Tuesday
"THWAK" was the sound made as Buffy and Faith flew across the backyard into the side of the house. The two Slayers groaned in pain as they rose.
"Okay B, this is starting to piss me off." Faith growled.
"I'm right there with you. God we're in the best shape of our lives and we can't even lay a finger on her." Buffy said, regarding the emerald skinned woman known only as Gamora.
"It's bad enough she's showing us up in front of the Potentials." Faith said, popping her neck.
"Okay, let's think about this." Buffy said, before Gamora cartwheeled between the two Slayers, slamming their heads together, then double sweeping them, before catching them both in mid-fall and throwing them across the lawn.
"You can't think. Thinking takes up too much time. You have to act on pure instinct." Gamora said calmly as Faith rose and threw a kick that would put a hole in a brick wall at her. Gamora merely jabbed her ankle so that her kick missed its mark by a wide breadth.
"Well thank you Mr. Miyagi!" Buffy said throwing a brutal punch. Gamora deftly avoided it and pulled Faith by the hair into Buffy's line of fire, making sure she was the one who was struck.
"OW! Damn it B!" Faith groaned.
"Faith I'm so sorr—"
Gamora tired of the exercise and threw out a kick that crunched into Faith's back, making her scream, even as the impact sent her into Buffy knocking them both over. With Buffy pinned underneath a now unconscious Faith, Gamora pulled her knife and stabbed downwards. The blade went into the ground just by Buffy's head.
"Maybe Adam didn't make it clear enough for you. If you don't learn and learn quickly then the world ends. Then maybe the universe. I for one want to survive, so I imagine that you two should start learning how to actually fight. And you'd better last a whole lot longer than—how long was that Andrew?" Gamora asked the boy sitting on the porch with the stopwatch.
"One minute, fifteen seconds." Andrew said.
"You two really are pathetic. I wasn't even trying." Gamora growled.
"Tell me Greenie, where did you learn to be such a bitch?" Buffy spat.
"From my father." Gamora replied.
Thanos sat in the living room, tapping away at a computer pad that he had pulled from his belt buckle. Willow sat nearby; nervous that Doctor Strange had been convinced by Warlock to actually to leave her in his care for the day, while they scouted Los Angeles with Giles and Wesley, as it was the most probable place the First had retreated to. After all his collection of heroes still clung to their green crosses there. Thanos grumbled a sound that made Willow jump as she went back to her studies. Her job was going to be pivotal. Due to her power, she was going to be the one to put Buffy, Faith, and the Potentials under before they went to the astral plane. As such her studies mainly consisted of knowing how to do that particular spell as if it were second nature. In addition to various other spells that were similar, about fifteen different retrieval spells, and spells that would help make her focus unbreakable. Because it would have to be if she wanted to save her friends and her lover Kennedy when the time was right. Thanos grumbled again.
"Something wrong?" Willow asked apprehensively.
"The darkness in your atmosphere truly does block out most forms of communication and travel. I can't contact my ship." Thanos growled.
"Oh." Willow said, going back to her studies.
"It is doubly unfortunate as my ship's cannons were locked onto the atmosphere should I not contact it in a certain amount of time. This shield of darkness seems to be sufficiently powerful enough to stand up to my armaments." Thanos noted.
"Oh. That good or bad?" Willow asked.
"Considering my cannons can reduce most worlds to cinder, it is good for you. Considering my weapons are apparently nothing to this creature's power, it is bad for me. Keep to your studies." Thanos snorted.
"Okay." Willow said, not wanting to antagonize the Titan.
Her brow soon became furrowed, "I'm not sure if I can translate this passage though."
"Let me see. I know most languages of earth, living or dead." Thanos said standing and looking over her shoulder.
"I'm not sure if it is an earth language though. Might be demon. I'm not sure if the word is abathal or abathayda." Willow said. Seconds later she jumped as she heard a gigantic crash behind her. Looking behind her she saw an enormous hole in the floor. As she peered in she noted that Thanos was lying in the basement asleep, "Well, I got the sleeping spell right, that's all that really matters. OH GODDESS! THE FLOOR! BUFFY'S GOING TO KILL ME! OH GODDESS! THANOS IS GOING TO KILL ME!"
Just then Dawn came running down the stairs, "Willow what was that sound?"
Willow hurried to the door and grabbed her coat, "Nothing. Going out for supplies. Be back later. Maybe."
The door quickly slammed and Dawn had no idea what has just happened, until Thanos teleported back into the living room.
"At least she got the spell right. Remind me to kill her after we save reality." Thanos said to Dawn.
"See anything yet Glenda?" Spike asked Tara. Tara was focusing as Poe flew overhead. The bird relayed information to her near instantly.
"Five vampires. One Vahrall demon. One human sacrifice." Tara noted.
"Alright. Ready to move in?" Spike asked Tara and Ernie, his patrol mates for the day. Tara nodded.
"Yeah. Let's go tear them apart." Smiley, Ernie's button growled.
"I'm ready." Ernie nodded in agreement.
"Alright, let's go." Spike said as he vamped out and ran out from behind the tomb they were behind, "WATCH OUT! HERE COMES SPIKE!"
Spike sailed through the air and nailed the first vampire with a hard tackle. Another began to attack him when it was blasted by magickal force courtesy of Tara. Another charged her, fangs bared. Poe instantly flew into its line of sight, pecking and scratching before climbing back into the air. The vampire growled and felt the sharp pain in its chest and saw Tara pull a wooden stake back. She waved at him seductively before he crumbled to dust. Spike had additionally staked his own demon and looked back.
"Quake demon at ten o'clock!" Spike said in reference to the Vahrall demon, a species that three members of had tried to destroy the world by a Hellmouth earthquake years prior.
Ernie was on top of the larger demon in an instant batting it around like a cat would a mouse. Spike smirked as he staked the vampire Tara had blasted as it approached behind him. The two remaining vampires, a male and female, turned and ran as fast as they could.
Right into an attack from Angel and Cordelia. Cordelia spun a katana she had brought from L.A. with her, slicing off the female vampire's head. Angel on the other hand battered the weaker vampire with some punches before drawing back and releasing the spring-loaded stake from his sleeve and jammed it into the vampire's heart. It crumbled to dust and Cordy smirked.
"Another one bites the dust." Cordy quipped.
Angel groaned and looked at her, "That was bad."
"Oh like Buffy never said something like that." Cordy pouted.
"Maybe six years ago." Angel stated.
"What exactly are you two doing here?" Spike said, marching up to the other two.
"We're on patrol." Angel stated, "What are you doing here?"
"Patrolling, on OUR side of the town." Spike stated.
"This is our side. We're on the north end, you're on the south." Angel explained.
"This is the south end!" Spike groaned.
"No it's the north." Cordelia stated.
"It's the south." Spike replied.
"North!" Cordy said, irritated.
"South!" Spike growled.
"Look, I was raised in this town. I know my way around it." Cordy went on.
"Yeah right. The whelp said you got lost in the library at the school." Spike smirked.
"Xander told you about that?!" Cordy said furiously.
"You got lost in the library?" Angel laughed, "I have to admit that is pretty funny."
"OH like I spent SO much time in there." Cordy fumed.
"Actually you did. We had meetings there every week. Oz would bring doughnuts." Angel explained.
"SHUT UP!" Cordy pouted some more as she kicked Angel's shin.
Tara had already untied the human sacrifice and told them to go home and walked up with Ernie.
"Hey. What are you guys doing here?" Tara asked as Poe landed on her shoulder.
"Debating where we're at." Spike said.
"OH MY GOD!" Cordy screeched.
Tara turned around and saw Ernie was carrying the Vahrall demon's head.
"Ernie…" Tara said.
Ernie looked down, "Oh right. DEAD ONEZ RISE!"
The Vahrall demon's body walked over to Ernie and he handed its head to it. Ernie turned back to the others. Spike and Angel were just staring, while it looked like Cordelia was puking her guts out. Tara tapped her foot and looked at Ernie.
"Send it away stupid!" Smiley yelled up at Ernie.
"Like, walk into the ocean or something." Ernie told the body. It turned and began to walk. Riley and Sam walked by the decapitated demon as it marched.
"Did you guys just see that too?" Riley asked.
"BLOODY HELL! What are you two doing here?" Spike asked.
"Patrolling. What are you doing here?" Riley asked.
"BLOODY PATROLLING!" Spike roared.
"No you guys are in the north and south ends. This is east." Sam explained.
"This IS the north end." Cordy said wiping her mouth.
"SOUTH!!!!" Spike roared.
Riley whipped out an object allowing Cordy and Spike to both look at it. The two of them sighed and began to walk away with Angel, Ernie, and Tara in tow.
"Wanker." Spike growled.
"Yeah. He thinks he's SO good because he has a compass." Cordy grumbled.
Xander walked back into his room with food on a plate.
"I GOT WAFFLES!" Xander said as he sat the plate on the bed and crawled in beside Anya.
"Its about time. That Gunn guy got waffles before me." Anya pouted, irresistibly.
"An, he's injured." Xander said.
"Yes, but I'm needy. And this might be the last time I get to have waffles." Anya rationalized.
"Well can't argue with the appeal of Eggos." Xander admitted.
Xander looked at Anya, merely poking her waffle with her fork. She wasn't so bouncy at the moment.
"Hey An, you alright?" Xander asked.
Anya looked over at Xander, "I'm fine. Really. Sex will take your mind off silly questions. Let's have sex."
Xander held her at arm's length, "An I'm serious. What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Just wanting sex waffles. We even have the syrup. Let's go cowboy." Anya said again.
"Whoa. I think I know you pretty well now. We've dated off and on for about four years. I know there are two times you want to have sex. When you're horny which is …well always." Xander smiled wistfully before snapping out of it, "Then there are the times when something's bothering you and you don't want to talk about it. You use sex against me so I don't ask."
"You know about that?" Anya asked.
"I caught on after about the fifteenth time." Xander admitted.
Anya frowned and put her head on Xander's shoulder, "You sure I can't get out of this by offering sexual favors?"
"Reasonably sure. What's bothering you?" Xander asked.
Anya looked at him right in the eye, "I love you."
"Gee, way to make a guy feel good An." Xander replied, deadpan.
"No wait, that's not what I mean. It's just that it bothers me because I love you." Anya said, sadly.
"Explain because I lied about being a great philosopher when we started dating." Xander said with a reassuring smile.
"Okay, say the situation is bad. Really bad. Like now. And say you have a choice to make. A choice that could affect how things pan out. But the problem with making that choice is that it completely changes your life. Things would be different and you don't necessarily want them to be." Anya explained.
"Are you talking about sacrifice?" Xander asked.
"Yeah, I think so." Anya said.
"Can I tell you a story?" Xander said.
"Will there be money?" Anya asked.
"It's a Buffy story." Xander said.
"OH God…I mean…. sure." Anya said with a mock smile.
"The first major league bad guy that Buffy fought was the Master, a really old, really powerful vampire. He was trapped in this church below Sunnydale by this mystical barrier. All this big apocalyptic stuff started to happen that painted the picture that Buffy was going to have a showdown with the Master. The bad part was that Giles and Angel had found this prophecy that said Buffy would die if they did. Buffy majorly freaked and wanted nothing to do with the fight. I mean she was sixteen at the time. She didn't want to die, but eventually she realized she had to sacrifice herself to take down the Master. So she went into that church and he kicked the crap out of her, drinking from her, and then drowning her. And the Master was so juiced by drinking Slayer blood that he was able to get out and head up the surface." Xander related.
"You're really helping me feel better Harris." Anya growled.
"Wait, I'm not done. Enter our hero, yours truly. Angel led me down there and I managed to revive Buffy with some CPR. She then went up to the surface and managed to kill the Master. The moral of the story here is that sacrifice makes things different. That's what makes it sacrifice. Buffy died again closing Glory's portal because she had to do it that way. Anya, sacrifice makes everything different, but when it comes time to do, it has to be done. Sometimes things turn out good. Sometimes not. But you just have to do what's in your heart." Xander explained.
Anya looked at him and hesitantly asked, "Would you love me if I became a demon again?"
"That's what this is about?" Xander asked.
"Yeah. I got the idea that if I became a demon again, for the third time, I could help fix things. That's my sacrifice. I was afraid you wouldn't love me if I did." Anya explained.
Xander put his hand to her face, "Anya, I won't lie. It would be different. It would be harder. But I'd still love you. In the last year since we almost got married, I really had a lot of time to open my eyes and think about things. I think I've grown up a lot and I'd love you no matter if you're a human or a demon or whatever. I just love you. Period."
Anya looked at him and just started flat out bawling and blubbering like a baby. She wrapped her arms around him and cried into him. Xander smiled.
"I love you too! I love you so much Xander!" Anya cried.
Xander smiled even larger. That was until Anya blew her nose on his shirt. Then the smile faded and he had to toss the shirt. Then the smile came back with the sex. And the sex was GOOD.