New Horizons: Chapter Fifty-Nine
The Continuance
By Annie
2002-07-21
Spike let Jonathan go before taking a step back as the others gathered around them.
"Why did you come here?" Giles asked and Jonathan looked around at all of them before shaking his head defeatedly.
"Because Warren and Andrew, those traitors... I'm sure they're ganging up on me and I..."
"It's a trap," Spike interrupted. "Why else would he come here? They're trying to..."
"No! It's NOT a trap!" Jonathan exclaimed. "Please, I swear that I'm here because those two losers decided to gang up on me and I'm pretty sure they were even thinking up ways to...make me disappear," he added, looking around at them once more, this time pleadingly.
"If you're lying to us," Spike began, taking a step forward again but Jonathan shook his head, meeting the vamp's gaze somewhat unsteadily but as honestly as he could. "Then you'll bloody well tell us everything you know," he grumbled, grabbing Jonathan again and walking over with him to the couch, pushing him down harshly on it and Jonathan looked up, swallowing hard.
"Alright," he said. "I'll tell you...but we don't have very much time."
"Then you should start yaping, shouldn't you?" Spike more stated than asked and Jonathan swallowed again.
"Alright..."
***
Dawn was screaming something to her right, but all her senses seemed to be a blur and she tried to focus her gaze. Slowly the room and creatures surrounding her came into focus and she looked up, meeting the triumphant gaze of Torah, the blooded knife was still clutched in her right hand and Buffy stared at it with a wave of rage starting to build inside of her.
She was about to open her mouth to tell the demon exactly what she thought of her when the latter's expression suddenly changed to shock, her eyes filling with pain and her eyebrows coming together in a frown she sunk down on her knees. Behind her was one of the minions with a long sword in both hands, the blade of it was glazed with a thick, deep blue liquid and Buffy realized what it was.
"Blood..." she mumbled, her own shock rising as Torah caughed, the liquid now dripping gently out of one corner of her mouth.
"How...dare you?" the demon queen demanded as the minion raised the sword again.
"Halt!" the king exclaimed and Buffy raised her head, her eyes registering the king being held back by four of the minons.
"You are the fool, my queen," the minion hissed. "There are greater forces at work here than you or me, and you might just have destroyed one of them," he added.
Torah slowly turned her head to look over her shoulder and her eyes grew slightly as she beheld the still raised sword above her head.
"You wouldn't dare!" she growled, but the minion simply smiled a little.
"Dawn..." Buffy mumbled, turning her head lazily to her sister. "Don't look."
The blade bore down hard, the sound as it tore through flesh and bone was a rich thump, a crackle and then a zing. A second later there was a bump as Torah's head hit the floor and rolled a few feet before stopping.
Buffy stared at it, the eyes stared back, but now there was no life in them. The Slayer sighed a little, it was finished.
The loud scream of rage that the king let hear made Buffy jerk her head his way as he struggled to break free from his captivators. The minion still holding the sword swirled around towards him and Buffy watched as he walked up to the demon, raising the sword again.
"No...no, please!" was all the king had time to scream and then the sword cut through his torso, ripping his upper body in two and both parts fell to the floor twitching slightly.
Buffy looked away, feeling nausious and closing her eyes.
Please, let the healing kick in, she thought to herself, remembering her own wound and then she realized that she could move.
The spell that had been holding her down was broken and she turned to Dawn who had brought her hands up from her lap and was moving her fingers as though she had been lame her whole life and now was experiencing the feel of movement for the first time. Then she turned to Buffy and they held each others gaze for a few seconds before both getting to their feet.
"Where are you going?" Warren asked, grabbing Buffy from behind and she hesitated a moment before driving one elbow into his stomach, making him flinch and take a step back.
"Self-defense," she said with a shrug and then she turned to him. "I'm gonna go see what I can do about those bars," she added, answering his question and his eyes enlarged as she grabbed her sister's hand and ran towards the door.
"Stop her!" Warren screamed and the minions all looked up from the silent observing of their dead demon royalty, first turning their heads to the screaming mortal and then to the two humans.
The seven demons got moving at once and just as the two mortals reached the door one of them grabbed a hold of Dawn, ripping the sisters hands apart and Buffy turned as two of the demons advanced on her.
She spun around, kicked out her leg and hit both of them over the chin, sending them flying into a corner each before she took a step forward, grabbing a hold of the demons arms clasped around her sister and bending them open. Dawn ran forwards as Buffy jumped up and kicked her foot out, hitting the demon in the chest and sending him too flying.
Dawn had gotten the door open and with Buffy right on her heels she ran outside and straight into the arms of Jonathan, which made her scream and almost turn around to run back inside, but Buffy following met the eyes of her Watcher and grabbed Dawn.
"Wait," she said and Dawn turned around again, seeing Tara and Willow she pulled out of Buffy's grip and ran up to them as a shriek came from behind the Slayer and she grabbed Jonathan, running away from the door with her friends in front of her right before the minions poured out of the doorway.
"Weapon!" she screamed. "I need a weapon!"
She looked up and met Spike's eyes as he was coming towards her with a long knife in one hand and a heavy sword in the other, tossing her the former he smiled a little and she smiled back, nodding.
Payback time.
Willow and Tara were both backing away from the scene with Dawn between them and Jonathan not far to their left, Xander, Giles and Anya were all three on the other side of the wide alley and the minions were spreading out on a line as they watched the Slayer and the Vamp turn to them, positioning themselves ready for an attack.
Giles, armed with a sword as well soon joined them and Xander, holding Buffy's axe in his hands, came up as well.
A hush seemed to settle over the assembly and then one of the demons spoke.
"Give us the child," he said, pointing to Buffy's stomach, "if she still lives."
Spike's eyes were immediately searching Buffy for any sign for a reason why the baby would not still be alive and when his gaze fell upon the now healing wound at her side a low moan rose out of his throat. Buffy fought back the tears when he rested his eyes in hers, and then reached up a hand and placed it on her cheek.
"I'm sorry," she whispered and he shook his head slowly, his game face growing on and she reached up on her toes to kiss him on the mouth. "If our daughter lives," she then said, turning to the demons and they all fixed their eyes on her, "there is no way in hell I'll ever give her to you."
The demon who seemed to be in charge, the one that had spoken earlier, the one that had killed Torah and Karatka before, now took a step forward.
"We shall have to see about that," he said and made a small sign with one hand, the rest of his followers moving forward, bringing out gleaming swords from underneath their capes and the Scoobies prepared themselves to fight.
"Give me your best shot," Buffy growled as she raced forward, raising the hand with the knife and throwing herself over the leader who took the blow even though they both tumbled to the ground.
There seemed to go a wave of determination through the entire gathering of bodies and then Spike took the blow of one of the minions swords with his own, another demon attacking him from behind and he swirled around to avert the strike of the weapon.
Giles dealt with one of the demons as he too had a sword and Xander tried his best to cut things short with the minion he was facing, swinging the axe at his enemy who retorted with his own heavy weapon.
Tara and Willow stared at the scene.
"Where's Torah?!" Willow yelled to Dawn over the commotion.
"She's...dead!" Dawn yelled back, trying to shut out the horrific picture of the demoness' head rolling on the floor. "I should've listened to Buffy and not looked," she added mostly to herself before turning her head and seeing Warren and Andrew slinking out through the doorway. "Hey!" she cried. "Bad guys getting away!"
Tara looked up and closed her eyes, searching her brain for a fitting spell and then whispered the words quickly, opening her eyes again and looking at the two they were suddenly shoved up against the wall of the building they had just exited.
"Good job," Willow acknowledged and Tara smiled a little, not taking her eyes off them.
"Thanks, but I don't know how long I can hold them," she said and Willow nodded, turning and quickly making her way as far out along the edges of the fighting going on as she possibly could.
When she had made her way to the opposite side of where Tara and Dawn were standing she swiftly continued up to the two members of the Trio shackled by magic.
"Well, well, well," she said, not hiding the utter disgust in her voice as she reached them. "The rats are out to play."
Warren stared at her as he fought to get loose and she raised her eyebrows slightly before bringing out her cell phone. Flipping it open she pushed the call button and then she smiled a little, touching the digits of a phone number.
Warren and Andrew both observed her keenly now as she brought the phone to her ear and said:
"Yes, is this the police? I have a lead you should check up on..."
Buffy rolled on the ground, getting to her feet and turning to the demon already standing.
"You didn't think it would be easy, did you?" he asked, disappearing into thin air and then materializing behind her. "No, you're not that stupid," he added as she spun around, raising the hand with the knife once more.
Just then, to her right, Spike got in a perfect hit with his sword, sinking it deep in the chest of the demon he had been fighting and its body dropped to the ground as he pulled his weapon out, swirling around once more to take the harsh blows of the second demon.
Xander was getting tired and the demon seemed to be able to go on forever. Then he suddenly saw an opening, the demon was distracted by something going on behind Xander's back and Xander raised his axe, bringing it down and splitting the demon's scull in half.
Xander stared at the demolished body.
"THAT was gross," he mumbled, a shiver running through him as he suddenly felt a sharp pain down his right arm.
He swivelled around and met the eyes of yet another minion, crazed with hate and rage the demon was getting ready for attack. Xander realized that a deep wound in his shoulder was gushing out blood and he took a step back in pure surprise, the demon now letting hear a cry as he raised his sword.
This is it, Xander thought, but just then another sword swooshed by right next to Xander's ear and pierced the demon's chest with a horrible sound, the demon falling face first to the ground and Xander swallowed hard.
"Come on!" Spike's voice yelled as he came running past on Xander's left, stopping by the demon and turning it over, grabbing the handle of his sword and pulling it out of the fiends chest. "No time to stand around and oogle the mess," he added with a smirk, picking up the demon's sword and handing it to Xander. "You okay?" he added as Xander took the weapon.
"Yeah..." Xander answered and Spike nodded before running past him again and taking the blow from one of the four remaining minions.
Xander swivelled around just in time to take the one directed at him from a second one.
Giles jumped away as the demon he was fighting lashed out at him, then he was just a second too late at taking another step back and the demon sunk the tip of his sword in Giles' side. The Watcher let hear a startled cry of pain and then he raised the hand holding his sword and swung it in a large circle, hitting the demon's shoulder and cutting off its left arm. The demon wailed with surprise and anger and went in for the kill only to recieve a hit over the head with a heavy board from one pissed off vengenace demon.
The minion buckled to his knees and Giles pulled back his arm before sinking his sword through the demon's chest. The demon fell to the side with a hissing noise and Giles looked up and met the eyes of Anya.
"Thank you," he said and she smiled, nodding a little as he reached up and clasped a hand over his wound, her eyes growing at the sight of it.
"You're hurt!" she exclaimed and Giles nodded a little.
"It's nothing..." he mumbled and then he turned around, watching Xander finish off his demon with a stab to the heart.
"Xander!" Willow called out and Xander turned to her as she gestured towards the two Trio members still held captive by Tara. "It's wearing off! The spell!" she exclaimed. "Help me with getting them out of here," she added as he came up to her. "You're bleeding," she said as she saw his shoulder.
"Yeah," he said and then he grabbed Warren, "but I feel pretty good anyway," he added and she smiled a little at that. "What are we gonna do with them that Buffy shouldn't get to do herself?" he then asked.
"We're gonna hand them over to the police," she answered and both Warren and Andrew started to squirm, but to no avail as Giles and Anya now joined them, the former grabbing a tight hold on Andrew.
"Do you think Buffy needs back up?" Xander asked and Giles turned to where she was still fighting the leader demon, her face a mask of pure concentration and disdain.
"If so she has Spike," he stated, gesturing towards the vampire. "And Tara is staying, she can use some of her skills, if necessary... Let's just get these three out of here."
"Three?" Willow asked and Jonathan stepped up to them from where he had been standing waiting a few feet behind Giles.
"You traitor!" Warren exclaimed, trying to grab Jonathan who quickly moved out of his range. "You little bottom-dweller, you worthless little..."
"Shut up," Jonathan interrupted, shaking his head. "I know what you two were going to do, what you were planning behind my back. So don't give me that crap, I wasn't the traitor here. We're going to jail, Warren. And we're gonna tell them EVERYTHING that we've done; the heists, the schemes, the murder..."
"No!" Warren screamed at him, but Jonathan only looked away as they began to walk, Giles and Xander dragging the two members harshly with Warren yelling threaths and Andrew softly whimpering.
***
"Face it, mortal, there is no use trying anymore," the demon said as Buffy lunged at him again, him vaporing and materializing a few feet away. "Just give her up and we'll let all of you live..."
"Take a look around Mr. High-and-mighty, all of your little friends are dead," Buffy retorted, shaking her head a little and straightening her back slightly.
"Not..." the demon began just as Spike rammed his sword into the ribcage of the sixth demon, "...all," the demon finished, rolling his eyes and then fixing them once more on the Slayer.
Spike turned to them, concluding that Buffy's wound had stopped bleeding and that she looked tired and still incredibly fired up, as usual.
"Need a little help, pet?" he asked, walking up to join her and the demon now turned his eyes on the vampire.
"You are a specimen completely out of the laws of nature...or rather the universe since your whole species are an abdomination to those very laws of nature," he said, raising his sword slightly and pointing it at Spike. "You were right, you were never fit to be a father, Mr. Spike. Just as little as Buffy was meant to be a mother. Really, SLAYER, do you think you'll be able to play the mommy role as well as you do the kill-it-if-it-moves one?" he further asked and smiled a little, shaking his head. "You will ruin the girl... Let me have her, I will raise her properly..."
"Would you cut it out?" Buffy interrupted. "Do you think I'll listen to you? Do you think I'll ever give up my daughter to YOU?"
"So, she's still alive then?" the demon asked silently and Buffy stared at him for a moment and then realized that she knew the answer to that question.
"Yes," she therefore said and Spike turned his head to her with a questioning look and she met it with a small smile. "She is."
The demon watched her in silence.
"One last time, give her up," he said and now she turned back to him.
"Or what?" she asked and at that he vapored again.
She tried to keep her heart still, but it refused to co-operate and began to beat wildly in her chest.
"Where'd the bugger go?" Spike murmured and then Buffy suddenly gave a hard gasp as she put both hands over her stomach.
Spike turned his head and his eyes enlarged as he saw the translucent image of the demon standing behind Buffy and reaching in both his hands through the skin and flesh of her back.
"Get it out of me!" Buffy suddenly screamed. "Get it the hell out!"
Spike didn't hesitate as he threw himself forward, gliding through the demon and landing on the ground on the other side of him.
"God dammit!" he screamed, panic shaking him as he stood and then he heard low whispering and turned his head, his eyes falling on Tara who was staring at the demon fixedly.
Spike turned back as Buffy let hear a loud cry again and this time he could see some of the demon start to materialize. He drew a small breath before repeating what he had just done, this time his hands gripped the demon by the waist and the latter's grip on Buffy was torn loose, the Slayer sinking down on both knees, her eyes filling with tears and her hands still on her stomach.
Spike grabbed the demon by its throat and lifted him high in the air.
"I remember doing this to the one of you fuckers who tried to hurt her before," he growled before separating the demon's head from his body with one hard tear.
Then he turned around and ran up to Buffy who was slowly lying down on the ground, crying in loud sobs and shaking her head when he tried to embrace her.
"She's gone, she's gone," she kept repeating and Spike felt his own eyes fill with tears as he clenched his jaws together.
I knew this would happen, he tried to tell himself. I knew it right from the start. I knew it so I shouldn't be so shocked.
Then the tears ran over and he burried his face in his hands.
Buffy had never felt more emtpy and still there was an incredible pain that just kept coursing through her relentlessly. She wasn't sure what she was doing; if that was her crying or someone else; if that was her speaking words she couldn't hear; if that was her heart breaking.
Tara stared at the scene and gently held back Dawn when she wanted to run up to her sister.
"I don't think now is a good time," she said silently.
"But..." Dawn began and then trailed off, watching, with eyes filling with tears as well, how two of the people she loved most in the world were just falling apart before her.
Tara was already crying, she was exhausted and now so very sad, she felt so lost. How did this happen, how did it come to this? They were usually so in control!
Yeah, if you don't count Angel and Dracula and those five hundred times we've had to deal with people we care about turning into creepy things and those times when Buffy has had to...die for us, she thought to herself and then shook her head. This is so damn unfair!
Buffy rolled over on her back, half of her face smudged with dry dust patterned with her tears, her hands still on her stomach.
"My baby..." she whispered, opening her eyes and looking up at the blackness of space. "Our baby..."
Suddenly one of the stars was dancing in the night sky, moving slowly before her eyes, sweeping down it seemed. Buffy's eyes widened. The star slowly came closer until it hovered in mid air above her. Tara and Dawn were staring at it as well, Spike was slowly looking up, wondering where the light was coming from.
"When you wish...upon a star..." Buffy whispered, half singing the old song and reaching up a hand towards the still floating phenomenon.
Then it descended so fast they hardly had time to register it, stopping a few feet above Buffy's stomach and now Buffy saw that it was a small ball of energy, not larger than a baseball, but surrounded by an incredible light; she looked away.
Then she felt a small tingle near her belly button and it grew slightly until it suddenly was a painful heat. She clenched her jaws together and then the feeling was gone. She slowly opened her eyes and placed her hands on her stomach again, this time a wonderous expression grew on her face as she slowly sat up.
"Are you alright?" Spike's voice came from a far and she nodded dully before looking up and seeing the small star hovering above her again.
Then it moved to the right side of her and seemed to hesitate a moment; then it slowly settled on the ground before growing into the figure of a woman.
Willow's eyes grew absolutely huge and so did the Slayer's as she carefully got to her feet.
The woman smiled at her, the light now surrounding her with a subtle white glow and then she said:
"Hello, Buffy."
Buffy swallowed and then she smiled back before answering:
"Hello, Cordelia."
The Continuance
By Annie
2002-07-21
Spike let Jonathan go before taking a step back as the others gathered around them.
"Why did you come here?" Giles asked and Jonathan looked around at all of them before shaking his head defeatedly.
"Because Warren and Andrew, those traitors... I'm sure they're ganging up on me and I..."
"It's a trap," Spike interrupted. "Why else would he come here? They're trying to..."
"No! It's NOT a trap!" Jonathan exclaimed. "Please, I swear that I'm here because those two losers decided to gang up on me and I'm pretty sure they were even thinking up ways to...make me disappear," he added, looking around at them once more, this time pleadingly.
"If you're lying to us," Spike began, taking a step forward again but Jonathan shook his head, meeting the vamp's gaze somewhat unsteadily but as honestly as he could. "Then you'll bloody well tell us everything you know," he grumbled, grabbing Jonathan again and walking over with him to the couch, pushing him down harshly on it and Jonathan looked up, swallowing hard.
"Alright," he said. "I'll tell you...but we don't have very much time."
"Then you should start yaping, shouldn't you?" Spike more stated than asked and Jonathan swallowed again.
"Alright..."
***
Dawn was screaming something to her right, but all her senses seemed to be a blur and she tried to focus her gaze. Slowly the room and creatures surrounding her came into focus and she looked up, meeting the triumphant gaze of Torah, the blooded knife was still clutched in her right hand and Buffy stared at it with a wave of rage starting to build inside of her.
She was about to open her mouth to tell the demon exactly what she thought of her when the latter's expression suddenly changed to shock, her eyes filling with pain and her eyebrows coming together in a frown she sunk down on her knees. Behind her was one of the minions with a long sword in both hands, the blade of it was glazed with a thick, deep blue liquid and Buffy realized what it was.
"Blood..." she mumbled, her own shock rising as Torah caughed, the liquid now dripping gently out of one corner of her mouth.
"How...dare you?" the demon queen demanded as the minion raised the sword again.
"Halt!" the king exclaimed and Buffy raised her head, her eyes registering the king being held back by four of the minons.
"You are the fool, my queen," the minion hissed. "There are greater forces at work here than you or me, and you might just have destroyed one of them," he added.
Torah slowly turned her head to look over her shoulder and her eyes grew slightly as she beheld the still raised sword above her head.
"You wouldn't dare!" she growled, but the minion simply smiled a little.
"Dawn..." Buffy mumbled, turning her head lazily to her sister. "Don't look."
The blade bore down hard, the sound as it tore through flesh and bone was a rich thump, a crackle and then a zing. A second later there was a bump as Torah's head hit the floor and rolled a few feet before stopping.
Buffy stared at it, the eyes stared back, but now there was no life in them. The Slayer sighed a little, it was finished.
The loud scream of rage that the king let hear made Buffy jerk her head his way as he struggled to break free from his captivators. The minion still holding the sword swirled around towards him and Buffy watched as he walked up to the demon, raising the sword again.
"No...no, please!" was all the king had time to scream and then the sword cut through his torso, ripping his upper body in two and both parts fell to the floor twitching slightly.
Buffy looked away, feeling nausious and closing her eyes.
Please, let the healing kick in, she thought to herself, remembering her own wound and then she realized that she could move.
The spell that had been holding her down was broken and she turned to Dawn who had brought her hands up from her lap and was moving her fingers as though she had been lame her whole life and now was experiencing the feel of movement for the first time. Then she turned to Buffy and they held each others gaze for a few seconds before both getting to their feet.
"Where are you going?" Warren asked, grabbing Buffy from behind and she hesitated a moment before driving one elbow into his stomach, making him flinch and take a step back.
"Self-defense," she said with a shrug and then she turned to him. "I'm gonna go see what I can do about those bars," she added, answering his question and his eyes enlarged as she grabbed her sister's hand and ran towards the door.
"Stop her!" Warren screamed and the minions all looked up from the silent observing of their dead demon royalty, first turning their heads to the screaming mortal and then to the two humans.
The seven demons got moving at once and just as the two mortals reached the door one of them grabbed a hold of Dawn, ripping the sisters hands apart and Buffy turned as two of the demons advanced on her.
She spun around, kicked out her leg and hit both of them over the chin, sending them flying into a corner each before she took a step forward, grabbing a hold of the demons arms clasped around her sister and bending them open. Dawn ran forwards as Buffy jumped up and kicked her foot out, hitting the demon in the chest and sending him too flying.
Dawn had gotten the door open and with Buffy right on her heels she ran outside and straight into the arms of Jonathan, which made her scream and almost turn around to run back inside, but Buffy following met the eyes of her Watcher and grabbed Dawn.
"Wait," she said and Dawn turned around again, seeing Tara and Willow she pulled out of Buffy's grip and ran up to them as a shriek came from behind the Slayer and she grabbed Jonathan, running away from the door with her friends in front of her right before the minions poured out of the doorway.
"Weapon!" she screamed. "I need a weapon!"
She looked up and met Spike's eyes as he was coming towards her with a long knife in one hand and a heavy sword in the other, tossing her the former he smiled a little and she smiled back, nodding.
Payback time.
Willow and Tara were both backing away from the scene with Dawn between them and Jonathan not far to their left, Xander, Giles and Anya were all three on the other side of the wide alley and the minions were spreading out on a line as they watched the Slayer and the Vamp turn to them, positioning themselves ready for an attack.
Giles, armed with a sword as well soon joined them and Xander, holding Buffy's axe in his hands, came up as well.
A hush seemed to settle over the assembly and then one of the demons spoke.
"Give us the child," he said, pointing to Buffy's stomach, "if she still lives."
Spike's eyes were immediately searching Buffy for any sign for a reason why the baby would not still be alive and when his gaze fell upon the now healing wound at her side a low moan rose out of his throat. Buffy fought back the tears when he rested his eyes in hers, and then reached up a hand and placed it on her cheek.
"I'm sorry," she whispered and he shook his head slowly, his game face growing on and she reached up on her toes to kiss him on the mouth. "If our daughter lives," she then said, turning to the demons and they all fixed their eyes on her, "there is no way in hell I'll ever give her to you."
The demon who seemed to be in charge, the one that had spoken earlier, the one that had killed Torah and Karatka before, now took a step forward.
"We shall have to see about that," he said and made a small sign with one hand, the rest of his followers moving forward, bringing out gleaming swords from underneath their capes and the Scoobies prepared themselves to fight.
"Give me your best shot," Buffy growled as she raced forward, raising the hand with the knife and throwing herself over the leader who took the blow even though they both tumbled to the ground.
There seemed to go a wave of determination through the entire gathering of bodies and then Spike took the blow of one of the minions swords with his own, another demon attacking him from behind and he swirled around to avert the strike of the weapon.
Giles dealt with one of the demons as he too had a sword and Xander tried his best to cut things short with the minion he was facing, swinging the axe at his enemy who retorted with his own heavy weapon.
Tara and Willow stared at the scene.
"Where's Torah?!" Willow yelled to Dawn over the commotion.
"She's...dead!" Dawn yelled back, trying to shut out the horrific picture of the demoness' head rolling on the floor. "I should've listened to Buffy and not looked," she added mostly to herself before turning her head and seeing Warren and Andrew slinking out through the doorway. "Hey!" she cried. "Bad guys getting away!"
Tara looked up and closed her eyes, searching her brain for a fitting spell and then whispered the words quickly, opening her eyes again and looking at the two they were suddenly shoved up against the wall of the building they had just exited.
"Good job," Willow acknowledged and Tara smiled a little, not taking her eyes off them.
"Thanks, but I don't know how long I can hold them," she said and Willow nodded, turning and quickly making her way as far out along the edges of the fighting going on as she possibly could.
When she had made her way to the opposite side of where Tara and Dawn were standing she swiftly continued up to the two members of the Trio shackled by magic.
"Well, well, well," she said, not hiding the utter disgust in her voice as she reached them. "The rats are out to play."
Warren stared at her as he fought to get loose and she raised her eyebrows slightly before bringing out her cell phone. Flipping it open she pushed the call button and then she smiled a little, touching the digits of a phone number.
Warren and Andrew both observed her keenly now as she brought the phone to her ear and said:
"Yes, is this the police? I have a lead you should check up on..."
Buffy rolled on the ground, getting to her feet and turning to the demon already standing.
"You didn't think it would be easy, did you?" he asked, disappearing into thin air and then materializing behind her. "No, you're not that stupid," he added as she spun around, raising the hand with the knife once more.
Just then, to her right, Spike got in a perfect hit with his sword, sinking it deep in the chest of the demon he had been fighting and its body dropped to the ground as he pulled his weapon out, swirling around once more to take the harsh blows of the second demon.
Xander was getting tired and the demon seemed to be able to go on forever. Then he suddenly saw an opening, the demon was distracted by something going on behind Xander's back and Xander raised his axe, bringing it down and splitting the demon's scull in half.
Xander stared at the demolished body.
"THAT was gross," he mumbled, a shiver running through him as he suddenly felt a sharp pain down his right arm.
He swivelled around and met the eyes of yet another minion, crazed with hate and rage the demon was getting ready for attack. Xander realized that a deep wound in his shoulder was gushing out blood and he took a step back in pure surprise, the demon now letting hear a cry as he raised his sword.
This is it, Xander thought, but just then another sword swooshed by right next to Xander's ear and pierced the demon's chest with a horrible sound, the demon falling face first to the ground and Xander swallowed hard.
"Come on!" Spike's voice yelled as he came running past on Xander's left, stopping by the demon and turning it over, grabbing the handle of his sword and pulling it out of the fiends chest. "No time to stand around and oogle the mess," he added with a smirk, picking up the demon's sword and handing it to Xander. "You okay?" he added as Xander took the weapon.
"Yeah..." Xander answered and Spike nodded before running past him again and taking the blow from one of the four remaining minions.
Xander swivelled around just in time to take the one directed at him from a second one.
Giles jumped away as the demon he was fighting lashed out at him, then he was just a second too late at taking another step back and the demon sunk the tip of his sword in Giles' side. The Watcher let hear a startled cry of pain and then he raised the hand holding his sword and swung it in a large circle, hitting the demon's shoulder and cutting off its left arm. The demon wailed with surprise and anger and went in for the kill only to recieve a hit over the head with a heavy board from one pissed off vengenace demon.
The minion buckled to his knees and Giles pulled back his arm before sinking his sword through the demon's chest. The demon fell to the side with a hissing noise and Giles looked up and met the eyes of Anya.
"Thank you," he said and she smiled, nodding a little as he reached up and clasped a hand over his wound, her eyes growing at the sight of it.
"You're hurt!" she exclaimed and Giles nodded a little.
"It's nothing..." he mumbled and then he turned around, watching Xander finish off his demon with a stab to the heart.
"Xander!" Willow called out and Xander turned to her as she gestured towards the two Trio members still held captive by Tara. "It's wearing off! The spell!" she exclaimed. "Help me with getting them out of here," she added as he came up to her. "You're bleeding," she said as she saw his shoulder.
"Yeah," he said and then he grabbed Warren, "but I feel pretty good anyway," he added and she smiled a little at that. "What are we gonna do with them that Buffy shouldn't get to do herself?" he then asked.
"We're gonna hand them over to the police," she answered and both Warren and Andrew started to squirm, but to no avail as Giles and Anya now joined them, the former grabbing a tight hold on Andrew.
"Do you think Buffy needs back up?" Xander asked and Giles turned to where she was still fighting the leader demon, her face a mask of pure concentration and disdain.
"If so she has Spike," he stated, gesturing towards the vampire. "And Tara is staying, she can use some of her skills, if necessary... Let's just get these three out of here."
"Three?" Willow asked and Jonathan stepped up to them from where he had been standing waiting a few feet behind Giles.
"You traitor!" Warren exclaimed, trying to grab Jonathan who quickly moved out of his range. "You little bottom-dweller, you worthless little..."
"Shut up," Jonathan interrupted, shaking his head. "I know what you two were going to do, what you were planning behind my back. So don't give me that crap, I wasn't the traitor here. We're going to jail, Warren. And we're gonna tell them EVERYTHING that we've done; the heists, the schemes, the murder..."
"No!" Warren screamed at him, but Jonathan only looked away as they began to walk, Giles and Xander dragging the two members harshly with Warren yelling threaths and Andrew softly whimpering.
***
"Face it, mortal, there is no use trying anymore," the demon said as Buffy lunged at him again, him vaporing and materializing a few feet away. "Just give her up and we'll let all of you live..."
"Take a look around Mr. High-and-mighty, all of your little friends are dead," Buffy retorted, shaking her head a little and straightening her back slightly.
"Not..." the demon began just as Spike rammed his sword into the ribcage of the sixth demon, "...all," the demon finished, rolling his eyes and then fixing them once more on the Slayer.
Spike turned to them, concluding that Buffy's wound had stopped bleeding and that she looked tired and still incredibly fired up, as usual.
"Need a little help, pet?" he asked, walking up to join her and the demon now turned his eyes on the vampire.
"You are a specimen completely out of the laws of nature...or rather the universe since your whole species are an abdomination to those very laws of nature," he said, raising his sword slightly and pointing it at Spike. "You were right, you were never fit to be a father, Mr. Spike. Just as little as Buffy was meant to be a mother. Really, SLAYER, do you think you'll be able to play the mommy role as well as you do the kill-it-if-it-moves one?" he further asked and smiled a little, shaking his head. "You will ruin the girl... Let me have her, I will raise her properly..."
"Would you cut it out?" Buffy interrupted. "Do you think I'll listen to you? Do you think I'll ever give up my daughter to YOU?"
"So, she's still alive then?" the demon asked silently and Buffy stared at him for a moment and then realized that she knew the answer to that question.
"Yes," she therefore said and Spike turned his head to her with a questioning look and she met it with a small smile. "She is."
The demon watched her in silence.
"One last time, give her up," he said and now she turned back to him.
"Or what?" she asked and at that he vapored again.
She tried to keep her heart still, but it refused to co-operate and began to beat wildly in her chest.
"Where'd the bugger go?" Spike murmured and then Buffy suddenly gave a hard gasp as she put both hands over her stomach.
Spike turned his head and his eyes enlarged as he saw the translucent image of the demon standing behind Buffy and reaching in both his hands through the skin and flesh of her back.
"Get it out of me!" Buffy suddenly screamed. "Get it the hell out!"
Spike didn't hesitate as he threw himself forward, gliding through the demon and landing on the ground on the other side of him.
"God dammit!" he screamed, panic shaking him as he stood and then he heard low whispering and turned his head, his eyes falling on Tara who was staring at the demon fixedly.
Spike turned back as Buffy let hear a loud cry again and this time he could see some of the demon start to materialize. He drew a small breath before repeating what he had just done, this time his hands gripped the demon by the waist and the latter's grip on Buffy was torn loose, the Slayer sinking down on both knees, her eyes filling with tears and her hands still on her stomach.
Spike grabbed the demon by its throat and lifted him high in the air.
"I remember doing this to the one of you fuckers who tried to hurt her before," he growled before separating the demon's head from his body with one hard tear.
Then he turned around and ran up to Buffy who was slowly lying down on the ground, crying in loud sobs and shaking her head when he tried to embrace her.
"She's gone, she's gone," she kept repeating and Spike felt his own eyes fill with tears as he clenched his jaws together.
I knew this would happen, he tried to tell himself. I knew it right from the start. I knew it so I shouldn't be so shocked.
Then the tears ran over and he burried his face in his hands.
Buffy had never felt more emtpy and still there was an incredible pain that just kept coursing through her relentlessly. She wasn't sure what she was doing; if that was her crying or someone else; if that was her speaking words she couldn't hear; if that was her heart breaking.
Tara stared at the scene and gently held back Dawn when she wanted to run up to her sister.
"I don't think now is a good time," she said silently.
"But..." Dawn began and then trailed off, watching, with eyes filling with tears as well, how two of the people she loved most in the world were just falling apart before her.
Tara was already crying, she was exhausted and now so very sad, she felt so lost. How did this happen, how did it come to this? They were usually so in control!
Yeah, if you don't count Angel and Dracula and those five hundred times we've had to deal with people we care about turning into creepy things and those times when Buffy has had to...die for us, she thought to herself and then shook her head. This is so damn unfair!
Buffy rolled over on her back, half of her face smudged with dry dust patterned with her tears, her hands still on her stomach.
"My baby..." she whispered, opening her eyes and looking up at the blackness of space. "Our baby..."
Suddenly one of the stars was dancing in the night sky, moving slowly before her eyes, sweeping down it seemed. Buffy's eyes widened. The star slowly came closer until it hovered in mid air above her. Tara and Dawn were staring at it as well, Spike was slowly looking up, wondering where the light was coming from.
"When you wish...upon a star..." Buffy whispered, half singing the old song and reaching up a hand towards the still floating phenomenon.
Then it descended so fast they hardly had time to register it, stopping a few feet above Buffy's stomach and now Buffy saw that it was a small ball of energy, not larger than a baseball, but surrounded by an incredible light; she looked away.
Then she felt a small tingle near her belly button and it grew slightly until it suddenly was a painful heat. She clenched her jaws together and then the feeling was gone. She slowly opened her eyes and placed her hands on her stomach again, this time a wonderous expression grew on her face as she slowly sat up.
"Are you alright?" Spike's voice came from a far and she nodded dully before looking up and seeing the small star hovering above her again.
Then it moved to the right side of her and seemed to hesitate a moment; then it slowly settled on the ground before growing into the figure of a woman.
Willow's eyes grew absolutely huge and so did the Slayer's as she carefully got to her feet.
The woman smiled at her, the light now surrounding her with a subtle white glow and then she said:
"Hello, Buffy."
Buffy swallowed and then she smiled back before answering:
"Hello, Cordelia."