Ladybard chapter 18, by Slayergirl.
Nearly there, I promise! Watch out for the bad language – that Stella's a foul-mouthed little thing sometimes!
*** *** *** ***
"Weapons?" asked Stella as she handed the twins over to Cordelia and Xander for safekeeping.
"Check," replied Connor.
"Good luck!" said Xander, knowing that this would be their most important battle. He'd helped Buffy avert several apocalypses. But this one was different. The vampire activity had given it away. Stella and Connor had dusted hundreds in the past few weeks. Now, there was the Hellmouth problem. The odds weren't good – there were only two of them. But Stella – well, both of them, they were special.
Xander wrapped an arm round Cordelia's waist as they watched them go. "We'll never see them again." He said softly.
"One day," she murmured, getting into the car. "We'll see them again somewhere, some day."
*** ***
They knew the Hellmouth would open, and that there were demons trying to hunt them down. The prophecies had told them as much. They also knew the demons would go after the twins if they had the chance. "'They are destined for great things'," Cordelia had said. "'They will be warriors, defending the earth… defending humans from themselves'." 'Nice,' thought Stella. 'But right now, we need to defend humans from pretty much everything else.'
They got into position, waiting for nightfall. "Cordy and Xander and the twins should be on their way to LA by now," said Connor.
"Yep. On our own now," replied his wife.
"We might not make it."
"True. But at least they'll be safer away from here."
"I know."
The time ticked by slowly. Then all hell broke loose – literally.
The fight was bloody – if you could call the liquid that escaped the demons blood. They were nightmarish creatures – everyone's worst nightmare, the monster under the bed you'd feared for years. Stella and Connor wondered if they were fighting fear itself as the demons morphed into ever more terrifying forms. Many of the demons were killed at their hands, but they knew they were losing ground. What could two of them do against so many?
They redoubled their efforts, viciously ripping the stomachs out of the demons, gouging their eyes out, slitting their throats, until they were covered in demon blood and slime and gore. But still the demons came.
"God, how many are there?" wondered Stella aloud, grappling hand to – hand, for want of a better word, with one of the demons.
"Too many!" panted Connor. "We can't hold on for ever! There are just too many!" Both of them knew the situation was desperate. They were still losing ground.
"Got to keep going!" she ground out. "Kill as many as possible. Do what you like, just make sure they die!" she said as she stabbed a demon in the stomach, twisting out the slime-covered blade. "God, you're revolting!" she said as she disembowelled it, and watched it dissolve.
Just when they thought they could fight no longer, the demons started to cower away from them, whimpering and howling with fear. They looked at each other, bemused. Then turned around.
They were dressed as warriors, the six who stood there, shining brightly. Starlight sparkled on the sharp edges of their swords, and their faces were grim, though timelessly beautiful. They saluted Stella and Connor.
"So," smiled the woman Stella knew must be Estrellita, "you meet your destiny at last."
"Didn't think we'd miss the final showdown, did you, princess?" asked her father. Then added, "this is our fight, too. It's what we always fought for."
Stella was about to ask what they meant, but heard her mother scream, "Watch your back!" Stella spun round to see a huge creature appearing from the Hellmouth. Connor charged forward, but the creature simply flung him against the wall.
Stella looked at the creature, her face twisted with rage. "You fucking bastard!" she screamed as she hacked at it in a fury. "You'll pay for that! I'll chop your bollocks off and ram them down your sodding, ugly throat! Then I'm going to slit you from nose to toes and watch you bleed all over the floor. You'll wish like buggery you'd never, EVER set eyes on me!"
"Who – taught – my daughter – language – like that?" panted Buffy as they fought the demons. There was slime everywhere, but the tide had turned. The demons – all but the creature Stella was still hurling obscenities at whilst fighting – were afraid of them.
"What is that thing?" asked Dawn.
"Ruler of the dimension closest to ours via the Hellmouth," gritted out Giles. "Not exactly easy to kill."
Stella battled on, though her fighting was more emotion than skill. She was aware that she was not alone in her fight.
"So," said the woman to the creature. "We meet again, my nemesis."
"Estrellita!" he spat out. "You should not have come here. Your meddling will avail you nothing."
To Stella's surprise, Estrellita laughed. "I think not," she said sweetly. "For this is the Ladybard, and she will destroy you!" The creature faltered.
Stella felt the woman's hand on her shoulder, and a tingling sensation rushed through her. She drew herself up, and saw the creature looking at her apprehensively. Estrellita handed her a silver sword. "Only that sword, in your hands, will kill him," she said softly. "Do it."
Stella shook her hair back and raised the sword. Light skittered off it in all directions. She cried out, words never spoken before: "Ai goronom lei hathron ar sorome na gan!"
"Hell, who taught her the words of power?" exclaimed Giles. "I never taught her magick, after Willow… uh…"
Dawn grinned at him. "Willow and Tara taught me some. I taught her some. And you left the key to your bookcase in a really obvious place!"
"Oh!"
"Got a trick up her sleeve, I see," said Spike approvingly.
"Yes, well, I had no idea she'd got at my magick books!" said Giles ruffled.
"Sargon dei halome car rondar na lan!"
"What's she saying?" whispered Buffy.
"Harnooth lei haramon, harnooth na han!"
"It's a spell," said Giles.
Stella was still fighting the creature as she cried out the words.
"Duh! I kind of gathered that!" called Buffy over her shoulder as she despatched the last demon. She turned to Estrellita. "Do we help her?"
Estrellita shook her head. "No. Watch and wait. She will prevail."
"An caramon cai ladoc ar vanion na lan!"
Connor sat up, but found Angel holding him back. "She's fine. She'll be okay."
"Harnooth! Harnooth! Caramon na lan!" She cried as she plunged the sword into its heart. She fell back into Estrellita's arms, leaving the sword in the creature's chest as it screamed in agony.
"Infused with starlight and magick," explained Estrellita. "You have killed him."
The creature was thrashing around, trying to get the sword out of its chest.
"The Spell?" Stella asked. Estrellita nodded.
"The Ladybard knows of right," she murmured to herself.
Stella held out her arms towards the Hellmouth and started chanting:
"Cara ga halamon, haran ga lo,
Hira fan tagon, Hira fan so.
Halamon, Halamon, Taran ar noth!
Halamon, Halamon, Taran go soth!"
There was a flash of blinding light, then everything went dark.
"Did I do that wrong," asked Stella nervously.
"No," laughed Estrellita merrily. "You did it just right!"
*** ***
Off to the epilogue, now, to find out what she's done!
Nearly there, I promise! Watch out for the bad language – that Stella's a foul-mouthed little thing sometimes!
*** *** *** ***
"Weapons?" asked Stella as she handed the twins over to Cordelia and Xander for safekeeping.
"Check," replied Connor.
"Good luck!" said Xander, knowing that this would be their most important battle. He'd helped Buffy avert several apocalypses. But this one was different. The vampire activity had given it away. Stella and Connor had dusted hundreds in the past few weeks. Now, there was the Hellmouth problem. The odds weren't good – there were only two of them. But Stella – well, both of them, they were special.
Xander wrapped an arm round Cordelia's waist as they watched them go. "We'll never see them again." He said softly.
"One day," she murmured, getting into the car. "We'll see them again somewhere, some day."
*** ***
They knew the Hellmouth would open, and that there were demons trying to hunt them down. The prophecies had told them as much. They also knew the demons would go after the twins if they had the chance. "'They are destined for great things'," Cordelia had said. "'They will be warriors, defending the earth… defending humans from themselves'." 'Nice,' thought Stella. 'But right now, we need to defend humans from pretty much everything else.'
They got into position, waiting for nightfall. "Cordy and Xander and the twins should be on their way to LA by now," said Connor.
"Yep. On our own now," replied his wife.
"We might not make it."
"True. But at least they'll be safer away from here."
"I know."
The time ticked by slowly. Then all hell broke loose – literally.
The fight was bloody – if you could call the liquid that escaped the demons blood. They were nightmarish creatures – everyone's worst nightmare, the monster under the bed you'd feared for years. Stella and Connor wondered if they were fighting fear itself as the demons morphed into ever more terrifying forms. Many of the demons were killed at their hands, but they knew they were losing ground. What could two of them do against so many?
They redoubled their efforts, viciously ripping the stomachs out of the demons, gouging their eyes out, slitting their throats, until they were covered in demon blood and slime and gore. But still the demons came.
"God, how many are there?" wondered Stella aloud, grappling hand to – hand, for want of a better word, with one of the demons.
"Too many!" panted Connor. "We can't hold on for ever! There are just too many!" Both of them knew the situation was desperate. They were still losing ground.
"Got to keep going!" she ground out. "Kill as many as possible. Do what you like, just make sure they die!" she said as she stabbed a demon in the stomach, twisting out the slime-covered blade. "God, you're revolting!" she said as she disembowelled it, and watched it dissolve.
Just when they thought they could fight no longer, the demons started to cower away from them, whimpering and howling with fear. They looked at each other, bemused. Then turned around.
They were dressed as warriors, the six who stood there, shining brightly. Starlight sparkled on the sharp edges of their swords, and their faces were grim, though timelessly beautiful. They saluted Stella and Connor.
"So," smiled the woman Stella knew must be Estrellita, "you meet your destiny at last."
"Didn't think we'd miss the final showdown, did you, princess?" asked her father. Then added, "this is our fight, too. It's what we always fought for."
Stella was about to ask what they meant, but heard her mother scream, "Watch your back!" Stella spun round to see a huge creature appearing from the Hellmouth. Connor charged forward, but the creature simply flung him against the wall.
Stella looked at the creature, her face twisted with rage. "You fucking bastard!" she screamed as she hacked at it in a fury. "You'll pay for that! I'll chop your bollocks off and ram them down your sodding, ugly throat! Then I'm going to slit you from nose to toes and watch you bleed all over the floor. You'll wish like buggery you'd never, EVER set eyes on me!"
"Who – taught – my daughter – language – like that?" panted Buffy as they fought the demons. There was slime everywhere, but the tide had turned. The demons – all but the creature Stella was still hurling obscenities at whilst fighting – were afraid of them.
"What is that thing?" asked Dawn.
"Ruler of the dimension closest to ours via the Hellmouth," gritted out Giles. "Not exactly easy to kill."
Stella battled on, though her fighting was more emotion than skill. She was aware that she was not alone in her fight.
"So," said the woman to the creature. "We meet again, my nemesis."
"Estrellita!" he spat out. "You should not have come here. Your meddling will avail you nothing."
To Stella's surprise, Estrellita laughed. "I think not," she said sweetly. "For this is the Ladybard, and she will destroy you!" The creature faltered.
Stella felt the woman's hand on her shoulder, and a tingling sensation rushed through her. She drew herself up, and saw the creature looking at her apprehensively. Estrellita handed her a silver sword. "Only that sword, in your hands, will kill him," she said softly. "Do it."
Stella shook her hair back and raised the sword. Light skittered off it in all directions. She cried out, words never spoken before: "Ai goronom lei hathron ar sorome na gan!"
"Hell, who taught her the words of power?" exclaimed Giles. "I never taught her magick, after Willow… uh…"
Dawn grinned at him. "Willow and Tara taught me some. I taught her some. And you left the key to your bookcase in a really obvious place!"
"Oh!"
"Got a trick up her sleeve, I see," said Spike approvingly.
"Yes, well, I had no idea she'd got at my magick books!" said Giles ruffled.
"Sargon dei halome car rondar na lan!"
"What's she saying?" whispered Buffy.
"Harnooth lei haramon, harnooth na han!"
"It's a spell," said Giles.
Stella was still fighting the creature as she cried out the words.
"Duh! I kind of gathered that!" called Buffy over her shoulder as she despatched the last demon. She turned to Estrellita. "Do we help her?"
Estrellita shook her head. "No. Watch and wait. She will prevail."
"An caramon cai ladoc ar vanion na lan!"
Connor sat up, but found Angel holding him back. "She's fine. She'll be okay."
"Harnooth! Harnooth! Caramon na lan!" She cried as she plunged the sword into its heart. She fell back into Estrellita's arms, leaving the sword in the creature's chest as it screamed in agony.
"Infused with starlight and magick," explained Estrellita. "You have killed him."
The creature was thrashing around, trying to get the sword out of its chest.
"The Spell?" Stella asked. Estrellita nodded.
"The Ladybard knows of right," she murmured to herself.
Stella held out her arms towards the Hellmouth and started chanting:
"Cara ga halamon, haran ga lo,
Hira fan tagon, Hira fan so.
Halamon, Halamon, Taran ar noth!
Halamon, Halamon, Taran go soth!"
There was a flash of blinding light, then everything went dark.
"Did I do that wrong," asked Stella nervously.
"No," laughed Estrellita merrily. "You did it just right!"
*** ***
Off to the epilogue, now, to find out what she's done!