Disclaimer: I do not own Buffyverse or anything else you may recognize

Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.

Agent N: Thanks for the review. Glad you enjoyed the DBZ reference.

Guest: Thanks for the review. I'll see what can be done.

Chapter 108- Sacrifice

"Let's see", Buffy sighed as she turned the recording on.

Angel tried to get Connor to listen but he wasn't listening, as the mob approached, and Angel quickly shut the door, locking Connor and the mob outside, and made the others leave without him, telling them someone who knew the truth had to live through this, and they went out the window to fire escape. As Connor ranted, punching through, Angel bust into the hallway, punching him down, and pummeled his face as the mob grabbed shards of the smashed wooden door. Wesley screeched the car to a halt when Connor landed on the hood, face down, and Angel arrived, pulling his body down, and said they needed to go, and they did as Jasmine and the mob approached.

Everyone sighed in relief as the team managing to finally make it out of there alive, even if there was no Connor.

"Connor still got left behind", Dawnster muttered sadly.

"Yeah, but since he's still under her control, she won't kill him", Tara told her.

"At least everyone who is free of her is sticking together, that's good", Willow pointed out.

"Yeah, that's a good thing, and she can't take them again", Summers smirked.

"So time for them all to go against her", Harris said.

"He went all out against his kid this time", Xander noted.

"With how much he has tried to reach out, and it backfires every time, there is some frustration", Rosenberg pointed out.

The team drove in their car, the female radio show host saying LA will now be a 'Citadel of Jasmine' and all idols in churches will be replaced with images of Jasmine. The team wondered what to do, while also realizing they were short on supplies, including gas, and Angel said it was the right decision to not bring Connor. At Hyperion, five people undressed in Jasmine's room while Connor rested limply on a chair. She glowed green and the glow reached Connor who woke up, and she healed his wounds as he said they'd tried to turn him against her, and failed, but were going to do something, but Jasmine assured her followers were growing so there was nothing to worry about.

"That's what there is to worry about", Buffy muttered.

"Yeah, she and her army of followers", Maclay sighed.

The team arrived at the gas station, still wondering on their next course of action as Gunn punched out a guy who'd pre-paid for the gasoline and took the nozzle, addressing the other people as Angel stepped out too, and turned out everyone there was being controlled by Jasmine. A young Asian guy lunged at Angel but was punched down while Wesley knocked down a woman swinging a wrench at him, and Fred knocked down a camouflage guy who tried to jab her with a broken bottle. Eventually, they got back in the car and Wesley put the car in gear and drove off just as the man with the wrench reached the car. The man rolled off of the hood of the car and fell to the ground as they drove off so fast the tires screeched. Two police cars followed them with sirens blaring. The man with the wrench sat up and watched them go, laughing in Jasmine's voice. Jasmine laughed back in her room at the hotel.

"So wherever they go in the city, it is not safe", Giles muttered as they groaned.

"Nope, everywhere it's Jasmine's cult", Harris sighed.

"Which means whatever they can plan, they must do it fast", Tara said.

"Wasn't a question", Summers told her.

"Man is she creepy", Xander said, freaked out.

"No kidding", Dawn agreed.

Wesley stopped the car at the roadside, and later parked the car in an alley behind the building. The police helicopters shone their headlights over it but it was empty. Angel led the rest through the sewers, and except him all were tired, as he told Gunn he didn't have a plan right now, though they won't eat rats, and as for Cordelia, they had to forget about her right now due to not having a choice. Hearts would get in the way right now. They walked off as something behind the grate at the vent near the floor made an eerie clicking noise.

"That can't be good, right?" Dawnster asked.

"Probably not", Willow agreed.

"At least no one's eating rats", Xander sighed in relief.

"Yeah, that looks weird", Harris nodded.

Connor was on Cordelia's bedside, showing Jasmine her bandaged wrist as she said Angel and the rest had let their hatred sink them low enough to cut into Cordelia while she slept and steal her blood for their magic. She asked him to leave so she could spend time alone with her mother, and Connor obliged.

"They didn't like doing it at all, but they had no choice", Tara said sadly.

"She knows that, since she knows how bad she is, but you know people like those", Maclay pointed out.

"Get well soon", Buffy muttered to Cordelia genuinely, not noticing the sad and grim looks the future people had.

Angel led the gang through the sewers, Lorne and Fred criticizing him a little from behind as Wesley, Fred and Gunn agreed they still missed Jasmine's warmth, and also wondered why she didn't have a name till now, when Angel and Wesley fell through the floor into a huge hole. Wesley managed to hold on to the floor to not fall further down as Gunn helped him up, but Angel fell down, looking up to see Lorne and Fred turn around in surprise as a gang of teenagers appeared at the hole's edge, pointing sharp wooden poles at Angel.

"As if there weren't enough things to worry about", Dawnster said as they all groaned again.

"So, they are under her control too?" Xander asked.

"Actually, not yet", Summers revealed, as they were a little relieved.

"But still a problem", Willow realized.

"Yup", Rosenberg nodded.

The kids were in war-mode, and one insulted Lorne, as Angel tried to reason, then leapt out as Gunn pinned the guy threatening him to the wall, and Angel snatched one's pole, tripping him down. Fred struggled with her opponent as Wesley knocked his down but Angel stopped the fight, realizing these people weren't controlled by Jasmine due to how they fought, and Gunn called them punks. Angel then called Gunn by name as the young man he was holding recognized the name, and Gunn recognized the guy as Randall who'd stolen his car when he was 12. Then they heard an eerie distant noise as they were told it was back.

"What is back?" Buffy asked.

"Nothing good", Dawn shrugged.

"At least they aren't under her control, and they are not enemies either now", Tara sighed in relief.

"Yeah, that is one good thing here", Giles nodded in agreement.

Connor arrived in Cordelia's room and saw she wasn't on the bed anymore, as Jasmine said her blood could be used to spread hate, so she'd been sent off, and then Connor followed her out.

"Oh boy! Now she's gone too", Xander said as they groaned.

"What will they do now?" Dawnster wondered.

"They will get something else which will make the blood a non-factor", Harris revealed, to their surprise.

"Really?" Buffy asked.

"Really", Maclay said.

Angel and his team followed Golden's gang into a grated-off and fenced-off alcove in the sewers, and were told it had held against whatever there was. Gunn said Golden's older brother had been part of his crew before going solo, and Golden said he'd been running the unit when the sun had gone out, and things were getting worse. The young boy introduced himself as Matthew, and they noted he was young as Golden revealed his parents had been murdered when they'd found him. Golden then explained their situation as Angel washed his hands and cleaned them on a towel, Matthew asking whose blood was that, and Angel said it was someone he used to know who'd tried to hurt his friends, and he flashed back to punching Connor.

"He is turning off his emotions, isn't he?" Buffy asked.

"Yeah, he is, and he doesn't like it, and he'll realize it before the end", Summers warned cryptically to them all.

During that time, Golden and Holly revealed his older brother had been killed by the thing in the sewers, and Angel picked Tommy's sword, deciding to kill it as he walked off and they followed him. Jasmine talked on phone in Hyperion before putting it down while Connor told her the police had lost them but he could track them, though she said they'd to celebrate first, as the governor had stepped down so this state would answer to her, and she'll free the world from hate. She then noted Connor hadn't fully given in due to his pain. She dug her fingernails into his palm, asking to let it go, and he submitted, and she removed her hand, revealing semi-circular red marks where she'd pierced his skin. Jasmine held up her hand to reveal the marks on her arm, which faded away.

"So she still hasn't fully gotten him?" Willow half-asked, half-said.

"She can try all she wants, but sadly, he is never going to let go of the pain", Rosenberg said as they sighed sadly for Connor.

"He won't ever let go", Maclay agreed, remembering what had taken to finally make him let go of it all.

Angel, his team and the kids walked through the sewers when Golden was snatched up into a vertical pipe. Angel leapt up too and after some fighting, Golden dropped out, Holly running to him as Angel leapt down in Vamp face, and Matthew ran off in fear. Something grabbed Fred but Angel and Lorne swung at it, making it let go, and then Fred and Gunn chased Matthew to prevent him from reaching the surface while Angel wondered Wesley had gone.

"Where is he?" Buffy now asked in concern too.

"Nowhere good", Summers muttered.

"And now the kid has seen his Vamp face", Xander groaned.

"They won't take it well, will they?" Giles asked.

"Nope, they don't like any Vamps, and one with a soul is a new concept to them", Dawn confirmed.

Wesley was dropped down by a grey and skinny Demon with pincers for hands, four legs and two arms, and it made an insect-like clicking noise as it walked to Wesley. "We loved her first!" It clicked angrily.

"'We loved her first?' Jasmine?" Dawnster asked, and the future people all nodded.

"Yeah, Jasmine", Harris confirmed.

"So, they are what….?" Xander trailed off.

"Creatures from another Dimension which she used to rule, and now one is here to take her back", Rosenberg revealed to them all.

"So, will they take her or whatever?" Willow asked.

"It's a lot more complicated than that", Maclay said as they groaned.

Angel gave Lorne orders but the kids had now turned on them due to Angel being a Vampire. The creature brought Wesley to its cave as it ranted about Jasmine, though they called her by a different name, and found the humans naming her filthy. Wesley then noticed as the creature grabbed a torch and he found bloody guts, the creature telling him love was sacrifice.

All groaned again as Tara realized. "Sacrifice to get attention."

"Hope they find him soon", Willow groaned.

Fred and Gunn tried to track down Matthew, Fred mentioning rats accidentally too, and then Gunn repeated Angel's words of feelings not mattering anymore, to which Fred said she couldn't turn off her emotions like him or Angel, only for Gunn to almost remind her of Siedel, but that was enough. Fred revealed she felt what she'd done and sometimes when she thought about it, it ate her inside, and she'd take that over being a shell any day. Gunn decided to find the scared kid soon.

"Yeah, feeling like that, I'd take it over being a shell any day", Willow agreed.

"I remember feeling like that, wasn't pleasant", Buffy agreed, remembering her depression after her resurrection when she hadn't allowed herself to feel anything else.

"Yes, feelings make us who we are, humans", Tara nodded.

"Angel and Gunn know it too, they are just driven over the edge right now due to everything that's going on", Summers pointed out to them.

"And they, especially Angel, will find out feelings matter too", Maclay assured.

"That's good", Xander muttered.

"It is pretty bad, but it will end as well as it can", Dawn sighed.

Golden and crew were pointing sharp weapons at Angel and Lorne, as Lorne tried to say how Angel only drank pig's blood, but Angel said he won't be able to justify his existence to them, however, he could take Golden's weapon, break it, and break his neck in half the time he could push his weapon, or he could step aside so Angel could help his friend.

"Was that necessary?" Dawnster asked.

"As much as I don't like it, it was, they were running out of time", Summers pointed out.

"And in this situation, speed matters", Giles counseled too as she nodded.

Fred and Gunn looked for Matthew in the street, hiding as a boy on a skateboard passed them. The Demon carved up bodies in the cave as it revealed it was from an older world, and Wesley could use its key that was a blue sphere to visit but the atmosphere would kill humans. It was preparing blood magic which was older than words, and she cared only about one word. One of its victims was a Vampire, and Wesley explained to it, to which the Demon remembered the one who'd attacked him, and Wesley called him Angel, as the creature scoffed that throwing names made them all weak, and took their power away. Wesley now realized her name was the word she cared about, making it push him against the wall.

"She cares about her real name", Willow realized. "And that's because-"

"Hearing it will break her hold over everyone", Rosenberg finished and confirmed at the same time.

"Oh boy!" Xander said, now everyone actually feeling relieved.

"So if they make it tell her name, it will do it?" Buffy asked.

"Again, not so simple", Harris said as they groaned.

"Of course, why would it be?" Dawnster scoffed.

"But it is something", Tara pointed out and all nodded.

Matthew stood behind a garbage truck as Fred and Gunn tried to talk to him, but he screamed for help, making Gunn knock him out, to Fred's shock, but he made her get the kid's feet.

"Why did you have to knock the kid out?" Dawnster now asked.

"To stop people from finding them", Giles said.

"Couldn't he just have shut his mouth?" Dawnster asked.

"Well, it would take more time", Dawn shrugged.

"Come on! He just had a talk with Fred regarding feelings", Dawnster reminded.

"I hate to say it, but sometimes the fate of the world matters more, and in this case, it does", Harris pointed out, as Dawnster wanted to protest but just couldn't.

Wesley backed from the Demon, realizing Jasmine's true name was kept secret due to having power over her, only for it to punch him, as it said the High Priest kept the name, while it was the messenger. Angel then arrived, saying he'd kill the messenger or chop it into little bits. The Demon dropped Wesley and charged Angel as they fought.

"So, he doesn't know the name, and some High Priest does", Buffy noted. "And he'd be…"

"In the other world, yes", Summers confirmed.

"And there would be more like it there?" Tara asked and got nods as they groaned.

"The key can take them there, right?" Willow asked.

"Only Angel, the rest will die due to being humans", Maclay clarified.

Lorne tried to teach the kids not to use bad words as Fred and Gunn returned with Matthew, and Gunn shut Golden up by saying the world was getting worse and Matthew was walking in blind. Matthew then laughed but it sounded like a woman's, and it was Jasmine, as she told Holly that Matthew had been hit repeatedly. With that, the others all fell under Jasmine's thrall too as Lorne, Fred and Gunn bolted. But then flashlights were shone on them by a mob as Connor stepped through, greeting them in Jasmine's voice.

"OH come on!" Xander snapped now. "The kids are under her spell, and Jasmine's mob has finally got them!"

"Yup, things are really bad", Rosenberg said with a sigh.

"This is why Gunn had to knock the kid out", Summers pointed out to Dawnster, who had to concede.

"So, only way to get out of this is to get Jasmine's real name", Tara said in realization.

"Don't worry, Jasmine wants them all alive", Dawn assured them. "So they won't be in trouble for now."

They sighed in some relief there.

Angel was thrown across the room, then got up as it stabbed him with its pincers. Angel stabbed its arm, cutting off a part of its pincer, but the Demon snatched his sword as Wesley charged, only to be knocked away. Angel picked up the pincer and stabbed it through the neck, finally killing it as Wesley said it had come from a world that worshipped Jasmine for a millennia, and they could use the blue sphere to visit. "I think the Universe just handed us our first break."

"More like just Angel", Summers said as they all groaned again.

"But this is something", Buffy said and got nods in return.

"Yup, and it will work", Harris assured.

"Awesome to know", Xander smirked.

Lorne, Fred and Gunn were fleeing again as Angel and Wesley inspected the sphere. Angel then heard something and realized Connor had come, and he knew Angel was there too, as Jasmine smiled in her room. Lorne, Fred and Gunn as Angel found them and had them follow him, while Wesley tried to figure out how to use the sphere. As the others came in through the door, Wesley realized blood magic would work as he touched a wound on his forehead and then the sphere. It glowed and sent a lightning bolt to open a portal nearby. Angel wanted the rest to come with him but Wesley revealed the atmosphere would kill humans, reminding him someone who knew the truth had to live through this, Fred adding hearts got in the way.

"So both threw his words back at him together, they really are made for each other", Dawnster quipped as the rest chuckled, in spite of the dire situation.

"Yeah, they sure are", Rosenberg agreed, smiling sadly.

"Time for the big one now", Buffy realized.

Angel rushed to the portal as Wesley tossed him the blue sphere. He walked into the portal after sharing one last look with the rest while Connor broke the door. The mob charged as Wesley, Lorne, Fred and Gunn charged too, fighting them off and trying to hold the line while at Hyperion, cuts appeared all over Jasmine's body, then healed instantly as she laughed maniacally. Angel arrived in the Demon world, the portal closing as he looked around at the harsh landscape, and then several more Demons like the one he'd killed surrounded him. "Oh hell." The screen went black.

"Oh hell", Buffy repeated too.

"Come on, put the next one on quick!" Xander said.

"Yup", Buffy nodded, quickly coming to the next one.

Not really a huge fan of this episode, it seemed to drag on IMO. I've seen many say that they didn't like the Beast arc but loved the Jasmine bits, I have the opposite opinion.

I loved the whole Beast/Angelus arc from 4x7-4x15 (Outside of the Cordelia/Connor bullshit, those scenes were horrifying) but the Jasmine arc just dragged on too much for me, even if Gina Torres was amazing in the role, and she did make Jasmine compelling.

Though I do feel the Jasmine arc had an amazing ending in next episode. The last 2 episodes managed to wrap this really weird and inconsistent Season nicely.

Also, this is the shortest reaction chapter ever, and only took me 2 hours to write, record time.

Hope all enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter. Stay safe from the coronavirus ya all!