Disclaimer: I claim no right over the characters from BtVS portrayed in the piece of
fiction. All rights of the series Buffy the Vampire Slayer is reserved by Mutant Enemy,
Sandollar, Kuzui Enterprises and Fox. This piece of fiction is not to be reproduced
anywhere or edited without the express consent of the author as named above.
Warning: This piece of literature contains scenes with violence, strong language and
religious references that may be considered offensive. Parental disgression should be
applied.
Chapter 9: The Dawn
Buffy looked around in the empty room, then closed her eyes again and focused on her
other senses. Outside the window the last rays of sunshine cast an orange red glare
across the sky. Her senses picked it up in an instant. The spell was being prepared. The
time was almost at hand. They had to hurry.
There was a cautious knock on the door. Willow peeked inside.
Buffy sat on the floor in a position reminiscent of the relaxed position Buddhist monks
place themselves in when they want to meditate. Her eyes was closed again in what
seemed to be some deep state of meditation.
"Uhm, I am sorry to disturb you, but Doyle has gotten some information of some local
demons. We are all getting together in the kitchen", Willow whispered not wanting to
shock Buffy.
Buffy jumped to her feet and smiled warmly to her friend. "I wasn`t disturbed. I have
been sensing the building of the spell for almost an hour now. I think we only have a few
hours left before things go to hell". She threw her leather jacket back on.
For a moment Willow regarded her friend. The red sunlight illuminated the room. Then
she asked a question: "Whistler has been telling me and Angel a few things for the last
hour or so. He is really afraid of you. He says that you`re just as dangerous to us as the
demons are. That we`re better off not trusting you, because your backers might want to
provoke the apocalypse so that they can force a final decision on who owns this
dimension them or the Powers That Be. I have to ask this, Buffy? Why are you here?
What do you and your backers want? Who are you?". The last words were a plea.
Buffy seemed to seethe in anger so a second then she looked at the redhead with a sad
smile and spoke: "I am here to protect and guide humanity. And that esspecially means
you guys. I am here to prevent the Apocalypse. And while I don`t deny that I
singlehandedly could choose to set it off, it is not no matter what the demonic Powers
That Be think, our plan to set of the Apocalypse. Ever. This world needs to exist in a
balance of power. In a dimension where only one force exists there can be no growth,
no evolution. Now if the demons invade then yes I`ll instigate the Apocalypse, but not to
take over the planet, but to protect this place from becoming owned by evil, chaos,
entropy and decay. I love people way too much to allow that to happen. As for what I
am. I`ll show you even if you will not be able to describe me exactly. I had to become
more than human to return. So I did".
Willow precieved that Buffy had chosen this life out of love, love to herself, love to life,
love to Angel, love to all her friends and family and even love to this world.
"See me", Buffy said and showed the girl her true form, which recided in the place
bathed in light and which could not fit into a mere human body anymore. And Willow
Rosenberg cried tears, for her fear of betrayal was washed away. Buffy was an
immortal being now. No matter how dark the world would be Willow`s soul would always
be comforted by the memory of the sight of her girlfriend`s good and eternal soul
manifested before her. Willow knew then and there that Whistler had spoken out of
ignorance and fear. Buffy would be there to help them as long as their bodies lived on
and if possible even beyond that.
"Let`s go downstairs", Buffy said and gave her favorite redhead a warm hug.
The entire group had collected in the kitchen. All eyes turned on Doyle.
After fidgeting for a moment he drew a deep breath and began to explain: "I called in a
lot of favors for this. But I got an address and some bad news". He paused and looked
around at the collection of beings seating around the kitchen table. There were a
halfdemon, a good demon in humanshape, two almost ordinary humans, a genius witch,
a vampire with a soul and a being, which could only be defined as an angel in the form
of a Slayer already thrice dead. Doyle continued his story: "They are holed up in a
fortress like building on the outskirts of the worst part of LA. This Drucilla woman has
really been spending cash. She has vampires, Krieger demons and even a demon lord
guarding her".
"Wow, that is bad news", Xander commented and leaned back in contemplation.
"No, man. The bad news is that for the spell to be finished they are sacrificing their
hostages", Doyle explained with his thick irish accent and got up to get another cup of
coffee.
"I figured as much", Buffy said and went towards the door. "We have to go now. They`re
have already begun the preparations", she said and left.
"She doesn't waste time huh?", Doyle said and gulped the warm coffee down.
"Nope, but she's right. We have to go immediately", Angel grabbed a bag full of
weapons and followed his former lover out the door. The rest of the gang followed his
example. That left Doyle and Whistler alone in the kitchen.
"Are we going to help them?", Doyle asked his superior.
Whistler shrugged and made no motion to follow the humans. "I have to remain neutral
in this. I can't fight along side an Angel. You're free to do what you like. You're obliged
to be Angel's seer, not to fight with him", Whistler explained and went to pour himself a
stiff whisky. "Do you want one?", he asked and saw that he was alone. "How heroic of
you Doyle", he mused and sat down with the sports section trying to determine, if his
bets had been right this week.
Xander looked over the long stretch of low cut grass between the electric fence and the
gray concrete architectural mistake, which it surrounded. "I don't think we can get all the
way overthere without alarming anyone", he said and looked at the dense patrol pattern
of groups of vampires inside the fence.
"At least they're not using Krieger demons in the patrols. That's a small comfort", Doyle
said and looked around at the gang. They were hiding behind a wall, which had once
been part of a warehouse.
"I have an idea", Willow began paging through her spellbook. "Here", Willow whispered
and looked up. "I can make a glamour, which will hide us from any vampire, but there is
one drawback. I can't both cast the spell and be a part of it", she explained.
"We need you inside", Buffy insisted and Angel nodded in agreement. "I'll cast the spell.
You sneak inside and then I follow you. I'll draw their attack, while you go free the
hostages", Buffy suggested.
"Can you cast spells as well?", Willow looked astounded.
"Yes", Buffy said with a confident smile, while a voice in her mind told her, how to go
about casting the spell. She was never alone, if she needed help.
"Okay, it's not a lot of a plan, but it'll have to do", Angel said and began distributing
weapons.
"Show me the spell", Buffy asked and looked into the book Willow held out before her.
A few moments later. "They can't see us", Xander whispered as they traversed the
grass field and walked up to the locked steel door. "Now what?", he asked.
Doyle stepped up and drew out a lock picking kit. At the questioning glances all around
him he answered: "A result of a youth misspent". The door opened and they slipped
inside.
They had gone inside. Buffy grabbed the heavy broadsword taken from Angel's weapon
collection and walked casually towards the fence. She knew this battle would be hard.
They heard the battle far away as they sneaked deeper into the building. Suddenly
there were heavy creatures running towards them. They hid in a storeroom and saw
Krieger demons lead by a huge demon lord run towards the noise and Buffy.
"No one could handle such a group. Not even Buffy", Cordelia whispered and looked
around to the rest of the crestfallen infiltrators.
"We don't know that. The new Buffy might. Besides we can't help her now. We must
stop Drucilla, before she finishes her cracy plan", Willow said and left. They followed
her.
"It's in there", Xander said and pointed towards a set of huge doors guarded by two
vampires with rifles.
"Let me handle them", Willow demanded and began to chant a spell.
A woman stepped into the corridor. As ordered by their queen the two vampires leveled
their automatic rifles to fire. But Willow cried out the final words of the spell and all that
was left of them and the doors was charred dust falling to the floor. A thunderous boom
shook the building as her fireball echoed in the large room behind the doors.
They charged in. Suddenly vampires sprang from their hiding places and attacked on all
sides. Willow was struck down and Angel had a stake placed over his heart. "Surrender
my petssss", a dark haired vampire chanted as she stepped out from the shadows.
"I knew you would come too see my darling return to me. We'll party, while this world
burns and the moon cries out in pain", Drucilla said in her usual sing song voice and
watched as her henchmen tied up the Scooby Gang and their two demonic friends.
"You'll suffer for your killing of my dear. Oh, yes", she said and danced around. Lights
where turned on, revealing a large intricate design etched into the concrete floor and the
3 unconcious sacrifices around which the spell was centered. In the middle of the
symbol a single vampire pale and gaunt stood and chanted with religious fervor. They
all recognized a demonic replacement of their friend Amy in midst of setting of the end
of the world. They had feared that she had been turned into a vampire back at
graduation, now they knew for sure.
"Dru, stop this. You don't know…Arrghh", she jammed Angel's battleaxe into his chest.
"Shh, bad bad daddy. I'll spank you later for the interruption", she said and danced
around in the room once more. A human stepped up besides the captured group.
"I hope that you're satisfied with the services of our company", he said to the insane
vampire dancing.
But before Dru could answer the doors were opened again and the demon lord stepped
inside. He was badly beaten and had several deep and bleeding cuts. He was carrying
a small female form. Buffy was clearly dead, her body looked like it had been beaten
and broken repeatedly.
"No!!!", the Scooby gang and Angel cried out in unison. Their last hope defeated.
"This one tried to come in. I had to sacrifice all your vampires and my warriors, before I
could kill her", the big wounded demon explained and threw Buffy's body before Dru.
Angel screamed in rage and impotence as he teared at the ropes binding him, his
demon readily apparent.
"Shh, quiet down Daddy. You'll all dance with me or her before this day is over, because
I seem to be needing some new pets now", Dru said and looked upon the spellcaster in
the symbol. The sacrifice would be performed soon.
The chanting began to reach a crescendo and the symbol in the floor started to smoke
and faint screams were audible. However the gang was beyond caring as they watched
Dru walk towards the first sacrifice. Buffy's mother. She held a vicious hooked knife in
her hands and drew herself high.
Suddenly a sword flew through the room and struck Drucilla in her arms.
Buffy stood alone in the middle of the room. Light was shining from her wounds.
"Buffy!", Willow screamed in alarm as the demon lord approached from behind her with
a huge two handed scimitar in his hands.
Buffy ignored the danger and threw a knife at Willow. It sheared through her ropes and
cut right into the central knot binding Angel. They were both free, just as Doyle chose to
reveal his half-demon side and tear free. Yet Willow didn't move. She watched in horror
as the demon lord sheared off Buffy's head in one clean stroke. White hot anger shot
through her and a craving for revenge filled her being. A spell sprang into her memory
and Willow quickly chanted it as Angel hacked into the vampire throng with his battleaxe
in what seemed to be berserker rage, while Xander followed him to keep enemies of his
back. Willow didn't notice Doyle and Cordelia struggle to do the same for her. Willow
didn't care. She flung her life into the spell, but as the demon lord turned to face her
onslaught, he seemed too uncaring too selfconfident. Time seemed to stand still. Willow
struggled with the immense energies collected within her. Finally she flung out the
magic aiming at the right arm of the demon lord. The huge ball of whitehot plasma flew
towards him in what seemed to be eternity.
But he easily sidestepped the spell and looked triumphantly down upon the little witch.
And Willow smiled back as the spell atomized the vampire version of Amy before the
spell to end the world could be finished. The demon lord sensed his failure and saw the
glow of the unholy runes on the ground die and become inert. He turned to kill the
offending witch.
There was an explosion of light. The room held no shadows and an unearthly song filled
the room. The demon lord screamed in surprise. He felt a presence in the room, a
presence dwarfing even the one of his Lord and maybe even that of his gods. He turned
and saw her. The body still lay without life and a head, but above the body a different
thing had manifested. "Demonic Lords have no place on this world until the final days.
You are a treaty breaker and I have been sent to ensure that you mistake doesn't
endanger this universe", suddenly a beautiful long sword appeared in the winged beings
hands, and he realized that he would now go away forever. No amount of magic or
summons would be able to gather the shattered pieces of his soul. The Angel passed
judgement upon him and struck him with lightning quickness. His life slipped from his
fingers. And for him all became darkness.
Willow stared in disbelief as Buffy's body and head disappeared and another identical
but fully healed one appeared besides her resting place. Buffy hadn't lied, she was
eternal now.
Awed the display of power and the miracle of the girl's healing the remaining vampires
fled for their lives. Angel fell to the floor crying, while Xander lay not far behind him,
bleeding and hurt. Cordelia lay unconcious besides Doyle, who was nursing a broken
arm. Willow stood unhurt yet drained of will and strength.
Buffy blinked and became aware that she was no longer outside on the lawn. She had
no clear recollection of her recent actions.
Suddenly Drucilla appeared behind Willow and lifted her from the ground. "Let me go or
the witch gets it", she threathened.
Buffy walked calmly towards the wounded vampire. "I cannot allow you to hurt anybody
anymore. You have done too much that requires punishment. Your soul demands
cleansing", Buffy said.
"Stop! Or I kill her", Drucilla threathened again and looked directly at the radiant girl
standing only feets from her.
Buffy moved as fast as she could. She easily moved into fighting range. In a blur she
brought up her left fist and hammered it into the elbow of the arm with which she carried
the gasping Willow. It shattered and Drucilla dropped the red-haired girl with a scream
of pain. But Buffy didn't relent. She quickly grabbed Drucilla by her shoulders and held
her up to face her. "Now your soul will find the rest it has sought for ages", Buffy
whispered so that only her demon could hear. Smiling yet sorrowful her body began
giving off the holy light within her. The demon screamed in agony and the dead body
burst into orange flames. Only gray dust remained moments later.
Buffy stopped and regarded the scene of hurt people and wounded vampires all around
her. Without pause she visited all her friends and took their pain and wounds into
herself. Staggering she passed by Doyle and Angel, whom she couldn't help and took
up the still unconcious body of Jenni Calendar. Or was it Janna of the Calderash, she
mused. Her face set in quiet contemplation, she drained the drugs and pain from Jenni.
And walked slowly to her beloved teacher. "Awaken my teacher, my father", she
whispered and took his broken bones and lifted the fog of the drugs from him. Finally
she staggered over to her mother, while all around her her friends were getting on her
feet. Smiling like she had found true happiness, Buffy sat besides her and took her
mother's hands. Her wounds weren't deep or serious, but Buffy took them as well. And
all turned dark for her. Even she had limits.
fiction. All rights of the series Buffy the Vampire Slayer is reserved by Mutant Enemy,
Sandollar, Kuzui Enterprises and Fox. This piece of fiction is not to be reproduced
anywhere or edited without the express consent of the author as named above.
Warning: This piece of literature contains scenes with violence, strong language and
religious references that may be considered offensive. Parental disgression should be
applied.
Chapter 9: The Dawn
Buffy looked around in the empty room, then closed her eyes again and focused on her
other senses. Outside the window the last rays of sunshine cast an orange red glare
across the sky. Her senses picked it up in an instant. The spell was being prepared. The
time was almost at hand. They had to hurry.
There was a cautious knock on the door. Willow peeked inside.
Buffy sat on the floor in a position reminiscent of the relaxed position Buddhist monks
place themselves in when they want to meditate. Her eyes was closed again in what
seemed to be some deep state of meditation.
"Uhm, I am sorry to disturb you, but Doyle has gotten some information of some local
demons. We are all getting together in the kitchen", Willow whispered not wanting to
shock Buffy.
Buffy jumped to her feet and smiled warmly to her friend. "I wasn`t disturbed. I have
been sensing the building of the spell for almost an hour now. I think we only have a few
hours left before things go to hell". She threw her leather jacket back on.
For a moment Willow regarded her friend. The red sunlight illuminated the room. Then
she asked a question: "Whistler has been telling me and Angel a few things for the last
hour or so. He is really afraid of you. He says that you`re just as dangerous to us as the
demons are. That we`re better off not trusting you, because your backers might want to
provoke the apocalypse so that they can force a final decision on who owns this
dimension them or the Powers That Be. I have to ask this, Buffy? Why are you here?
What do you and your backers want? Who are you?". The last words were a plea.
Buffy seemed to seethe in anger so a second then she looked at the redhead with a sad
smile and spoke: "I am here to protect and guide humanity. And that esspecially means
you guys. I am here to prevent the Apocalypse. And while I don`t deny that I
singlehandedly could choose to set it off, it is not no matter what the demonic Powers
That Be think, our plan to set of the Apocalypse. Ever. This world needs to exist in a
balance of power. In a dimension where only one force exists there can be no growth,
no evolution. Now if the demons invade then yes I`ll instigate the Apocalypse, but not to
take over the planet, but to protect this place from becoming owned by evil, chaos,
entropy and decay. I love people way too much to allow that to happen. As for what I
am. I`ll show you even if you will not be able to describe me exactly. I had to become
more than human to return. So I did".
Willow precieved that Buffy had chosen this life out of love, love to herself, love to life,
love to Angel, love to all her friends and family and even love to this world.
"See me", Buffy said and showed the girl her true form, which recided in the place
bathed in light and which could not fit into a mere human body anymore. And Willow
Rosenberg cried tears, for her fear of betrayal was washed away. Buffy was an
immortal being now. No matter how dark the world would be Willow`s soul would always
be comforted by the memory of the sight of her girlfriend`s good and eternal soul
manifested before her. Willow knew then and there that Whistler had spoken out of
ignorance and fear. Buffy would be there to help them as long as their bodies lived on
and if possible even beyond that.
"Let`s go downstairs", Buffy said and gave her favorite redhead a warm hug.
The entire group had collected in the kitchen. All eyes turned on Doyle.
After fidgeting for a moment he drew a deep breath and began to explain: "I called in a
lot of favors for this. But I got an address and some bad news". He paused and looked
around at the collection of beings seating around the kitchen table. There were a
halfdemon, a good demon in humanshape, two almost ordinary humans, a genius witch,
a vampire with a soul and a being, which could only be defined as an angel in the form
of a Slayer already thrice dead. Doyle continued his story: "They are holed up in a
fortress like building on the outskirts of the worst part of LA. This Drucilla woman has
really been spending cash. She has vampires, Krieger demons and even a demon lord
guarding her".
"Wow, that is bad news", Xander commented and leaned back in contemplation.
"No, man. The bad news is that for the spell to be finished they are sacrificing their
hostages", Doyle explained with his thick irish accent and got up to get another cup of
coffee.
"I figured as much", Buffy said and went towards the door. "We have to go now. They`re
have already begun the preparations", she said and left.
"She doesn't waste time huh?", Doyle said and gulped the warm coffee down.
"Nope, but she's right. We have to go immediately", Angel grabbed a bag full of
weapons and followed his former lover out the door. The rest of the gang followed his
example. That left Doyle and Whistler alone in the kitchen.
"Are we going to help them?", Doyle asked his superior.
Whistler shrugged and made no motion to follow the humans. "I have to remain neutral
in this. I can't fight along side an Angel. You're free to do what you like. You're obliged
to be Angel's seer, not to fight with him", Whistler explained and went to pour himself a
stiff whisky. "Do you want one?", he asked and saw that he was alone. "How heroic of
you Doyle", he mused and sat down with the sports section trying to determine, if his
bets had been right this week.
Xander looked over the long stretch of low cut grass between the electric fence and the
gray concrete architectural mistake, which it surrounded. "I don't think we can get all the
way overthere without alarming anyone", he said and looked at the dense patrol pattern
of groups of vampires inside the fence.
"At least they're not using Krieger demons in the patrols. That's a small comfort", Doyle
said and looked around at the gang. They were hiding behind a wall, which had once
been part of a warehouse.
"I have an idea", Willow began paging through her spellbook. "Here", Willow whispered
and looked up. "I can make a glamour, which will hide us from any vampire, but there is
one drawback. I can't both cast the spell and be a part of it", she explained.
"We need you inside", Buffy insisted and Angel nodded in agreement. "I'll cast the spell.
You sneak inside and then I follow you. I'll draw their attack, while you go free the
hostages", Buffy suggested.
"Can you cast spells as well?", Willow looked astounded.
"Yes", Buffy said with a confident smile, while a voice in her mind told her, how to go
about casting the spell. She was never alone, if she needed help.
"Okay, it's not a lot of a plan, but it'll have to do", Angel said and began distributing
weapons.
"Show me the spell", Buffy asked and looked into the book Willow held out before her.
A few moments later. "They can't see us", Xander whispered as they traversed the
grass field and walked up to the locked steel door. "Now what?", he asked.
Doyle stepped up and drew out a lock picking kit. At the questioning glances all around
him he answered: "A result of a youth misspent". The door opened and they slipped
inside.
They had gone inside. Buffy grabbed the heavy broadsword taken from Angel's weapon
collection and walked casually towards the fence. She knew this battle would be hard.
They heard the battle far away as they sneaked deeper into the building. Suddenly
there were heavy creatures running towards them. They hid in a storeroom and saw
Krieger demons lead by a huge demon lord run towards the noise and Buffy.
"No one could handle such a group. Not even Buffy", Cordelia whispered and looked
around to the rest of the crestfallen infiltrators.
"We don't know that. The new Buffy might. Besides we can't help her now. We must
stop Drucilla, before she finishes her cracy plan", Willow said and left. They followed
her.
"It's in there", Xander said and pointed towards a set of huge doors guarded by two
vampires with rifles.
"Let me handle them", Willow demanded and began to chant a spell.
A woman stepped into the corridor. As ordered by their queen the two vampires leveled
their automatic rifles to fire. But Willow cried out the final words of the spell and all that
was left of them and the doors was charred dust falling to the floor. A thunderous boom
shook the building as her fireball echoed in the large room behind the doors.
They charged in. Suddenly vampires sprang from their hiding places and attacked on all
sides. Willow was struck down and Angel had a stake placed over his heart. "Surrender
my petssss", a dark haired vampire chanted as she stepped out from the shadows.
"I knew you would come too see my darling return to me. We'll party, while this world
burns and the moon cries out in pain", Drucilla said in her usual sing song voice and
watched as her henchmen tied up the Scooby Gang and their two demonic friends.
"You'll suffer for your killing of my dear. Oh, yes", she said and danced around. Lights
where turned on, revealing a large intricate design etched into the concrete floor and the
3 unconcious sacrifices around which the spell was centered. In the middle of the
symbol a single vampire pale and gaunt stood and chanted with religious fervor. They
all recognized a demonic replacement of their friend Amy in midst of setting of the end
of the world. They had feared that she had been turned into a vampire back at
graduation, now they knew for sure.
"Dru, stop this. You don't know…Arrghh", she jammed Angel's battleaxe into his chest.
"Shh, bad bad daddy. I'll spank you later for the interruption", she said and danced
around in the room once more. A human stepped up besides the captured group.
"I hope that you're satisfied with the services of our company", he said to the insane
vampire dancing.
But before Dru could answer the doors were opened again and the demon lord stepped
inside. He was badly beaten and had several deep and bleeding cuts. He was carrying
a small female form. Buffy was clearly dead, her body looked like it had been beaten
and broken repeatedly.
"No!!!", the Scooby gang and Angel cried out in unison. Their last hope defeated.
"This one tried to come in. I had to sacrifice all your vampires and my warriors, before I
could kill her", the big wounded demon explained and threw Buffy's body before Dru.
Angel screamed in rage and impotence as he teared at the ropes binding him, his
demon readily apparent.
"Shh, quiet down Daddy. You'll all dance with me or her before this day is over, because
I seem to be needing some new pets now", Dru said and looked upon the spellcaster in
the symbol. The sacrifice would be performed soon.
The chanting began to reach a crescendo and the symbol in the floor started to smoke
and faint screams were audible. However the gang was beyond caring as they watched
Dru walk towards the first sacrifice. Buffy's mother. She held a vicious hooked knife in
her hands and drew herself high.
Suddenly a sword flew through the room and struck Drucilla in her arms.
Buffy stood alone in the middle of the room. Light was shining from her wounds.
"Buffy!", Willow screamed in alarm as the demon lord approached from behind her with
a huge two handed scimitar in his hands.
Buffy ignored the danger and threw a knife at Willow. It sheared through her ropes and
cut right into the central knot binding Angel. They were both free, just as Doyle chose to
reveal his half-demon side and tear free. Yet Willow didn't move. She watched in horror
as the demon lord sheared off Buffy's head in one clean stroke. White hot anger shot
through her and a craving for revenge filled her being. A spell sprang into her memory
and Willow quickly chanted it as Angel hacked into the vampire throng with his battleaxe
in what seemed to be berserker rage, while Xander followed him to keep enemies of his
back. Willow didn't notice Doyle and Cordelia struggle to do the same for her. Willow
didn't care. She flung her life into the spell, but as the demon lord turned to face her
onslaught, he seemed too uncaring too selfconfident. Time seemed to stand still. Willow
struggled with the immense energies collected within her. Finally she flung out the
magic aiming at the right arm of the demon lord. The huge ball of whitehot plasma flew
towards him in what seemed to be eternity.
But he easily sidestepped the spell and looked triumphantly down upon the little witch.
And Willow smiled back as the spell atomized the vampire version of Amy before the
spell to end the world could be finished. The demon lord sensed his failure and saw the
glow of the unholy runes on the ground die and become inert. He turned to kill the
offending witch.
There was an explosion of light. The room held no shadows and an unearthly song filled
the room. The demon lord screamed in surprise. He felt a presence in the room, a
presence dwarfing even the one of his Lord and maybe even that of his gods. He turned
and saw her. The body still lay without life and a head, but above the body a different
thing had manifested. "Demonic Lords have no place on this world until the final days.
You are a treaty breaker and I have been sent to ensure that you mistake doesn't
endanger this universe", suddenly a beautiful long sword appeared in the winged beings
hands, and he realized that he would now go away forever. No amount of magic or
summons would be able to gather the shattered pieces of his soul. The Angel passed
judgement upon him and struck him with lightning quickness. His life slipped from his
fingers. And for him all became darkness.
Willow stared in disbelief as Buffy's body and head disappeared and another identical
but fully healed one appeared besides her resting place. Buffy hadn't lied, she was
eternal now.
Awed the display of power and the miracle of the girl's healing the remaining vampires
fled for their lives. Angel fell to the floor crying, while Xander lay not far behind him,
bleeding and hurt. Cordelia lay unconcious besides Doyle, who was nursing a broken
arm. Willow stood unhurt yet drained of will and strength.
Buffy blinked and became aware that she was no longer outside on the lawn. She had
no clear recollection of her recent actions.
Suddenly Drucilla appeared behind Willow and lifted her from the ground. "Let me go or
the witch gets it", she threathened.
Buffy walked calmly towards the wounded vampire. "I cannot allow you to hurt anybody
anymore. You have done too much that requires punishment. Your soul demands
cleansing", Buffy said.
"Stop! Or I kill her", Drucilla threathened again and looked directly at the radiant girl
standing only feets from her.
Buffy moved as fast as she could. She easily moved into fighting range. In a blur she
brought up her left fist and hammered it into the elbow of the arm with which she carried
the gasping Willow. It shattered and Drucilla dropped the red-haired girl with a scream
of pain. But Buffy didn't relent. She quickly grabbed Drucilla by her shoulders and held
her up to face her. "Now your soul will find the rest it has sought for ages", Buffy
whispered so that only her demon could hear. Smiling yet sorrowful her body began
giving off the holy light within her. The demon screamed in agony and the dead body
burst into orange flames. Only gray dust remained moments later.
Buffy stopped and regarded the scene of hurt people and wounded vampires all around
her. Without pause she visited all her friends and took their pain and wounds into
herself. Staggering she passed by Doyle and Angel, whom she couldn't help and took
up the still unconcious body of Jenni Calendar. Or was it Janna of the Calderash, she
mused. Her face set in quiet contemplation, she drained the drugs and pain from Jenni.
And walked slowly to her beloved teacher. "Awaken my teacher, my father", she
whispered and took his broken bones and lifted the fog of the drugs from him. Finally
she staggered over to her mother, while all around her her friends were getting on her
feet. Smiling like she had found true happiness, Buffy sat besides her and took her
mother's hands. Her wounds weren't deep or serious, but Buffy took them as well. And
all turned dark for her. Even she had limits.
