Strength and Honor

by Marcus

**Parts 7 and 8posted!!!** X-Over with Highlander. After Buffys death, she returns, and must make decisions that will affect her greatly. The others deal with her death hard, while friends visit to mourn. *Please Read and Review!!*

7. Battles and Aftershocks

Disclaimer: None of them except for Catherine Tyler belong to me.

Note: please read and review. J

Distribution: Ask me first please, thank you.

Strength and Honor

Part 7

By: Marcus

The old warehouse looked like a place of death in the light of the evening sun, Buffy walked slowly towards it, her sword tucked under her coat, her hair tied back neatly. Her eyes glared at the place, anger, and fear, afraid that she would fail and her friends and family would never be rid of this enemy.

"Buffy! Wait!" she heard behind her, she knew who it was just by the sound of his voice "Go back Spike." She said, stopping in her tracks, keeping her back to him because if she saw him, she would be more tempted to go back with him, more liable to break down when she had to be strong to fight.

Spike stopped, looking at her as he stood five feet from her, the suns light had gone enough for him to come out. "Buffy…" he began, but Buffy stopped him as she raised her hand "Spike, don't, I can't go back, I have to do this, for all of you." She said sternly.

Spike stepped closer to her, "I know…I just wanted to see you before it began." He said, reaching out for her, touching her shoulder. Buffy closed her eyes, as she was now about to break. Spike turned her around, looking at her "Listen to me, I want you to know that…I love you." He said, shy and nervous overcoming him.

Buffy looked up at him, her eyes almost watery; "I love you too…William. You never had a better chance with me than you do now, with who you've become." She said, speaking his true name. Spike smiled "I never liked my name, not until now, it sounds right from you." He said, moving in and pressed his lips to hers.

Buffy wrapped her arms around his neck, taking advantage of this moment, for fear of how long another like it may come again. As it ended, she looked up into his eyes, not seeing a demon, or a dead man, but just the man, who he was underneath all the hell that was him demon self, she saw him, and loved him all the more.

"Go back now, protect Dawn for me." She said, moving away from him. Spike backed away as well, reluctantly, "Always," he said "You better come back luv, or I'm coming for you." He said, promising that they'd be together again.

Buffy smiled, it was they way he wanted to remember her if she didn't come back. She turned back around and began to run towards the warehouse.

Spike stayed where he was, watching her run until he couldn't see her again, he saw her look back at him a few times, he wanted to see her until he couldn't, remember as much of her as he could "I'll go to hell and back for you if I have to." He said to himself, feeling that somehow things would change after this.

The Powers That Be Bar/Club

"We should go after her, help her!" Duncan said, pacing around the bar with the others there listening to him. "No." Angel said, standing in the shadows of the room. Duncan looked at him suddenly, as he stopped his pacing around the club "What? She'll most likely get killed going against them! They're a damn army for crying out loud!" he yelled out.

"And she's gone up against armies before believe it or not." Xander said, sitting next to Anya quietly until now "When we were dealing with Glory, she went up against an order bent on killing Dawn, she held her own against them." He said. "But they were crushed when Glory showed up later." Giles said, sitting at a table with Cordellia and Wesley with Gunn.

Willow stood up suddenly, looking at them all "Uh, there's another time she took on an army." She said shyly, looking at Angel and the others in his crew "After Angel was sent to hell by her, she left town for a couple of months. She ended up stumbling onto a group called the Scourge." She said.

Angel stood up at the mention of the group, as did Cordellia, remembering Doyle, how he died protecting people from the Scourge "Yeah, we ran into them before." Angel said somberly. Willow nodded hesitantly as she continued with the story "They were taking homeless teens and working them until they were old and near death, when she went in to rescue them, she had to take them all on." She said, finishing the story.

"The Scourge? They're the most relentless demon force in existence." Ethan said, nearly dropping his glass of whiskey. Willow nodded to them all "So if she can kick their asses, she can win this fight, all we can do is wait." She said, standing still nervously for a moment before sitting back next to Tara.

"She's right." Spike said, walking into the door "She can and will win, we just have to hold back for this one." He said. But before anyone could speak to his words, and explosion shook the room. "What the hell?" Joe said as they all went to the windows looking out to the streets of the town.

Outside they saw numerous demons wreaking havoc outside, "Jeez! What the hell is going on?" Duncan asked as he saw the various types of demons, some on motorcycles and others just running around with weapons destroying anything in their path, people running for their lives, screaming and being beaten.

"It's like a destructo-rama." Dawn said, looking out the window beside Spike. "We got to stop this." Angel said, Cordellia nodding next to him. "Then what are we waiting in here for? Let's go kick their asses!" Faith said, being more to her slayer nature and ready to let loose her animal instinct.

Catherine smiled as she glance over to Faith "You're talking my style there." She said as they left the window and rushed for the door. Angel followed along with Cordellia, Wesley and Gunn; Angel gave Winifred a look as Loren (Host) put an arm around her, giving him a nod that she'd be alright. Spike looked at them and sighed with a smirk and a shrug "Ah, what the hell, could be fun." He said, turning to Dawn "You stay here, I mean it cupcake." He said, looking at Joe "Watch over her will ya?" he said as he ran after the others.

Dawn walked up next to Joe and looked at him before looking at the others. "I'm going out there." Willow said, watching as the others outside took positions around the demons, waiting for the right time to strike at them. "Willow, no!" Tara said urgently as she looked at her with fear in her eyes. Willow shook her head "I can't let them fight alone." She said, brushing her hand gently across Tara's face.

"And we can't let you go out there alone either Will." Xander said, coming back from behind the storeroom with weapons in his arms. "Yes, we fight together." Giles said, taking a weapon from the young man. "Yeah, we're family right?" Anya said, taking an ax from her lover. Everyone nodded, taking a weapon, "Alright then, let's go shall we?" Giles said, as they were about to head for the door.

"Then we'll help." Duncan said, pulling out his Katanna as Methos pulled out his broad sword. "Bo, you two have to stay here, protect Dawn if any of them get into here, and most likely they will, just remember, go for the head or the heart." Ethan said, he knew that Giles or one of the others would say the same. "As for me, I have to rally the other watchers, we called in for our special tactical units, they will be here within the hour." He said, leaving for the back door.

"Ok then, watch yourselves." Methos said, holding out his hand to Giles, who in turn shook it "We will." The Englishman said before they rushed for the door. Duncan looked around and noticed someone was missing "Where's Amanda?" he asked curiously.

Renegade headquarters

The warehouse was dark and quiet, many men walked by, doing whatever their leader had assigned their task to, Buffy walked overhead on the walkway in the cover of shadow and darkness, watching them as she searched for where they were close, "Where are you Hunt?" she whispered to herself.

Her attention was drawn away as she heard a sound near her, on the walkway itself. She listened closely; not looking around to scare whom ever it was away, not until she heard the noise about six feet away. She reached into her coat quickly as she snapped around in a half turn, bringing it up to eye level.

"Jeez Buffy, it's only me!" Amanda hissed as she raised her hands in surrender, her wide eyes looking at the tip of Buffy's blade. Buffy lowered her sword and sighed in relief as she stowed her sword and crouched down on the walkway, looking back down at the small army below them.

Amanda crouched next to her; Buffy shook her head silently towards Amanda "You shouldn't have come. Don't try and stop me." She said quietly. Amanda brushed Buffy's hair as she smiled kindly at her, Buffy turned her head to look at her in confusion. "Buffy, I didn't come here to stop you, I came to give you this." She said, handing her a wrapped item.

Buffy took the item, seeing its length at a little over 12 inches long, she unwrapped it to find it was a dagger, along with a leather sheath "Amanda…thank you." She said, in awe from the beautiful art of the gift, the design of it was beautiful itself. She undid the loose button and removed the blade from the holder; it was a wavy design, dark silver looking. The handle was a design of a stake, with the word 'Slayer' engraved into it.

"The handle has a wood tip, English oak, really strong. The blade it folded a few hundred times. Duncan and I wanted you to have it before you went on your own." She said, "We know we can't teach you much else now, except to be there for you if you ever need our help." She said with an almost saddened expression on her face.

Buffy looked up as she placed the blade back in its sheath "Thank you." She whispered as she leaned it to give on eof her teachers a hug "But you have to go now." she said, ending the hug. Amanda sighed as she rubbed her forehead nervously "I can help you." She began, but the look Buffy gave told her she meant business "Ok, please come back to us Buffy." She said, patting the slayers shoulder and leaving quietly.

Buffy looked as Amanda vanished into the shadows, she looked back to the dagger and placed her belt in the loop on the front of her waist quickly, looking at it, an almost dragon like design around the slayer mark.

She looked back down to the floor and saw just who she wanted to see, Alexander Hunt "There you are you bastard." She whispered angrily as she pulled out her sword once more, standing up she glared down to them "HUNT!" she screamed out in rage.

She saw as everyone below looked up at her, especially Alexander Hunt who had a smirk on her face "Welcome to the lions den Summers!" he yelled at her.

Buffy latched a hook on the railing and leapt over it, letting the thin rope slow her decent until she landed on the floor, crouching low to the ground with her sword pointed at the leader of the Renegades. Alexander merely smiled as he pointed at her sword "Do you know how to fight with that thing?" he asked, trying to ruin her self -confidence.

Buffy still glared at him, her composure still unfazed as she stood up to her full height "Do you know how to loose?" she asked, throwing the same attack back at him.

Alexander shrugged as he pointed at her "Kill her!" he ordered. Just as he gave his order, every last soldier in his army began to charge after her, yelling as they pulled out a sword of their own. Buffy smirked as she whispered to herself "Bring it on."

Sunnydale – A War Zone - Giles

"NOW!" Giles yelled out to the others as they all rose from their positions and charged after the rampaging demons. Giles headed for the closest demon around him; it was decided that the slayers and others who were above the average human ability would handle the larger ones. But this one wasn't as simple as he thought; this vampire that rode on a dirt bike had charge after him.

At first he thought it was a simple idea to throw the stake at him, but as he did, his ally struck at him from behind, throwing him to the ground. Fortunately Giles had his senses intact as he looked up and rolled out of the way in time before the demon on the bike was about to run over his body.

He pushed himself back to his feet and took firm hold of his battle-ax, spinning around rapidly, as fast as he could, as he knew the demons aid was behind him again. His ax blade found its way as he felt it slide through the demons neck. When the blurring stopped, he looked for an instant to see the remains burn to dust.

He turned back tot the sounds of a rapid and rabid engine to see the other Demon on bike coming back at him, He ran towards him, he saw that it surprised the vampire as it lost control of his bike and flew through the air, crashing and scraping across the rocks and rubble on the ground.

As he stood up, Giles ran at him, and threw his ax. Giles felt as though time slowed as he watched his ax flow across the air in a spiral. The moment came to a halt as time snapped back into full throttle as the blade shot towards the head of the demon, cutting it in half, dusting him quickly. He went to pick up his ax, but as soon as he did, he was tackled to the ground by Xander who had been thrown aside like a rag doll by a much nastier looking demon.

Renegade Headquarters

"Come on! COME ON!" Buffy taunted as her sword moved from each attacker with each step she took. She spun around, taking five of them at the same time, her focus was determined, and her rage beyond any evil could match. Her stepping was rapid, every time she took on step, her foot would move again, almost like she was floating on air.

Her sword thrust and lashed out at the renegades, her coat reached out like a flat blade itself as she spun rapidly, blocking and striking at them, her blows injuring them and taking them down from the fight for good as she leapt onto a table, her footing was as rapid in the air as on the ground as she split her legs, sending her feet into the faces of two soldiers.

As she landed, she sprung to action before her feet hit the table, her skipped and hopped, avoiding the blades of her enemies as she flipped in the air on her side, landing back on the floor behind them.

She soon found herself surrounded by them as she still attacked like the wind; her movements were a blur to them. She found that she couldn't hold her own like this for long because she found them highly able to adapt to her strategies, so she decided to make things more difficult.

She leapt up, reaching for a pole above them as her sword clashed with a few of theirs, her feet lunged forward at them, sending two of them flying back with a bloody face. Her legs hooked onto the second pole at her knee length from her, she pushed her way on top to the poles and moved herself furiously with one arm and her legs as she avoided the swords being thrust up towards her body.

Her sword still thrust and swung at them, 'They're good.' She thought to herself as she rolled aside far enough away as she avoided a large cluster of their swords, one of them got lucky and caught her along her hip, making a light cut on her hip, slicing into her flesh. But she remain unfazed as she leapt off the poles and landed back into the midst of them once more, moving like lightening.

Sunnydale – Catherine and Faith

"Look out!" Faith yelled as she threw her dagger at the demon coming up next to Catherine who was disposed with killing a mere vampire who had come into her way. What surprised Faith was that Catherine had caught the blade with ease and swung it at its throat, but what surprised them both was that it simply stared at them both in disgust and anger.

"Oh boy." Catherine said as a smirk showed on her face "You're going to be fun!" she said as she took the dagger and slashed at the large demon quickly. She rolled back as it swung its fist at her. Faith watched as she ran up to see the demon punch a hole into the wall by them. She kneeled down and helped Catherine up, "Are you ok?" she asked her with concern.

Catherine nodded, as she stood back up, already prepared for another round with the Goliath of a demon "Yeah." She said, looking at her as the demon waited for them to attack him. Catherine held the dagger back to Faith "Keep it, I got my own." Faith said, taking out a second Dagger that was exactly like the other she had just given to Catherine.

Catherine looked at hers to see it had a wicked design, a hook on the back blade as it curved on the razor edge, it was similar to Buffy's sword. "Ok, let's do this." She said, Faith nodding at her.

The two of them ran, charging at the large demon. Faith hopped onto a fire extinguished and leapt into the air with her foot sprung out at the demons head as Catherine went low and thrust her dagger at its midsection. As Catherine's dagger slit into it deeply.

Faiths foot bashed into its face hard, she noticed some blood begin to gush out as she landed next to Catherine. Without stopping they brought their daggers up and thrust them upwards. They felt their blades sink into its head roughly, slicing into its skull and burrowing deep into its head. They heard it scream in pain and anger as it swiped at them with its fist. Both went flying off to the side on the ground.

Faith rubbed her head as she felt Catherine on top of her "Ow!" she said angrily as they got back onto their feet "That's it, now I'm angry!" Catherine said as she threw herself at the demon, leaping into the air her fist threw itself back as she threw it back forward with all her strength.

Her fist struck the demon with great force while it was trying to remove the daggers from its head; it didn't see her in time as her fist collided with its head with enough force to punch it to bits. The daggers had done enough damage for her to shatter its head; it fell to the ground dead, its head no longer there but in parts all over the ground and her hand.

Faith got up and rushed to her side "Whoa." She said as she saw the damage done by Catherine's single blow. Catherine turned to her and placed a hand on her shoulder with concern "Are you alright?" she asked with care. Faith smiled as she wiped a bit of blood from a cut on her shoulder through the torn clothing "I'm game for more if you are babe." She said with a smile.

"Damn right I am, I'm just getting warmed up." Catherine replied with a smile, they looked behind them to see Giles and Xander trying to fight off a few demons that were ganging up on Anya, Tara and Willow. "Let's bail them out!" Catherine said as they rushed towards them in defense.

Renegade headquarters

Buffy's kick struck at the soldiers, they flew back, colliding with others as they crashed into the wall and on the floor in a pile of unconscious bodies. She snapped her head over to the other ones charging after her, she smiled at them as she jumped into the air, spinning into a blur as she feet lashed out at them, kicking each of them hard and repeatedly.

The group of them flew back with blood flying in the air as they were instantly defeated by her, her speed was now what seemed at the rate of a jet plane, moving hundreds of miles a second! Her rage was amplified, each moment that kept her from Alexander, the angrier she became.

Her sword flew upwards at a beam of wood holding up a large looking shelf over the heads of a group of others preparing to attack her. Her blade stuck into it and threw it away from under the shelf. The shelf began to fall over, the soldiers looked up and tried to get away, but their actions weren't fast enough as it fell on top of them, flying into splinters and rendering them out of the fight.

"HUNT!" she screamed out as she looked around, what was left of the renegades ran away, retreating from her.

"Oh dear slayer, how you have unknowingly bested me!" she heard, it was Hunt, his voice wasn't what she was expecting, he was in a happy toned mood other than angry. "Come out here and fight you bastard!" she yelled as she grabbed her sword from the wooden beam.

"And let you win? You couldn't beat me Summers, especially where I can beat you in another way, something more to your abilities, but you're already to late, it's already begun." He yelled out, hinting to what was happening in Sunnydale.

"What are you talking about Hunt?" she asked angrily, lowering her sword to her side. She saw Hunt come out from hiding finally, seeing the look of perverse joy on his face "Oh you little blonde dim wit, you think these men are all that are under my command? Demons work under me too, and as we speak, they're already turning Sunnydale and your friends into a pile of ashes!" he said, his look of joy changing to a look of loathing and anger.

Buffy's eyes widened as she realized he was expecting her to come after him, but she knew the others better than he did, she knew that even without her, they could win against whatever he sent after them.

"It doesn't matter what you do, they've all fought against better that what you can think up in that little pea brain of yours." She said angrily, bringing her sword back up to him "And you're gonna pay for doing what you did to Catherine, and my sister." She said in a lower growling tone.

She watched as Hunt took a sword of his own out from behind him "Ah, yes, this is what I want, you out of the picture. Do you have any idea how difficult you've made things for me? I had this great plan all worked out, and you just had to walk into it, and throw it down the crapper, thanks." He said sarcastically as he walked closer to her, his sword trained on her, the blade shining with the light reflection of the polished sword.

She looked in shock as his features changes grotesquely, she watched as he morphed into some hideous being, his eyes turning into dark, black spheres. "You're a demon." She said huskily. Hunt too his sword and tossed it aside, it clattered on the ground as he kept his gaze upon her with contempt.

"Yeah, I'm a fucking demon, a nasty one at that." He said, raising his lower arms upwards. He clenched his fists, as soon as he did, metallic, razor sharp blades sprung from the back of his hands "And I'm gonna take your head. Because I'm not your ordinary demon." he began.

Buffy felt a small tingle in the back on her head, she stood still as it intensified into a horrid buzz, she dropped to her knees as she clutched her head with her free hand "What? An immortal demon?" she said in sock as the buzz faded away and she regained her posture.

"Yeah, like that little trick? Comes with the mixed breeding. Neat huh?" he said, smiling at her sadistically. They began to circle each other, their blades pointed at each other.

"You know, I'm glad you're alive now that I come to think of it. Because I'm a vampire, and an immortal, and you killed my sire a long time ago." He said, inching closer to her as the circled the room on opposite ends of one another. Buffy smiled with a grin "Really? Who was morons name?" she asked, trying to get into his head.

Alexander smiled as he raised an eyebrow "You knew him, he killed you for awhile." He said, hinting to her the truth. Buffy looked at him with seriousness as they stopped circling "The Master." She said. Hunt nodded "That's right! Good! One cookie for you little girl." He said in an insulting tone "I was his first when he was new, I was the beginning of his reign. The one who spread his gift to hundreds of others until he was imprisoned here on the Hellmouth." He said.

Buffy stopped, as she felt almost sick, he was one of the first Vampires in the recorded history of the demons, the vampires. She shook off the feeling and regained her thoughts "It doesn't matter how old you are, he was older, and he died like a pathetic third rate demon, just like you're going to." She said, reasserting her rage.

Hunt nodded as he smiled "Sure he was old, but I've taken many heads, had so many powerful quickenings, and how many had you had? None, you're fresh, new. No competition." He said, "Now you get to die with your family." He said just before he finally lashed out, thrusting his blades towards her.

Sunnydale – Willow

Willow blocked the attack with Tara and Anya with a large piece of wood they found on the ground, the group of demons that came after them was almost too much for them. They felt the weapons they wielded slice into the wood, Willows eyes widened as the tip of the blade stopped just an inch from her face.

They dropped the shattering wood and backed away, Willow looked at Tara and Anya, both were afraid, and she could see it in their eyes. Tara looked over to her, breathing heavily, fear in her eyes. Willow saw this and then snapped her head towards the demons, her eyes turned to a death black color, her hair wild and in her face, a look or rage and scowling at the demons who suddenly stopped "Die." She said to them.

Before anything could be done, white, brilliant bolts of energy rose around her, lashing out at the demons violently. The others backed away for a moment as their ally was turned to a smoldering ash hot cinder. But they immediately tried to attack her again, but when Willow saw the look of fear on her loves face, it drove her to the darkest recesses of her power and lash out.

More streaks of pure energy lashed out, the encircled her mingled together into a web surrounding her and Tara and Anya. The demons that tried to kill them caught themselves in the web of pure energy.

"How?" Anya asked Tara as she saw Willow use her abilities in a way she hadn't seen yet. Tara leaned in close to her "She risen to a new level of her powers, she's using spiritual energy. It's the highest any witch has ever come, and it's dangerous, if she over does it, she could burn herself out." She said in a low tone.

Soon the web of pure spiritual energy faded and Willow turned to them "You two ok?" she asked with concern for Tara mostly, Anya knew that, but didn't take offense, she would have asked the same for Xander who had ran up to them with Giles "You ok?" Xander asked as he hugged her tightly.

"We're alright, what about Angel and the others?" Willow asked, looking at their direction. They saw as Angel and Gunn fought like maniacs as Cordellia and Wesley covered their backs.

"We'd better help." Tara said, putting her fear aside as she looked at them fighting against an overpowering odd. They saw as Faith and Catherine leapt into the fight. They ran towards them to take some of the pressure off them.

Willows eyes went dark once more as she flared up her power once more "Tara, stay with me." She said. Tara stopped and took Willows hand as she reached out to her hand and took it, holding it tightly. Tara came within the web with Willow, looking at her with a calm "It's time I teach you more. Close you eyes and see through mine, hear my mind, feel my mind." Willow said.

Renegade Headquarters

Buffy dodged and leapt away from Hunt as his speed and blades flew at her just as fast as she could block them, he was more than a match for her and she knew it well. She breather heavily as her heart raced and her skin was hot and flowing with sweat.

She saw an opening in his stance and struck at him, she moved as quick as he did, her blade moved through the air with precision as she found it blocked by his blade. She pulled it back and brought it around, thrusting it up from under his before he could pull away.

Her sword struck at the base where his hand was and his sword just exited form it. Hunt screamed in pain as her sword shattered the blade off from his arm. He held his hand in pain as he staggered back "Bitch! That hurt!" he yelled at her in pain.

Buffy smiled as she waved her hand for him to continue this fight. Hunt took his good hand and ran after her, slashing the blade in every direction. Buffy was powerless to just dodge as best she could. The blade aimed for her waist, her head, her arms and face, she leapt, dodged, and backed away as soon and a quickly as she could.

Hunts blade swiped for her waist once more, but this time she wasn't quick enough as she felt the blade cut into her deeply. She put a hand over her bleed wound as she staggered a few steps away in pain. She looked up at him to see him charging at her, she couldn't avoid him in time, she went with his attack as his shoulder collided with her body and sent her reeling away, crashing into a crate not far away.

The wood gave out behind her and splinters flew around her. She lay in the pile of broken wood as she still help her unhealed wound, looking up at Hunt.

"Time to die." Hunt said as his once broken blade had extruded from his hand once more, regrown and healed. Buffy nodded as she took firm hold over her sword as energy crackled across her wound, only leaving a quickly fading scar "Yes it is."

Sunnydale – Spike

Spike had lured a few of the demons on bikes away from the others, giving them the advantage of a fair fight with the others. He stood in the path of one of his enemies now, the demon riding towards him quickly at full speed. Spike stood still and calm as he waited for the right time to allow himself to strike, the time was approaching him quickly.

Just as the demon biker was a few feet away, Spike spun into motion, stepping aside and bringing his fist up as he spun around, swinging at the demons head with all the force he could summon. As the demon tried to swerve away, it was too late as Spikes fist rammed into its face with enough force to send it reeling away off the bike as it continued to ride on without him.

Spike spun around as he heard the revving of another engine, he looked as he saw a group of three vampires aimed at him, leaning on one foot as they revved their bikes, the sounds were like a violent symphony of furor.

Just as Spike regained his footing, facing them with dignity and honor. He knew that he may not win this round, but his strength commanded that he at least try "Ah, which one of you blokes is next?" he asked, beckoning for them to come after him.

Just as the first of them began to charge after him, a huge flash of energy thrashed down upon them in a magnificent maelstrom. The recoil of it sent Spike flying back on his back in a daze. When he shook his head and looked back to the three demons, he saw nothing but a fire and their ashes flying around in a swirl.

Spike looked over to the left of him to see Willow and Tara standing by him, smiling down at him "Remind me never to make an offensive comment to you again ok?" he said, slightly fearful of their power. The energy around them faded as they crouched next to him "Don't worry, we'll give you a head start." Willow said in a remarkably cheerful mood.

Renegade Headquarters

Buffy flew back and landed on her knees, clutching her body as she wrapped her arm over her wounded and bloody shoulder, her face had blood from cuts that had already healed, her arm felt like it was just broken in four places and her vision was blurry a little.

"Ok, I don't get it, why do you keep fighting? You can't win!" Hunt yelled at her, frustration at his inability to kill her, yet his apparent ability to maim and wound her seriously. Buffy lowered her head, hiding her face; her hair was loose as messy strands dropped over her face, and to Hunt's surprise she began to laugh and chuckle to herself.

"What? Why are you laughing?" he asked her, lowering his blades to his sides. Buffy looked up at him with an almost insane look of joy on her face, her eyes were wide and he saw that what was behind them wasn't joy, it was the tip of the iceberg of her rage, her true power coming out.

The sounds of bones cracking were heard, Buffy felt the shattered bone in her arm begin to heal and mend itself back into one, strong whole once more. She stood up, her sword in her other hand as she stood tall "Why do I keep fighting? I'll tell you why, because I'm a slayer pal, We fight till we die, and then we're reborn to fight again, we live by two things: Strength and Honor, and you have none of those." She said, her face growling at him in silence.

Hunt shook his head in anger as he brought his swords up to her again "Let's try this again shall we? So this time, die will you?" he said just before he let out a blood curling scream and charged after her.

Sunnydale – Methos/Angel/Duncan

Duncan and Methos guarded the others as they stood by the door, waiting as calm as they could for who or whatever may decide to walk into the club. The sounds of the battle raging outside seemed to quiet down a little, Dawn had told them that they seemed a little beat up, but the others were doing well, holding their own against the small lynch mob of demons.

They stood in silence; everyone else was by the bar, where they'd be safe if anything had begun in the club. Just as it seemed that it was coming to an end, Dawn's eyes widened and she ran form the window as quickly as she could yelling "Oh crap!" just before it exploded with Angel body flying through.

Angel crashed on the floor, sliding away a few feet before he came to a full halt. "Angel!" Winifred Yelled as she ran from behind the bar and slide to her knees next to him, putting her arms around him, fearing that he was seriously hurt. Angel opened his eyes and brushed off the shards of glass on him, looking up at her "I'm ok." He said, getting back to his feet slowly with her help.

Wesley, Gunn and Cordellia ran in through the door suddenly, Duncan and Methos cam to attention, bringing their swords up for a blow. "Whoa! Wait, it's us!" Cordellia yelled as they all raised their arms in the air. Duncan brought his sword down as did Methos "How is it out there?" Methos asked, checking Cordellia for wounds. Cordellia nodded as the others walked past them to Angel and the others.

"It's not too bad anymore, we got them on the run, but they're really fighting more than before now." Cordellia said as Methos checked her over for any injuries that might be serious "I'm fine." She said, getting a little annoyed by his smothering. Methos looked up at her, tolerating her attitude "You're hurt, this wound on your stomach could get worse, I can stitch you up." He said, leading her to the bar.

Cordellia looked at her stomach to see a wound that was bleeding rather badly; she didn't even realize it until Methos had seen it. "Joe, I need some clean rags and alcohol. Dawn, get a needle and thread, I have some in the first aid kit back there." Methos said, lifting Cordellia on the bar table and laying her back "Be still, it's rather deep." He said urgently.

Gunn and Wesley cam up to Angel and Winifred, Duncan had come as well "They're outside the building, its only a matter of time before they come in here at full force, and the others are trying to handle the others in the streets." Wesley said. Gunn nodded "Yeah, we need some heavy guns." He said, referring to their odds that were not within their favor.

"I can help." Duncan said, eager to know the fighting styles of a demon, he was curious, he couldn't help it. "So can I." Amanda said, running into the room huffing to catch her breath. "Then take care of Cordellia." Methos said, he had begun stitching up Cordellias stomach. Amanda nodded and rushed over to her as Methos left her side and joined Angel and the others.

They heard the clatter of glass as they stood still; they each turned their heads slowly as they saw the leader of the demon mob himself. A grotesque looking demon with piercing and wearing leather. The others stood around him, eager for his orders as they looked at the group with eager rage and violence.

Angel stood in front of Winifred, she held onto the remains of his shirt as she peered over his shoulder in fear "Wesley Gunn, you two stay back, a few of them are going to get past Duncan, Methos and me, be ready for then. Fred, get back behind the bar and help Amanda with Cordy." He said as his face changed and morphed in mere seconds, showing the demon that was his enemy and ally.

Angel looked over to Methos and Duncan, they seemed a little uneasy by the sudden change in his appearance, but they hid it well enough "Ok, remember to go for their heads, shouldn't be too hard considering the immortal way of life." He said as Winifred left from behind him and Wesley and Gunn backed off a few steps.

"I'll handle the leader." Methos said, locking eyes with the gruesome demon. Angel nodded, he wasn't going to doubt Methos or Duncan, he had heard about the and their skill, and about Methos being the oldest of all immortals.

The demon leader sized them up as he growled at them, "Tear them up." He hissed to his followers. The mob immediately began to growl and charge towards the three warriors in a violent and mad attack.

Duncan and Angel charged after them, Duncan with his sword trained on the closest demon to him as Angel leapt into the air with his fists primed as he growled viciously.

Methos remained back, his eyes locked with the leaders; the fight around each of them didn't exist anymore. Methos brought his sword up, as he stood ready for the demon. The demon raised his hands as his claws extended, showing them at his hands length and razor sharp as Methos' blade.

The two stood still for a moment as Angel and Duncan fought furiously around them with the overpowering mob. And one blinked.

Both began to charge at the other, Methos brought up his sword and swung out at the demons head, but was caught as he wasn't expecting the demon to leap into the air over him. Methos tried to evade an attack from the demon, but wasn't fast enough as he felt the claws slice into his back a little.

He faltered over on the ground as he turned, holding his arm with his free hand her looked up to see the demon smiling devilishly at him "That your best?" he asked as he charged at the demon.

This time the demon did the same, it leapt into the air over him, but Methos knew how to adapt to an enemy's tactics, he shifted his weight around to the opposite end and put all the force and momentum he had into his swing as he brought the sword to bear on the enemy.

The demon leader turned before Methos could complete his attack. Methos' sword clashed with the claws, the demon forced his sword down lower from its head, but it was a mistake as he soon saw a new opening in the defense.

Methos pushed with all his weight, his blade slid against the claws with an ear-shattering shriek and pierce its skin, slicing deep through its torso. The demon growled angrily as it looked at him and smiled "Nice try." It said as it punched Methos across the jaw by surprise.

Methos fell back as his sword exited from the demon, the blade covered with a dark fluid that was its blood. Methos looked up at the demon who still stood at full height, and remembered, its head, aim for the head. Methos got back to his feet quickly and brought his sword up once more, ready for another round.

Duncan and Angel were fighting side by side. Duncan's sword flew and spun from side to side as he took limbs and heads from the various vampires attacking him, reducing them to dust in seconds. Angel was going more berserk wit each blow he delivered.

His senses were screaming with the scent of blood, his vision blurred to a crimson red as she slashed and tore his way through each demon before him.

Duncan spun around as a stray shot hit him square in the face, his leg sprang up and threw out to the demon nearest to him, and his spin came to a halt as his foot scrapped across the ground. His sights turned to his left as another demon came rushing after him as it leapt into the air "Boy you guys like to jump." He whispered to himself as his sword came up rapidly and sliced through its neck. Duncan glimpsed before moving on as its head and body flew away from each other as they turned to ashes in the air.

Angel leapt at the few demons remaining, she fangs unsheathed as his emotions spoke rage and retribution for those these demons had killed, those they wronged. He was caught off guard by one hiding off to the side, he tumbled to the ground, he was more exhausted than he realized. He forced himself back to his feet as he prepared himself for more of this fight.

"Angel, catch!" Amanda yelled as she tossed her sword in the air towards him. Angel looked up as it flew in the air, suspended for a moment. He ran towards it as it came down and caught it just before it collided with the floor.

His grip was firm as he took hold of the hilt, he spun around and reached his arm forth as his blade found its target, he swiped the heads off of two vampires in one stroke. He stood up straight as he looked at the sword in his hand and Duncan coming back to his side, this fight over with for the time being.

"Where's Methos?" Angel asked as he looked around the now empty room to see that Methos and the demon leader were now gone from it. They looked at each other and realized what had gone down during their fight "Oh shit, they're outside, with their leaders reinforcements.

They ran out the door quickly to try and help their friend in any way they could, but stopped at the sight before them. Methos stood there, his face dripped with blood as his wounds still not healed, his arm was torn up and his sword was stained red with blood "Hey…what took you?" he asked as he slowly walked towards them and collapsed.

Duncan rushed towards his friend and caught him just in time as he passed out from exhaustion.

Renegade headquarters

Alexander Hunt flew through the air as he spun around, a vein of blood whipped out from his split lip as he collided with a concrete pillar. He fell to the ground with a loud thump. He looked up to Buffy, looking like she had been shredded and rewoven again.

Her clothes were shredded mostly, the remains were now red and soaked in each others blood. The energy used in her attack had caused her to collapse to the ground along with him. Slowly they both stood up and faced each other. Hunt weakly grinned with a look that made Buffy nervous.

He bolted with a limp as he ran for the door leading outside. Buffy was the faster as she followed him outside and tackled him onto the stone road. The rolled away from each other as they tried to catch their breath, Buffy still found her sword in her hand, her grasp was barely strong enough to keep it in her hand.

Hunt was none the better for wear, his hand was missing now, the blade was gone along with it, he good hand still had a red blade there still, he made his way back to his feet, knowing as much as Buffy did that this was it, the end of this battle between Vampire and slayer, immortal against immortal.

Hunt tackled her to the ground before she could get up quickly enough, his blade at her throat as he landed on top of her, pinning her down with his weight "Looks like I win slayer, see you in the next life…I'd like to kill you again." He said with a growing smile on his deformed vampire face "I must admit, I've killed dozens of slayers over the millennia, but none were as you have been, I will drink your blood after I take your head with pride." He said as he brought his blade up.

Buffy grinned herself as she reached below her belt.

Hunt was about the thrust his blade down upon her when he stopped, the feeling on an intense and sharp pain burrowed deep into him. He looked down to see her with a dagger in his chest, he looked at her in shock "B-but…I'm older, I've killed all who came for…me." He said. Buffy found her sword by her hand and grabbed it.

With all her strength she swung for him. His head fell off, moving through the air slowly to her perceptions. His body fell over, releasing her from where she was pinned to the ground. She rolled over to her front as she slowly pushed herself up to her knees.

She looked down to the ground as the remains of Alexander Hunt burned and disintegrated to ash, she covered her eyes and winced as what was left behind was a swirl of energy, like lightening bolts that snapped and danced across the air. A growing mist surrounded her and seemed to vanish within her, sinking into her every pore and orifice.

She felt the ease and calm of it all, it was like a barrier was coming down around her mind and the realm of dreams and nightmares, it frightened her a little yet it also gave her a calm she rarely felt.

As she opened her eyes, she gazed upon the light, blue with such a brilliant white vastness to it. It suddenly lashed out to her, she jerked and convulsed under the power of it as it coursed through it. She energy began to surround her and pulsate through and into her.

Her mind rushed with images, many of them were bloody and horrific, she wanted to scream in agony as she stretch out with her arms, arching her back and throwing her head back. 'This is the quickening' She thought to herself, the feeling it gave her was amazing, the images were nightmarish as some were lovely.

She jerked her body as waves of the quickening ran into her. As she witnessed the atrocities that Hunt had committed over the centuries, she wept, a tear ran down her cheek as she felt the power begin to fade into herself. As the energy dimmed and vanished, she dropped down, sitting on her legs, breathing heavily as her hands lay before her.

"Oh god…" she whispered as she began to cry, tears flowing from her eyes as she not only now had his experiences and strength, she felt the horrible guilt of every crime he had done, the horrors that were his were now hers. She remembered the things he had done as if she herself had done them, the wall between her and him had crumbled through the infusion of his essence.

She looked at her hands, trembling, she felt horrible, the feeling of blood all over them, "I-I'm a…monster, what have I done?" she asked herself, loosing herself to the memories.

Sunnydale

"Ethan…I have to say, for a group that's supposed to watch and record the lives of each slayer, you sure have a hell of a lot of firepower." Joe said as he walked out of the club and onto the now quiet street where everyone else was now standing around the empty battle zone.

Ethan chuckled as he turned around to Joe, his men were stationed around the area now, checking for any other demons in the area wreaking havoc among the citizens of the town "Ah, Joe, we have but one answer for that: You never know." He said with a grin.

The silence was broken as they heard what sounded like thunder, Spike and the rest of the others who were regrouping at the club with Joe and Ethan looked upwards to the sky, in the direction of the old warehouse.

"The quickening." Duncan said as he realized that Buffy's battle had now ended too "But how? What other immortal was around her? It can't be Buffy." Xander said pointing in the direction of the bursts and cracks of energy dancing across the sky.

"It's her, that's coming from the old warehouse." Spike said, his voice sounding distant as his thoughts raced "Oh god." He said to himself as he bolted towards one of the dirt bikes near him. He pulled it up and got onto it, quickly starting the engine.

"Spike wait!" Dawn screamed after him as she ran towards him and quickly hoped on behind him, tied her arms around his waist as he popped the clutch and speeded away towards the warehouse.

Everyone in the street outside the club watched as they sped off quickly, their hopes as to what they'd find where they arrived at the warehouse, the looks on their faces, the worry, concern, longing to see their beloved friend once more.

Spike and Dawn sped through the open streets now, free of the rubble and wreckage. He put the bike into high gear as he gave it all the throttle it had, moving them all the more faster through the empty streets. Dawn tightened her hold on Spike as she closed her eyes, afraid to watch as he cut past trees and into the old roads.

The bike flew into the air as Spike flew off a ledge and into the cemetery, he knew that the path he took earlier was just ahead and then it was a straight line to the warehouse. He road into the bushes, brushing past them as he found himself on the path, his face showed determination to get to her, he never flinched, not showing fear of nearly colliding with something.

But he wouldn't be stopped, her said he'd come for her, and now he was.

Buffy lay on her side on the ground, she looked straight forward as she heard the sounds of something approaching her, she didn't care as he mind raced with thoughts and images that she now believed to be her own, he remembered ancient days that were now long forgotten. Faces of those she believed she had murdered, their names no longer a part of the human language.

"Buffy?" she heard as she closed her eyes, tears now running down her face. Biting her lip she rolled further away as she felt a hand touch her shoulder. "Buffy, it's us, Dawn and Spike, what's wrong? What happened?" she heard. Her sister, how could she face her? What would she think of her if she knew of the horrors that now lived in her heart and mind.

"Buffy…" Spike said as he kneed before her, facing her. He touched her shoulder as she looked up at him. "Oh no…" Spike whispered as he saw the look of her tear stained eyes, the look that existed past them, he knew that something was terribly wrong with her. "William…" she said, reaching up for his face, but as her fingers were about to touch his skin, she snapped her hand back, clutching it to her chest as she looked away in sadness and pain.

Spike took off his coat and covered her with it "Come on Dawn, we have to get her back, something's wrong with her." He said. "W-will she be ok?" Dawn asked fearfully as Spike picked up her sister as they began to walk back to the club.

Spike didn't know what to say, he never hid things or lied to Dawn, and he wouldn't start now "I hope so cupcake."

Powers That Be Club

"So what's wrong with her?" Willow asked as she paced around the room with impatience. Tara stood up and walked over to her, placing an arm over her shoulder she led her back t a seat "It's going to be ok, she'll be ok." Tara said, trying to calm and comfort Willow.

Ethan came out of Buffy's room with Duncan and Methos and Giles. Everyone stood up around the loft where Buffy lived, their faces showing the need for answers. "So? What's wrong with her?" Xander asked, being the spokes person for the group.

The four took a seat and looked at them sternly. "I'll start." Duncan said, leaning forward in his seat "To begin, Alexander Hunt wasn't totally human, he was…both immortal and Vampire." He said. Everyone looked at him as they retook their seats "He was both?" Gunn asked as they all gave their full attention.

Duncan nodded "Yes, and don't ask more about it cause none of us have ever seen something like this before, I didn't even know that vampires existed a few months ago let alone that Immortals could become ones." He said. Methos raised his hand, catching their attention "Apparently the qualities that an immortal has were different with Hunt, he could do thins a little differently than a normal human could, and his quickening was far more different than that of any other immortals." He said.

"We've come up with a theory as to what's happened to Buffy." Ethan said, looking to Methos and Duncan. Methos stood up, holding two strings that were tied together "Alright, now imagine that the knot here is an immortal, per say Duncan, Amanda or myself, and this string is us," he said. Pulling at one of the string while letting the other hang loosely "Now, when we take a head of an immortal, their quickening becomes a part of us," he continued.

Methos then angled the two tied strings so that the loose one was hanging just beside it, parallel to the one he pulled on so it was just next to it as though it was one string. "Now this is what we believe happened to Buffy when she took Hunts head." Duncan said as he nodded to Methos.

Methos looped the loose string around the one he pulled on, coiling it around the tightened string. "We believed that the quickening Buffy endured occurred differently than an ordinary one, it must have…" Giles tried to continue, but he didn't know how to say what it was they now knew.

"Ok, to tell it the way it is, when one has a quickening, all the knowledge and experiences that the looser had comes into you, it becomes a part of you. But the memories aren't yours, and you remember them, but not as if they were your memories, you remember them from your enemies point of view, his thoughts, his feelings, they still remain apart from you." He said as he stood up and lecturing everyone on the 'science' behind immortals.

"Yes…" Giles said, regaining his words and thoughts "But what happened to Buffy was that all the memories and thoughts, everything that was Hunt, she now feels and sees them as her own memories, there is no separation from her and Hunts…quickenings, auras, spirits, whatever one would call it. It's as if the quickening acted like…when a vampire turns a human into one of them. Hunts quickening must have tried to replace and take over her body." He said.

"Then why didn't it?" Tara asked as she held Willow close to her, rubbing her shoulder with care and affection. "We believe it was a dark quickening." Duncan said as he slouched in his seat for a moment. "A what?" Anya asked as she scratched her head and looked rather perplexed.

"It's something that Mac went through a few years back, really nasty thing too." Joe said, sitting back in his chair.

Duncan began his story of how the quickening her endured years ago nearly got him and his friends killed, how he nearly lost himself and something evil took his place.

As he finished the tale, the others looked at him oddly, not like he was a freak or monster, it was more of a sad look really, sorry for what he went through in trying to set something right with his now dead friend.

"B-but this isn't like that though right?" Dawn asked, sitting next to Spike on a sofa. Duncan shook his head "No, and like I said, we're working on theory here so I'm sorry if this is somewhat confusing for all of you, but we believe that Hunts quickening worked on the same basic level." He said.

Giles stood up, frustrated over all this, the person he loved and cared about as his own flesh and blood, his surrogate daughter was in that room in pain and misery. "To put it simply, she believes that his memories are hers, in every sense, she believes that she murdered and committed unspeakable acts of evil." Giles said.

Everyone shook their heads, some stood up and paced around the room away form the others. Dawn leaned on Spike as she held back her pain, she wanted to help her sister, be there, help stop this pain she felt. "Can I see her?" she asked weakly, her eyes beginning to water as she lost ground against her tears forcing their way through.

"Only for a little Dawn, she isn't well." Giles said as she walked over to his touch and he led her to the door, as he opened the door she looked back to everyone trying to show a brave face, she looked back tot he dark room. "Remember, only for a little." Giles whispered to her as she walked into the room.

The door gently closed behind her as she stood in the dark room with only a dim light entering from the closed drapes. "Buffy?" Dawn called out softly. She heard the sounds of crying, whimpering somewhere. She looked to the bed but found it empty. She walked away from the door and further into the room. She followed the sounds of her sister to the corner of the room, next to the dresser that hid her.

"Buffy." Dawn said as she came up to her and dropped to her knees, pulling her sister into an embrace "It's alright Buffy." She said as she held her sister tightly, her head on her shoulder as she cried more freely now. "How can you even look at me or touch me, I'm a monster." Buffy sobbed into her sisters shoulder.

Dawn pulled away from Buffy as she held her at arms length by the shoulders "Listen, you didn't do anything, it was all Hunt, he did these things." She said. Buffy shook her head, the confusion and shock of it all still strong in her mind "No, I did it, I …oh god." Buffy said as she collapsed on the floor on Dawns knees, crying.

"I can't believe this, her first quickening and this happens to her." Duncan said to Giles as they leaned by the window, overlooking the street below with officials trying to assess the damage from the earlier battle. "This shouldn't have happened at all." Giles said, sounding angry as he stared out the window.

"What do you mean, she's an immortal now, it's our way, the way we have to live." Duncan said, looking at him. Giles pushed himself away from the window, looking at Duncan with the definite look of anger in his eyes "I mean it isn't within her to kill people."

"Has she told you about how she died, about the hell-god Glory?" he asked. Duncan nodded "Yes, it was the first story she told us after we found out about her being a slayer." He said, trying to understand this anger towards him. Giles lowered his head with a sigh "I'm sorry, I do understand that you taught her to kill in order for her to live, and I thank you for that." He said.

"But, there are things about her that you don't know, something I told Glorys counterpart Ben before I…killed him in order to kill Glory." He said. At the mention of killing, Duncan looked at Giles in surprise, he understood that the Englishman had done the act to save lives. "I told Ben as he lay there, injured and bleeding. He was surprised that Buffy hadn't killed him. I told him that…she couldn't. Even with the knowledge that Glory would come back and extract revenge on her and us, the world for her mercy, she still couldn't bring herself to do it, take a human life."

Giles removed his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose "She's a hero you see, she's not like us." He said, putting on his glasses once more. Looking back out to the streets below.

"I have a new theory." Duncan said, Giles turned back to Duncan, leaning back on the window ledge "Do tell then." He said. "Hunt may have been…more human than demon, immortals and humans are the same, even more, Demons are still human in a way too aren't they?" he asked, Giles nodded his head "To Buffy, she killed a man, and I suppose that she couldn't handle it."

"Yes." Duncan said, Giles understood what he was aiming for philosophically. Duncan shook his head and raised his hands "But even so, how would she have known?" he asked as there were things he was thinking about that just made it difficult for it to stick.

"I saw it during the quickening." Buffy said as she and Dawn walked out of the room, Dawn standing next to her closely. "When I took his…head. I saw everything he knew, what happened to him to make him the way he was." She said, Dawn leading her to a chair and sitting her down.

"When I experienced it, I saw his life, everything. He was an immortal, and he was turned by the master long ago, but he was an immortal. You were right Giles, he was more human than demon, and I killed him." She said sadly as she slouched deeper into her seat.

"It doesn't matter Buffy, he was going to use Catherine and do a lot of nasty shit!" Faith said, trying to help Buffy with what was afflicting her. Buffy shook her head "Blood is on my hands, the things I've done." She said somberly in a low voice, her face covered with the strands of hair falling over her eyes.

"You didn't do anything Buffy, it was all him!" Xander said, walking up to her, trying to help the problem through aggressiveness. Buffy looked up at him, but her expression had changed, it wasn't sadness or self loathing, it was an angered expression.

Her body snapped to life as she grabbed him by his neck and lifted him off the ground. "What do you know? Do you know what it's like to tear flesh apart? The feeling of it? Do you? Answer!" she screamed in a deep voice, everyone ran up to her, trying to get her to let go of him, Xander grabbed her arm trying to loosen her grip on him.

Her grip suddenly vanished as Xander fell to the ground, he coughed and rubbed his neck as Anya ran to his side asking if he was alright. They looked to Buffy who had a shocked look on her face, her hand still where it was when she was strangling Xander "Oh god." She whispered in a breath.

She slowly backed away from everyone. Faith and Catherine ran towards her "Buffy…" Catherine began, but Buffy snapped again, "Get away from me!" she screamed as she gave her a backhand. Catherine was strong and her head threw back, but came back facing her in a mere second.

The two slayers took hold of her as Buffy began to get violent and screaming "No! Let me go!" she kept screaming as the others, Angel and Spike ran to help them, trying to calm her down as they fell to the ground, holding her arms and legs down as she began to thrash and lash out at them "You're all going to die!" Buffy screamed as she continued to thrash against their hands holding her down.

They all couldn't believe what they were seeing, Buffy was acting like a demon, it was as though she were a totally different person. "Buffy! Stop it!" Spike yelled, trying to keep her right arm from breaking loose from his grip and smashing his face in. Buffy suddenly stopped and breathed heavily, tears crawling down her face as she began to mumble to herself.

"Oh goddess." Willow whispered as she ran up to them and kneeled over Buffy "Hey, calm down, it's all going to be alright Buffy." She whispered to her friend, gentle letting her sit up as she held her closely.

The others sat back as she caught their breathes, Faith moved over to Catherine as she checked the bruise on her face "Hey, you ok?" she asked her quietly. Catherine nodded as she rubbed the bruise "Yeah, five by five hey?" she said smiling at her.

"We'd better get her back to her bed, sedate her." Ethan said. Spike got to his feet and moved to the other side of Buffy and gently took hold of her, picking her up off the floor. Ethan followed them as Spike carried her to the bedroom, her words mixed together with others she kept saying, her confusion worse than it was before.

They entered the darkened room and Spike immediately put her on the bed, her eyes half open as she looked up at him "Please forgive me, oh please…" she kept saying over and over again. Spike looked at her as she looked at him sadly, he didn't know what to say, saying it wasn't her or her fault for Hunts action was already proven to bring out his extremely dark nature that was now within her.

"O-oh course I do luv, always." He said to her as he sat over her. Buffy touched his face with her hand, looking up at him with tears in her eyes. Ethan quickly injected her with a sedative, "It'll take effect soon." He said, leaving them alone and out of the room.

"S-spike, I…I love you." She said before her eyes closed and her head dropped down onto the pillow. Spike looked at her for a few minutes, gently stroking her hair as she breathed comfortably. He leaned in and kissed her forehead gently "I love you to Buffy." He said before quietly leaving the room.

He exited to see them all waiting in silence, Xander sitting on the sofa with Anya bringing him a cold wash cloth for the bruising on his neck. "Is she…?" Methos began, but Spike knew what he was going to say "She's sleeping now, I just hope she'll be better in the morning." He said before walking to the kitchen for a drink.

"This is bad, what do we do about this? It's not a demon or anything, its her state of mind." Amanda asked, worried about Buffy as she paced the room with Giles still at the window. No one had really known what to do, not even Duncan who had gone through a similar experience knew what to do.

"Duncan? What happens after a quickening?" Winifred asked, she had been silent for most of this event, and now had an idea. Duncan shrugged as he walked near her with Angel sitting next to her "Uh, well, it sinks in, we get a hold of the changes and what he have now that we didn't before, we adjust and in awhile, its as it always is. Its like we can separate it automatically from 'us'." He said.

Winifred lowered her head slightly, biting her lower lip "But that isn't what's going on with Buffy though, right?" she asked, Duncan simply nodded to her question. Winifred raised her head once more, no longer looking nervous "Then that's what we have to help her do. Hunts quickening isn't like others, so it's not like a normal one, it's not like what you've gone through." She said, standing up and walking away "We should be doing that instead of having a whole damned lecture about it!" she snapped as she walked into the kitchen after Spike.

They heard hr screaming after "Give me a damned drink!" which made them all jump slightly. Angel stood up quickly from the couch and ran after her.

He turned the corner to see her downing a glass of vodka. "Fred! Stop!" he said, taking the empty glass from her, Spike was leaning on the counter looking on in silence with a small smirk on his face.

"What's gotten into you?" he asked, holding her by her lower arms, her eyes looking up at him as she looked shy and sad. "Angel, it gets me so angry! The fact that you're all just talking over what's wrong with her when the answer is staring you all right in the face! Why can't people just stop trying to psycho-analyze everything and try and do something to help, it's not all just about throwing a fist and that's it, all's well! It's also about doing it in a way that no one ever does it, with comfort and words!" she said, speaking so quickly that she was almost to the point of passing out.

Angel looked at her in silence, she did have a point, so little did he or any of them try to help a person in a non-combative way, it was always the easier way to use a fist instead of your emotions and words. He looked at her as she was on the edge of tears "So often when I was little, people always talked about me in a mean way, and nobody ever tried to help me like that, to just talk, help me get through it or just plain listen!" she said as a few tears began to run down her cheeks.

Angel shook his head as he pulled her in and held her tightly. Spike suddenly felt it was his cue to leave as he moved away from the counter "I think that's my sign to bugger off." He said as he walked out of the kitchen. Angel gave him a small scowl for not leaving sooner, but shrugged it off quickly as he held Winifred closely.

"I know you two were involved awhile ago, and I know you still care for her a whole lot, and I don't want you to loose that, because I know it would tear you apart. I see the way you look at her and you care a lot." She said. Angel shook his head a she pulled her away a little, looking at her tear strained eyes "Winifred, I…Care about her yes, and I'd do anything to help her just like anyone else I care about. What her and I had is…history, and that's all it is now."

he wiped the tears from her face as she looked up to him in her usual innocent way "Winifred, I care a lot about you now, more than I probably should. I love you." He said shyly as she moved about a little shy himself now.

Winifred smiled as she moved away and pour a new glass of Vodka, and then a second glass. She walked back to him and handed him the second glass "Care for a drink?" she asked. Angel smiled as he took the glass. Winifred held hers up and smiled lightly "To our friends, let's always be there for them." She said somberly.

Angel brought his up "To care and love." He said as he tapped his glass to hers and they drank their drinks in one shot. Angel lowered his glass and looked at her without a trace of the effects of the strong alcohol. Winifred lowered hers and coughed from the strong vapor feeling it gave as it washed down her throat.

Faith walked into the kitchen and opened the freezer, taking a rack of ice and a face cloth, she smiled as she saw the glasses and open bottle of vodka "Hey, no funny stuff now, makes him annoying." She joked. Angel smiled and shook his head silently as Winifred caught her breath and patter her chest "Yeah, I know. But that'll change someday." She said "And I'll be here when it does." She added in a whisper.

"How's Catherine's face?" Angel asked a she saw Faith putting the ice on the cloth and wrapping it into a cold ball. "Well, I'll say this, she's tougher than she looks." She said as she turned to them with a grin and leaning on the counter. Angel left to the others as Winifred stayed back and talked to Faith "You really…'like' her don't you?" Winifred asked with a smile.

Faith suddenly tensed as she stood up all her own from the counter "Uh, y-yeah, she's a great friend." She said, sounding a little too hesitant. Winifred looked at her with a sweet smile "Come on, I saw how you two looked at each other a lot of times since a few nights ago, you two like each other!" she said in a cheerful tone. Faith waved her hands in the air with a smile "Ok, so we like each other a lot and had sex, so what?" she confessed.

Winifred looked at her in shock "S-sex? Oh! Uh, I wasn't asking about that…whoa." She said as she breathed heavily a little and fidgeted a little. She smiled as she turned around and yelled out "Hey Gunn! I wont that bet!" she said. Faith's ja dropped in surprise as she started to laugh in a type of shock "Oh! Gunn! Get over here!" she yelled as she rushed out of the kitchen and began to try and tackle Gunn.

Spike watched as he walked over to Giles at the window, still being silent and watching the scene below "You ought to stop that, people are going to start wondering about you." He said jokingly. Giles shook his head and glared over at him "Don't start now Spike." He growled.

Spike took no offense to it and leaned on the ledge with him, looking out to the streets "You don't think I don't feel as bad about this as you do? Well I bloody well do Rupert." Spike said as he began to get personal with the watcher. Giles looked up at him and shook his head "I know, I just can't stand being here while my…she's in there suffering." He said.

"I know you see her as your daughter Giles, and I wouldn't take it any other way than that." Spike said. Giles gave Spike a grin as he nodded to him "You've come a long way." He said. Spike nodded as he leaned on the ledge fully as Giles and looked down to the street "Yeah, so we all have. Oh, this is just neat! You can see everything!" Spike said, suddenly smiling as he saw literally everything around the building.

"Oh yes, check her out down there." Giles said pointing to an attractive woman on the corner being treated for a hurt arm. Spike shook his head "Rupert, I had no idea." He said, patting him over the shoulder.

"Here, how's that feel?" Faith asked, pressing the ice over the large bruise on Catherine's face. "Better, thanks Faith." She said, taking hold of the ice pack, but Faith interjected "You let me take care of you, just sit back and relax." She said with a smile. Catherine smiled as she rested her head to the side and looking at Faith tending to her "Thank you." She whispered.

"See, I told you." Gunn said as he sat Down next to Wesley. "Gunn, please, give them at least some respect. I'm sure that they're very much in love, it isn't just sexual!" Wesley said, trying to defend the two lovers. Faith winked at Catherine as Catherine smiled, wondering what she was gonna do now.

"Oh please Wes, would you all get out? We just wanna do it!" Faith said as she got over top of Catherine, straddling her while looking back at them with a sultry smile. Wesley shook his head as he crossed his arms in discomfort "Good lord." He mumbled as Gunn was laughing at him. Faith got off of Catherine when she pushed her off playfully as she was laughing too.

It was a good moment, they knew that times like these when they would all be together like this would be rare, and that things would be getting tough after today. They found Willow and Tara staring at them with wide eyes "Faith?" Willow said softly as she was at a sudden loss for words. Faith shrugged and smiled "Yeah, look at me going dyke-a-dellic." She said while smiling back at Catherine who was looking rather comfortable next to her.

"Oh, well, we sure didn't see that coming now did we Tara?" Willow said with Tara shaking her head with a surprised look on her face too "But it's good! We're happy! See? Happy face wiccans!" Willow said as she pointed to her sudden smile across her lips as well as Taras smile and nod.

Faith let her head fall back as she was feeling a little shock, happy and relieved at the same time "Thanks." She said as she looked back at them.

"Is it just me or a lot of people going gay lately?" Anya said with her usual nostalgic self. She turned and pointed at Xander "You better not go gay on me either mister!" she said with a stern voice. Xander looked at her by the corner of his eye and put the drying wash cloth on his knee.

"Anya honey, the day I turn gay is when…I get reincarnated into a dildo and bought by a fag, no offense." He said with sarcasm and apology for his choice of words to the two all female couples in the room. Gunn and Wesley began to chuckle as they couldn't help themselves "You're alright Xander." Gunn said nodding at him.

Wesley looked around the room as were Duncan and Amanda not far from them "What are Angel and Winifred doing in there?" he asked aloud as he noticed they were away in the kitchen for awhile now. "And what about Methos and Cordellia?"

Wesley and the others knew that Joe and Loren were in the bar, talking music apparently, Dawn was lying next to Xander and Anya on the sofa sleeping finally, and for all they knew Angel and Winifred were making out in the kitchen! "Yeah, they took off after Buffy went to sleep again." Anya said, searching the room.

"Oh jeez, I bet they're off making out too, why not, everyone here is!" Xander said with his all known sarcasm "Is this an episode of Love Boat or what? What's up with everyone?" he asked, slightly upset over the fact that most of everyone was of somewhere while Buffy was in her current condition.

"Relax Xander, right now we can't do anything for Buffy but wait, just enjoy this moment, who knows when another like it will come again." Amanda said, leaning against Duncan comfortably. Xander nodded silently as he remained that way for awhile. Anya turned to them and smiled "Sorry about Xander, Buffy and him are like brother and sister, he cares about her a lot, always will." She said, gently playing with a loch of his hair, looking at him now.

For the rest of the time, they just talked, talked about the times before Buffy walked into their lives, about the things they went through, people they knew that came and gone and sometimes walked back into their lives. And deep down at the center of it, all they really wanted was Buffy to be well again.

"I can remember one of the first things I said to her, I said I would kill to be living in LA, all those shoes." Cordellia said with a light huff of a laugh. Methos sat next to her as they looked out to the clear nights sky, the view from the roof top was very lovely.

Cordellia followed Methos when he tried to quietly sneak away, when she confronted him on the rooftop they got to talking, and they found they enjoyed each others company. "Now I think about it and hate the way I was back then kinda, I was so vain, always trying to catch the cutest guy, or be the prettiest and the most attractive girl." She said, shaking her head, realizing how far she had come.

"Sure, I'm still way into clothes and things like that, but…" she continued, but Methos had cut her off in a kind of polite and charming way "But your more concerned with the world around you now." he said. Cordellia nodded with a smile "Yeah, exactly." She said softly.

"In the past few years, I've seen, been through things that really made me think, lost someone I…loved. I lost him just when I found out who he was, and that he had been crazy about me from the first time we met." She said, looking down to her feet, feeling the sorrow again from the memory.

"Who was he?" Methos asked, his hands on his knees, looking at her closely. Cordellia looked over to him and shrugged "Doyle, he was half human and half demon. I always find myself feeling guilty over the fact that I didn't apologize for these remarks about how disgusting demons were, back when I was still so self absorbed." She said.

"And now Buffy is like this, half out of her mind and…I haven't even taken the time to tell her I'm sorry for some things I said when we were younger. It's funny, I always thought that it would be one of us to end up in her situation, and she'd always be there to…make it better."

Cordellia leaned over and rested her head on Methos' shoulder, looking out to the night sky. "Cordellia, I've learned a few things in my long life. What I know to tell you is that even those who are sworn to protect, are human. And Buffy is human, one of the most human people I've met these days." He said, looking out to the sky as well.

Cordellia looked up at him, seeing his eyes, it was so hard for her to image living for as long as he had, or even be as old as he is when he looked so handsome and young. "Tell me about your life Methos." Cordellia asked, still looking up at him as she huddled closer to him, her arm around his waist. Even though she just met him a short time ago, she felt comfortable around him.

"I was born…a long time ago, I can't even remember the year anymore, or where because the words no longer exist. But it was a hard life for me, growing up. I lived off of scraps on caravans in the desert, I was lucky to survive at all." He said, looking down at her finally 'she's so beautiful.' He thought to himself as he thought of where to go next in his story "When I was a young man, I met a woman, and I instant fell in love with her, and she loved me just as much."

"She was a slayer," he said. Cordellia looked at him more intensely as she kept giving him her total attention "For five years we traveled together, lived well and saw things that some shouldn't ever see, and some that made us feel so alive." Methos did forget some things about his life that long ago, but some things he could never forget if he tried "One day we died, stopping an apocalypse. I always thought that even in death we'd be together. But then I awoke, immortal with her lying dead in my arms, her blood all over me."

Cordellia tightened her hold on him, reaching her arm around his neck gently "I drove me mad with grief, and brought out the worst in me, for I became death, the worst of the four horsemen of the apocalypse." He admitted, his one greatest sin and regret in his life. He didn't know why he told her it, but he did, something about her wanted to make him talk to her, something he hadn't seen in so very long.

"Cordellia raised her head and still kept her hold on him "Y-you were…death? They really existed?" she asked, slightly shocked that such a man as kind and caring as him was such a person in any life. Methos nodded "Yes, we were immortals." He said.

"Almost four years ago, we came together again, our leader Kronos reassembled us to begin our old ways once more. I went along with him only to help Duncan stop him. And he did win." He said "I, uh, rather not talk about me for a little while now if you don't mind." He asked, shaking his head as he rubbed his eyes.

Cordellia nodded "It's ok, I'm sorry." She said, feeling guilty for reopening a box of memories that he must have wished to remain closed. "No, it's alright, you did ask." He said, resting his head back against the border ledge of the rooftop.

Cordellia took his chin gently and turned his head to face hers "I learned from Angel that…who you were doesn't matter, who you are now does." She said.

Methos looked at her, 'she's wise too.' He thought to himself again. He smiled at her as he slowly blinked "Thank you, such wisdom is rare in this world to…" he was cut off this time by Cordellia who moved up and sealed her lips to his. Methos was shocked a little as she caught him off guard by her advance.

She ended the kiss and looked at him, smiling shyly waiting for a response from him for her action just now. Methos found himself at a loss for words, so he did the only thing he really wanted to do, he returned her affection, taking a gentle touch of the nape of her neck he leaned in close to her. Once more their lips met.

End Part 7

Authors note: Ok everyone, the next part it the epilogue. And so you know now, I'm going to be doing sequels to this. The next series will be crossing over with different movies, each part will be a different crossover.

I chose a few movies so far to begin with, here they are: The Green Mile, Run Lola Run (A foreign movie, VERY good), The 6^th Day, AKIRA (manga, best ever.) and that's it so far, I'm stil thinking and considering others as well, I want to get 4 or 5 more. So if you have any suggestions, do share them will you? J

And of course I have a third sequel too, but that comes to tell after the next series J

On another note, I wish to say my condolences to those who lost family in the Trade Center terrorist strike. I've been rather on edge and hearing talk about war. But I hope that those who died and those who lost family find peace, and that those who survived find a calm they once had.

May they rest in peace.