Foreword: All characters belong to Joss Whedon and/or David Greenwalt. Also, I think I've gone crazy, because this is not something that I normally write. Anyway. This takes place in Buffy's seventh season, and Angel's fourth, (except for where Cordelia comes back and Angel's in love with her, because I don't like her) and I'm thinking that there really aren't too many spoilers. Old characters will be returning. Lots of Slayer/Vampire-with-a-soul action (and as far as I know, that doesn't extend to just Buffy and Angel). I couldn't let Buffy just… end, you know?
The Darkest Hour Before Dawn
Eighteen
First Faith slashed her fingernails, suddenly long and lethal, at Buffy's face. She had a sudden flashback of Drusilla slicing Kendra's neck open with her nails. Buffy saw it and felt it, though she hadn't been there. She'd been too late that time.
"Faith!" She cried. "Watch out! They can make us remember anything bad they want."
"So think happy thoughts," Faith said, slamming her open palm into the center of First Buffy's face. Blood splashed everywhere, splattering across Faith's white tank top. A broken nose wouldn't defeat the First, but it was a start. "You bitch," Faith grunted, rabbit punching the girl that stood before her, "you ruined my shirt. It was new."
"What a tragedy," First Buffy said, slamming her fist into the center of Faith's chest. Faith suddenly remembered killing the Deputy Mayor. She staggered backward.
"Happy thoughts," Faith whispered to herself. "I believe in fairies. Tink." She sent a spinning kick at First Buffy's head. The demon staggered backward, and the Slayer kept coming, her dark hair flying as she sent multiple kicks in the direction of the First.
She remembered when she first found out she was a slayer. She could feel the joy she'd always felt fighting rush through her veins. She remembered Richard Wilkins giving her her apartment. She remembered seeing Buffy in her dreams while she was in a coma, talking to the other girl like they were friends.
Most of all she remembered turning herself in to the police in Los Angeles, starting her down the path to redemption. She thought of Wesley, her watcher, and Giles, who cared enough to ensure that she and Buffy would be able to live as normal girls. She thought about who she was fighting for, Willow, Xander, Oz, Angel, and Spike—oh Spike, she wanted to come out of this for him, more than anything. She was doing this for Connor, who had died in the battle.
Faith slammed First Buffy against the wall, pressing her arm against the demon's neck. First Buffy snarled in her face, and Faith could feel bones cracking between her arm and the wall. She felt empowered, and thinking of Spike with his torch, and fighting next to him. She closed her eyes and felt power flow through her.
She snapped First Buffy's neck, then collapsed to the floor against the wall as the body disappeared.
She closed her eyes and sobbed.
Buffy fought against First Faith, slamming her fists into the solidness of First Faith's body.
She heard Faith whispering something about believing in fairies, and though about when she was little, watching Peter Pan with her sister and her mother and father. She thought about cheerleading back at Hemery, and First Faith knocked her back.
"Guess that wasn't a happy enough thought," Buffy said.
She thought instead about when she'd first met Willow and Xander. She thought of Angel, their first kiss, her first love, the time that he showed up at the Prom when she'd thought he wouldn't. She thought of the high school giving her the award for Class Protector. Tears started streaming down her cheeks as she thought about leading the Senior Class against the mayor at graduation. She thought about giving her life to save her baby sister, thought about her brief sojourn in heaven. She thought of Spike.
She still wanted to show Dawn the world. She wanted to go shopping with Willow, she wanted to lounge around and eat junk food with Xander and Willow and stay up late. She wanted to train with Giles, who was almost her father.
She wanted to be with Angel.
Buffy suddenly felt warm all over, felt the feelings she had for her friends flow through her body, all the love she could possibly hold. She felt it spill out of her in a flurry of kicks and punches.
Buffy let her feelings flow out of her with her tears, down the hilt of the sword and through the blade as she plunged it through First Faith's heart. With a gurgle, the demon slumped to the floor and disintegrated around the sword. Buffy moved over to where Faith sat against the wall, sobbing still.
The blonde slayer gathered the other girl into her arms, and they sat there and cried until the others made their way into the chamber.
Giles walked over to his two girls and pulled them to their feet. He hugged them to him, tightly.
"Buffy, I think there's something you should see," Giles said. The blonde wiped her eyes and he led them back the way they had come.
Just outside, in the shadows of the trees, Spike and Angel were waiting. The entire clearing shimmered with the ghostly forms of past slayers. Buffy's eyes sought out one in particular—Kendra. She stood at the front of the crowd, the faint sunlight shining through her pale form.
It was morning. The First Evil had been defeated.
They had won.
Buffy looked at the deceased Slayers—not only Kendra, but India, the slayer before Buffy. Marie-Christine, the French revolutionary slayer. The primal Slayer. Thessily, the Greek slayer. Nikki, the second Slayer Spike had killed. Slayers of every nationality, every race, every religion. All of them so young, most younger than Buffy herself. Lucy Hanover stepped forward.
"You won, Buffy," She said. "You all win. Buffy, Faith, you're free to live your lives now. But Buffy, there is one more thing…"
She motioned to Angel, and the dark vampire stood, and walked into the sunlight.
He did not burn, he did not turn to dust.
"Angel, Angelus. The demon with the Angelic face, Liam," Lucy said, giving all of Angel's names through the years. "The Powers That Be have decided that you have paid your debt. You have served the time for your crimes, and you are free."
Tears streamed down Angel's pale face. Real tears, water and not blood.
"Thank you," he said.
"Angel," a whispery voice said. Angel turned, startled. Darla waited, her form pale and ghostly. "You get to be happy. Like me."
Connor stood next to his mother in death. Angel sobbed and sank to his knees. Buffy went to him and slid her arms around him.
"Spike. William the Bloody." Lucy said. She did not motion him forward. "You still have many deaths to atone for. You have been given the gift of a soul, and the powers will not force you to live out your life alone, but you will not walk in the light, and you will not take the blood of the living, lest your soul depart and your body turn to dust. This is the pronouncement of the Powers That Be."
Spike looked at Lucy, broken-hearted.
"You are not alone," Lucy told him. "Not as long as a Slayer holds you in her heart. If you will hold her in yours."
Lucy looked at Faith, and the dark haired Slayer had the decency to blush. Spike turned to her, and she took his hand.
"The First is defeated, and this war is over." Lucy said, surveying those gathered. "For a while, we can rest."
The living were again alone in the forest.