Chapter 2 Never Enough

This world is never enough, and I'm not giving it up

My faith in love is like blood, I'd spill it freely for some

My faith in love is like blood it flows in everyone

Don't stop to look at the clock, forever won't be long enough

Sunnydale High School

Sunnydale California

Just after Sunrise

One by one, hand over hand, they watched as their blood welled up in the cuts they had inflicted on their own palms, they watched mesmerised as the thick red liquid attempted to coagulate but was allowed to run free. Dripping slowly over their palms as they each extended the injured hand over the seal, none of them was willing to look at another, each wondering if they were truly doing the right thing.

They would soon know.

Wolfram and Heart

Los Angeles California

The elevator slowly made it's way up from the basement, Kennedy wasn't sure exactly how high they were going, or exactly where they were. They had traveled the entire way in silence, a silence that scared the teen more than she would ever admit.

Finally the elevator stopped and the doors opened as in slow motion. There in the middle of the room was a bed, and lying on the bed was a woman.

Laying a hand on the small of her back, Angel pushed the girl forward, closer and closer to the woman. Who she was, Kennedy didn't know but she got the feeling she was about to find out.

The Hellmouth

Jonas stood there frozen; there in the cavern below them were hundreds upon thousands of creatures. From the paleness of both Buffy and Faith's faces he knew that this couldn't be good.

Looking at the people standing around her Buffy grinned and without a word hefted the rocket launcher onto her right shoulder and after only a moments hesitation she launched right into the crowd below them.

With a deafening roar but at the same time painful slowness Mac watched as the rocket arched out and across the impossibly large cavern. She saw each and every one of the creatures faces turn towards the object flying at them. It was a sight to behold as the projectile found its mark, the explosion causing her to shy away from the heat and the light. With a speed she had never seen before the many who had not been destroyed by the rocket saw what they had been waiting a millennia or more for.

Blood.

Wolfram and Heart

Los Angeles, California

Kennedy watched almost unwillingly as the brunette woman's chest rhythmically rose and fell. She breathed in and out with such a peaceful easiness that Kennedy could not take her eyes away from the prone form.

"Why did you bring me here?" Her own words echoed painfully in her ears.

"To show you" Angel stood behind her and whispered and her ear "You wanted to know what it's all about" He moved around slightly so that he hovered over her other shoulder. "What the fight is all about"

He laid a hand on each of her shoulders to hold the girl where she was "To the majority your individual lives don't mean that much, but every now and then a special one comes along. She'll fight and she'll live and it's not until she dies that anyone really knew what had been done and sacrificed." He pushed her forward some more.

"But it's not about life"

The Hellmouth

"Fuck" Faith swore as the flamethrower clicked indicating that the tank was empty. Looking around as she unhooked the Scythe from where it had been secured behind her back, she saw that Mac was still spraying Holy water over anything that wasn't Spike. Buffy and Spike were fighting back to back a whirl of dust streaming around them as they disposed of one Turok-Han after another.

Jack was backed against a wall firing the phosphorescent traces, taking out an admirable number of his own, slightly to his left stood Jonas with his hose squirting out gasoline by the gallon.

Making a split second decision, Faith hurled herself into the largest group of Turok-Han in an attempt to quell their numbers. She had just about cleared the area when a cry from the left of the ledge caught her attention.

She watched helplessly as one got by Mac's defenses and slashed her down the front, with a look of pain and shock the Marine fell to the ground unmoving.

Sunnydale High School

Sunnydale, California

Janet had been in the field before but this this was something totally different. There were Bringers swarming everywhere. No matter how many they took out, there was always two or three more to replace them.

Casting a quick glance round to her companions she could see that they were all tiring. Having to fight hand-to-hand in close combat for this length of time was not what they were used to. SG1 could run for days on end with Jaffa hot on their trail and intermittent fire fights but

She didn't know how much longer they could last up here. Let alone those below them.

Wolfram and Heart

Los Angeles California

Kennedy finally managed to tear her gaze away from the woman. Turning her head to face the Vampire she saw that he wasn't focused on her but on the woman.

"It's about death" His voice almost cracked

"It's about the knowledge that one day, you will fight your last battle. Whether it's human, or demon or something else that kills you, we all die at some point."

He pushed her forward a bit more.

"Can you live with that, accept that? Knowing that no matter how many people you save, no matter how many demons you kill, they're all going to die anyway"

He pushed her forward even more

"One day every person that you love will be dead, and so will you. So why should you fight."

"Because" Her voice was clogged with emotion "I don't know because I was told that was what I have to do"

He moved his head to speak into her other ear "Then you fight for the wrong reason." Two more steps forward and they were at the woman's bedside. "We fight because we have to, because no one else will. That's why Buffy fights, that's why Willow and Xander fight, and that's why she fought. Because if they didn't no one else would"

Kennedy couldn't stop the tears that welled up "Who is she"

"She is the fair Cordelia, and I will cry how forever more" He released her arms and walked out of the room, leaving her alone with her thoughts and the Seer.

The Hellmouth

It started out as a low rumbling, a slight shaking of the ground, none of them really noticed. Fighting back to back with Spike Buffy felt a light pulling in her chest, not painful but disorienting. Ignoring it as she had been trained to do, she beheaded another Turok-Han, and kept fighting.

Sunnydale High School

Sunnydale California,

The second rumble reached those up above this time, startling Sam enough so that her current opponent managed to embed his knife in her lower thigh, scraping along the bone and knee. With a cry of pain she fell to the ground. (Work with me here ok,, lets pretend she's not gonna bleed out in three hours)

Bringing her own knife up she shoved it up into the Bringers chest with all her might and rolled as it fell to the ground dead. Instinctively the others closed ranks around her, protecting their fallen comrade, friend and daughter.

The Hellmouth

None of those below the surface would ever forget what happened next. The earth moved with force, and the Turok-Han cowed with fear as Buffy was thrown high against the wall of the cavern.

It seemed as though she was held there by nothing, and a bright light engulfed her entire body. Mesmerised by the pure light swirling around the Slayer they stopped and watched, as the light seemed to be drawn inwards. After a few moments of painful waiting to see what would happen next, none of them would truly be able to explain it. To see it would be to understand. As the light had engulfed Buffy with such intensity it exploded out with just as much destroying what wasn't meant to be. The force and the heat of the explosions were dropping those still standing to their knees in shock. Tears welled up in Faith's eyes as her sister Slayer started to burn.

Her eyes were closed but the look of intensity on her face told them that she knew exactly what was happening.

She was saving the world again.

Sunnydale High School

Sunnydale, California

Jacob reached down and pulled his daughter up into a standing position, wrapping an arm around her waist he started to pull her towards the doors. Looking behind them she saw what he had seen.

Jonas was running up first, Mac slung over his shoulders, blood dripping down off both of them. She couldn't tell who's. Behind him was Jack physically dragging Spike who looked as though he'd been through the wringer and lost.

Turning back round, Sam concentrated on getting to the chopper. Hauling herself inside she immediately grabbed the med kit and passed it off to Janet who was already attempting to treat the injured Marine.

It wasn't until the chopper left the ground that Sam noticed neither Faith nor Buffy was with them.

Wolfram and Heart

Los Angeles, California

Kennedy had long since left the room that held Cordelia. Now she was wandering the halls of Wolfram and Heart looking for Angel. Wanting to go back to the Hyperion, back to Willow, to find out exactly who this Cordelia was.

To find out what it was really like for them. No more romanticizing, no more thinking it was a good life. She needed to know the truth; she needed to know if she could really do it.

Sunnydale, California

It was Jonas Quinn who finally noticed the dark figure running over the building tops of Sunnydale, trying to catch up with the Chopper and keep ahead of the sinking town. With a triumphant cry he pointed, at her and yelled at Jack to pick her up.

Veering towards where the brunette was running Jack got the chopper as close to her position as he dared.

With a flying leap Faith launched herself towards the chopper grabbing onto the leg and holding on for all she was worth.

Grunting with effort Jacob reached down and pulled her in, holding on as tight as he could.

Once safely inside Jack once again took off, away from the collapsing town.

So drive me out

Out to that open field

Turn the ignition off

And spin around

Your help is here

But I'm parked in this open space

Blockin' the gates of love.