Chapter 20: Points of Convergence (No. 2)

The staccato beat of her pulse was ringing through her ears as she ran through the brush, stepping over the graves of countless people. Every step, every huff, every pant, felt like some weird new sensation for her. Usually it would be the adrenaline of the slaying, that sweet high she would get with every kill, but this was something else. Something she'd never admit aloud, let alone to herself. This was fear.

A quick look back showed a sort of hazy gray mist following her like a ghost stalking through the graves, thick like a chemical fog, as if it was a plague. She kept her pace steady and slowly made her way to the middle of the graveyard, where she knew that Buffy was clearing out the rest of the vamps that were lurking around.

So far so good…

That thought seemed to come to her too soon, as she felt herself come to a sudden stop. It felt as if she was yanked out of some heightened state of being, her fear-as-ecstasy being replaced with the sobering reality of a hand gripping her throat.

And I just had to jinx it, didn't I?

Faith soon felt herself hurdling into the ground, almost colliding with a headstone. The shock of the whole thing seemed to stun her as she failed to resist the hands tightening around her arm and neck. From the darkness, she could make out the face of her vamp-stalker. The familiar sight of a humanoid body forming out of mist manifested in front of her once again as Darius, holding her up with his one hand brought her closer to him.

"Ah, ah, ah. Now where do you think you're going, my dear?"

Somewhere in the ether of the night, under the statue of Michael the Archangel, an unholy mess of a man smoked his cigarette. He waited for the midnight hour, to begin his part of the plan.

Because midnight was his deadline. His and everyone else's. It was only at midnight that points would begin to converge. His thumb ran over the Chi-Ro symbol he had painted on the root. It was a desperate plan and this would be the seed that would grow into their salvation, hopefully.

It had been almost two years since he last spoke to him. The two of them had been on sketchy ground last they saw each other. He wondered if he'd still be pissed off at him, or if the soggy twat would be a bit more benevolent given what he'd done for him.

Ah, who am I kidding? The ungrateful sod's gonna go into advance dry rot the minute he sees me in any context.

He took a deep breath, staring at the pale white crescent moon, as visions of a club in Newcastle haunted his mind.

A stake in the heart. A scream of pain. A pile of dust.

All in all, there were fifteen vampires who tried having a go at her. Twelve of them turned into a pile of dust while the rest turned and ran away.

So much for loyalty.

Catching her breath after that cacophony of combat and slayage, she scoped out the rest of the area wondering how the others were doing, most of all Faith. Being well aware of what Faith's role in this mad scheme was, she hoped that she was alright. She'd never met this Darius guy, but if what Giles and Constantine said about the vamps that the King sired was true, then Faith was walking on thin ice.

But then again, we're all kinda walking into a death-trap here. Willow and Xander better be alright, unless he wants to meet the hard end of a Slayer.

She gave a small cringe at that internal thought.

Okay… ew! I'm so glad that I didn't say that out loud.

A rustle from the leaves behind her brought her back to reality as she saw a shadow dash across her line of sight. Her stake at the ready, she readied herself into a defensive stance. Buffy soon recalled what Constantine had told her about what he knew about the King's breed.

"… They're not like the half-demon blighters you two are used to, but they don't follow the typical tropes of pop culture either." He said, opening up his carpetbag and handing her an ampule of holy water. "There are a few sources who mention the arrival of a thick mist right before the King appears. Some legends describe the appearance of a wolf. Best to keep on the lookout for both, eh?"

Buffy nodded, absorbing as much information as she could from the occultist before his objectively insane plan with more missing pieces than she'd usually be comfortable with was implemented.

"Right, so what do I do if I run into one of them? I mean, they can't be staked…"

"Just run away, avoid them." He tossed her another stake, extra sharp just in case. "Slay anything that comes your way, be it a vampire or a demon, but do not try and confront any of the King's men. Faith and I will handle those rat-bastards. Savy?"

She gave a slight nod, understanding his point, yet reluctant to go through with the mage's "strategy".

"What… that's it?" Faith asked hesitantly. "That's your plan?"

Trying to focus her eyes on the manifold shadows that lay strewn and scattered among the bushes and graves, she spotted what looked like the outline of a wolf.

Faith struggled to speak, the grip on her neck squeezing the breath out of her.

"Oh, dear me." Darius continued with mock care. "Where are my manners?"

His grip loosened up as his hand snaked its way up slowly to the base of her head just under her chin. Her throat no longer constricted she took a deep breath, the air immediately returning to her lungs. She gave Darius a hard stare, as if she was shooting daggers into his face.

"Now, then, I don't think you and I have had a chance to have a proper chat, luv."

Squeezing her chin in his hand he lowered her don to the ground and forced her to look up at him.

"Yeah? And what's there to talk about, pal?" She spat back at him. "How you wanna wrap me up nice and tight, a little bow on top as a present to your boss?"

"You know Faith," He brought her face close to her, taking in her scent, "you can be quite inelegant. You're taking center stage in the biggest piece of theater since that garden they call 'Eden'. Someone as beautiful as you really ought to have… standards."

He spun her around, twisting her arm back. She stifled her gasp of pain, refusing to let any sign of weakness show.

"Well as shitty as my life is, I'm better off as I am if you're the 'higher standard'."

"Why so cynical, luv?" His mouth was getting dangerously close to her neck. "It's not hard to tell that you like affiliating with dangerous creatures."

She could feel his breath against cheek as he moved upward toward her ear. "You know what they say, 'find a job you love' and all that crap."

"Perhaps." Faith really started to get nervous as she felt his hand start to snake down her torso, the pinch of his finger nail against the skin of her waist. "But if that's the case, why so resistant to me?"

"Hmmm, let me guess. Killer? Torturer? Asshole with a pony-tail?" She shot back, defying her growing fear. I mean, come on that pony-tail is a stupid look.

"Oh? And yet…" His hand snaked down to the hem of her jeans, as he spoke directly into her ear. "… you dare to trust the Constantine?"

There was something about that question, the way he worded it, how he was saying it, the context by which she was receiving it, that brought her back to life. It was like a shot of pure adrenaline to her mind, the swell of frustrations, confusions, unsettlement, all of it about John Frickin' Constantine. She grabbed her hand, instantly rupturing the tense atmosphere of fear he had created, and with a scream, threw him over her shoulder.

She landed a good kick to Darius's face before she landed on top of him, and started delivering a series of punches down upon him.

You!

Cannot!

Fucking!

Touch Me!

At some point during this outpouring of anger, she saw only for a fleeting moment John's face in place of Darius. And still, she kept delivering blow after bloody blow.

Her beatdown only slowed when she realized that he seemed to be laughing. He was laughing at her again, just like that night at the motel. He licked his lips, his face coated with his own blood, breaking into spurts of uneven laughter, as Faith eventually stopped.

"Do you feel it, luv? The fire rising in your veins as you don the mask and let it take you over?"

She paused and stared at her bloody fist, unable to move. Why the hell am I stopping? This is what I do. This is who I am!

Her whole body fell forward as Darius regained his strength and tossed her over him. Getting up from the ground, Faith was able to land a few more extra blows on him, but they all seemed to have no effect. Something else in him seemed to change too. A fire in eyes, burning him from the inside, obsession turning into addiction.

"Do you know what I think?" He grabbed her fist as it flew toward his face. "I think, you enjoy the thrill of the hunt. Just like me."

Faith, her one hand trapped in his grip, tried to opt for a roundhouse kick but the minute her leg made contact with his side, he grabbed her leg and spun her around, tossing her against a headstone.

"The difference," He continued, wiping the dirt from his jacket, "is that you've yet to hit that high point. The point where joyful thrill becomes hedonistic addiction."

She propped herself up, getting out a stake, knowing that it wouldn't have an effect, but might bide her some time.

"But one day, that high that you're so used to enjoying will get someone killed." He side-stepped every swing and stab that she made. "Someone who wasn't meant to be killed. And when that happens, you'll realize that you've given yourself over completely to your role. The Slayer."

He lashed out a sudden kick to her legs, knocking her on her back. But this time before she could get back up, he landed on top of her, straddling her, one hand pinning back both of hers. She tried to resist, to throw him off her, to get out from under him, anything to get away.

"Maybe I ought to you break you in first." He brought his free hand up to her face, his finger tracing the outline of her lips. "His Majesty does despise such… bravado in his gifts."

Faith's eyes widened. She expected that the pervy cunt would try something, but she never thought that it would get this far.

It ain't a mind game this time, Lehane. It's the real deal.

For the first time in a long time, she didn't know what to do.

He was halfway through with his cigarette when he heard the rustle of leaves in the far-off distance. He could hear the faint sounds of combat echoing throughout the cemetery. Probably Ms. Summers, I reckon.

He lit up his third cigarette of the night and checked his watch. It read 11:57 p.m., three minutes to midnight. If he wasn't worried before, he sure as hell was now. Faith was supposed to be here at least five minutes before. He could tell that she wasn't one for following a set plan, but he suspected that she was in some kind of trouble.

Ah, who am are you trying to kid? Given my kind of luck, she probably is.

He checked the surrounding area one last time, before he decided to start now. He knew that it the invocation might not be as strong given that it was yet to be midnight, but it was better to risk it. After all, he knew what was at stake and it might be his best chance at weeding the King out of Sunnydale once and for all, two birds with one stone and all that.

He tossed his cigarette away, got out the dried tree root, and placed it in the midpoint of all the graves that he'd carved the sigils on.

Time to call in an old friend from the bayou.

He sent a single message on his pager to Buffy's friends.

I hope the soggy-bog bastard isn't too busy.

Buffy stared down the wolf, the black of its hide shining against the moonlight, its reflection illuminating against the rest of the night. She knew that this was one of the King's breed, and for a moment her feet were frozen in the ground. She knew that she had to do something, before her inner fight-or-flight instinct eventually settled itself.

Run.

Buffy instantly sped off and ran back toward the center marker, the statue of the archangel. From behind her she could hear the soft patting of limber paws against soft grass. It was following her, and she didn't know how long she could outrun it.

She could tell from her surroundings that she was approaching the angel statue, familiar territory encroaching upon her. Thinking fast, she made a sharp turn into a clearing just as she felt the sharp pierce of paws into her back.

Buffy toppled over along with the wolf, a tangle of blonde hair, leather, and gray fur shooting through the air and then rolling into a clearing. The real shock came when Buffy felt herself colliding into another person.

Untangling herself from the mess of limbs, she got up and landed a swift kick to the wolf's head knocking it out. She turned to see what she had collided into, and was greeted with the sight of a man with a bloody face, unconscious on the ground.

"Buffy!" A familiar voice called out to her. She turned and saw Faith, sprawled out on the ground, looking back at her in surprise.

"Faith!" She ran over to her fellow Slayer, helping her up. "Are you alright? What happened?"

"Y-Yeah. I'm alright, now." She tried to cover up the look of fear that, unbeknownst to Buffy, had been on her face. "He… uh… he almost had me for a second there. Thanks for the save, B."

"No problem, but we should get back to Constantine now."

"Yeah…"

They both turned and started to run, making their way closer to the rendezvous point. They were just in sight of the angel statue before a woman with long black hair stepped in front of them. Buffy recognized her as the same one that she and Xander ran into the other night.

"Now, where are you going? We've only just started?"

Faith and Buffy could faintly see a twinge of red in the center of her pupils. They both knew instantly that she wasn't a human. She must have noted their surprise.

"Oh, dear." She laughed softly. "The penny's just dropped, eh? Hm. You two can call me Mary."

Without warning, Faith lunged forward swinging a punch at her only for it to be caught in Mary's grasp. She twisted Faith's arm back until she was kneeling on the ground, close to writhing in pain.

"You have no sense of etiquette, do you?" She leaned down and sniffed Faith's hair. "I can see why Darius is quite taken by you."

Her actions were halted by a swift kick to the right side of her temple. Buffy landing back on her feet, she grabbed Faith's arm and helped her back up.

"Ah, yes. Buffy Anne Summers." Mary wiped a smear of blood from her lip. "I was wondering when I'd get to see you in action."

"Well, here's your chance to partake." Buffy knew that her chances weren't that great, but she needed to bide their time.

Faith, making a quick recovery, got into her own fighting stance next to Buffy. She could tell that they weren't too far off from the spot where she was supposed to lure Darius in. B and I can take her. We don't need to beat her, just lure her in hook-line-and-sinker back to the statue.

"Two against one? That's hardly fair now, is it?" Her devilish smile giving undertones of her deeper strength.

"Oh, Mary, my dear." A voice from behind them interrupted the three ladies. "If it's sportsmanship you're worried about, I'd say we're the ones playing unfairly."

Darius slowly walked out from the bushes, a small red glow to his pupils as well. But that wasn't what had the two young Slayers on edge. From behind Darius, a series of various shadow figures emerged from the bushes to reveal more of the slave-soldier vamps. They were accompanied by what appeared to be moving shadows, only to reveal themselves as wraiths. And in an instant, a whole series of red dots seemed to appear from the bushes, the faint light illuminating the graveyard. They realize that it was eyes, the same glow that was in the eyes of Darius and Mary.

"Now, then." Darius stalked forward hauntingly, seeming to embody the spirit of immorality. "Shall we begin?"

Willow was being fueled by pure adrenaline as she and Xander got into position, both of their hands outstretched as she turned the book to the right page. The message from Constantine caught them off guard despite them fully expecting it to come. Despite their surprise and worry, they were steadfast. She trusted Constantine's judgement and that seemed to be enough to ease any worry that Xander had. And besides, this would help to end the reign of terror that had been cast over Sunnydale for the past few weeks.

I mean, it's only an invocation to the spirits of nature. What's the worst that could happen?

Looking up at Xander, she gave a quick nod to let him know that she was ready. Returning the gesture, she took a deep breath as she and Xander began reciting the spell.

We invoke you, oh great guardians of nature

Oh, mighty Parliament of the Trees

That you may rise and defend that which you have given life,

Send your holy champion of the Green

To where the divine axis lies!

The sigil started to glow, and a few miles away in Sunnydale Graveyard, John Constantine was preparing to call on an old friend.

When the sigils had lighted up, he knew that it was time. Placing the root in the center of the triad of sigils, he added the finishing touch. Getting out his knife, he made a small cut on his hand, and squeezed his own blood onto the root, a sacrifice to the Green.

In an instant, the mark on the root lit up into a bright red. The root grew and stretched into the glowing sigils that symbolized the mark of the Plant Elementals, and the light seemed to stretch toward the angel statue where he hoped Faith was at.

She's gonna be fine. Because if she isn't, then we're all buggered.

He quickly got up and followed the growing root.

Buffy and Faith were surrounded. They both had their stakes out and they were just waiting for that final charge that would sweep the two of them away. With the angel statue in sight, their last hope was that they were close enough to it that Constantine's spell would still have some effect. Because if not, then they were as good as dead.

Out of nowhere, Faith felt a stinging pain on her chest, as if someone had just pressed a hot, tiny, fire stoker on her breast. She quickly found the source of it, the Chi-Ro pendant that John had given her for protection. It seemed to be glowing with a bright fluorescent light. Bright enough that Darius and Mary and their horde of the undead were taken aback it.

Buffy turned to her fellow Slayer and saw that what was happening, her face contorting into confusion just as Faith's. Realization soon struck both of them. This is it.

The sound of wood cracking seemed to bring everyone out of confusion. From under the angel statue, a long series of roots seemed to shake up the foundation of the earth. It was as if something was headed toward them.

Dirt and stone seemed to rise from the ground as the roots drew closer, and closer, and closer, until it seemed to stop just in front of where Mary stood.

The two Slayers could only frown in disappointment, wondering what had happened. Buffy shook her head. Well, that was anti-climactic.

SNAP!

In an instant Mary was flying over their heads before landing behind Darius. Before Buffy and Faith could register what had happened they were greeted with the sight of something growing out from where the trail of roots had ended.

Something large.

Something big.

Something green.

Backing slowly away from the large pile of plant matter that had appeared to have saved their lives, they felt a hand on each of their arms. Turning, both Slayers ready to strike, they were greeted with John Constantine's hard-scrabble form. He pressed a finger to his lips before either of them could say anything, a million questions already swirling around in both of their heads. A deep, dark, guttural voice pierced the shocked silence.

"Who dares to threaten the Green?"

The large blob of plants and vines had suddenly grown into a sort of upright shape, like that of a monster. One could recognize the shape of arms and legs and what appeared to be a face. Bright red eyes, not like the pupils of Darius and Mary but full red eyes, popped out and stared at the horde of vampires before it.

Darius and Mary's faces were as shocked as Buffy and Faith's as they were confronted with the creature. They had heard from the King tales about the Elementals, and they had even met one or two before arriving on the Hellmouth, but this was the first time they had confronted a plant elemental.

Constantine merely smiled at everyone's collective surprise, before grabbing Buffy and Faith and dragging them out of sight.

"I'd forgotten how much the green bastard loves to make an entrance." He whispered to the two Slayers.

Somethings just never change. Nice seeing you again, Swamp Thing.

Yup. That's right, Swamp Thing. I couldn't resist.

So, I know that I said that there wouldn't be an update until early June, but I just finished half of my finals this week, so I managed to find time to finish up this chapter and also plot out the final chapters.

Please review! Reviews, comments, and/or criticisms are always welcome, so long as they're civil.