Chapter 39

Outside, Bringers were encircling the house. Dawn peered out between the cracks of the boarded up window. Molly and Chloe were on the couch beside her, also looking out.

"There's more of them now." Dawn said.

"And two more out back." Connor said, coming in with Xander from the kitchen.

"Why aren't they doing anything, attacking?" Molly asked, moving to stand next to Connor who seemed to be enjoying the attention.

"They don't want in. They're here to make sure we don't get out. Rona." Buffy said, handing her a sword.

Rona took it. "Like this'll do any good. I mean, what's the point?"

"It's this end right here. Just stick that in the bad guys. Any more questions?" Kennedy asked. She went to the weapons chest and took out a crossbow. "This'll do me."

"Are you sure you know how to use it?" Angel asked.

"Since I was eight." Buffy nodded and handed her a quiver of arrows.

"Can I have something?" Andrew asked. "Come on, the Turok-Han's coming for me too, you know. I have a right to defend myself.. If you say so."

Buffy looked at Angel and smiled. He reached into the weapons chest and grabbed a glass bottle of holy water and handed it to Andrew. He took it and held it close to his chest like a treasure. Faith walked in carrying a wicked looking knife. She had a huge smile on her face. She loved the thrill of battle.

"Guys? Something's happening." Dawn said.

"Oh, my God!" Rona said.

The thing was on its way. "Here it comes." Buffy said, looking at Angel. He took her hand tightly and waited. Everyone gathered in the living room and grouped around Willow. The Turok-Han was beating on the door, trying to enter the house.

"Caerimonia Minerva, saepio, saepire, saepsi." Willow said.

"Um, deflector shields-deflector shields up!" Andrew said.

"Willow.." Angel said.

The Turok-Han finally broke the door down, and Willow finished the spell as her eyes went black. "Saepio impedimentum!" A barrier went up, keeping the Turok-Han at bay.

"It's working!" Chloe said.

"For the moment." Vi said.

"Will..?" Buffy asked.

"It's-it's strong." Willow said, struggling.

"It's hurting her." Kennedy said.

"Hang on, Willow." Angel said.

"I don't know." Willow gritted.

"She can't hold it." Connor said.

"What do we do? What do we do?" Rona asked, panicking.

"Run. Everybody run." Buffy said.

As the Turok-Han continued to try to penetrate the barrier, everyone ran out the back door of the house except for Buffy, Faith, and Willow who stayed to the very last possible moment.

Angel led the gang outside, going after the Bringers with his battle-axe in hand. Kennedy used her crossbow to take out a few of the Bringers herself. Hand-to-hand combat ensued as Xander fought a Bringer, but the Bringer overpowered him and took the dagger her held away from him. Just as the Bringer was about to slice and dice Xander, Buffy stabbed the Bringer from behind.

"Come on!" Buffy said.

The slayers-in-training, Dawn, Andrew, Willow, Faith, Connor, Xander, Angel and Buffy ran up the street, away from Buffy's house. They stopped to talk.

"Ok, no Bringers following. I guess they'll save us for old snaggletooth." Xander said.

"Where is the Turok-Han?" Willow asked.

"Right behind us. Time to split up." Buffy said.

"Split up? We're splittin' up? Is that wise?" Molly asked.

"Angel, take everyone and find a safe location."

"I know a place." Xander said.

"What are two you gonna do?" Dawn asked.

Buffy looked at Faith and then back at Dawn. "Gonna try to slow the Turok down. Lead him away from you guys. Get him to chase us."

"Buffy, you guys can't take that thing on yourselves."

"I'll stay." Kennedy said.

"No!" Buffy took the vile of Holy Water from Andrew.

"H-hey, I need that!" Andrew whined.

"Angel, Willow, take everyone to a safe location. Get 'em out of here. Now!"

"Have to go, Dawn." Angel said.

Dawn grudgingly went with Angel. Buffy and Faith faced the Turok-Han, who was now on the street facing them as in a standoff. Buffy took a running leap towards it, kicking it in the chest. It didn't even move, but Buffy fell to the ground. As the Turok-Han came closer to her, Buffy took the bottle of holy water out of her pocket and threw it at Faith. When the Turok-Han was within arms reach, Faith smashed the bottle in its face, causing it to roar and retreat. Faith helped Buffy to stand, but it grabbed her by the throat and shoved her into a car window, shattering it. The holy water burned the Turok-Han's face, but didn't appear to have slowed it down any. Faith kicked the thing in the stomach hard enough to drive it back so she could get to Buffy and run away. They were expecting the Turok-Han to give chase and it did for a moment before stopping. Buffy and Faith turned around to see if it was still behind them, but it was gone.

Buffy looked at Faith. "Ready?"

"You know it!" Faith said.

The two Slayers took off towards the library. When they got there, the lights were off. Buffy and Faith jumped up onto a ledge and looked out. The Turok-Han walked menacingly toward the potentials. Kennedy loaded her crossbow and prepared to fight. The others walked up behind her. Suddenly, the floodlights came on and everyone turned to look. Buffy and Faith were standing there, arms crossed, on a ledge overlooking the open area.

"Buffy? Faith?" Dawn asked.

"What's she doing?" Molly asked.

Connor smiled. Kennedy aimed her crossbow at the Turok-Han, but Willow waved her off. "Just watch. It's show time."

Willow led the group away from the open area. They climbed the scaffolding and watched. Andrew looked on eagerly, hanging on the outside of the bars. Connor looked at his mother proudly as Angel stood and watched, waiting to jump in and take the UberVamp on.

Faith looked at Buffy and then back down at the UberVamp. "Looks good, doesn't it? They're trapped in here. Terrified. Meat for the beast, and there's nothing they can do but wait." The two Slayers forward somersaulted down into the open area.

"That's all they've been doing for days." Buffy said as she and Faith walked toward the Turok-Han, flanking it. "Waiting to be picked off. Having nightmares about monsters that can't be killed. But we don't believe in that. We always find a way. We're the things that monsters have nightmares about. And right now, you, me, and Faith are gonna show 'em why. It's time."

"Welcome to Thunderdome." Faith said.

The Turok-Han went for Buffy first. She was able to hold her own against it for a moment, but soon she was being beaten back. The onlookers grimaced as the Turok-Han dealt harsh blows to Buffy. Still, she managed to get in an offensive move here and there, punching and kicking it between its own moves. Faith jumped in and ripped the thing away from Buffy. The UberVamp and her went at it for a moment while Buffy gathered her strength and regrouped. She looked up and Angel who nodded at her, giving her strength through his soulful eyes.

Buffy jumped back into the fighting. It punched Buffy to the ground, but she got back up to fight more. It threw her and Faith about 20 feet away, and they landed on the scaffolds, knocking the crossbow out of Kennedy's hands. Faith picked up the weapon and aimed it at the Turok-Han. She fired as it ran toward her, hitting it right in the heart. It only paused for a moment, then came at them again.

Buffy grabbed a nearby pipe from the scaffolding and used it as a staff. She then used it to propel herself away from the fight, but the Turok-Han was right behind her. Faith grabbed a pickaxe and swung it at the Turok- Han, but it ducked and pushed her into the wall of the construction office trailer and then went after Buffy. It punched her in the stomach and Buffy fell to the ground. The Turok-Han disarmed her before throwing her back toward the center of the open area. It punched her again and again. She fell into a pile of cinder blocks, but picked one up to throw at the Turok- Han. It crushed it before she could throw it. It punched her again, and kicked her under some scaffolding before throwing her a dozen feet into the air, through the scaffold platform. Buffy managed to stay on the platform, and the Turok-Han scaled the scaffolding to get to her. He grabbed her by the throat, lifting her off the ground and choking her as she struggled against him.

As Faith climbed to reach them, Buffy reached down, grabbed the arrow in the Turok-Han's chest, pulled it out, and jabbed its eye. It roared and dropped Buffy just as Faith got to her. While it was dealing with its injury, Buffy and Faith started punching it, and kicking it to the ground, where it landed in a pile of cinder blocks and boards. Weakly, it tried to punch on of them back, but they kept punching and kicking it until finally Buffy could bang its head into the metal scaffolding. Buffy grabbed some nearby barbed wire and slipped it around the Turok-Han's throat. It fell to the ground, and Buffy and Faith pulled on it together, hard enough to sever its head. The Turok-Han exploded in a cloud of dust in front of them.

Faith looked up. "See? Dust. Just like the rest of 'em."

"We don't know what's coming next, but we do know it's gonna be just like this." Buffy said. "Hard. Painful. But in the end it's gonna be us. If we all do our parts, believe it, we'll be the ones left standing. Here endeth the lesson."

Buffy and Faith walked away as the slayers-in-training watch them. Kennedy smiled. The other girls looked at each other. They all followed Buffy and Faith out of the construction site. Angel caught up to the Slayers and pulled them both under his arms. They each wrapped an arm around his waist and walked back to the Summers' house. Once there, they got patched up as the S.I.T.s talked excitedly. Buffy told Faith where Spike would be. Faith nodded and went to save him. Buffy and Angel walked her to the old Christmas tree lot.

Faith entered the cavern and found Spike shackled to a wall. He stared at her. "A knife, now, is it? What'll.. What'll that.. You-you can't hurt me. You're-you're just a bloody figment, you are. You're just.." Faith approached him slowly and cut him loose of his tethers. He collapsed forward and braced himself with his hand on her shoulder. When he touched her and realized she was real, he smiled and squinted, searching her face intently. She looked into his eyes, tapping an emotional connection between them. "You. Oh." He put his arm over her shoulder, and she put her arm around his waist. Although Spike was weak and limping, they walked out of the cave together. Buffy and Angel helped her get Spike to the van and then to the house.