Chapter Thirty-Two
Angel opened his eyes in a sea of bright light. He blinked and looked around. There was no one. Nothing. The light stretched on as far as his eyes could see.
"Dead." He said aloud.
"Not dead." The woman's voice called back to him. "Simply sleeping."
Angel looked to the figure in front of him. A woman he had never met, yet knew, stood before him. "Tara?" He asked hesitantly.
"Hello Angel." She said.
"Where am I?" He asked.
Tara smiled sweetly. "We needed to talk."
"It's going to take more than just the Slayer." Joyce said from behind him.
"Joyce." Angel said. "Mrs. - Mrs. Summers."
"Hello Angel." Joyce smiled, not unkindly.
"What did you mean, it'd take more than just the Slayer?" Angel asked.
"The Slayer can't do it alone." Tara said.
"It'll take everyone." Joyce added.
"Tell me what to do and I'll do it." Angel said firmly.
"You must be willing to protect her." Joyce said.
"I'd give my life to protect Buffy, you know that." Angel said as he moved to Joyce.
"Are you sure?" Joyce asked. "Will you lay your life down to protect her?"
"I will." Angel said.
"Then it is done." Tara said. "Go to her now."
Angel woke with a start; the sun was completely gone from the sky.
"Angel?" Wesley said as he moved to his friend. "Angel, are you okay?"
Angel looked around puzzled. "No." He said frightened. "We have to move." Angel rose and grabbed his coat off of the back of the chair.
"Angel, what's wrong?" Fred asked, grabbing his arm to stop him from leaving.
"We have to go!" Angel snarled, baring vampire fangs.
"Angel." Wesley said.
"How?" Giles asked.
"They took it back." Angel said. "I laid down my life to save Buffy. We have to go, now."
"Where?" Giles asked.
"They've gone to stop it." Angel said.
"Stop what?" Wesley asked, trying to calm Angel down.
"Buffy and Faith went to stop the Turok-Han." Angel said. "I saw it. Sunnydale, lying in waste. Nothing left. Not even us."
"What?" Fred asked, scared.
"They showed it to me." Angel said. "The Slayer is not enough. They'll fight and they'll lose. They're not strong enough. They're going to die. We're all going to die."
"I was ready at 'We have to go.'" Gunn said, loading up with weapons.
"Giles, get everyone." Angel said. "They've gone to the Hellmouth."
-
Buffy and Faith entered cautiously.
"You're sure they're here?" Faith whispered.
"It was definitely the school." Buffy whispered back.
Faith nodded and the two girls began moving. Buffy motioned with her head and Faith followed to the basement door. The two girls moved quietly down the stairs.
Buffy stopped as she watched the Bringers standing in a full circle in the basement. They're chanting meant nothing to Buffy. The First stood off to the side, surrounded by various demons, vampires and a group of Turok-Han. Buffy inhaled deeply.
"What's next, B?" Faith asked.
"I'll go left, you go right." Buffy motioned to the Bringers. "We stop them, we stop the ritual."
"And if we don't?" Faith asked.
"We die." Buffy said. "Remember that thing that came out of the Hellmouth the last time it opened."
Faith nodded silently.
"Well, it had gotten bigger between the first time I saw it and that time." Buffy said seriously.
"So, it's probably even bigger." Faith said, a little fear in her voice.
"Let's go." Buffy said, swallowing hard. Buffy quickly moved off as Faith turned to the opposite direction.
Buffy closed her eyes tightly, if her mother was right, she would die this night. One final battle, one final death. Buffy took a deep breath and kept moving.
Faith swallowed nervously, her stomach felt hollow, she felt hollow. She moved off to a strong standpoint. Like clockwork, the girls attacked at the same moment.
Angel opened his eyes in a sea of bright light. He blinked and looked around. There was no one. Nothing. The light stretched on as far as his eyes could see.
"Dead." He said aloud.
"Not dead." The woman's voice called back to him. "Simply sleeping."
Angel looked to the figure in front of him. A woman he had never met, yet knew, stood before him. "Tara?" He asked hesitantly.
"Hello Angel." She said.
"Where am I?" He asked.
Tara smiled sweetly. "We needed to talk."
"It's going to take more than just the Slayer." Joyce said from behind him.
"Joyce." Angel said. "Mrs. - Mrs. Summers."
"Hello Angel." Joyce smiled, not unkindly.
"What did you mean, it'd take more than just the Slayer?" Angel asked.
"The Slayer can't do it alone." Tara said.
"It'll take everyone." Joyce added.
"Tell me what to do and I'll do it." Angel said firmly.
"You must be willing to protect her." Joyce said.
"I'd give my life to protect Buffy, you know that." Angel said as he moved to Joyce.
"Are you sure?" Joyce asked. "Will you lay your life down to protect her?"
"I will." Angel said.
"Then it is done." Tara said. "Go to her now."
Angel woke with a start; the sun was completely gone from the sky.
"Angel?" Wesley said as he moved to his friend. "Angel, are you okay?"
Angel looked around puzzled. "No." He said frightened. "We have to move." Angel rose and grabbed his coat off of the back of the chair.
"Angel, what's wrong?" Fred asked, grabbing his arm to stop him from leaving.
"We have to go!" Angel snarled, baring vampire fangs.
"Angel." Wesley said.
"How?" Giles asked.
"They took it back." Angel said. "I laid down my life to save Buffy. We have to go, now."
"Where?" Giles asked.
"They've gone to stop it." Angel said.
"Stop what?" Wesley asked, trying to calm Angel down.
"Buffy and Faith went to stop the Turok-Han." Angel said. "I saw it. Sunnydale, lying in waste. Nothing left. Not even us."
"What?" Fred asked, scared.
"They showed it to me." Angel said. "The Slayer is not enough. They'll fight and they'll lose. They're not strong enough. They're going to die. We're all going to die."
"I was ready at 'We have to go.'" Gunn said, loading up with weapons.
"Giles, get everyone." Angel said. "They've gone to the Hellmouth."
-
Buffy and Faith entered cautiously.
"You're sure they're here?" Faith whispered.
"It was definitely the school." Buffy whispered back.
Faith nodded and the two girls began moving. Buffy motioned with her head and Faith followed to the basement door. The two girls moved quietly down the stairs.
Buffy stopped as she watched the Bringers standing in a full circle in the basement. They're chanting meant nothing to Buffy. The First stood off to the side, surrounded by various demons, vampires and a group of Turok-Han. Buffy inhaled deeply.
"What's next, B?" Faith asked.
"I'll go left, you go right." Buffy motioned to the Bringers. "We stop them, we stop the ritual."
"And if we don't?" Faith asked.
"We die." Buffy said. "Remember that thing that came out of the Hellmouth the last time it opened."
Faith nodded silently.
"Well, it had gotten bigger between the first time I saw it and that time." Buffy said seriously.
"So, it's probably even bigger." Faith said, a little fear in her voice.
"Let's go." Buffy said, swallowing hard. Buffy quickly moved off as Faith turned to the opposite direction.
Buffy closed her eyes tightly, if her mother was right, she would die this night. One final battle, one final death. Buffy took a deep breath and kept moving.
Faith swallowed nervously, her stomach felt hollow, she felt hollow. She moved off to a strong standpoint. Like clockwork, the girls attacked at the same moment.
