CHAPTER 6
Historical Note: This story takes place during the seventh season of Buffy, during the series finale.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from either Buffy or Angel; although I wish I did!!
Authors Note: After watching the final episode of Buffy, I was a little disappointed that Angel wasn't there for the actual battle, so I decided to re-write the last episode including Angel in the final battle. Otherwise, everything else is the same. Also, since it broke my heart to see Xander's eye get gouged out, I'm just going to pretend it never happened!
Summary: The apocalypse is drawing dangerously close for Buffy and the group, and with the potential slayers being killed off one by one, both Buffy and Faith are realizing this time both slayers may be in over their head.
Then all of a sudden, someone from Buffy's past comes to help them with the fight; causing old feelings to stir. Faced with what seems to be the final battle; Buffy is forced to face her past as well as her greatest love; as he joins her in the last battle.
Disclaimer II: A good amount; not all, but a good amount came from a book called 'Chosen.' I just wanted to make a note of that. I'm not trying to pass this whole story as being all my idea, obviously. But the idea of having Angel stay there for the fight was in fact mine, so there!
Early the next morning, Buffy woke up and got ready for the big fight. She quickly got dressed before waling up everyone else.
Angel was second to wake up when Buffy got up.
"Morning already?" Angel asked as Buffy crawled out of the bed. Buffy turned around and nodded.
"Yup. Time to wake up the troops," she said.
"Need some help?" he asked. Buffy smiled at him.
"Sure, come on," she said as she gestured towards the door. After the two of them woke everyone up, they headed downstairs to find something to eat. There wasn't much to choose from, but thanks to Andrew, who had broken into an abandoned store and brought back whatever wasn't going bad.
"It just occurred to me," Angel said as they walked into the kitchen.
"What?" Buffy asked.
"If the fight's going to be at the school in a few hours, how will Spike and I get there without burning?" he asked. "Not that I care if Spike burns up.." he added. Buffy looked at him and smiled, knowing there would be some sort of tension between the two.
"I thought about that. You two will just have to cover up in a thick blanket until we get down to the seal," she explained.
"Not sharing one blanket I hope?" Angel asked. Buffy laughed.
"Of coarse not. I don't want the fight to begin early," she told him as she handed him a carton of blood. Just then, Spike walked into the kitchen.
"Speak of the devil," Angel said as Spike walked further into the room.
"'Fraid I'm not him," Spike said. Angel smiled.
"Ah Spike, it's been a while," Angel said as Buffy handed Spike his own carton of Blood.
"Not long enough," Spike said.
"you're telling me," Angel said back.
"Ok, ok boys. Can we just eat without arguing?" Buffy asked as she walked over to the table and sat down.
"We weren't fighting," Angel assured her.
"Yeah, we were just...saying our good mornings," Spike explained. Buffy looked at the two of them.
"Whatever. I don't want to hear any arguments between the two of you. I realize you hate one another, but I don't have time for it. You wanna fight? Do it after the battle," she told them. Everyone else then began down the stairs and towards the kitchen. Buffy finally turned her attention from the two vampires to the crew that were slowly entering the kitchen.
"Eat up," she told everyone. "'Cause were not hanging around the house. We eat then we head for the school," she told him.
"Good idea," Faith said as she sat down next to Buffy.
"You're not going to eat?" she asked her. Faith shook her head.
"Not really hungry in the morning," she explained. She then looked over to Angel and Spike.
"Wow, no fighting or bickering? Am I dreaming?" Faith asked.
"We've been warned," Angel explained as he motioned to Buffy. Faith smiled as she looked back over at Buffy.
"Way to go B. you tell them," she said. Buffy smiled faintly as she thought of the vampires behind her. Yeah, way to go me, she said to herself.
~*~
A little while later, Buffy led everyone out of the house stocked with weapons and ready for the battle. Of coarse Spike and Angel had to have a blanket covering them as they walked to the high school.
"Welcome to Sunnydale High," Robin said in a booming voice as he led them into the school. As son as they entered the school, both Angel and Spike threw off their blankets without breaking stride. "There's no running in the halls, no yelling, and no gum. Apart from that, we have only one rule," he said as he stopped and turned towards the group.
"If they move, kill them," he told them as Buffy walked up to him to take over.
"Ok, Potentials are in the basement. Follow Faith and Spike," she told them. On command, all of the Potentials except for Kennedey; who had to stay with Willow for the spell.
"If you have to go to the bathroom, it's on the left. If you don't have to go to the bathroom, picture what you're about to face. Better go now," he told them. Robin then turned towards Willow.
"Willow, my office is through there," he said motioning to his office.
"It's right over the seal," Buffy reminded her. Willow nodded and handed Kennedey a bag.
"I'll start getting you set up," she said to Willow.
"Ok," Willow murmured gratefully.
"Ok civilians," Robin continued, gesturing to them as he spoke. "The vampire's get upstairs, we have three areas they could get through to another building and down into the sewers.
Down the hall in the atrium; the north hall here; and the primary target, through the lounge to the science building. Odds are, most of them will head there. Easy to find, big, no sunlight," he explained.
"Teams of two then. I suggest we take the lounge," Giles said.
"I concur," Robin said as he headed for the lounge. Buffy looked at Xander.
"Xander, I want you with Dawn," she told him. She knew he'd protect her, and more importantly, she trusted Xander with Dawn.
"I concur," he answered as Dawn walked over to him.
"We'll check out the atrium," she said. Anya then looked over at Andrew.
"That leaves me and the dungeon master in the north hall," Anya said. Andrew looked at Anya then back at Buffy.
"We will defend it with our very lives," he told her.
"Yes, we will defend it with his very life," Anya told Buffy.
"And don't be afraid to use him as a human shield," Xander told Anya.
"Good. Yes, thanks," Anya told him happily.
"I just want to say how proud I am to die for this very special cause with you guys," Andrew said as he pulled out a piece of paper. Anya looked at him.
"Some um, there are some people I'd like to thank; both good and evil. A special thanks to my brother Tucker who gave me the inspiration to summon demons, and to-"
"No one cares, you little monkey," Anya told him as she put her hand on his back and led him to their fighting area.
"I'm going to check out our field of engagement," Dawn announced before walking away.
"Dawn!" Buffy called out before running towards her. Dawn stopped and turned around.
"No. Anything you say is going to sound like goodbye," Dawn told her. Buffy nodded, understanding and Dawn turned around and continued to walk towards her assigned area.
Buffy turned around and walked back over towards Giles, Xander, Willow, and Angel. The original Scooby gang. Us. The originals, Buffy thought. Everyone else came later.
"So," Buffy said, taking on chipper. "What do you guys wanna do tomorrow?" she asked.
Willow thought for a second. "Nothing strenuous," she said.
"Mini golf is always the first thing that comes to mind," Xander suggested.
Giles looked at them mildly disappointed. "Well, I think we can do better than that," he told them.
"I'm free tomorrow; as long as I'm not in direct sunlight, I'm good," Angel told them.
"I'm pretty much thinking of shopping. As usual," Buffy said.
"There's an Agnes B. in the new mall!" Willow told her excitedly.
"I could use a few new items," Xander told them.
"Well no, aren't we going to discuss this? Giles asked. "We're saving the world to go to the mall?" he asked.
"I'm having a major shoe craving," Buffy announced, ignoring Giles.
"Aren't you on the patch?" Xander asked her jokingly.
Willow shook her head sadly; "Those never work,"
"And I'm just here, invisible to the eye, not having any say..." Giles whined as the four of them walked off, leaving Giles there.
"You see, it's the whole eye patch thing," Xander told them.
"I think it looks cool. Gives you a tougher image," Angel told him.
"Right," Buffy said. "Do you go with the full black secret agent look-"
"-Or the puffy shirt pirate-slash-poet feel," Willow suggested. "Sensitive, yet manly..."
"Now you're getting a little renaissance on me," Xander told her as they continued to walk down the hall.
"It's a fine line," Buffy told him as Giles turned and began to walk towards his station.
"The earth is definitely doomed," he said as he sighed and began towards his assigned area. As he walked to where he and Robin Wood were supposed fight, he realized that it might be the last time he may see any of them.
~*~
Willow gave them a weak smile and waved before walking into the office leaving Xander Buffy and Angel. They continued to walk until it was Xander's turn to leave the group. Buffy rubbed the side of his arm and smiled at him before he left.
Buffy was now just left with Angel. She looked over at him and gave him a weak smile. He reached for her hand, and they continued their walk down to the basement holding hands, like they had done once before, on Christmas after the First had tried to convince Angel to kill himself.
"You ready?" Angel asked her as they neared the basement door.
"As ready as I'll ever be," she told him. Angel smiled at her and squeezed her hand before letting go. He then opened the door, and they both walked down into the school's basement; where the seal itself was located.
"Time to go to work, love," Spike said to Buffy as she and Angel walked over to them and joined the rest of them. Buffy moved into the room and stood beside the seal, next to Faith, who held out Andrew's mystical knife. She and Spike already had the rest of the girls circled around the seal.
Her gaze drifted around the circle at all the Potential slayer. They were so brave, and at the same time they were terrified. Buffy was so incredibly proud of them. They had come a long way since they first came to her. She wanted to save them all, not to loose a single one, but she knew that wouldn't be the case...
"You're first, B," Faith said. Buffy reached out and took the knife. She then cut her hand, and let her blood drip onto the seal. She then handed it to Faith.
"Pucker up ladies. We're going to hell," she told them before slicing her own hand and letting her blood drip onto the seal. Faith then passed the knife along to Amanda. They continued to pass the knife along until everyone had cut their hand, and held their hands out above the seal so that their blood could drip down on it. They all watched as the seal slowly began to open. They braced themselves as the seal dropped open.
"Let's go," Buffy said before dropping down into the entrance to the hell-mouth. The seal was just there to protect he hell-mouth; the hell-mouth itself was located further down.
~*~
"What I still don't understand is why I'm not wearing the amulet thingy," Angel said as they all walked together in the cave towards the hell-mouth. "I brought it," he added.
"'Cause Buffy said I could wear it," Spike explained. Buffy didn't want to hurt Spike's feelings by letting Angle wear it, so she had let Spike wear it. Angel said it had to be used by a champion that was stronger than human, and both vampires; including Buffy; fit that profile. It was a hard decision, but she ended up letting Spike wear the amulet. Buffy continued to look around at their surroundings as Angel and Spike continued to argue behind her.
"Not to be a buzz-killer, but my fabulous accessory isn't exactly tingling with power," Spike told Buffy.
"I'm not worried," Buffy said as stopped and looked around. After a few seconds, she continued to walk slowly. Spike looked down at the amulet.
"I'm getting zero juice here," he went on. "And I look like Elizabeth Taylor," he told them in an un-happy voice. Angel smiled.
"Well, I have to look on the bright side; at least it's not me looking like that," he said rubbing it in. Spike just shot him a look.
"Cheer up Liz, Willow's big spell doesn't work and it won't matter what you wear," Faith told him as she walked up to Buffy.
"I'm not worried," Buffy repeated with less belief in her voice as the group walked up to the side of a deep hole that resembled a crater.
As they all spread out around the hell-mouth; they gazed down into what seemed like an endless cavern, they were horrified to see thousands of Uber-vamps and Harbringers and dozens more below.
"Oh my god," Angel said in a whisper. "I hope no one's having second thoughts," he said as his gaze was locked below, in the hell-mouth.
"I'm not worried," Buffy repeated, practically catatonic.
"Really?" A potential named Rona whispered beside her. "'Cause I'm flashing back to Xander's whole bathroom speech,"
"Buffy?" Amanda asked worriedly, her gaze never leaving the hell-mouth.
"I'm not worried. As long as Willow can work her spell before they-" she stopped as all of the demons and vampires in the hell-mouth suddenly looked up at them.
"See us," she finished. All of a sudden, everything down in the hell-mouth ran towards them in sheer anger. It felt like an earthquake as they stampeded to get up to them.
"Get ready," Angel told them as they looked down with fear now painted on their faces. Angel looked at Buffy.
"Willow..." Buffy pleaded as she watched the monstrous swarm of powerful vamps begin to climb up the side of the cavern.
The war had officially begun. Willow was in Principal Woods office performing her spell with Kennedey to give all of the Potentials their power now while the rest of them waited by the hell-mouth for her spell to work.
Buffy and the other just watched as they continued to climb up the walls quickly. As the Ubervamps swarmed to crush them, the Potentials were ready; the power was being given to all of them at the exact same time. A few of them closed their eyes as the power surged through them. They all looked up, their eyes sparkling with power, as they became Slayers.
"Those guys are dust," one of the newly Slayers whispered. Buffy looked over at Faith as the two girls smiled at each other. Faith then looked ahead; the slayers steeled themselves in place- dozens of them, ready and uncertain.
"Everybody hold the line," Faith said. Then all of a sudden, the first wave of vampires hit, frenzied evil spilling over the girls in a blur of teeth, axes and spears; with no fear of dying. They swarmed, enormous killing things, and the slayers went into action...