As the weeks passed into Christmas, there was something in the air. Call it excitement, nervousness, or whatever, it was there. During that time Carlos and Kit were really introduced to Spike, the six found companionship, even if it was just a tad unconventual.

Spike was convinced to spend the eve of Christmas together with his friends in the apartment that Kassandra and Connor lived in. They had a joyous time, happy to relax, even if it was just for a night. The attacks by vampires and demons seemed to get heavier and heavier. There were many staking of vampires and none of the five teenagers dared to leave home without some kind of protection.

Kassandra had just brought out sticky-buns, which she proudly said did not come from Pillsbury. Connor shook his head, he knew better. She just did not know how to open the containers without the dough going every which way. They sat around and enjoyed the holiday season.

They were interrupted by a knock on the door. Kassandra had just gone back into the kitchen, so it was left to Connor to answer the door. When he did open his, his face and tone visibly darkened. "What do you want?" he asked in a condescending tone.

Angel looked at him, obviously hurt. "Fine, come it," Connor invited his father, a vampire in. "Look, you only have so long, so use it," Connor snapped, feeling defensive.

Angel's eyes blazed, but his face remained calm, "You're my son. What more reason do I have? You send me the message. We have forgiven each other."

Connor sighed, feeling as if he had been defeated. He was letting his true feelings show, something he had never planned on doing, "But have you stopped to think about someone other than yourself for once? Maybe I haven't forgiven myself yet!"

Angel sucked in an unneeded breath, "I never thought about that," he admitted.

Kassandra then came out of the kitchen from where she had been watching the whole thing, "Of course you didn't think about it! You never thought about anyone other than yourself. That's the way you've always been!" she raged.

Angel stepped back, "Kassay?" he whispered.

Her eyes blazed on; "You have no right, no right at all to call me that! Let fate go! Connor, your son is supposed to be here. It's fate, and don't you dare mess this up!"

Everyone looked at her, startled. She just went up, not even noticing, "I've been on this earth a long time, and you are not to undo it. I can stop you, and stop you I will! I've said that I'll protect them with my life," she spit at Angel's feet and then ran out the door, leaving everyone in a stunned silence.

Connor look as his father, curiosity in his eye, "What did you do?" he asked.

Angel look guiltily towards his son, but he didn't see him, "I killed her," he said more to himself than anyone else in the room.

With a scream of fury, Connor leapt to his father, intending to do some bodily harm, but Spike held him back. "No use in attacking him Duck. Not only could he stop you from laying a finger on him, he repents enough, go follow her," Spike whispered. Connor scrambled out of the grasp that held him and ran out the door. The other three followed him in hot pursuit; they all knew where she would go for comfort.

Angel and Spike stayed behind, "How?" Angel only asked.

"Your sister, Peaches, is a lighter. And right set on her mission. She wouldn't even stop to think about staking you if you were in her way," Spike said.

"What's her mission?" Angel asked, still in some kind of daze.

"What do you think it is? She wouldn't tell me, but it's not to hard to figure out," Spike shrugged.

The two vampires talked for sometime, but soon they decided to follow the teenagers, there was no telling what kind of trouble they could get into.

Meanwhile Dawn, Connor, Carlos, and Kit found Kassandra in Sunnydale's town square, deserted this Christmas Eve. "What's between you and Mr. Dark-and-Handsome?" Carlos asked, plopping down next to Kassandra; the others followed suit.

"We go way back. Far back as him killing me," Kassandra said bitterly.

Everyone seemed to nod; Kit and Carlos knew the basic story of Connor's experience of life. They knew that Angel was a vampire. It was scary how high school made people bond together and tell the deepest of secrets.

Only Dawn had enough gumption to ask, "Killed?"

Kassandra's lips were set in a straight line, "Yes killed. I killed my family by inviting that monster in. But I was not to be killed. Fate was not happy so I was made one of there servants so to speak. I was became a lighter. Someone to live until the balance is balanced."

The sat in silence for a few minutes when Connor's ears picked up a noise. He bade them to be quiet while he listened. Silently Kassandra reached behind and drew out weapons for the each of them, a sword or an axe. She just smiled a smile that told them that she'd never tell where they came from.

Standing up, the five went into a fighting stance, making sure no one's back was left exposed and therefore unprotected. There was another rustling, and the five became even more watchful.

"Ah, like ducks in a bathtub," a vampire came out.

Carlos snorted, "But ducks don't have sharp point objects." He swung at the un-dead creature and missed. The vampire missed and went for the easy meal, but Carlos pulled a stake from his pocket and stabbed it into the vampire's chest.

"Ick, vamp dust," he said after it imploded on him. He then went back to the fighting.

Dawn was holding her own, and she was happy that Buffy had been training her, even though they were not getting along so well. The vampire she was currently battle against, grinned wolfishly, "You my pretty is just what the master ordered. The impregnated Key by the Destroyer," he then started to attack ten times harder.

Dawn stumbled and fell backwards, the vampire stood over her, leering. "Get away from her!" Kassandra knock the vampire over and stuck the cross in his face, burning it. "Feel the pain!" she sneered and then staked it out of mercy.

While she was busy with her prey, the infantry arrive, running into the battle scene. Ignoring Spike, Angel, Buffy, Xander, Willow, Anya, Gunn, Fred, and Cordelia, the teenagers continued to fight.

As Connor fought, Angel watched when he could, pride welling up in his chest. Angel also felt pride when he observed Kassandra fight, she had learned somewhere, and she was good.

As Kassandra fought on of the last vampires, it stabbed her in the stomach, even though it hurt, she continued to fight until it was just dust blown away by the wind. She then fell down, adrenaline gone. The people who were just standing around and not fighting rushed over to her. Angel dusted the last vamp, seeing as the rest had run in fear and ran to her.

"Brother," she smiled softly/

"Kassay, we can get you to a hospital," Angel told her.

"No this is fate. With Dawn and Conner, everything's balanced out," she shook her head.

"So what's so important about those two love birds?" Gunn asked.

"That fate of the world," Kassandra blinked slowly.

Buffy shrugged, they'd get though it. But it would be disheartening to lose Kassandra. Someone had finally filled her in when Angel had gone to the apartment.

Angel held his sister's head tenderly in his lap as she took her last breath. He didn't notice the soft snow that had begun to fall. In fact, no one had. Everyone had grown silent, saddened by the loss. Even the ones that didn't even know her felt as if something had been lost, just by witnessing the last warm breath.

"Look!" Dawn pointed. There in front of the group was Kassandra. She wore a green dress that brought out her hazel eyes, and her curly brown hair fell across her shoulders and down her back in waves, like her free spirit. "Aye me friends, it's me time. I'm free! Don't you worry, you're in safe hands of the babe," she smiled, her Irish brought shone through.

"Kassay! Kassandra O'Connor! Where are ye!" a young man's voice called.

"Kevin!" Kassandra turned and saw a man with sandy hair and blue eyes smiling at her.

"Kassay, ye imp. Don't you think I've waiting long enough? Don't dawdle now!" he called, "They'll come in good time!"

Kassandra picked up her skirts and ran towards her soul mate, but before she was fully gone, she turned and waved, "Fair thee well me friends," and then turning back around she finished her journey. Which she completed with her lover who she had been parted from for over two hundred years.

Review, please! This fic is pretty much done, just one more part to go. And I would love to know what you guys think of it!