Fury by SLynn

Chapter 18: Into the Fire

They were as prepared as they could be.

Tara and Willow had done their best in conjuring up about four dozen Selene's. From everything they read Selene's were the counter to Phasma's. Phasma's were conjured from the underworld, Selene's from the heavens. They should work but neither witch had made any guarantees.

Looking into her backpack filled with her supply of the strangely glowing orbs, they'd each gotten twelve, Buffy tried to be confident.

Besides the orb's to counter whatever it was that the Phasma's did, they'd each brought weapons and other supplies. It was difficult to decide on what to take. They weren't fighting vampires here and didn't know what to expect. Tara and Willow had mostly brought magic with them, while Giles and Buffy stuck with the more reliable swords and daggers.

It would only be the four of them.

Dawn had wanted to go, as if Joyce would let her. Joyce hadn't wanted any of them going. Not after everything she recalled of Constance. But she knew she couldn't stop them. They had to do what they had to do.

Tara had thought Anya might have been persuaded to go but after thinking it through she decided it was better not to bring her up. She didn't think Buffy or Willow would like the idea.

So just after sunset they left for the wharf.

They'd assumed it would be hard to find where Constance was, but it turned out to be much easier then they could have imagined. She might as well have put up a big neon sign.

Surrounding one building a block from the docks were roughly a hundred people.

It was an odd sight.

Across the street the four of them stood facing the crowd. No one moved. No one blinked. Giles coughed once, but that was it.

It was a sea of faces looking at them without seeing. Buffy recognized the look about them. Xander had worn it the night she'd ran into him in the graveyard.

"I don't think we made enough," Tara whispered to Willow who in turn nodded in agreement.

"Anyone happen to bring any tear gas with them?" Giles asked half seriously.

Buffy was too deep in thought to hear him. She was scanning the surrounding buildings, looking for alternate ways in.

"I think we're just going to have to go for the front door," Willow said to her.

"It's just so obvious," Buffy responded.

"There's always the roof," Willow returned.

TEN MINUTES LATER

"You know," Willow said her voice full of anxiety, "I wasn't serious when I suggested this."

"But it was a great idea," Buffy assured her, reaching out her hand to help the red head across from one building to the next.

"Less talking please," Giles said clutching the ledge as he stood next to Buffy ready to help.

Shortly after the talk they'd gotten back into the car and driven around the block. From there they had gone up the nearest fire escape and onto the roof. Most buildings in the wharf district had roof top access and Buffy hoped that the one occupied by Constance was the same. They were four stories up and two buildings away and as hard of a time as she had getting Willow and Giles to climb from building to building, she didn't think she could convince either of them to go walking around on ledges looking for an open window.

"We're almost there," Buffy said again as the hurried across another roof.

In no time they made it. Buffy and Giles looked around them for the way into the building. Willow seemed to be collecting herself. Tara, curious now, wanted another peek at the crowd.

"How do you think she found them all?" she asked Willow.

"No telling," she responded.

"Come over," Tara said playfully, "They look like ants..."

She stopped suddenly. First one looked up, and then they all did. At once.

"Uh oh."

"What?" Willow asked, forgetting her momentary fear and looking over as well.

The crowd had begun to move into the building.

"Giles! Buffy!" Willow called, "We've got to hurry!"

"I've found a way in," Giles answered pulling on a rather rusty utility door.

"Stand back," Buffy said, yanking it completely off its hinges.

"Well yes," Giles said shaking his head, "that's one way of getting in."

Buffy went first into the darkness, followed by Willow, Tara and then Giles. It wasn't a typical stairwell, but a ladder and the passage was narrow. After some time they finally reached an end. The ladder had led to a type of mechanical closest, likely on the third floor.

Buffy tried the door. It too, like the previous one, was nearly rusted shut, but she managed to open it after three tries.

Scanning the hallway, they spotted the stairs. Seemingly from everywhere they heard the sound of footsteps approaching.

"Okay," Buffy said hurriedly, "Willow, Tara. You check this floor. Giles get the one below it. I'll take ground level. Yell if you need help or if you find anything."

There was no time to argue. Giles and Buffy headed for the nearest stairwell, half praying not to find it full of people and relieved when they didn't, not saying a word as they parted one floor later.

Willow and Tara, fast as they could headed around the corridor. It wasn't a well laid out building. The place was obviously bigger then it appeared from outside and the foot falls of dozens of people were getting continuously louder.

Without speaking, each began pulling open doors nearest too them and checking briefly inside. They moved quickly, but not as quietly as they needed too.

Willow, shutting the last door in their current stretch of hallway closed, quickly recollected herself. Some one had been inside.

Tara had already moved on, not realizing Willow had paused.

Willow opened back up the door and looked again. Some one was sitting facing the wall in the corner of the room.

"Tara," she called as loud as she dared as she was stepping in, "wait a minute."

Tara stopped short but didn't turn back.

"What..." she began.

Willow held up her hand and indicated that she needed a minute.

Tara reluctantly obliged.

Willow took a few more steps in. She couldn't make out who was there.

"Xander?" she asked tentatively as she took a few more steps towards the figure, "It's alright. We're going to get you out of here."

Tara from outside of the room could just make this out, and although still extremely nervous, felt some relief.

"Are you alright?" Willow said, taking a few more steps, now just a few feet away.

Without warning the door behind her slammed shut and locked with an audible click. Tara rushed for it, but soon saw she had other problems. Six or seven very angry looking people appeared at the opposite end of the hallway. At the same time, inside the room, the figure in the corner stood and turned to Willow.

"I'm fine, thanks." Constance said smiling, "Much better now that you're here. I've been waiting for this."

Giles and Buffy both heard Tara scream. Giles, called out that he was coming and Buffy continued on as she had.

She knew Xander was close.

It was almost as if he was calling her to him. It was that clear.

She found herself turning down corridors and entering doors as if this place was her own home. She was being guided, first down to the ground level and eventually to a darker stairwell.

The basement.

Buffy opened the door and slowly made her way down the stairs. The room was very dimly lit and the further she went inside the harder she found it to concentrate.

"You shouldn't have come..."

"Xander?" she called into the seemingly empty room.

"Buffy," he replied. His voice was strained. It was if forming words had become painful, "Go. Go now. You're not..."

If Buffy hadn't been a slayer she'd of likely been dead. As she'd approached the center of the room, listening for him, he'd flown out of nowhere at her. Only reflex saved her from the blow that ended up striking nothing but air. Momentum had carried Xander into the wall with a familiar looking axe in his hands.

"You have to go," Xander said again through gritted teeth. He was fighting for control over himself, struggling halfway between sitting down and lunging for her again.

"Xander," Buffy said taking a few steps back, "you can fight this. I have something to help you..."

Buffy reached for the bag she'd carried the orbs in with her but found it was no longer on her back. She'd dropped in, and nearly everything else, when she dodged Xander just minutes before.

In the strange light of the room, she couldn't see it anywhere. As she scanned the floor, she sensed rather then saw that Xander was moving again.

"Xander?" she asked looking to where he'd last been and finding the spot empty.

She turned in circles a few times knowing he was just out of sight. Buffy did the only thing she could now, listen.

In the dark she could hear him breathing. He was close. Really close. The silence was jarring. Finally, she heard it. He was swinging again, from behind her. Buffy ducked in time, but it was close. He'd actually gotten some of her hair as she dropped to the floor to take him down at the feet. In the dimness she felt her leg connect with his as she'd swung it around and hit him. She heard him fall and more importantly she heard the axe fall as well.

They were both up again in seconds, but she was quicker. She picked up the axe and made her way to where she thought the bag was. The light was better there, but she still couldn't see it. Frantically scanning the room and finally finding it, she raced to where the bag lay only to discover upon inspection that the orbs, fragile as they were, had all busted inside.

"Xander," Buffy said more firmly then before, clutching the axe in hand and dropping the bag, "Don't let this control you. Fight it. You can, I know you can."

"Control me?" he said in a voice she hardly recognized. "That's almost funny. 'Don't let this control you.' I've been controlled my whole life, but not now. Now I've been set free."

Buffy knew she was losing. Whatever was doing this, whether it was Constance or the Phasma's, they were winning.

"You don't mean that," she said forcibly. Ironically, she'd backed herself into a corner. It was the only defensive position she had left.

"No," he responded, "I do. I do mean just that. Even now, you're trying, but it's not going to work. Not any more."

Every word he said was painful to her. Not just the content, but the expression. It was undoubtedly his voice but it was so unlike him. It was cold and angry. She'd never heard him like this before. It was frightening.

"Please Xander," she said, readying herself for what she knew would eventually happen, "I don't want to have to do this."

"Well maybe you'll get lucky and I'll be the one who has to."

A/N -- Yeah, I know it's been awhile. Again with the writers block... I can't seem to get done with this story, but I am getting close. Tell me what you think.... I live for reviews! Thanks and thanks again.