Chapter 20: Giving Up or Giving In

Willow struggled for air while Buffy just stared down at the almost skeletal face of Daniel, the Prince of the City, her cold blue eyes narrowing as she could sense the hunger in him and she focused her will like Luna had taught her and spoke in a firm voice.

"My Prince we've come to rescue you," she said and behind him she saw broken shackles and walls pockmarked with holes from where he'd undoubtedly tried everything to get out. He still wore a torn dark purple turtleneck and the remains of what had once been a fine black suit.

When she had last met Prince Daniel he'd been a calm collected man with short grey hair and intense blue eyes and a disposition at seemed be in a constant flux between mirthful humor and cold calculated stares.

"Miss Summers..." the once regal looking man croaked out, recognition dawning on his gaunt face and Willow let out a loud oomph when he dropped them to the ground with the lithe and limber Slayer landing on her feet but the not so lucky witch landing flat on her butt.

"Yes my Prince, we've come to take you away from here," Buffy went on still focusing her formidable mind on the Prince to keep his bloodlust in check. His eyes glazed over and his mouth hung open as his saliva tripped from his fangs. His hair, shock white in thick dirty clumps, stuck out at various angles from his scalp.

"What's wrong with him?" Willow asked getting to her feet and studying the mesmerized Undying in front of them.

"They've not let him feed," Buffy answered without taking her eyes of the Prince "I'm using a trick Luna taught me to... keep him calm," she explained and the glare from Willow was obvious.

"So how do we make him better?" Willow asked beating down the little green monster swelling up inside her. One of these days she and Luna Largo would have it out, but this was not the time or place for relationship drama.

"Blood," Buffy answered back her voice straining as even in his weakened state the Prince possessed a formidable mind. "Danny Boy you're not making this easy," she grunted and put a finger on her temple.

"Okay then," the red-headed witch nodded her head and with Buffy distracted she grabbed the Slayer's sword and opened up a small gash on her palm.

"Willow what are you doing?" the blond protested but the Prince's mind was already starting to push back her and she couldn't react fast enough to stop the determined looking witch.

"We need him sane to get out of here," Willow stated firmly. Showing quick thinking though her voice sounded exhausted and ragged.

"And you've said that we need him," she went on and stepped up to the Prince and pressed her bleeding palm against his lips. She shivered and her face twisted in disgust as a long tongue started licking at the blood flowing out of the cut in her palm. Was this what Buffy could become she couldn't help herself from thinking.

"That's enough Willow," Buffy stated firmly as she could feel Daniel's power growing with each lick of Willow's sweet blood. Something inside the blond Slayer was screaming out for her to stop this, not out of some notion of love or affection. Rather it was a little dark voice in the back of her head whispering that she shouldn't let what she owned being fed on by another.

"Don't tell me what to do," the red-head hissed back as her eyes started to glow with a dull green flame. With a whimper Buffy's hold over the Prince's mind broke and Willow could feel her arm being gripped and the licks turned into a strong greedy suction.

"Oh no I'm nobodies' Happy Meal," the flame haired witch growled and pressed the palm of her hand against the Prince's stomach as his face was slowly filling out again then with a burst of green energy she sent the man stumbling backwards with a wild look to his eyes.

Then she turned to face her girlfriend and pointed a finger at her with the tip glowing bright green. "And you stop that train of thought right now!" the pissed off witch ordered her and Buffy still recovering from being forcefully repelled from Daniel's mind could only muster a week 'who-me' look before a loud groan drew the quarrelling lovers attention.

Prince Daniel blinked a few times, looking at the two young women in front of him, he recognized the blond as Alfeo's latest protégé and then he looked down at the rags he was wearing. Rummaging around in the pocket of his pants he pulled a pair of battered wire-rimmed glasses and put them on. His once bloods-shot eyes were clear now and the fog started to lift from his mind.

"Elisabeth?" he asked almost if not believing his eyes and Buffy nodded her head while Willow couldn't keep up her indignant anger and gave a little giggle at her girlfriend acknowledging the name.

"And Miss Rosenberg we meet at last," the Prince said nodding his head to the still grinning witch who through a mixture of exhaustion burst out giggling again.

"Elisabeth?" Willow giggled and pointed at the scowling Slayer. While the smirking Prince had clearly not lost his streak of evil humor through weeks of incarceration just watched the pair.

"Yes very funny, let's all gang up on the Slayer," Buffy huffed and frowned at her tormentors.

"Could we like hold off on the whole embarrassing me thing until we're out of her and drinking Bloody Maries at Alfie's?" she asked her pointed ears twitching as she stayed alert through it all.

"Yes of course. Am I correct in assuming you decided to 'screw' the Gathering then and just outright rescue me?" the Prince asked poking his head out of the cell that he'd been privy to for the summer. Motioning for the pair to follow him they slipped out of the cell with Willow pulling the door closed behind them by a wave of her hand.

"Yes the other factions and clans just didn't want to rock the boat," Buffy explained as they started making their way down the tunnels following Daniel's lead. "Thought it was better to come rescue you and let you sort it out," she added with a grin.

"They are a fickle bunch of bloody idiots sometimes" the prince uncharacteristically cursed as he let them through the twisting maze, then without turning around her added. "Although Princess Summers has a nice ring to it," he commented almost sounding wishful. Before Buffy could ask what the hell he meant Willow stepped in with a question that had been bothering her.

"So how come you know your way around down here?" she asked as the floor felt like it was starting to slope upwards and she could smell a faint hint of the sea.

"I'm very, very, old Miss Rosenberg," was the only reply she got as they came to another heavy and sealed door. This time the two undying just dug the fingers into the crack and pulled it open while Willow watched their backs.

Stepping out of through door they found themselves in a small cave and out of through the entrance they could see a sandy beach. Willow blinked her eyes a few times and then she took a big gulp of fresh air, then door slammed shut behind them making her jump and give a nervous grin to her eyebrow raising companions. She really didn't like being stuck underground because it felt too much like a tomb. So she was rather proud of herself for making it through their little trek.

"I assume you have plan that goes beyond getting drunk Elisabeth?" Daniel asked the Slayer who was already pulling out a battered looking cell phone from her jacket as they made their way out of the cave. She nodded her head as she looked across the bay where the warehouse district was still on fire.

"Alfie, yeah it's me, we need a pick up at... where ever the hell we are..." she said into the phone and then froze hearing the crackle of shock-sticks and looking up to see the entrance of the cave-surrounded by a group of Largo's men.

"Shit Alfie, we're on a beach and we can see the warehouse district across the bay," she shouted into the phone before dropping it, still open, on the ground and pulling out her sword in one smooth and fluid motion. "Get here now!" she shouted as the masked guards started to advance on them.

It had been all too easy and she'd been fully aware of it while they made their way through the tunnels as again Largo had seemingly out played her. Why throw away men in hunting them down in small groups in dark tunnels when he could just position a squad of them at the exit. It's what she would do in his place she had to grudgingly admit.

Taking a quick stock of their chances she didn't like them one bit. Daniel was running on what little blood Willow had fed him, the witch's face was pale from the herculean effort of getting them out of their last ambush followed by her heart stopping from the strain of too much magic use. As for herself she could feel her limbs aching and the hunger for blood rising in her stomach. Things did not look good, but somehow she had to find hope that her make-shift plan would hold up.

In the Coven's hide-out Luna sighed and tried to calm her mind. Inside her, the dual natures waged their constant war.

She had found a quiet space where she could just sit on the floor with her back against the wall and her knees pulled to her chin. She'd taken her coat off and it lay folded by her side revealing the front of her purple t-shirt stained dark with blood from her fight earlier.

Her agile mind was already scheming how to turn these girls into an asset, especially that Emily one who had such fire in her eyes and courage in her heart. Her ears sought out the girl's heartbeat and she could hear it strong and steady.

"No," she whispered to herself, fighting back against instincts honed over hundreds of years. She didn't want to exploit these young women, she had promised to keep them safe. She needed to keep Emily safe. Sheneeded to change, she was coming to realize and it was damn girl scouts fault. It was all Buffy's and her red-headed little pixie of a witch's fault.

When she had squared off against Willow in the armory a lot of things had passed between the two strong willed women. One lingering thought that the witch had implanted her mind was that of utter loneliness and despair. The red-headed witch with her silver-streaked hair was far more devious than anybody suspected. Well, she'd always suspected, of course, but as a Largo she didn't like being outplayed.

Yet despite the self-doubt Willow had caused in her she couldn't blame the red-headed pixie-faced witch for doing what she had done. Implanting said doubts, although devious and morally questionable, was helping her in a twisted sort of way.

"Hey. You okay?" a soft voice tore her from her internal struggle. She looked up and saw the friendly round face of Emily staring down at her. The girl was wearing a leather jacket to ward of the slight chill of the tunnels they were hiding in. After their escape they were now just waiting for the all clear from Lily who was deep in meditation in one of the many small rooms dug into the bedrock.

"Yes. I am fine, thank you," she answered a bit more coldly then she would have wanted, but the friendly witch only nodded and smiled at her as she sat down next to her. A bit closer than Luna was ready to deal with.

"Must be hard, uh? Turning your back on your family like that. Is that the right word?" the girl asked as Luna forced a smile.

"Yes and it sounds like you have experience in these matters," she guessed forcing back every teasing comment that came to her as the dark blond witch just smiled at her.

"Yeah my dad wasn't really on board for the whole 'Coven thing'," Emily answered making air-quotes with her fingers. "But at least he's not trying to kill me," she added and then froze when Luna raised her eyebrow at her.

"Sorry, sorry, sometimes I sometimes just say whatever I'm thinking! I'm sorry. Please don't go all... I'm Luna Isabella Anne Largo on me please..." the panicking young witch blurted out and putting her arms in front of her to ward of the attack she was sure was coming.

"My word... You're just adorable," Luna chuckled with a slightly feral grin on her face. "Don't worry too much about me and my brother. Let's just say this isn't the first time we have tried to kill each other," she said putting her hand on Emily's shoulder. To her credit, the girl didn't flinch. "Also I would never hurt anybody as… sweet… as you…" she tried to say in her usual purr but the pressure behind her eyes was making it hard to form coherent sentences.

Then her grip tightened and her dark eyes went wide while Emily's face filled with fear. What she didn't know is that at that moment Willow's mind was slamming against the Undying woman's. An urgent plea for help from across the City then the dark blond witch winched in pain as she was sure her collarbone was about to crack before the frozen woman relaxed her grip.

"I've got to go," Luna stated and pulled herself to her full height, pulling her coat around her lithe form as she rose.

"What… why?" Emily asked getting to her feet confused as to what was going on. One minute she was sure the Undying woman was flirting with her and the next she was running off and for some reason she didn't like the idea of the raven haired and porcelain faced beauty leaving.

"Willow and Buffy are in trouble. It would take too long to explain how I know," Luna rattled of as she went to what looked like a solid wall, but after pushing in an innocent looking rock it slid in and to the side.

"Then I'm coming with you," Emily said firmly, zipping up her jacket and getting ready to follow the Undying woman.

"You will do no such thing," Luna stated firmly as she turned around and their eyes locked.

"Oh no you don't!" the dark blonde which laughed looking away from the manipulative raven haired woman, she'd seen what she had done to the men who had come to kill them at the brownstone townhouse so she knew better than to let the manipulative schemer make eye-contact. "Willow is my friend and you'll need somebody to watch your back," she stated holding up a red glowing index finger and touching it to the Luna's nose.

Frowning and wondering if she should just knock the girl out and go Luna went cross-eyed without realizing looking at the glowing digit touching her pale nose. It was the witch's giggles brought her back to her sense and she felt slight warmth creep into her cheeks. It seemed like everybody was playing her these days, although with Emily she didn't mind it so much.

"Fine but don't come crying to me if you get disemboweled," she said pulling her hair into a tight ponytail before taking off down the hidden tunnel with the grinning witch following behind her. The stonewall slipped back into place behind him and Emily yelped as the darkness enveloped them, but then she felt a cold smooth fingers wrap around her wrist and then she felt herself being pulled along.

"You know I could just be making this up to get you somewhere dark so I can feed on you," Luna purred in the darkness and tighten her grip on Emily's hand.

"Well I trust you," was the reply from the witch and for a moment the grip on her loosened before becoming even stronger. Unable to resist Emily added. "Plus who says I wouldn't mind having you suck on my neck a little bit," she added and was glad that the darkness hid the blush creeping into her cheeks.

"Be careful what you wish for little witch," was the chuckled answer in the darkness as the undying woman dragged the young witch along towards the surface and hopefully towards Willow's and Buffy's aid.

Buffy was out of options she realized as she, Willow and Daniel were between the proverbial rock and a hard place, facing down a squad of Largo's men by themselves on a deserted beach.

They were trapped with cliffs behind them and the wall of masked men in front and then the sea stretched out endlessly. Casually pulling off her jacket and eyeing up the small army arrayed against her Buffy let out a weary sigh. She was getting tired of all this fighting and she was also so very hungry.

Despite having strength in numbers the men surrounding them looked nervous and hesitant. They had after all been getting reports all night long of their co-workers being brutalized, either by the two girls in front of them or their friends across the City. They were still mopping up the squad that had went after the witches of the floor and the unlucky few who had ran into the two mad Brits in the warehouse district had been reduced to blubbering wrecks.

"Any ideas?" Buffy asked as she found herself back to back with the Witch and the Prince, her mind furiously looking for a way out of this.

"I'm trying…" Willow answered through gritted teeth her eyelids fluttering and the Slayer could sense that the red-headed mistress of magic was projecting her mind outwards.

"I'm afraid time is up ladies," Daniel answered as the men seemed to find the courage and started advancing on them, the circle closing around them. Buffy let out a heavy sigh and glanced skyward and then she looked at Willow, her pale beautiful Willow while in her mind she realized what she had to do. There was a cough as Daniel wiped the blood from his mouth further driving home the fact to Buffy that it was all down to her.

"I'm sorry," she whispered and then in an instant she was on the first man, a steel-like cold focus in her eyes as she twisted his head backwards, breaking his and then biting into his throat, drinking heavily from the warm rich blood gushing forth.

"No!" Willow shouted out seeing her strong willed lover give in at a long last gave into her urges and worse she was doing it for her. "No, no, Buffy no!" the flame-haired witch muttered and then yelled as she threw her hands in front of her, sending green crackling lightning into a row of Largo's men.

Very Emperor-like as Xander undoubtedly would have said if he was there, but he wasn't, it was only her and Buffy and the times of innocent and carefree levity were long past them now.

Buffy was now feral with blood running down her chin staining the front of her white blouse and her icy blue eyes turning blood-red as the taste of the thick and warm lifeblood filled her senses. It was all so clear now she realized. The men started screaming and through her bloodlust the Slayer embraced into an Undying observed how soft their bodies were and for example how easily an arm could be torn from the shoulder.

"Damn you… all…. for this…" Willow cursed in a ragged breath as she fell to one knee and kept frying the guards until her magic started to sputter and fade. She watched as her girlfriend, her kind and compassionate Buffy ripped of a man's arm and then used it as a make shift club.

She didn't have long to mourn the loss of innocence though as two guards tried to outflank them. Only to be met with a swift and brutal end as in a last desperate measure Willow brought out her stake and with what strength she could muster drove it through a man's throat causing him to stumble back only to be set upon by Daniel, who greedily tore into his bleeding throat. He then turned on the next unlucky guard only to see him run into the sea ablaze in green fire. It was like a blow to the skull when he felt the Slayer's blood addled mind reach out to his and he could make out only a vague notion of love and safety. Turning to the red-head witch now on her knees trying to draw on her failing reserves of magic, he realized that the Slayer was only buying them time.

"I suggest we retreat Miss Rosenberg," he said with blood running down his chin, taking her by the arm dragging her to the cave again as the fury of the Slayer had let the guards to forget about them. The men scared and horrified now too busy either trying to flee or pile on top of the enraged blond woman.

"Let go of me!" the red-head hissed angrily as there was a blood curdling scream that died in an instant and she looked up in time to see Buffy throwing away what looked like it belonged on the inside of the body not the outside. Then the Prince again started dragging her towards the caves and with all her might she kicked and tried to fight out of his grip. Every time she tried to draw on her magic her head just ached like it was on fire.

"No, no, no she can't keep it up forever we've got to help her!" she shouted as the numbers started becoming too much for the blood lusted Slayer, her face twisted into a feral mask and she howled as the heavy blows from the guards still standing started connecting. The crackling shock-sticks sending her into convulsions causing pink foam to froth out of her mouth as she tried to keep fighting until finally she fell to her knees.

Through the haze Buffy saw a group of the guards grabbing Willow and Daniel and restraining them. Daniel convulsing as they shocked him for good measure having seen him feed earlier and having learned from when capturing him not to give the Prince any quarter. She looked at her love, her Willow with one blood red eye through the throng of men beating on her. Moving her mouth she whispered; "I'm sorry," to the witch before she fell flat on the sandy beach. "NO!" the red-head witch screamed and struggled against the men holding her back. "Stop it! Stop it!" she raged as she tried again to draw on her power but again it failed her.

The beaten down Slayer through willpower alone somehow kept dragging herself towards the restrained witch as the men kept beating and kicking her each time she tried to raise herself up, compliments of Victor Largo she was sure. She could feel the hot blood she'd forcefully taken pounding through her veins giving her strength, but the weight of numbers had defeated her.

Just as she was reaching Willow a white suited figured stepped between her and her goal. She looked up through her one good icy blue eye, the other now just a blood red orb. She looked up at a grinning Victor Largo with his neck heavily bandaged from their earlier encounter. All she could was claw at his pants with her bloodied and torn fingers. leaving red streaks on the white silky fabric.

"Oh my, aren't we the dumb blonde today," he teased her in a hoarse voice that sounded like he'd spent the last hundred years on a diet of whiskey and cigarettes. Clearly the runes Willow had traced her on her blade before they had set out had messed with his Undying healing ability.

"Fuck you," she spat out with droplets of blood leaving her lips. Behind her there was a trail of blood. Some from the slaughtered men, but a lot of it her own. She could barely stand and all she could hear was Willow struggling and the grunts as the guards' stared working Daniel over again for good measure.

Largo pushed her back onto the sand with a snarl and then the tip of a highly polished leather shoe connected with her head with a sickening thud as she slumped fully onto the sand and he turned to face the restrained witch.

"Having trouble casting your foul magic Miss Rosenberg?" he asked the furious witch whose rage was now replaced by a steely resolved face.

"I don't know how you've done it, but once I undo it I am going to flay you with my mind!" Willow stated in a low quiet voice.

"I told you little Witch that I was well prepared for your kind, but I would love to see you try," he grinned at the steely faced witch. "Or maybe I should just drain your pretty little body and be done with it," he chuckled and nodded for the men holding Willow to force her head back.

"Victor stop!" Luna's voice rang out as she came stalking around the cliffs with a winded Emily following behind her.

"Ah the players are all here I see!" Victor laughed and lowered his fangs to Willow's pale neck. A crackling bolt of red magic fizzled against his shield courtesy of Emily who stood beside Luna with her arm outstretched and a shocked looked on her face. He snarled at the impudent witch, but then his eyes went wide as bright spotlights started beaming down onto the beach from the tops of the cliffs surrounding it.

Luna pushed Emily behind her as a few of her brother's men tried to rush them. There was an explosion of movement as the Undying Woman wordlessly this time dispatched her attackers and just as she was about to punch the last one's lights out. A crackling bolt of red set him flying backwards. Looking over her shoulder at the grinning blond witch with a raised eyebrow, the doe-eyed witch just shrugged which was something Luna couldn't help not to smile at.

"It's over Largo. Just let Red go and we can get to the part where we beat the shite out of you," Spike shouted down leaning cockily against one of the trucks that lined the top of the cliffs with Giles coming up behind him looking over the scene with a worried look on his face, spotting his bloodied Slayer on the sand sending him running to the edge of the cliffs.

From the sea came the sound of boats being driven up onto the beach as Largo's men didn't know which way to turn, but their leader with his fangs bared at Willow's throat seemed to take not notice of the circle closing in.

Looking up from a pool of her own blood Buffy spotted Giles standing on the edge of the cliffs above her and the tiny part of her mind that wasn't in pain sparked with one last desperate idea. She lifted her hand towards him in what looked like desperation almost if begging for her Watcher to come save her. She mouthed; "Please…" as Largo turned and hissed at her in disgust, but it did take his attention of Willow for a second and that was all it took.

Something gleaming came twirling through the air which Buffy then caught with a grunt and Largo's eyes went wide as he saw an obsidian blade clutched in the Slayer's bloodied fist. Which was nothing compared to his surprise though when her heard a very evil chuckle coming from his intended victory snack.

"I said it earlier! I'm nobodies' Happy Meal!" Willow stated in a firm serious voice as her eyes started glowing faintly green as she did to Largo what she'd done to Daniel earlier, a burst of green energy sending him flying backwards with his white suit on fire.

As he furiously beat out the flames he turned and came face to face with the bloodied visage of one very angry Buffy Summer who had somehow found the strength to haul herself to her feet.

Her nostrils flaring, her eyes narrowed and the pointed tip of her left ear torn, she made a fearsome vision with the obsidian blade clutched in her hand with blood running down the gleaming dark steel.

"Who is the dumb blond now bitch?" she spat at him and then kicked him hard in the Largo family jewels so hard he rose up from the ground before falling to his knees. Then she simply turned away, paused and without a moments' hesitation she spun back around with Giles' blade finishing the job she'd started earlier in the evening.

There was a stunned silence as Victor's Largo's head came away from his body and bounced twice on the sand before coming to a rest with a surprised look frozen on its dead face. Emily buried her face in Luna's shoulder at the gruesome sight. Spike pumped his fist in the air as Giles scrambled down the near vertical climb to reach his Slayer.

The last thing Buffy remembered was Willow shouting her name as her own body could go on no longer. She looked to the sea, in her foggy mind it made an odd type of sense to just walk towards it. The Undying Slayer fell to her knees in the surf and then she toppled forward face first into the water. Then it was dark again.

To be concluded…

Author's quick note: 100k words reached time to bring this story home