Disclaimer: Nothing you recognise is mine, although I like to think that I came up with an interesting central concept for the plot of this part of my trilogy...
Feedback: Feel free
AN: Thanks to David Knight for helping me come up with a couple of the gifts here (Particularly when it came to Dante); hope you all like them
The Satan War
As they stood over Satan's body, for a few moments, the Coven could do nothing but stare at the sight in front of them, the sheer scale of the victory that they had just won enough to send all of them into silence.
"So... that's it?" Danny asked, looking uncertainly over at his friends. "I mean, I took out the Ghost King back home once, but even with this power-enhancing suit my parents made the best I could do was lock him back up in this casket thing that had been keeping him prisoner earlier; we just killed Satan that... well..."
"Feels a bit too easy, huh?" Spike said, looking over at Danny with a slight smile as he indicated the fallen army of demonic corpses around him, the remaining mobile demons having either surrendered or being dealt with by Lady Death's followers. "Don't worry about it, kid; just keep in mind that he'd probably expended a bit of his energy bringing this bunch together in the first place, and it all makes a bit more sense."
"But... what about his replacement?" Faith asked, suddenly looking over at Leo and Cole. "I mean, this is the freakin' King of Hell we're talking about here; even if we stopped this apocalypse now, won't the next guy-?"
"He made this role, Faith," Cole said, looking solemnly over at the Slayer. "Maybe someone'll take charge as a figurehead to keep things running relatively smoothly, but it'll take them millennia at least to get the kind of power necessary to try and pull something like this off again; setting up an apocalypse on this scale, with all the demons that would need to be involved in the mess in the first place, would require far more time and effort than most of us will live for, and even the immortal members of our merry band will have to wait centuries before he can threaten them again."
"With the exception of those of us who're already deceased, of course," Jack added, looking slightly grimly over at his fellow recruits from Purgatory, before his gaze settled awkwardly on Angel. "And... well, there's those of us who died here..."
"Actually," Willow said at that moment, looking around at her friends and teammates in a grimly awkward manner, "I hate to sound picky, but has anyone considered what we're actually going to do now?"
Looking over at the rest of the Coven, it didn't take long for the witch to realise that she'd just targeted the one question that none of the rest of their makeshift team knew how to answer. Thwarting the apocalypse might have been a noble goal, particularly when they'd thwarted it after it had already happened, but it still left them with the question of what they could do now that they'd just won.
Not only was there the issue of Angel having died in Hell and deliberately not taken the opportunity to return to Heaven- did that mean that he couldn't go there, or just that he couldn't go there right now?-, but there was also the fact that they were currently in the past of the world they'd left behind; even if they were only from a few hours in the future, that still meant that, with the exception of Lady Death and their recruits from Purgatory, there were currently two versions of them in existence right now, and no possibility that their 'past' selves would be exposed to the chain of events that led to them becoming their present selves...
"Bugger," Spike said simply.
"That is putting it mildly," Constantine said, looking solemnly around at his friends. "I mean, I get that what we just did saved countless lives from experiencing the conquest of everything by the forces of Hell, but given that we're pretty much stuck here now-"
"Oh, come on," a voice said, its tone sounding almost amused at what the exorcist had just said, "you didn't think we were going to just let you off that easily after everything you did, did you?"
"Cordelia?" Fred said, her eyes widening in shock as she looked upwards, the dull red fires of hell parting to reveal a brown-haired woman dressed in white 'walking' down towards them, accompanied by a young man with wings- actual large white angelic wings- and a sleeveless top, an older woman with darker, shorter hair in more regular attire, the blue-clad form of the Phantom Stranger, and the purple-robed figure of Clockwork, now looking at the Coven with a slight smile rather than the grimmer expression he'd displayed earlier.
"Oh my God..." Paige said, her eyes widening as she took in the sight of the older woman before them. "Are... are you...?"
"Prue?" Leo and Cole said, stepping forward to stare incredulously at the woman they'd seen die almost three years ago.
"That's me," Prue Halliwell said, smiling casually at her Whiteligher brother-in-law and formerly demonic ally, before she turned to look at Constantine. "And I take it you know my friend?"
"What...?" Constantine began, before he turned to take in the winged figure behind them and his face took on the expression of someone who'd just been kicked in the diaphragm. "Chas?"
"Chas as in Chas Kramer?" Leo said, looking at the angel in surprise. "Didn't you say he died?"
"I did," Chas said with a shrug as he looked over at Leo. "But, with Gabriel having been kicked out, God made me his replacement- the whole 'trying to stop the Antichrist' thing wins you a few points, after all-, and here I am."
"Good to know," Constantine said, smiling briefly at his former apprentice.
"OK, so that... probably explains what they're doing here; what are you doing here?" Leo said, looking sharply at Prue. "Cole told us that you'd turned down the offer to become a Goldlighter?"
"I did," Prue said, nodding in confirmation at Leo. "But that doesn't mean that I didn't still have the chance to help people; you don't become part of a mystical destiny and then lose that just because I died."
"Long story short, she became a higher power on a level similar to myself," Cordelia said, smiling nonchalantly at Angel and Fred. "I mean, we're not exactly the higher powers, but we've got a fairly significant amount of authority up here compared to what we could have been; like Chas and the Phantom Stranger here, we basically provide the higher-ups with the human perspective that the likes of Jasmine and Gabriel lacked, give them a better insight into the human cost of what they're doing or what they might try to pull off, that kind of thing."
"Nice gig," Blue Devil said, nodding in approval at the other woman.
"We like to think so," Cordelia said, smiling back at the former actor before she turned back to look at the Coven as a whole. "And so, because of that, we were able to convince the Powers that you all deserved a reward or two for thwarting the apocalypse and saving virtually the entire Multiverse into the bargain."
"A reward or two?" Blade asked, looking sceptically at Cordelia; he'd heard some stories about Angel's old friends- with old contacts of Angel's making up a sizeable portion of the 'core' team of the Coven it was hard not to discuss them-, but given the circumstances that had brought the original Coven together, it was hard not to be slightly suspicious of what higher powers might consider a reward or be willing to offer them. "What are we talking about here?"
"Oh, simple enough," Prue said, smiling over at the part-vampire. "Those of you who were in Purgatory when this all started will be granted automatic access to Heaven, and those of you who came down here from Earth will be merged with your past selves and re-integrated into your lives- as Danny can confirm, Clockwork here is capable of that kind of thing-, but, before you go back, those of you who are going to Earth get one wish each."
"Uh... not meaning to sound rude, but..." Fred asked, looking awkwardly at Cordelia.
"Oh, you'll be going to Heaven with them, Fred; now that they've found you here- and I promise you, Angel, I didn't know she was down here any more than you guys did until you found her; Hell isn't something we look at regularly up here, after all-, I made it clear that you getting the chance to get taken up was non-negotiable," Cordelia said, smiling warmly at the physicist before she looked over at Angel. "And before you ask, brood-boy, you're going back to Earth too; you might have died here, but you're still alive up there, and that's what counts."
"All of us... are going to Heaven?" Batman said, looking around at his fellow recruits from Purgatory before his surprised gaze settled on Cordelia. "But-"
"You did the wrong thing for the right reasons, Bruce; you might not have all been perfect- and a few of you were definitely cursed-, but, when push came to shove, you did the right thing and didn't harm anyone who didn't deserve it," Cordelia said, smiling over at him. "Don't get me wrong, your decision not to kill while you were human was commendable, but we're having a talk with the people in charge to reconsider their allocation system on a larger scale; you shouldn't go to Hell for killing to save lives or a little thing like being cursed if you use that curse to help others, after all."
"Uh..." Leo said, looking awkwardly at the new arrivals. "Look, I'm sorry to interrupt, and I don't mean to sound ungrateful for the chance to go home, but if we just merge with our other selves like that-"
"Your morality is appreciated, Leo Wyatt, but your concern for your other selves is unnecessary; the other yous will merely gain extra memories and experiences, but you and they will both essentially still exist," Clockwork said, smiling reassuringly at the Whitelighter before he addressed the rest of the Coven. "Now then, as Miss Chase stated, you are all entitled to one wish, which will be fulfilled regardless of whatever handicaps or difficulties you might have faced in trying to receive it back on Earth- although to those whom it concerns, anything you might receive as a result of prophecy will have to wait until you have fulfilled said prophecy, and we can't do anything to affect a person's free will-, but I will warn you to choose carefully; once you have made your choice-"
"Save Astra," Constantine said firmly, his expression making it clear that he would accept no argument or suggestions to the contrary.
"Huh?" Chas asked, looking over at his former teacher.
"When I attempted one of my first exorcisms, I made a mistake and banished the soul of a girl called Astra to Hell," Constantine said, looking solemnly at the group before him. "If I can have anything I want... anything at all... I want to know that she's in Heaven; even if I can't bring her back to her parents, she doesn't deserve to suffer for my mistake."
Smiling at Constantine in understand, Cordelia raised her hand and snapped her fingers.
"Done," she said, looking reassuringly at the exorcist. "She's in Heaven."
"It's that simple?" Blade said, looking sceptically at the five people before him.
"Under normal circumstances, no, but you have just accomplished a truly great deed, Blade," the Phantom Stranger said, smiling slightly at the part-vampire warrior. "Given what you have accomplished, it was considered... appropriate... for our superiors to make it easy for us to grant you your desired rewards; it's hardly fair to expect you to accomplish such a great deed without anyone thanking you for the lives you have saved, after all."
"OK," Blade said, looking firmly at the Stranger. "In that case, I wish that I didn't have to cope with my thirst while retaining my other abilities."
"Done," the Stranger said, nodding resolutely at Blade. "You will no longer have to worry about drinking blood."
"You just- whoa," Blade said, reaching up to touch his throat as he stared incredulously at the rest of his team. "I just... my throat feels... cool."
"As in... you're not thirsty any more?" Angel said, looking curiously at Blade; he knew that the Daywalker's vampire side had trouble coping with animal blood that meant that he had to use a serum to control his thirst for human blood, but he'd never really thought about just how serious it was, given that their pocket dimension kept Blade supplied with the serum anyway...
"Not even a bit," Blade said, a slight smile on his lips as he looked over at the team leader. "Looks like they're serious about the gift thing."
"As I said, you ask and they'll grant; it's pretty straightforward, really," Prue said, smiling over at the Daywalker.
"Can I..." Faith began, her entire appearance suddenly giving the impression of someone who was torn between asking the question or not asking the question, until she finally blurted out her final decision as the four beings turned to look at her. "Can I talk to Diana?"
"Your Watcher?" Angel said, looking at Faith curiously.
"Look, I'm not askin' anyone to bring her back to life or anything, I just..." Faith said, swallowing slightly as she spoke, her lip trembling as though she was fighting to stop herself from crying. "I want to say sorry."
Angel didn't bother to tell Faith that there was nothing for her to feel sorry for; after what had happened during Faith's original fight with Kakistos- based on what she'd told him in those rare occasions during their prison visits when she felt like sharing such information-, she was dealing with the kind of guilt where it would take a lot more than just her accepting that she couldn't have done anything to accept that she wasn't responsible for what had happened on that dark day.
"Tricky, but not impossible," Clockwork said, smiling at her in understanding as he raised his staff and waved it, creating a green-edged portal in the air that opened up into a large room filled with strange large gears. "If you will just accompany me, I can see about arranging that; I have a feeling this is something that you would prefer be done in private?"
"Really?" Faith said, looking at Clockwork with the tremulous expression of someone who was almost afraid to hope. With a final nod, Clockwork stepped forward to guide Faith through the portal, following her through for a few seconds before he re-emerged, the portal sealing behind him just as Angel glimpsed a woman in her mid-forties dressed in a suit jacket and skirt giving Faith a motherly embrace.
"She'll be back once her conversation has concluded; as I said, I thought it best that she get the chance to spend that time in private," he said, the powerful ghost briefly turning into an old man as he addressed Angel. "I can send you to a different part of my tower for your meeting if you want?"
"Huh?" Angel said, looking at Clockwork in surprise.
"You're going to ask to have a conversation with Kathy, correct?" Clockwork said, smiling slightly at the vampire before he looked over at Spike. "Since your mutual first choice involves Drusilla, I thought it best to head that off before you both asked for it, since everything else Spike wanted wouldn't work."
"Drusilla?" Willow said, looking over at Spike in confusion. "But-"
"Look, just 'cause I moved on doesn't mean I'm over Dru," Spike said, looking firmly over at the redhead. "She was a big part of my life for over a century; that doesn't just stop just because she ended it."
"Yeah, love can make you do the whacky sometimes," Cordelia said, exchanging a brief smile with Angel before she focused on Spike. "Anyway, speak the words and we'll take it from there."
"I want... well, I want Dru to have a second chance," Spike said, looking uncertainly at their guests. "I don't quite know what that should be, but if you could make her sane, give her back her soul, find some way for her to have a life away from this..."
"With her memory or without?" Prue asked.
"Without," Spike said firmly, looking over at Angel to receive an approving nod from his grandsire. "Nobody should have to remember what she's done and care about it if there's a choice."
"Done," Chas said, nodding at the vampire with a slight grin as he waved his hand.
"Before I open this portal," Clockwork said, looking over at the other Coven members with a smile as he raised his staff, "does anyone else want a chance to talk with anyone?"
"Well, considering my other wish wouldn't work out, my parents," Dante said, his expression resolute. "It's a bit complicated, but..."
"Things with our kind of parents always are," Prue said, smiling in understanding at the half-demon. "Just out of curiosity, what was your other wish?"
"You wouldn't be able to do anything for my twin, would you?" Dante asked. Seeing the look on her face, he looked a little downcast. "Didn't think so; the 'free will' thing, eh?"
"He already had his soul when he did those things, and we can't make him feel anything he doesn't have the capacity to feel already," Prue said, shaking her head apologetically. "I'm sorry."
"You have a twin?" Milton asked.
"Had a twin. His name was Virgil. We had a seriously messed up relationship; he embraced the demon side of our heritage more than the human part, and did some rather nasty stuff near the end of his life... In the end, we die as we've lived," Dante said, a melancholy expression on his face before he shrugged and looked at Clockwork. "Okay. I'm ready."
"Can I..." Willow began, starting to step forward even as Angel and Dante went through their portals, before she shook her head and stepped back once again. "No."
"'No', what?" Prue asked, looking curiously at the other witch. "If you think we won't grant it-?"
"I believe that you'll give us what we ask for, but I... I can't ask for this," Willow said, shaking her head firmly. "I did that once, and it just caused more problems than it really solved; even if it won't cause that kind of... problem..."
Willow swallowed and stood in silence for a moment, her inner conflict obvious on her face, before she finally shook her head in resolution. "She's at peace now; even if I can't see her again, that's the important thing."
"That is a commendable attitude to possess, Willow," the Stranger said, smiling slightly in approval as he looked at the young woman. "So... what do you wish, since you have recognised that your first choice is... impractical?"
"I..." Willow began, looking uncertainly at her teammates for a moment before she looked back at their benefactors, simple resolution on her face. "I want Amy Madison to be sent to the coven I studied with in England."
"Huh?" Cordelia asked, looking at her in surprise. "Amy Madison? As in that girl who got turned into a rat when Hansel and Gretel attacked us?"
"She's human again, but she has a lot of issues; it's... complicated," Willow said, shrugging slightly. "The point is, she's made some mistakes, but I don't think she's completely beyond help yet- that time she spent as a rat probably made her a bit mad, but she also had this whole 'addicted-to-dark-magic' phase that couldn't have helped her-, so if you could... put her somewhere where she's given a chance to change..."
"Just so long as you are clear that we cannot force her to change," the Stranger said, looking solemnly at Willow. "Your request is a fair one, but we can give no guarantees that Miss Madison will accept the chance you give her."
"Just make sure that she can't reject it immediately or anything like that- do something to ensure that she can't just walk away from the coven until they've had a chance to convince her to listen to them-, and that's fine," Willow said nodding in understanding at him.
"Good," the Stranger said, before he turned to look at the rest of the Coven. "Now then, while we're waiting for those three to come back, what do the rest of you want?"
"I..." Illyria said, looking uncertainly at the group around her for a few moments, before she finally looked at their benefactors. "I wish for a soul."
"A soul?" Chas repeated in surprise. "I thought you were some demon king-?"
"I am no longer a demon, and as such do not wish to remain reliant on others to form moral opinions for my... benefit," Illyria said (Angel had to admit that he was impressed; the old Illyria would never have admitted to needing others in any way). "What remains of Winifred Burkle within me shapes my reactions and perceptions of the world I exist in to a certain degree, but that will only take me so far; if there is anything that you can do to make it... easier..., I would be grateful."
"A soul is a tricky thing, Illyria," Cordelia said, smiling slightly at the being that used the former body of the woman who had been her last serious female friend in her life. "Some cultures say that we receive one because we're human, others say that we receive it as we live... some of us lose it and regain it under unique circumstances... but, while the first one is the most common case, there are still those cases where we can earn it as we live, and you're on the right path for that already."
"You've planted the seed already," Chas continued, smiling at the blue-skinned woman as he, Prue and Cordelia raised their hands, "but if you want us to finish fanning those flames..."
He raised his hand and waved it briefly in her direction, smiling as a faint glow was suddenly visible in Illyria's eyes, stepping back with a satisfied nod as the glow faded, leaving Illyria staring at him in surprise.
"It's done," he said, nodding at her. "What potential you had for a soul has been enhanced, and we also modified your body slightly to allow you to better channel some degree of your original power; you won't be transforming completely into your old state any time soon, but you can manipulate time and dimensional portals to a greater degree than you could before now, anyway."
"Ah," Illyria said, smiling at the angel as she studied her hands, flexing her fingers as though she could feel the new power she possessed.
"And, of course, you can be assured that these powers will cease should we believe you to be a threat," the Stranger added, looking pointedly at her.
"That... is acceptable," Illyria said, her smile faltering slightly even as she appeared satisfied with this development; evidently some part of her approved of the idea that she wouldn't be a threat if she turned against them at some future point.
"Can I..." Eric asked, looking uncertainly at the group before him, before he took a deep breath and finished his sentence. "Can I... go to Heaven?"
"What?" Danny said, looking at the pale-skinned man in shock. "But-"
"I know I can go back to Earth, but... I don't really want to," Eric said, looking solemnly at his teammates. "Don't get me wrong, I've lived having the chance to work with you guys, but... I want to see my family again."
"You mean you wish to see her again," the Stranger said, nodding in understanding at Eric. "It is acceptable, Eric; you have remained for so long only because you had not been killed, and you have more than fulfilled the Crow's purpose to deliver justice."
"Thanks," Eric said, smiling gratefully at them.
"Hold on; you're just going to-?" Danny began.
"It's not suicide when you know that there's something waiting for you afterwards," Eric said, smiling reassuringly at the younger boy. "I've enjoyed working with you all here, but... what's waiting for me is more important."
"And it feels a bit 'off' being back like this, huh?" Chas asked, smiling slightly at the other man.
"Catch of being brought back by the Crow, I suppose," Eric said with a brief shrug as he looked at the angel. "You know that you have to do something now that you're back on Earth, but you still feel disconnected once it's done even if you only have the option of going back to Heaven; I'm only still here because I took out everyone I was after without sustaining serious damage and didn't really think I'd get anywhere by killing myself."
"Ah," Danny said, looking slightly sadly at the other man before he turned back to face the four people standing in front of the Coven, pausing for a moment of contemplation before he continued to speak. "Personally, I think that I might have already attended to this, but... well, I have this clone-"
"You have a clone?" Spike said, looking sharply over at Danny. "Why'd you get a clone?"
"My fruit-loop of an arch-foe tried to create his own version of me when I wouldn't be the half-ghost son he wanted; long story, but the net result is that virtually all of the clones died apart from one who's basically a younger female version of me," Danny said, shooting out a brief ectoplasmic burst to cover Spike's mouth while he looked at the others. "The point is, I've done what I can to stabilise her condition, but... well, if you could just make sure she'll be OK- maybe even see what you can do about giving her a soul if she doesn't have one already..."
"Done and done," Prue said, nodding in confirmation at the half-ghost.
"I know this seems a bit... odd," Blaze said, looking slightly awkwardly at the angels before him, "but... well, I've been getting a better handle on controlling the whole 'Ghost Rider' thing most of the time, but-"
"You wish for the ability to transform whenever you desire rather than simply being able to transform in darkness," Clockwork said, smiling slightly at the biker. "It can be done, Johnny Blaze... and I can assure you, whatever harm you did your soul by selling it to Mephistopholes, you have more than made for it by what you sought to gain by selling it in the first place, to say nothing of what you have done with that curse since then."
Blaze could only nod in understanding at that comment, even as he and Milton exchanged brief sympathetic glances with each other.
"It's probably going to sound somewhat selfish, but..." Leo began, sighing slightly before he looked firmly at Prue. "I want to be able to have your sisters as my only charges, and be able to grow old with them."
"Really?" Prue said, looking at him with a slight smile. "But-"
"It's not that I don't care about my other charges; it's just that... well, as it is I can't exactly focus on them and my family," Leo said, his manner initially awkward even as he grew more confident while he continued speaking. "I'd like to retain my powers so that I can continue to actively help them, but as far as I'm concerned you can take my immortality and Whitelighter duties for whatever you want; so long as I can stay with Piper, that's all I need."
"I wouldn't trust anyone else to care for them," Prue said, smiling at Leo before she turned to look at the half-sister she was just meeting for the first time. "And as for you, Paige... after everything you've done to help Piper and Phoebe cope without me, what else could I give them?"
"Uh... a few minutes with you?" Paige asked.
"What?" Prue said in surprise.
"Just... when we get back to Earth, could you just... stick around to talk to them for a little bit?" Paige clarified. "I mean, they've been coping without you, but I think if they could just talk with you for a bit..."
Glancing over at her colleagues for confirmation, Prue smiled and nodded as she turned back to Paige.
"Just let us finish here, and I'll be there," she said, smiling warmly at her youngest sister.
"Personally," Blue Devil said, indicating his trident with a brief wave, "I don't want to lose the power of the Blue Devil itself- that's actually fairly useful-, but if you could maybe... I dunno... make it so that I'm not in pain when I go into church any more?"
"Done," Prue said, snapping her fingers and smiling at him. "You can now freely switch between human and demon forms at will, and will not be subjected to pain when you're in your human form in holy areas."
"Thanks," Blue Devil said, smiling gratefully at the witch.
"As for what I want," Cole said, looking solemnly at the group before him, his gaze focusing on the Stranger, "I have to know; was what my mother told me about my father true?"
"It was, Cole Turner," the Phantom Stranger replied.
"Then I want his soul to be freed," Cole said simply. "He doesn't deserve to be kept trapped because he made a bad call when he got married."
"Done," Chas confirmed, snapping his fingers as he spoke; some of the Coven wondered if their benefactors made more gestures if they felt that the request would be more complicated to grant, but the rest of them didn't worry about it.
"I know... that I... am not... Alec Holland," the Swamp Thing said, looking awkwardly at the divine five gathered before them, "but... would it... be possible... for me... to be able... to assume... a human form... for a time?"
"Why?" Prue asked.
"I want... to feel... like I... belong... again," Swamp Thing said, smiling slightly despite his still-awkward manner. "It is... complicated..."
"Not at all," Prue said, smiling in understanding at him. "Just because you technically aren't human doesn't mean you should be cut off from them; it might take a little time for us to weave the necessary spells into your physiology, but give us some time and you'll be able to become human for a time if you want."
"Any chance I could get that too?" Hellboy asked, smilig slightly at them. "I mean, I'm fine with being what I am, don't get me wrong, but there comes a time when you want to be able to get out and about without attracting stares all the time just because you've got red skin, you know?"
"Again, difficult, but not impossible; just give us a bit of time to weave the right spells, and you'll get your wish," Prue said, smiling reassuringly at the demon before she glanced over at Spawn. "I take it you'd like something similar?"
"I'd settle for just being able to shift into my old form, really; the armour's good, but it sucks after a while," Spawn said, indicating his costume with a wave of his hand that was almost too dismissive. "Plus, well, while the burns at least ensure people talk to me because they like me, it doesn't make it easy to have people start screaming at you when you're going down the streets..."
"No problem," Prue said, nodding in confirmation at Spawn. "Give us a few minutes- you're already adapted for shape-shifting to a degree; all we really need to do is enhance what's already there-, and you're set."
"This is a bit of a complicated request," Raven began, the four beings turning to face her as Spawn smiled gratefully at them, "but... well, even after all my training, my control over my emotions is still... difficult. I was wondering... would it be possible for you to give me the ability to consciously turn my powers on and off, so that I may... feel without the risk of my powers acting up at the same time?"
"Nothing wrong with wanting the chance to vent," Cordelia said, shrugging casually at the young half-demon with a warm smile. "Just... give yourself some time to adjust, OK? Don't just dive into something to feel; make sure you know what you want."
"Of course," Raven said, smiling hesitantly but warmly back at the older woman.
As though that last gift had been a signal, three portals re-opened in the air before them and Angel, Dante, and Faith walked out. The half demon had a smirk on his face, while he looked a bit more scuffed up, while the vampire and the Slayer looking back to smile at the figures on the other side of the portals before the holes in the air sealed up once again, leaving their teammates to look curiously at them.
"So... you OK?" Danny asked, shrugging awkwardly.
"We're good, thanks," Angel said, smiling back at the half-ghost.
"I think... we all said what we needed to say," Faith said, exchanging confirming nods with the vampire and the demon standing on either side of her.
"Good," Clockwork said, as he raised his staff once more. "Once again, congratulations, Coven of Reformed Supernaturals; you have done a great thing on this day."
With those words, the world around them suddenly blurred...