The black-clad figure paced slowly along the edge of the ravine, eyes sweeping the ground. The scythe remained clutched in the right hand and the nearly-empty hourglass hung from the belt by a cord. Every so often, the figure would stop, consider the ground in front of its feet, shake its head, and move on. It continued to do this for close to half an hour before it came once more to a halt. Bending over, the figure reached down and carefully moved a single stone an inch to the right.
THAT SHOULD DO IT, it said with satisfaction. As it straightened, something caught its attention back the way it had come. It turned and stepped to the side, fading into the shadows until it became all but invisible. The girl appeared around a bend, still leading the Slayer by the hand. The girl would occasionally giggle, a high-pitched, frightening sound.
Buffy had not ceased fighting. She focused her entire will on her feet, trying to force them to stop moving. She stumbled slightly and redoubled her efforts, clawing and screaming and thrashing at the psychic bindings. At her side, the girl giggled again. The scraps of red fabric in her dark hair looked disturbingly like blood.
"Shouldn't fight!" the girl said. "Naughty, naughty. Gonna hurt yourself!"
Screw you, Buffy snarled mentally. What the hell are you, anyway?
"Doesn't know?" The girl laughed nasally. "Doesn't know, doesn't know, doesn't know," she sang mockingly. "Too stupid to figure it out herself. Gonna die. Gonna get eaten up."
Buffy snarled again silently, imagining herself killing the girl-shaped monster in the most violent ways possible. The girl only giggled and tightened her hold on Buffy's hand. Buffy was walking along the very edge of the ravine, the girl to her left. Buffy took the next step and her foot came down wrong on a stone. For a moment she seemed to hover there, teetering on the edge, and then she fell.
The girl screamed in anger as Buffy tumbled down the side of the ravine. The rocks tore up her exposed skin, but she couldn't move to protect herself. She could see a cluster of rocks approaching fast and braced herself for impact. There was a bright light when her head cracked against one of the rocks, and then a flash of blinding pain.
The pain faded slowly and Buffy opened her eyes. She was lying at the bottom of the gully, flat on her back. The sky overhead was gray and empty, neither day nor night. There was a blue light illuminating her surroundings. She sat up slowly, testing her limbs as she realized that the girl's hold on her was broken.
HELLO, SLAYER, said a deep voice to her right. It was an ancient voice, old and powerful and resonant. She turned to look for the source. She saw a pair of bony feet poking out from underneath the hem of a black robe. Buffy did a double-take and realized that the feet weren't bony, they were bone. She slowly let her gaze travel up, up, and up nearly seven feet to meet the gaze of the owner of the feet.
The face half-hidden by the black cowl was a skull, bleached white with a fixed grin and glowing blue lights burning in the empty eye sockets. The blade of a scythe arched over his head, the handle clutched tightly in bone fingers. Buffy blinked.
"Have we met?" she asked weakly.
ONCE, the figure replied. VERY BRIEFLY.
Buffy gave the figure another once-over. "You're Death, aren't you?" she guessed.
YES, Death replied.
Buffy considered that for a moment. She wasn't sure exactly how she felt about this. She was upset, for sure. She didn't want to die. She didn't want to leave Angel. But on the other hand, she wasn't all that surprised. She'd been expecting something like this to happen since she woke up in hell. Buffy got to her feet.
"All right, then," she said resignedly. "Let's get this over with."
Death stared at her for a moment. AH. YOU SEEM TO HAVE MISTAKEN MY PURPOSE FOR BEING HERE, he said.
"Wait, so I'm not about to die?" Buffy asked quickly, hope flaring in her chest.
NO, I'M AFRAID YOU ARE, Death replied almost regretfully. BUT I WANTED TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK WITH YOU FIRST.
"About what?" Buffy asked, bemused.
YOU WERE NOT SUPPOSED TO ACCOMPANY THE VAMPIRE INTO HELL, Death told her. YOU KNOW THIS, CORRECT?
"I figured something like that, yeah," Buffy said, nodding.
BUT YOU DID, AND THAT HAS CHANGED THINGS. DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW FAR-REACHING THE REPERCUSSIONS OF THAT SINGLE EVENT ARE?
"Not really," the Slayer said uncertainly.
ALL OF THE FUTURE IS CHANGING. IT IS STARTING HERE AT THE CENTER, BUT WITH EACH PASSING MOMENT, THE RIPPLES ARE MOVING FURTHER. SOON THE TIMELINES WILL BE COMPLETELY UNRECOGNIZABLE. AND NOT JUST ON EARTH. IN ALL DIMENSIONS.
Buffy blinked at Death again, her mouth falling open. "Seriously?" she managed after a moment. "It was that big of a difference?"
Death nodded. THE FUTURE IS CURRENTLY IN FLUX. NOT EVEN I CAN SEE WHAT WILL HAPPEN. THIS HAS MADE SOME PEOPLE...UPSET. PEOPLE WHO WOULD RATHER SEE ALL LIFE BECOME EXTINCT. He paused, tilted his skull to the side, and continued, THEY DO NOT LIKE YOU VERY MUCH.
"Why are you telling me this?" Buffy asked. "I'm getting the feeling this isn't your usual job."
IT ISN'T. BUT YOU NEEDED TO BE WARNED.
"I thought I was about to die," she pointed out.
YOU ARE. BUT YOU STILL HAVE TIME TO CHANGE IT. Death dipped his head at her. GOOD LUCK.
Buffy blinked. She was lying flat on her back, staring up at the starry sky. The girl's scream still hung in the air and the rocks disturbed by Buffy's fall were still clattering down the side of the ravine. She lay there for a few precious moments, her head aching, and then she heard the girl descending into the ravine.
The Slayer was on her feet in a flash, yanking her knife out of her belt. She turned to face the girl but was careful not to meet her eyes.
"Think you're smart," the girl snarled angrily. "Think you're gonna win? Gonna rip you to pieces." The girl held up her hands and crooked her fingers. Claws extended from her nails and she leaped at Buffy, who twisted out of the way just in time. Buffy slashed down with her knife, grazing the girl-creature's shoulder. The blade sliced through skin and flesh far easier than it should have, and the girl stumbled before coming to a halt and whirling around.
The skin of her shoulder was split and torn and something dark and twisted poked through. It took Buffy a moment to realize that it was a shoulder, bony and covered in dark, leathery hide. The human skin hung bunched around the joint like torn fabric. Buffy grimaced. The body of the little girl was little more than a garment to hide the real monster beneath.
The creature glared at Buffy with pure hatred, but Buffy still avoided looking her in the eye. She wasn't going to make the same mistake twice. The creature crouched with an angry hiss, unconcerned with the injured shoulder. She lunged again, but when Buffy tried to sidestep her once more, she closed with the Slayer, striking out with lethal claws.
Buffy caught one of the girl's wrists in her left hand and stabbed down with the knife. It bit deep into the creature's chest with suspicious ease. The creature looked down at the injury and shrugged. Then she backhanded Buffy hard enough to send her flying backwards. She landed and rolled to her knees, eyes finding the creature again. The girl rolled her shoulders and cracked her neck.
"This is getting boring," she saidd with a pout. Then she grinned. "Time for some fun." With that the girl's skin began to stretch, her body distorting, growing. The skin began to split and shred, and something else entirely emerged. It was about the size of a grizzly bear and shaped more or less like a bat. Its skin was rubbery and dark, except on its head and neck, where it was crimson red. The membranes of its wings were shredded and useless, but the claws at the wingtips were razor sharp. Its face was hideous, with huge, bulging eyes and a flat nose. Needle-like teeth protruded from its sneering mouth.
"Time to eat you up, now!" the monster said, and its voice was still the little girl singsong. Buffy shuddered at the horror of the dichotomy. It pounced on Buffy, claws flashing out. Buffy dove to the side, underneath one crooked wing, and rolled gracefully to her feet. She spun around on her toes, striking out with the knife. It caught the beast's arm but only bounced off the thick hide. Buffy gulped.
"Oh, crap," she muttered. Not seeing many other options, she took one look at the creature she was up against and bolted. The thing laughed and skittered after her, bounding along on short legs and long arms. Buffy risked a look behind her and spat another curse, speeding up. She sprinted along the ravine as fast as she could, casting around for something, anything, that would giver her an advantage.
Something big and dark moved out of the corner of her eye, launching itself from the edge of the ravine toward Buffy. The Slayer ducked to the side and bolted forward again, only to realize at the last minute that it was the Bad Wolf. The Wolf landed on the bed of the ravine and whirled to face the bat-monster. A deep growl exploded from her chest, and the stones under Buffy's feet trembled with the sound. She skidded to a halt and turned to watch the confrontation, her breath rasping in her throat.
The bat-monster skidded to a halt in front of the Bad Wolf, bobbing slightly back and forth as it studied the new opposition. "Doggy come to play?" it mocked. The Bad Wolf's lips peeled back, revealing long, sharp teeth that could punch through Buffy's hand with no problems. The bat-monster tittered. "My, what big teeth you have!"
The Bad Wolf crouched, head low and ears back. The bat-monster crouched as well, eying the Wolf. They lunged at the same time, moving in slightly-curved trajectories that brought them onto their hind legs, trying to gain the advantage over the other. Teeth flashed toward throats and buried into skin. Both of them missed the jugular vein but Buffy still winced as blood matted the Wolf's fur down. The Wolf shook her head, trying to dislodge the bat-monster's hold and inflict as much damage at the same time. The creature shrieked in anger and pain and released the Wolf, only to bring one clawed arm up to raked down the Wolf's side.
The Bad Wolf twisted away from the worst of the blow but still suffered a deep gash down her ribs. She was forced to let go and backed away from her opponent, growling deep in her chest. Buffy closely examined her ally's wounds, but they didn't seem to bother the Wolf. Seeing that she was okay, Buffy turned and began scaling the side of the ravine. Neither of the creatures below her noticed her departure.
The bat-monster scuttled crab-like from side to side, black blood dripping from the wounds on its neck and smeared over the scarlet skin of its face. Its eyes never left the Bad Wolf, who met its gaze evenly, showing no signs of succumbing to the creature's sway. The Bad Wolf crouched again, and the bat-monster tensed, preparing for another attack. The Wolf indeed lunged and the bat-monster tucked its chin to protect its neck, but the Wolf changed directions at the last moment and instead closed her teeth over its bony shoulder.
The beast shrieked again and flopped backwards, flailing its useless wings in an effort to get free. The Wolf hung grimly on, tightening her jaws as blood welled up around her lips. Even when the bat-monster raked her sides again, she only twisted her head sharply, satisfied by a loud crack as the joint splintered. She let go and jumped out of striking distance.
The bat-monster keened in pain as it tried to stand on all fours but its injured shoulder buckled underneath it, causing it to stumble. It sat back on its haunches, gathering the injured arm against its side. It turned its weak side away from the Wolf, snarling as blood and saliva dripped from its jaws.
The Bad Wolf snarled in reply and stepped forward to meet the challenge, only to have her front right leg nearly give under her. Pain exploded along her right side. Her wounds had been worse than she thought. The bat-monster must have sensed her distress because it cried out in triumph and pounced, good arm swinging down with bone-cracking force. The Bad Wolf dodged to the side, but moved a second too slow. Her opponent's arm caught her in the ribs and slammed her into the side of the ravine. She fell to the ground and didn't rise, blood trickling from her nostrils.
The bat-monster shuffled forward to loom over the Wolf, gloating to itself. It reached out with its claws, poised to rip and tear and shred, and then Buffy landed on its shoulders. The unexpected weight of the Slayer coming down on the back of its neck sent it stumbling forward, giving Buffy the opportunity to slam her knife into the back of the creature's skull with all her Slayer strength. The blade pierced skin and bone and snapped off at the hilt, leaving the blade inside the creature's brain. With an ear-piercing squeal, it pitched forward and lay still.
Buffy picked herself up from where the monster's fall had thrown her and ran over to the Bad Wolf's side. The Wolf was attempting to stand, legs shaky and weak. "Hey, hey, hey," Buffy said. "Take it easy. You look terrible."
The Bad Wolf gave up and collapsed back onto her stomach. "Your timing was impeccable," she panted, sounding grateful. Buffy shrugged modestly.
"That's me. Always on time. Except to school. Is there anything I can do to help you?"
"No," the Wolf replied. "The wounds will heal on their own."
Buffy turned to eye their enemy's corpse balefully. "What the hell was that thing?"
"The Red Hood," the Bad Wolf explained. "We are old enemies, she and I. It is an ally of the Huntsman's. She would have wanted to avenge his death."
"Well, you won't have to worry about her anymore," Buffy said darkly. "That's one less on your enemy list."
The Bad Wolf laughed weakly. "I'm sorry to say, but you didn't kill her, Slayer. The Red Hood is immortal. She will regenerate in a few days."
Buffy's eyes widened. "Holy crap. Is she going to come after me again?"
"Undoubtedly," the Wolf replied. Buffy groaned, but the Wolf went on, "I will see to it that she does not succeed. While you are in these mountains, you are under my protection." Buffy looked at her quizzically. "If you had not done what you did, the Red Hood would have won this battle. I am in your debt, Slayer."
"Uh, yeah. No prob," Buffy said. She settled into a more comfortable position. "Are you sure there's nothing I can do for you?"
"You've already done enough," the Wolf assured her. "I will by daybreak."
Buffy nodded. "Okay." The Bad Wolf blew out a long sigh and lowered her head onto her front paws, her eyes drifting closed. Buffy watched as the animal's breathing evened out. She then got up and moved closer, careful not to touch the Wolf, in order to examine the wounds. They were deep but not life-threatening, and had already ceased bleeding. Buffy wished she had some water to wash the blood from the Wolf's magnificent coat, but she didn't dare leave in search of some.
She herself was exhausted, but she didn't think she could sleep with the body of the Red Hood so close, so she re-took her spot by the Wolf's head and settled in to wait for morning. She found herself watching the Wolf sleep, noting the miniscule twitches of her ears and the slight shifts of her body. The starlight gave enough illumination to make out the symbol on her brow, beautiful and unfamiliar. Buffy drew the symbol into the dirt with her finger several times in order to commit it to memory. Finally, completely against her will, she found herself drifting towards unconsciousness.
On the other side of the Red Hood's body, Death stepped out of the shadows and looked down at the two sleeping warriors. Reaching under his robe, he pulled out the silver hourglass and held it up. The top chamber was now nearly half full. He eyed it for a moment.
I SUPPOSE THAT'S A LITTLE BETTER, he said with a sigh.
XxxXxxX
Jenny's condition had worsened while Angel had been looking for Buffy. When he'd returned at sunset, she'd been unconscious again, her temperature dangerously high. Angel moved her to one of the bedrooms, building a fire in that fireplace and piling blankets on top of the gypsy woman. Phoebe watched with worried eyes, silently hovering just out of the way. Throughout the night Angel remained by Jenny's side as her temperature rose even further and she tossed and turned in the throes of some fevered nightmare. Angel managed to get her to drink a little water and he made a thin vegetable broth. With Phoebe's help, he managed to find a small chest of medicines and found a bottle of vile-smelling liquid that the label declared was for fevers. But when he managed to get Jenny to swallow some, she almost immediately brought it back up along with all the water and broth she'd managed to take in.
"Is she going to be all right?" Phoebe asked softly around sunrise. She looked pale and haggard, shadows circling her eyes, just as she had looked when Angel had woken up from his dragon-poison-induced coma.
"Of course she will," Angel told her, stroking his hand over her disheveled hair. She glowered at him without much heat.
"You're only saying that to make me feel better," she accused. "I hate it when adults treat me like that. You don't have to lie to me, Angel."
He sighed. "I'm sorry." He slipped his arm around her shoulders and hugged her to his side. "I don't know," he said honestly. "I don't have much experience with this kind of medical treatment. What I do know tends to lean towards treating battle wounds."
Phoebe nodded wearily and leaned her head against Angel. On impulse, he bent and placed a light kiss against her hair. "Why don't you get some sleep," he suggested. She hesitated, but he nudged her toward the door. "I can take care of Jenny. You need to rest." She hesitated a moment longer, and then acquiesced.
"Okay. But wake me up if you need me," she told him before shuffling out of the sick room. Angel turned and picked up the cup of water on the table, determined to get Jenny to take a few more sips. A quiet knock on the front door startled him and he splashed a few drops onto Jenny's cheek. He put the cup down with a frown and padded out of the room. As he went, he grabbed his knife off the table.
The front room was empty and silent except for the crackling of the fire. The knock sounded again, this time accompanied by a voice. "Angel? Are you there? It's me. Let me in."
Relief flooded through Angel's chest as he recognized the voice. He hurried to the door and threw back the lock, pulling it open. "Buffy!"
XxxXxxX
Buffy stood at the bottom of the rough stairs leading to the station house. She turned to look at the Bad Wolf beside her. "Well, I guess we made it," she said. The Wolf, who had been limping and moving stiffly since they started out at dawn, dropped onto her haunches.
"I guess we did," she replied, her lips curling into something resembling a smile. Buffy stepped onto the first stair.
"You coming?" she asked when the Bad Wolf made no move to follow. The Wolf tilted her head.
"I am more comfortable out here," she said. "I will wait for you."
"Okay." Buffy paused for a moment, wondering what to say. She finally settled on, "See you later, then," and began climbing the staircase. She only planned on staying long enough to get a change of clothes, some supplies, and possibly a new weapon before setting out to find Angel and the others. The Wolf had mentioned on the way here that she had some ideas on where they might have ended up. As she reached the door, she went to push it open only to find that it was already ajar. She paused, frowning, and finally entered the building.
There was a fire burning cheerfully in the fireplace. Buffy stood in the doorway and stared at it in confusion. Next to the fireplace were a couple of blankets and a pile of abandoned clothing. Buffy stepped over the threshold, her foot kicking something metallic over the stone floor. She looked down and froze. Slowly going to one knee, Buffy reached down and picked the object up.
It was Angel's knife.
XXXXXX
Look! A fourth update! I'm on a roll!
Okay. A couple of you have pointed out somethings that I wanted to make clear. Yes. I have borrowed from a few other fandoms, namely Doctor Who, Stargate: SG-1, and Discworld. I am not advertising this story as a crossover, but with all the dimension-hopping Angel and Buffy are doing, it stands to reason they'd meet some weird people.