Chapter 1 Climbing Slowly
Sunnydale High School
Sunnydale California
They had 20 minutes until the sun rose, but they just stood there in silence contemplating what they were about to do
They stood in silence that is until Buffy spoke "I already blew it up once, so I don't think it'd make a difference if I drove a truck through the halls" her shoulders rose in a slight shrug.
Buffy turned and grinned infectiously at everyone else, chuckling Faith headed to the chopper and started to pull out some of their gear "Damn you guys were destructive" she threw over her shoulder "I heard the cheerleader did that with Daddy's beamer in Sophomore year?"
Buffy laughed outright at that particular memory "Yeah, Spring fling" she walked over next to Faith and went through the bags again to make sure everything that they needed was there.
"A whole bunch of vampires were after Will's and Miss Calender"
"The teacher G-man boned?" Faith crudely interrupted.
Closing her eyes against the thought of her Watcher being boned' Buffy took a deep breath and tried to continue but was interrupted by Faith again.
"B, you're 22 and you still can't handle the thought of Giles doin the nasty"
Rolling her eyes at the younger woman Buffy simply talked over Faith before she could say anything else. "If Giles wants to have sex, he can have it with anyone he wants." Standing she turned to face Faith with hands on hips "Beside I don't know if they ever well you know did the deed" She blushed slightly but kept talking "It's just a bit"
"Raise your hand if eww?" Faith quoted the blond standing in front of her.
"No" a thoughtful look came over Buffy's face "Painful I was going to say, but the eww factor does come in when I think of him, my Mom and the police car" She shuddered slightly before picking up the bag and walking back towards the rest of the group, leaving a speechless Faith behind her and continued the story she had started.
"Anyway, vamps chasing people, heading for the school. Willow and Miss Calender are out in the car park with vamps surrounding them. All of a sudden there's a screeching of tires and there's Cordelia in Daddy's new car. They hop in and Willow tells her they have to get to the library. Cordy being Cordy hits the accelerator and drives right through front doors of the school. When I got there, the car was still sitting right where she left it outside the library doors." Buffy allowed a wistful smile to grace her face "Willow told me she never thought she'd be involved in the destruction of school property"
Teal'c looked over at her, his head cocked to one side slightly "Buffy Summers, we are about to engage in battle. How can you be talking of such things?"
"Easy" She smiled "If the worlds gonna end, the least we can do is go out laughing"
Sunnydale High School
Sunnydale, California
The air was still and murky inside, the building had been still and uninhabited for a number of weeks now, but on this particular May morning there was a disturbance outside. There was the loud rumbling of engines being started and revved, voices were calling out to each other and without warning the front doors fell in with a great crash.
Through the fallen bricks and mortar a large truck pushed its way through the school, continually knocking out parts of the walls and ceiling. Destroying what had only just been recently rebuilt.
Ironic really, the person to destroy it the first time around was once again here and wreaking havoc.
Finally the truck stopped outside the basement, quickly followed by another one, their brakes screeching slightly and the engines shuddering off.
The drivers doors opened at the same time, now the driver of the second would be what you expect, large, imposing, not the type of person you would like to run into in a light ally let alone a dark one. However, the driver of the first truck was the complete opposite. A tiny blond girl who looked like a soft breeze could flatten her jumped out of the drivers cabin and landed lightly on her feet.
The girl reached into one of the many pockets of her outfit and pulled out two things. The first was a small but deadly dagger, and the second a medallion. A shadow passed over her face as she stared at them. It was as though she had been given knowledge she didn't want.
That no one would want.
Another woman approached calling out to her, asking if she was ready.
Without a word the girl slipped the medallion over her head so that it rested on her chest, she would do what had to be done.
Just like always.
They worked in silence. Each of them knowing what they had to do, they had covered every likelihood. They all knew that there was every possibility that not all of them would make it, but they accepted this. It was an ugly part of battle, but a part no less. They had all fought in battle before and knew the risks that they were taking.
But they still fought.
Hyperion Hotel
Los Angeles, California
Angel stood at the front doors to the Hyperion Hotel, his home. The sun would be rising within minutes and he wondered what was happening down in Sunnydale. He knew that they were going down into the Hellmouth, taking the battle to The First this morning. That particular phone call had been hard, and keeping it from the other Sunnydale residents had been nearly impossible.
"I can be in Sunnydale in two hours"
"No, I need you to stay there"
"And do what? Baby-sit a bunch of potentials? And don't give me that Sunnydale is my town crap, this isn't some turf war that"
"I need you to be our second line, if we fail it's up to you to fight this"
"Don't talk like that. You've kept the world in tact, this long. Don't talk like that now"
"Just Be ready Just in case"
He had ignored the girls for the most part, not wanting to answer their questions, or see the glances they cast his way. To these girls he wasn't their friend.
Not that he cared what they thought.
He could smell her standing behind him. Her anger covering deeper fears that she was unwilling to show.
"I know you're there!" it always amazed him that no matter how much of a brave façade they put out, the Slayers were for the most part in fact just little girls.
"Yeah well, just wondering how it went last night" Kennedy stood leaning up against the door frame, arms crossed over her chest, defiance written all over her features.
"Why do you want to know?" This girl wasn't going to give up was she. Did she really want to know what the true life of a Slayer was?
"Well" Kennedy started "If I'm going to fight Demons" She walked towards him slowly "I need to know what it's all about"
As he turned to face her she shrugged slightly.
Looking at the girl he wondered if she could really handle the cold hard truth of the life that she wanted to lead.
"You really want to know what it's all about?" He asked her.
Looking directly into the Vampire's eyes "Yes" she replied.
Summer's Residence
Sunnydale, California
4hours earlier
"You're trusting me with the flame thrower?" Faith looked at the weapon that was placed in her charge, an excited gleam in her eyes. "I mean seriously you're letting me run around and kill things with this."
Jack shrugged and started putting it together for her "Buffy took off with the rocket launcher so I figured you could use this" He leaned around and checked the gas tanks "Besides, if there are as many as we think it doesn't matter where you aim, you'll hit something bad"
Faith grinned at him again "So how do I work this thing"
