Giles brought out the last bag full of weapons and spell ingredients, and locked the door behind him. Cordy had already left for Portland to catch that evening's red eye back to LA. She wouldn't be joining them tonight. No one was sure where she was headed off to, exactly, but she muttered something under her breath about The Powers that Be, and left without another word.

The group was making their way into the Suburban with reluctance. Spike already sat in the backseat, stretching out his legs, making himself at home. Dawn had climbed into the co-pilot's seat. Giles would be driving this evening.

Carolee and Allison were hanging back on the lawn as Buffy gave Willow and Xander further instructions. As the three Scoobies broke up with Giles's appearance, Xander turned and asked Carolee in his jovial, sarcastic manner, "So, I hear you are down with the martial arts." Xander mimicked punching and kicking in the air, a goofy smile on his face.

Carolee just smiled and nodded, but answered when pressed, "Well, I've taken a few lessons, if that's what you mean."

Giles observed with a small smile on his face. He knew what was coming, and thought that perhaps he should tell Xander to stop and just get in the car, but he decided to hold back to see if his premonition would come to pass. Buffy and Willow also looked on with amusement. Xander crouched down into his form of a sparring stance, shaking his fists at Carolee, and waving her on. "Come on, show me what you got!"

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Forget it, Xander."

Xander ignored her, instead shrugging, "What? I've taken on demons, and been the Buffster's punching bag plenty of times. I can take it. Come on, Carolee; show me what you can do. Give me your best shot."

Carolee glanced at Giles, and he smiled at her, nodding as if in assent. Carolee then crouched down into her own sparring stance. "Ok then. Ready?" Xander just smirked. Carolee then pivoted on her left front foot, turned a hundred and ninety degrees, and connected her foot with a reverse turning kick right into Xander's stomach. He flew back two feet, his back connecting hard with the side of the Suburban, and then slowly fell into a heap onto the drive way.

Willow rushed down to his side. "Xander, are you okay? Xander?"

Xander couldn't speak, the wind had left his lungs, and he clutched his stomach, wheezing and moaning, but nodding his head as if to say he was okay. Buffy turned a look of admiration Carolee's direction, but she didn't notice. Carolee's eyes had gotten huge, and then she fell to her knees in front of Xander. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I've never kicked an actual person before, only a pad. I didn't know. I’m so sorry."

"S'okay," Xander again gasped, waving off help as he slowly got back to his feet.

Buffy stepped over to where her Watcher stood with a look of admiration on his face. "She might come in handy in a fight, eh Watcher-mine?"

He chuckled softly. "Yes, she just might." Buffy saw the look on Giles's face, turned again to gaze upon Carolee who was still apologizing profusely to Xander, and then back again at her Watcher. Giles noticed her scrutiny and blushed slightly. "What?" he asked his Slayer. But Buffy just smiled in that knowing way. "Nothing, Giles. Nothing at all." Then she giggled and made her way into the Suburban. Giles stood there for a moment, caught between a stutter and a stammer, and then grumbled something under his breath about slayers minding their own business as he got behind the wheel. Willow and Xander sat in the middle seat with Buffy, and Allison crawled into the back to sit next to Spike, joined by Carolee on the end.

The moon was just peeking it's way over the rooftops as Giles gunned the engine, and the Suburban made it's way slowly out of Whispering Pines.

The sight that met them on the beach was breath taking. The moon was almost full, enlightening the ocean, illuminating each wave bringing out the blues and greens of the water, and the white of the foam. It was a calm evening with the waves gently rolling, and the ocean surface smooth and easy. There was a slight breeze, and they were all thankful for their long sleeve shirts, although a jacket wasn't necessary.

It was also silent, except for the quiet roar of the ocean. Carolee loved the ocean. When she was younger and feeling sad or depressed, she would drive down to the beach and sit close to the ocean, letting the noise of the waves wash over her. That roaring would fill the emptiness in her heart, and quiet her soul. Carolee never felt alone when she had the ocean in her heart.

Allison looked up and saw the lighthouse beaming its beacon across the jetties. Time always stopped for Allison when she was next to the ocean. The waves and the blowing wind turning up the sand always brought her a sense of peace and happiness. Her heart was lifted. How could anything be apocalyptic here?

Xander and Giles and Spike each carried a pack on their back, full of weapons and spell ingredients. Buffy and Willow were conferring in quiet tones, with occasional nods towards the jetty. Dawn was sitting impatiently on a piece of driftwood chewing on her fingernails. Then Giles said it was time, and the small group gathered, and as one, turned towards Allison and Carolee. It was time for them to take the lead. It was an anxious and nervous bunch that slowly made their way down the sand and toward the rocky triangle formation.

Inside the triangle, they all noticed little floats on the water's surface. Carolee explained that those signified traps for various sea animals, crabs, muscles, and the like. Jetties helped to create a calm area near a shore, to help slow the ocean waves down, and fishermen often practiced their craft inside this triangle.

The rocks were slippery, and the going was slow and treacherous. Visibility on the jetty was minimal; their every step covered in shadow. Carolee didn't know if it was her imagination or not, but it seemed like with every step, the wind picked up, and the roaring of the waves accelerated and grew in volume. The group kept close, and often one or the other of them was saved from a nasty fall or a twisting of an ankle by a steadying hand out from another. It didn't take long for the Scoobies to realize that this little trek wasn't as easy as they had first thought. Even Spike was quiet in concentration and focus so as not to lose his footing.

It took an hour for them to reach the apex of the triangle, and by that time the wind had really started to whip up. They all held on to one another, or crouched down to clutch to the rocks themselves for support. Surprisingly, there were a few rocks flattened by the pressure of waves pounding on them year after year. The gang used these to carefully sit on and remove the various equipment and ingredients from the packs.

Giles looked down at the glow in the dark watch upon his wrist. They made it just in time. According to his calculations, they had about five minutes to spare. "We need to hurry." He had to yell to be heard over the waves and the wind. "Willow, after we all join hands in the circle, start reading the spell out loud." She nodded as Giles handed her the flashlight and the spell book. It became obvious that she wouldn't be able to handle both book and light, so Dawn reached out and held the flashlight for her, illuminating the page that Willow must read from. It was in Latin. Why was it never in English, Dawn thought?

Carolee and Allison were placed in the center of the circle, while the rest joined hands around them. Willow began chanting the spell while punctuating certain words and throwing the Wood Betony into the air. Carolee had her eyes closed tightly for some reason, but Allison was mesmerized by Willow's actions. She was amazed by Willow's strength within her spell casting, and how Willow seemed to glow, the Wood Betony sparkling in the moonlight as it flew and circled the witch's head. Soon they were all lost in her words of the spell.

"Intactus Y Vesta, Virgin and Goddess of the domestic hearth." Whoosh, the Wood Betony was thrown up and caught in the wind. Allison followed it's flight upwards, and gasped as she saw the sky begin to crack open. A bright light spewed forth, and Willow continued with the spell. " Accipio advecticius." Thunder crackled, and Carolee's eyes flew open. She gasped as she saw Willow all aglow. Creatures were beginning to pour out of the crack in the sky. Buffy had grabbed a broad sword and was thrusting up towards one feral looking creature. Spike and Giles were doing their best to help her on either side, thrusting and sparring with their own swords. Willow was starting to panic. "Why isn't it working?" Dawn looked terrified, and grasped Willow's hand, but the Wicca shoved her hand away, grabbed the book with both hands, and repeated the spell louder and faster, as if that would change what had begun to occur.

Carolee and Allison grasped hands, but were soon drenched as a wave came crashing down and over the jetty, soaking them all. Dawn screamed, and was soon washed over the rocks. Buffy and Spike didn't notice, so intent on defeating the various beasts that had made access upon the Earth. Willow screamed and tried to reach out, almost falling herself. Allison rushed over and grabbed Willows shirt, saving her from joining Dawn into the ocean's depths. Willow cried out, but clung to Allison. The spell book tumbled down in between rocks on the jetty, lost in a shadowy crevice.

Carolee paused for a moment, until she realized that Allison was safe, and Willow was secure in her arms. Then Carolee dove off the jetty into the cold ocean, trailing Dawn's path. She had always been a strong swimmer, but it didn't feel like it with the pull of the ocean tide. Giles, at the last moment, saw what had occurred but couldn't stop Carolee from diving off the edge of the jetty, and he yelled to Buffy when he realized what had happened. Buffy was finally gaining the upper hand in her battle with the demon, and with a final thrust into the creature's right eye, it screamed and collapsed onto the jetty, turning into a black goo, then flowing into the waves. Spike, a look of glee on his face, also managed a flying leap with his sword, severing the head of the last monster, it too turning into that black oily substance, disappearing into the ocean.

The water was so cold, it was numbing. Carolee fought the current, following Dawn's path downwards. She reached out and grabbed hold of Dawn's ankle, pulling her towards her chest. The tide then suddenly changed, and they both popped up, crashing through the surface. They both gasped for air. Giles was leaning out on the edge of the jetty, stretching out the handle of his sword. Spike and Buffy had a hold of his waist so that he was stretched over nothingness, only just secured on the jetty. Dawn reached out and grabbed the handle of the sword, and Giles pulled her to the rocky edge, grabbed her by the neck of her shirt, and hauled her up. In the process, Carolee lost her hold on Dawn, and again descended into the ocean depths. Then the tide changed again, and a wave carried Carolee's exhausted body towards the jetty, crashing her low upon the rocks and out of the Watcher's grasp. Giles was afraid she'd been crushed, and he yelled with relief when he saw her turn up and look at him. Her arms screamed in pain and exhaustion, but she clung to the sharp rock for her life. It was then that the heavens again ripped open, and a creature stretched it's neck out. Buffy and Spike grabbed their swords and fought the beast as hard as they could, while Giles tried to climb down the rocks to reach Carolee.

The wind howled, and the waves increased their pounding and crushing of the jetty. It took all of their strength for them to hang on. Xander crawled over Dawn's body, trapping her underneath him upon the jetty. Willow and Allison still clung to one another, and Giles held a rock in a death grip, as a wave almost tore him away. His progress down to Carolee had stalled. It was at that moment that Carolee looked up into the rip in the sky, and saw the claw reach down. It grabbed her from the Earth, and pulled her up towards the rip. She screamed at it's force, as it carried her up into the sky. Giles tore some last bit of strength from inside himself and just managed to grab one of her hands in his own. But his grip was tenuous at best. "Hold on!" He screamed into the wind. "Carolee, Hold on!" His fingers were slipping from around her wrist.

Carolee looked upon the beast and saw the blackness of it's soul. She screamed and tried to wrestle herself away, but it was of no use. Just then, Buffy threw her sword like a spear, and it penetrated the beast's forehead. It staggered, and Carolee thought she might be free. Her grip tightened on Giles's hand for a moment, his eyes pleading with hers to just hold on. But she knew it was too late. She could feel the force of the sky sucking and pulling her in. If she didn't let go soon, Giles would be sucked up into this other place with her. She couldn't let that happen.

"I can't, Giles, I can't." She cried. His eyes locked with hers, his fingers slipping. "Don't let go. I can't hold on! Please, don't let go."

But Carolee knew she had to. This world needed Giles. That group on the jetty needed Giles. Her eyes bore into his, and he saw all of her soul in her eyes. He saw the love she had for him there, and it filled his heart. He saw her decision in that look as well, and it ripped into him. He shook his head. "No! Hold on!"

She felt his grip slipping away. She never took her eyes off of his. "Rupert." He stopped pleading as she said his name. "I have to let go now." Her loving eyes bore into him. Then she let go, and was sucked into the sky. The crack closed behind her.

Silence. The wind stopped roaring, the ocean fell into stillness, and the partial moon again lit the peaceful night. The moon's rays shone down on a wet, abandoned, sorry looking group that rested upon the rocky jetty.

Chapter 10