Author's Notes:  Just one or two more parts, I believe.

Flesh Wounds Part Twenty

            "Cheap tricks cannot scare me, Princess!"

            "These are no tricks, cheap or otherwise," Athena answered, the sound reverberating in the open area.

            "Everyone here will die!"

            "No," Sara replied this time, "They won't."

            The two women stepped forward into the faint light, the Witchblades glinting on their right wrists in full sword form.  Both were dressed in long, dark green gowns, tied behind their necks.

            "Who are you?" The warlock whispered.

            "We are protectors…" Athena began.

            "Warriors…" Sara added.

            "And sisters, of blood…"

            "Flesh, and spirit.  Who are we?"

            "We are the Wielders, and you…you are nothing."

            They lifted their hands as one, and the Baskera were hurtled back into the pit of utter darkness from which they came.  Then the two glanced at the warlock, and Dasseren's flesh began to smoke and bubble, slowly melting away from his bones.  He reached out one decomposing hand, his finger bones poking through.  "Master," he croaked, flames beginning to engulf him, "You promised…"

            "Never make promises with the devil, Dasseren," the two women said in unison.  "He doesn't keep them very well."

            Finally, after agonizing minutes, his body crumbled into ash; the two women calmly crossed to the guardrail.  Dasseren's remains swirled up with a breeze and blew past them; the ashes blanketed the portal.  Athena and Sara gestured, and the pit collapsed, rocking the world with a titanic wrench.

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            In the silence that followed, everyone looked around at each other.  "Is it---" Danny stopped and cleared his throat.  "Is it over?"

            "I think so," Xander replied, stepping out of the building with Gabriel.  "Oh, my god, we made it."

            All around them, people started to laugh, cry, and embrace as the realizations hit them all.

            They had survived.

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            Back up on the roof, Athena and Sara were sitting and leaning against the wall, their clothes back to their original attire.  "That was…weird," Sara finally said. "And I hate dresses."

            "Mmm-hmm," Athena replied, eyes closed as she leaned her head against the wall.  "But it got the point across."

            "What happens now?"

            "Well, personally, I was thinking pizza, chocolate, and some good movies, preferably with, oh, Heath Ledger in them."

            "Athena…"

            "Sorry.  Um, we go down, join the big celebration, and you learn more about that pretty little bracelet."

            "Will you teach me?"

            "I can show you some things, but it will mostly teach you."  They stood and gazed out at the New York skyline.

            "You never realize how beautiful it is," Sara mumbled to herself.

            "Until you almost lose it," Athena added.

            Then they turned and headed down into the street.

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            Xander swept Athena up into his arms, laughing, while Sara hugged Danny and Jake.

            Ian merely touched Athena's shoulder; she rested her hand on his, and then he glanced at Sara.  She touched his arm, and then he melted back into the crowd.

            Gabriel waited as Athena embraced the rest of her friends; Sara came over to him.  "Haven't found a shirt yet?"

            He laughed, pulling the EMS blanket closer around his shoulders, wincing at the slight pain in his chest.  "You okay?" Sara asked, touching his shoulder.

            "I'll heal," he replied, embracing her.  "I'm glad you made it."

            "Yeah, I'm a bit happy about that, myself.  And that you did, too.  Now, go get your girl."

            He laughed, then made his way to where Athena was being held by her foster-father.  Gently touching her shoulder, he smiled crookedly.  "Can I cut in?"

            Reluctantly relinquishing his hold, the Brit let Gabriel take his place.  Athena's eyes slowly rose to meet his, and he leaned his forehead against hers, wrapping his blanket around them both.  "You okay?" She asked softly.

            "Yeah."

            She felt his wounds and healed them.  "I nearly lost you."

            "Me, too."  He kissed the tip of her nose.  "I love you."

            "I love you, too."

            He pulled back a little.  "What, no arguments?  No angst?"

            "Not right now."

            "Well, what do you know?  There are miracles."

            "Oh, shut up," she laughed, "We'll argue later," she managed to say before he captured her lips with his.

            "Thanks to you and Sara, we now have a later," Xander interjected, coming over to the couple.  "So sorry to interrupt, but we have emergencies popping up everywhere.  There's even shit going down in Antarctica…do we even have people in Antarctica?"

            "No, we have penguins," Athena replied, ruffling his hair.

            "Oh, very funny."

            The blonde slowly pulled away from her lover, and Gabriel smiled.  "Go.  I'll wait for you.  I'll wait for you forever."

            She kissed him hard, then left with her Immortal Aide.  Danny rested a hand on Bowman's shoulder.  "Well give you ride home, okay?"

            "Thanks."

            They all took a moment to look up into the sky, reveling in the stars, the clouds, and the fact that life, indeed, did go on.