Wow lots of good feed back last chapter. Keep reviewing I enjoying reading them so much!

Thanks to:

Miss_kitty

Miz – what do you mean by hm..?

ScruffyWes

Christiana – lol thanks for the rant! I'm a big Sirius fan but I actually don't like Faith that much. Eliza Dushku is cool, but I prefer Buffy in the TV series. That's just me though.

Tiger Tiger2

Tituba

GoddessEris – yeah torching it would be a good idea but what would be the fun in that?! We'd miss out on all the excitement of a battle!

Alexandra the half-wolf

Becks89

Chapter 28 – Victory

Buffy filled the rest of the Scoobies in on the battle, when they returned to Giles'.
 "You took out Antoinette?" Giles said, removing his glasses in astonishment. "One of the top of the cult? Good grief." Faith, Buffy and Sirius exchanged grins.
 "We're coming with you," Xander said forcefully and Willow and Oz nodded vehemently. Buffy frowned.
 "It's really dangerous," she attempted but she was drowned out but the others.
 "Not a word," Willow warned her. "I may not be able to slay you, but I can throw a pretty good hissy fit."

Buffy stopped talking and grinned.
 "Just don't die," she warned them. "Now I'm gonna sleep."
Morning was breaking again and the lack of sleep was really catching up on all of them. They needed to be rested for the battle, as much as possible.
 "Okay if I crash here?" Buffy said sleepily and Giles nodded. She promptly fell asleep on the sofa, curled up with Sirius.

Much later in the day as the sun was setting, they all began to wake up and prepare themselves for battle. Using the selection of weapons in Giles' trunk and some from Buffy's home, they kitted themselves out to fight. Each of them had a few stakes on them and a bottle of holy water for emergencies. They also all held swords or axes. Buffy carried her axe that the Scoobies had given her before she left for England and the knife that Sirius had bought her in Diagon Alley. Sirius offered Faith the knife of hers that Buffy had given him but she told him to keep it.
 "You saved our asses with that magic stuff," she commented and so he held onto it, along with his newly borrowed wand.
One they were all ready, they set off for the graveyard. Sunnydale was quiet; it was as if the coming battle had kept everyone inside their houses. They walked as a group, a tiny army in their own right, to the graveyard, all keeping an eye out for any danger.


Grey's army was already assembled once they arrived, the army numbering over one hundred soldiers, more than Buffy had seen before.
 "Are you ready?" he asked fiercely when they arrived and, next to Buffy, Willow quailed. Xander simply started laughing until Grey glared at him.
 "Looks like," Buffy muttered, looking around at the masses of soldiers in awe.
 "Then we'd better get start-" Grey began but he was cut off. His eyes popped and he gurgled and fell forward, nearly landing on Willow who jumped out of the way of his descent.

Behind the mass of soldiers stood the gathered masses of the Cult of the Antichrist. Buffy pushed her way through the soldiers to the front, facing the Cult and the other Scoobies joined her quickly.
The four remaining top members stood at the front of the group.
 "Thought you'd surprise us," Henry snarled, his game face on already. "We know about all your plans, that fool Grey never could organise a decent assault." Buffy ran her eyes over the masses, there appeared to be about thirty of what looked like the second level members and forty lower members, plus the four who stood at the front.
 "I must say," Henry continued, eyes fixed on Buffy. "We were impressed with your work on Antoinette. Never has a slayer been able to kill one of our elite, but no matter."

 "You didn't reckon on us," Buffy said fiercely. "You'll be sorry though."

 Henry laughed, loudly, throwing his head back and his laughter filled the night.
 "I shall enjoy drinking you," he chuckled. "Feisty." His eyes moved to Faith.
 "And the other slayer, Faith. The dark slayer." Faith scowled and he chuckled.

 "You will perhaps be even more delicious."

Buffy stood tensely at the front of the soldiers. Glancing behind her for a second, she saw fear in their eyes and she could understand it. They had just lost their leader and she hoped that they would follow herself and her friends.
 Henry walked forward a few paces, so he was only a few metres in front of Buffy and faith and sniffed the air.
 "Fear," he said, closing his eyes and flaring his nostrils. "Delicious." Behind her, Buffy felt the soldiers shifting uncomfortably.
 She decided to take action and also took a few steps forward. She squared up to Henry and he stared down at her imperiously.

 "Your mind is hardened," he said in a low voice. "You have been controlled before." Buffy didn't speak, just stared at him. She could feel him trying to enter her mind, trying to take control and she recognised the sensation from what the Master had done to her. She held him out though; she didn't want to ever have anyone in her head again.
Henry's hand shot out and grabbed her throat suddenly, not tight, just holding it with his icy hand.
 "You have been tasted little one," he murmured. "I shall enjoy killing you." Buffy did the only thing she could think out and kicked him with all her strength in the groin.
 "That's what I did to him," she hissed furiously and around her the battle erupted.

 She was dimly aware of the fighting around her but it did not affect her, as she circled Henry.

She was about to spring at him when he pulled out his wand and pointed it at her. Buffy paled considerably, there wasn't much she could do against that, but the next moment Sirius pushed her out of the way, his wand held up.
 "Go, help Faith," he yelled as his eyes fixed on Henry whose face twisted into an evil grin.  Buffy moved out of the way and watched for a split second as Sirius began to duel. She had never seen him do magic before and despite her limited knowledge she could see he was a good dueller. Their wands flashed as they shot curses at one another, dodged one another's and blocked them. Buffy didn't stop for long; she joined Faith who was fighting Samuel.
They fought seamlessly, fitting together and pre empting one another's movements. Blood pounded in Buffy's veins, the battle giving her speed, strength and agility she didn't know she possessed. Between them, they finished Samuel quickly, Faith staking him while Buffy held him in place, and then they were attacked by Mary and Vlad together.

In her ears she heard yelling from the battle, voices that sounded like Giles' and Xander's yelling out instructions to the army of where to go and who to attack. She felt proud of her friends and fought more fiercely. 

Faith was wounded and Buffy could tell it was slowing her down a little. Her arm was bleeding, a wound caused by the sharp nails of Mary.
 Buffy fought Vlad, who was tall and slim and very pale. He was quick and silent, and faster than Buffy could comprehend. He pushed her back against a tree and reached for her neck but as his hand reached for her she slashed at it with her knife and cut it off. Vlad yelled in pain and blood spurted on Buffy's white jumper.

 "That was my favourite!" she exclaimed furiously. She pulled out her stake and jammed it into his chest, causing him to crumble into dust.
Not missing a beat, Buffy ran to Faith who was not faring so well with Mary. Mary had deliberately moved their fight out of the battle and Buffy could see Faith was tiring. As Buffy ran over, Faith fell and Mary jumped on her.
Pinning her, Mary tipped Faith's head back and bared her fangs.
 "I remember this," she said, yellow eyes fixed on Faith's brown ones. Buffy reached them just as her fangs were about to sink into Faith's neck and pulled her off of Faith. Faith jumped up, grinned at Buffy and together they took on Mary.

Mary was fast but Faith and Buffy had really got their rhythm by this point. Buffy knew they had nearly won, when she heard Sirius yelling. Faith waved her away and she ran from them.

Buffy ran through crowds of fighting vampires and humans, registering in the back of her mind when she passed Willow, Oz, Xander and Giles, listening to Sirius yell. She found him writhing on the ground, Henry stood over him, pointing his wand at him. Buffy kick Henry's arm, dislodging his wand and breaking the spell. Henry retaliated by punching her, sending her flying against a nearby gravestone. But Sirius was up by this point and he continued his duel with Henry.
Knowing she would feel it in the morning, Buffy climbed up, wincing and once she had confirmed that nothing was broken, staked a few of the minions that plagued the soldiers. After fighting Vlad, Mary and Samuel, they were easy and she soon turned her attention to Sirius and Henry.
 "Stupefy," Sirius yelled firing a bolt of red light at Henry, but Henry dived and it missed him. He fired a bolt of white light at Sirius in return, which Sirius blocked by conjuring a sliver shield.
 "Petrificus totalus," Sirius yelled and the curse his Henry, causing his arms and legs to snap to his sides and become stiff as a board. Henry fell over backwards.

 "Kill him!" Sirius yelled to Buffy and she ran over to his stiff form. Clutching her axe, she lifted her arm high and swung it down, severing Henry's neck. He dusted immediately.

 Before she could move, Buffy was besieged by more Cult minions but she killed them easily. The fight was over, a few stray vampires were being killed but the rest were dust or had fled. Faith joined Buffy, having finished off Mary.

Once the last of the vampires had been killed, the remaining soldiers and Scoobies grouped. Oz, Willow, Xander and Giles had escaped largely uninjured. The soldier numbers had dropped but many had survived the battle.
 "Good work everyone," Buffy said and everyone cheered.
 "What do we do now?" Faith asked Buffy. "About these guys I mean." Before Buffy could reply, a tall blonde soldier approached them.
 "Commander Carl Jones," he said extending a hand to Buffy and then Faith which they shook. "I was second in command to Commander Grey. On behalf of the army I'd like to thank you for your help. It could not have been achieved without your assistance."

 "You're nicer than the last guy," Faith said, staring at him. "And cuter too."
 "Faith!" Buffy admonished out of the side of her mouth.
 "Thank you miss," Jones replied and faith gave Buffy an I-told-you-so grin.
 "We couldn't have done it without you either," Buffy said truthfully. "But what will you do now? The Antichrist is kinda done with."

 "There are always forces of darkness challenging those of light," Jones replied with a shrug. "You of all should know that. Thank you again. And have a good Christmas." Buffy smiled as Jones called together his army and they marched away, their black uniforms fading into the darkness.
 

Their success in battle meant that the next day Buffy got the family Christmas she had promised her mother. Buffy, Joyce, Faith, Sirius, Giles, Xander, Anya, Oz and Willow spent the day at Buffy's house, eating the food that Joyce made and exchanging presents.

 "A perfect Christmas wouldn't you say," Buffy said in the evening, as she relaxed with Sirius and sipped mulled wine. "First we avert the apocalypse, and then we eat." Sirius smiled and kissed her forehead.
 "You know we've got to go back soon right?" Sirius asked her. "You do still want to come back?"
 "Of course, dummy," Buffy said, kissing him on the arm which was the nearest part of him to her lips. "We've got a mission." Sirius grinned and held her close to him, for the millionth time marvelling at how lucky he was to have her.