Leaves of Grass

It has been a long time coming but here it is the last chapter in my very first fic Leaves of Grass. Well actually there is an epilogue after this which includes a teaser for the next story so technically this is the second to the last chapter. I know that it's been a month since my last posting but real life had caught up with me this month and I had to focus on that and put this story on the back burner. However I was able to find some time this past week and was able to finish the story. So without further ado I present to you the conclusion of Leaves of Grass, there will be no further interruptions.

Adam is lying in bed next to Cassandra. He watches her as her chest rises and falls evenly. Her face is peaceful and unmarked by conscious thought. It is these moments that he had found Cassandra most beautiful. He could remember watching her sleep when she was his slave. Even then he could recognize her beauty; it had taken him three thousand years to be able to see her in this state once again. Carefully moving out of bed Adam leaves the room pausing one moment at the door to look upon Cassandra one more time.

Walking to the den where he keeps all of his accumulated research Adam opens a drawer and pulls out his original notebook that had all of his original research on the prophecy. Opening the notebook he flips the pages until he gets to the point he is looking for. His first complete translation, everything he had shown to Giles and the others. Turning the pages to the end of translation he sees the passage telling of the warrior stopping the beast and closing the passage hell.

Turning the page once more Adam looks upon the passages that he has not shown anyone, the continuation of the prophecy.

"A his return shall be but a dream." Adam reads. "And from that dream he shall fall into the darkness."

Adam replaces the book in the drawer and sits at his desk. Closing his eyes he can remember Hamlet's first soliloquy in the opening scene of act three. To die, to sleep; to sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub. For in that sleep of death what dreams may come when we have shuffled off this mortal coil, must give us pause.

The last passage of the prophecy does just that, give him pause. Pause because it points in a myriad of possible directions. Pause because it refers to the young man he considers as his son. Pause because he doesn't know how to stop it from happening. Pause because he doesn't know if he will be there to catch him before he falls to far into the darkness.

Darkness. It is a word that represents a thousand years of his life. It is a word that represents that eternal sleep of death. It is a word loaded with so much imagery and simile that it could mean anything or nothing at all. Had he made the right decision in keeping this from them? This information would only hamper the greater need of stopping the Awakening. It could possibly cause the death of one of the others and that was something he wants to protect Xander from as long as he can. But what if there was something he had missed? Something that he couldn't possibly foresee? No! Second-guessing is something that will not do anyone any good.

Turning the light off and walking out of the den Adam walks to one of the only windows in the house that is facing east. The first rays of light were beginning to break over the horizon. In the back of his mind he can feel that Cassandra had just woken up. He could feel her concern as she found the bed empty. He could feel as she walks out of the bedroom to stop at the top of the stairs seeing him in front of the window. Looking up he gestures to her to come down.

Walking down the stairs careful not to miss a step in the darkened house she makes her way next to him. His arm drapes itself around her waist pulling her closer to him. She looks out of the window seeing what he sees. The first crest of the sun now slowly rises above the horizon in a blaze of brilliant reds, pinks and oranges. The light reflects off of the stray wisps of clouds only accentuating the beauty of the scene.

Cassandra whispers as they watch the sun rise together, "It makes you pause, doesn't it?"

Adam thinks on the words a moment before responding truthfully, "Yes it does. Yes it does."

They stand like that until the sun is almost completely above the horizon and the sky begins to change to its normal brilliant blue. A new day had begun, full of life and promise. The thousands of citizens of Sunnydale would soon be up and about going on with their lives as they did everyday but they would never know that their entire lives rely on the actions of a handful of people, and the decision of one man. Adam only hoped that his decision was the right one.

...

Xander's eyes slowly open as the first rays of light filter through the blinds hanging from the window. The morning starts just as all the others had started. The sunlight shining through the window, the first sounds of life, the birds chirping, and Faith lying at his side, her head resting lightly on his chest. Her hair spread out like a halo of brown and gold. He feels her breath slightly warming his skin.

He doesn't remember when his hand started stroking her hair, he just knows that it is and it is that simple movement he knows true happiness. He can remember waking up every morning with Faith and feeling this contentment. This morning is different though. This moment is different; this moment Alexander Harris feels a completeness that he had never believed possible. Stroking Faith's hair gently Xander closes his eyes and remembers what had happened when they had arrived home last night.

Xander and Faith had avoided a physical relationship despite the fact that they had already made their feelings known. He loved her and she loved him. His entire life Xander had thought that love was, to quote a song, just a word. A word that he could never, even in his own mind, bring to use in the same sentence as his own name. However he had found that elusive emotion and in a place that he would have never have ever thought of finding it: Faith. Faith the young, rebellious Slayer, the tough girl with the attitude and the power to back it up. His first. It wasn't exactly how he had pictured his first time with a woman but the experience itself was something that would always stay with him.

Last night however what he and Faith had shared was something that would make him all but forget their first time together. Their first time together was a hormone driven, spur of the lust driven moment in their hectic lives atop the Hellmouth. They were still wearing the masks that hid their true feelings and the person behind them back then. But last night would erase all that. For Xander their first time was last night. It was the first time Xander and Faith let go of the façade, dropped all the walls and all the pretense and gave in. For years Xander could remember hiding his feelings, masking them with humor, a mental slight of hand, misdirection and then poof, his true feelings were gone and replacing them is the Xander everyone all knew and loved.

His thoughts are interrupted as he feels Faith's head tilt up. Looking down he can see her sleepy eyes looking up at him, he had never noticed it before but her deep brown eyes had light golden specks. Smiling he realizes that her eyes were probably the best representation of Faith he could ever find. Faith behind the tough and dark front truly shines with a personality and soul that Xander feels privileged to have been one of the few to have seen.

"What are you thinking about?" Faith says seeing Xander's smile. "Last night?"

"I was but right now I'm think how much you can really learn from a person just by looking at their eyes." Xander softly says his hand never stopping stroking her hair.

Her eyes soften and she takes a deep breath closing her eyes. Her face is a contented one as she lightly pushes her ear up against his chest. "You know I fell asleep last night listening to your heartbeat." She says with a small smile. "Thump, thump." She says lightly tapping his chest, "Thump, thump. Steady, sure," she pauses as she relaxes again into him, "comforting, accepting."

"Faith I..." Xander searches for the words that would perfectly describe his and feelings the swirl of images that he can feel in his heart but his mind and tongue fail him. "I..."

"Shhhh. You don't have to say anything Xander. I already know." Faith tells him. "You know that I never thought that I would find this in my life? That I would never be in this place."

"What place would that be?"

"Here, in your arms, not scared, knowing that you will be there when I open my eyes." Faith sighs, her head still resting lightly on his chest.

"If you didn't know that today would possibly be your last day on Earth would last night have happened at all?" The thought had been floating in Xander's head for a while now, was what they shared last night mutual or was it something that only occurred because it could have possibly been their last chance to be together.

"Don't go there Xander. What happened last night would have happened even if the world weren't going to come to an end. You know it and I know it." Faith slides up the bed to come eye to eye with Xander.

Closing his eyes and sighing he tells her, "I know, I just needed to hear you say it. Everything in my life I've had to work for, nothing has ever come easy, accept for now. I was wondering what did I do to deserve this."

"I think we're finally being rewarded for a tough life."

"You think so?"

"Yeah. Xander, no matter what happens I want you to know that right now is the happiest I've ever been and if I die today I'm going to die knowing that someone loves me and that..."

"You're not going to die alone?" He finishes for her. Looking at him she nods. He continues, "For the longest time the thing I was most afraid of was dying alone, nice to know that isn't going to happen now."

"Xander, if we beat this thing tonight, promise to me that you wont leave me. Promise me that you're going to be there."

"Hey, what did I tell you? You won't be alone anymore, I promise." He pulls her close to him once again, a movement that is both inviting and comforting.

Her head tucked in beneath his chin she says, "I'm so afraid that I might loose you just when I finally found you."

"You won't." He says sitting up and lifting up Faith as well in the process. He points at the window and says to her, "See everything out there? See that?"

"What?"

"The world. We got a whole world to explore together Faith and I'm not about to let anyone take that chance at happiness away from me, I'm not about to let anyone take you away from me."

"Hold me." She tells him mirroring the words she had said to him so long ago. Only this time she loved him, only this time he didn't have to let go.

...

The only light in the Master's lair is provided by the tongues of flame burning on the torches on the walls. The Master is on the floor drawing the symbols he needs for the ritual. Using the blood of his victims he draws a large circle with five smaller concentric circles inside. As the dirt and dust soaks up the blood the colors and the geometric shapes remind him of the Indian sand paintings. Drawing a short line he makes another circle, smaller this time, and draws three concentric inside. Moving to the side the Master does the same mirroring what he has done on the other side of the first circle.

He begins to place torches around the design on the floor, nine in all forming a circle. Stepping away he looks back on his work with a smile. Everything is as it should be, just as it was two thousand years ago. Closing his eyes he remembers the dimly lit temple at sundown. The bodies of the priests and patrons he killed to have the freedom to complete his ritual unabated, he can remember it all as if it were yesterday.

Walking behind the designs and to the altar the Master adjusts the small cauldron. Next to the cauldron are the various ingredients that he needs for his plan to work. Among the ingredients are the eyes and tongues of the young women he had killed. Assuring that everything is in place the Master walks back to his chair to prepare himself for sundown.

...

Willow sits in class for once not paying attention to the professor and his lecture. Instead she is glancing at her watch every five minutes. As the professor continues to babble on about double and triple integrals Willow can only think of the nearby site that she must visit today, the site that could possibly hold the ritual and house the coming of the end of the world.

The words of the professor are drowned out in her head as she looks around at her classmates, each of them not knowing what will transpire hours from now. She is saddened that each one of the people in her class weren't privy to the knowledge that she has, otherwise they too would have spent last night or even today spending time with their loved ones. Willow looks around and see that it is up to her and her friends to make sure that these people will have that chance to see their friends and loved ones again.

Seeing that the professor had finished with the lecture and was writing down the homework assignment on the overhead. Jotting down the assignment Willow puts her notebook into her backpack and makes her way to the doors.

...

Riley is trying to focus on the stack of papers sitting in front of him. As a TA his main job to teach and grade the papers of his discussion groups. As an ex-covert-ops soldier part of a secret branch of the United States military designed specifically to combat supernatural occurrences, Riley can only think about going to the location he had picked out last night.

Looking at the papers he could care less what his students really thought about Jungian analysis, after awhile the papers all started to look the same. The body of the papers all had the same points and it was once in a great while where he would see a truly stellar paper that went the extra mile to explain the procedures and the thought behind them. He would usually at least give his students the benefit of the doubt and set the bar fairly low. However today Riley was in a less forgiving mood.

His students were now working on dream analysis. Dreams. For Jung the symbolism found in dreams form the basis of analytical psychology. Dreams and the understanding of the creative process point to the typical modes of expression forming the base psychic patterns common to human being as a whole. But if he and his friends were not able to stop the ritual before sundown the dreams that all his students have written about would amount to nothing. Hopes and actions only accounted for by the unconscious lost. Nothing.

Maybe just maybe if he graded their papers just a little harder, instead of analyzing their dreams he would force them to go out and try to realize them. Maybe then they wouldn't have any dreams that would die with them when the end of the world came.

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath he pushes the papers to the side. Looking out his window he sees that it is overcast today. Getting up from his desk he walks over to the coat hanger on his wall and pulls on his jacket. Walking over to his desk and opening a drawer he pulls out a piece of paper that he wrote down the address of his destination.

Turning to walk out of his office he thinks that if they are successful tonight, then his students will have more than enough time to realize their dreams instead of analyzing them.

...

"Grande white chocolate mocha, extra hot." Buffy tells the barrista. Upon arriving at her location she found that the entire site had been built upon and a Starbucks now stands on the lot. Not one to pass up the opportunity for a good cup of coffee Buffy decided to make the best of the situation.

Handing the barrista her cash for the drink she walks off around the coffeehouse to see if there were any potential places the ritual could possibly take place. The Starbucks isn't that far from campus and she can see the multitudes of students with their books on the tables or on their laps as they sit on the various couches and chairs inside.

There was no way that the ritual could be taking place at this site Buffy thinks to herself. Too many people were in the area and somebody would have noticed a guy carrying around missing body parts. At least she hoped so. When her order was called at the espresso bar she walked over to it grabbed a sleeve and began to walk around the premise casually. There had to be at least ten people inside the building at all times, customers and workers together. There were no stairs that lead up or down and the only back rooms were storage and restrooms.

Walking out of the store Buffy is able to relax just a bit more. That was one possible location crossed off. Looking at her watch she sees that it is only eleven o'clock. Hopefully the others have already visited their sites or were on their way to visit them, if that was the case they should be able to find the place long before sundown and save the world with time to spare. In the back of her mind though Buffy knew that the chances of that happening were very unlikely. If living on the Hellmouth had taught her anything it was to never take anything for granted.

Sipping her coffee she reflects on all the small things that she now finds so endearing. Spending time with her friends. Arguing with Giles just to see him get flustered. Spending time with Riley, even just going to school. The life of a Slayer is a short one and she plans on making the most of the life that she has. She had survived the Master, Collin, The Mayor, The Ascension and countless other things she would be damned if she is going to let this thing beat her. She still had her life to live.

...

Cassandra is sitting on the outdoor patio of a restaurant surveying the square surrounding the location she had chosen last night. The square is surrounded by a multitude of little stores, a flower shop, an antique dealership, a vintage clothing store and a small market with fresh fruits. The square is wide open and there are many entrances and exits. In the direct center of the square is a fountain shooting water up to ten feet into the air above a post-modern bronze statue. Logistically the square was large enough for the ritual, but it was too open, too susceptible to attack and the fountain in the middle would be an impedance for the placement of the ritual.

Sipping her green peach tea Cassandra looks at the people as they walk around the square. Small children running around their mothers not too far behind, mothers with strollers walking with their babies despite the cool weather. Men in suits walking from a nearby business for lunch no doubt. Cassandra sits back and smiles. One of her favorite pastimes is to sit and people watch.

As people walk by she would be able to tell small little things about them. The way they walk, the way the hold themselves, their voices, their facial expressions and if one would walk close by she would be able to feel the emotions that they were feeling that instant. Anxieties, apprehension, happiness, worry, sadness, elation and a numerous amount of the shades in between.

If there was one thing that Cassandra would miss other than the close circle of friends she has established over the years, it would be just being able to watch people as they go on with their daily routines. The sound of laughter and squealing draws her attention back to the fountain where she can see to small children, a boy and a girl are playing with the water. The girl squeals with laughter again as the boy playfully splashes the girl once more. The laughter grows even louder when the girl begins to splash the boy as well. The sight brings a smile of Cassandra's face watching the innocence of the to youths. Closing her eyes and reaching out to them she can feel no malice, no bad intentions, no anger, just pure happiness and contentment with that moment. Content playing with the water, content being splashed despite being wet, and content with just being alive.

Cassandra's smile turns into a chuckle as the boy showing off his amazing skills of balance falls into the fountain and submerges himself into the water. Coming out of the fountain he looks like a wet dog, his hair hanging below his eyes and water dripping off of him. The young girl shares Cassandra's reaction as she points at him and laughs. Her laughter turns into squeals once again as the boy pulls her into a bear hug drenching her with water as well.

Waving to the waiter to bring her bill Cassandra looks upon the children once more. They have something that was taken from her at an early age by the harsh times. Innocence. Innocence to laugh. Innocence to live life without any qualms or worries. Things that were taken from her first by the harsh environment that was the desert of the Bronze Age, then again when the Horsemen tore through the desert destroying her people. A wry smile plays across her lips as she thinks of how it was a horseman that had allowed her to find part of that lost innocence. The irony of her situation never ceases to amaze her. As she counts off the amount of cash for her bill she looks at the children now being scolded by their respective mothers. She may have lost her innocence at an early age, but she is only now finding it once again. Looking at the children Cassandra knows that in order to preserve their innocence she and the others will have to stop the ritual tonight and to do that she is willing to give up her own once again.

...

Tara can see that her search is going nowhere fast. She had spent the better part of an hour looking around the premise of the church she had chosen last night. She had been walking around the building looking at the entire lot. The garden outside, hedges neatly trimmed. Small statues kept clean over the years by the priests who rotate into the parish every so often. But the priests have been far and few in between the ones that have remained, or rather the ones still alive have tried to keep the garden clean and presentable.

The gravel path she walks on crunches beneath her feet. The walls surrounding the church are overgrown with dark ivy giving the illusion of nature's protection. Following the path to the front of the church Tara walks through the open doors into the church. She is greeted by a smell that she remembers from her youth. A faint sense of lingering incense and smell of the wood pews almost overwhelm her.

Walking down one of the isles her hand passes lightly over the tops of the pews. Pausing at one of the pews she reaches down and pulls up a book of hymns. She flips through the pages seeing the notes and words on the page all of them praising God and all his glory. God has not abandoned this town. Not by a long shot, the fact that Buffy and the rest were here fighting against all that is evil, but it would take God's help if they are going to stop the Awakening.

Walking around the outer walls of the church she looks upon the Stations of the Cross as she passes each. Each one showing a scene as Jesus is led to his death on the cross. Each a symbol of the pain and suffering he had endured as he carried the cross to the place where he would undoubtedly die. She stops and lingers at the station of Jesus' crucifixion.

"We're lucky for that one." The voice behind her startles her. Turning quickly she sees that one of the priests, dressed in the traditional white collar and black had come to stand next to her.

"Excuse me?" She asks the priest, unsure of the meaning behind his statement.

"The crucifixion. We're lucky that had happened." He says with an enigmatic smile.

"I'm not sure I understand where you are going with this. Each station shows Jesus suffering and in pain. How is that lucky?"

"I thought as much." The priest answers mostly to himself.

"Thought what?"

"When I saw you walking around the garden it seemed like you were looking for something. I was right, you were looking for understanding."

"Understanding of what?" Was this priest responsible for the murders she thinks to herself.

"Of the church. I could tell you didn't go here. I didn't recognize you from any of the other parishioners." He answers her unsaid question. The priest points to the stations and then the station of Jesus' crucifixion. "Yes Jesus felt pain, yes Jesus suffered but Jesus did it to sacrifice himself. He sacrificed himself to save the rest of the world. You see it's not about the pain or the suffering its about willingly sacrificing yourself for the greater good. If Jesus could do it what is stopping you?"

Nodding in understanding Tara says, "I think I understand now, thank you."

"Don't worry about it young lady. I'll be outside in the garden if you have anymore questions." The priest tells her before turning and leaving.

Sitting down in one of the pews Tara looks up at the statue of Jesus hanging on the crucifixion. Sacrifice. The priest's words hit home. Willow, Riley, herself, their lives never even dependant on Slaying or stopping vampires. But time and time again Tara is able to see the things that they do to help Buffy and Giles with their quest. Tara is able to see the sacrifices they make on a daily basis, the chance at a normal life, school, and a personal life just so the forces of darkness and evil would take over the world.

Standing up and walking towards the doors she had entered through Tara glances once more at the Station of the Cross where Jesus is crucified. Sacrifice. Is she ready to sacrifice herself to save the world? Thinking about her friends and the brave choices they make everyday Tara is able to answer her own question. Walking a little taller as she leaves the church Tara knows that if it came down to it she would sacrifice herself over and over again if it meant saving the world and her friends.

...

Joyce Summers is walking down the sidewalk back to her gallery. Walking next to her is Rupert Giles, father figure to her daughter, friend, protector and now lover. Looking at him as they walk together from the church they had chosen to visit the night before Joyce realizes that Rupert has been more of a husband than Hank Summer ever was.

She can that he is worried that they didn't find anything at the church they had spent a good hour searching through the building, looking for anything that could hold the ritual he is so worried about but came up with nothing.

"You shouldn't furrow your brow like that Rupert it doesn't suit you." She says as they walk.

Giles was looking down at the sidewalk intently as if he was looking for something, in actuality he is trying to think if he could have missed something. So when Joyce had finished her question naturally he didn't have any idea of what she said. "Pardon."

"When you think like that, you tend to hunch over and furrow your brow. It's a throw back to your cave man ancestry."

Quickly straightening his posture Giles replies, "Well you see it's just that we didn't find anything at the church and I was going over the layout in my head, perhaps we missed something a door, or a secret passage through a confessional..."

"You're babbling Rupert." Joyce tells him. "We went over every inch of that church, if there was something to be found we would have found it. The others are going to meet at the shop in an hour, one of the them had to have found something."

"You're right Joyce, it's just that I was hoping to, what I'm trying to say is..."

"That you wanted to find the site and put an end to the ritual yourself?"

"Exactly, that way the others wouldn't have to be put in danger." Giles says finally able to put his thoughts together.

"And if you are out numbered twenty to one and you die before you can tell the others where you are?"

"Well if that was the case then I would have let the others help deal with the situation."

"Rupert whether you like it or not you can't keep taking risks like you used to do." Joyce tells him as she reaches for his hand. "You have someone who cares for you deeply and if anything happened to you that person would be lost."

Giles squeezes Joyce's hand. "I know Joyce but I already told you that what I do is inherently dangerous." Giles pauses and looks over to Joyce, "But I will try to keep myself out of too much trouble for your sake."

Smiling Joyce answers, "I care for your safety a great deal Rupert but I wasn't talking about myself."

"Then who?"

"Buffy."

"Buffy?"

"Yes, Buffy. Like it or not you are the closest thing she has to a father. If you were killed or harmed in anyway and if she wasn't able to help prevent it Buffy would fall apart."

Giles contemplates Joyce's words. His relationship with Buffy had indeed evolved past that of a Watcher and Slayer. Indeed he had been there for watch her grow and blossom into a young woman. He had been there for every major point in her life. Every tragedy and every triumph he had been there for support and celebration.

"Buffy is a strong young woman Joyce, she takes after her mother. But I seriously doubt that she would fall apart on my account."

"You didn't see her after my divorce from Hank. I thought that Buffy would starve herself to death if I didn't force her to eat. Rupert you are more of a father to Buffy than Hank ever was. If you die or something was to happen to you...I don't think that Buffy will be able to live through loosing a father again."

Giles stands there soaking in the words he had just heard. After a short pause he says, "Joyce I am not a young man anymore. I had thought that I was past the point in my life where I would have the chance to raise a family of my own. Buffy has given me that chance, to have a family, to be a father. Now you have come into my life and..."

"Now you have a second chance?"

Startled from hearing his thoughts being voiced by Joyce he says, "How did you know?"

"Rupert you think you are the only one that has been given a second chance here? Buffy was given a second chance at being a daughter and I have been given a second chance to be with someone. After arriving here in Sunnydale I had resigned myself to a life of watching my daughter grow up and away from me. Now I have someone to watch Buffy and to possibly grow old with."

"I guess we've all been given a second chance at life haven't we? Faith, Xander, Buffy, Willow, Tara and now us." Giles pauses in thought thinking of how to put his next words. "But now it seems that someone is trying to take it all away."

"Trying Rupert, trying. That's why the others are trying their best to put an end to this before it can take anything away from anyone."

"But we only get one chance at this Joyce. We miss that chance and the whole world suffers."

"That's right Giles, WE only get one chance at this, not you, WE. Just because you didn't find the site for the ritual doesn't automatically mean the world will end. One of the others has probably found it already and when we all meet at the shop we'll know exactly where to go and what we have to do."

"You're right Joyce." He answers her his hand pushing a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "Let's just hope that we will have more time to make the most of our second chance."

Nodding Joyce and Giles continue to walk down the street towards her gallery. It is a street that she knows well. She can name every shop owner and she can tell you the details of their lives. She can recite the names of their children, their hopes, their dreams and everything in between. The man she walks down the street with can say the same for her. He knows her hopes, dreams and fears. She has been given a second chance at a happy life and she will do everything she can to make that last.

...

Adam is not in a good mood. He had gone through that damn church nearly four times, and each time he came up with nothing. He was hoping to find the location of the ritual today without the others so he could deal with the situation expediently with the explosives he had in the trunk of his car. However that was not the case and he was now on his way to meet the others to see which one of them had found the correct location.

Parking his car he recognizes several cars belonging to the others. Stepping out of his car and walking to the entrance Adam can see through the window that all of them are waiting inside. Walking up to the door and pulling it open Adam walks inside. Xander is the first to speak.

"So what's the plan Adam?"

"Plan?" Adam says confused.

"Yeah, you know entrances and exits, targets and all that good stuff." Buffy says.

"I know what a plan is." Adam says slightly irritated.

"Then tell us what your plan is." Xander says.

"To say that I have a plan would imply that I know where the ritual is taking place. Since I don't and one of you undoubtedly does I cannot come up with a plan until one of you tells me where the damn ritual is taking place." Adam is momentarily pleased with the silent reaction he is getting from the group. That is until he sees their collective expressions. They range from shock, worry and confusion. Afraid of the answer Adam asks, "What's wrong?"

"Adam, you don't know where the ritual is taking place?" Xander says all humor and jest gone from his voice.

"No, my site was a bust." He looks from Xander to Cassandra to Faith. Each of them holds a very somber look. Looking at Giles and Joyce he sees a shared look of worry and fear. The others, Willow, Tara, Riley and Buffy have a look of confusion.

"Your site can't be a bust." Buffy tells him almost sounding desperate.

"It was. I'm sorry but the ritual isn't going to take place at that church."

Cassandra quiet until now says, "Adam we have been waiting here for the past half hour. Every time one of us walked through that door the first thing that we asked them is 'did you find it?' Every time each one of said no."

"Xander and me were the last ones to arrive before you. Our two sites turned up empty. So we all just assumed that being the only one not here that your site had to be the one."

"So we are back to where we were last night? No leads, no direction?"

"Unfortunately yes." Giles answers. "Perhaps one of us missed something?"

The chorus of protests and explanations the hit him at once. The garbled noise is enough to give Giles a headache. Holding up his hand to silence them he says, "Enough!" Removing his glasses and rubbing the bridge of his nose he continues, "Obviously we missed something, now what we need to do is find out just what it was we missed."

"I agree." Adam replies.

"Where do we start?" Faith asks them.

"Research." Giles answers.

"But we only have three hours to sundown!" Riley exclaims.

"Then we'll have to find the answer in less than that wont we?" Adam tells him.

The group finds seats inside the shop as Giles begins to hand out books. The tension in the room is almost tangible as the sounds of turning pages and pens scribbling down notes fill the room.

...

The Master is sitting on his chair, eyes closed, head tilted back to face the ceiling. Through his closed eyes he can see as the planets move along their slow elliptical paths to a point where they will ultimately bring him the power he has thirsted for his entire existence.

He can picture the moons of Jupiter the last pieces of his galactic puzzle box sliding ever so slowly into place. Ganymede the cupbearer of the Gods moves silently into place, ironic now that the large moon is now the cupbearer for his ascension into god-hood. The last piece that he can see falling into place is Ananke, goddess of fate. How poetic it is to the Master seeing that the moon named after the goddess of fate shall oversee his transition.

Even now he can feel the rumblings of power beginning to draw themselves to the underground cavern. He can feel the palpitations of the Hellmouth's resistance to move from it's anchored spot. They have been growing in power and intensity as the two moons move ever closer to their destinations. Flashes of energy fill him with a taste of the power that awaits him. His pulse beats louder and louder in his ears as his blood reacts to the familiar sensation he had felt so long ago. His body craves for the power, his blood sings for it, and his mind wishes to embrace it.

His mind begins to backtrack to the last time he had attempted to release the power of the Hellmouth. He was so close that day but one small mistake had cost him terribly. He could feel the power coursing through him, his nerves trembling with raw power, but as soon as he had felt it enter him it quickly was pulled away. He could remember his throat becoming hoarse and feeling the tissues within tear and bleed with the force of his scream. NOOOOOOO!!! He was so close, he could feel the power taking him but it was stripped from him leaving him empty and worthless. So close. It was then that the sky turned black and the sky began to rain down smoldering debris burning those who touched it to the bone.

By the time his healing had allowed him to recover from the ordeal of the ritual he could see the billowing cloud floating its way casually down the side of the mountain with deadly intent. He knew he had triggered something and that he needed to get out of the temple and to the docks as soon as possible. Outside a fine layer of ash had begun to cover all that was exposed to the elements. Breathing in the air he could feel his lungs burn and the smell in the town was becoming stronger and stronger and the cloud continued to roll down the mountain.

Running as fast as his legs could take him he ran to the docks. He ran past the buildings, the people walking through the streets not caring who he knocked over, who he hurt. He just ran, he didn't tell anyone of his responsibility for the cloud of smoke and fire that continues to descend on the town. He is at the docks when the cloud consumes the edge of the town, buildings and blocks vanish within the cloud. The searing heat from the cloud extends far beyond the reach of the cloud itself as unassuming people feel their flesh melt off of their bones as their blood boils within their own bodies. They are the lucky ones who die quickly, the ones who are trapped inside or protected from the heat are the ones who will suffer, being buried by the ash slowly as the fumes from the cloud kill them slowly. Causing them to pass out and be buried alive by the ash.

He launches himself from the docks and into the warm salty water of the ocean. As his body breaks the surface of the water he can feel the great heat nip at his heels. It was at that moment he was able to recall one of the lessons he had learned from his teacher before he killed him. The ocean is salty, it is for that reason the waters of the ocean will never freeze. His teacher was right, the salt prevented the ocean from freezing. But it didn't prevent the ocean from boiling. As the heat from the cloud reaches the water instantly a layer is vaporized into the atmosphere. The heat excites the water like a wave pushing downward claiming his body with excruciating pain.

Pain was his reward for failure. Pain was his reward for not completing his task and pain was a reminder that next time failure would not be an option. His opening his eyes he can see the water around turn red as his blood flows from his nose, ears and fingernails as they tear off from the heat. His vision too fades as the tissues of his eyes begin to succumb to the heat.

His eyes opens and once again he is greeted by the cool interior of the underground cavern. Looking down at his hand he sees his finger nails long since re-grown. Failure. Looking at the design he had drawn on the ground he knows that this time there will be no failures. This time he will finish what he had started so long ago. This time there will be no stopping him.

...

"Are you sure that you calculated the distance correctly?" Adam asks Giles for the fourth time.

Frustrated Giles answers, "For the fourth time, yes! After Willow went over it the first time I thought that you would have thought that I was correct. After Cassandra went over the calculations and confirmed that they were right you seemed to accept that. But after YOU went over the calculations the third time and saw that they were right I thought you would have shut up and accepted that they were in fact correct. So, WHY ARE YOU ASKING ME AGAIN!" He screams at him.

"BECAUSE THAT IS ALL THAT I CAN BLOODY THINK IS WRONG!" Adam screams back at him. The frustration that the entire group is feeling is coming to a point with Adam's exclamations.

"HEY!" Faith yells over the both of them. "Arguing at this point would be useless!"

"Not to mention counter productive." Cassandra adds as she continues to read from her book.

"Completely." Joyce adds.

"Thank you from the peanut gallery." Adam says sarcastically.

"Well at least the peanut gallery is still researching." Buffy rebukes.

"And what good is that doing us? We are less than half an hour away from sundown, in thirty minutes the world will witness the beginning of the end. So you tell me what your research is going to get you in thirty minutes."

Xander trying to be the voice of reason asks him, "Adam, how can you be sure that the calculations are wrong?"

"I've been through these books with Giles probably four or five times. You are not going to find in two hours what took us two weeks."

"But you went over the calculations yourself, even you said that they were correct." Xander tells him.

"I know but we are missing something. I know it." Adam tells them.

"Then why don't we go over it again just to make sure?" Giles says finally acquiescing if only to try to push forward in their search for an answer.

Faith decides to help Xander and play the peacemaker. "Well what do we know about the calculations?"

Giles answers, "When the planets get into a certain formation the Hellmouth becomes unanchored and it resurfaces at a equidistant location from the center."

"So we know it moves off center, so how do we know how far it goes?" Cassandra asks.

"According to the passage that Joyce had found two moons of Jupiter will slide into place and their distance from the Earth's moon will give you the distance the Hellmouth will move from center."

"Okay now we have gone over the calculation three times we all agree that the Hellmouth will move somewhere four miles off center."

"So what are we missing? We all went to a possible site for the ritual right?" Tara asks

"Could the center of the Hellmouth be moved into the air? I mean we've been looking at this from a two dimensional point of view. In three dimensional world the circle becomes a sphere." Willow says to them.

"No the ritual requires a symbol of some sort to focus the energy on, it would be to difficult to have the symbol in the air. That plus the passage doesn't mention anything about three dimensions, just two, it says it will be a circle off center." Giles quickly dismisses Willow's thought.

"So the symbol has to drawn on the ground?" Buffy asks.

"Yes, it should be placed at the exact point where the Hellmouth will resurface. That's why I was able to come up with that list last night."

"What made those places special?" Riley questions the Watcher.

"The open spaces, the easy access and the fact that it was easy to get to the direct center of the Hellmouth."

"We can all attest to that." Cassandra says, "My site was a open square of a sorts, but it is too open making it hard to defend an attack if they knew someone is trying to stop the ritual. And definitely too open for someone to not notice a man with missing body parts drawing a symbol on the ground."

"I think that was the case for all of our sites." Riley says. "Either the space is too open or too public for anyone not to notice anything."

"So what are we missing? Where can we find the ritual?" Willow asks the assembled group.

"I know I checked every crack in the floor at my location." Riley says defending himself.

Sighing Adam answers, "As did I, as did we all. But still leaves us without the whereabouts of our mystery man and his ritual."

"Why can't all bad guys be like the Master? I mean he was easy enough to find." Buffy says out loud mostly to herself.

For Buffy and the others the statement falls to the wayside another statement of sarcasm that has come to be expected from blonde Slayer. For Xander however it is a lightning bolt of realization and with that realization he says the only word that he can coherently form.

"Shit."

Faith concerned by Xander's reaction asks, "Xander? You okay?"

Xander's eyes grow wide, as he looks side to side at something that isn't there as if he trying to take in something the rest cannot see. "SHIT!"

Xander bolts upright and moves behind the counter. Tearing open one of the drawers he digs items out in search for what he is looking for. Another drawer is opened and its contents join the rest of the other drawer's contents on the floor. He continues to pour through the drawers until he finds what he is looking for.

Giles seeing the mess he is making says, "What are you thinking Xander?"

With the item he was looking for in his hand he walks back to the table and gestures for the others to look at what he has. Unfolding the piece of paper he is holding they all see it is the map from last night with the circle designating the search area.

Pointing at the center of the map Xander turns to Giles and asks him, "This is where the Hellmouth is normally located correct?"

"Yes, that is the exact location of the library." Giles answers.

"Wrong! That is what we've been missing! The library isn't the direct center of the Hellmouth!"

Giles pales as he realizes his mistake, "My word, you're right it isn't."

"Then where is it?" Riley asks not liking where the conversation is going.

Xander turns to him and tells him, "It's about a hundred feet directly below the library. The ritual is going to be held underground." Xander looks at the clock on the wall and sees that time is quickly ticking away. They need to find the ritual before it is too late.

...

The Master can feel a slight tremor as the Hellmouth is slowly loosing its battle versus the celestial bodies above. He can almost see the last tendrils of energy anchoring the Hellmouth to its position stretch and tear as the planets above continue to pull it away. As the last tethers holding the portal in place begin to snap that amount of energy flowing within the cavern continues to rise. He needs to prepare the ritual now or he will miss his opportunity yet again.

"Keith! Aaron!" He barks out. "Prepare the sacrifices and the ritual, when you are done prepare yourselves for your parts and wait within the circle I have drawn for you."

The two Immortals scurry to fulfill the Master's wish. They had noticed a subtle change in the demeanor of the Master over the past few hours. His usually calm and cool composure had slowly melted away to reveal apprehension and an edginess that they had never before seen. His eyes, when they were open, were wide scanning the room searching for something, sometimes he would find it and would stare at it for long periods of time before closing his eyes and muttering to himself.

Aaron though shaken by the change did not voice his opinion, the Master has his reasons for everything and opposing him now would be a mistake. The Master is no longer a reasonable being, he had gone past the point of no return and all that matters now is his quest. Aaron believes in the Master and will follow him on the same path, no matter where it leads. The Master had promised them power and he believes that the Master will deliver.

...

"Willow, do you think that you can find a geological survey of Sunnydale on the net?" Adam asks.

"I can try. Give me a sec." Willow responds as she opens up her laptop and plugs it into the wall jack that Giles uses for the credit card machine. The tones of her modem fill the room momentarily and then quickly die out as her connection to the internet is established.

"If I remember correctly a survey of the town was completed two years ago." Giles tells her.

"Yeah I remember, they were pretty surprised to find that underground chamber underneath the school." Willow says as her fingers type away at the keyboard. The images on the screen show that she is traversing City Hall's web page.

"Good job Willow you're into City Hall!" Buffy says to her.

"Not really it's just their web page." Tara tell her.

"But you can access their intranet through the web page so with a few code crunching programs here and...presto! You're inside City Hall's main server." Willow says with a smile.

"Great job Willow. Now can you pull up the map?" Xander asks her.

"I'll try to find it. It's probably in some kind of CAD format it might take a second or two." She replies.

"Not too long I hope, time is of the essence." Giles says.

"Let the woman work." Cassandra scolds them. "Nagging her won't make her work faster."

"Thanks Cassandra." Willow says as her search finally pulls up a hit. "I think I have it." She says as she opens the file.

Joyce leans in and asks her, "Can you zoom in on the section that we searched?"

"Sure." The picture enlarges and re-centers on the site where Sunnydale High School's library once stood. The surrounding area is outlined in blues, greens and reds.

"What does the color code mean?" Faith asks from behind her.

"The blue is for the higher levels, hills and stuff. The greens represent sea level, which covers most of the area. The reds show anything below that, the brighter the red, the lower."

"So this area in the center is the Master's old lair?" Buffy asks pointing at the map.

"Yes." Willow answers

"Then that area over there on the left is where the ritual has to be." Faith says.

"I would assume so." Giles says.

"Which site is that? Who was the one that checked it out?" Adam asks.

"It's the old burned down church. No one looked at the site. Since it was burned down we dismissed it as a site." Riley tells him.

"We can get there in five minutes. How do we get under the church?" Xander asks.

Willow studies the screen as it pans up and then left. "Here. There is a passage that leads from the cemetery to the church. Its all underground."

"Well what are we waiting for let's go!" Xander says as he and Faith are out of the door. Adam and Cassandra quickly follow.

The rest of the room gets up to leave with Giles and Joyce the last ones left in the room. "Joyce I think you should head home it would be safer for you if..."

"Safer! If I am going to die I want to die with my daughter! I want to die with my family near! That means you, Buffy and me! I am not about to go to my death alone!"

"Joyce I just want you to be safe."

"I'll feel safe if I'm near you. Now lets go."

"Very well. Let's follow them."

...

Close, so very close. The Master can feel the power beginning to course through his veins. Keith and Aaron are standing in the circles he had drawn for them. The cauldron was now ready for the sacrifices. One by one he opens the jars and pours their contents into the boiling liquid. As they touch the surface of the liquid the reaction is almost instantaneous.

The three inhabitants of the cavern can see the ethereal smoke rise from the cauldron. Like the mist that rises from the headless body of a fallen opponent the smoke travels around the cavern and surrounds them. The smoke tries to touch them as if trying to find if it is trying to discover if the beings in its presence are worthy of what it will give. As if the smoke approves of the vessels before it, the smoke goes straight up and begins to circle them above their heads.

...

As the small caravan pulls up to the cemetery the occupants within each car prepare themselves for battle. Buffy and Faith check their stakes, the Immortals finger their swords, Riley checks and then rechecks his weaponry and Tara and Willow go through the exercises shown to them by Cassandra.

Giles hands Joyce a cross and a stake. "Use the cross to keep the vampires at bay, if you have a chance push this through their heart." He tells her gesturing with the stake. Seeing that she is scared he quickly adds, "Don't worry I'm going to be there with you, but just in case I wanted you to know how to defend yourself."

...

Jonathan is sitting waiting for the time when the warriors will attack the entrance to the Master's lair. Unconsciously trying to flex his missing hand he turns to the last of his brood.

"Leave this place. I will deal with the mortals. Now go." The assembled vampires are hesitant to leave their leader alone to deal with the mortal warriors especially in his weakened condition. Seeing this Jonathan sighs, "You're loyalty is appreciated but unneeded. Now go."

Reluctantly the other vampires leave. Closing his eyes Jonathan can no longer feel his brood close by and smiles as he hears the sound of a car, no many cars pull up to the cemetery. He can feel the power emanating from the group. He can feel the Slayer, stronger this time for some reason and he can feel the presence of both the man who had taken his hand and the young man plus one other. He can see them rushing over to his location looking for the second entrance to the Master's lair no doubt. Just as they are about to reach his position he walks out from the shadows. The group comes to a sudden stop.

The sound of metal sliding against metal greets him as one of them, the one who had taken his hand steps forward with his sword raised and ready.

"Good, I was wondering where you had run off to. Saves me the trouble of finding you later."

"Kill me now and you'll never find the entrance to the Master's lair."

"The Master? I killed him years ago." Buffy states.

"Not the vampire master, the Master is like them." He points to Xander and Adam with his useless stump.

"Like us?" Adam asks.

"Yes."

"Look I hate to break up this tea party but where is the entrance?"

"Through that crypt, the second and third drawers are actually a door. Open it and the tunnel will lead you right to them."

"Them?" Riley asks.

"His lackeys are in there as well."

"What are we waiting for? Let's go! We only have a few minutes left!" Willow exclaims.

"How do we know he's not lying to us, what if it's a trap?" Faith says eyeing the vampire.

"You'll just have to trust me then wont you? If your red-headed friend is telling you the truth then you don't have the time to waste on me or my supposed plans." Jonathan says with a smile.

Giles grits his teeth before replying, "He's right, we don't have the time. We'll just have to trust him."

Bowing slightly Jonathan says to them, "Good luck to you all, until next time." With those words Jonathan disappears into the shadows. His plan of action is sound, either attack them and die or let them attack the Master who was more than likely planning to kill him anyway. For Jonathan it is a win-win situation. Should they survive he would live long enough to exact his revenge, should they die it is one less thing for him to worry about.

Back inside of the crypt Giles is in front of the drawers that Jonathan had pointed out. "Well lets see here, there must be a seam or a hinge of some sort if this is a door." He says feeling around the drawers.

Buffy gently pushes Giles out of the way, "We don't have the time to look for the quiet way in, Faith?" Buffy asks the other Slayer. Nodding the other Slayer stands next to Buffy and readies herself as does Buffy.

"One three?" Faith asks.

Nodding she tells her, "On three."

"One. Two. THREE!" Buffy counts out and on three both let out with powerful sidekicks hitting the supposed door at the same time. The door creaks and protests against the force of the strike as the door bends at the point where they struck it. The door is rips off of its hinges and lands with a loud crash just inside of the long hallway.

"Well yes, I suppose that would be the most expedient way inside." Giles says sarcastically, "But unfortunately you two just alerted them to our arrival."

"We don't have the time to worry about that now." Xander says hefting his sword and stepping through the opening.

"He's right, we need to get in there right now." Riley says.

"These are for you two," He tells Faith and Buffy pulling out a Roman Gladius for each of them, they both take the swords and nod their approval. "Okay everybody watch your heads, keep low and once inside expect the worst." Adam tells them as he Cassandra and Faith follow Xander into the passage.

...

Inside of the chamber the three figures standing within hear a loud crash. Keith makes a move to go and investigate but a restraining hand from the Master stops him.

"You leave this circle and you forfeit all that I have promised to you." The Master tells him with a glare. Keith hesitates for a moment and then nods re-sheathing his sword standing once again in the middle of the circle. "It doesn't matter anyway Keith, they will be too late to stop us."

The sounds of approaching footsteps echo within the enclosed chamber. The sounds becoming louder and louder as the group approaches the main chamber. But for the Master it is too little too late. "Prepare yourselves." He tells Keith and Aaron simply. Like robots unable to disobey their master the two men snap to attention, backs facing the Master.

The Master looks at them and quietly lifts his sword. "Now you shall finally be rewarded for your dedication. Now you will become the most powerful being on this planet!"

Keith and Aaron smile as they await for the power due to them. Centuries of work and dedication, blindly following the Master on his quest to fulfill his destiny, will finally be justified. Soon they will rule beside their master as they ascend beyond their Immortal flesh and bone.

Master continues to talk as the steps come close to the chamber, "You will become the most powerful beings on this planet by becoming a part of ME!"

The two Immortals only have a split second before they realize what the Master meant by that last statement. The realization comes to late as the Master brings his sword across his body with incredible force taking both Keith's and Aaron's heads with a single stroke. The maniacal smile that plays across his lips is evident even as a voice booms across the chamber catching his attention.

"YOU FOOL!" Methos yells as the two bodies sag to the ground, "This is still holy ground!"

"I know!" The Master replies without a hint of fear or apprehension. "The alignment has been realized! Witness the power of the Hellmouth!"

The group looks up at the cloud circling overhead and then at the forms rising from the fallen bodies of the Immortals on the floor. The chamber begins to tremble lightly at first and then more violently as the two clouds of smoke begin to intermingle. The Immortals realize what is about to happen and are the first to react.

"Everybody find some cover!" Xander yells grabbing Willow and Tara pushing them to the ground. Giles does the same with Joyce and Methos and Cassandra move also to find cover.

"Why don't we attack?" Riley asks him, moving towards the Master.

"No! Faith find some cover with Buffy!" Xander tells her and moves to stop Riley. Xander pushes Riley down behind one of the large boulders inside of the chamber but is too late to find cover for himself.

Just as Riley is safe behind the rock a bolt of blue lightening coalesces from the clouds of smoke that swirl above the Master. As the first bolt descends a second and third form seconds after each other and begins to rain down on the Master. The force from the quickening throws Xander across the room and against one of the walls of the chamber landing close to where Faith and Buffy had found cover. They both reach out to him and pull him to safe cover as the quickening continues to ravage the room.

Joyce hiding with Giles from the onslaught of the quickening looks up at the ceiling of the room. The power and force of the quickening is taking its toll on the underground chamber. Small cracks are turning into large ones and portions of the ceiling and walls begin to crumble and fall to the floor. If this doesn't end soon the entire chamber will collapse in on their heads.

Meanwhile Methos and Cassandra are looking at each other with worry. Cassandra voices her fears, "Something is wrong."

Xander now protected by the shelter found by the Slayers groggily pushes himself up. Looking at Faith and Buffy he tells them, "The Quickening doesn't usually take this long, something is happening."

As bolt after bolt hit the Master the energy of the quickening continues to grow. The foundation of the old church above cracks and buckles as the power of the quickening begins to be at odds to the natural energies that are present. The energies begin to fight with each other destroying almost everything that they touch. However something changes, the Quickening begins to harmonize with the natural energies present. Instead of opposing each other the energies begins to meld into one and like quicksilver snake all around, flowing like liquid fire rising more and more to its peak. The energy continues to grow outward causing pavement to buckle and trees to be uprooted until it reaches its breaking point. Like a star that has met the end of its days the energy can either explode in a brilliant supernova or collapse in on itself, its once great light now unable to escape what it has become; a black hole. The energy slowly begins to recede back towards its center ever gaining power and fury. Until it collapses onto the spot which gave birth to its great power.

Inside the chamber the walls are falling all around them, the ceiling without its support begins to crash down on top of all of them. Tara looks around and feels a sense loss, they had come so far only to be stopped by the walls falling on top of them. Buffy looks on and feels a sense of failure they did not even get a chance to fight against the madman who started all of this. Xander looks on with a feeling of uselessness. Years of training, of becoming more than he was amounts to nothing when it really came down to it. Cassandra looks on with a sense of dread, one that is mirrored by the look on Methos' face. They look up and see the ceiling falling down on them. As the huge rocks and debris fall towards them the group braces themselves for what will undoubtedly be their demise. Some huddle together not wanting to be alone in their last moments, others close their eyes making peace with themselves, but Methos does neither. He looks up to defy the bone crushing boulders daring them to strike him down. What he sees surprises him.

The rocks slowly begin to slow their descent downward turned to a frighteningly slow crawl. He is about to show the turn of events to Cassandra when the energies from the quickening collapse on the chamber with a brilliant white flash blinding all those in the chamber momentarily. When they are able to regain their sight they can see that the chamber is gone. The rocks that had once been overhead are now gone and replaced with the night sky and the stars above. Their awe is cut short by the frenzied laughter from the man who created all this havoc.

The Master continues to laugh as he screams, "THE POWER! I CAN FEEL IT!"

Though they are below ground level the open aired room begins to fill with a strong wind causing all of those present to shield and squint their eyes against the strong gusts. The light that had filled the room only moments ago has refocused itself onto a single spot on the ground before the madman's feet. At first it is a tiny pinprick but, as the seconds tick by the point grows wider and wider. From the center of the point of light red lightening spews out replacing the white lightening of the quickening. From the portal the sounds of moaning and wailing can be heard, the sound of a multitude of souls crying out for mercy or respite from their eternity of suffering.

The Hellmouth, like the universe, is born in a great explosion of energy and is now continuing to expand destroying all that is in its way. The Master by using the ritual of the Awakening is siphoning the power of the Hellmouth like a leech, and like a leech the Master's body begins to change bulging and expanding as if his body is trying to contain the multitudes of energy it is absorbing. They look on as the look of ecstasy on the man's face is replaced by a look of pain and pure horror.

The Master doubles over in pain as the power courses through his body. Something is wrong, horribly wrong. His body won't stop absorbing the power of the Hellmouth. He tries to search his memories for a way to stop the power transfer but he can't. It is in that search of a way to stop the power he had so desperately sought out for over two thousand years that he finds the reason why his body continues to absorb power from the Hellmouth. There in the depths of his mind he can feel another presence, another conciseness is eating away at his own. It like the Hellmouth is expanding, taking control of his body and slowly eating him out of existence, laughing at him the whole time.

"NO!" The Master screams as his body contorts once again as his clothes tear from his body as it expands beyond the confides of the fragile cloth. As he doubles over again the bones of his spine are visible as they begin to protrude from his body. His skin stretches as the bones try to break free of their flesh prison. The sound of tearing canvas joins the sounds of the wailing as the bones finally break free and through his skin. His groan of pain blends in completely with the sounds that already come from the Hellmouth. His body stretches like putty as the power from the Hellmouth continues to fill his body, his arms, legs and torso becoming larger to accommodate the bulkiness that had formed early on from the onslaught of the Hellmouth.

The hair from his head falls out as he reaches up and claws his eyes form his head in long and painful swipes. As he throws the lifeless orbs away he bends over once more clutching at his head where once again his skin begins to bulge at his temples. His hands and feet grow once more loosing two toes on each foot and two fingers on each hand. The nails on his hands and feet grow impossibly long and turn into talons and the skin on his head finally rips and releases the growth underneath. On either side of his head are long horns that fall downward and then forward the points extending nearly a foot in front of him. Looking up the group can see the once empty and bloodied are replaced by glowing yellow orbs. Opening his mouth once again to scream those watching the grotesque transformation can see a piece of flesh fall from his mouth. His tongue, much like his eyes, falls to the ground unceremoniously bitten off. His teeth fall out by the handfuls as they are pushed from his gums by the razor sharp protrusions growing beneath them.

With one last scream the voice of the master changes to a deep low roar. It sounds as if several sets of vocal cords are now making the sounds that come from the monster. Its hands rest on the ground as he crouches over like some distorted image of mankind's primordial ancestors. From its wrists a single long blade like bones shoot out extending its range another three feet. As the entire transformation is taking place his skin shifts and changes colors like a chameleon; green, red, purple changing colors slowly fading from one to another until stopping finally on black. The being now over seven feet tall jet black from head to toe with the exception of it eyes which now glow yellow like blazing suns sitting in front of the black backdrop of space.

With a final roar the transformation is complete the being once known as the Master straightens up to his full seven plus feet. Standing tall it is an impressive sight to behold. Flexing its wrists the bones protruding from its arms make a clicking sound. Single drops of liquid form at the base and follow the length of the bones towards the tips until they fall to the ground with a slight sizzle and a small string of smoke as the liquid burns all that it touches.

Xander, Methos and Cassandra stand up from their shelters and come out to the open; Faith, Riley and Buffy do the same. Giles, Joyce, Willow and Tara are the last to come out and stay farther back knowing that the six warriors will do the majority of the fighting. The dark beast eyes them with its glowing orbs and lets out a feral growl, behind it the Hellmouth growing ever larger. Riley being the closest is the beast's first target. Moving much quicker than he would have ever suspected a being of that size to move Riley is nearly caught off guard by the beast fast attack. Only years of training and pure instinct allow him to survive the first encounter by leaping backwards at the last moment. The blade protruding from the beast's wrist is only able to tear at the fabric of his shirt. What should have been a small opening quickly turns into a larger one as the liquid that now covers the skeletal blades eat through the fabric. Quickly removing the shirt before it can burn his skin Riley pulls out a knife and prepares for the demon's next attack.

The demon if fast to press his attack again but with Riley more prepared he is able to duck and counter the beasts attacks. The others stand back waiting for an opportunity to join the attack to help the young soldier, at first it seems that Riley is holding his own against the larger opponent, he even is able to score a solid hit burying his knife deeply into the torso of the demon. Backing away with knife in hand Riley smiles triumphantly, perhaps they wouldn't have to much trouble at all with this one. However they all look in horror as the Hellmouth flashes brighter momentarily and the wound of the beast begins to heal like an immortal's would this time however the familiar blue and white lightening is replaced by black and red. The beasts once again pulls up to his full height and throws itself at the closest target once again; Riley.

Riley is prepared once again to go toe to toe with the demon especially after gauging its strength and speed from their last encounter. Riley is prepared for another evenly match fight where his strategic capabilities will allow him to defeat the monster. However what the demon brings is something that Riley does not expect, the attack is faster and stronger than before. Riley barely has enough time to react to the movements of the demon let alone think of any viable stratagems. As the fight continues to rage on the other realize that something has changed and that Riley is now on the loosing side of the battle.

Buffy is the first to react and pulls out the Roman Gladius Adam had given her prior to entering the passageway. Running at the demon she hopes to distract it enough to give Riley time to recover and help her force the monster to fight on two fronts. Swinging the sword with hopes to blind-side the monster Buffy is surprised when the demon's arm comes up and blocks the sword with the bone blade attached to its wrist. Violently knocking Riley into a wall with one powerful blow the demon turns its head to face Buffy squinting its yellow eyes at the petite blonde Slayer. Its full attention now turned on Buffy the demon begins to lay into her as well.

The fight begins the same way it had with Riley, with Buffy supposedly having the upper hand in the battle. She would score several hits and apparently wound the demon severely only for it to heal itself and become much stronger than it was before.

Methos watches for his chance for an opening when something catches his attention. Every time the beast is wounded it heals itself and becomes stronger and faster than before and every time it would heal the Hellmouth would flare stronger and grow even larger. Suddenly the realization hits him the beast's power comes from the Hellmouth no matter how much they could wound it the Hellmouth would only heal the beast. Methos quickly considered the possibilities and quickly devises a plan of action.

"Cassandra!" He exclaims grabbing her attention. "I need to get to the Hellmouth! Distract that thing long enough for me to reach it!"

Cassandra looks at him with incredulous eyes, "What? Are you crazy! What do you think you are going to do? Close the Hellmouth?"

"No I can't do that by myself, but I can contain it at least for a little while." He tells her.

"What!?!"

"The demon is getting its power from the Hellmouth. Its power will continue to grow unless we cut it off from the Hellmouth." Seeing that she understands Cassandra moves to Faith and Xander to devise a plan of action with them.

Seeing Cassandra moving to them with sword in hand Faith and Xander move to meet her halfway. "What's the plan?" Faith questions as they converge.

"We distract it." Cassandra says simply.

"Cassandra if you haven't noticed that thing is getting stronger as time passes, so if we are going to do anything we should kill it." Xander says to her.

Just as Xander says that Buffy scores another devastating hit on the beast, plunging her sword down to the hilt into the monster's chest, the tip of the sword sticking out of it's back. The monster screams out in rage knocking the small Slayer aside the dark beast plucks the sword out of its body as one would pick a splinter from their palm. As it pulls the sword out of its body it tears out pieces own internal organs. Pieces of its lungs and intestines hang from the wound, blood flowing freely. It flings the sword at stone wall and embeds the blade halfway into the wall.

The Hellmouth flashes brighter than it ever has and like some grotesque movie put into reverse the internal organs slowly climb back into its body like slow moving molasses. With a brilliant flash from the Hellmouth and the red and black lightening crawling all over its body the monster once again heals itself. With another ear splitting roar and another flash of the Hellmouth the beast is whole again, more than what it was before. The demon grows in size and stature again the power and energy of the Hellmouth pulsing in tune with its own.

Cassandra seeing now that its power had surpassed ever her own she knows now that they need to buy Methos the time he needs before it becomes too strong for any of them to stop.

"Faith, you take right. Xander blind side him from the rear." She tells the young couple.

"What about you?" Xander asks her.

Cassandra pulls out her sword and lets the power of her quickening flare. Xander is taken aback by just how strong she really is. "I'll distract him."

Cassandra quickly moves to confront the monster. Sword drawn she goes after it head on. Xander faces Faith and gestures towards the battle and tells her, "After you."

"Thanks." She says sarcastically before circling around the demon to come to bear on its right side. Xander follows suit and circles around the opposite direction. Through the now open ceiling of the chamber the clouds above rumble as if Heaven above has finally realized hell had truly returned to the mortal realms.

Cassandra could feel the monster's power as she approaches it. Seeing Faith and Xander circle into position as well as seeing that Buffy was slowly returning to her feet, Cassandra raises her sword against the beast.

Cassandra's quickening captures the demon's attention. Planting its feet on the ground evenly it turns to face Cassandra. She raises her sword and rushes towards it using the power she had gained over the millennia to help her deal with the monster. As her sword connects with the bone blade she can feel the power reverberate in her arms and shoulders hard enough that she almost drops her sword.

Faith unnoticed by the demon darts in quickly and stabs the beast's flank and quickly darts out of the way. The beast roars but as it heals Cassandra can feel it strengthen.

"No! Don't hurt it! You'll only make it stronger!" She tells them

Xander nods as he takes the fight to the demon. Being careful to avoid the razor sharp bone blades Xander is able to distract the demon with hit and run tactics stunning it for a moment long enough for one of the others to also land blows on the monster. From the corner of her eye Cassandra can see Methos quietly slipping by them and towards the Hellmouth. Whatever he had in mind better work and it better work soon. If not they will soon be facing an enemy they would not be able to defeat.

Faith continues on with her hit and run tactics in hopes of buying more time for Cassandra and Methos' plan. However she can see that her luck could run out at any time. Every hit they score on the demon the stronger it gets. Every attack could turn into the last. To her right she can see Xander darting in and out just like herself, careful to avoid the blades extending from the demon's wrists. To her left she can see Cassandra setting up for another attack and just beyond her Buffy is struggling to stand. Glancing back at Xander she appreciates the form and grace contained in his frame. No wasted movement, every bit of energy is used to combat the evil in front of him.

Focusing back on the fight at hand she sees an opening for her to capitalize on and darts quickly in for a quick jab of her Gladius underneath the demon's guard. However she notices now that the effects of her attacks as well as the attacks of the others are effecting the demon less and less. Backing away quickly the demon barely misses her, it seems that its speed as well as strength are increasing.

Caught up in her own thoughts Faith doesn't see the demon's hand reach back and thrust itself at her. The monster catches her by the neck and slams it's fist into the cave wall suspending her above the ground by her neck. Looking down in horror Faith could swear that the demon was grinning at her as she feels its fingers tightening around her neck. Her muscles protest under the pressure as her blood begins to sing in her ears.

Horrified Cassandra rushes to help the young Slayer only to be rewarded by a backhand that sends her flying into the wall.

As Methos approaches the Hellmouth the screaming and wailing emanating from the portal grow louder and louder. The screams remind him of his horseman days, times where men, women and children all would beg him for mercy and then cry out just before cutting them down. Quickly focusing on the present looks into the maw of the Hellmouth and can feel the power flowing through the portal. Power that the other Immortal so desperately sought out but eventually turned him to the monster he is now, uncontrollable and evil. If they stood a chance against that thing he needs to cut off the demon's source of power, the Hellmouth.

Quickly glancing over to the battle raging on close by he can see the demon is unimpressed by the strength of the attacks. It looks like a giant swatting at mosquitoes. Looking at the Hellmouth once more Methos closes his eyes and begins to focus. Centering his being Methos reaches for the support of the techniques that have ingrained themselves onto his brain. Once ready Methos glances once more over to the battle only to see Cassandra swatted away like a fly and Faith being held against the wall by her neck, her face contorted with the struggle to break free. He can see Xander rushing to her aid with his sword raised to strike. Methos knew what he was aiming for long before Xander even reached the demon.

"Xander! No!" Methos yells at him.

All that Xander could see and hear is the sounds of Faith struggling to break free from the demon's grasp. All he could see is her legs kicking and dangling above the ground each kick becoming weaker and slower. All he could hear is the gurgling sounds coming from her as she struggles to force air through her constricted airway. All that Xander can think is that he needs to save her. Raising his sword and rushing the demon he is barely aware of Methos calling out his name. He can barely feel the blade of his sword passing through the monster's arm. He can barely hear the sounds of the monster's roar as its arm sags to the ground held in place only by its tough skin and tendons. Quickly catching the falling Slayer Xander pulls her out of harms way and next to Buffy who was able to make it to Riley's side.

The beast roar's out in rage as it holds its nearly severed arm in place, it blood covering the floor at his feet drenching the dirt turning it to a dark thick mud. The Hellmouth flashes again pulsing with power knocking Methos over. The demon's arm reattaches itself to the bloody stump, red and black sparks traveling up and down the arm and the rest of its body. The demon's body grows once more but its physical presence is a mere fraction of what its true power. Now stronger than ever before the demon looks back and forth for the one responsible for nearly loosing its arm.

Methos seeing that if he doesn't cut off the demon's power now they will never be able to defeat it and sets his plan into motion. Closing his eyes and focusing the power of his quickening he erects a barrier around the growing Hellmouth. As the edge of the portal hits the invisible barrier Methos grabs his head and screams in pain and anyone watching can see a brief flicker as the Hellmouth slows down and then continues to grow outward.

Willow and Tara who had held back knowing that their strengths wouldn't help in this battle, but they might be able to help with the battle Methos is waging against the gates of Hell.

"Adam? What can we do to help?"

Through gritted teeth he tells them, "Help me."

"How? What can we do?" Tara questions him.

Grabbing their hands in each of his Methos once again opens up his mind and his powers this time using the two girls as support. The both gasp audibly as they fell their reserves deepen and augment with the added power of Methos' quickening. For both young witches the power they draw upon is like water from a well. The longer they practice the more proficient they become the deeper the well becomes and the more power they can draw upon. Now coupled with Methos the well changes into an ocean, vast and unending and in the middle of that ocean is a small volcano trying to break free of watery depths. Using the water of the ocean to contain the volcano as it grows the girls understand what it is they need to do. Opening up heir minds using the techniques shown to them by Cassandra the two girls open up their minds and throw in all they have to help Methos.

Once again the barrier flickers as the Hellmouth makes contact with it. Willow falls to her knees from the sheer impact and ferocity of the clash her hand nearly sliding out of Methos'.

"No! You need to stay in contact with me or the barrier will fall!" He exclaims to both of them.

"Can we help as well?" A voice calls to them over the roar of the Hellmouth. Looking over his shoulder Methos sees Giles and Joyce coming forward carefully.

"Yes. Make contact with one of us, open your mind, and concentrate." He tells them as Giles puts a hand on his shoulder and Joyce on Tara's arm. Again the effect is almost instant, as the barrier grows stronger with the extra power Giles and Joyce.

Xander seeing that Faith and the others are fine turns to see Methos, Willow, Giles, Tara and Joyce all clustered together near the Hellmouth. Cassandra who was knocked to the side is now on her feet making her way to the group near the Hellmouth. Behind him he can hear Riley stirring with Buffy tending to his wounds. In front of him he sees the golden orbs of light in front of the black backdrop stare at him. The beast raises its arm as if to dare Xander to try to hit him again.

Xander raising his sword squares off with the monster and prepares himself for battle. Thinking back to his early training with Methos Xander remembers what he had learned about strength. Momentarily fluttering his eyes shut he searches for his power, power he knows is there, power he will need to fight against the demon. Deep inside the recesses of his mind he sees a blue sphere crackling with energy. Reaching out for it he can see a spike of energy jump from the sphere and onto his hand. Opening his eyes he sees that monster has decided to take the fight to him.

The beast using its inhuman speed takes a long and powerful swing using its bone blade as a scythe. Xander using speed equal to that of the beast is able to block the blade and push it off his guard just in time to parry the straight stab being attempted by the beast's other hand. Moving to push his advantage Xander performs a long upward slash opening the beast's torso from hip to shoulder spraying its blood onto him.

The Hellmouth flashes brightly but the demon does not heal quickly as it did previously. Methos' barrier though strengthened by the additional power of the others falters still and once again the Hellmouth breaches the barrier. Like a damn bursting the power held back by the barrier rushes to its intended target, the demon pauses a moment as the power fills it healing and empowering it. Feeling the difference in the power flow the demon looks over to the Hellmouth and sees the small group next to it, recognizing them as a threat to its power the beast changes tactics and runs towards the small group intent on killing each and every one of them.

Pulling out his sword Methos tell the others, "Move away I'll try to keep it away from all of you!"

Xander sees the demon's change in target too late to do anything but to run after its retreating form. Just as the demon is about to reach where Methos is standing solitary feet apart sword ready two figures rush out and tackle the demon to the ground. Faith and Cassandra's forms wrestle with the beast on the ground long enough to buy time for Xander to catch up.

Cassandra yells to Methos, "Don't stop! I could feel it weaken when you put up your barrier! It's still getting stronger!"

"I need more help!" Methos yells back quickly erecting the barrier once more as Faith is flung from fight landing close to where he is standing.

A feminine voice calls out, "What can we do to help?"

Turning around he sees Buffy supporting Riley. Nodding he tells them, "Just make contact with one of the others while they are touching me." He drops to his knee as the power building up inside of the barrier clashes against his consciousness.

Faith picks herself up and goes to the older immortal's side and helps him up. Once he is standing again she tells him, "I'll do all that I can do to help."

Nodding he motions to the others to try again. As they add their own power to his own he can feel his reserves deepen to a point where he feels that he can contain the power within. But no barrier is full proof. He can still feel the power of the Hellmouth slowly seep through his barrier grating against his senses the entire way. He needs more help or else the Hellmouth will flare once more and break through his barrier. If that happens he doubts that he can erect a barrier strong enough to contain the Hellmouth once more.

The demon is able to straddle Cassandra to the floor and raises its arm, flexing its writs to make the blade stick out even more. As the blade descends on Cassandra's neck she doesn't close her eyes, she doesn't flinch, she awaits her fate like a warrior, accepting death. But her death never comes, instead a blur of motion and a gust of wind along with the weight of the demon being removed alert her to a change. Turning her head she can see Xander coming out of a roll after knocking the monster off of her.

Sparing a glance over his shoulder he yells at her, "Go! Help Methos! I'll try to hold him off!" Nodding Cassandra scrambles to her feet and makes her way over to the group helping Methos. Placing her hand on his shoulder she too opens her mind and allows her own energy to flow into the group. The barrier grows stronger stopping more power from escaping the Hellmouth. However she can see the strain on Methos' face as he continues his effort to stop the Hellmouth from expanding, beads of sweat form on his forehead and his brow is creased with determination.

"Methos, let us help you." She tells him. "You can't do this all on your own."

"No! They won't be able to handle it!" He yells at her.

"Yes, but we can." Giles tells him. Seeing that the rest are all in agreement Methos nods his head and opens up his mind.

Meanwhile Xander has his hands full fighting the monster on his own. He needed to keep the thing away from the others so they could stop the Hellmouth from opening further. Duck, dodge, strike, pull back, strike these are the intricate steps to the deadly dance with the demon. Every strike becomes stronger and stronger, each one getting closer and closer to killing him. Whatever they are doing he hopes that they do it quickly.

Loosing ground to the monster as it approaches Xander continues to back away hoping to lure the monster away from his friends. Xander grins as he sees that the demon is following him away from them allowing them to complete what they intend to do. His grin fades once he feels the cold stone wall of the chamber against his back. The monster continues to press its attack with renewed fury seeing that it has the advantage over the young man. Xander dodges the fist aimed for his head the blade sinking easily in the rock behind him chipping away shards of rock that bite at his face. Blinded temporarily by the pelting rocks instinct alone tell him to duck once more as he feels the demon's other fist rush past and bury itself back into the rock behind him.

Rolling out of the way Xander gains some distance and time for his wounds to heal. Looking on as the demon rips its hands from the rock wall Xander knows he is loosing the battle. Reaching deep within he feels the core of his being, the power of his immortality and embraces it making it an extension of himself, using it as he would use a sword.

Methos opens up his mind and the power and the visions the Hellmouth that we're filling him now trickle down to the rest of them. They see all that Hell contains, they can see all that awaits on the other side of the portal. They also see Death, they see Methos, they see Adam and the numerous other identities he has assumed over the years. They see Death riding with the other Horsemen; they see another vision of Adam as a doctor. Most importantly they see Adam using all that he is to construct a barrier to stop the growth of the Hellmouth. They can feel the pain he feels as time after time the Hellmouth tries to break free, they can sense his determination as well as his confidence in Xander. They all sense there is something more but they cannot see what it is, they only know that Methos' entire being is focused on surviving this battle. Seeing all these things strengthens their reserves all the more allowing them to focus their power to aid the old immortal.

"Just a little more." Methos mutters to himself. Reaching deep with in his reserves he pushes one last time flaring his power one more time just as he can feel Xander doing as he faces the demon down. The extra push is enough as it sends a powerful reinforcement to the barrier locking down the Hellmouth. As the portal pushes and prods the barrier around it the strain on the group increases at a drastic rate.

"That should do it." Methos says through gritted teeth. "For now. The rest is up to Xander."

Xander can feel the sudden change in the room. The energy once pouring from the Hellmouth is now missing making the room seem maddeningly calm. The demon roars with rage as it is cut off from its source of power. Xander reaches out and sees that though cut off from its power the demon's strength itself remains unchanged. As the demon moves to destroy the small group standing near the Hellmouth Xander rushes the monster with sword raised.

Bringing his sword across the demon's arm sliding underneath the skeletal blade Xander flicks his wrists and arms up and over forcing the demon's arm to follow suit yanking it back as if its arm were attached to a leash. Putting himself between the demon and his friend it is now Xander who presses to attack. Blow after blow, block after block each one increasing in power and intensity as the two figures move back and forth across the room. Every time Xander thinks he sees an opening it closes right away and he is forced to retreat under the barrage of blows the demon throws at him.

Breathing hard, his clothes in tatters, Xander thinks there is no way he can beat this demon. Sparing a quick look to the others he sees that the Hellmouth continues to push against the barrier Methos put up. He can see the looks of pain and determination on their faces, he needs to end it, and he needs to end it now. Facing the demon seeing that it too is breathing hard Xander raises his sword again, closing his eyes he can see the blue iridescent sphere that is his quickening, spreading his arms and falling into the sphere he feels it engulf him and at the same time he engulfing it. Opening his eyes Xander feels a deep calm and confidence he had only felt in his deepest meditations. Opening his mouth with a battle cry Xander rushes at the demon, the demon not backing down rushes at Xander as well. Xander runs with the point of his sword down and behind him and the demon's arm raised and poised to strike. As they move closer to each other the demon begins its down stroke as Xander begins his up stroke. When they reach each other a loud clang fills the room as Xander comes to a stop his back to the demon as does the demon its back to Xander.

Turning around ready for another strike Xander grins as the demon raises its hand once again to strike only to find that the blade is not there but sitting point stuck in the ground between them. Xander continues to push his attack and lands a thrust through the shoulder of the monster. Quickly pulling away he sees something that gives him hope. The wound closes, but not with the red and black sparks from before but the blue and white ones of an immortal.

Glancing over to Methos who nods Xander realizes what Methos with the help of the others has done. By cutting off the demon from its power source it forces it to revert back to its old source of power, the quickening. Though it is still stronger than the normal immortal Xander at least knows how to deal with them. Raising his sword in a silent salute to Methos he thanks him.

"Hurry!" Methos yells at him. "We can't keep this up for much longer!" As if to prove his point the Hellmouth once again flashes brightly causing the barrier to flicker as well as forcing Methos to his knees.

The beast and Xander meet once again in the center of the chamber. The blows they land are bone shattering and can be felt throughout the room. Xander is able to land a multitude of small minor cuts slowing the beast down buying him more time for the beast to make a mistake. Looking once more over at his friends though he knows he must make his move soon. The demon continues to swing and punch at Xander who only moves out of the way dodging the attacks. Both combatants begin to show the signs of battle. Movements are a fraction slower reactions seconds late.

Backing away for a moment respite the two run at each other once more. Their eyes show that this will be the last time they will meet. One of them will come from this alive. The group watches in apprehension as the two figures run at each other full speed. Everything is in slow motion as the two move closer and closer to each other. Just as they are about to meet they look in horror as Xander trips and looses his balance. They see the grin on the demon's face widen as it senses victory. The demon aims its final blow at the head of its foe.

For a split second they think all is lost as Xander falls and the demon raises its arm for the killing blow. But in that split second Xander's look of horror turns into a cold grin he suddenly changes the path of his fall twisting his body around and bringing his foot back to the ground causing the demon to miss and pass Xander. Using the foot he had planted on the ground Xander shifts his weight enough to bring his body across the back of the demon's body swinging his sword at the same time he severs the tendons behind both knees of the demon. Screaming in pain the monster falls to its knees, its legs no longer able to support it's weight. Rolling with his fall and planting his feet Xander raises his sword charging and screaming at the prone demon. With a single swing and a final yell he severs the head of the demon.

Suddenly room falls silent. The demon's body slowly reverts back to its human form as well as the severed head. Sighing with relief Xander falls to his knee and takes a deep breath.

"It's finally over." He says to himself.

"Xander!" Faith's voice calls out drawing his attention back to his friends.

What he sees confuses and horrifies him all at the same time. The barrier Methos had put up is still there containing the Hellmouth now threatening to break through the barrier.

"I killed it! Why is the Hellmouth still open?" Xander yells.

Cassandra answers, "The Hellmouth was its source of power not the other way around! You kill it the Hellmouth remains."

"How do we close it?" Xander asks.

Methos his face pale with the effort of keeping the Hellmouth contained points to the air and says, "With that."

Looking above his head he can see the swirling smoke of the quickening. Of course! He killed an immortal demon so there will be a quickening. "How will that close the Hellmouth?"

"Just like it opened it. This is still holy ground." Methos says simply.

Nodding his head Xander quickly moves to the Hellmouth. "Open it."

They all back away quickly as the first bolts of the quickening hit him. One after another the power strikes him and the Hellmouth. The power and intensity continues to increase as the quickening now matches the fury of the Hellmouth.

"The planets have moved out of alignment shouldn't the Hellmouth close?" Buffy asks above the noise.

"No that would only move it back to its original position. We need to close it now." Giles answers back.

They all watch as the power of the quickening grows even greater than the Hellmouth. Xander while being struck by the lightening runs to the Hellmouth and jumps rising impossibly above the portal. Right when he reaches the center of the Hellmouth a beam of light strikes Xander engulfing him as the winds and noise rise to frightening levels. Soon the light engulfs them all. They can feel the power of the quickening forcing the Hellmouth closed the energies battling against each other. As the Hellmouth closes all those present can feel the Hellmouth reach out to them and pull something away. Only Methos and Cassandra are prepared for the onslaught and throw up their personal barriers. The others however aren't so lucky.

In the middle of the chaos stands Xander, the focus of all the energies around him. He can feel the energy of the Hellmouth weaken as the quickening overwhelms it. As the quickening continues he can see the memories and feelings of the man who had called himself the Master. The lust for power and the pain of loosing control as the demon took over his body and mind. But on the outskirts something different hits him. He sees the time he went shopping with Faith, the times they sparred and the time they admitted their feelings to each other through Faith's eyes. He can feel Willow's feelings when she realized he had returned, he could see how Buffy realized first Faith's return and then his own. He watched through their own eyes his sparring with Adam. He sees how he saved Riley in the club, he even sees how Tara spent her days as his assistant and how she had found out he and Faith would be at his club. Giles and Joyce's point of view seeing him and Faith at the cemetery, he was seeing it all and he screamed out.

He is seeing the memories of his friends as if he had killed them like an immortal. He could feel all their memories of him and his return to Sunnydale flooding his mind. The last memory he sees from each of them is the bright light of the quickening and then nothing. Nothing, exactly what they would remember of him or of his return. His mind fills with the memories of the love he and Faith share and he cries out. He cries out with a pain that he never thought possible. When he was forced to kill Jesse the pain he felt nearly destroyed him. What he feels now makes that pain pale in comparison. It took him his entire life and death to find what he had found with Faith and now that was stolen from him. When the quickening stops he would loose his friends and his love. He would be back where he started, alone.

Searching the memories as they continue to flow into him he finds that none of them come from Cassandra or Methos. All of the memories are from the others. Reaching out beyond the storm of the quickening he can feel the two older Immortals resisting the pull of the Hellmouth. Relieved that he isn't truly alone he waits out the rest of the quickening.

Bolt after bolt hit him ricocheting off of his own body and onto the Hellmouth batting it into submission. Xander tries to widen his stance in order to deal with the force of the bolts hitting him relentlessly only find that his body is floating off of the ground. Looking down at his body he can see the burns that are left after each bolt hits him. As soon as they heal they are replaced by new ones as searing bold after searing bolt tear into him planting the seeds of power inside of him.

And just like that, it's gone.

Xander drops to the ground landing hard and falling over. His body is spent and his breathing is labored. Methos and Cassandra move to him and can see his back expand with every intake of air. Xander struggles to his hands and knees as the two older immortals come to his side to help him.

"You did it Xander! You closed the Hellmouth!" Cassandra says to Xander proudly.

"Thank Adam, if it wasn't for him I wouldn't have been able to take that thing down." He says his head still down.

"You did the hard part." Adam jokes patting Xander's back. Xander looks up at Adam and he can see the streaks of tears on Xander's cheeks.

"They won't remember me." He tells them quietly.

"What do you mean?" Cassandra asks.

"Their memories, all of it, it all in here." He says getting up tapping his head. "When the quickening hit me I saw it all flash by. All of it, they won't remember me." He tells them sadly.

"How?" Cassandra asks him.

"Something was different with this quickening it sought out the others, it took the memories away from them."

"I could feel it probing, I was able to resist it though." Adam tells him.

"Yes, I felt it as well." Cassandra adds.

"We'll talk more about it later." Xander says waving it off. "Where is Faith?"

"She was over with the others." Adam says pointing back to the area he had last seen them standing. Xander looks over to where he is pointing and runs to the area. Confused Adam and Cassandra turn to see the group on the ground unconscious.

Xander places two fingers on Faith's neck. Feeling a strong steady pulse he moves to the others. Seeing that each of them is fine as well he moves back to Faiths side. As he is checking her over once more he hears a few of the others stirring.

Adam moves to Tara and places his fingers on her neck, "Her pulse is getting stronger," He tells him, "She'll wake up soon."

Cassandra doing the same with Joyce replies, "Joyce will be waking up soon too."

Turning back to Faith Xander once again feels her pulse. Slow but steady. The rhythm reminds him of the way the heart monitor in her room had beeped in time with her pulse when she was in a coma. "I don't think she'll come around for a while," He tells the other two before adding quietly, "she had the most taken away from her."

Groaning Tara stirs and her eye flutter open. Closing her eyes again and opening them she tries to sit up with Adam's help. "Ben?" She asks the older immortal, "What happened?"

"We won." Xander says his eyes never leaving Faith's face. She looks just as she does in the early morning hours while she sleeps, peaceful and beautiful.

"Harry? Is it over?" Willow says as she too wakes up. Hearing Willow call him by his assumed name breaks his heart and nearly brings Xander to tears.

"Yes, its over. We won. The Hellmouth is closed." Xander says finally tearing his eye away from Faith's prone form. The others were waking up as well and were sitting up. They were all dazed but were fine and that was what counted. At least that is what Xander should have been thinking as he looks at the subtle change in his friend's reactions and interactions with him. He could see it mostly in their eyes, they looked at him as Harrison Pierce not Xander Harris, and it broke his heart. At least this way they would be safe from him and his life. No Immortal would use any of them to get to him, from that at least they would be safe.

Buffy looks over to Faith's form and asks, "Is Amanda okay?"

"She'll be fine," He answers her, "she's just exhausted from the fight." Picking Faith up he tells them, "We'll be leaving town soon, we did what we came here for. We just need to tie up some loose ends and then we'll leave."

Cassandra and Adam remain silent as they watch Xander pick up Faith and make his way down the long tunnel to the cemetery to where the cars are parked. They quietly follow him down the tunnels hearing the voices of the others behind them talking softly of what had happened. Their version of the night was that Harry with the help of Amanda and his parents were able to kill a demon that escaped from the Hellmouth and with the help of the others they were able to close the Hellmouth. No Immortals, no quickening, no lost friends returning from the grave, nothing. Their minds filled in the blanks left by the quickening with memories that were logical and convincing to them.

Adam continues to look at Xander a he hears the others talk about the battle. He can only guess at what is going through his mind right now. His friends have lost him twice and they won't even know that he returned to them.

Adam gets in to the driver's seat as Xander places Faith in the back of the car and sits in the back with Faith's head resting in his lap, his hand stroking strands of hair from her face.

Looking out the window as Adam starts the car Xander tells the others, "Good job guys. We'll have to do this again sometime."

Giles smiles and replies, "In all honestly Harry I hope we don't."

A slight grin tugs at the corners of his mouth, "I hope that is the case Mr. Giles." He looks at them all one last time before the car pulls away, "Good bye."

The others watch as the car pulls away holding the Pierce family; industrialists, millionaires and demon hunters. Giles removes his glasses to inspect and clean them and says, "Quite a group of individuals."

"Yeah," Willow answers. "But Harry seemed so sad."

As the car falls below the horizon the group feels honored to have been able to meet the Pierces. The fact that they exist and do the things they do makes it easier for them to live their lives knowing that there are others out there fighting against the evil of the world. As the car vanishes into the darkness they wonder why they each feel an emptiness and loss.

Just a few side notes for this chapter. This piece has always been a Xander and Faith piece to the core. However I didn't feel that I would be able to do the pairing justice if I attempted to write the love scene. I thought that the feelings afterward would be able to bring across what I felt was the culmination of Xander and Faith's relationship. If you really, really want to have an explicit love scene if enough people write me asking for it I might just write one and send each of you a copy. But for those who are okay with what I did just know that there was a lot of "Ohs" and "Ahs", kissing, professed love and many, many sweet nothings whispered and otherwise =]. Also for this chapter I was forced to fudge around a bit for the location of the Master's lair for creative purposes, I hope I have not angered any of you with the use of this creative license. Shortly after this posts I'm going to post the epilogue along with a short teaser for the next, currently untitled, segment of my alternate universe.