Fury by SLynn

Chapter 19: The End

The end excuses any evil.

Sophocles (496 BC – 406 BC), Electra, c. 409 BC

Giles had little trouble finding Tara as, upon gaining access to the third floor, she promptly ran into him. There was, at the time, little either of them could do but run back down the steps and find some place to hide and regroup.

"What's happened?" Giles asked as quietly as they could once they were safely away and had put several doors between themselves and the crowd.

"I'm not sure," Tara panted, "I think it's Constance. I think Willow ran into her. I tried..."

She paused as they both heard a strange sound. A loud crash from somewhere above. Tara looked pained and Giles knew she was thinking of Willow.

"We need to get back up there and help," Giles said, equally worried.

"What about all of them?" Tara asked. She did want to help but they weren't prepared for this.

"We'll just have to make due I guess."

Willow had realized much too late that it was just a simple glamour spell that had made her think Constance was Xander, but she was alright. She had straightened herself out quickly and prepared to do what she could. In fact, she'd been waiting for this.

"So," Constance said with a smile, "once more is it? I believe the last time you and I danced together I came out on top, right?"

"Well, you did have the advantage," Willow said not allowing her concentration to slack, "I thought you were Xander, remember?"

"And you don't think Xander could hurt you," she stated coldly.

"He wouldn't."

"I imagine Buffy's finding out something very contrary to that statement. But you won't get the chance. I'm not going to leave as much as a piece of you for him to practice on."

"You talk a lot."

"I'm done now," Constance finished and sent dual shots of light from her hands at Willow.

Willow was able to dodge the first, but the second grazed her side and sent her back into the wall. The pain was intense, but she didn't fall over. She had steeled herself for a fight and wasn't about to back down now.

They had reached a stalemate.

For what seemed to be eons neither Buffy nor Xander had moved. She could tell he was out there, just beyond site, but not exactly where.

She still had the axe and the bag, but both were useless. The bag had nothing but broken magic and she just couldn't bring herself to use the axe and so she put it down.

"I can wait all night you know," Xander finally said. His voice farther away then she'd expected which worried her more. What else was down here with them?

"Is that what you want?" she answered trying not to let her voice show her nerves.

"You know what I want."

His voice was still distant. Farther away, but not too far. Now might be her only chance to sneak up on him. If she could maybe just knock him out and find the others, there was still a chance.

"When you're gone the others will be easy," he continued. Obviously spending so much time with Constance had instilled her habit of chatter into him. "Almost too easy. You're the challenge. You're the one that will prove to her what I can do."

Buffy still hadn't responded. She was almost to him. She could feel his presence again. He was less then a foot away now. One good hit to the head should do it.

Buffy knew she had to be quick. He'd hear her otherwise. So, as fast as her reflexes allowed, she brought back the bag to hit him with.

'Almost over,' she told herself, but was wrong.

He'd caught her arm before she had the chance to finish.

"That wasn't very smart."

Tara and Giles had made it back to the corridor where she'd last seen Willow. The hall was packed with people, at least three dozen.

"Which door is it?"

"The second from the end," Tara whispered in reply. Both were doing their best to be quiet.

Giles quickly stole a look and turned back to her.

"What do you think of a sleeping spell?" he asked.

"That I'm not powerful enough," she answered honestly, "not for all of those people."

Giles nodded. It didn't look good, but they had to try and help Willow. They couldn't just leave her to face Constance alone.

"We'll have to fight our way in," Giles said after another moment or twos consideration, "Use the orbs first, but try to save a few. Try to knock them unconscious, but not hurt them too badly."

Tara looked startled at the thought.

"We have to help her," Giles said more calmly trying to reassure and persuade more then just himself, "It's our only option."

Willow was putting up a fight. A very good one even, but clearly she was outmatched. Constance was strong and knew so much more it could hardly be called fair. But she'd managed, to this point, to hold her own. But now she was rapidly loosing energy.

"What's wrong?" Constance called out to her, "Running out of spells?"

"I've still got a few," Willow answered.

"Good. Because as far as I'm concerned the fun is just..."

She stopped abruptly.

Willow didn't know what to do. Didn't know what was wrong with her.

Constance stood there with a blank look about her. Then her face changed. Slowly a pained looked crossed it. Her eyes rolled back into her head and she emitted a noise, a scream, like none Willow had ever heard before.

The noise was deafening.

Willow, clutching her ears and dropping to the floor, caught just a glimpse of Constance as a blackness began to whirl about her. She seemed to be coming apart, becoming a part of the wind as it whipped up and blew open the door, racing down the hall.

Giles and Tara never got their chance to storm the hallway.

They two heard the noise, as did all of the people outside the door. Each reacted just as Willow had done, clutching their ears and dropping to their knees.

The noise had an equal affect on them.

They too just caught a peak of what was now Constance hurtling past them towards the basement.

Xander's eyes bored into hers with an intensity she hadn't yet seen. He only had Buffy by her right arm, but the rest of her seemed incapable of movement at the moment. She was stunned.

"I thought you were quicker then that," he said smiling.

"Xander," she said weakly, "Let me go. Please. You don't want to do this."

"No, I really do Buffy. I've got things to show you. For one," he continued wrapping his free hand around her throat and backing her into the nearest wall as he spoke, "I'd like to show you all of the things Constance showed me. Starting with your arm."

Buffy was now very aware that beneath his grasp on her right arm she could feel the bones vibrating.

"It's an odd feeling, isn't it?" he said with no trace of his old self at all evidence, "I'd like to say you get use to it, but you don't. Each time is different."

Up until this moment, Buffy had still been holding the bag she'd carried the Selene orbs into the building with, but now she was no longer able. As she finally let go and the bag hit the floor, an odd noise momentarily caught her attention. It was the sound, ever so slight, of something hitting the floor and rolling away.

One orb, at least one, must have remained unbroken.

Unfortunately, Xander had heard it too.

"What's that?" he asked, looking over to it briefly.

"I don't know..."

She stopped suddenly as she felt her neck begin to vibrate as her arm once had.

"...it's a Selene."

"What's it for?" he asked slowly. He loosened his grip some on her throat and let go altogether on her arm.

"Constance," she lied.

Buffy thought, momentarily at least, she saw a bit of the Xander she knew flicker behind the eyes now locked on hers.

"How does it work?" he asked again. Each word was deliberate and each word seemed forced.

Now she was sure she had his attention. Xander, the real one, was still there, still fighting.

"Bring it here and I'll show you," she said in what she hoped was a convincing voice.

Slowly he took a few steps back and then to his side, never taking his eyes off of her. She staid still, knowing one false move and he'd likely be on her again. It seemed like it took and entirety for him to retrieve the orb and bring it back to her, but he didn't hand it over. Not yet.

"Tell me what it does?" he demanded.

Buffy was at a loss. She didn't know what to say. She didn't know what he wanted to hear. What would make him give it to her?

"Tell me what it does," he said more forcefully, "or I'll smash it into a million pieces and get on with what I was doing."

"It...it sends her back to the other dimension," she finally spat out.

He didn't look like he believed her. Not at first. But then, slowly she thought she saw something registering within him. He brought the orb up to eye level, finally adverting his gaze from her, and stared at it.

"You're trying to send her back," he said somewhat awed, "You're trying to help me."

Buffy knew this was her only chance.

"Yes," she answered.

With one quick motion she pushed his hand, orb and all, into his face.

The sound was like breaking glass, but there was no blood. Xander staggered back several paces and then completely keeled over. Immediately he was ill, violently ill and vomiting up what looked like black tar. Buffy wasn't sure if this was good or bad, so staying back she remained on guard, waiting for him to make his move again. But he didn't.

Xander, once done, rolled onto his side and gasped for breath. He wasn't certain what she had done, but he knew what he had. He had almost killed her. Was going too. Voices in his head had been, up until that very moment, encouraging him, planning it even.

He felt sick and weak and couldn't even answer when she had repeatedly called his name.

But a new voice caught his attention, not that he could bring himself to look.

"You all really make this too easy."

Buffy turned, startled at the intrusion. She was half way to going to Xander, certain now he was free from the Phasma's grasp.

There was Zothos.

"Not that this is easy, but it must be done," he continued. "I hope you realize it isn't personal. But I thank you for making it easier. I might not have been able to do what I must if you hadn't first weakened him."

Buffy rushed to Xander's side and helped him to his feet putting herself, as much as possible, between the two of them. For a moment Xander looked into his eyes and seemed to recognize him. Something passed between the two, quickly and then it was gone.

"Who..." he started to ask.

"It's not important," Zothos said dismissively, "Buffy, if you please. You may not want to see what is about to happen here."

It was then that lights grew brighter and the mist of blackness that was Constance broke through the door and into the room. The noise, still intense lessened and she became whole again standing with Zothos in front of her and Buffy and Xander just behind.

"You have no place here," she said, glaring down on him with more anger then they had witnessed before.

"You're quite wrong, because I do. I'm ending this. Stand aside."

"It isn't yours to end."

Buffy would have been more interested in the exchange if she hadn't begun to notice that Xander was leaning more and more against her with every moment. She looked up at him, no longer concerned with the other two and saw him struggling with consciousness.

"Xander," she said growing worried.

Constance's attention was caught. She looked back at the two of them, seemed nearly alarmed, and then turned back to Zothos and exploded.

"What have you done?" she bellowed.

Buffy, no longer able to support his weight, was forced to set him back to the floor where he immediately went slack in her arms.

"I've done nothing more then I should have, if I could have, long ago."

Constance seemed almost at a loss. She started towards Xander and then abruptly changed her mind and returned to Zothos.

"Fix him! Undo this! Now!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that. It won't be long now. A few more moments and his life will be gone."

Buffy was hearing it all but couldn't look. She was too busy watching Xander and fearing that Zothos was right. He was growing paler and colder by the moment, but was still breathing slow shallow breaths.

"You can't do this!" Constance screamed again.

"Yes," Zothos said calmly, "I can. I have to survive you know. And as long as he lives..."

Constance caught the words eagerly. Cherished them. She knew what he meant, why he was doing this.

"...you can die," she finished.

Buffy had never seen anything like it. Lightning, it looked just like lighting; shot from Constance's outstretched hands hitting Zothos squarely in the chest. The man, because right now that was all he was, staggered backwards stunned.

Constance continued to hit him again and again. She didn't stop. Wouldn't. Zothos, perhaps out of shock at first didn't strike back. At first that had to have been the reason, but only at first. After awhile it became clear, at least to Buffy that he wasn't striking back because he was no longer able. Constance had killed him.

Xander, unaware of what was happening around him, let out a gargled gasp. It caught both of their attention and Constance, finally relenting, strode over to where he lay.

"Get back," she said tersely to Buffy before kneeling next to him. Buffy complied but was reluctant to do so. She didn't want her touching Xander, but knew she couldn't stop it from happening.

Constance looked down at him for a moment, seemed deep in thought and then placed a hand to his forehead. She didn't speak and no longer acknowledged Buffy's presence. It was like she'd forgotten she was even there.

It was at about this time that Giles, Tara and a very weak Willow made their way down the steps and joined the group.

No one spoke.

Finally Xander once more took in a deep breath and opened his eyes. Buffy felt a sigh escape her lips, but nothing more. She hadn't thought it possibly that he was still alive or could be.

Constance stood up and took a few steps away from him. Xander too slowly made his way to his feet, but stayed rooted to the spot going neither closer to Constance or Buffy.

"I could kill you all," Constance said quieter then usual and without much conviction.

"But your not going to," Xander answered.

"Did you know?" she asked him sincerely.

"I still don't think I do."

It all seemed surreal. They spoke to each other as if no one else were there, so oddly familiar with each other as they were.

"You can't hurt me anymore, can you?" he asked.

"I could," she said coolly, "but I'm not going too."

"Why should I believe that?"

"Have I ever lied to you before?" she smiled.

Strangely, he smiled back at her, but shook his head as he did it.

The bond was gone. He knew it. She no longer could control him, could no longer see straight into his thoughts. That's why he smiled. It was relief to finally be alone.

The quiet that followed was short lived.

A mist seemed to form from nowhere, encircling Constance.

"I think this is finally it," she said, still unfazed.

Xander looked confused. He couldn't figure what was happening at first. Willow knew. Instinctively she knew.

The Furies had come to exact their revenge on being so wrongly misused. This is what the Fates had wanted to set right. She saw that now. Until Zothos was removed, they couldn't touch her because she was partly immortal. They had all shared each others strengths and weaknesses, but no longer.

The mist grew darker and more violent and hands now snatched out of it clutching to her arms, legs and skin.

Xander took a few steps away, frightened by the change.

"Don't worry about me sweetie," she said with a smile even as the hands drew blood from her flesh, "I can take care of myself. You do the same."

The mist grew and grew until it began to obscure her features.

"I'll be seeing you around," she called out above the din just before the mist completely engulfed her and disappeared into itself.

All that remained was silence.

A/N -- okay, hope that wasn't disappointing and it isn't over yet. I have at least one more chapter to go. Thanks again for all the reviews and mostly for reading what I write!