A/N: OK, another chapter. Whoohoo! Just so you all know- I've been away for two weeks, so that explains the lack of any updates for about that time (end of August), but now I'm back I should be able to get some more up here. But don't think that I don't want you all to review, because I do! (Hey, that rhymed!) Lots of reviews encourage me to carry on.
Disclaimer: Despite what you may think, I don't mind people being happy occasionally unlike some **coughJossWhedoncough**, so I think it's pretty clear that I don't own Buffy.
Dedication: Everyone who has reviewed! FanFreak, please don't resort to the plastic shovel again! Please! **On knees, begging** Rainbow Dreamer, good to see you again! And thanks to Echoes of the Mind!
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Everybody had frozen as the opposing six had broken the door down and entered. All of the vampire army were silent at Angel's words.
Then Zachary threw back his head and laughed, cold and mocking. Eventually, he stopped, looking back down at the six with gold eyes narrowed in malice. He spoke just two words of instruction to his followers.
"Kill them."
At these words and the advancement of the vampires on her friends, Gracia felt all her strength and resolve come together in one blazing point. She twisted her arms out of the binds and, as Cecelia turned back to carry of the ritual, punched the pale Watcher around the face with all her might. Cecelia, not suspecting the blow, staggered back again with the force of it, which allowed Gracia the time she needed to flip herself crazily from the ring of candles and off of the makeshift stage. She landed unevenly, toppling over as she did so, and began to fumble with the tight knots of her leg binds.
Half of her mind racing past freeing herself, Gracia shot quick, frequent looks at the fight ensuing. Spike, for one, seemed to be enjoying it, gladly taking on about five at once. Suddenly, she heard someone dropping down onto the floor beside her, and her head snapped round, ready to defend herself. Then she realised it wasn't a vampire. It was one of the strange women who had entered with her friends, a shy-looking blonde who gave her a quick, although worried, smile.
"Who are you?" Gracia asked as the woman began to help wrench the knots apart until, thankfully, the ropes fell from her legs and they could both stand up.
"My name's Tara and that's Willow over there." she rushed. "Quick, Angel has your stake."
Gracia nodded her thanks quickly and ran towards where her brother was surrounded by an enclosing ring of vamps. The ground eaten up by her long, fast strides, it took mere seconds, and she managed to wrench to vamps back in her movements. She hit a third around the cheek in a backhand, and pushed a fourth away in a roundhouse kick.
"Gracey!" Angel exclaimed. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'll be OK." She replied, snatching up the stake he offered and dusting two of the vamps who had just picked themselves up. "You?"
He nodded, battering back an enemy and plunging wood through its heart. He then frowned at the cut near her neck. "What did they do to you?"
"It's alright, I'll be fine!" she answered. "I'm going for Zachary, see you later."
Before he could stop her, she had run off admist the battle.
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Chaos.
Never in her life could Keisha have pictured this. Although it didn't look that different from any movie battle scene, the reailty of it made it much, much more brutal; much, much more horrendous. The stench of fear mingled with the heavy scent of the vampires' bloodlust and hung like a heavy cloud over the scene.
The fright blazing in the pit of her stomach was mixed up with déjà vu. She'd definitely seen this before in her dream. She threw herself below a punch aimed at her, glancing quickly to check that Luke was still OK. He was. Fighting two vamps at the same time, but still alive. Putting all of her weight behind the splintering wood in her hands, she pushed it through the vamp's chest and he turned to dust.
Suddenly, Keisha felt cold hands clamping over her- left arm right over her body with the hand holding her right upper arm. The person's right hand fastened itself onto her neck, forcing her head back...to look into hostile grey eyes.
"Cece-" Keisha's voice was choked off as the Watcher's grasp tightened, and her eyes widened with terrible realisation as she noticed the sweeping robes the woman was dressed in. Obviously, she was the cloaked figure Keisha had seen.
"It is time," Cecelia sneered, fingers closing ever more. "For you to see that civillian support will just get you into trouble, child."
Grey dots were beginning to dance in front of Keisha's vision as she attempted to wriggle from Cecelia's hold. It was useless. The hard grip was crushing her windpipe, and the lack of oxygen was beginning to make her limbs feel too heavy to use.
Not again! her mind screamed, furious at herself for being weak. I am not going to let this happen!
Brain slowly starting to shut off, she clumsily swung her right arm around to whack Cecelia across the back of her knees with the makeshift stake she held. A small sound from Cecelia told her that she had been accurate, but it was too feeble to budge the woman.
Then it happened.
Over all the noise of battle, she couldn't hear the individual words, but something pulled Cecelia off of her and flung her straight across a good twenty metres of floor and into the wall. Keisha staggered slightly, gasping for air, and then spun around to see Willow and Tara, hands linked to combine their power, chanting as they advanced.
Was it just the light, or did their eyes appear to be getting darker?
Cecelia lifted her head, shook it slightly, then fixed her own darkening gaze on the approaching Wiccans. Keisha could make out the movement of her lips as Cecelia rose from the place where she had landed. Willow made a gesture at her without looking round, as if telling her to get out of the situation. Keisha backed up a little as told, knowing what she had to do.
Stake as many vamps as she could so that Cecelia couldn't get any back up help.
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Gracia arrived at the platform at the other end of the factory in mere seconds, coming to a halt five feet away from Zachary, who was standing on the raised area with an expression of annoyance as he watched the battle.
"Didn't go to plan, huh?" she asked coldly. His head jerked around and a small, cruel smirk grew on his lips, revealing his predatory fangs.
"My, my. You're a brave one, aren't you?" He chuckled in that frosty way of his. "Stupid, too."
"Ah no, that's exactly where you're wrong." Gracia smiled too, a smile filled with a contempt just for him. "You see, Zachary, this girl in front of you is about to kill you."
"You can talk the talk," he replied mockingly. "But you'll fall down when you try to fight the fight."
Gracia shifted herself slightly into a ready stance. "Why don't you prove me wrong then?"
He moved his head slowly. "OK then."
She had a moment's warning before he lunged at her.
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Luke shoved his stake towards the vampire girl in front of him. It slammed near the centre of her chest, and the lack of her turning to dust indicated that he hadn't pierced the heart. Twisting it at an angle, he avoided a blow and pushed it deeper.
The vampire snarled and attempted a final swipe at his face. But she dissolved just as her hand was about to make impact with his cheek, and so he was safe.
Breathing hard, he turned to look for more vampires and for a check-up on how his friends were doing. They all seemed fine, still able to hold their own, although Luke felt sure that Spike was probably enjoying this fight more than was healthy. Oh well. Then he caught sight of Willow and Tara...against Cecelia.
Although they were combining their powers, it was obvious that Willow and Tara were not having a good time against the Watcher-turned-traitor. Luke could sense the immense power charging the air nearby, and somehow he knew that the Wiccans on their side couldn't hold it up for much longer. Their faces were beginning to show expressions of exhausted worry, although they did their best to hide it securely with determination and resolve.
Then Luke had a sudden idea.
He knew he had to break Cecelia's concentration somehow. There was enough junk littering this place, and near him was a mangled old shopping trolley, probably stolen from some nearby supermarket. But that wasn't important.
He quickly grasped the handle bar of it and gave it an almighty shove in the Watcher's direction. Even on its warped wheels, even over the rough and pitted floor, it picked up a good speed. And Cecelia certainly wasn't expecting it to crash into her and knock her to the ground, breaking her concentration and allowing Willow and Tara's joint spell to smash her against the wall again. The witches looked at him, grinning. He was about smile back, but it was then that the vampires grabbed them.
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A moment was all she needed.
As Zachary flew towards her, Gracia's Slayer instincts kicked in and made her dive into a neat roll which led her back up onto her feet. Zachary regained his balance just enough to whirl around and face her- which was just what she needed, as her punch fell right on the target of his face. In barely a split second, she knocked his head back with a roundhouse kick. Zachary growled deep in his throat.
"Play time's over, girlie." he snarled.
Gracia barely knew what she was doing as she allowed the part deep in her that was the Slayer control her movements. Punch, kick, punch, punch, kick. Knocking Zachary's blows off course and hurting him all she could. Weakening him for the kill. She felt more as though she were spectating, watching herself strike out and fall back, still clutching her stake.
Crack. Zachary's nose broke, spurting a fountain of scarlet blood over his face.
Thud. He struck her with a crucifying blow to the stomach, knocking her to the ground.
Slam. She ignored the screaming of her pained stomach muscles and kicked out, making him stumble back and giving her enough time to rise.
OK, she thought as she winced at the ache in her belly. Ignore it. You heal quicker now you're the Slayer.
It was true. The soreness had already begun to subside a little, and she felt strong enough to successfully block the vampire's blows. She proved it as well. They followed each other in a dance of battle, a dance that would leave one dead. Gracia shoved the throne of the Anointed One at Zachary; he dodged and lunged for her again.
Then the crash sounded.
For just a moment, Gracia let her concentration slip enough to glance behind Zachary at the battle still going on. Cecelia had been slammed into the wall by some form of magick, performed by the two strange newcomers who called themselves Tara and Willow.
But a moment was long enough. It was fatal.
Because a moment was all it took for Zachary to grab her.
He had pulled her close to him, his grip crushingly strong. He grinned at her in a sneering fashion, demon visage even more hideous under all that blood. His yellow eyes shone with wicked joy, and when he spoke, his voice was heavily drenched in a sickeningly patronizing tone. As though he were talking to a child.
"Say night night, Slayer."
Then he dipped his fangs towards her throat.
Suddenly, he roared in a pained confusion as Gracia brought her arm up and round to plunge her stake right through his heart from his back.
Zachary fell to his knees in front of her as she pulled her stake out of his sturdy flesh, clutching at his chest. He glared up at her with more hatred, anger, and disgust than she thought would have been possible. Then he began to crumble, from his feet upwards. A slightly alarmed light flickered through his eyes.
"You little bi-"
Then he was dust.
Gracia's immediate reaction was to check her friends. Yes, all alive. All fine, it seemed. The enemy was rapidly diminishing at their hands. A grin slowly spread over Gracia's face, only to disappear as her gaze continued to travel.
Cecelia wasn't there.
The exact spot where the Watcher had fallen was empty apart from the discarded trash. A small gasp caught in her throat and she ran towards the place with all her might, flinging aside odds and ends of rubbish incase Cecelia was underneath them. Something may have fallen on her. She may be hiding. But Gracia knew she was fooling herself.
She swung around and glanced frantically around, incase she had missed her by accident. Nothing. Nothing at all. When something unexpectedly caught her eye from the top level.
A swirl of black robes disappearing behind an office door.
Cecelia.
It had to be. Just had to. And Gracia knew that she had to follow her. It went against everything, every feeling in her body right now, just to let her go freely. To escape. But then...
Could she leave her friends to battle alone?
Then she looked closely at the scene, and what she saw made her smile inwardly.
Her brother, Angel, fighting for her, for all of them. Luke and Keisha, now fighting as a duo, working together, bravery obvious. The two women Willow and Tara forming an unstoppable team with their magick, fighting back vamps, helping even though they didn't know her. Even Spike, revelling in the fight, was battling for them and her.
They would be alright. She could feel it; she knew it.
Without another consideration, Gracia charged towards the stairs leading to the second level, hot in pursuit of her double-crossing Watcher.
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Phew, that drained me. Hope you liked it cause it took me ages! Feel honoured! OK, now please review and wait for the next chapter (apologies for the wait for this one). I'm off to work on my Harry Potter one now (yeah, shameless plugging, so sue me!). Bye!
Disclaimer: Despite what you may think, I don't mind people being happy occasionally unlike some **coughJossWhedoncough**, so I think it's pretty clear that I don't own Buffy.
Dedication: Everyone who has reviewed! FanFreak, please don't resort to the plastic shovel again! Please! **On knees, begging** Rainbow Dreamer, good to see you again! And thanks to Echoes of the Mind!
********************************************************************************
Everybody had frozen as the opposing six had broken the door down and entered. All of the vampire army were silent at Angel's words.
Then Zachary threw back his head and laughed, cold and mocking. Eventually, he stopped, looking back down at the six with gold eyes narrowed in malice. He spoke just two words of instruction to his followers.
"Kill them."
At these words and the advancement of the vampires on her friends, Gracia felt all her strength and resolve come together in one blazing point. She twisted her arms out of the binds and, as Cecelia turned back to carry of the ritual, punched the pale Watcher around the face with all her might. Cecelia, not suspecting the blow, staggered back again with the force of it, which allowed Gracia the time she needed to flip herself crazily from the ring of candles and off of the makeshift stage. She landed unevenly, toppling over as she did so, and began to fumble with the tight knots of her leg binds.
Half of her mind racing past freeing herself, Gracia shot quick, frequent looks at the fight ensuing. Spike, for one, seemed to be enjoying it, gladly taking on about five at once. Suddenly, she heard someone dropping down onto the floor beside her, and her head snapped round, ready to defend herself. Then she realised it wasn't a vampire. It was one of the strange women who had entered with her friends, a shy-looking blonde who gave her a quick, although worried, smile.
"Who are you?" Gracia asked as the woman began to help wrench the knots apart until, thankfully, the ropes fell from her legs and they could both stand up.
"My name's Tara and that's Willow over there." she rushed. "Quick, Angel has your stake."
Gracia nodded her thanks quickly and ran towards where her brother was surrounded by an enclosing ring of vamps. The ground eaten up by her long, fast strides, it took mere seconds, and she managed to wrench to vamps back in her movements. She hit a third around the cheek in a backhand, and pushed a fourth away in a roundhouse kick.
"Gracey!" Angel exclaimed. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'll be OK." She replied, snatching up the stake he offered and dusting two of the vamps who had just picked themselves up. "You?"
He nodded, battering back an enemy and plunging wood through its heart. He then frowned at the cut near her neck. "What did they do to you?"
"It's alright, I'll be fine!" she answered. "I'm going for Zachary, see you later."
Before he could stop her, she had run off admist the battle.
********************************************************************************
Chaos.
Never in her life could Keisha have pictured this. Although it didn't look that different from any movie battle scene, the reailty of it made it much, much more brutal; much, much more horrendous. The stench of fear mingled with the heavy scent of the vampires' bloodlust and hung like a heavy cloud over the scene.
The fright blazing in the pit of her stomach was mixed up with déjà vu. She'd definitely seen this before in her dream. She threw herself below a punch aimed at her, glancing quickly to check that Luke was still OK. He was. Fighting two vamps at the same time, but still alive. Putting all of her weight behind the splintering wood in her hands, she pushed it through the vamp's chest and he turned to dust.
Suddenly, Keisha felt cold hands clamping over her- left arm right over her body with the hand holding her right upper arm. The person's right hand fastened itself onto her neck, forcing her head back...to look into hostile grey eyes.
"Cece-" Keisha's voice was choked off as the Watcher's grasp tightened, and her eyes widened with terrible realisation as she noticed the sweeping robes the woman was dressed in. Obviously, she was the cloaked figure Keisha had seen.
"It is time," Cecelia sneered, fingers closing ever more. "For you to see that civillian support will just get you into trouble, child."
Grey dots were beginning to dance in front of Keisha's vision as she attempted to wriggle from Cecelia's hold. It was useless. The hard grip was crushing her windpipe, and the lack of oxygen was beginning to make her limbs feel too heavy to use.
Not again! her mind screamed, furious at herself for being weak. I am not going to let this happen!
Brain slowly starting to shut off, she clumsily swung her right arm around to whack Cecelia across the back of her knees with the makeshift stake she held. A small sound from Cecelia told her that she had been accurate, but it was too feeble to budge the woman.
Then it happened.
Over all the noise of battle, she couldn't hear the individual words, but something pulled Cecelia off of her and flung her straight across a good twenty metres of floor and into the wall. Keisha staggered slightly, gasping for air, and then spun around to see Willow and Tara, hands linked to combine their power, chanting as they advanced.
Was it just the light, or did their eyes appear to be getting darker?
Cecelia lifted her head, shook it slightly, then fixed her own darkening gaze on the approaching Wiccans. Keisha could make out the movement of her lips as Cecelia rose from the place where she had landed. Willow made a gesture at her without looking round, as if telling her to get out of the situation. Keisha backed up a little as told, knowing what she had to do.
Stake as many vamps as she could so that Cecelia couldn't get any back up help.
********************************************************************************
Gracia arrived at the platform at the other end of the factory in mere seconds, coming to a halt five feet away from Zachary, who was standing on the raised area with an expression of annoyance as he watched the battle.
"Didn't go to plan, huh?" she asked coldly. His head jerked around and a small, cruel smirk grew on his lips, revealing his predatory fangs.
"My, my. You're a brave one, aren't you?" He chuckled in that frosty way of his. "Stupid, too."
"Ah no, that's exactly where you're wrong." Gracia smiled too, a smile filled with a contempt just for him. "You see, Zachary, this girl in front of you is about to kill you."
"You can talk the talk," he replied mockingly. "But you'll fall down when you try to fight the fight."
Gracia shifted herself slightly into a ready stance. "Why don't you prove me wrong then?"
He moved his head slowly. "OK then."
She had a moment's warning before he lunged at her.
********************************************************************************
Luke shoved his stake towards the vampire girl in front of him. It slammed near the centre of her chest, and the lack of her turning to dust indicated that he hadn't pierced the heart. Twisting it at an angle, he avoided a blow and pushed it deeper.
The vampire snarled and attempted a final swipe at his face. But she dissolved just as her hand was about to make impact with his cheek, and so he was safe.
Breathing hard, he turned to look for more vampires and for a check-up on how his friends were doing. They all seemed fine, still able to hold their own, although Luke felt sure that Spike was probably enjoying this fight more than was healthy. Oh well. Then he caught sight of Willow and Tara...against Cecelia.
Although they were combining their powers, it was obvious that Willow and Tara were not having a good time against the Watcher-turned-traitor. Luke could sense the immense power charging the air nearby, and somehow he knew that the Wiccans on their side couldn't hold it up for much longer. Their faces were beginning to show expressions of exhausted worry, although they did their best to hide it securely with determination and resolve.
Then Luke had a sudden idea.
He knew he had to break Cecelia's concentration somehow. There was enough junk littering this place, and near him was a mangled old shopping trolley, probably stolen from some nearby supermarket. But that wasn't important.
He quickly grasped the handle bar of it and gave it an almighty shove in the Watcher's direction. Even on its warped wheels, even over the rough and pitted floor, it picked up a good speed. And Cecelia certainly wasn't expecting it to crash into her and knock her to the ground, breaking her concentration and allowing Willow and Tara's joint spell to smash her against the wall again. The witches looked at him, grinning. He was about smile back, but it was then that the vampires grabbed them.
********************************************************************************
A moment was all she needed.
As Zachary flew towards her, Gracia's Slayer instincts kicked in and made her dive into a neat roll which led her back up onto her feet. Zachary regained his balance just enough to whirl around and face her- which was just what she needed, as her punch fell right on the target of his face. In barely a split second, she knocked his head back with a roundhouse kick. Zachary growled deep in his throat.
"Play time's over, girlie." he snarled.
Gracia barely knew what she was doing as she allowed the part deep in her that was the Slayer control her movements. Punch, kick, punch, punch, kick. Knocking Zachary's blows off course and hurting him all she could. Weakening him for the kill. She felt more as though she were spectating, watching herself strike out and fall back, still clutching her stake.
Crack. Zachary's nose broke, spurting a fountain of scarlet blood over his face.
Thud. He struck her with a crucifying blow to the stomach, knocking her to the ground.
Slam. She ignored the screaming of her pained stomach muscles and kicked out, making him stumble back and giving her enough time to rise.
OK, she thought as she winced at the ache in her belly. Ignore it. You heal quicker now you're the Slayer.
It was true. The soreness had already begun to subside a little, and she felt strong enough to successfully block the vampire's blows. She proved it as well. They followed each other in a dance of battle, a dance that would leave one dead. Gracia shoved the throne of the Anointed One at Zachary; he dodged and lunged for her again.
Then the crash sounded.
For just a moment, Gracia let her concentration slip enough to glance behind Zachary at the battle still going on. Cecelia had been slammed into the wall by some form of magick, performed by the two strange newcomers who called themselves Tara and Willow.
But a moment was long enough. It was fatal.
Because a moment was all it took for Zachary to grab her.
He had pulled her close to him, his grip crushingly strong. He grinned at her in a sneering fashion, demon visage even more hideous under all that blood. His yellow eyes shone with wicked joy, and when he spoke, his voice was heavily drenched in a sickeningly patronizing tone. As though he were talking to a child.
"Say night night, Slayer."
Then he dipped his fangs towards her throat.
Suddenly, he roared in a pained confusion as Gracia brought her arm up and round to plunge her stake right through his heart from his back.
Zachary fell to his knees in front of her as she pulled her stake out of his sturdy flesh, clutching at his chest. He glared up at her with more hatred, anger, and disgust than she thought would have been possible. Then he began to crumble, from his feet upwards. A slightly alarmed light flickered through his eyes.
"You little bi-"
Then he was dust.
Gracia's immediate reaction was to check her friends. Yes, all alive. All fine, it seemed. The enemy was rapidly diminishing at their hands. A grin slowly spread over Gracia's face, only to disappear as her gaze continued to travel.
Cecelia wasn't there.
The exact spot where the Watcher had fallen was empty apart from the discarded trash. A small gasp caught in her throat and she ran towards the place with all her might, flinging aside odds and ends of rubbish incase Cecelia was underneath them. Something may have fallen on her. She may be hiding. But Gracia knew she was fooling herself.
She swung around and glanced frantically around, incase she had missed her by accident. Nothing. Nothing at all. When something unexpectedly caught her eye from the top level.
A swirl of black robes disappearing behind an office door.
Cecelia.
It had to be. Just had to. And Gracia knew that she had to follow her. It went against everything, every feeling in her body right now, just to let her go freely. To escape. But then...
Could she leave her friends to battle alone?
Then she looked closely at the scene, and what she saw made her smile inwardly.
Her brother, Angel, fighting for her, for all of them. Luke and Keisha, now fighting as a duo, working together, bravery obvious. The two women Willow and Tara forming an unstoppable team with their magick, fighting back vamps, helping even though they didn't know her. Even Spike, revelling in the fight, was battling for them and her.
They would be alright. She could feel it; she knew it.
Without another consideration, Gracia charged towards the stairs leading to the second level, hot in pursuit of her double-crossing Watcher.
********************************************************************************
Phew, that drained me. Hope you liked it cause it took me ages! Feel honoured! OK, now please review and wait for the next chapter (apologies for the wait for this one). I'm off to work on my Harry Potter one now (yeah, shameless plugging, so sue me!). Bye!
