Disclaimer: I don't own them, would that I did. The characters herein belong to Joss, Mutant Enemy, Greenwalt, Fox, etc. I'm merely using them to tell my own little story.

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Part Five: Here Be Dragons

"Have we got everything?" Willow asked calmly. Tara, Anya and Dawn all nodded. It had been hours without any word from their friends, and Willow had finally had enough. She had come up with a plan and they had all agreed. She now sat cross-legged on a table in the Magic Box, a large fairly deep copper bowl resting on her knees. With Tara's help she prepared the spell, filling the bowl with water and dropping Giles' glasses into it. They were the only thing she and Anya had found at Sunnydale High School that indicated that anyone had even been there at all. She held out her hand, still chanting supplications to the goddess, and Tara handed her the coffee mug that Spike had used to drink blood when he had been staying at Giles'. No one had used it since, and even though it had been washed they were banking that it still held enough of the vampire's essence for the spell. Willow placed it in the bowl, watching it rapidly sink to the bottom. She held out her hand again, and Dawn gave her a scrap of black silk. It had come from one of Angel's shirts that they had found still hanging in Buffy's closet. Dawn was certain Buffy had never washed the shirt. Willow added it to the bowl, then looked at Anya. The former demon reluctantly came forward and handed over a sock that had a eyes and large lips drawn on it with magic marker. Willow stared at it for a moment, then looked at Tara meaningfully.

"Willow says to never tell us," Tara said softly. Anya gave her a strained smile, and Willow added the sock puppet to the bowl, watching it disappear under the mist that was now swirling over the water.

*****

"This is bad," Angel said. Xander clenched his fists helplessly as Spike shook his head. They were watching a vulnerable Giles be surrounded on all sides by flying fire-breathing salamanders.

"He's done for. We're gonna have blackened Watcher for tea," Spike shrugged.

"We've got to save him!" Xander hissed.

"Of course, Boy Wonder. Any suggestions?" Spike asked laconically, still nursing his burned hand. It was already starting to heal, he saw with satisfaction. Angel and Xander exchanged unsure glances. Spike smirked. "That's what I thought."

"How come they didn't fly before?" Angel mused.

"Ummm, gee, let me think. Their arms were tired. Or maybe they didn't have enough happy thoughts. Or they weren't hungry enough. Oh, wait! Or maybe Giles is about to die and we're just standing here doing the sideline commentary!" Xander exploded.

"Hungry...I think you're right!" Angel said shortly. He quickly scanned Xander from head to toe, making the younger man shift nervously.

"Now really isn't the time for you to get funny vampire ideas," Xander stammered.

"You're not bleeding. Not even a scratch," Angel said.

"More's the pity," Spike added laconically, "but I don't see your point, Angelus."

"Giles is. Bleeding. I think that's it." Spike and Xander exchanged glances, then Spike shrugged as Xander shook his head in disbelief.

"They're flying fire-breathing vampire lizards, is what you're saying?" Xander reiterated. At Angel's nod, he sighed. "Swell. Wait! The provisions! There's blood there...which is with the horses...but I could make it."

"No time." Angel held out a gloved hand to Spike. "Give it."

"What?" Spike asked. He was trying for innocent, but the narrowing of his eyes made him look as guilty as sin. Angel grabbed the blonde vampire around the throat with one hand and reached under his tunic with the other, withdrawing one of the flagons full of blood that Gus had provided.

"Hey, I was gonna eat that!" Spike half-protested. Truth was, he had been about to give the blood up anyway, but he didn't want to seem too cooperative.

"Now what?" Xander asked, not yet conscious that he was actually trusting Angel.

"We need to lure them away from him," Angel said, looking for a place.

"A trap would be of the good," Xander said, paling as he saw Giles fall to the ground and cover his head, knowing the lizards were about to make short work of the Watcher.

"Coax the beasties into...that, Angelus!" Spike said, pointing to a crevice some distance ahead of them. Looking at the landscape beyond, they saw it was littered with large holes. The earth around these openings was scorched, but couldn't take the time to ponder the significance of that.

"Hurry! Giles is about to become a toasted English muffin."

"That's only half a plan," Angel protested.

"That's half more than we usually use. Go!" Xander responded, then added nervously to Spike as Angel took off, "And don't you dare tell Giles I said any of that. We all have to survive, remember?" Spike grinned widely.

Angel uncorked the flagon as he ran, the smell of blood causing a wave of hunger to pass through him. For a moment he was terrified that his pure demon self would be unleashed as it had been on Pylea, but he soon realized that was not going to happen.

*How can I be so sure of that?* he thought. Then he noticed some of the salamanders were already heading his way, and tabled all thoughts for later.

"Move your arse!" Spike called in warning.

"I know!" Angel shouted back, already making tracks for the strange opening, spilling blood as he ran. As he'd hoped, the remaining lizards left Giles immediately and headed in his direction. Spike and Xander hurried to Giles and helped him up. Xander checked him over quickly, relieved to find him still pretty dazed but otherwise in relatively good shape. The gash on his head was the only real damage. Giles smiled at them grimly, his expression growing more alert.

"Cutting it a bit close there," he said. "How did you manage to..."

"Angel drew them off," Xander answered shortly. "Gotta help him. He's luring the things away, but he might be in trouble."

"Has anyone else caught on that we're spending all our bloody time rescuing each other?" Spike asked bitterly. "It's disgusting, if you ask me."

"Nobody asked you," Xander replied. "Giles, are you-"

"Let's go," Giles said tersely, and the three hurried to Angel's aid. As they grew nearer to the vampire, it was clear that something wasn't right. The lizards had definitely pursued Angel's bloody trail, but Angel had stopped some distance away from the crevice they had targetted and was looking back and forth indecisively. He spotted the three of them and waved frantically for them to stop.

"Don't come any closer!" Angel yelled. They skidded to a halt. A few of the lizards began to move away from the others, slowly turning towards Giles. "Get Giles out of here! But watch where you step, those aren't holes." Angel shouted. "And I don't think we're dealing with salamanders!" As if to punctuate that comment, a large burst of flame exploded from the opening, followed by the head of something that looked like the supersize version of what they had been fleeing.

"Oh dear," Giles said.

"Please tell me that's not a dragon," Xander breathed.

"That's not a dragon," Spike said, then off their looks, added, "Of course it's a bloody dragon! Looks unhappy with Angel, doesn't it?"

"Spike, get Giles out of here. I'll help Angel," Xander said suddenly.

"Xander, that's not-" Giles began.

"Giles, you're the bleeding guy, remember? You stay, you're the first dragon snack. Get moving. Don't get eaten. And don't worry about me, or Deadboy. I've got a plan."

"Sure thing, Boy Wonder," Spike drawled, lifting the startled Watcher into a fireman's carry and heading off at a full run. Xander could hear Giles' sputtered protests. He shook his head, looking at Angel. Taking a deep breath, he ran towards the vampire, ignoring Angel's dismayed expression. He reached Angel's side only to mirror the vampire's movements of looking back and forth between the infant dragons closing in on their position slowly and the larger dragon still emerging from its underground lair. Xander swallowed hard.

"Guess that was only half a plan."

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"Xander's gonna die!" Anya shrieked for the eighteenth time since they had first been able to see their friends in the surface of the water in the bowl. Willow briefly considered casting a mute spell on the former demon, but she couldn't manage it without releasing the scrying spell. As painfully frustrating as it was to watch the men get deeper in trouble every way they turned, not knowing what was happening had been infinitely worse.

"Xander's doing okay. I'm more worried about Giles. And Spike. They're heading into that field full of blood-thirsty dragons and he's still bleeding. That can't be good," Willow said, then realizing Dawn was listening added with false heartiness, "but I'm sure they'll do it. They'll be fine, really."

"How?" Dawn asked, her voice cracking. "Did we do this, Willow? I want Buffy to come back, but I don't want to lose Giles. Or Spike or Xander."

"Or Angel," Willow added softly. Her expression was troubled, and Tara squeezed her shoulder reassuringly.

"You're not responsible for this. You didn't write that prophecy, did you? And no one forced them to do anything. And, and they're all pretty tough, right?" Tara said, trying to be comforting.

"Giles isn't tough. He's all soft and British. And Xander doesn't travel well," Anya said worriedly.

"But Giles is really smart," Dawn said half-heartedly.

"Right. They're going to be fine," Tara said.

"This is just so frustrating. I wish I could talk to them...I know a spell that could help. I'm pretty sure Giles knows it too. But his brain's probably not at its thinking best right now, you know, immediately post-concussion. What if he doesn't think of it?" Willow said in a small voice.

"He'd better. If Xander dies...well, he just can't!" Anya sniffed. Dawn reached out and grabbed Anya's hand. The four returned full attention to the scrying pool, praying that whoever or whatever had gotten the four into this mess wouldn't allow them to perish.

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"Xander, what are you doing?"

"Same thing you are, apparently."

"I told you to get out of here!"

"And you're not the boss of me. I'm not just doing what you say just because you have a nice command presence-"

"Duck!" Angel yelled, and Xander complied instantly, a shot of blue flame narrowly missing his head. Shakily he regained his footing, glaring at Angel as if the situation was his doing.

"Okay! I'm thinking coming between Momma and her babies was a really bad idea."

"We don't know that they're...watch out!" Angel pulled Xander out of the way of another burst, then had to duck himself. The full-sized dragon has almost fully emerged, and Angel knew this was not the time to argue dragon relationships. "Yeah, yeah, but what now?"

"Maybe we can effect a family reunion," Xander said, reaching down and picking up a large rock. Angel couldn't see what he was up to because he was too busy keeping an eye on the dragons. "Give me the blood thermos!" Xander ordered, and Angel handed it over without looking at the boy.

"There's not much left," Angel said, drawing his sword in resignation. The only option he saw available for them was to fight; it wasn't a fight he had much hope of winning.

"It's enough," Xander answered tersely, praying that he was right. Praying that this little idea of his would work and let the two of them to get away.

Meanwhile, Spike was attempting to avoid pass the numerous dragon caves with drawing any more attention to himself and to Giles, which would have been a lot easier if they weren't wearing chainmail. And if Giles wasn't bleeding. And pushing and pulling on him and yelling in his ear.

"Spike, put me down," Giles growled.

"Would you stop that? We've got to get away from the beasties before they...bloody Hell!" Spike exclaimed as one of the dragons raised its head from the underground cave and snorted a burst of blue flame in their direction. Spike dodged the blast but stumbled, sending them both sprawling. Giles rose to his knees, seeing that Spike was still lying unmoving. He rolled the vampire over and saw that he had simply been knocked out.

Giles felt like there was someone inside his head, reminding him of something ancient and long forgotten, but something that belonged to him and him alone. He closed his eyes and began chanting, the strange words in ancient Gaelic feeling more and more natural on his tongue. As he chanted he entered a deeper and deeper trance, awareness of his surroundings falling away. Thus he was oblivious to Spike's moans as he began to stir. He didn't hear Angel and Xander's shouts in the distance. And he was completely ignorant of the gargantuan fire-breathing reptilian monster about to bury its razor sharp talons in his back.

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