Protected
Chapter Eleven
The Beginning
Xander stayed in the wing back chair in the living room. Lorne stood dutifully next to the blind man. Fred, Willow, and Mercy clutched hands and stared at the lit fireplace together.
They chanted in unison, "Every battle that occurs
We ask of you, Goddess Divine
Allow us to find and see
Each of the members of the Slayers
Fighting the First Evil
The beginning of bad
Let us watch our friends and family."
The incantation was simple, but it should work. Mercy knelt in front of the fireplace and lit four candles. A square came up and it was almost like a widescreen television. She saw the Slayers and Slayerettes trucking in front of the high school. Across the courtyard were hundreds of vampires and monsters, awaiting their arrival. The square split and the vineyard came into view. Buffy led more Slayerettes into the depths of the vines and rolling hills, where hundreds of Turok-han and monsters hid.
Willow muttered quietly, "Oh, Goddess, this is worse than anything we've ever faced before."
Xander shifted uneasily. "What's happening?"
"Here, hon, I'll tell you what's happening. These three lovely ladies need to do their thing."
"Okay." Xander admitted.
"Right now they're just staring at each other, both places. But I'd say we're outnumbered. By about ohhh, a thousand or more."
Xander sighed, feeling the odds stacking against them. Buffy could handle this though. She'd fought a HellGod. This would be nothing. Right? Willow and Mercy split off into the hall, where all was quiet, with the exception of a few fire truck sirens speeding down the street. Fred watched as the frist shot was fired at the vineyard, Buffy's scythe sliced into the vampire's neck. Savage growls were heard as the monsters came out of hiding, and as if the high school distractions realized that one of them had died, they charged forward, attacking both groups.
There was about one Slayerette to every thirty or forty demons. Not exactly heartening odds. Buffy had trained the Potential's hard. They would prevail, even if they died doing so. Right off a hundred vampires were knocked off, dust swirling around the battle sight as a light wind picked up. Now each fighter had a group of their own to hold off. Cordelia found herself in a corner, whacking two Ubervamps with her crossbow and dagger. A glittering light flashed in front of her, and her hazel eyes rested on a pale figure, brown hair mussed, green eyes sparkling.
"Doyle?!"
The handsome man stood in front of her, his Irish eyes mischeiviously glinting.
"Hello, Darlin'."
Cordelia rushed forward, but Doyle stepped back.
"No, you can't touch me, 'Delia."
"I can't. Why? Are you not real?"
Doyle cast a patient glance at the Seer.
" 'Course I'm real. I've been missin' you fiercely."
"Me, too. Oh, Doyle, things haven't been the same since you left. Are you like my guardian angel or something?"
Doyle's rich laughter sounded out, oddly against all the screams and yelps.
"I'm no angel."
"Are you happy up there?"
Doyle nodded slowly. "Yes. Very much so. It doesn't matter that I'm half-demon, just like it won't matter that you're half-demon. You should come up and visit me sometime."
"I can come up there?"
Doyle nodded emphatically.
"Just follow me, Darlin' girl."
Cordelia closed her eyes and soaked up his charming accent. She followed him several feet, then gasped. She looked down and found that three stakes had been driven into her stomach. Blood poured like a fountain from her wounds.
"Doyle!" She cried out. He smiled at her sadistically and transformed into Jenny Calender.
"I hope you're all this easy."
Cordelia could feel the life draining out of her. All she could whisper was Doyle one last time as she exhaled her last breath.
Fred screamed out as she realized Cordelia had been stabbed. She'd been concentrating on some of the S-I-T's. It was her job to keep these people safe and she'd already failed Cordy.
"Cordelia's gone, 6 Potentials." Lorne reported to Xander. Willow tossed a crystal in the air and waited until it smashed to the ground. Mercy lit the incense and spelled out molecular in the smokey scent. Willow started the spell.
"C'est mauvais.
C'est grand.
C'est vieux.
La terre, l'air, l'eau, le feu." (It is bad. It is big. It is old. Earth, air, water, fire.)
Mercy took the incense and drew a circle.
"La realite a change
Apres dans le present
Destroyer le bon
Incliner les balances." (Reality altered, the past in the present, destoryer of good, tipping the scales.)
Mercy passed the incense to Willow, who wrote evil with it.
Giles watched the battle from the ridge in the vineyard. Many had been slaughtered on both sides. Bodies of Slayers, of demons, liquid and dust of leftover evil littered the ground everywhere. Fire surrounded them, a little flicker of a flame on one vine, another on a branch. Giles knew it was only a matter of time until the entire vineyard was engulfed.
"Rupert?"
Giles kicked the Turok-han in the head and twisted it's neck. It burst into dust before he turned to face her. Jenny Calender. The love of his life.
"You're the First."
She tittered girlishly and flashed him a flirty smile.
"Maybe I am. Maybe I'm not."
Giles's eyes settled on Jenny's lovely form. He'd desperately missed her. *He still did*, he reminded himself.
"You cannot fool me. I know you are not real."
Her grin widened, baring shiny white teeth. Giles doubled over, staring down at the dagger in his chest.
"I certainly did distract you enough."
"You won't win this."
Giles heaved several more breaths as he layed down on the ground, clutching his chest. His thoughts wandered as the thick, sticky red liquid engulfed him, much like he'd pictured the flames doing in the future.
*I am so sorry, Buffy. Be careful. Live. I loved you like my own daughter. You were never just a tool to me.*
Giles shouted into the polluted air, "JUST LIVE!"
Connor ran up the hill, gaining velocity as he sprinted. He'd seen Giles fall and knew it was time for him to protect the hill, keep anymore baddies from running over into the deep valleys of the vineyard. Darla was waiting for him when he reached the summit. At least he assumed it was Darla. He had no idea what she looked like. There weren't exactly any family portraits laying about the hotel.
"Oh, Connor, my darling, handsome son."
Connor raised his eyebrow skeptically. Darla was not known for being a loving, emotional person.
"Hi, Mom." He said it sarcastically, but she didn't seem to notice.
"I wish I could have been there for you when you grew up."
"I think Angel wishes he could have been, too."
"I would have kept you away from Holtz."
Connor kept himself from snickering, thinking ,*Yeah. You would have killed me instead.*
Connor whipped his arm out to punch her, but found his hand sliding through the middle of Darla's non-existent body. Her beautifully pale face twisted into laughter as she vamped out, her eyebrows furrowed, her teeth elongating, her eyes shining yellow.
"Oh, my boy, I guess you've found me out."
She let out a feral scream and Connor saw four Turok-han advancing on him. He turned back to Darla in time to see a flash a light and then nothing. Connor swung his broad sword over his head, the hilt digging into his palm, as the blade went crashing into two Ubervamps heads.
Chapter Eleven
The Beginning
Xander stayed in the wing back chair in the living room. Lorne stood dutifully next to the blind man. Fred, Willow, and Mercy clutched hands and stared at the lit fireplace together.
They chanted in unison, "Every battle that occurs
We ask of you, Goddess Divine
Allow us to find and see
Each of the members of the Slayers
Fighting the First Evil
The beginning of bad
Let us watch our friends and family."
The incantation was simple, but it should work. Mercy knelt in front of the fireplace and lit four candles. A square came up and it was almost like a widescreen television. She saw the Slayers and Slayerettes trucking in front of the high school. Across the courtyard were hundreds of vampires and monsters, awaiting their arrival. The square split and the vineyard came into view. Buffy led more Slayerettes into the depths of the vines and rolling hills, where hundreds of Turok-han and monsters hid.
Willow muttered quietly, "Oh, Goddess, this is worse than anything we've ever faced before."
Xander shifted uneasily. "What's happening?"
"Here, hon, I'll tell you what's happening. These three lovely ladies need to do their thing."
"Okay." Xander admitted.
"Right now they're just staring at each other, both places. But I'd say we're outnumbered. By about ohhh, a thousand or more."
Xander sighed, feeling the odds stacking against them. Buffy could handle this though. She'd fought a HellGod. This would be nothing. Right? Willow and Mercy split off into the hall, where all was quiet, with the exception of a few fire truck sirens speeding down the street. Fred watched as the frist shot was fired at the vineyard, Buffy's scythe sliced into the vampire's neck. Savage growls were heard as the monsters came out of hiding, and as if the high school distractions realized that one of them had died, they charged forward, attacking both groups.
There was about one Slayerette to every thirty or forty demons. Not exactly heartening odds. Buffy had trained the Potential's hard. They would prevail, even if they died doing so. Right off a hundred vampires were knocked off, dust swirling around the battle sight as a light wind picked up. Now each fighter had a group of their own to hold off. Cordelia found herself in a corner, whacking two Ubervamps with her crossbow and dagger. A glittering light flashed in front of her, and her hazel eyes rested on a pale figure, brown hair mussed, green eyes sparkling.
"Doyle?!"
The handsome man stood in front of her, his Irish eyes mischeiviously glinting.
"Hello, Darlin'."
Cordelia rushed forward, but Doyle stepped back.
"No, you can't touch me, 'Delia."
"I can't. Why? Are you not real?"
Doyle cast a patient glance at the Seer.
" 'Course I'm real. I've been missin' you fiercely."
"Me, too. Oh, Doyle, things haven't been the same since you left. Are you like my guardian angel or something?"
Doyle's rich laughter sounded out, oddly against all the screams and yelps.
"I'm no angel."
"Are you happy up there?"
Doyle nodded slowly. "Yes. Very much so. It doesn't matter that I'm half-demon, just like it won't matter that you're half-demon. You should come up and visit me sometime."
"I can come up there?"
Doyle nodded emphatically.
"Just follow me, Darlin' girl."
Cordelia closed her eyes and soaked up his charming accent. She followed him several feet, then gasped. She looked down and found that three stakes had been driven into her stomach. Blood poured like a fountain from her wounds.
"Doyle!" She cried out. He smiled at her sadistically and transformed into Jenny Calender.
"I hope you're all this easy."
Cordelia could feel the life draining out of her. All she could whisper was Doyle one last time as she exhaled her last breath.
Fred screamed out as she realized Cordelia had been stabbed. She'd been concentrating on some of the S-I-T's. It was her job to keep these people safe and she'd already failed Cordy.
"Cordelia's gone, 6 Potentials." Lorne reported to Xander. Willow tossed a crystal in the air and waited until it smashed to the ground. Mercy lit the incense and spelled out molecular in the smokey scent. Willow started the spell.
"C'est mauvais.
C'est grand.
C'est vieux.
La terre, l'air, l'eau, le feu." (It is bad. It is big. It is old. Earth, air, water, fire.)
Mercy took the incense and drew a circle.
"La realite a change
Apres dans le present
Destroyer le bon
Incliner les balances." (Reality altered, the past in the present, destoryer of good, tipping the scales.)
Mercy passed the incense to Willow, who wrote evil with it.
Giles watched the battle from the ridge in the vineyard. Many had been slaughtered on both sides. Bodies of Slayers, of demons, liquid and dust of leftover evil littered the ground everywhere. Fire surrounded them, a little flicker of a flame on one vine, another on a branch. Giles knew it was only a matter of time until the entire vineyard was engulfed.
"Rupert?"
Giles kicked the Turok-han in the head and twisted it's neck. It burst into dust before he turned to face her. Jenny Calender. The love of his life.
"You're the First."
She tittered girlishly and flashed him a flirty smile.
"Maybe I am. Maybe I'm not."
Giles's eyes settled on Jenny's lovely form. He'd desperately missed her. *He still did*, he reminded himself.
"You cannot fool me. I know you are not real."
Her grin widened, baring shiny white teeth. Giles doubled over, staring down at the dagger in his chest.
"I certainly did distract you enough."
"You won't win this."
Giles heaved several more breaths as he layed down on the ground, clutching his chest. His thoughts wandered as the thick, sticky red liquid engulfed him, much like he'd pictured the flames doing in the future.
*I am so sorry, Buffy. Be careful. Live. I loved you like my own daughter. You were never just a tool to me.*
Giles shouted into the polluted air, "JUST LIVE!"
Connor ran up the hill, gaining velocity as he sprinted. He'd seen Giles fall and knew it was time for him to protect the hill, keep anymore baddies from running over into the deep valleys of the vineyard. Darla was waiting for him when he reached the summit. At least he assumed it was Darla. He had no idea what she looked like. There weren't exactly any family portraits laying about the hotel.
"Oh, Connor, my darling, handsome son."
Connor raised his eyebrow skeptically. Darla was not known for being a loving, emotional person.
"Hi, Mom." He said it sarcastically, but she didn't seem to notice.
"I wish I could have been there for you when you grew up."
"I think Angel wishes he could have been, too."
"I would have kept you away from Holtz."
Connor kept himself from snickering, thinking ,*Yeah. You would have killed me instead.*
Connor whipped his arm out to punch her, but found his hand sliding through the middle of Darla's non-existent body. Her beautifully pale face twisted into laughter as she vamped out, her eyebrows furrowed, her teeth elongating, her eyes shining yellow.
"Oh, my boy, I guess you've found me out."
She let out a feral scream and Connor saw four Turok-han advancing on him. He turned back to Darla in time to see a flash a light and then nothing. Connor swung his broad sword over his head, the hilt digging into his palm, as the blade went crashing into two Ubervamps heads.