Yet another battle chapter. This should provide some hints as to what happens to whom. And this is also a  double-sized chapter, even though these seem to be getting longer and longer. This story has already surpassed  its predecessor. Whoops.

I'm going to add a note from the last chapter. I ripped off a lot of monsters. Or, ahem, I borrowed some. The  little troll thingies resemble the pygmy thingies from The Mummy Returns. So if you've seen that movie, it'll  help you visualize what poor Cho was up against. The flaming rotting monster... heh. I sort of modeled it between  the Balrog and the demon Spike faced before his soul was restored. Add that to Adam, and that's the big bad. The  skeletal monster was modeled after a Doom monster, actually. I was asking my Beta what sort of monsters to use  and she recommended something that looked dead, ala Pirates of the Caribbean. I took that a step further and  turned it into an actual monster.

I know there were other inspirations and there will be a note in the next chapter as even more demons are  introduced here. I have no idea where the insect monster came from. The lizard-like monster resembles that of the  snake Glory conjured to track the Key.

Last chapter quick summary: Dawn held onto her humanity long enough to realize that the demons her powers called  were destroying the American Ministry and innocent lives were being lost. Now Buffy and her elite army must fight  demons that are barely under the Key's control. Draco was also rescued by someone who doesn't really like him all  that much.

And we FINALLY get to see who Buffy loves. Any wagers? I have to admit, I'm a torn shipper, but I think this is  the sort of end that'll make anyone happy. I hope so anyway, since my beta is an opposite shipper and she hasn't  kicked me out of the house... yet. And you'll have to wait for Chapter 31 for the final conclusion. Why? I don't  know. Chapter 30 is too damned long to add that suspense to it.

Once again, look for a PG-13ish rating for more violence and gore. There should have been a warning last chapter,  but hey... it was a FUN chapter to write.

And there's only two chapters left after this. Sigh. It is quite sad. I finished the story this morning and to  me, it felt right. It was a good ending to a different sort of sequel. I hope you've enjoyed it. It's no Slayer's  Crusade, but it is a very real thing for these characters. I also love the Goddess Irina. Such a fun character.  She returns in this chapter and will be there through the end.

- - - - -

Chapter 29

Remember My Last

- - - - -

Outside, the demons were starting to spill out, using any means necessary.

Including the destruction of the mountains themselves.

Giles led the rest of the Watchers to the front of the fray, the remainder of the Slayers standing firm. Xander  stood uneasily next to Percy as he gently helped his younger sister.

Both Ginny and Hermione had been wounded in the rescue of Draco Malfoy. It was probably going to be the easiest  rescue.

But there was a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. He had the strongest feeling he would never see his  wife again. They had only been married a pitiful week and yet...

The sun was being blocked now by dark clouds surfacing from nowhere. Any regular person would look at the sky and  just believe it was a passing storm, but Xander knew better.

The apocalypse was coming. Again.

- - - - -

Faith quickly backed out of the small room and glanced over her shoulder. The rest of the demons were still  fighting each other and the other Slayers were looking at the growing masses with terrified eyes. She knew it  would be suicide to press them against the lines of demons, which were growing larger and even more hideous. She  turned back to the dark, empty room. There had to be a way out.

"Faith!"

She turned to see Melanie, who was pointing at the demons. She narrowed her eyes and moved into the hallway.

"What?" she asked, uncertainly.

The demons were forming lines. Those which had once been battling against another were now standing side by side  and moving off.

"Something's wrong," Faith said.

"We should follow them," Mel suggested lightly. Faith nodded and the Slayers moved off.

As they reached the main room, they were met by Buffy, Willow and Tara. Tara was cradling her arm and wincing.  Faith noticed that Melanie was limping, possibly from the long fall. She paused and turned to Buffy. "Have you  noticed something is off about them?" she asked curiously.

Buffy turned to Willow, who held a bit of parchment. Tara was doing the incantations, her left eye swollen and  bruised.

"You guys weren't trying out for women's wrestling, were you?" Faith asked softly.

Buffy shook her head, showing off her own patchwork of bruises and cuts on her face and neck. "We were ambushed  just outside of the Administration offices. There's nothing left there except a lot of bodies. This place is  going to be ripped apart unless we do something. Whatever the Ministry was planning, it failed. This sort of  power can't be harnessed by--"

"There!" Willow gasped, pointing at the map. "I mean, look. Dawn's is being held in a compound over here. But Joy is  on the move and it looks as though she's being herded into a large demon area. But... the demons are moving  off..."

"Something must be controlling them," Faith said, thinking.

"Yeah," Buffy said, crossing her arms. "Dawn. That must be the reason why she was brought here."

"Right," Faith said, turning back to the Slayers. "What do we do?"

"Tara, I want you to get out of here... you're wounded. If you go back in, you could get killed," Buffy said  quickly. "Faith, do you have any injured?"

Faith turned hesitantly to Melanie, who stepped forward. "Mel, go. There's nothing you can do here except get  yourself killed."

Melanie nodded bravely.

"Joy is moving towards Dawn," Willow informed them as Tara and Melanie slipped away after a quick warning from  the elder Slayers. "So I think it's best if we move together now."

"Okay," Faith said, turning and informing the rest of the Slayers of their new plans. Buffy waited patiently  until she was finished. "Right," Faith said, turning back to Buffy. "I think we should follow the demons...  they're being led somewhere. It's the only reason we're not dead right now."

Buffy nodded. "Sounds good to me." She turned to Willow and gestured two Slayers forward. "Go on, Wil. You have  the map."

Willow gave her a shaky smile and held the map in trembling hands as she walked down the hall, feeling more than  alone, even though she had a Slayer on either side of her. She'd felt this alone ever since her powers had been  stripped. She felt naked, exposed. She glanced down at the map again, seeing two tiny green dots to the north and  west. But instead of facing an open corridor, all she could see was a solid gold wall.

"We have to go down," Willow announced as Buffy and Faith caught up with her.

"Shouldn't be a problem," Buffy said, reaching for the axe one of the Slayers was handing to her. Bending down,  she began chopping the floor, long shards of twisted golden metal flying.

"This is an easy way to do it," willow murmured, quickly lifting her arms to protect her face as shards continued  to fly until Buffy stopped, breathing hard.

"All right," she said, gazing down into the hole. "Who wants to go down first?"

- - - - -

Harry gently helped Tara climb from the stairs and out into the warm Colorado sunshine. She squinted as she  glanced around and nearly collapsed, still cradling her arm. "I... I think it's broken," she said quickly.

"We'll get you fixed up right and proper," Harry assured her as Ron stepped forward to help Melanie.

She seemed reluctant to accept his help until she collapsed onto the rocks. "Quit acting like such a moron," he  ordered her as he lifted her easily into his arms.

Melanie could barely respond as the blood rushed into her head and to her cheeks. "So sorry," she muttered as he  carried her over to where Hermione was gently being tended to by Irina.

"She's got a swollen ankle," Ron told Irina in a quiet voice before gently setting Melanie down. Before he pulled  away, he noticed the patchwork of cuts across her face and her arms. "Are you all right?"

Melanie wanted to tell him off so badly, but something held her back. Maybe it was the power of being a Slayer.  And maybe it was her own envy. But sitting next to Ron's girlfriend who looked even more badly off than she was  seemed to snap her back into reality. "I'll be okay," she assured him. She bit her lip as he walked away, feeling  like this was the one resolution she could have hoped for. They were both alive.

There was a cry from somewhere beneath them. Turning on the platform she sat on, Melanie could spy flying parts  and glitters of metal on the hills far below.

The army sent by the Ministry of Magic had engaged the demons struggling to get back inside the mountain.

Ron moved to Harry and Ginny's side as they both glanced at the battle far below them. Draco sat on the edge,  watching the battle with quiet interest, absentmindedly touching his own concussion wound. His eyes seemed full  of sadness as he stared down and there was such an air of depression around him that Harry and anyone else,  really, was almost terrified to go near him.

"She'll be all right," Ron finally said to Draco's back. "Both Dawn and Joy... Buffy'll get them out. She's never  quit on us yet."

Draco forced a smile, though none could see. "I just wish I could believe you."

"You can," Ginny said quietly.

Draco turned and surveyed the trio closely. "How's Hermione?" he asked instead, standing up.

"She'll live," Ron said, his own voice shaking.

"Now you know where I'm coming from," Draco said, sighing.

"I guess I do," Ron admitted, backing away.

Draco stalked past the trio and over to where Irina was now bandaging the sprained ankle of one of the Slayers.  "Is there anything I can do?" he asked.

"You could see if there are more bandages," Irina told him before really looking at him. "On second thought, you  look like you could use some tending to."

"I'm all right," Draco said, waving her off impatiently. "Bandages, right? I'll get them." He turned and began to  walk back up the hill to where bags of supplies had been dumped. On top of the hill, Giles stood with Xander and  two other Watchers, seemingly observing everything.

"I don't know," Xander was saying as he stared hard at the entrance. Seeing Mel and Tara exit, both wounded, was  almost heart wrenching. He didn't know if Cho was still alive.

"I'm not sure how I can tell you this," Giles replied, closing a book and dropping it helplessly on the ground.  "If the ritual has started and Dawn has lost her soul, the demons are gathered to her under her control. This  isn't the worst we've seen. The battle has barely begun."

Draco nearly dropped the armload of supplies he was carrying. After running back to Irina and depositing the  extra cotton, alcohol and bandages, he returned to a solitary rock.

So, Dawn had lost her soul. Just the thought of an evil Dawn lurking about brought bubbles of boiling hot rage  into his system. Narrowing his eyes, he focused hard on the door, willing Dawn to feel him. He could certainly  feel her. "Come on, Dawnie," he whispered. "Don't let us down."

- - - - -

Lilah held her breath as the demons started to gather in the room. Others were impatient and completely broke  through the golden walls. Quickly calling her assistant, she turned to Dawn with a frown. The girl was still  standing there, a pillar of solid green light. She thought for a split second about calling out, but held her  tongue. It would be silly to disturb the ritual. It could be deadly. The demons were barely being held in check.

Her cell phone beeped and she held it to her ear, listening to the news. Over half of Ministry headquarters had  been severely damaged or desecrated over the past few hours since the demons was unleashed. She bit her lips as  she listened to her assistant recount the tales of horror she'd endured. Running away from demons. Lilah felt  herself nodding off until suddenly the mention of a Slayer caught her attention.

"There are Slayers here?" she hissed into the phone, pleasantly surprised. She knew there were Slayers inside,  but she'd assumed they'd be coming for Dawn. The thought of Slayers fighting and killing all of these demons was  almost delicious. Hopefully they'd all be dead.

But her assistant was continuing. There was something about a large army outside battling the demons that were  not under Dawn's control yet. And something about the boy being free.

Lilah hung up without replying, cutting her assistant off in mid-speech as Amy flew into the room, seemingly  panic-stricken. "What is it?" she asked, setting her phone aside.

"The warlocks are dead," Amy moaned. "I don't know how long Dawn can stay at her current powers before she shorts  out... and when she does, all Hell will break loose."

"She's surrendered herself over so completely," Lilah reminded her, pointing at Dawn, who still hadn't moved. "In  a matter of seconds, those demons will be unleashing unholy hell over every single bit of--"

"Those demons are destroying the American Ministry!" Amy retorted, stomping her foot down. "Do you not know  what's happening? You have not seen what has happened at Administration... not to mention the dungeons! We are so  screwed if they decide to party again! And who knows... if Dawn regains her humanity, as you told me she'd given  it up, those demons will come for us. The only hope we have of every saving this planet is blowing up the whole  damn mountain."

There was a soft cry suddenly across the room. Spinning around, Lilah saw another assistant running, Joy in her  arms. "Damn it!" Lilah gasped, rushing to meet her. "What the hell is she doing here?"

The assistant was working as hard as she could to quiet the child down, but Joy's eyes were wide with terror as  they scanned the hundreds of demons now crowding into the small room. "I couldn't keep her at the nursery... the  demons were getting too close... and the Slayers..."

"You moron!" Lilah screamed, setting Joy off in a fresh wave of wails. "You should have given her to the bloody  Slayers! It would have been safer! If Dawn can tell her daughter is in any danger, it's all over and everyone  dies."

Across the room, Dawn's mind was completely blank. She felt as though she were floating from the room and  hundreds of voices, some distorted, others perfectly clear, were shouting their allegiance at her.

And then she heard it. It was a soft cry but it pulled something deep within her. As she fought to control the  voices in her head, the cry grew louder.

Lilah was too busy arguing with the assistant to notice that the green light was starting to fade away.

"Listen to me," Lilah hissed, grabbing the younger woman by the shirt, "I've been dead before. I know how it  feels. Get this baby to the Slayers, now. It's the only way that Dawn will ever stay on our--"

"Joy?" A soft voice asked from behind them.

Lilah's voice froze, her eyes wide in horror. There was a loud snarl behind her, followed by the sound of  laughter. "Oh, my God..."

Amy gasped, her hands flying to cover her mouth.

Joy stopped crying when she saw her Mother. "Mommy?"

"Oh, dear God," the assistant said, turning around, ripping Joy's view of her Mother.

"Mommy! Mommy!"

"Joy? Joy?"

"Get out of here, now!" Lilah ordered as the Assistant took off. She turned to Amy. "Go. Get as many out as you  can... I'll handle things in here."

"But you'll die!" Amy insisted, taking Lilah's arm.

"I'm already dead," Lilah said sadly as the demons started to break formations and move outside. "I need to  get... get Dawn out of here... Go... please."

"For what it's worth," Amy said as she started backing away, "you've been a fantastic boss."

Lilah watched as she ran before turning back to Dawn, who had stumbled and collapsed to the side, unconscious. As  she moved towards her, one of the demons snarled and hit her, hard, across the head. Feeling as though she could  actually see dancing stars, she was knocked off her feet, landing at Dawn's side. "Dawn? Dawn? Dawn?!"

Dawn wasn't moving and her eyes were closed, her face pale.

She glanced up, suddenly terrified for her and for the child lying next to her.

The demons were starting to fight again, and many were backing out, running into resistance, and killing anything  they could touch.

Lilah pulled herself on top of Dawn, shielding her from an attack. "If anything can go right, it's this," she  said under her breath. "At least I'm saving one life today."

Down the hall, Faith and the others had tailed the demons until they suddenly noticed another long, bloody  hallway full of battling demons.

"Oh, shit," Faith muttered as she stopped and took Willow's arm. "Wait."

Willow's eyes widened when she saw what was going on in front of them, the map actually slipping from stunned  fingers. "What is this?"

"Looks like Dawn's lost control," Buffy said, arriving. "We need to get--"

Her voice was cut off as a woman came running around the corner, a bundle in her arms. "Are... are you the  Slayers?" she gasped, breathing hard.

"Yeah," Faith said, putting her hands on her hips. "Who the hell are you?"

"No one," the girl said, shaking her head violently. "Please... we have to get her out of here..."

"Joy," Buffy said, realizing. The woman passed her bundle delicately to Faith. As she tried to turn to run away,  Buffy seized her arm. "Have you seen my sister? Have you seen Dawn?"

"You're... her...?" the woman gasped, her eyes widening in awe. "You're... that one?"

"I am," Buffy said, tightening her grip. "Where is she?"

"Down... there..." the girl said, gesturing wildly down the dark corridor.

Suddenly, the lights above them began to flicker and fade away.

The girl screamed and took off in the opposite direction.

Buffy stood motionless, trying to decide what to do next.

"Faith, get Joy back up to safety... and take the others with you... Willow and I will go in alone."

"Are you insane?" Cho squeaked, her eyes wide and terrified.

"That's my niece you're talking about, Cho," Buffy said, her voice soft and velvety. "She needs this protection.  I need to get my sister out of here."

"Right," Cho said, falling back in line.

"Go," Buffy said to Faith, who didn't hesitant another moment and turned to go. "Wait," she interrupted, taking  Faith's arm. She gently pulled down the thick quilt and peered inside at the terrified silvery-grey eyes staring  up at her, stunned tears rolling down tiny plump cheeks. "Joy..."

The toddler let out a fresh wail. Faith turned to Buffy, who reluctantly nodded. She then turned to the other  girls and they all took off in the opposite direction, towards safety.

"That's really her," Buffy said, her face tightening as she turned back to Willow. "That's really my niece."

"It really is," Willow agreed as the two women pressed on. "And she's stunning."

"She is," Buffy said, a wan smile filling her bleak face.

"Buffy?" Willow asked suddenly, her voice tense. "How are we going to get through there?"

"Follow me," Buffy said, almost hesitantly taking the first step before charging into the dark hallway.

"I was afraid you were going to say that," Willow whispered to herself as she followed along.

Buffy stopped when all that stood in front of her was darkness. She reached over and took one of the flaming  torches from the wall, pointing it in the center. A faint hissing sound came from the darkness beyond.

Willow caught up with her, breathing hard. Buffy held up her hand and they both waited in silence as she took a  few precarious steps forward, holding the light out in front of her.

Something growled in the darkness. Something behind them.

"Wil, duck!" Buffy cried just as a large arm swung out of nowhere.

Willow managed to get out of the way, but that was before the arm swung back, lifting her up and throwing her  down against the wall. As the arm retracted, Willow fell, dazed.

Buffy threw the torch aside, setting a nearby body on fire. As the demon lit ablaze, she forced herself to look  at their newest threat. It was large and green, with scales and a reptilian body. She quickly kicked out at it,  but it just swung an enormous, flipper-like arm that smacked her aside. She landed hard next to Willow. "I can't  fight it," she breathed, her eyes on the creature as it towered over them.

"Then we have to run for it," Willow said, blinking away the pain in the back of her head.

"All right, you go," Buffy said, quickly moving into a crouched position to distract the monster so her friend  could get away. "Now! Go!"

Willow took off running down the dark corridor as Buffy sprang from her position and launched a strong kick into  the monster's midsection. As it swung its arm to hit her away again, it fell, backwards, into the fire Buffy had  set. As the flames began to crawl up the demon's flesh, it let out a loud, howling noise. Buffy stepped back,  smiling slightly, until Willow's scream prompted her to follow. "Buffy!"

Buffy ran until she saw Willow being dropped from a high location. Buffy screamed as Willow fell at her feet,  looking dazed. "Look... out..." Willow said, her eyes closing.

She glanced up, lifting her fists. Circling around above her were tiny creatures, crawling down the walls. With a  terrified yelp, she stepped back just as the reptilian creature fell onto its side, lighting the entire corridor.  There were nearly a hundred of them. They were half her size, but they carried little swords and wore eye  patches. "Crap!" she cried, trying to run through them as they swung on imaginary wires, attempting to either  lift her up or slice her head off. As she dodged right and left, her thoughts dwelled on Willow. She was trapped  with these little demons, and it wasn't a pretty picture. She was slightly comforted in knowing that the large,  bulky body of the reptilian demon was blocking her from view.

She was still running when suddenly she noticed something flying at her from the corner of her eye. As she put up  her hands to protect herself, she missed the creature swinging in from the left. She cried out as a strong,  spindly hand lifting her by the arm and pulled her into the air. She cried out as she was dropped from one hand  to another.

I have to do something, she thought to herself as she was passed from creature to creature, moving backwards  towards the fire. And there were many gathering below, cheering with their tiny swords in midair.

The hand holding hers let go.

"Aaaahhhhhh!" Buffy cried as she sailed down toward the hundreds of swords.

Suddenly, she felt a strong arm circle around her body as she was lifted back into the air. Buffy felt the blood  rush to her head and turned to see her rescuer before her gaze started to fade. After what seemed like an hour  flying, she finally felt the ground beneath her feet and would have fallen to her knees except that someone was  still holding onto her. She glanced up, and even in the darkness, she could see the peroxide hair. "Spike?" she  gasped.

"Glad you're all right," he said, pulling her by the hand toward another fork in the corridors. "Thought I was  gonna lose you for a second there."

"I thought I was dead," Buffy said, her eyes still wide with horror. "What were those things?"

"They're little pirates, literally," Spike said, pulling her across the hallway.

"Where's Angel?" Buffy asked as she stopped behind him while he peered into the darkness.

"Is that all you care about, your big poof? I would have thought that the Bit was more deserving for your  concern," Spike said, his voice tinged with hurt.

Buffy glanced quickly up at him, her jaw dropping. "That's... that's not what I meant," she said, hurriedly  apologizing. "It's just that... the two of you got separated."

"We had a little run-in with Faith. He seemed to think that it was more important to get Baby Bit out of here,"  Spike replied, walking down the hall a bit, Buffy keeping close.

"I... I didn't mean to sound ungrateful..." Buffy said slowly. He stopped suddenly and turned around to face her.  "I mean, you did save my life."

He seemed to be staring at her before turning to look back down the hall. "I'm sorry," he finally said. "I  shouldn't have just assumed..."

"You shouldn't assume anything," she said softly, taking his hand. "I like it when you're there to watch my  back."

If he'd been looking at her, he would have been smiling.

- - - - -

The door burst open and Faith tumbled out into the darkness, cradling a sobbing Joy in her arms. The rest of the  Slayers spilled out behind her, with Angel bringing up the rear. "I'm going back in," he said, quickly. "Buffy's  still in there."

That said, he was gone once again.

Faith glanced after him for a long moment before turning back to see Draco running down the hill, his eyes on the  bundle Faith was holding. "Is that her?"

Faith nodded and mutely handed him his daughter. Draco pulled her into his arms and her cries subsided into  girlish giggles. A soft hand came up, patting his face. "She knows her own Dad."

"Faith!" Giles said, arriving. He had two people in tow, both people that Faith recognized. One was Remus Lupin,  whom she supposed was here with the Order. The other was someone she recognized from the past.

"Wes?" she gasped, running forward to hug him quickly.

"I heard what was going on," he said, glancing at Draco with Joy. "I just had to come."

"He's been our liaison in London all this time!" Giles said pleasantly, turning back to Lupin. "You have  information?"

"We believe that the demons inside will stay bottled up until everyone and everything is dead. Whatever the  Ministry was planning on doing has failed. We have a golden opportunity to destroy any evidence it existed,"  Remus began. "The demons that the British Ministry have been fighting have all retreated inside... we've caved in  their last entrance."

"What do you propose we do?" Faith asked, squinting in the darkness.

"We need to bomb the entrance," Xander said, arriving with Cho on his arm.

"More than that," Remus replied. "We have to set a bomb at the very heart of the Ministry. We believe that it's  the room where the portals are."

"What does that mean?" Faith asked uneasily.

"It means that someone has got to go in there, alone," Giles replied softly. "And that someone won't be coming  out alive."

- - - - -

Buffy and Spike managed to fight their way down another hallway, until they saw the corridor leading down to  where the portal room was. The lights were much brighter here, since there were dead demons everywhere. The only  problem was, there were still dozens of demons littering the hallway, fighting and killing one another.

"We have to get through there," Buffy said as Spike took her hand.

"We will," he said with his reassuring smile.

They started by running around the larger demons before running into something that looked suspiciously like a  werewolf. One leapt over Spike to attack Buffy, but Spike jumped on his back and managed to snap its neck before  it could touch her.

After helping Spike back to his feet, they continued on until they met several large grasshopper-like demons with  pointy stakes as feet. After ducking and dodging their way through a dozen of those, they met a large demon with  stinking, rotting flesh.  As it lifted smoldering hands to attack them, Buffy lifted an abandoned sword from the  ground and stabbed through its foot, rendering the creature wounded and allowing them to escape.

They had finally reached the entrance to the room. As they both ran inside, they looked around in horror. Amidst  the demons falling apart, they saw two demons that were bright, fiery blue, resembling the judge, fighting off  several dozen soldier-types with horns growing from their ears. Dashing along the wall, Buffy suddenly spotted  two human figures huddled near the portal. Running forward and ignoring Spike's pleas to stay with him, she ran  around the dead bodies and threw herself, landing on her stomach just a few short feet away from her sister.

"Dawn!" she cried out, crawling forward.

She suddenly screamed as a sword landed right where her hand had been a second earlier. Lifting it out of the  ground, she ran the last few feet on foot before landing next to her sister.

The portal was on the ledge below them, still brimming with green energy.

There was someone lying on top of Dawn, trembling. Getting to her knees, Buffy pulled the person off and pointed  the sword at their throat. She found herself looking at a completely unfamiliar person. "Who are you?"

"Lilah... Morgan..." the woman replied in deep, shuddering breaths. "I was the Head of Projects here at the  Ministry..."

"And Dawn... was she a special project too?" Buffy demanded. The woman didn't answer her, so Buffy tossed her  aside and bent over Dawn. As Spike arrived, he, too, bent over her, his cold, pale hand gently touching Dawn's  cheek. "She's unconscious."

Spike bent down and scooped her into his arms. "Then let's get her out of here."

"Right," Buffy said, getting to her feet and pointing the sword at Lilah. "And you're coming with me. You have a  lot to answer to for all that's happened here. Hundreds of lives have been lost, including Slayer lives."

Lilah trembled as she got to her feet.

Before she could start forward, a clawed hand lifted her off the ground. Buffy fell into Spike as they backed  away.

It was a three-headed monster, with four hands, each one of them moving toward Lilah.

"Leave her!" Spike shouted and Buffy nodded as the two ran off, Spike cradling Dawn.

"No!" Lilah screamed as the hands covered her. The pain was almost worse than watching her own beheading. Tears  filled her eyes as her last hope of salvation ran from the room.

As the demon ripped her body apart, Spike and Buffy managed to get out of the room just as the wall in front of  them caved in with a large, robotic demon. They both screamed and fell back against the wall, Buffy clutching the  sword hard. "I'm going for him. You get Dawn out of here."

"Right," Spike said, uncertainly.

Buffy launched out, attacking the demon with her sword. As the two fought, Spike managed to get Dawn to the end  of the hallway before he was cut off by the caved-in ceiling. "We're trapped!" he shouted out as Buffy caught up  to him, covered in dark blue demon blood.

"Oh, no!" she gasped as she pressed her back to his, holding up her bloody sword. They circled around looking for  an escape. There was none.

Suddenly an anchor fell from the hole in the ceiling, and with it came a thick black rope. They both glanced up  as Angel swooped down.

"Angel!" Buffy cried. He turned to her, glancing at her bloody face and arms.

"Are you all right?" he asked, his voice full of concern.

Behind them, Spike rolled his eyes.

"I'm fine," she said, pointing to Spike. "He has Dawn. We have to get out of here!"

"I found Willow and got her out of here. But you need to go," Angel assured her as he helped her over to the rope  and removed the sword from her hands. "We'll cover you."

"Speak for yourself, mate," Spike growled as he followed right behind her.

As the shadows on the dimly lit golden walls began to show the half-sized sword-toting demons, Angel quickly  climbed the rope, using the sword to cut the thick line. Above them, Spike and Buffy waited.

"Let's move!" Buffy said as the three ran down the corridors, ducking and dodging demons as they crossed them.

When they finally hit the stairs, Buffy thought she was going to cry as the door burst open and all three tumbled  out, gasping. Spike fell to his knees, gently lying Dawn on the cold ground.

Above them, the stars were twinkling gently as Buffy rolled over on her back, spent.

"Whoa," she breathed. "That was… nifty."

- - - - -

To be continued...