Title: Gift of a Future
Author: Gileswench

(notes & disclaimer with part one)

Anya watched in amazement as Worf wolfed down his third can of Spam. If he kept this up, there would be no provisions left for anyone else inside of a day. She wished she was with Xander. He would be just as hungry, but he wouldn't hog all the meat. He would make sure the others got some, too. She sighed, and prayed that all was well with her guy. When all this was over, she wanted Xander to take her away somewhere for a little break and a lot of sex. Then she never wanted to be away from him again.

The Klingon felt the girl's eyes upon him yet again. He could sense her growing attraction to him - he was sure of it. As soon as he looked up, she turned away and took a far deeper interest in her individual container of applesauce. He sighed quietly. Now was not the time, but when the battle was won, he would take her to the Klingon home world and make her his bride. All would envy his choice of female. The house of Moag would grow strong with her by his side. Their offspring would be brave and honorable.

Deanna moved a bit closer to Riker and did her best to smile at him. He took her hand. His gentle caress made her feel slightly better.

"This is difficult for you, isn't it, Imzadi?" he asked quietly.

"Overwhelming is the word I'd use. It's getting hard to even stand up straight with all the fear and tension around us."

"You can lean on me, Deanna."

"I know." She looked over to where Buffy sat alone, watching Giles breathe from a distance. "I just wish she would lean on someone, if only for a few minutes. If she doesn't let some of this out soon, a single shock could send her over the edge."

"What sort of effect would that have?"

"I don't know," Deanna shrugged. "She might erupt violently, she might go into a state of hysteria, she might even become catatonic. Whatever way things go, it wouldn't be good for her, her sister, or any of us."

"Do you want to talk to her?"

"I've been trying, Will. It does no good if she won't talk back. All I've been able to get from her in the past hour is shrugs and glares. I think there's only one person who could talk to her right now, and he's lying unconscious on that countertop."

"In other words, if one more thing goes wrong, we're buggered."

"Buggered?"

"In real trouble. It's a twenty-first century term. Spike taught it to me."

Ben spread out some medical supplies on a relatively clean surface. Bandages, syringes, painkillers, anti-biotics - he wasn't quite sure how much of what he would need at this point. He didn't want to tell Buffy, but Giles was more seriously wounded than she could possibly know. How the hell had he gotten that badly hurt? And what was the standoff he suddenly found himself in the middle of? At least he knew for sure he didn't stand a chance with her now. Unless Giles didn't make it. If she agreed to go for coffee with that guy, she'd never call back and say she'd changed her mind.

"You," came a urgent whisper from behind. Ben stopped what he was doing. He didn't look, but Gregor continued speaking to him. "You are not part of this, are you?"

"Just a friend of the family."

"Would you die for them?"

Ben turned to his inquisitor. Gregor spoke again.

"Because that is what your future holds if you align yourself with the Slayer and her misguided people."

"It's my life," the doctor averred angrily, "and I'll do what I please with it."

"It's not just your life. Unimaginable legions of people will perish, including everyone here." Gregor's voice dropped to a whisper. "You can save all their lives by ending one. The little girl. The key. Destroy it, and the will of the beast will be broken. She will fade, a distant memory. And all this madness will end."

Ben glared at the general, but didn't reply.

"Data? Can we talk?"

The android turned and faced the Buffybot. He nodded slightly.

"Of course. What did you wish to discuss?"

"Love."

"I am not familar with the sensations of that emotion, but I have read quite a few descriptions of it. For instance, the Vulcan philosopher, T'Glon, describes love as a mental abberation..."

"That's not what I mean," the bot interrupted. "I mean I want to talk about being in love. And how you aren't."

"No, I am not. You know that I am incapable of any emotion."

"Yes, I know. I knew that from the beginning. I just didn't know how much it would hurt."

Data's brow furrowed and he cocked his head.

"I do not understand. There should be no physical pain in this knowledge."

"Maybe there shouldn't, but there is. I'm sorry, Data, but I can't have sex with you anymore. I need to find someone who loves me back."

The android nodded.

"Of course. I shall delete the relevant subprogamming immediately."

The bot burst into tears and ran down the hall.

Dawn sat watching Giles. She'd finally persuaded Buffy to take a short catnap by assuring her that someone would wake her the instant there was any change - with Giles or with anything.

The good thing was that Buffy might be a little calmer once she got some sleep. The bad thing was the guilt. How many more deaths would be on her - Dawn's - head? She hoped against hope that Giles would survive the ordeal. No matter how often she teased him and ignored his advice, she was truly fond of her sister’s Watcher. He was the single most stable influence in her life, now that her mother was dead.

"Just keep breathing, okay?" she murmured under her breath.

She jumped slightly and gasped when another hand came into view.

"Sorry," Ben said. "I didn't mean to startle you."

He took Giles' wrist and checked his pulse.

"Is - is he gonna be okay?" Dawn asked.

"He was hurt pretty bad."

"Because of me. It's all my fault."

"No, it isn't."

"You don't know what's happening."

Ben reached into his medical bag and took out a syringe. He began to fill it.

"I don't need to know," he said. "I just know sometimes bad things happen to good people. They shouldn't, but they do." He pushed slightly on the plunger to see that the needle flowed freely. "It's nobody's fault." He turned back and stuck the needle in Giles' arm. "It's just the way life is."

"Is that gonna help?" Dawn asked. When he didn't answer, she looked up at him. He'd dropped the needle and had turned pale. "Ben?"

The young doctor raced for the front door, shaking.

"You have to let me out!"

Dawn followed him. The others gathered around as Willow shook Buffy awake.

"Ben?" Deanna asked. "What's happened?"

"You don't understand. You have to open a door now!"

"What happened?" Buffy asked her sister.

"I - I don't know. He just freaked out."

"Let me out! Please!"

"Okay," Buffy said. "Okay, Will, open a door."

"No!" Ben yelled. He screamed in frustration and anger.

Everyone watched, horrorstruck, as Ben slowly morphed from his normal form into that of Glory. Buffy quickly pushed Dawn behind her. The others closed ranks around her.

Glory smiled.

"Well what do you know," she purred. "Little Ben finally did something right."

"The beast," Gregor spat.

"Hey! It's Gregor," Glory said. She picked up a hubcap off the floor and flung it casually at the general. It sliced easily through his armor and stuck in his chest. Gregor slumped forward. "Now it's not."

Spike and Worf charged the Hellgod with a furious cry. She flung them both backwards, toppling Captain Picard and Riker as they went. Buffy raced forward. With a vicious backhand, Glory slammed her into Willow.

The Hellgod turned on Dawn. She laughed. She advanced. She grabbed the key's hand. Anya tried to pull Dawn away, but Glory was too strong for her.

"Buffy!"

The Slayer heard her sister's cry and scrambled to her feet.

Glory pushed her way through Willow's mystical barrier with a thought. She found the Knights of Byzantium blocking her path.

Buffy raced to follow them, but the barrier was back.

"Willow! Get it down! Now!"

Over the sound of the battle outside, the witch intoned her spell.

"Hear, hear my plea
Circling arm protecting me"

The wall fell and Buffy hurled herself through it. The others followed swiftly, only to find the Slayer standing outside the door, staring about herself in dismay and defeat. Glory was long gone. The knights lay slaughtered all around them. Among all the corpses, Buffy spotted one that was still alive. She moved cautiously to him.

"The beast," Dante whispered. They were the last words he ever spoke.

"The car," Riker ordered. "Get the keys."

Spike took one final look around and ran for the vehicle.

Willow went to Buffy's side.

"Buffy!" she cried. "Buffy, we have to find Dawn. We - we can't let Glory..."

The Slayer's knees gave out. She fell to the ground, unable to even think, let alone act.