Part 11:
When the first bolt of lightning crashed through the high-set windows of Buffy and Angel's apartment everyone ducked to take cover, even Amy. Ms. Post stood at the center of the carnage, the bolts drawn to the metallic glove on her hand as if it was a lightning rod. Angel tried to get closer, but found himself pushed back by the energy sparkling around her.
Faith, who had just spilled her belly's contents on the floor due to motion sickness, was finally back on her feet. Whatever spell Amy had laid upon her seemed to have faded, probably torn to shreds by Post's fiery lightning show. She was still a bit wobbly, but back in business.
Her eyes found Amy, ducked behind the couch, but her demon eyes were still firmly fixed on Xander. Talk about single-minded.
"Faith," Buffy yelled at her. "Me and Angel take Post. You take Amy!"
Faith just nodded, though she would have loved to be the one to take the bitch down. Make her doubt her friends and then pull something like this. Still, she owed the witch vamp one for making her puke out her guts and this was definitely the wrong time to go into a discussion about who got who.
When the lightning storm finally died down everyone started moving at once.
"Thank you for being so helpful," Post laughed maniacally, pointing the glove at the nearest body, which just happened to be Buffy's. The Slayer threw herself aside just in time, the lightning bolt shooting out of the metal gauntlet tearing a huge hole into the wall behind the spot she had just stood in. Angel was trying to circle around Post from the other side.
Amy, seeing that the lightning witch seemed busy, was all set to resume her mission for this evening, when she got tackled to the ground by an angry Slayer.
"I hate puking," Faith yelled, raining hard blows down on Amy's face. "I finally get away from having to clean puke off the floor every other day and here you go making me puke my guts out. I hate puking!"
The witch finally pushed her away, sending her flying across the room with a magical shove. She tried to redo the spell she had laid on the Slayer earlier, but found that her magic fizzled and died. More lightning spewed through the room and she realized that her spells were disrupted by the presence of this much more powerful force.
"Just great," she muttered, only to have Faith pouncing on her again. This time the two girls collided with enough force to carry them clear through the shattered door and to the outside.
Neither Buffy nor Angel had any attention to spare for the fight between Faith and Amy. They were much too busy staying alive at the moment. Post was bathed in lightning and approaching her seemed impossible. Her aim left something to be desired, but they were both getting tired of ducking energy bolts. Sooner or later one would connect.
They did not need words to communicate with each other. Angel motioned toward the weapon's chest where the glove had fallen out, more precisely towards the throwing axe lying close to Buffy. She understood immediately, picking the weapon up with a role across the floor. Angel, sword still in hand, made a leap toward Post to distract her.
"Filthy vampire," the Watcher screamed as the blade barely missed her neck.
Moments later a new lightning bolt exploded from the gauntlet and this time Angel stood too close to evade. He moved to the side, preventing what would probably have been a killing blow, but was caught in the right shoulder and thrown hard against the wall, most of his right side scorched and smoking.
Buffy's mind was overcome with rage upon seeing her mate hurt and the world narrowed down to Post, now standing with her back turned. A growl emerged from Buffy's mouth, loud enough to draw the Watcher's attention. She turned just in time to see the throwing axe flying towards her, turning end over end ...
... and slicing right through her upper right arm.
Outside Amy and Faith were still struggling, the witch vampire's magical abilities making up for the Slayer's greater fighting prowess for the moment. Faith was thrown hard against the wall, cracking the cement, but she was back on her feet a moment later and threw a kick that nearly tore Amy's head off, sending her staggering back.
"Don't tell me you like Xander," Amy growled as they circled each other again. "He nearly got all of us killed that night. Hell, he did get me killed just one night later. I know Buffy can't be too fond of him."
"You heard her earlier, didn't you? No one gets to kill Xander except her."
They collided again, but the moment they met the entire inside of the apartment seemed to become awash with lightning again. A shriek filled the air, the sound of someone burning alive, and moments later a shock wave took both of them off their feet. Faith stumbled and the back of her head connected sharply with the steps leading up to the street.
Amy managed a better landing and wasted no time when she felt the strong magical presence inside the apartment flicker and fade. Her full magical power returning she quickly cast a spell and thickened the air around Faith, pinning her down. The Slayer struggled, but she was dazed from the fall.
"I just wanted to kill Xander, nothing else," Amy complained as she walked closer to Faith. "You could have just let me, you know? But that's okay. I figured it out. You're a Slayer, right? Just like Buffy. That's cool. I'd never have thought I'd kill a Slayer within my first few weeks as a vampire. Imagine how everyone will look up to me."
"Maybe you should look," Faith forced out between clenched teeth. "Behind you, I mean."
"Oh, please! Like I'd fall for something like ..."
Amy stopped when a sharp pain penetrated her back. She looked down, amazed to see the tip of a wooden stake burst free of her chest.
"Hey, that's not fair! I had plans. It's just not ..." the rest of her sentence was lost as her body crumbled into dust.
The spell that held her down faded and Faith looked up to see Willow standing over her with a stake in her hand, a befuddled expression on her face.
"Red?" Faith asked, seeing that the hacker was a bit out of it.
"Yes?" she asked, not sounding all there. Faith knew that she had regarded Amy as a friend. She had not thought Willow capable of doing what she had just done, to be honest.
"Great work, Red. She's gone. You can put down the stake now."
"Oh, I can? Good."
Faith gently took the stake from her hand and guided her back into the apartment. A moment later she remembered that there had been another battle going on inside and that she might want to be on her guard, just in case it had not gone down the right way.
Seeing nothing but a big scorch mark where Post had stood earlier and a concerned Buffy kneeling beside an injured Angel made her relax, though. It seemed the fighting was done with, at least for tonight.
"Everyone alive?" she asked, looking for the others. Oz was kneeling against the wall, a cut on his forehead bleeding profusely, but looking unharmed otherwise. Cordelia was doing her best to slow the bleeding with a towel she had found somewhere amidst the carnage, quickly joined by Willow, snapping out of her little shock upon seeing her hurt boyfriend. Xander was back on his feet, using a broom to move the Glove of Mhynegon away from the few recognizable remains of one Gwendolyn Post.
The apartment looked like a disaster area, but Faith was relieved to see everyone more or less okay. Except Angel, that was. The big guy looked like he had been torched, most of his right arm and side blackened and blistering. It had to hurt like a bitch, she realized, but with him being a vampire he should be back on his feet in no time flat. She hoped.
Faith kneeled down beside Buffy, who had eyes for no one but Angel.
"Will he be okay?" she asked.
"Just need a little rest," Angel managed, sounding more pissed than hurt actually.
"A lot," Buffy ordered. "Plus some extra-spicy Slayer's blood to quicken the healing. No arguments, mister!"
"Wouldn't dream of it," he replied.
Everyone looked up sharply when they heard some commotion near the ruined door, just in time to see Giles stumble inside. There was a wound on his forehead almost identical to the one Oz sported.
"Post," he mumbled. "We have to stop her. She ..."
He stopped, getting his first good look at the desolation that was Buffy and Angel's apartment, complete with big scorch mark right in the center. He frowned, raising his eyebrows.
"I ... is it safe to say that my warning comes a little too late?"
"Pretty safe," Buffy smiled at him.
"But appreciated nonetheless," Angel added with a bit of a chuckle in his voice.
"Don't tell me you got knocked out again," Cordelia groaned upon seeing the wound on Giles' forehead. "God, I'm seriously losing count here."
TO BE CONCLUDED