Okay, I am putting this warning out now, so don't come complaining to me. From here on in, there are major spoilers for the last two episodes. This chapter begins at the beginning of 'End of Days'. I don't want flames about not giving ample warning. This is it. I'll give another warning before I start in on Chosen, but this is the End of Days warning right here. But, just in case you DO want to read, but don't want to know who dies (if you've managed to be spoiler free, congratulations…dunno how you woulda done it, but…congrats anyway) I have changed the ending of how Chosen ends, so it's not the same. Ppl will die, but some may or may not be the ppl who actually die in the real episodes. Consider yourselves warned.
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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: SCYTHE MATTERS
Buffy stared at the red metallic scythe in wonder. She'd never seen a weapon like it. Oh, she'd seen scythes and axes before, but never anything like this. She heard Caleb approach her, taunting her, threatening to kill her before she could pry the scythe out of solid rock. With a casual nonchalance, Buffy reached towards it and gently pulled it from the stone, revelling in the sudden rush of power that flowed through her veins. This was hers! She was sure of it. She ran her fingers across it reverently and turned to face Caleb.
"Now, before you go hurting yourself with that thing, why don't you do yourself a courtesy and hand it over now?" Caleb said, keeping his distance from her and holding out his hand.
Buffy just looked at him, feeling far calmer than she'd ever felt in her life. The tables had just been turned, and she knew she was at an advantage.
"Yeah, you want it?" She shifted it into one hand, mentally preparing herself for a fight whilst staying calm and collected.
Caleb backed away several paces. "You don't know what you got there," he cautioned.
"I know you're backing away," Buffy retorted.
"You think wielding some two-sided do-dad's gonna make a difference?" he asked.
Buffy just continued to watch him, slightly worried for his health when he began talking to thin air. She then worked out that the First was there, speaking to him. She edged closer to the stairs that she needed to get to in order to make her escape.
After several moments, she heard a disembodied voice that sounded suspiciously like her own. "Faith go boom."
Buffy knew that Caleb wasn't happy about letting her go, but she wasn't about to just stay and fight when Faith had obviously found trouble. With great speed, she raced out of the vineyard, trying to trust her senses to tell her where to go. And when that failed, a quick call to Willow's cell phone was just as effective.
(Did anyone else wonder how Buffy knew where Faith and the other Potentials had gone?)
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Connor caught up to Buffy just before she reached the place that Willow had directed her towards.
"What are you doing here?" Buffy demanded angrily.
"We're a team, remember," he replied, his voice rising as high as hers. "I can't just sit around while you're here fighting for your life!"
Buffy rolled her eyes, but she knew that if Connor had inherited the stubbornness of both herself and Angel, then there was no point in fighting.
"Alright fine. But we have to hurry."
She grabbed hold of a manhole and ripped it from the ground. Connor just looked at her in confusion.
"I thought you were going to the vineyard," he said.
Buffy held up her scythe for Connor to see properly. "Been there, conquered that. Faith's in trouble."
Connor didn't quite understand, but he was willing to trust Buffy's judgement. They jumped down into the sewer tunnel, and Buffy let her senses guide her. She could hear screaming coming from below her as well.
"You hear that?" Connor asked quietly.
Buffy nodded and stomped her foot on the ground below her, feeling and hearing that it wasn't as sturdy as it could have been. She stepped back and took a swing at the ground with her newest weapon, sending pieces of the floor crashing to the level below. She quickly jumped into the newly made hole, Connor following after her.
Buffy scanned the space quickly, taking in the frightened faces of the eight Potentials. Three Turokhans turned their attacks on Buffy, and within five seconds, two of them were already dust. She took a moment to wish that they'd found the scythe far earlier, when the first Turokhan had nearly beaten her to a pulpy death weeks ago.
The third Turokhan grabbed her from behind, throwing her into a pile of rubble. She dropped her scythe and moved to regroup quickly.
Not quickly enough however. Connor raced into the fray, kicking the scythe and catching it in his hands and quickly decapitating the primordial vampire. He walked over to Buffy and gave her a hand up.
"Nice work," she complimented.
He grinned at her. "You too."
He handed the scythe back to her, and Buffy turned to face the now-awed group of Potentials.
"Get the wounded, we're leaving."
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The Scoobies and the remaining Potentials all looked surprised to see the wounded entourage being led by Buffy, an injured Faith cradled in an unknown teenage boy's arms. They were quick to act though, clearing spaces on the living room floor, and attempting to stop the bleeding on the injured girls.
The questions that were all on their lips about Buffy's unknown companion were lost in the haze of trying to help as many people as they could, and Connor was just trying to take in the hectic scene around him without being in the way.
"I think we got punished," Amanda said bluntly.
Buffy just looked at the former Sunnydale High student blankly.
"What?"
"We um…we followed her. And it was…" Kennedy trailed off.
"It didn't work out," Vi finished, holding her arm closely to her body, trying to ignore the stabbing pain that ran through it.
"You guys it was a trap," Buffy replied. "It's not her fault. It could have just as easily happened to me."
It was the truth. Buffy didn't blame Faith for what happened. Granted, they should have at least considered Buffy's theory of going back to the vineyard, especially when Buffy was right, but the First had lured then to the arsenal, and things had gone badly.
"So are you…are you, like, back?" Caridad asked.
Buffy sighed, picked up her scythe and the first-aid kit, nodded at Connor to follow her and began leaving the room. "I don't know. I guess I'm not leaving."
"So have we got a plan or anything?" Kennedy asked.
"Yeah there's a plan. Get ready. Time's up."
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Giles, Willow, Buffy and a hovering Connor stepped into Willow's empty room, an unconscious Faith settled in Buffy's room with three Potentials, Xander and Dawn looking after her.
"I think it's maybe some kind of scythe. The only thing I know is that it made Caleb back of in a hurry."
"So it's true. Scythe matters," Willow quipped.
Giles gave her a 'you're not funny' look, Buffy smirked, and Connor just looked at the redheaded witch curiously.
"What's that mean?" Connor asked.
Buffy and Willow looked at him incredulously. Buffy went bright red, and knew that she wasn't going to have that conversation with him in front of her best friend and her father figure.
"Buffy, you still haven't explained who this, uh…young man is," Giles said.
"Oh! God, sorry guys. This is Connor. Con, this is Giles and Wilow," she introduced.
"Yes, but…who is he?" Giles asked.
"Oh, uh…there's kind of a long story there," Buffy admitted. She hadn't told anyone in Sunnyale about Connor and who he was to her. It had been something that she needed to think about before revealing it to any of the Sunnydale Gang. "He's Angel's son. And mine too."
Willow and Giles both gave her identical looks of shock.
"Buff…"
"Yeah, I know, he's eighteen, he can't be mine, Slayers can't have kids," Buffy filled in for them. "It's long and complicated, but he is mine. Blood, soul and bond. He was prophesied as well."
"Good lord," Giles said quietly, cleaning his glasses furiously. He hadn't been expecting to hear that.
"He's a helluva fighter too," Buffy said proudly.
Connor grinned at her and threw an arm around her shoulder, giving her a arm-armed hug.
"Okay…so…he's your son. Congrats, by the way," Willow said, still dumbfounded by the idea. "But…why's he in Sunnydale?"
"He is still in the room thank you," Connor said, not liking being talked about as though he weren't there.
Willow flushed guiltily. "Sorry Connor. What brings you to Sunnydale?"
"Dad came. We got here last night."
"Angel's in Sunnydale?" Giles asked.
Buffy nodded.
"He'll be here tonight."
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("You're my strength Xander. You're the reason I made it this far. I trust you with my life. That's why I need you to do this for me."
"…Okay."
"Also you can't shoot a bow and arrow anymore. And every time you pick up a sword, I worry that you're gonna break one of the good lamps."
"Hey!"
"Don't look at me. You're the one who said I'm gonna die."
"I never said you were gonna die. I implied that you were gonna die, it's totally different."
"Yeah. Okay. Sure."
"Besides if you die, I'll just bring you back to life. That's what I do.")
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Mega thanks for all the reviews! Glad you guys are liking this thing.
SNEAK PREVIEW: The confrontation between Buffy and Angel regarding her disappearance before he woke up in chap 17.
Toodles.