The Bronze 9 pm
Charlotte, Doyle, Oz, Willow Giles and Wesley ducked into a side room,
as Forrest and the rest of the Initiative opened fire on Adam and the
other demons. "What the hell are they doing?" Charlotte grumbled.
"..besides getting themselves murdered, that is."
"Well, they interrupted the spell, which means that we have to start
over," Giles sighed.
"That's just fine, so all that stuff the last ten minutes was for
nothing," Charlotte muttered. "I have to get those guys out of here."
As soon as the current round of shooting had stopped, she ran out.
Buffy, Angel and Cordelia had entered, and Buffy was arguing with
Forrest. Adam had disappeared, and Charlotte was not happy about that.
"Stop! You're not doing anything to him," Buffy tried to
explain. "Besides ticking him off and ruining our chances of stopping
him."
"Buffy, you and your little friends need to just get out of our way
and let The Initiative take care of this," Forrest said angrily.
"Why don't you help us, instead of trying to shoot us?" Charlotte
asked. "Where is he, anyway?"
"Uh..." Forrest looked around. "It's all _her_ fault!" he yelled
pointing at Buffy.
"ME?!" Buffy returned. "What did _I_ do?"
"You walked in with these two, and distracted us!" Forrest yelled.
"Guys, you're missing the point," Graham reminded them. "Being the
big, ugly, hybrid demon that we are technically responsible for," he
said to Forrest.
"OWWW!" Cordelia fell to her knees as another vision hit her.
Doyle was by her side, the others having wandered out warily.
"Cordelia, what is it?" he asked, helping her up.
"It's--"
"Look out!" Oz yelled then, and shot an arrow above them, where Adam
was standing on balcony. Everyone scattered, as he jumped to
the ground.
"Keep him away from Giles and Willow," Charlotte hissed. "They're our
only chance."
Oz and Wesley were already ahead of her, standing in front of Giles
and Willow, who were setting up the spell again. Adam, however,
had his back to them, his interest at the moment being the two
Slayers.
"Help us or get out," Buffy said to Forrest.
Graham cut off Forrest's angry retort, saying, "We're all here for the
same reason. What's the deal?"
"Keep him distracted," Charlotte whispered. "You'll see the rest when
it happens."
"Me first," Buffy said, she crouched down to retrieve a sword out of
the bag of weapons that she'd retrieved from her house. "You ruined
my weekend with my boyfriend!" she yelled at Adam. "Not to mention
that you've been a complete pain for longer than I care to think
about."
"Come get me then," Adam taunted.
"Buffy be careful," Angel warned.
"I have no intention of letting this thing stop our happily ever
after," Buffy smiled reassuringly at him. "Just stay back, all of
you, unless I...or Charlie... need your help." She approached Adam
slowly, remembering to stay out of the reach of the poker extension
from his arm. Charlie stayed close by, having an axe in her right
hand.
"I'd rather kill you first anyway," Adam said to Buffy.
"That's cool, cuz that's how I feel about you," she replied.
Willow and Giles started chanting, and Adam heard them and
said, "NOW!" At that moment, a gang of vampires attacked the rest of
the group, entering from side door near Giles and Willow.
One vamp jumped Charlie from behind, and they wrestled as she tried
to avoid his fangs. Angel grabbed him by the neck and threw him off
her, pulling a stake out of his pocket. Then he, Doyle, and Cordelia
ran to help Wesley and Oz protect the two spell-casters.
"Angel, stay clear of Adam," Cordelia warned.
"What did you see, Cordelia?" Doyle asked, dusting a vampire who
charged at him.
"I..." she was distracted by Doyle's yell. He had been overpowered by
a vampiress, infuriated that he had destroyed her mate. "Get off my
man, bitch" Cordelia said, grabbing her by her long brown hair and
pulling her away. The vampiress shrieked in anger, and clawed
Cordelia's arm.
"Hey!" Cordelia yelled, dropping her grip on the creature's hair.
Cordelia punched her in the face, and then pulled a stake out of her
jeans pocket, finishing her off.
"Wow, remind me never to tick you off," Doyle chuckled as he walked up
to her.
"Um," Cordelia dodged his attempt to kiss her. "The spikes kind of
make it difficult to kiss you," she reminded him.
"Oh," Doyle reverted to his human face, and grinned at her sheepishly.
"Sorry."
"It's okay," she said, kissing him. "I'm getting used to it," she
shrugged.
Wesley beheaded the last vampire, and said, "That's the last of the
vampires. The soldiers are keeping the rest of them outside."
"Doyle!" Cordelia grabbed for him as she lost her balance again. She
gasped, "I need...a...vacation," as she tried to catch her breath. She
straightened, and said, "We have to get to the doors. There's
something coming inside that we don't want to have to deal with."
"But what about Giles and Willow?" Wesley asked, looking behind him at
the two, who were oblivious to the events around them.
Angel looked over to where Buffy and Charlotte had Adam occupied, and
said, "I think if Cordelia says block the doors, we should block the
doors. I don't see that Adam's an immediate threat to those two."
"I suppose you're right," Wesley said. "Cordelia's visions have always
been accurate in the past." They went to the back door, as the
Initiative appeared to have the front door under control. Doyle and
Wesley dragged a table against it, and Oz said, "Now what?"
"Now we watch and wait," Angel replied. "I'm very sure we haven't seen
the worst of this night yet."
"That's the Angel I remember. Always so optimistic," Cordelia said
sarcastically.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Colorado, 11 pm
"Xander? You haven't said a word since we got in the car," Anya said.
"Thought you were going to sleep," Xander replied.
"I was, but I'm worried about you."
"I'm fine, Anya. I'm just worried about Buffy and Willow. I feel like
I should be there," Xander said. "If something happens to them, I'll
never forgive myself."
"Don't second-guess yourself, Xander. It's pointless. You did what you
needed to do at the time. Sometimes you have to just take care of
yourself," Anya said. "And Buffy and Willow will be fine."
"How do you know that?" Xander asked.
"Xander, Buffy has defeated one Master vampire and that mayor demon
thing. She closed the hellmouth once already. Do you really think that
one human-made demon can defeat her?" Anya returned.
"Well, when you put it that way, it doesn't seem like Adam has a
chance," Xander said with a smile. "Get some sleep, though. I'll need
you to drive in a few hours."
Anya stifled a yawn, and said, "Okay," as she curled up next to
him. "Do you mind?" she asked, half-asleep already.
"Of course not," Xander said, putting his right arm around her. "Sweet
dreams," he added, kissing the top of her head.
*One of us should have them, anyway.*
End of part 7
Charlotte, Doyle, Oz, Willow Giles and Wesley ducked into a side room,
as Forrest and the rest of the Initiative opened fire on Adam and the
other demons. "What the hell are they doing?" Charlotte grumbled.
"..besides getting themselves murdered, that is."
"Well, they interrupted the spell, which means that we have to start
over," Giles sighed.
"That's just fine, so all that stuff the last ten minutes was for
nothing," Charlotte muttered. "I have to get those guys out of here."
As soon as the current round of shooting had stopped, she ran out.
Buffy, Angel and Cordelia had entered, and Buffy was arguing with
Forrest. Adam had disappeared, and Charlotte was not happy about that.
"Stop! You're not doing anything to him," Buffy tried to
explain. "Besides ticking him off and ruining our chances of stopping
him."
"Buffy, you and your little friends need to just get out of our way
and let The Initiative take care of this," Forrest said angrily.
"Why don't you help us, instead of trying to shoot us?" Charlotte
asked. "Where is he, anyway?"
"Uh..." Forrest looked around. "It's all _her_ fault!" he yelled
pointing at Buffy.
"ME?!" Buffy returned. "What did _I_ do?"
"You walked in with these two, and distracted us!" Forrest yelled.
"Guys, you're missing the point," Graham reminded them. "Being the
big, ugly, hybrid demon that we are technically responsible for," he
said to Forrest.
"OWWW!" Cordelia fell to her knees as another vision hit her.
Doyle was by her side, the others having wandered out warily.
"Cordelia, what is it?" he asked, helping her up.
"It's--"
"Look out!" Oz yelled then, and shot an arrow above them, where Adam
was standing on balcony. Everyone scattered, as he jumped to
the ground.
"Keep him away from Giles and Willow," Charlotte hissed. "They're our
only chance."
Oz and Wesley were already ahead of her, standing in front of Giles
and Willow, who were setting up the spell again. Adam, however,
had his back to them, his interest at the moment being the two
Slayers.
"Help us or get out," Buffy said to Forrest.
Graham cut off Forrest's angry retort, saying, "We're all here for the
same reason. What's the deal?"
"Keep him distracted," Charlotte whispered. "You'll see the rest when
it happens."
"Me first," Buffy said, she crouched down to retrieve a sword out of
the bag of weapons that she'd retrieved from her house. "You ruined
my weekend with my boyfriend!" she yelled at Adam. "Not to mention
that you've been a complete pain for longer than I care to think
about."
"Come get me then," Adam taunted.
"Buffy be careful," Angel warned.
"I have no intention of letting this thing stop our happily ever
after," Buffy smiled reassuringly at him. "Just stay back, all of
you, unless I...or Charlie... need your help." She approached Adam
slowly, remembering to stay out of the reach of the poker extension
from his arm. Charlie stayed close by, having an axe in her right
hand.
"I'd rather kill you first anyway," Adam said to Buffy.
"That's cool, cuz that's how I feel about you," she replied.
Willow and Giles started chanting, and Adam heard them and
said, "NOW!" At that moment, a gang of vampires attacked the rest of
the group, entering from side door near Giles and Willow.
One vamp jumped Charlie from behind, and they wrestled as she tried
to avoid his fangs. Angel grabbed him by the neck and threw him off
her, pulling a stake out of his pocket. Then he, Doyle, and Cordelia
ran to help Wesley and Oz protect the two spell-casters.
"Angel, stay clear of Adam," Cordelia warned.
"What did you see, Cordelia?" Doyle asked, dusting a vampire who
charged at him.
"I..." she was distracted by Doyle's yell. He had been overpowered by
a vampiress, infuriated that he had destroyed her mate. "Get off my
man, bitch" Cordelia said, grabbing her by her long brown hair and
pulling her away. The vampiress shrieked in anger, and clawed
Cordelia's arm.
"Hey!" Cordelia yelled, dropping her grip on the creature's hair.
Cordelia punched her in the face, and then pulled a stake out of her
jeans pocket, finishing her off.
"Wow, remind me never to tick you off," Doyle chuckled as he walked up
to her.
"Um," Cordelia dodged his attempt to kiss her. "The spikes kind of
make it difficult to kiss you," she reminded him.
"Oh," Doyle reverted to his human face, and grinned at her sheepishly.
"Sorry."
"It's okay," she said, kissing him. "I'm getting used to it," she
shrugged.
Wesley beheaded the last vampire, and said, "That's the last of the
vampires. The soldiers are keeping the rest of them outside."
"Doyle!" Cordelia grabbed for him as she lost her balance again. She
gasped, "I need...a...vacation," as she tried to catch her breath. She
straightened, and said, "We have to get to the doors. There's
something coming inside that we don't want to have to deal with."
"But what about Giles and Willow?" Wesley asked, looking behind him at
the two, who were oblivious to the events around them.
Angel looked over to where Buffy and Charlotte had Adam occupied, and
said, "I think if Cordelia says block the doors, we should block the
doors. I don't see that Adam's an immediate threat to those two."
"I suppose you're right," Wesley said. "Cordelia's visions have always
been accurate in the past." They went to the back door, as the
Initiative appeared to have the front door under control. Doyle and
Wesley dragged a table against it, and Oz said, "Now what?"
"Now we watch and wait," Angel replied. "I'm very sure we haven't seen
the worst of this night yet."
"That's the Angel I remember. Always so optimistic," Cordelia said
sarcastically.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Colorado, 11 pm
"Xander? You haven't said a word since we got in the car," Anya said.
"Thought you were going to sleep," Xander replied.
"I was, but I'm worried about you."
"I'm fine, Anya. I'm just worried about Buffy and Willow. I feel like
I should be there," Xander said. "If something happens to them, I'll
never forgive myself."
"Don't second-guess yourself, Xander. It's pointless. You did what you
needed to do at the time. Sometimes you have to just take care of
yourself," Anya said. "And Buffy and Willow will be fine."
"How do you know that?" Xander asked.
"Xander, Buffy has defeated one Master vampire and that mayor demon
thing. She closed the hellmouth once already. Do you really think that
one human-made demon can defeat her?" Anya returned.
"Well, when you put it that way, it doesn't seem like Adam has a
chance," Xander said with a smile. "Get some sleep, though. I'll need
you to drive in a few hours."
Anya stifled a yawn, and said, "Okay," as she curled up next to
him. "Do you mind?" she asked, half-asleep already.
"Of course not," Xander said, putting his right arm around her. "Sweet
dreams," he added, kissing the top of her head.
*One of us should have them, anyway.*
End of part 7