When Angels Fall
The slender blonde girl sat, alone in her bedroom. She held a picture of her and Willow in an elaborate silver frame. Tears fell onto the glass covering the photo. She was morning the loss of a dear friend. Almost without her realizing she had moved, she found herself standing in front of her mirror, where all of her jewelry was kept. A few items were scattered across the surface, but most were neatly stored.
She took a silver cross from the dressing table and caressed it lovingly with her thumb before putting it on. Angel had given her it back when they'd first met. She was still dressed in the clothes she had worn for the funeral, a black skirt and a black long sleeved top. The cross, a pair of plain earrings and a simple silver ring was the only jewelry she wore.
Outside, dusk was falling rapidly, reminding her of her duty as the Chosen One. Slowly unzipping the skirt, she let it fall to the floor in a heap before bending to pick it up. She laid it over the back of a chair and pulled on a pair of dark jeans. She picked out her favorite pair of boots and slipped them on. A leather jacket and a pair of stakes completed the look. Her hair, which she had cut, was fastened back out of her face with a pair of clips. She'd learned the hard way to keep it out of her face while she was fighting.
Deciding to leave the house by the window so as not to wake Dawn, whom she hoped was still sleeping. Anya and Xander were still downstairs, watching TV to distract them from their grief. The climb down to solid ground was as easy now as it had ever been. She was looking for trouble, and soon enough it found her. The trouble - a newbie vamp - was quickly and efficiently dealt with.
She was hunting the monster that had slaughtered her best friend, along with what was left of her heart. Keeping to the shadows like everyone else kept to the light, she crept closer to it's lair, one of many small, natural tunnels in the area. This tunnel lead to a small cave that had been sparsely furnished. A few large white candles still burned, giving enough light for her to see the interior of the cave clearly.
She was disappointed to find it empty. She quickly decided that her next stop would be the Alibi, a dive of a bar run by a greasy little man called Willy. It only took her a few minutes to reach her destination. All conversation stopped as soon as she entered the smoke filled room. There was a few demons, but the majority of his clientele were vamps. The bar was a dive, but it attracted a lot of customers, as the beer- amongst other things- was cheap. Normally, she would play around, threatening Willy even if she had no intention of hurting him. Tonight she really meant business.
She grabbed the slimy little man be his throat and slammed him into the wall beside the bar hard enough to crack the flimsy plaster there. A few items fell off the shelf next to him and landed on the filthy floor with a crash. He eyes bulged with fear and she realized what she was doing. She let go of his throat and he slid to the floor, were he stayed.
"Where is he?" she asked in a deadly voice, not having to name names. Willy knew whom she meant. She'd been hunting him for the last few days, since Willow had been snatched outside the Sun cinema, where she'd been with Tara. It was Tara who had told her who had taken Willow. At first, she hadn't believed the traumatized girl's words, but after seeing him kill for herself, she had quickly changed her mind. She had stormed his lair, but was too late for her friend.
"I don't know. I swear." Willy's fear of her and the vampire were about equal.
"Then find out." She snapped and turned back to the bar. "I suggest that anyone here not wanting to turn into a dust pile should leave. Now." Most of the vampires got up and left, knowing that a pissed off slayer was not someone to mess with. Three remained, all dressed in black leather. Each had a large tattoo of a strange looking bird on his right bicep. Buffy figured that they were out of town vamps.
She grabbed a stake out of her jacket pocked and walked over to them. The little group looked tough, but they were no match for a pissed off and grieving slayer. In seconds, the bar was empty of vamps. She hadn't lied when she said she would turn them into dust-piles. The few demons left behind watched her nervously, in case she decided to kill them too. She decided that they were all harmless, and left them.
"I'll be back." She said to Willy on her way out of the door. Outside, the cool night air was refreshing and she felt more peaceful than she had since Willow had died at his hands. The thought of her best friend's death was enough to send tears down her face. She'd been mere seconds too late to save her. If only she'd realized sooner, Willow would still be alive. She felt like she'd abandoned her friend.
A scream from the other side of the graveyard put an end to her morbid thoughts. She ran in the direction of the sound, hoping she'd get there in time to stop whatever was happening in time. A second scream both reassured her and made her run faster. As she burst through a strand of trees that scratched her face and neck, she saw him bending over the prone form of a woman.
Launching herself into a flying kick without a second thought, she sent him flying across the clearing to land against a tree. Without taking her eyes off him, she reached into her pocket and pulled out Mr. Pointy, the stake that Kendra had given her before she died at Dru's hands. His eyes flashed as he slipped back into his human face, as if that would stop her killing him. He got to his feet and smiled at her. She didn't return the smile, but launched a perfect spinning kick that caught him across the chin and sent him staggering back several steps.
The kick had caught him off guard, but he quickly recovered, catching her a glancing blow across the shoulder with his fist. She kicked him again, and got a punch to the cheek for her trouble. She shook off the stars his punch had caused and forced herself to concentrate. Before he had chance to react, she'd gotten in two more hits.
Then everything changed. He kicked her hard, in the stomach. All of the air in her lungs left in a rush that left stars dancing around the edge of her vision. A hard, desperate punch to his throat sent him to his knees and bought her precious time to breathe. He stood and slipped back into his game face. She smiled grimly and gripped the stake more tightly, a little amazed that she hadn't lost it in the fight.
She grimaced, knowing she'd look and feel like hell the next day, if she survived the night. But, considering the circumstances, that is not a given, she thought, then rolled to avoid another kick. She deflected most of his next blow with her wrist and felt the bones break, but his booted foot still hit her with enough force to knock her into a grave marker behind her. Without wasting time, she flipped to her feet, knowing that if she stayed down, he would kill her.
He rushed at her and she ducked and kicked out hard, hitting him across his leading knee with her boot heel. He fell to the floor and rolled onto his back. Before he could flip to his feet, she dropped on his chest with the stake pressed firmly above a very special point. One good shove would send it through his heart and turn him to dust.
"Remember that day when you said I couldn't do it? That I couldn't kill you? I said give me time." She said, recalling his words to her at the mall.
"You won't do it. I know you too well." He said, he voice smooth and sure. His human face was back on, and for a second she felt herself weaken. Then she reminded herself that he had killed Willow and deserved to pay for his crime.
"This is for Willow, you bastard." She said. "Goodbye, Angelus."
Before he could protest, she slapped the flat of her hand against the stake with all of her slayer strength and sent it straight through his unbeating heart. He turned to dust without a sound. The stake quivered for a second where it was buried in the soft ground.
She lay for a long time on the cool, damp grass of the cemetery, crying her heart out for the two special people she'd lost. Her best friend and her lover were both gone and she'd never felt so alone. Eventually, the thought of Dawn was enough to send her to her feet and home. Her wrist throbbed, but she ignored the pain. Her mission was accomplished. She had revenged her friend's death. Somehow, it didn't feel much of a victory.
FINS
The slender blonde girl sat, alone in her bedroom. She held a picture of her and Willow in an elaborate silver frame. Tears fell onto the glass covering the photo. She was morning the loss of a dear friend. Almost without her realizing she had moved, she found herself standing in front of her mirror, where all of her jewelry was kept. A few items were scattered across the surface, but most were neatly stored.
She took a silver cross from the dressing table and caressed it lovingly with her thumb before putting it on. Angel had given her it back when they'd first met. She was still dressed in the clothes she had worn for the funeral, a black skirt and a black long sleeved top. The cross, a pair of plain earrings and a simple silver ring was the only jewelry she wore.
Outside, dusk was falling rapidly, reminding her of her duty as the Chosen One. Slowly unzipping the skirt, she let it fall to the floor in a heap before bending to pick it up. She laid it over the back of a chair and pulled on a pair of dark jeans. She picked out her favorite pair of boots and slipped them on. A leather jacket and a pair of stakes completed the look. Her hair, which she had cut, was fastened back out of her face with a pair of clips. She'd learned the hard way to keep it out of her face while she was fighting.
Deciding to leave the house by the window so as not to wake Dawn, whom she hoped was still sleeping. Anya and Xander were still downstairs, watching TV to distract them from their grief. The climb down to solid ground was as easy now as it had ever been. She was looking for trouble, and soon enough it found her. The trouble - a newbie vamp - was quickly and efficiently dealt with.
She was hunting the monster that had slaughtered her best friend, along with what was left of her heart. Keeping to the shadows like everyone else kept to the light, she crept closer to it's lair, one of many small, natural tunnels in the area. This tunnel lead to a small cave that had been sparsely furnished. A few large white candles still burned, giving enough light for her to see the interior of the cave clearly.
She was disappointed to find it empty. She quickly decided that her next stop would be the Alibi, a dive of a bar run by a greasy little man called Willy. It only took her a few minutes to reach her destination. All conversation stopped as soon as she entered the smoke filled room. There was a few demons, but the majority of his clientele were vamps. The bar was a dive, but it attracted a lot of customers, as the beer- amongst other things- was cheap. Normally, she would play around, threatening Willy even if she had no intention of hurting him. Tonight she really meant business.
She grabbed the slimy little man be his throat and slammed him into the wall beside the bar hard enough to crack the flimsy plaster there. A few items fell off the shelf next to him and landed on the filthy floor with a crash. He eyes bulged with fear and she realized what she was doing. She let go of his throat and he slid to the floor, were he stayed.
"Where is he?" she asked in a deadly voice, not having to name names. Willy knew whom she meant. She'd been hunting him for the last few days, since Willow had been snatched outside the Sun cinema, where she'd been with Tara. It was Tara who had told her who had taken Willow. At first, she hadn't believed the traumatized girl's words, but after seeing him kill for herself, she had quickly changed her mind. She had stormed his lair, but was too late for her friend.
"I don't know. I swear." Willy's fear of her and the vampire were about equal.
"Then find out." She snapped and turned back to the bar. "I suggest that anyone here not wanting to turn into a dust pile should leave. Now." Most of the vampires got up and left, knowing that a pissed off slayer was not someone to mess with. Three remained, all dressed in black leather. Each had a large tattoo of a strange looking bird on his right bicep. Buffy figured that they were out of town vamps.
She grabbed a stake out of her jacket pocked and walked over to them. The little group looked tough, but they were no match for a pissed off and grieving slayer. In seconds, the bar was empty of vamps. She hadn't lied when she said she would turn them into dust-piles. The few demons left behind watched her nervously, in case she decided to kill them too. She decided that they were all harmless, and left them.
"I'll be back." She said to Willy on her way out of the door. Outside, the cool night air was refreshing and she felt more peaceful than she had since Willow had died at his hands. The thought of her best friend's death was enough to send tears down her face. She'd been mere seconds too late to save her. If only she'd realized sooner, Willow would still be alive. She felt like she'd abandoned her friend.
A scream from the other side of the graveyard put an end to her morbid thoughts. She ran in the direction of the sound, hoping she'd get there in time to stop whatever was happening in time. A second scream both reassured her and made her run faster. As she burst through a strand of trees that scratched her face and neck, she saw him bending over the prone form of a woman.
Launching herself into a flying kick without a second thought, she sent him flying across the clearing to land against a tree. Without taking her eyes off him, she reached into her pocket and pulled out Mr. Pointy, the stake that Kendra had given her before she died at Dru's hands. His eyes flashed as he slipped back into his human face, as if that would stop her killing him. He got to his feet and smiled at her. She didn't return the smile, but launched a perfect spinning kick that caught him across the chin and sent him staggering back several steps.
The kick had caught him off guard, but he quickly recovered, catching her a glancing blow across the shoulder with his fist. She kicked him again, and got a punch to the cheek for her trouble. She shook off the stars his punch had caused and forced herself to concentrate. Before he had chance to react, she'd gotten in two more hits.
Then everything changed. He kicked her hard, in the stomach. All of the air in her lungs left in a rush that left stars dancing around the edge of her vision. A hard, desperate punch to his throat sent him to his knees and bought her precious time to breathe. He stood and slipped back into his game face. She smiled grimly and gripped the stake more tightly, a little amazed that she hadn't lost it in the fight.
She grimaced, knowing she'd look and feel like hell the next day, if she survived the night. But, considering the circumstances, that is not a given, she thought, then rolled to avoid another kick. She deflected most of his next blow with her wrist and felt the bones break, but his booted foot still hit her with enough force to knock her into a grave marker behind her. Without wasting time, she flipped to her feet, knowing that if she stayed down, he would kill her.
He rushed at her and she ducked and kicked out hard, hitting him across his leading knee with her boot heel. He fell to the floor and rolled onto his back. Before he could flip to his feet, she dropped on his chest with the stake pressed firmly above a very special point. One good shove would send it through his heart and turn him to dust.
"Remember that day when you said I couldn't do it? That I couldn't kill you? I said give me time." She said, recalling his words to her at the mall.
"You won't do it. I know you too well." He said, he voice smooth and sure. His human face was back on, and for a second she felt herself weaken. Then she reminded herself that he had killed Willow and deserved to pay for his crime.
"This is for Willow, you bastard." She said. "Goodbye, Angelus."
Before he could protest, she slapped the flat of her hand against the stake with all of her slayer strength and sent it straight through his unbeating heart. He turned to dust without a sound. The stake quivered for a second where it was buried in the soft ground.
She lay for a long time on the cool, damp grass of the cemetery, crying her heart out for the two special people she'd lost. Her best friend and her lover were both gone and she'd never felt so alone. Eventually, the thought of Dawn was enough to send her to her feet and home. Her wrist throbbed, but she ignored the pain. Her mission was accomplished. She had revenged her friend's death. Somehow, it didn't feel much of a victory.
FINS