THE END IS ONLY THE BEGINNING
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters except for the new ones that I created.
CHAPTER 12-BAD MORNING, AND ANOTHER ATTACK
Faith and Wesley sat in the same position that they had been in when Lilah left them for another half an hour. Both spent the time trying their best to try to remember what had transpired the night before. By the end of the thirty minutes neither had come up with anything, except for the fact that Wesley had blown a hole straight through Francis' head. They shared a good laugh at that before Wesley realized that the bright glare coming from the windows still hadn't subsided.
"That's odd…," Wesley mumbled softly as he stood up and made his way over to the window.
"What is…," Faith asked lazily as she pulled her feet up onto the couch and turned around to look at Wesley at the window, a slightly sickly smile on her face.
"It's almost noon and there's sunlight coming in…I don't understand…," Wesley replied with a deep in thought frown on his face before Faith crawled over the back of the couch and slowly walked towards him.
"So what else is new…," Faith quipped with a sexy smile spread across her face as she looked up at Wesley, who frowned down at her with a look of disapproval on his face. "Sorry…," Faith mumbled under her breath with an apologetic look on her face before Wesley shrugged his shoulders and returned his attention to the window. Neither noticed when Faith laid a hand on Wesley's left shoulder and laid her head up against his other shoulder.
"Forget about it…but there shouldn't be any light coming in here, what with the sun being blotted out and all," Wesley questioned out loud with a concerned look on his face as he absentmindedly slipped one arm around Faith's waist and scratched his head with his free hand.
"So then why the painful wakeup," Faith interjected with a slightly worried furrowing of her brows that when Wesley looked down caused him to want to kiss her. But biting his tongue he only shrugged his shoulders as a response.
"It's a spell, the sunlight…that's what you were wondering about right," Knox said with a slightly scared look on his face as he edged his way into the room.
"What…," Faith exclaimed in shock as she pulled her hand from Wesley's shoulder and spun around, still with his hand on her hip.
"Ms. Morgan wanted us to wake you two up, so she had a sunlight spell cast on this floor," Knox replied with a proud smile on his face before he focused an observant eye at Wesley's hand on Faith's hip. Faith looked on with a confused look on her face for a second or two before she realized what Knox was looking at and pulled away from Wesley.
"It sounds like her…now Knox do you have a purpose for being here or…," Wesley mumbled back with a slightly embarrassed smirk on his face as he walked back towards his desk.
"Oh uh yes, Mr. Angel has left Los Angeles and traveled back to Sunnydale…," Knox said with a nervous look on his face as he walked towards Wesley's desk, carefully avoiding getting any closer to Faith than he absolutely had to.
"All that's old news, got anything new for us," Faith asked with a bored look on her face as she took note of the dilapidated state that her clothes were in.
"Of course, our seer's found out that the other slayer…a Ms. Summers was drawn into a portal sometime last night," Knox answered with a very serious and slightly nervous look on his face as he handed Wesley a few papers.
"What kind of portal," Wesley asked almost instinctively before Faith could get a word in edgewise.
"From what we've been able to determine without doing an actual on sight investigation is that this particular portal was the result of a very powerful magic spell, for anything further we'd have to send a team to the Hyperion," Knox replied softly with a calm look on his face as he closed the folder in his hands and only glanced over nervously at Faith.
"So send a fucking team already…if B's in trouble then we have to do something about it, right Wes," Faith exclaimed with a very assertive frown on her face as she walked behind Wesley's desk and hopped up onto it so that she was facing Wesley with her back to Knox.
"Yes Faith, of course…but I would like to lead that team myself, if that's okay…with…you," Wesley started to say with a deep frown of concentration on his face before he grimaced painfully and almost dropped the files that were in his hands.
"Wesley," Faith shouted loudly, the concern and worry in her voice clearly palpable, as she slid off of the desk and caught Wesley in her arms before he could fall forward.
"What's wrong," Knox exclaimed with a very worried and nervous look on his face as he started to rush around the side of the desk, just as Faith was helping Wesley into his chair.
"He pushed himself to hard and almost passed out, he needs Will to do another healing spell…," Faith replied with a very worried and caring look on her face as she knelt down beside Wesley and put her hand to his forehead.
"We have people who could cast such a spell, should I call for them or…," Knox started to say with a very worried look on his face as he fumbled for his cell phone before Faith stopped him.
"Yes…and hurry damn it," Faith shouted angrily as she hopped back up onto the desk and pulled Wesley closer to her.
"Of course," Knox exclaimed with a great amount of fear and nervousness in his voice before he turned on his heel and ran off out of the room.
"Come on Wes, look at me…say something…," Faith pleaded softly with a worried look on her face as she cupped Wesley's chin in her hands and forced her old watcher to look up.
"You have the most beautiful eyes…anyone ever tell you that," Wesley mumbled softly to Faith with a tired and slightly out of it smile on his face. Faith couldn't help but blush and smile at the compliment before she forced her mind to work again.
"Right back at ya…but this is no time for compliments Wes," Faith replied, holding back a smile and a few tears, as she almost forced Wesley to look her in the eye.
"Erg…," Wesley growled with an angry and painful tone to his voice as he lurched forward and grabbed his chest, falling forward out of the chair.
"Wesley," Faith shouted almost at the top of her lungs with a scared stiff look on her face, while fighting back a sea of tears that were threatening to pour out down her cheeks, as she reacted quickly enough and slid off of the desk, catching Wesley in her arms as she did so. When Knox returned with the healers that he had told Faith about they would find a very worried Faith trying to push an unconscious Wesley off of her.
* * * * * *
Time lost its meaning to Angel as he held Cordelia in his arms. A million questions raced through his mind about a million different things but for the moment he was happier not knowing. He couldn't keep back all of the painful memories of what had transpired when he and the others at Angel Investigations had thought that she was back the first time. Scenes of Cordelia sleeping with Connor flashed through his mind and were followed quickly by memories of a pregnant Cordelia initially fooling them all. He could still remember the look on her face as he held the point of the sword dangerously close to her heart, ready to snuff out her life for the sake of the world. But he had hesitated, and because of his brief hesitation a higher being had come into the world and nearly destroyed it. It had taken the death of his son at his own hands to finally bring the nightmare to an end. And now he was holding the woman that had started it all. The woman that a few years earlier he would have never believed could ever mean so much to him.
"Angel I," Cordelia mumbled out through a softer sob as she slowly pulled away and looked up at Angel through the tears in her eyes.
"Cordy…," Angel started to say with a very emotional look on his face before he was interrupted by a sinister and mocking laugh.
"Such a tender moment…," The Beast said through a howl of laughter as it stalked its way up out of the crater and glared at Angel, who instantly pushed Cordelia behind him.
"Whoa…," Andrew shouted with a dumbfounded look of sheer terror on his face as he stumbled back a few steps before he tripped over an overturned trunk and fell to the ground.
"Not again…," Sam shouted with an equal amount of worry and fear in her voice as she painfully scrambled her way to Riley's side and positioned herself in between the Beast and her husband.
"Oh dear," Giles muttered loudly before he began to frantically look around him for anything that could possibly be used as a weapon.
"Ha…you quiver and scurry away in terror like the rats you are…come out and face me Angelus…your grandchilde was a pitiful substitute, he even had a little girl fight for him," The Beast said with a sinister grin on its face as Angel drew his sword and charged. Cordelia rushed back towards Xander, who was busy tearing through one trunk after another looking for a weapon that would do more than annoy the Beast. The Beast laughed off Angel's first few hacks with his sword with a haughty sneer on its face before Angel ducked under a blow, spun around, and drove the point of his sword straight into the Beast stomach.
"Yeah…," Anya cheered with delight at first before her face fell as Angel's sword snapped in half, allowing a grinning Beast to grab Angel by the collar of his coat and hurl him up into the air and down into the crater.
"Angel," Cordelia screamed with a terrified look on her face as she almost darted out away from Xander to go to Angel's aid.
"Alright…who's next…," The Beast bellowed with a triumphant grin on its face as it kicked away the remains of Angel's sword.
"That'd be me…now be a good creep and say hello to my not so little friend," Xander shouted with a great deal of confidence in his voice as he glared at the Beast and lifted a rocket launcher up to his shoulder.
"Xander I…," Was all Giles was able to get out before the former carpenter fired the rocket, aiming it directly at the Beast's chest. True to his aim the rocket shot off out of the launcher and slammed into the Beast's chest, exploding upon impact. For several eerily silent seconds the Beast was engulfed in a large ball of fire as everyone else did their best to hastily find cover.
"Yeah…I did it…," Xander started to shout with a triumphant smile on his face as he dropped the rocket launcher and turned to Anya. His triumph was short-lived as from the slowly fading field of fire an unsigned Beast took up a mocking fit of laughter. "Hey…no fair…it worked before…," Xander sputtered out with a look of disbelief and utter dread on his face as he shook his head and tried to keep Anya behind him.
"Foolish human, your puny weapon cannot hurt me," The Beast shouted with an arrogant laugh as it stepped out of the fire.
"No," Sam shouted in desperation as she aimed and quickly emptied two clips at the Beast, only managing to cause the Beast to intensify the grin on its face.
"Nothing that you possess can harm me…my harbingers will come soon and deal with the likes of you…," The Beast shouted with a boastful tone to its voice as it slowly took note of those daring to stand up to it.
"H…harbingers…," Giles said with a confused look on his face as he picked himself up from the ground, armed only with the pistol that he had been able to find lying on the ground nearby.
"They are known to you as the Scourge," The Beast answered with a mocking smile on its face before a portal opened up and it stepped back into it, leaving the echo of its laughter hanging in the air for several seconds.
"Angel…," Cordelia shouted now in a full panic as she forgot the possible danger that the Beast might return and raced to the side of the crater.
* * * * * *
Morning broke in the Sunnydale of the past to find Spike and Buffy asleep in each other's arms and a snoring Molly about ready to fall out of her bed. Spike woke up first as the first few rays of the morning sun lanced through the paper thin curtains and struck him right in the eyes. With a muffled curse he slowly disentangled himself from Buffy and pulled his jeans back on. As he pulled his shirt on Spike lazily yawned and grabbed the roll of money that Buffy had hastily deposited there the night before. He slipped his socks and boots back on quickly enough before he ran a hand through his hand and headed towards the door. He was just about to turn the knob when his angel interrupted.
"Spike…," Buffy mumbled softly, still half asleep, with a noticeable amount of fear in her voice as she ran searched for Spike with her hand that she wasn't lying on.
"Right here pet," Spike whispered back softly with a slightly worried look on his face as he walked back towards the bed and sat down beside his angel.
"Spike…," Buffy mumbled again, but this time with more a touch of terror in her voice, before she finally propped open an eye and saw a very worried Spike staring back at her, his hair a mess. Before Spike could say anything to try to calm her down Buffy had wrapped her arms around him and buried her head into his chest, all before letting the tears flow.
"Shh…luv, I'm here…don't cry, please," Spike pleaded and begged softly with a scared look on his face as he tried to use a tight embrace to convey to Buffy that he was there and not to worry.
"I dreamed that you left and I couldn't find you and when I woke up I…," Buffy managed to mumble out through the tears before she slowly started to calm down.
"It was just a bad dream Buffy, I'm here…I'm never going to leave you," Spike said back with his best voice of reassurance and a worried look on his face as he was finally able to pry Buffy off of the death grip that she had him in and to look her in the eye.
"Promise…," Buffy asked with a look on her face that seemed to infer that she was silently pinning all of her hopes on his response.
"Cross my heart and hope to die…," Spike whispered back softly with his best truthful smile on his face before he leaned down and placed a soft kiss on Buffy's lips. As he started to slowly pull back she reached her free arm out and pulled him back into another kiss. Almost instantly Spike forgot what it was that he had been about to do and his shirt soon found a home on the floor on the other side of the room while his jeans slumped down into place beside the bed.
Molly awoke, hours after Spike, when the rumbling in her stomach became loud enough that it was able to rouse her from her slumber. Her first thought upon returning to consciousness, after needing something to eat, was to remember to buy some toothpaste. She slowly slid out of bed and pulled her jeans back on before stumbling to the bathroom and turning the faucet on. She washed her face and did her best to make herself presentable before walking back out into the room to search for her socks. She finally found one sock under the bed, and rather than slide in under it she used her newfound slayer strength to simply lift the bed up with one hand and grab the article of clothing with the other. Proud of her accomplishment Molly fished the other sock out of the sheets before plopping down on the edge of the bed to put them on. From somewhere outside she could hear the sounds of cars whizzing by on the highway, people talking, and a radio playing an old country song.
Suddenly the thought hit her that Spike and Buffy were probably already up and had let her sleep crossed her mind. With a furious pace she yanked her socks on and only half tied her shoes before throwing the door to her room open and slamming it shut behind her. She had gone only a few feet before she remembered her room key and started to turn back. With a deep sigh of relief she reached into her pocket and felt the key tucked under a few bills that Molly had kept for herself after paying for the rooms the night before. When she finally got to Spike and Buffy's room she was met by the yawning pair as they were slowly coming out of their room.
"Spike…Buffy," Molly shouted with a nervous look on her face as she almost ran headlong into Spike.
"Easy Nibblet, not so loud, we're not deaf ya know" Spike mumbled back in reply before letting out another large yawn that Buffy soon followed with one of her own as she stretched a bit.
"Sorry," Molly replied with a sheepish smile and shrug of her shoulders before she found herself unable to hold back and joined in the yawning.
"You're forgiven…but only if you…," Spike started to say with a shrug of his shoulders and slightly cheesy smile on his face before Buffy shook her head and walked away. "Hey wait," Spike shouted in surprise as he stopped talking to Molly and rushed after Buffy.
"Sorry but I'm hungry and didn't want to interrupt…," Buffy said with a hungry and bored look on her face as she took hold of Spike's hand.
"Oh no you should have interrupted, I felt like bloody child," Molly said with a slightly annoyed frown on her face as she ran up beside Buffy and ignored Spike.
"No offense pet, but you are a bloody child…," Spike said back with a short snicker, which brought on a very angry glare from Molly.
"Okay that's it…," Molly shouted in anger as she launched herself at Spike, knocking the two to the ground. "I…am not a…child," Molly yelled with an angry look on her face as she began to jab Spike in the stomach and soon the two were play wrestling on the ground beside a mortified Buffy.
"Molly…Spike…please I…," Buffy said as she tried her best to protest before what started out as a slight snicker at the sight of William the Bloody wrestling on the ground with Molly turned into a full blown fit of laughter. The noon bells chimed happily as Buffy continued to watch the scene if front of her, laughing as she hadn't done in a very long time.
END OF CHAPTER 12