Protected
Chapter Thirteen
Almost Winning
Angel surveyed the area around him. A few Slayers-in-Training, Andrew, and Wood remained. He hoped Buffy would get the First and the witches hurried up and bound him. He shook his head, taking in the gore once more. So much blood. It was intoxicating. If he was Angelus, he would revel in this destruction. Now, as Angel, he was just trying to resist the elixer of his unlife.
"The pixies flew and came to send me home." A cockney accent called out.
"Dru?"
Her hand ran around his face, as if she was tracing his vampiric senses, trying to make sure he was still one. It was enchanting. She had already shifted and her eyes glowed yellow.
"I've missed you, Daddy. You made me and then you left me. You and Grandmummy."
"Drusilla."
"You killed my mummy and father and family, my best friends who only wanted to dance with the stars. I wanted to be in the sun, be a good girl. Help people."
Angel felt the well-honed pangs of guilt shoot through him.
"I know I was a monster, Drusilla. I'd do anything to make it up to you!"
She ignored his comment, his plea. She started to giggle incessently, the mad laugh she'd mastered. She spun, her maroon silk dress ballooned, sparkling in the moonlight.
"You've been a bad boy!"
Angel hung his head.
"You should go poof. You won't stay and play anymore, so go away. Poof into the sky and the fairies will sing with joy. But I'd be sad. Daddy will come back! He always does."
Angel flipped, his vampiric power shooting him high in the air. He growled as he whipped his scmiter around into the Turok-han's neck. He sliced at Dru, but the blade landed into the tree.
"Guess Daddy figure it out. So go on and poof."
Drusilla zapped into thin air, leaving Angel surrounded by more Ubervamps.
Mercy sent Buffy, Wesley and Connor a message, almost breaking the flow of concentration the spell required. She knew they needed some reassurance, though.
*We're almost ready! Keep it up!*
Willow shot her a weary look as she lit the semi-circle afire with the candles they'd spread around.
Wood wiped the blood off of his split lip. He'd watched so many of them fall, people he knew, his friends. He'd begun to wonder why he hadn't been killed yet. Then, he understood. It wasn't his time yet. Nikki popped up in front of him. Now was his time.
"Hi, Baby."
Wood tried to ignore her and walked up the school steps.
"You're not my mother."
"You failed me."
"No."
"You broke Spike's trigger. I had a mission that needed completed and you messed it up."
"Why don't you just try to kill me already?"
Nikki started to cackle.
"Eh, that takes the fun out of it. But since you're so eager..."
A shot rang out and Wood clutched his chest. He'd forgotten that although they couldn't be killed by bullets, he could. He leaned on the wall of the high school, trying to stop the bleeding. He knew he'd lost. He shouted into the darkness with a sarcastic scream, "At least I wasn't eaten!" Then, he slid, his head tilted to the side and he died, sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall, as if protecting the door to his high school.
Wesley paced the grounds of the vineyard. Amanda and Molly, Spike and Buffy, and Dawn remained. Connor had stayed on the hill, trying to protect them. The army had slowed, but Wesley wondered if this was simply a lost cause.
"You can't save us all, Wesley, hon."
Of course. Lilah had to make an appearance.
"Lilah!"
"In the flesh. Well, sort of." She shot him a seductive smile.
"You're dead. I saw you dead. I made sure you wouldn't come back."
"I'm always there. In your head, the little lamb that you lost."
"I couldn't save you. I couldn't even save myself."
"Everytime you're with Miss Scientist, everytime you kiss her, you think of me."
"I don't."
Lilah smiled. "You always came back for more."
"Everytime I was with you, I thought of her."
LIlah fell back, acting to be shocked, putting her hand over where her heart would be.
"Why, that hurts so bad. Not as bad as getting stabbed and then having my head chopped off, but all the same."
Wesley cringed at her, turning his back.
"You aren't real. You are dead. You have absolutely no power over my life."
"Unless I decided to end it."
Wesley took his sword and flung it to his side. It hit a monster directly in the heart.
"Or not." He shot back. Wesley's eyes turned his stormy blue as he faced Lilah once more.
"We'll win this war. You know we always do. The First Evil will go down, meaning you."
With that, Wesley dashed across the courtyard to help a cornered Dawn.
Andrew found himself cut off from the rest of the team. Well, what was left of the team. He sent out a silent prayer to whoever was listening to keep Dawn safe. He'd fallen for the younger Summers girl deeply. She made fun of him, like the rest, but it was different with her. She was so bright and she'd been through so much in her young life. Being a Key, kidnapped, mother dying, sister dying, sister coming back, friend dying, two other friends going evil, being deserted by a father figure. All of that in two and a half years. He hadn't noticed that his best friend had snuck up on him.
"Jonathan! No, wrong. I know you are not real. You are the First."
"Am I? I thought I was a ghost. You know, you killed me right downstairs."
"Because Warren told me, too. He said we'd all be Gods if I did."
"Obviously, he lied. I'm your best friend. I'd never lie to you."
"What?" Andrew's blue eyes widened, wondering what Jonathan meant.
"All you have to do is go to the vineyard."
"I'm supposed to stay at the high school. Buffy told me to stay here."
"You want us to live like Kings, right?"
"Yeah. Like Chancellor Martok"
Andrew said eagerly, smiling at his reference to Star Trek.
"All you have to do is get Dawn."
"Get her?"
"You know, cap her. Then you and I will rule the world."
"I can't kill Dawnie." Andrew started to shake his head fervently.
"Oh, no. You didn't. I've told you not to do this. You always set yourself up for hurt."
"What?"
"You fell for Dawn Summers."
"Well, yeah." He said it defensively.
"She'll never love you. We're nothing but geeks to people like her."
"No."
"Do it."
"I won't!"
Jonathan nodded his head. "Well, that's too bad. Really."
Andrew felt the stream of blood before he realized what had happened. His hand grabbed the wound on his neck, his artery spliced. He fell in the center of the hallway, not far from Wood's office.
A.N. Thanks to Anthony for my Star Trek reference!
Chapter Thirteen
Almost Winning
Angel surveyed the area around him. A few Slayers-in-Training, Andrew, and Wood remained. He hoped Buffy would get the First and the witches hurried up and bound him. He shook his head, taking in the gore once more. So much blood. It was intoxicating. If he was Angelus, he would revel in this destruction. Now, as Angel, he was just trying to resist the elixer of his unlife.
"The pixies flew and came to send me home." A cockney accent called out.
"Dru?"
Her hand ran around his face, as if she was tracing his vampiric senses, trying to make sure he was still one. It was enchanting. She had already shifted and her eyes glowed yellow.
"I've missed you, Daddy. You made me and then you left me. You and Grandmummy."
"Drusilla."
"You killed my mummy and father and family, my best friends who only wanted to dance with the stars. I wanted to be in the sun, be a good girl. Help people."
Angel felt the well-honed pangs of guilt shoot through him.
"I know I was a monster, Drusilla. I'd do anything to make it up to you!"
She ignored his comment, his plea. She started to giggle incessently, the mad laugh she'd mastered. She spun, her maroon silk dress ballooned, sparkling in the moonlight.
"You've been a bad boy!"
Angel hung his head.
"You should go poof. You won't stay and play anymore, so go away. Poof into the sky and the fairies will sing with joy. But I'd be sad. Daddy will come back! He always does."
Angel flipped, his vampiric power shooting him high in the air. He growled as he whipped his scmiter around into the Turok-han's neck. He sliced at Dru, but the blade landed into the tree.
"Guess Daddy figure it out. So go on and poof."
Drusilla zapped into thin air, leaving Angel surrounded by more Ubervamps.
Mercy sent Buffy, Wesley and Connor a message, almost breaking the flow of concentration the spell required. She knew they needed some reassurance, though.
*We're almost ready! Keep it up!*
Willow shot her a weary look as she lit the semi-circle afire with the candles they'd spread around.
Wood wiped the blood off of his split lip. He'd watched so many of them fall, people he knew, his friends. He'd begun to wonder why he hadn't been killed yet. Then, he understood. It wasn't his time yet. Nikki popped up in front of him. Now was his time.
"Hi, Baby."
Wood tried to ignore her and walked up the school steps.
"You're not my mother."
"You failed me."
"No."
"You broke Spike's trigger. I had a mission that needed completed and you messed it up."
"Why don't you just try to kill me already?"
Nikki started to cackle.
"Eh, that takes the fun out of it. But since you're so eager..."
A shot rang out and Wood clutched his chest. He'd forgotten that although they couldn't be killed by bullets, he could. He leaned on the wall of the high school, trying to stop the bleeding. He knew he'd lost. He shouted into the darkness with a sarcastic scream, "At least I wasn't eaten!" Then, he slid, his head tilted to the side and he died, sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall, as if protecting the door to his high school.
Wesley paced the grounds of the vineyard. Amanda and Molly, Spike and Buffy, and Dawn remained. Connor had stayed on the hill, trying to protect them. The army had slowed, but Wesley wondered if this was simply a lost cause.
"You can't save us all, Wesley, hon."
Of course. Lilah had to make an appearance.
"Lilah!"
"In the flesh. Well, sort of." She shot him a seductive smile.
"You're dead. I saw you dead. I made sure you wouldn't come back."
"I'm always there. In your head, the little lamb that you lost."
"I couldn't save you. I couldn't even save myself."
"Everytime you're with Miss Scientist, everytime you kiss her, you think of me."
"I don't."
Lilah smiled. "You always came back for more."
"Everytime I was with you, I thought of her."
LIlah fell back, acting to be shocked, putting her hand over where her heart would be.
"Why, that hurts so bad. Not as bad as getting stabbed and then having my head chopped off, but all the same."
Wesley cringed at her, turning his back.
"You aren't real. You are dead. You have absolutely no power over my life."
"Unless I decided to end it."
Wesley took his sword and flung it to his side. It hit a monster directly in the heart.
"Or not." He shot back. Wesley's eyes turned his stormy blue as he faced Lilah once more.
"We'll win this war. You know we always do. The First Evil will go down, meaning you."
With that, Wesley dashed across the courtyard to help a cornered Dawn.
Andrew found himself cut off from the rest of the team. Well, what was left of the team. He sent out a silent prayer to whoever was listening to keep Dawn safe. He'd fallen for the younger Summers girl deeply. She made fun of him, like the rest, but it was different with her. She was so bright and she'd been through so much in her young life. Being a Key, kidnapped, mother dying, sister dying, sister coming back, friend dying, two other friends going evil, being deserted by a father figure. All of that in two and a half years. He hadn't noticed that his best friend had snuck up on him.
"Jonathan! No, wrong. I know you are not real. You are the First."
"Am I? I thought I was a ghost. You know, you killed me right downstairs."
"Because Warren told me, too. He said we'd all be Gods if I did."
"Obviously, he lied. I'm your best friend. I'd never lie to you."
"What?" Andrew's blue eyes widened, wondering what Jonathan meant.
"All you have to do is go to the vineyard."
"I'm supposed to stay at the high school. Buffy told me to stay here."
"You want us to live like Kings, right?"
"Yeah. Like Chancellor Martok"
Andrew said eagerly, smiling at his reference to Star Trek.
"All you have to do is get Dawn."
"Get her?"
"You know, cap her. Then you and I will rule the world."
"I can't kill Dawnie." Andrew started to shake his head fervently.
"Oh, no. You didn't. I've told you not to do this. You always set yourself up for hurt."
"What?"
"You fell for Dawn Summers."
"Well, yeah." He said it defensively.
"She'll never love you. We're nothing but geeks to people like her."
"No."
"Do it."
"I won't!"
Jonathan nodded his head. "Well, that's too bad. Really."
Andrew felt the stream of blood before he realized what had happened. His hand grabbed the wound on his neck, his artery spliced. He fell in the center of the hallway, not far from Wood's office.
A.N. Thanks to Anthony for my Star Trek reference!