Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Fox,
etc... except of course the ones I make up.
Summary: While Dawn is dealing with balancing school, slaying and dating, Buffy and Spike are dealing with their relation. And all together they are dealing with impending apocalypse.
Spoilers: Well, it takes place about a year and a half after "Normal Again", but it's pretty AU. Xander and Anya are married and Tara is alive.
Continuity: It's the sequel to "The Delegation of Aurelius". However, you don't really need to read it to understand this fic. It sort of just picks up where "TDoA" left off.
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APOCALYPSE NOW... AGAIN
Chapter 22: Power
Buffy led the way into the school, with Dawn who was brandishing her weapon of choice, a sword that Giles had gotten her for her seventeenth birthday, close behind her. Everyone was wielding some sort of pointy weapon, and Dawn could almost smell the fear radiating off of the lot of them. She ignored it as best she could, because the Slayer was desperately trying to ignore her own fear.
Dawn looked at her sister who was walking toward the library with such confidence. She had done it so many times that the courage seemed to come so naturally to her. Buffy could feel Dawn's eyes on her so she gave her a reassuring smile.
They reached the door to the library and stopped for a moment before entering. When they were all inside, they looked around for some sign of mayhem, and there was none.
"What do we do now?" Janice asked.
"Now, we wait," Buffy told her.
As if on cue, there was a sudden jolt of the earth. Then the shaking became more violent and everyone struggled to remain balanced. Just like Buffy, Giles, Willow and Xander remembered it happening, the ground cracked open and created a large schism in the earth. From it there was a bright light, as about a dozen Fyarl demons climbed from the whole. Before they even paid any attention to the people standing there to fight them, they turned and bowed their heads in respect.
Then it happened. Ayanathla rose from the burning light and floated glamorously to the grown. She was beautiful, Dawn noted, very beautiful. Dawn remembered the story that Anya had told her, of what she was before she was this beast, and Dawn thought of how much more beautiful she must have been when she wasn't filled with hate.
The sorceress looked around at her opponents, and smiled spitefully at them. "Look at you," she said, "it's just so cute. I love how you think you can stop me. You think I can't just wish you dead and have be done with this?"
Buffy was about to make a quick retort, the way a Slayer usually does but Dawn beat her to it.
"I think if you wanted us dead, we would be dead already. No, you don't really seem like the type to take an easy kill."
"You're smarter than you look," Ayanathla said with a bit of a laugh. "It would definitely be much more fun beating you to death."
"Bring it on, bitch."
Ayanathla ran at Dawn and her minions followed her example. The battle had begun.
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Anya paced about the living room of the house for a good twenty minutes, though to her time meant nothing. She was expected the worst at any minute, to just suddenly be turned into a pile of dust. But absolutely nothing was happening.
Tara and Willow were upstairs setting up in their room. They figured they should be prepared to stop when Anya said she would tell them to start. She had told them that there would be some sort of sign, and that it would be useless to start if she were still bound.
Anya continued to pace, and she thought that she might have even dented the floor from walking in the same spot for so long. She started to bite her nails when she was suddenly thrown from her feet as the earth shook suddenly. Anya placed both hands on the ground and felt the vibrations of the ground beneath her. She didn't wait.
"Start now!"
Willow and Tara sat in their room in the middle of the sacred circle they had made. The lovers shared one last kiss before they began.
They sat palm to palm, and Tara began to chant. Willow picked up the sage and placed it into the small fire that was between them.
"Mina abba alaya... mina abba avshota... mina abba Ayanathla..." was the eerie chant that came from Tara's lips. She closed her eyes and continued for a few minutes. Suddenly, her eyes shot open and were completely black, and her head flew back violently. A few tears fell from Willow's eyes, she could barely stand to see her like that.
Tara mumbled inaudible words over and over, it was mindless the way she chanted. Her skin became hot and began to bubble, and the witch let out a painful scream.
Willow, not able to bear it any longer, broke the promise she has made to her lover.
"Mina abba Ayanathla..." she chanted, overpowering Tara and taking on the spell herself.
Tara's body relaxed. She looked up, confuzed and panting to see Willow doing the spell, completely alone. She had blocked Tara off, not even allowing her to be the anchor. She was strong, stronger than any witch ever to walk the earth, and Tara feared for her.
"Willow!" Tara screamed, trying to get her attention, but she was too far- gone. The red-head made no response. She had taken on the spell full force, and no power in the universe could stop her.
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Dawn flew back against a wall, and looked around, ignoring her opponent for the briefest moment in order to see what was taking place around her. Spike had a demon up against a wall as another attacked him from behind. Xander was slicing his ax into anything he could reach. Giles threw punches as two Fyarls took him on at once. Dave was clumsily tossing around his ax, killing what he could. Janice was kicking as hard as she could and stabbing thinks with the sword Buffy had given her whenever she was close enough. Buffy was taking on three at once. She looked flawless as she battled the ruthless killers.
Dawn focused her attention back on Ayanathla, who was charging her once again. "Come on, Tara," she mumbled.
She threw her fist full force at the beast, and threw her back a few feet.
"Also stronger than you look," she said. "I'm beginning to like you, Dawnie."
Suddenly, Dawn got a flash memory of being held by Glory. Being called her pet-name by someone who she hated with such a violent passion. Anger overcame all other emotions within Dawn, as she ran at Ayanathla. She high- kicked her in the face and spun around to punch her in the same spot.
The sorceress actually looked a bit phased. "Okay, so maybe I don't like you THAT much."
She pulled back her fist and Dawn could tell that this would be it. Ayanathla had had her fun, and now Dawn was going to die.
Before her fist reached the teen Slayer's face, Ayanathla began to shake violently. She clasped her hands over her head and let out and ear- splitting shriek. Everyone one in the room stopped what they were doing to look at her.
Ayanathla slowly slid her hands down her face and lowered them to her sides. "What did you do?" She asked, as she burst into flames.
The Fyarls suddenly all exploded into dust and the Hellmouth shut itself. There was silence in the school. It was so frightening to hears silence after the horrifying noise that had just been within the walls. Dawn turned around fearfully, not sure that she wanted to see what was behind her; however, as strange as it seemed to her, everyone was standing.
All had the same exact expression of shock and pain on his or her face. Buffy ran forward, the clapping of her shoes painfully loud against the stone floor and she grabbed Dawn into a tight hug.
"We did it," Buffy sighed, "we did it."
Dawn could think of nothing to do but cry.
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Tara choked sobs of sadness and anger as she held the head of her lover in her lap. "Did I lose you?" She whimpered helplessly.
"I'm right here," Willow responded, her voice barely a whisper.
"Oh God, Will, you promised."
Willow would have said something, apologized or made a plea of forgiveness, but she had already fallen into a deep sleep.
TBC...
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Okay everyone, just one more chapter to go! I know, can you believe it? Anyway, please review!!!!!!!!
Summary: While Dawn is dealing with balancing school, slaying and dating, Buffy and Spike are dealing with their relation. And all together they are dealing with impending apocalypse.
Spoilers: Well, it takes place about a year and a half after "Normal Again", but it's pretty AU. Xander and Anya are married and Tara is alive.
Continuity: It's the sequel to "The Delegation of Aurelius". However, you don't really need to read it to understand this fic. It sort of just picks up where "TDoA" left off.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
APOCALYPSE NOW... AGAIN
Chapter 22: Power
Buffy led the way into the school, with Dawn who was brandishing her weapon of choice, a sword that Giles had gotten her for her seventeenth birthday, close behind her. Everyone was wielding some sort of pointy weapon, and Dawn could almost smell the fear radiating off of the lot of them. She ignored it as best she could, because the Slayer was desperately trying to ignore her own fear.
Dawn looked at her sister who was walking toward the library with such confidence. She had done it so many times that the courage seemed to come so naturally to her. Buffy could feel Dawn's eyes on her so she gave her a reassuring smile.
They reached the door to the library and stopped for a moment before entering. When they were all inside, they looked around for some sign of mayhem, and there was none.
"What do we do now?" Janice asked.
"Now, we wait," Buffy told her.
As if on cue, there was a sudden jolt of the earth. Then the shaking became more violent and everyone struggled to remain balanced. Just like Buffy, Giles, Willow and Xander remembered it happening, the ground cracked open and created a large schism in the earth. From it there was a bright light, as about a dozen Fyarl demons climbed from the whole. Before they even paid any attention to the people standing there to fight them, they turned and bowed their heads in respect.
Then it happened. Ayanathla rose from the burning light and floated glamorously to the grown. She was beautiful, Dawn noted, very beautiful. Dawn remembered the story that Anya had told her, of what she was before she was this beast, and Dawn thought of how much more beautiful she must have been when she wasn't filled with hate.
The sorceress looked around at her opponents, and smiled spitefully at them. "Look at you," she said, "it's just so cute. I love how you think you can stop me. You think I can't just wish you dead and have be done with this?"
Buffy was about to make a quick retort, the way a Slayer usually does but Dawn beat her to it.
"I think if you wanted us dead, we would be dead already. No, you don't really seem like the type to take an easy kill."
"You're smarter than you look," Ayanathla said with a bit of a laugh. "It would definitely be much more fun beating you to death."
"Bring it on, bitch."
Ayanathla ran at Dawn and her minions followed her example. The battle had begun.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Anya paced about the living room of the house for a good twenty minutes, though to her time meant nothing. She was expected the worst at any minute, to just suddenly be turned into a pile of dust. But absolutely nothing was happening.
Tara and Willow were upstairs setting up in their room. They figured they should be prepared to stop when Anya said she would tell them to start. She had told them that there would be some sort of sign, and that it would be useless to start if she were still bound.
Anya continued to pace, and she thought that she might have even dented the floor from walking in the same spot for so long. She started to bite her nails when she was suddenly thrown from her feet as the earth shook suddenly. Anya placed both hands on the ground and felt the vibrations of the ground beneath her. She didn't wait.
"Start now!"
Willow and Tara sat in their room in the middle of the sacred circle they had made. The lovers shared one last kiss before they began.
They sat palm to palm, and Tara began to chant. Willow picked up the sage and placed it into the small fire that was between them.
"Mina abba alaya... mina abba avshota... mina abba Ayanathla..." was the eerie chant that came from Tara's lips. She closed her eyes and continued for a few minutes. Suddenly, her eyes shot open and were completely black, and her head flew back violently. A few tears fell from Willow's eyes, she could barely stand to see her like that.
Tara mumbled inaudible words over and over, it was mindless the way she chanted. Her skin became hot and began to bubble, and the witch let out a painful scream.
Willow, not able to bear it any longer, broke the promise she has made to her lover.
"Mina abba Ayanathla..." she chanted, overpowering Tara and taking on the spell herself.
Tara's body relaxed. She looked up, confuzed and panting to see Willow doing the spell, completely alone. She had blocked Tara off, not even allowing her to be the anchor. She was strong, stronger than any witch ever to walk the earth, and Tara feared for her.
"Willow!" Tara screamed, trying to get her attention, but she was too far- gone. The red-head made no response. She had taken on the spell full force, and no power in the universe could stop her.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Dawn flew back against a wall, and looked around, ignoring her opponent for the briefest moment in order to see what was taking place around her. Spike had a demon up against a wall as another attacked him from behind. Xander was slicing his ax into anything he could reach. Giles threw punches as two Fyarls took him on at once. Dave was clumsily tossing around his ax, killing what he could. Janice was kicking as hard as she could and stabbing thinks with the sword Buffy had given her whenever she was close enough. Buffy was taking on three at once. She looked flawless as she battled the ruthless killers.
Dawn focused her attention back on Ayanathla, who was charging her once again. "Come on, Tara," she mumbled.
She threw her fist full force at the beast, and threw her back a few feet.
"Also stronger than you look," she said. "I'm beginning to like you, Dawnie."
Suddenly, Dawn got a flash memory of being held by Glory. Being called her pet-name by someone who she hated with such a violent passion. Anger overcame all other emotions within Dawn, as she ran at Ayanathla. She high- kicked her in the face and spun around to punch her in the same spot.
The sorceress actually looked a bit phased. "Okay, so maybe I don't like you THAT much."
She pulled back her fist and Dawn could tell that this would be it. Ayanathla had had her fun, and now Dawn was going to die.
Before her fist reached the teen Slayer's face, Ayanathla began to shake violently. She clasped her hands over her head and let out and ear- splitting shriek. Everyone one in the room stopped what they were doing to look at her.
Ayanathla slowly slid her hands down her face and lowered them to her sides. "What did you do?" She asked, as she burst into flames.
The Fyarls suddenly all exploded into dust and the Hellmouth shut itself. There was silence in the school. It was so frightening to hears silence after the horrifying noise that had just been within the walls. Dawn turned around fearfully, not sure that she wanted to see what was behind her; however, as strange as it seemed to her, everyone was standing.
All had the same exact expression of shock and pain on his or her face. Buffy ran forward, the clapping of her shoes painfully loud against the stone floor and she grabbed Dawn into a tight hug.
"We did it," Buffy sighed, "we did it."
Dawn could think of nothing to do but cry.
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Tara choked sobs of sadness and anger as she held the head of her lover in her lap. "Did I lose you?" She whimpered helplessly.
"I'm right here," Willow responded, her voice barely a whisper.
"Oh God, Will, you promised."
Willow would have said something, apologized or made a plea of forgiveness, but she had already fallen into a deep sleep.
TBC...
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Okay everyone, just one more chapter to go! I know, can you believe it? Anyway, please review!!!!!!!!