flat out attack or if he'd try to lure them in to his trap.  Then, just as Buffy was beginning to wonder where the vamp was, he mystically materialized about fifteen feet from where they were.  He materialized on top of a stone made crypt, hands on his hips and looking very arrogant.

"So," Deacon sneered, "you finally decided to grace me with your presence, Slayer."

"You send a vampire to my home, telling us you have information?  Well, out with it Deacon.  If you don't have information to give us, then tell me now so we can just go home." Buffy said, looking into his dead eyes.

Deacon looked down at her from the top of the crypt.  "You know....I'm beginning to understand why Spike was so engrossed by you, Summers.  You have this little chip on your shoulder that practically says 'I want my ass kicked'.  Well, Slayer, as much as I want to do that, tonight isn't about you.  Yes, I do have information and trust me when I tell you it's very vital to my plan for two nights from now."

Buffy stepped forward.  "Yeah, you really think we're gonna let you become this Blood God.  You have a lesson to learn if you think we're gonna let that happen."

Deacon stepped off the roof of the crypt and landed on the ground just in front of the Slayer.  He watched her for a moment, watching her watch him with infinite calm.  Then, without warning, Buffy's body was airborne, flying through the air before she landed hard on the ground, on her back.  Deacon had sent a charge of magical energy from his eyes.  "Slayer, slayer, slayer.....you really don't get it.  None of you do.  What's going to happen tonight, and two nights from now can't be stopped.  The final phase of my ultimate plan has already begun and you should just be thankful you're a part of it."

Buffy got back to her feet and pulled a stake from her jacket pocket.  Whipping her arm out, she sent the wooden object right at Deacon.  It crashed into his chest, where his heart would be.  Normally, a vampire would have begun turning to dust, but Deacon merely grasped the stake and pulled it out.  Then, he squeezed the stake with his hand until it was nothing but tiny fragments of wood.  "I'm surprised, Summers.  I was pretty sure your Watcher here told you about my immunity to most Vampire weaknesses."

Buffy rejoined her friends and stared at Deacon.  "He did, but I like to see for myself if you're really that all mighty."

He laughed.  "You know, I'm going to miss all those snide little insults you keep hurling at me.  But, it really doesn't matter.  It's all going to end for you in a couple days anyway." Deacon told her before he straightened and his face tightened into seriousness.  "Vampires!  Attack!!" he roared, stepping back.

Giles, Xander, Willow, and Tara all moved into defensive positions as vampires seemed to come out of nowhere.  There were at least twenty of them that Buffy could count right off and they formed a tight circle around the group.  Buffy pulled out her sword from her bag and positioned the bag so that it was lying against her back.  Xander pulled out the axe he had and moved the bag the same way.  Giles reached out and pulled out a few stakes from Xander's bag and tossed Tara and Willow one.  He knew they would need a few moments to prepare the spell, so they would need the stakes to defend themselves.

The vamps advanced while Deacon stayed back and watched.  Buffy was immediately paired off against four vampires.  With her sword in her hand, she attacked before they did.  She whipped her arm out and decapitated one of them while delivering a swift kick against the side of another vamp's face.  She moved forward and decapitated two more vampires before she turned and produced a stake and staked the vampire she'd kicked.  Two more vamps advanced at her and she moved forward, decapitating one of them while she shoved her stake through the other's heart.  Both were soon dust.

Some ways away, Giles was facing about six vamps at once.  He had an assortment of throwing knives that, instead of being made with steel, had wood that was sharpened enough to cut.  The Watcher waited until they were almost at him before he threw three of the knives in rapid concession.  The knives struck three of the vamps in the chest, dusting them with ease.  The remaining three vamps kept coming, without slowing.  Giles took out his stake he had and quickly staked one of them while moving forward and striking another down with a kick to the chest.  He then shoved his stake into another vamp's chest.  The vampire he knocked down was up and Giles quickly got rid of it with one of the throwing knives.

Xander was trying his best to hold his own against the vamps he was facing.  There were about five of them advancing towards him.  He had his axe grasped in one hand as he faced off against the five vampires that were coming towards him.  He swung the big axe straight out, grunting as the axe embedded into the shoulder of a vampire.  He yanked the axe out and was going to swing at another vamp when he was hit in the back of the head by another vampire.  Xander recovered, however, and produced a wooden stake from his pocket and staked two vampires.  Back on his feet, he grabbed his axe and swung it swiftly, feeling the vibration as it separated the head from the last vampire attacking him.

Willow and Tara were facing the last of the group of vampires.  There were seven of them left as they headed towards the witches.  Willow met two of them straight on and used the stake Giles had given her and dusted them.  Behind her, Tara had just finished staking a vampire that was going to sneak up on her lover.  Then, Willow and Tara stood side by side as they both began to chant off from the rolled up piece of parchment that Tara had.  "Degora plutensa meon rial!" they said together.  A small ball of yellow and gold energy appeared above them and it shined a bright light, giving off energy that was the same as the sun's rays.  The vampires that remained were all instantly dusted from the simulated sunlight.

They all gathered with the Slayer as Deacon stood by, watching the battle come to an end.  Although his vamps had lost, he remained calm.  His face didn't show anger at his vampires being beaten, nor did he show any arrogance.  "Well, perhaps I underestimated you people." Deacon said, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Perhaps you did, Deacon." Giles said, watching the powerful vampire.

Deacon didn't answer.  Instead, he stood still for several moments before he slowly smiled, a sinister looking smile that simply unnerved the entire group.  Less than a moment later, Buffy heard a painful gasp and she turned sharply, seeing Tara's face with a look of pain on it.  Willow, who had been standing at her lover's side, was already there when she heard the gasp from the blonde Wiccan.  "Baby?" she whispered, her left arm wrapped around Tara's shoulders.

Tara suddenly grabbed the sides of her head and then grasped her chest as she felt a powerful stinging pain enter her body.  Her body fell backwards.  She would have hit the ground if it had not been for Willow's arms around her.  Willow supported her as they both slowly went to the ground.  Willow was on her knees, cradling Tara's body with her arms.  "Tara!" Willow said, tears beginning to sting her eyes.  She had no idea what was happening to her lover and after everything they'd been through in the past few months, Willow was near panicking at the thought of losing her again.

Buffy turned back to Deacon.  "What did you do?!" she hissed.

Deacon slowly moved his arms back to his sides.  "Then again," Deacon ignored Bufy's demanding question, "I really don't think we underestimated you at all."

"We?" Buffy's eyes narrowed dangerously.

Giles's eyes narrowed as he looked at Tara.  Willow was still holding her, tears now falling down her face.  Xander was kneeling on the other side, not sure what to do.  Giles's mind raced at the recent events that brought them to this cemetery.  Nothing made sense to him....except......the night before.  When Willow had Tara with her when they exited the portal, Sonya Baxter had been so adamant about the convulsions that Tara's body was going to go through.  Giles himself hadn't thought anything of it at the time because he knew people who were returned to their bodies did indeed go through convulsions.  Then it clicked.  Sonya was a powerful witch and she could have created an energy link with Tara without them knowing.  And as realization dawned on his mind, he realized it a second too late.

A shimmer of energy flashed behind them as Sonya Baxter materialized.  "We." Sonya said as she raised her arms up.  Buffy turned around as Giles did.  Xander and Willow looked up sharply.  But they were all an instant too late.  Powerful beams of dark energy shot out of Sonya's fingertips and hit each of them in the chest and shoulders.  Willow flew back about fifteen feet, hitting the side of a nearby crypt and wincing from the impact.  Xander landed on his back about fifteen feet in the opposite direction.  Giles's head and shoulders hit a headstone as he landed and Buffy's body crashed through a rather thick tombstone.

Sonya Baxter walked slowly forward, kneeling down at Tara's body as the blonde witch stared at her in shock and disbelief.  "I'm sorry Miss MaClay.  It's not personal.  Bringing you back was merely a means to an end.  Deacon needs a powerful witch whose power is based in light.  Miss Rosenberg's power comes from the darker side of magic, but you...you're power is strong." Sonya backed away as she snapped her fingers.  Four vampires suddenly appeared out of nowhere and grabbed the witch.  Tara still couldn't move as Sonya had activated the energy binding connection that Sonya had created the moment Willow had brought her out of limbo.  The vamps, with Tara in their grasp, walked over and behind Deacon as Sonya walked over and stood next to the vampire.

The four Scoobies slowly got rose from the ground.  Xander and Giles's had faces that registered shock and betrayal.  Buffy's face registered denial at not having seen this coming and Willow......the redhead's face registered painful anguish at failing her love once again.  Tears were beginning to fall from her eyes and she was trying very hard not to let her eyes darken to the coal black color that had happened when Warren's gunshots killed Tara.  What was giving her the strength to fight it was looking into Tara's eyes and knowing her lover didn't want to see her turn to that darkness again.

Sonya gazed impassively at them.  "I want you all to know something." Sonya said quietly.  "This isn't personal.  It's just business.  You all have dealt with pain and loss since Buffy was called as the Slayer.  Me....I've dealt with pain and loss for a lot longer and what Deacon's offering me....it's the one last chance I have at finally being free."

Deacon laughed at the four Scoobies faces.  "If you show up at the Temple, I'll be waiting to finish you off Slayer." Deacon promised before he, Sonya, and the vampires holding Tara vanished in bright lights, Tara along with them.  The last sound that was heard in that cemetery for a long while was a powerful emotionally filled scream that resonated from Willow's heart.  She screamed her lover's name, the anguish at her failure to keep her lover safe in her voice.

---**---

Buffy, Giles, Xander, and Willow returned to the Summers' House in silence, each of them deep in their own thoughts.  All of them were shocked and bewildered by the recent developments with Sonya Baxter's betrayal.  Giles knew he should have expected it because he'd known Sonya as a deceptive person in the past, he was just holding onto a hope that she had changed since then.  Evidently not. he mused as they entered the house.

The four of them stood awkwardly for the first few moments since returning.  None of them wanted to voice the truth.  They had willingly walked into a trap and now, they were paying the price for it.  After a few more moments, though, and Giles spoke.  "I think the best thing for us to do right now is try to get some rest.  We'll come up with a plan tomorrow morning."

Willow's head snapped up and she stared at Buffy's Watcher.  "They could kill Tara by then.  Do you think I'm just going to just stand by and let that happen?"

Giles put his hands on her shoulders to calm her nerves.  "Willow, Deacon and Sonya need Tara for this ceremony.  Remember what we know about the ceremony.  It's taking place in two days.  That means that nothing's going to happen to Tara before the two days is over.  I'm going to make a call to Quinton Travers in a few minutes.  He'll know about the legend of La Magra and about this Temple.  We will get Tara back." he promised the redhead.

"Yeah Willow, we're not going to lose Tara again." Buffy assured her.  "The best thing for us to do right now is to get some rest.  We have two days to find the temple and get ourselves ready.  We're going to save Tara, Willow.  I promise you that."

Willow nodded, calmed down somewhat as she walked over to the couch and sat down.  "I'm sleeping down here.  I...I can't sleep up there." she stammered, hardly noticing when tears started falling down her cheeks.

"Alright." Buffy agreed.  "Everyone, let's get some sleep and Giles can call Travers.  We'll decide on what to do tomorrow."

And that's pretty much what happened.  Xander decided not to go back to his apartment for the night.  He slept in one of the two spare rooms upstairs while Willow slept on the couch.  Giles stayed in the other spare room while Buffy slept in her usual room.  The next morning, they were all up and dressed after showering.  Xander was wearing the same clothes as the night before as he sat in one of the recliners.  Giles was wearing a regular white t-shirt and a pair of faded blue jeanas.  Buffy had changed into a pair of khaki pants and a blue t-shirt.  They all looked up as Willow entered the living room.  After showering, Willow changed into a pair of blue jeans and her red Chippewa Bay t-shirt.  She had her hair wet and slicked back out of her face as she faced them.

Giles stood with his hands on his hips.  "Alright, I did speak with Quinton." he told them.

"And?" Willow said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Giles fit his glasses over his nose.  "The legend of La Magra indicates a specific place where the Temple of Eternal Night was built.  I'm going to head over to the Magic Box...or what's left of it and go through the books there.  I remember there being a book there about all of the ancient prophecies that the older vampires used to cling to.  The Prophecy of the Blood God could be in the book."

Willow nodded.  "I'll go with you." Willow said slowly.

"I thought you might." Giles smiled at her.

"I think we all should go." Xander said, looking from Giles to Willow.

The Watcher shook his head.  "No.  I need you to go with Buffy."

Buffy frowned.  "What are you talking about, Giles?"

"Quinton's sent something here by mystical teleportation.  There's a demon downtown named Shakijan who received the package.  Quinton told me that this package will be relevant to our mission against Deacon.  I need you two to find Shakijan's apartment and retrieve it.  He knows you by face, so he won't hesitate giving it to you.  He's handled matters for the Council before." Giles explained.

"What does this Shakijan have?" Willow asked.

Giles shrugged his shoulders.  "Quinton wouldn't tell me exactly what this package was.  He just said it had something to do with what Deacon plans.  Once you get the package from Shakijan, return back here and Willow and I should be here by then."

Buffy nodded as she headed to the door.  Xander followed silently as they headed out in the morning air.  A few moments later, Giles and Willow headed out, moving in the opposite direction, towards the Magic Shop.

---**---

Sonya Baxter walked down a corridor.  The walls of the corridor were old and they were made out of stone and rock.  There were a few vampires moving about, ordered to stand guard by Deacon.  After walking down the corridor for a few more moments, Sonya stopped in front of a heavy steel door.  A vampire was standing outside the door.  "Open the door." Sonya ordered the vamp.

"Yes ma'am." the vampire obliged, unlocking the steel door and opening it.  Sonya entered and she instructed the door to close behind her.  Inside the cell, Tara MaClay sat hunched against the far wall.  She had her legs pulled up to her chest, her arms resting over her upraised legs.  She stayed motionless and merely watched Sonya.  After a moment, Sonya tilted her head and spoke.

"I suppose you're wondering why exactly I turned on you and your little friends?" the witch said.

Tara slowly lowered her legs back to the ground and looked back at Sonya.  "No, that's not what I was wondering at all.  I already know why." she told her.

Sonya chuckled.  "Do you?"

"Do you really think I'm that clueless Miss Baxter.  Before my mother died, she taught me about how to master the ability to read a person's emotions.  Even when their as buried as yours are.  You joined with Deacon because you can't stand the pain.  You lost something a long time ago and you just want your life to end, but you won't kill yourself so.....Deacon's way fits your needs." Tara said calmly.

The smile suddenly disappeared from Sonya's face.  Her face was set in a stone hardness, no expression, but the muscles in her face twitched.  "I guess I did underestimate your strengths Tara.  I didn't know you could read a person's emotions.  It doesn't really matter anymore.  Tomorrow night, it all ends.  Deacon will become the next Blood God and he will destroy humanity in a matter of weeks.  Then, he'll give me what he promised.  And don't think your girlfriend's gonna save you.  She'll try...but she'll be too late.  The events that have been set in motion can't be stopped."

Tara rose and walked over until she was just in front of Sonya.  "Miss Baxter, you're a coward." the blonde said calmly.  "You're willing to sell out the world just to end your pain.  You just a coward."

The words struck a cord in Sonya and before she realized what she did, her right hand was wrapped around Tara's throat, squeezing hard.  Tara stood motionless, pretty much expecting it to happen.  Sonya calmed herself before she ended up killing her.  "Tomorrow night." she said before she shoved Tara off her, watching as she fell back against the bench again.  "It all ends....tomorrow night." Sonya promised Tara before she turned and left the cell.

Tara watched her go before she sighed heavily.  Be strong Willow.  Be strong. Tara intoned.

Chapter Seven

Buffy pounded on a hotel door with the numbers 385 on it.  The address Giles had given her and Xander led them to this hotel and this door.  They didn't know what to expect from this Shakijan person.  Giles had said that he'd done things for the Council and that usually meant that he couldn't be trusted, as far as Buffy was concerned.  But, he said they'd need the package he had so....Buffy was willing to put her personal feelings aside.

Behind her, Xander shifted from boot to boot, nervous.  His feelings were like the Slayer's.  This demon was someone who had done things for the Council before and that usually meant bad things all around.  Xander sighed as they heard footsteps move closer to the door.  Then, the door opened and Shakijan was standing there.  Shakijan was a demon all right.  He had rough looking red skin with two small black horns protruding from his forehead.  He wore business clothes, though.  He had on a two piece suit and he moved aside as he ushered Buffy and Xander inside.  "Quinton told me you wouldn't be long." Shakijan said.

Buffy entered slowly, being extra cautious.  The apartment that Shakijan lived in looked so different than the outside appearance of the hotel would make a person think.  The inside looked like a penthouse suite.  Rich decorations adorned the walls and expensive carpet covered the floor.  Buffy let out an appreciative whistle at seeing it.  "Nice place." Buffy commented as Xander looked around.

"Yeah, this is a nice shindig you got here." Xander said.

Shakijan walked over to the twin sized bed was and sat down, leaning his back against the wall.  "You're trying to stop Deacon, aren't you?"

Buffy nodded, keeping her hands in her jeans pockets.  Shakijan nodded slowly.  "I thought so.  Quinton wouldn't have sent me the package unless it involved Deacon.  He's finally found the bones of the First."

"He has." Buffy replied.

Shakijan rose from his bed and walked over to a dresser and opened the first drawer.  He pulled out a rectangular shaped case and walked back over to the Slayer and Xander.  "Go ahead, open it up."

Buffy grasped the case and started to open.  Xander watched from just behind her as she did.  Inside the small case was a single stake.  It wasn't made of wood, but it looked like a stake of silver or steel.  She glanced at the demon in confusion.

"What you are looking at is a stake made from a very rare form of metal that's only found in certain mountains around the world.  It's the only type of metal that can kill Deacon.  He's invulnerable to a wood stake, but stake him with this and he'll die." Shakijan said.  "But, if he completes the ceremony and he harnesses the Blood God powers, the only way for you to destroy him with this is to taste his blood.  I assume you've already been told most of the information."

"Yes." Buffy nodded.

"Well, then you know what you have to do.  Tomorrow night is when Deacon will perform the ceremony.  I don't know where the Temple is and neither does anyone at the Council.  They merely sent this to me because they knew that this metal is Deacon's only weakness.  I've given you the chance to beat him.  Good luck Slayer." Shakijan said before he opened the door to his apartment and allowed them to leave.  After the two humans were gone, Shakijan shook his head.  "They've got their work cut out for them, that's for sure."

---**---

Giles and Willow stopped at the entrance to the Magic Box.  The door wasn't locked and they were able to enter the shop without a problem.  Inside the Magic Box, things were pretty much the same way they were when Willow was here last.  When she tried to destroy her friends.  She was still feeling immense guilt and remorse for her actions.  Giles walked through the shop and began moving through the books that were strewn around the floor.  He couldn't recollect the title of the book he was looking for, but he remembered what it looked like.

Willow stood at the entrance to the shop and she just looked at everything.  The damage...the carnage she'd caused here was why the Magic Box was now the way it was.  She shook her head, the emotions she hadn't allowed herself to feel before coming to the forefront.  "I'm sorry." she whispered as she looked down.

Giles stopped and looked at her.  "What?"

Willow looked up at him, tears in her eyes.  "I'm sorry.  For everything I did.  I'm.....I'm just so sorry." she whispered, looking downward again.

Giles rose from his kneeling position and walked over to the redhead.  Stopping in front of her, he cupped her chin in one hand and raised her face up until she was looking at her.  "Willow, I want you to listen to me.  Grief is a very powerful emotion.  But love...love is the strongest emotion of them all.  When you lost Tara because of that shooting, part of you died right along with her.  And you simply didn't care anymore.  I understand that.  You wanted to end your suffering.  What happened happened Willow.  You cannot change that anymore than I can.  I'm just glad we were able to stop you.  But Willow, you have to understand that sometimes...you lose the people you love.  It's a fact of life.  And if it happens again, you need to control your anger.  You can't let that happen again."

Willow nodded, too choked up to say anything.  Together, the two went back to searching through the remains of the interior of the shop and began looking for the book that Giles was looking for.  They spent the next fifteen minutes going through the rubbage before Giles found the book.  The book was solid black with ancient markings carved into it.  The book was entitled 'The History of the Vampire Legacy'.  Holding the book, Giles and began to head out of the Magic Shop.  As they were leaving, Anya materialized in the center of the shop, sadly watching them leave.

---**---

About six o'clock that day, everyone was back at the Summers' House.  Giles was in the kitchen, throwing some things together for an early supper for them.  Xander and Buffy were in the living room, just relaxing on the couch when the front door opened.  At first, Buffy was going to rush for her sword, but she relaxed when she saw her younger sibling enter.  Dawn looked first towards the kitchen, then at her sister and Xander.  She noticed their faces and the seriousness that was attached to their faces and her concern hit.

"Wha....what happened?" she demanded.

"Calm down Dawn." Buffy said.

Dawn looked around, seeing Giles with a white apron on as he was cooking a meal.  She saw Xander and her sister and that only left one person who was missing.  Dawn swallowed hard.  "Did something happen to Willow?" she asked.

Buffy walked over to her sister.  "Dawn, we have some stuff we need to tell you.  It involves Willow.  She's fine right now, but I need you to listen.  Alright?"

Dawn nodded, sitting down as she listened to Buffy and Xander explain a lot of things to her.  The small group ate the dinner that Giles had cooked while he explained, in detail, everything that had happened since the funeral.  She sat while they explained to her the original visit by this woman named Sonya Baxter.  She listened as they described everything from Tara's resurrection to the arrival of Deacon to Tara's abduction by both Sonya and Deacon.  By the time they were finished, Dawn was shocked into silence.

"But......Tara was dead.  How...." she was astonished.

Giles and Buffy shared glances.  "Yes.  But, like we've been telling you...things happened and Tara was brought back.  Only now, our new enemy has her captive and he plans to use her tomorrow night for something very...." he paused to find the right words.

"Evil." Buffy supplied.

"Yes...evil." Giles gave the Slayer a look.

" But Willow's okay then?" Dawn wanted to know.

"Yes.  She's upstairs right now.  We're going to wait until morning to share everything we know." Buffy answered.

Dawn nodded before she headed towards the stairs.  "I'm going to go see her." she said as she began heading up the stairs.

Buffy watched her leave with a frown on her face.  "She's handling everything better than I thought she would."

"I don't think she's completely believing you about the Tara thing.  Remember how she was when your mom died?" Giles said softly.

The Slayer nodded, remembering the pain she went through when she told Dawn about her mother's passing.  "Well, it's pretty late.  Let's all get some sleep and once we're all rested, we'll go over everything we have about this ceremony."

"That is an idea I'm all for." Xander sighed as he headed to the spare room Buffy was letting him stay in.  Buffy headed to the stairs, but turned and regarded her Watcher.  She frowned at seeing the serious tint in his eyes.

"Giles?"

Giles shook his head, snapping out of his thoughts and glanced at Buffy.  "Yes?"

"What are you thinking?  It seemed pretty important." Buffy asked him, crossing her arms across her chest.

The Watcher sighed, not sure if he wanted to worry her.  But, he knew he couldn't hold any more secrets in because, in a way, it was all these secrets that led to this situation they were in.  Things had been strained for all of them because they all had secrets they were withholding.  Giles had been concealing his desire to return to England for a good long time.  Buffy had hid her secret about being in Heaven, Xander with his nervousness about getting married.  Willow's secret had been a little more serious as she had held back the information about putting the spell on Tara's mind.  All in all, it was those secrets that led them to this point.

"I figured out what Deacon needs Tara for.  The book I found at the Magic Shop describes it in detail." Giles glanced at the floor.

Buffy waited.  "And?"

Giles looked up.  "Get some rest.  I'll explain in the morning.  It would be better to tell everyone at the same time anyways."

Reluctantly, Buffy nodded as she headed up the stairs, glancing back a few times to see Giles's eyes go serious again as he walked over to couch.  Giles sat down and glanced at the open book that described the ceremony.  On it, there was a small picture of a person strapped to a stone device, deep gashes in the person's wrists.  Giles took a deep breath, knowing that things had gone from very complicated to extremely complicated and he wasn't liking it at all.

---**---

Dawn rapped her hand against the white wood door softly, waiting only a moment before she slowly pushed the door open and entered Willow's room.  She was still trying to accept the news that Tara was somehow still alive and well, just not in the best of places right now.  She looked inside and saw Willow sitting on the bed, facing the door.  Willow's gaze flickered up as she saw Dawn enter.  "Willow?" Dawn spoke tentatively.

Willow rose after a moment and walked to where Dawn was standing.  Wrapping her arms around Dawn's shoulders, she gave the younger Summers sibling a gentle hug, feeling Dawn returned the hug with just as much caring.  "Hey Dawnie." Willow whispered into her hair.

"How are you?" Dawn asked as she pulled back to gaze at the redhead.

Willow shook her head, sitting back down on the bed.  "I'm........I'm a wreck." she finally said.  "These last few days have just been.....so exhausting for me.  I mean, I get Tara back and....the woman who helped bring her back turns on us and now, the possibility of losing Tara again is....possible." she stammered.

Dawn sat down next to Willow.  "Well, let me tell you something Willow.  I think when the time comes, we won't fail.  I know Buffy blamed herself for Tara being shot and your falling into the dark magic and she blames it all on herself."

"But, that wasn't her fault.  It was mine." Willow urged, walking over to the bedroom window.  The window was just recently replaced, as was the carpet.

Dawn watched her.  "I know it wasn't Buffy's fault and you know it, but Buffy is convinced she could have done something to stop Warren before he even brought out the gun.  Anyways, I'm glad Tara's back.  I wanna see her so bad."

Willow turned around and looked at Dawn.  "I know you do and I know Tara wants to see you too.  She loves you like the sister she never had."

Dawn's eyes glistened at the words.  "She told you that?"

Willow nodded.  "Yes.  After we first moved in here, after Buffy's death, me and Tara had a long talk about a lot of things.  She told me that she looks at you like you were the sister she never had.  She loves you and I know she's going to want to see you when this is all over.  If she survives that is."

Dawn went over and embraced the redhead.  "She's going to get through this Willow.  The reason I know this is because Buffy's not going to let anything bad happen and I know you're not going to let anything happen.  There's too many people determined to fail here."

Willow smiled for the youngster's benefit, her doubts still lingering there.  She wiped her hand across her eyes.  "Go ahead and get some sleep, Dawnie.  We're going to meet in the morning and go over strategy for tomorrow night."

Dawn nodded as she rose.  She walked over to the door and smiled at Willow, hoping her smile would rid her of the doubts that the younger girl could feel lingering there.  Closing the door behind her, Dawn headed to her room to get ready for bed.

---**---

A shimmer of dark energy materialized in the center of the penthouse suite that Deacon was currently holding up in.  Sonya Baxter materialized there and looked around at the lavish comforts that Deacon always preferred to stay in.  Much like Glory, Deacon loved to live in style.  The bed was covered in silk sheets, expensive paintings on the walls.  She chuckled to herself as she gazed around the room.  Deacon was standing by the table where all of the scrolls were lying.

"It's about time you showed up." Deacon said, standing up and looking at her.  "Where have you been?"

Sonya's eyes narrowed as she tilted her head.  "You know," she sidestepped his question, "the last time I checked, you were not my superior.  I don't have to answer to you, Deacon.  Just remember, I'm only helping you because you made me a promise and when this all goes down, you better keep it."

Deacon walked over to Sonya and gazed at her.  "Anybody ever tell you your gorgeous when you're pissed?"

Sonya placed her right hand flat against his chest and a blast of energy rushed into Deacon as he went flying into the air, landing on the center of the bed.  Deacon leaned up on his elbows and gazed back at her with hungry, lustful eyes.  "Wanting to go bed with me, do you?" he leered.

Sonya shook her head.  "Deacon, get your head out of the gutter.  We have business to discuss."

The direct and serious tone quelled the lusty thoughts he was having.  His eyes roamed over her arousing sensual form and once again, he wished she would lighten up on the business attitude and give him a roll in the sack.  "Fine," he sighed, "what do you want to talk about then?"

Sonya pointed a finger at him.  "You changed the plan.  I want to know why?"

Nodding, he rose from the silk covered bed and walked over to where the scrolls were located.  He leafed through them until he found the one he was looking for.  "Look for yourself, Sonya.  I found two passages in this scroll.  The passages were so insignificant that my boys missed them.  I didn't think much about them when I found them.  Up until yesterday, I wasn't aware that a sacrifice would be needed for this ceremony to succeed.  When I found the passages, I knew the plan had to change.  I didn't have time to tell you, so...sorry."

Sonya read the passages carefully.  The first passage stated that the blood of the Slayer would ensure completion of the ceremony.  But, the other passage intoned that only a very powerful witch could be substituted for the Slayer.  She shook her head, not liking what she'd read.  "Well," she said, "don't worry about it Deacon.  You just better give me what I want after this is over."

"I made you a promise and I intend to keep it.  Now, tell me...where were you?" he changed the subject, walking over to the table and sitting down.

Sonya crossed her arms over her chest.  "I was visiting Tara in the dungeon cells."

He nodded, pretty much expecting that answer.  "Did you have a nice chat?"

She shook her head.  "Not really.  I pretty much got the response I was expecting."

"It hurts doesn't it.  To know a secret about her......that you'll never be able to confide in her." Deacon laughed, leaning back in his chair.

Sonya's face hardened as she approached the table.  "Don't even bring that subject up Deacon.  She can never....and I mean NEVER know of what she is.  Do you understand me?" she emphasized the statement with sparks running through her hands.

Deacon nodded.  "Fine.  But, whether the ceremony succeeds or not, you do know she's not going to survive what she'll endure?"

"Yes, I am very aware of that.  It's too late for me to do anything anyways, even if I wanted to.  I'll see you tomorrow." Sonya stated, not waiting before she vanished in a flash of dark energized light.

Deacon shook his head, his gaze flicking to the notebook his vampire researchers had written on.  The words they'd written were deciphered from the scrolls.  The passage deciphered that was written on the notebook made things clearer to Deacon.  It was just one sentence, but it had a powerful meaning behind it.  Deacon stared hard at the words.

The Witch or Slayer who endures the sacrifice will not survive.  Thus is the will of the Blood God, La Magra.

Chapter Eight

Morning came much too quickly to the small group of Scoobies who were gathered in the living room of the Summers House.  Xander had just gotten back from his apartment, where he'd showered and gotten dressed in the clothing he was going to wear tonight.  He was wearing a gray short sleeved shirt with a black and red long sleeved flannel shirt over it.  He had the bottom four buttons buttoned.  He wore a pair of his used blue jeans over his legs.  He was sitting on one end of the couch.  Dawn sat next to him, on the middle of the couch.  She'd gotten up earlier and had some breakfast before she showered and changed.  She was wearing a dark blue sweater with a pair of black pants.

Buffy was in the kitchen, heading out of it and into the living room.  She wore a light blue short sleeved shirt with her blue leather pants.  Her crucifix was dangling around her neck as she entered the living room.  Giles was standing near the far window.  His attire was pretty much like it was the day before.  He was reading through the book he'd taken from the Magic Box the day before.  Buffy looked up as she heard footsteps.  They all glanced at the stairs as Willow descended, waiting until she was standing next to Buffy before she stopped.

Willow had dressed in her brown jeans with her dark green turtleneck sweater over her upper body.  She had her green flannel jacket in her hands.  It was much the same outfit she'd worn when Glory had found out, through Tara, about Dawn being the Key.  She had her hair tied back into a single pony tail as she gazed at Giles.  With everyone there and accounted for, the redhead was ready for some answers.  "Giles, can you explain it now?" she asked.

Giles closed the book and placed it on the table before he looked at them.  This was going to be the hardest part, knowing what he would have to explain and knowing it was going to painful to them all, most of all Willow.  "Alright.  You better sit down, this isn't going to be pleasant."

Willow nodded, sitting down in one of the recliners.  Buffy sat down on the couch next to Dawn as they listened to Giles speak.  "Well, as Sonya had already told us, Deacon plans to resurrect the powers of the Blood God, La Magra.  If he does this, Deacon will become nearly invincible.  He will have the power to control any living being that has blood running through their body.  He will be able to make a person's blood boil until they explode with just merely thinking it."

Xander paled.  "Oh....man." he managed.

Giles continued.  "Yes well.....in order for Deacon to even be able to perform the ceremony, he needs all of the bones of the First, which he has.  He knows where the sacred Temple of Eternal Night is as well.  But the one element he has to have in order for it to work is the sacrifice."

Willow swallowed.  "Sacrifice?"

The Watcher nodded.  "Yes.  According to the ancient texts I've read on this, there needs to be an outside source of energy to channel the Blood God's powers.  The powers themselves are embedded inside the bones of the First.  That's why they were not destroyed by the Slayer and her team of warriors.  They would have destroyed Earth if they destroyed the bones.  How the ceremony will work is that the bones will be placed around him in a sacred circle.  The channeling source will stabilize the powers in the bones so that Deacon can harness them." he said.

"How is this outside energy source going to channel the powers, though?  I mean, Tara wouldn't willingly do it." Willow said.

Giles took a deep breath.  "Whether the outside source was the Slayer or a powerful witch, the result is the same.  The outside source is the person's blood.  There's a device that the witch or Slayer would be hooked to and the device drains blood out of the witch or Slayer and the blood is channeled through the Temple.  The blood eventually will drop onto the bones and that is how the powers are channeled from the bones into Deacon."

"Tara's blood." Dawn said after a moment.

Sadly, Giles nodded.  "Yes.  And, everything I've read from this book indicates that the witch or Slayer who endures the sacrifice doesn't survive it."

All eyes turned to Willow, whose eyes were downcast on the floor.  Willow somehow was expecting something like this.  Having things go smoothly was never a possibility for them and Willow had already accepted the fact that this was going to happen.  After a few moments of silence, she looked up.  "Do we know where this Temple is?" she asked.

Giles nodded.  "I've been looking through some of the older maps of Sunnydale.  There's a couple of places to the north of Sunnydale that the temple could be.  As soon as we finish up here, I was going to get us a van and head out there.  It's going to take a while to even find a way into the Temple and we don't have much time left."

Willow nodded.  "Is that all we know about this?"

Giles turned to Buffy.  The Slayer rose and walked over to a table where the case that Shakijan gave them was laying.  "That demon that works with the Council, Shakijan, gave us this." she said as she opened the case.  "He said that if Deacon succeeds with the ceremony, this stake can kill him.  But, I'll have to taste his blood first.  Otherwise, I can kill him with this stake before he succeeds."

"A silver stake?" Willow's voice was incredulous.

Buffy shook his head.  "No, he said it's made from a type of metal that is Deacon's only vulnerability right now."

Giles retook the focus of the conversation.  "At any rate, Willow....we're going to need your help right now." His voice was serious.

She looked at him in confusion.  "Me?"

The Watcher nodded.  "Yes, before last night happened, our plan existed around the binding spell you and Tara were supposed to do.  With last night's developments, I've come up with a new plan of action for us to use.  I spent a couple hours this morning going through most of Tara's magic books.  There's a spell in one of her light based magic books that I believe you can do."

Willow watched him.

"It's a spell that calls on the very essence of the Earth.  It uses the essence of Earth to bind any mystical and magical energy Deacon possesses.  It will work whether he had the Blood God powers or not.  It's a very tricky spell and if it works, Buffy will have an easier time beating Deacon." Giles said.

Willow took a deep breath.  "Giles.....I can't do any kind of magic anymore.  You know what happened when I just tried to use it to get Warren.  The magic consumed me."

Giles looked sympathetic at her.  "Willow, what happened before happened because you used dark magic to go after Warren.  And the dark magic consumed you because hate and rage filled you.  I know that's different now.  You will be calling on magic based in light, not dark.  And I know your hatred and rage is gone.  You can do this.  You can do this for Tara." he emphasized the last word to get through to the redhead.

Swallowing, Willow nodded, hoping the older man was correct in his words.  I'll do this for Tara.  For Tara. she thought to herself as Giles grabbed his long overcoat.

"Alright, I'm going to get the van.  I should be back in thirty minutes." Giles said before he turned and headed out of the house.

---**---

The Temple of Eternal Night was one of the oldest Temples in the known world.  It was built by the original Blood God, La Magra.  It was built before the time of Ancient Rome, before Egypt, before even the Pyramids were even a thought.  Back then, vampires were gathered together under one ruler, one leader.  That leader was La Magra.  Unlike today's day and age, all vampires followed La Magra's rule without question and no vampire dared dispute what La Magra wanted.

The main chamber of the Temple was large, round, and spacey.  It was made of the purest marble in the world.  There were ancient symbols carved into the circular structure.  Around the walls, there were eight symbols written into the glyphs.  Deacon was standing in the center of the of the chamber, looking at each glyph.  The bones of the First would be placed in a circle around him, an even number of the bones would represent each glyph.  He already had the eight vampires he would need to stand under the glyphs.  The witch's blood would fall from the ceiling of the chamber and drop onto the bones, the energy in the blood releasing the Blood God's powers from the bones and, once Deacon began chanting, the bones would merge with his vampire body, therefore giving him the power he desired.

Kolon and other vamps were moving around the temple, looking at the ancient carvings of their ancestors who originally resided in this place.  They head Deacon talk, so they listened.  "The ancestors of vampires called this place the Temple of Eternal Night.  They predicted that the fall of humanity would begin inside this very temple.  And tonight, humanity's fall begins."  Deacon said, looking around the Temple walls.

Sonya Baxter walked out from behind one of the stone columns.  She wore a pair of tight black pants and a black blouse that covered her upper body and most of her arms.  She wore a golden ceremonial robe much like the robe that the hell god Glorificus wore during her final moments.  Ancient symbols were embroidered all over the gold robe.  Just behind her, two vampires stood, each holding one of Tara's arms as they made sure she didn't try to escape.

"Well," Deacon drawled, watching Sonya gaze at him, "the time's drawing nearer, Sonya.  Sure you want to be a part of it?"

Sonya's expression was emotionless as she watched him.  "Shut up Deacon.  We both know why I'm helping you, so don't make any more of it than that."

He smirked.  "You know, I'm really going to miss your comments when this ceremony comes down." he paused as he gazed at his vamps.  "Alright, you lot.  Bring in the bones and begin placing them in the correct order.  I don't want any mistakes tonight."

Kolon moved forward.  "You heard him, boys.  I have the notes on how the bones are placed.  Let's get to work."

The vamps moved away as Kolon went to retrieve the chest that contained the bones of the First.  Deacon moved from the center of the temple's inner chamber and walked over to where Tara was being held.  With a motion of his steel filled arm, the two vamps moved away.  Deacon watched Tara's face, seeing the normal signs of fear there, but also a nagging little sense of bravery and courage that most people never showed when faced with a vampire.  He smiled.

"Scared...little witch?" he asked, running the pointy end of his forefinger over her cheek.

She visibly shivered from the cold touch, but forced herself from running.  She knew that would be what he'd enjoy seeing.  "What do you think?" she answered with her own question.

"Sonya?  Are all of her powers bound?" he asked to Sonya.

"Yes.  Just as we discussed." she answered.

Deacon's eyes drilled into Tara's.  "Good." he said before his right hand suddenly found itself around Tara's throat, squeezing so hard that she started gasping for desperately needed breath.  He allowed his fingers to squeeze for several moments.  When he felt she was about to pass out from the lack of oxygen, he relented the pressure, but he kept his hand around her throat.  "Don't forget, little missy....I have the control here."

Tara didn't reply, just watched him.

"Lock her back up until the time comes for the ceremony." Deacon ordered the two vamps.  As they pulled her away and back towards the dungeon cells, Sonya's eyes watched Deacon's back.  One of the problems Deacon's always had was lack of trust in his allies or servants.  Because, the moment his hand squeezed around Tara's throat, Sonya's entire face flashed in rage and anger and she was only a moment from reacting to it.  His back was to her, so there was no way for him to see the venom being shot at him through her eyes.

Sonya cleared her expression as he turned back to her.  "Tonight," Deacon said, "the world changes forever."

He walked away after saying that, Sonya's eyes following his leave.

---**---

Giles entered the front door to the Summers' House having already secured the van they would need.  Parked in the driveway was a dark painted van, large enough to carry them and the weapons he had picked up to the site where he believed the Temple of Eternal Night to be.  As he closed the living room behind him, he saw that everyone was more or less ready to leave.  Xander was putting on his coat, Buffy already had her coat on and she tied her hair up high off her neck.  Willow had put her green flannel jacket on and had let her hair off of the ponytail so it now was set freely across her shoulders.  And Dawn had her hair moved into a ponytail.

"I have secured the van and some weapons for us to use." Giles informed them as he stood in the entrance between the hall and the living room.

Buffy kneeled down to grab the small bag of weapons lying on the floor.  As she hefted it over her shoulder, she saw Willow stop at the front door before she walked back to stand just next to Giles.  She saw the serious glint in her best friend's eyes and she suddenly realized her friend was about to say something important.  She stopped as the redhead begun to speak.

"Hey guys?" Willow started, looking at each of them in the eyes before she continued, "I need all of you to understand something before we go."

"Sure Will.  What is it?" Xander asked.

Willow took a deep breath.  "Something occurred to me last night.  I realized that if something happened to Tara, yeah I would hurt for the rest of my life.  But, I realized that I would eventually continue with life.  I don't want you guys worrying tonight.  If something does happen and Tara doesn't.....make it, I won't go back to dark magic and try to destroy the world.  But, you need to know that.......if Tara dies tonight, I won't be staying."

"You won't be staying?" Giles spoke up after a moment.

She nodded.  "In Sunnydale.  If Tara dies, I'll leave Sunnydale.  Because being here when she's not....it's just too painful.  If she doesn't make it, I'm leaving."

Given that it was a real possibility, Buffy asked.  "For how long?"

"I don't know.  Perhaps indefinitely." Willow shrugged before she headed towards the door, reaching it and pulling open the wood.  Opening it, Willow came up short when a man stood just outside the door.  The others gathered behind her as they greeted the newcomer.

The man was in his mid thirties with sandy blonde hair that was cut just above his shoulders.  He wore a pair of black leather pants with a black long sleeved shirt tucked into the pants.  He wore a black leather coat that hung all the way to his ankles.  He had on a black armored leather vest over his shirt.  At the back of his neck, a long broadsword could be seen, just the handle visible as the rest of the blade was hidden by his coat.  He had black gloves over his hands and wore black shades.  His face was clean shaven and mostly normal except that there was a long scar embedded permanently into his skin on his right cheek from his forehead to his lips.  He reached up and removed his shades as he gazed at the people in front of him.  "Rupert.  It's been a while." the man's voice was crisp and deep,

Giles moved forward and grasped the man's hand, shaking it.  Giles was visibly surprised to see the man.  "I..I....I can't believe you made it." he finally spluttered.

The man shook Giles hand before he moved it back to his side.  "Of course I came.  You told me a vampire was trying to become the Blood God.  That makes it my business."

"Um...Giles?" Buffy spoke up.  "Who is this?"

Giles shook off his surprise and stepped aside, welcoming the newcomer inside.  "Everyone, this is Jacob.  I imagine he's here to help us.  Right?"

Jacob stopped at the entrance to the living room and glanced at them.  "That's the only reason I'm here.  You called me to ask for my assistance here.  And your lucky I wasn't far from here when you called."

Giles nodded, then looked at the others as they were still confused as to who this person in black was.  "Jacob here is....well.....he's like you Buffy."

"Like me?" Buffy's eyebrows shot up.

"Yes....like you, he was born with a very specific purpose for his life.  You see....he's the Daywalker."

"The Daywalker?" Xander spoke up, clearly confused.

"Yes," Jacob spoke, "like the Slayer, the Daywalker is born to fight the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness.  The Slayer isn't the only Chosen one.  Surely you're not that egotistical to realize that."

Buffy, slightly miffed at the remark, got in his face.  "Of course I realize that.  What is the Daywalker?"

Jacob looked at the Watcher, trusting Giles to explain it since it was Giles who first showed Jacob his calling.  Giles sighed as he walked over to the couch.  He knew they needed to get moving, but he also knew they had a little time and the others needed to know something about Jacob before they could work with him.  "The legend of the Daywalker dates back even before the Prophecy of the Slayer.  It begins when vampires were united under such beings as the Blood God La Magra and even the Master.  The Daywalker is a human being who is half human and half vampire.  The Daywalker is born half vampire in that he possesses all strengths of the vampire, but none of their weaknesses."

The three digested that.  Jacob continued the conversation.  "My mother was attacked by a vampire when she was in the early stages of her pregnancy with me.  Instead of it turning her or killing her, genetic traits of the vampire were coded into my DNA.  I have all of the strengths that vampires have, but I also have their thirst for blood." Jacob said, bringing out a small vial of green colored liquid.  "This is the only substitute for blood I can use.  Through the years, my contacts with people in medicine have helped me develop this vaccine against the thirst.  It's been working up to now."

"It's not that I don't want to know more about you, because I'm fascinated by you...." Willow said, "but we need to find the Temple of Eternal Night and get there.  We don't know how long it'll take to find it."

"I already found it." Jacob said quietly.  "It's only about a mile outside Sunnydale, to the north.  I found an entrance that will get everyone in.  I could sense about thirty vamps under the entrance.  Which means that there are vampires patrolling through the structure."

"You can sense vampires?" Buffy sounded shocked.

Jacob nodded absent mindedly.  "Yes, it's part of my gift.  Now, Rupert said that this vampire's taken one of your friends?"

"Yes, he and this woman....Sonya Baxter, she's a witch.  They have my girlfriend, Tara MaClay." Willow told him.

"Augh, not that blasted woman." Jacob sighed.

"You know Sonya Baxter?" Giles asked.

The Daywalker nodded.  "Yes, but she's not a witch.  She's a powerful sorceress.  And her real name's not Sonya Baxter.  Well, her name is Sonya Baxter, but she shortened it.  Her name's Sonyora Ellence Baxter.  Have the Watcher's Council send you books on her.  And Sonyora and I have crossed paths before.  If she's helping this vampire become the Blood God, then she must be getting desperate to end her existence."

"Why do you say that?" Buffy asked.

Jacob pursed his lips.  "Well, the answer to that question is very long because you have to go back about eighty years.  I don't know the entire story, but what I've learned through my battles with her is that she lost someone she loved more than life itself, a soulmate if you will.  And since that happened, she's tried to force anything to destroy her.  She won't kill herself or let anything destroy her because it would dishonor her family.  Dishonoring her family is not an option for her.  I believe the only reason she's helping this vampire is because, with the powers of the Blood God, she can fight him to the death.  She knows he'll destroy her and that's what she's wanting."

"So it is just business for her." Willow's voice was full of sarcasm.

Jacob studied the redhead.  "You.....you tried to destroy the world not too long ago."

"Yes I did." Willow kept his gaze.

Jacob tilted his head to one side.  "You've still got a lot power." Jacob shook his head of his thoughts.  "At any rate, Sonya's going to try to stop us simply because she wants to ensure her death later.  Now, tell me about this vampire who wants the powers of the Blood God."

Giles did as Jacob requested, recalling everything they had been told by Sonya Baxter.  When Giles was finished, Jacob's face was hardened in deep thought.  "This Deacon is going to be trouble.  The only way for a vampire to be able to become immune to the natural weaknesses that vampires have is through absorption of mystical energy.  And if he's acquired this much, he's going to be strong even before he has the Blood God powers." Jacob said.

"Yes...this is going to be difficult." Giles agreed.

"Then, let's not waste anymore time." Willow said, eager to save Tara.  "Let's get moving."

Walking to the door, Jacob let her open it.  "Eager to get this started, aren't you?"

She ignored him as they all headed out the doors.  Jacob's vehicle was a black two door Trans Am.  He stopped by it as they loaded their weapons into the black van.  "Follow me in your...van." he said, letting them know what he thought of the van.  "The ride will take about an hour." he informed them.

"Let's just go." Giles said, getting into the driver's side of the van.  Buffy sat in the passenger's side as Willow and Xander climbed into the back of the van.  Dawn joined them in the back of the van.  Jacob put his shades back over his eyes as he got into his black car and started the engine up.

Moments later, the two vehicles pulled away from the Summers House and began heading north.

Continue on to Part 3 - the Conclusion.