dragonyphoenix

Title: Misunderstandings
Fandom: BtVS
Prompt: 456 - consanguineal
Rating: PG
Summary: Part 26 of Shanshu
Word Count: 990

After Xander had hung-up on her, Dawn stared at her cell. Andrew's kidnapping she could understand. It sort of seemed like every other week some, well, thing took Andrew. But Willow? Miss mega-powered witch? And how did someone take Spike? He wasn't even supposed to be alive or he wasn't supposed to be undead or whatever, but still. He pops back into existence and, pow, he's kidnapped? That was worse than Andrew even. Was she the only one who could take-out a kidnapper?

“You can't leave.”

Dawn in no way squeaked as she spun. The hippie was still on the ground but awake now and sitting up. Actually, now that she had a chance to look at him, she wasn’t sure hippie was the right word. The hair was hippie-ish, all long and in dreadlocks, but he had on some kick-ass boots and she was pretty sure hippies didn't wear t-shirts with the word Anarchy splashed across the front. Dawn shifted her book-bag off of her shoulder. Hey, it had taken him out once although now he'd probably be expecting it. She didn't have any other weapon though so she'd have to make do with what she had. “You're working for Glory.”

“Oh, hey, no way. I don't go for all that personal aggrandizement. You gotta be humble, stick to your roots, you know.”

“Are you stoned?” No, it didn't matter. “You want me to open the gate.”

“Well, yeah.” He was smiling up at her as if they weren't talking about taking a knife to her. “I know you don't want to, but it's the only way. The desire is strong in that one. There's cunning there, and trickery. Can't be left hanging. All Hell will break loose. Have to search. Have to find.”

“You can just count me out. The Slayers'll be here soon and then you'll be sorry.”

He jumped to his feet, suddenly looking a lot scarier than he had before. “No. Don't you get it? It'll take out everything. The Omega to the Alpha. End of the line. Bye bye birdie. Sayonara. Ciao and ttfn, ta ta for now.”

“Yeah, I do get it. Glorificus gets to go home but takes everything to Hell with her. No way.”

“Glorificus?” He shook his head. “Oh man, he wouldn't be in her dimension. The Three Sisters wouldn’t go near that place even if Glorificus could go home, which she can't, being dead and all.”

“Glory's dead?”

“Robert, Ribbit, Rupert, the young goat only not so young anymore, jumped into action, dimming his shining aura, tarnishing his shield by snuffing out the life of the God.”

Giles killed Glory? “I don't believe you. Even my sister couldn't kill her.”

“Sister? There is no sister.” Oh God, what had he done to Buffy? “You're not consanguineal. You're alone. You partake of all the realms. It's how you open the way.”

“I am not alone. I have a sister and she's a Slayer and she's going to kick your butt so hard you'll never sit down again.”

He grabbed her wrist, the one holding her book-bag.

“Hey, let go.”

And he did. Dawn took three steps back even though he didn't look like he was going to attack. He was in more of a staring off at nothing kind of a place. “Pledged to God and born to the lord of a merry star.” His face had gone sort of white as if he were about to faint. “They stole your power? Oh, man, that's going to make everything so much harder.”

“I have not been pledged to any God.” She raised the book-bag in case he came near her again. “There will be no sacrificing me.”

“The chosen one, the lamb, is already in the fold if not the abattoir. The veil between the worlds is thinner here but not thin enough. If you had your full power, you could do it, but diminished as you are? The cork must be popped. The power will help you find the lad.”

“Hey, there will be no cork popping. Um, find the lad?”

He nodded. “Bloody but no longer. The demon, long gone, has taken the memories with him but they will return and once they do …” He ran a finger across his neck. “ … the lamb will be taken to the killing field and death will come.”

“Wait, this sacrifice, it's not me? It's Spike?”

“William, Willahelm, protector, guardian of the desired one. Vampire but now human. Shanshu. The unblemished calf. The lamb. The sacrifice.”

“And you want to stop it? You want to save Spike?”

“Well yeah, little chica. He's down with Millay who lives in my building. You gotta watch out for your own. That's why we have to pull off the twisty tie.”

Great, not only could she not trust him, she couldn't even understand him. “Pull off the twisty tie?”

“Pop the cork. Open the present.” He seemed to be struggling and when he spoke again it was something she understood even if it didn't make sense. “Open the Hellmouth.”

“Open the Hellmouth? Are you nuts? Do you know how hard it was to close? And Spike, he died closing the Hellmouth. He wouldn't want it opened again.”

He sighed as if she were being the unreasonable one. “You're hooked now, anchored, tied to this world. You can't shuffle the deck for the right card, not without the extra power.”

“Shuffle the deck? You mean search through a bunch of dimensions to find Spike? I can't do that!”

He shook his head sadly. “Not if you don't think you can.” And then he vanished.

Dawn spun around, back-pack at the ready, in case he popped back in. When he didn't, she wasn't sure if she was relieved or upset. She still didn't trust him, but she really didn't want to be alone at the side of the Hellmouth, even if it had been closed.