DISCLAIMER: Not mine. Like you didn't know.
DEDICATION: Molly, as always. Heather, my blonde compatriot in the search for heartache. And Rae, my inspiration for everything Angel/Faith.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: None at the moment.
I don't think you trust in my self-righteous suicide
I cry when angels deserve to die
[ - System Of A Down, "Chop Suey!"]
THE FALLEN
No escape.
There hadn't been one when they walked in. They knew that. It wasn't a do-or-die misson, it was a do-and-die. Buffy was pinned under the weight of three vampires, ready to become another casualty in the war between good and evil like so many girls had so epically done before her. She struggled to fight them off, but she was exhausted and beaten and her arms were numb from blood loss. Then out of the corner of her eye, she saw a glimmer of hope.
Angel.
His white cotton shirt ripped and blood-stained, his brown locks tousled from battle, he tore through the multitude of monsters that lunged at them both. A flash of a blade, a spatter of blood, a sickening crack of bone, and he was free of the throng of vampires that held him. Like a man possessed, he hacked towards the fallen Slayer, leaving only explosions of dust in his wake. But his momentum was cut short as a fanged minion speared him from behind, a shoulder being thrust with devastating force into his spine. He collapsed, turning swiftly and holding the blade above him, beheading his assailant as he fell.
Angel regained his position, standing and poised to strike on those attacking Buffy. But even more vampires flooded in, grabbing Angel's arms, legs, and waist, anything to keep him from saving the Slayer. The situation grim, Angel saw Buffy's face fall with defeat. She closed her eyes, ready to give up this life again. She reopened them after a moment, readying herself for the Divine Afterlife. But something else met her sight. Angel had gotten one of his arms free and was in the process of slashing his opponents down. No, he held the sword like a spear...
Buffy's eyes widened with horror at the realization of what Angel was about to do. He reared back, hurling the blade at the tall, solid black obelisk in the center of the room. A resounding clang rang out his success, and the shining pillar shattered with such force that every blacked-out and tinted window in the place came crashing down. As sunshine from the outside poured in, flooding the room, the vampires released her in surprise, Buffy held her hands over her eyes and ears to shield herself from the torrent of glass and the sharp wailing that battered her. The wailing was from the vampires, their source of power destroyed. Each and every one of the dozens of demons exploded into cinder, dust, and ash, nothing left of them to speak of. Tears slid down Buffy's eyes as they met Angel's. He had saved her life. He smiled at her and mouthed the words, "I love you."
Then his body ruptured into nothingness.
Buffy stood up slowly, holding her injured arm, staring at the pile of ash that used to be her former lover in a shocked, almost catatonic state. How in the hell had they gotten into this???
-----
[More to come...]
DEDICATION: Molly, as always. Heather, my blonde compatriot in the search for heartache. And Rae, my inspiration for everything Angel/Faith.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: None at the moment.
I don't think you trust in my self-righteous suicide
I cry when angels deserve to die
[ - System Of A Down, "Chop Suey!"]
THE FALLEN
No escape.
There hadn't been one when they walked in. They knew that. It wasn't a do-or-die misson, it was a do-and-die. Buffy was pinned under the weight of three vampires, ready to become another casualty in the war between good and evil like so many girls had so epically done before her. She struggled to fight them off, but she was exhausted and beaten and her arms were numb from blood loss. Then out of the corner of her eye, she saw a glimmer of hope.
Angel.
His white cotton shirt ripped and blood-stained, his brown locks tousled from battle, he tore through the multitude of monsters that lunged at them both. A flash of a blade, a spatter of blood, a sickening crack of bone, and he was free of the throng of vampires that held him. Like a man possessed, he hacked towards the fallen Slayer, leaving only explosions of dust in his wake. But his momentum was cut short as a fanged minion speared him from behind, a shoulder being thrust with devastating force into his spine. He collapsed, turning swiftly and holding the blade above him, beheading his assailant as he fell.
Angel regained his position, standing and poised to strike on those attacking Buffy. But even more vampires flooded in, grabbing Angel's arms, legs, and waist, anything to keep him from saving the Slayer. The situation grim, Angel saw Buffy's face fall with defeat. She closed her eyes, ready to give up this life again. She reopened them after a moment, readying herself for the Divine Afterlife. But something else met her sight. Angel had gotten one of his arms free and was in the process of slashing his opponents down. No, he held the sword like a spear...
Buffy's eyes widened with horror at the realization of what Angel was about to do. He reared back, hurling the blade at the tall, solid black obelisk in the center of the room. A resounding clang rang out his success, and the shining pillar shattered with such force that every blacked-out and tinted window in the place came crashing down. As sunshine from the outside poured in, flooding the room, the vampires released her in surprise, Buffy held her hands over her eyes and ears to shield herself from the torrent of glass and the sharp wailing that battered her. The wailing was from the vampires, their source of power destroyed. Each and every one of the dozens of demons exploded into cinder, dust, and ash, nothing left of them to speak of. Tears slid down Buffy's eyes as they met Angel's. He had saved her life. He smiled at her and mouthed the words, "I love you."
Then his body ruptured into nothingness.
Buffy stood up slowly, holding her injured arm, staring at the pile of ash that used to be her former lover in a shocked, almost catatonic state. How in the hell had they gotten into this???
-----
[More to come...]