Chapter 14
Buffy ran, a blur storming down ancient hallways carved by nature. Her maternal need to protect her child forced the adrenaline and intoxicatingly powerful blood from her demon husband faster through her veins. Her ears picked up every anguished scream echoing through the tunnels, becoming louder as she chased the sound to its source.
The elder Slayer was brought to a halt when the tunnel came to an abrupt stop. An immense boulder covered the entrance to the chamber where her daughter was slowly being tortured to death.
A troop of demons and vampire guards raised their weapons, ready to defend the blocked doorway from the intruder. Buffy quickly sized up her opponents, mentally calculating plans of attack. She was outnumbered 10 to her 1, but she'd faced greater odds before and won.
This time, however, speed was crucial and the Slayer realized that every second she wasted cutting down the obstacles in her path was bringing her only child closer to death. 'And the Apocalypse,' she reminded herself. 'Can't forget about saving the world too.'
Buffy flew into battle unarmed, but quickly rectified that weakness by disarming the first demon she could lay her deadly hands on. The other nine guards pounced on her in unison, trying to overwhelm her with sheer numbers, but the Slayer cut, kicked, punched and clawed through the mass with unstoppable force.
As the blood flowed and the screams filled the small space, the fire in Buffy's blood burned hot, radiating from her golden, not-quite-human eyes, and fueled her on into more powerful and furious attack.
But the demons kept coming. Nine became twelve, became twenty. Where one fell, two and then three took his place. Time was running out.
Buffy howled in frustration, swinging her tiny fist at the next attacking vampire, only to make contact with dust-filled air. Through the cloud of exploding vampire, her husband came into view. His burning vampire eyes met her golden Super Slayer gaze.
The unnatural power flowing between the two Warriors cast shadows of doubt over the demon hordes. "Kill them!" the leader of the foot soldiers cried, trying to fuel his own warriors into a fighting frenzy strong enough to hold off the intimidating vampire and the deceptively small woman.
The band of demon soldiers attacked, not really sure if they wanted to continue this insane battle or flee before they join their fallen comrades. Angel and Buffy cut a bloody path through them like they weren't even there.
When a third vampire joined against the battling (dying) demons, the few who remained ran for their lives, led by the leader who, just moments ago, was urging them on into battle.
Another scream filtered past the rock jammed into the tunnel opening.
"Aurora!" Buffy cried, slamming her fist against the unyielding rock separating her from her child. The rock shook, raining tiny pieces of cave wall down on the three Warriors.
Buffy looked at the imprint her fist left on the granite face, pulled back and hit it again with deliberate intent. A small crack appeared.
Angel took up position next to his wife. "Together," he said to her, his own fist at the ready.
Spike watched in awe as the Slayer and her newly turned husband crashed their fists into the boulder, shaking the walls and sending a tremor through the floor and up the vampire's legs.
The tremor echoed through the candle-lit cavern, halting Darla's dripping blade inches from the captured Slayer's bloody skin.
Aurora opened her eyes, pain hazing her vision. "They're going to break through! Cover the entrance!" Darla was shouting at her minions and pointing to the shaking, cracking rock.
'Mom?' Aurora thought, wincing as her heart sped up and fed the fire that covered every inch of her split skin. She hitched a breath and screamed, "MOM! DAD! HELP ME!"
The rock crumbled, as if bowing to the tormented wail issued by the young girl.
"Get away from her," a dark, dangerous voice said through the settling dust. Angel stepped into the room, his eyes burning golden fire, his elongated canines catching the light from the candles. Beside him stood his wife, radiant with an air of violence surrounding her. Buffy's eyes glowed the same golden fire as those of her mate and her hands were hooked into claws, battle-ready.
"Kill them!" Darla ordered harshly, fear chasing a brief shadow across her finely cut features. The minions attacked en masse, drowning the superhuman couple in swinging arms, legs and biting teeth.
"Mom!!! No!!!" Aurora cried, straining against the chains holding her trapped, forgetting the pain rushing across her abused body.
Buffy looked up at her daughter, her fist disappearing into the chest of the vampire in front of her and ripping out his heart. Catching her husband's eye, Angel nodded.
The elder Slayer leapt into a run when yet another minion pulled her back forcefully. With a animalistic roar, she turned to her attacker, who was fast being choked by their bleach-blonde companion.
"What are you waiting for, Slayer?" Spike growled, struggling to hold onto the squirming vampire in his arms. "Go get her, dammit!"
Buffy didn't wait for another invitation. She turned and jumped with feline grace, launching herself at Darla, who was raising the dagger, ready to plunge it into Aurora's heart.
The Slayer's heel connected with Darla's exposed ribcage, sending the master vampire skidding across the floor. The dagger flew from her hands into the shadows.
"Mom!" Aurora sobbed, overjoyed.
"It's okay, baby. Nobody will hurt you anymore," Buffy promised, touching her daughter's tear and bloodstained cheek. With strength far beyond that of either Slayer or vampire, Buffy broke the chains holding down her daughter.
Aurora threw her arms around her mother's neck, shaking as the sobs wracked her tiny body. Buffy hugged her close, feeling the strong heartbeat pounding against her breast.
Aurora opened her eyes to look at her mother, but in stead saw the shadow of death descending on them.
Buffy felt the younger Slayer's heart begin to race and the muscles under her hands bunch in readiness for attack, but before she could react, Aurora pushed her aside and launched herself at Drusilla.
"Aurora no!" Buffy called, as Drusilla tossed the weakened Slayer aside like one of her rag dolls.
Spike saw his old mate leap at Aurora, fangs bared. He crossed the room in the blink of an eye, closing his hand in Drusilla's raven black hair and pulling her away from the wounded girl on the floor.
"No!" Drusilla cried whiningly.
"Sorry, pet. I can't let you have her," Spike said into the darkly beautiful vampire's ear.
Drusilla turned to Spike, her features shifting back to hide the demon within. Her black eyes hungered for the blonde man in front of her. She stroked his cheek with her deathly pale fingers, sending a shiver of forgotten pleasure up Spike's spine.
"My Spike…" she breathed. "Can you really kill me?"
Her lips moved a hair's breadth from Spike's own. He swallowed, wanting so much to kiss those enticing lips, wanting to taste this creature on his tongue once again.
"She's a mortal," Drusilla continued, her voice hypnotic. "She was meant to die at our hands. Let me kill her, Spike. Drink her blood from my hands and come back to me."
Drusilla's lips touched Spike's, warming into a deep kiss carrying all the history between these two immortal creatures. Drusilla gasped.
"I'm sorry," Spike whispered, his unbeating heart breaking as his blood cried out to the woman turning to dust in front of his weeping eyes, the stake desperately clutched in his hand.
His knees buckled underneath him and the vampire crumbled to the floor, his face a mask of pain and loss. Aurora crawled to Spike and put her arms around his shaking shoulders, hugging him. She couldn't understand the anguish her beloved was feeling. She just knew that he killed a part of himself for her and that he was hurting.
Spike held onto Aurora, letting himself be rocked by the warm, mortal woman, her heartbeat soothing the aching in his blood.
"How precious," Darla spat, circling the elder Slayer. "That whelp was always a disappointment. Why Angelus didn't just kill him, I will never understand."
"One down, one to go," Buffy sneered back at her adversary. "I have a promise to keep, Darla. This time I am going to take great pleasure in killing you myself."
Darla roared, her demon glaring back at this much-hated Slayer with yellow eyes. She attacked with fists flying and feet kicking, but her ageless strength was nothing compared to the combined power of Slayer and vampire blood flowing through Buffy's veins.
Darla's fist drove into Buffy's jaw, whipping her head back. The Slayer allowed the blow's momentum to turn her body and she brought her boot up into a spin kick with enough force to lift the blonde female vampire off her feet.
Buffy sprang at Darla, bringing her foot down and cracking the stone floor where Darla's head was a split second ago.
Darla leapt to her feet and kicked at the Slayer, only to have her leg caught deftly between Buffy's body and immovable arm. Buffy brought her fist down onto Darla's knee, forcing it to bend the other way. Darla howled!
Buffy let go of the vampire's broken leg, pouncing on the vampire's falling body. "Time to go back to hell, Darla," Buffy snarled, her eyes golden and inhuman. The Slayer thrust the stake into Darla's chest, piercing her heart and burying it in the stone beneath her dissolving body.
Buffy rose, looking for her husband. She saw him at the same time as Spike and Aurora. In unison they all cried, "NO!!!"
Angel pulled the sword from Acathla, his hand dripping with blood. Acathla awakened and took a breath.