Chapter 31
Wesley put a book on the table, opened to a page with a drawing of a temple with a statue inside. The statue was enormous, as tall as the temple's ceiling. It had four arms and its body was composed of snake-like creatures coiled around a torso, having dozens of snake-tails where feet should be. The statue was holding two bladed weapons. In the background, thousands of dots filled the temple floor.
"It's her temple. This is where she was supposed to be resurrected." Wesley said.
"That's Illyria?" Buffy asked.
"In its native form."
"What are these smaller bits?" Spike asked, pointing at the dots.
"Her army of doom."
"There's a shock."
"They were entombed with her." Angel said.
"Waiting for her return." Wesley said.
"To Los Angeles?" Buffy asked.
"This is where her temple was millions of years ago, and it's still here."
"Well, you think growing up here, I would've remembered seeing something like this parked next to The Beverly Center."
"It's out of phase with our time stream. Only Illyria can open the gateway."
"Ok, now here's the kicker: Any idea how we stop her?"
"We fight her."
"We tried that." Angel said. "I got thrown out a window and she altered time on you guys."
"But now we have this." Wesley pulled out a crystal and held it up. "It's from her sarcophagus. I believe that whoever wields this is immune to her powers."
Buffy held out her hand. "Please allow me to kick this bitch's ass."
"You're the only one truly strong enough." Wesley handed her the crystal. "I've never seen you with such brute strength."
"It was the spell that Willow did. I think it doubled my powers." Buffy looked at her guys. "Are we ready?"
"Let's go." Angel said.
They walked out of Wesley's office and into Buffy's weapons room. As they gathered weapons, Wesley stopped Buffy. "I'm glad you're back in this. Fred would be too."
"I figured I wouldn't be able to stay away." Buffy said, picking up a pair of sais and twirling them expertly. "Besides, how could I neglect all these pretty, shiny toys?"
***
Illyria stood back as Knox performed a spell using a pile of small bones on the floor in front of him at the bank. He watched as the bones disappeared. "Showtime." He said.
"Any seats left?" Buffy asked. Knox and Illyria turned quickly and found Buffy, Angel, Spike, and Wesley standing there. "If not, we could just stand in the back."
"Guys, you should scan the headlines here. You can't win this."
"Then we all die trying." Wesley said.
"Why?" Illyria asked.
"You want the short version?" Angel asked. "Let's start with you walking around looking like the woman you murdered."
"You think your actions will restore her?"
"No."
"Yet you seek a confrontation you cannot win."
"What you're trying to do, raise your army, reclaim your world, innocent people would die. Like Fred. I can't let that happen." Buffy said.
"You are the protector of these creatures?"
"Yes."
"You'd fight for their lives?"
"I have everyday of my life for the past nine years."
"Even this one?" Illyria nodded at Knox.
"Is that an issue?" Knox asked. "Is my life in peril, boss? King?"
"You're about as low as it gets, Knox, but you're a part of humanity." Buffy said. "That isn't always pretty, I know, but it's a hell of a lot better than what came before. And if it comes down to a choice between you and him, then yes, I would fight for his life, just like any other human's. Because that's what people do. That's what makes us...." A gunshot echoed in the room. Knox looked down at his chest to see he was bleeding from a gunshot wound to the heart. He collapsed and Buffy looked at Wes who was holding the smoking gun. "Were you even listening?"
"You've destroyed my Qwa'ha Xahn." Illyria said.
"Yeah, ok, but you gotta admit, he had it coming." Spike said.
"It offends me that you think he matters."
"You're right. He's not the problem." Angel said.
"You are." Buffy swung her sword at Illyria, but she ducked. They began to fight and the others joined in.
Illyria threw Buffy across the room. She punched Angel in the chest, knocking him into the opposite wall. Spike went to ram her from behind, but she turned and kicked him to the opposite wall. When Wesley shot at her, she kicked Knox's body at him, knocking him down. Angel got to his feet and started swinging his sword at her, but she outmaneuvered him, ducking his blows and kicking him across the floor. Spike came at her next, swinging his sword, but Illyria avoided his swings as well. Buffy got to her feet and came at Illyria, who was now fighting her and Spike off. When they swung at her, she grabbed both blades simultaneously with her bare hands, and she swung the two off the end of the swords, flinging them against opposite walls.
Illyria threw the swords to the ground. "Unimpressive."
As Wesley got to his feet, Illyria waved her hand, creating another slow- motion time wave before he could fire at her again. Spike tried to get to his feet with Angel, and Buffy reached into her pocket. Illyria turned to continue with the portal opening, but stopped when she saw Buffy standing in front of her in the flash of an eye.
"What's the rush?" Buffy punched Illyria hard in the face, sending her across the room.
"How?"
Buffy revealed she was holding the crystal in her fist. "From your sarcophagus. It's connected to you, I'm connected to it."
"Sneaky." Illyria swung her leg at Buffy's ankles, knocking her to the ground. Angel swung at Illyria as she got to her feet, but she punched him hard in the gut. Wesley saw that she was about to make a run for it and shot at her, but her hands were out in front of her, and she was opening the portal. As Illyria made a dash for the portal, Buffy and Wesley dove into it after her, managing to get through just as it closed. Angel and Spike got to their feet too late.
Wesley landed on the floor of the temple on his belly and his gun slipped out of his grip. Buffy rolled skillfully to her feet and then help Wesley get to his feet as Illyria walked up the steps commandingly, heading for the nave of the temple. "You're too late." She said. "My army will rise. This world will be mine once again." She arrived at the nave of the temple, only to see her statue has been toppled and her army is dead. "No." Illyria looked around the temple. The columns were broken and the place was silent as a grave. Her temple was in complete ruin. "It can't be. It's gone." She fell to her knees and ran her hands through the sand. "My world is gone."
Wesley and Buffy walked up behind her. Wesley cocked his gun at Illyria's head. "Now you know how I feel."
Illyria looked up at Wesley and Buffy, wide-eyed. A low sound reverberated nearby and they turned to see a portal had opened up behind them. Buffy looked back at where Illyria was kneeling and saw she was gone. Wesley looked at her toppled statue and Buffy pulled him out of the portal.
***
"No army of doom scorching the earth. Huzzah for our side." Spike said. He, Buffy, Angel, and Wesley were in Buffy and Angel's office.
"We need to close the gateway to Illyria's temple." Buffy said. "Permanently. I don't want any more surprises."
"What about the leather queen?"
"She still has enough juice to be a threat." Angel said.
"We regroup and we take care of it. Wes?" Buffy asked.
"It's all we can do. I'll be in the lab." Wesley walked out.
"Long day." Spike said. "That offer still good? Send me abroad, roving agent and all?"
Buffy looked at Spike surprised as Angel said, "Yeah, it's still good."
"Great. Maybe we should send Gunn.... before Wes has another poke."
Buffy smiled. "You're not leaving?"
"This is what she would have wanted. It's what I want. I don't really like you." Spike said to Angel. "Suppose I never will. But this is important, what's happening here. Fred gave her life for it. The least I can do is give what's left of mine. The fight's coming. We all feel it.... and it's gonna be a hell of a lot bigger than Illyria or Sunnydale. Things are gonna get ugly. That's where I live."
"I think that's where we all live."
Spike kissed Buffy's forehead and smoothed down her hair. "You're one hell of a woman." He nodded at Angel and walked out.
Angel stood and walked over to Buffy. "It all seems so petty now."
"Yeah, it does." Buffy took Angel's hand and turned to look up at him. "She's really gone, isn't she?" Angel nodded sadly. "And I made the call to let her die."
"It's what had to be done."
"And I hate that." Buffy's eyes welled up. "I told Giles along time ago just after mom died, that being the perfect Slayer means being too hard to love at all. Because I let Fred.... Die.... I feel like I let her go because I don't feel like I can love anymore."
"You know that's not true."
"Is it? I have to doubt that. I mean, am I not stone?"
"No. You are full of love. You told what the spirit guide told you and she was right. Buffy, you're love draws everyone around you closer together. You're love makes my heart and soul soar every time I think about being with you. I wake up every day knowing that you're at my side and you're not going to leave me until it's your time.... Or mine."
"It wasn't Fred's time."
"Maybe not, but I know Fred. Had she known that thousands of others would've died just to save her, she would have killed herself to stop it from happening. And you would too. Maybe, deep down, you knew that and that's why you made the decision. It was the right choice. Fred knows that."
Buffy closed her eyes. "Help me remember how to grieve. It's been so long...." Angel held Buffy tightly, knowing there was nothing to ease her guilt but love and warmth.
Wesley put a book on the table, opened to a page with a drawing of a temple with a statue inside. The statue was enormous, as tall as the temple's ceiling. It had four arms and its body was composed of snake-like creatures coiled around a torso, having dozens of snake-tails where feet should be. The statue was holding two bladed weapons. In the background, thousands of dots filled the temple floor.
"It's her temple. This is where she was supposed to be resurrected." Wesley said.
"That's Illyria?" Buffy asked.
"In its native form."
"What are these smaller bits?" Spike asked, pointing at the dots.
"Her army of doom."
"There's a shock."
"They were entombed with her." Angel said.
"Waiting for her return." Wesley said.
"To Los Angeles?" Buffy asked.
"This is where her temple was millions of years ago, and it's still here."
"Well, you think growing up here, I would've remembered seeing something like this parked next to The Beverly Center."
"It's out of phase with our time stream. Only Illyria can open the gateway."
"Ok, now here's the kicker: Any idea how we stop her?"
"We fight her."
"We tried that." Angel said. "I got thrown out a window and she altered time on you guys."
"But now we have this." Wesley pulled out a crystal and held it up. "It's from her sarcophagus. I believe that whoever wields this is immune to her powers."
Buffy held out her hand. "Please allow me to kick this bitch's ass."
"You're the only one truly strong enough." Wesley handed her the crystal. "I've never seen you with such brute strength."
"It was the spell that Willow did. I think it doubled my powers." Buffy looked at her guys. "Are we ready?"
"Let's go." Angel said.
They walked out of Wesley's office and into Buffy's weapons room. As they gathered weapons, Wesley stopped Buffy. "I'm glad you're back in this. Fred would be too."
"I figured I wouldn't be able to stay away." Buffy said, picking up a pair of sais and twirling them expertly. "Besides, how could I neglect all these pretty, shiny toys?"
***
Illyria stood back as Knox performed a spell using a pile of small bones on the floor in front of him at the bank. He watched as the bones disappeared. "Showtime." He said.
"Any seats left?" Buffy asked. Knox and Illyria turned quickly and found Buffy, Angel, Spike, and Wesley standing there. "If not, we could just stand in the back."
"Guys, you should scan the headlines here. You can't win this."
"Then we all die trying." Wesley said.
"Why?" Illyria asked.
"You want the short version?" Angel asked. "Let's start with you walking around looking like the woman you murdered."
"You think your actions will restore her?"
"No."
"Yet you seek a confrontation you cannot win."
"What you're trying to do, raise your army, reclaim your world, innocent people would die. Like Fred. I can't let that happen." Buffy said.
"You are the protector of these creatures?"
"Yes."
"You'd fight for their lives?"
"I have everyday of my life for the past nine years."
"Even this one?" Illyria nodded at Knox.
"Is that an issue?" Knox asked. "Is my life in peril, boss? King?"
"You're about as low as it gets, Knox, but you're a part of humanity." Buffy said. "That isn't always pretty, I know, but it's a hell of a lot better than what came before. And if it comes down to a choice between you and him, then yes, I would fight for his life, just like any other human's. Because that's what people do. That's what makes us...." A gunshot echoed in the room. Knox looked down at his chest to see he was bleeding from a gunshot wound to the heart. He collapsed and Buffy looked at Wes who was holding the smoking gun. "Were you even listening?"
"You've destroyed my Qwa'ha Xahn." Illyria said.
"Yeah, ok, but you gotta admit, he had it coming." Spike said.
"It offends me that you think he matters."
"You're right. He's not the problem." Angel said.
"You are." Buffy swung her sword at Illyria, but she ducked. They began to fight and the others joined in.
Illyria threw Buffy across the room. She punched Angel in the chest, knocking him into the opposite wall. Spike went to ram her from behind, but she turned and kicked him to the opposite wall. When Wesley shot at her, she kicked Knox's body at him, knocking him down. Angel got to his feet and started swinging his sword at her, but she outmaneuvered him, ducking his blows and kicking him across the floor. Spike came at her next, swinging his sword, but Illyria avoided his swings as well. Buffy got to her feet and came at Illyria, who was now fighting her and Spike off. When they swung at her, she grabbed both blades simultaneously with her bare hands, and she swung the two off the end of the swords, flinging them against opposite walls.
Illyria threw the swords to the ground. "Unimpressive."
As Wesley got to his feet, Illyria waved her hand, creating another slow- motion time wave before he could fire at her again. Spike tried to get to his feet with Angel, and Buffy reached into her pocket. Illyria turned to continue with the portal opening, but stopped when she saw Buffy standing in front of her in the flash of an eye.
"What's the rush?" Buffy punched Illyria hard in the face, sending her across the room.
"How?"
Buffy revealed she was holding the crystal in her fist. "From your sarcophagus. It's connected to you, I'm connected to it."
"Sneaky." Illyria swung her leg at Buffy's ankles, knocking her to the ground. Angel swung at Illyria as she got to her feet, but she punched him hard in the gut. Wesley saw that she was about to make a run for it and shot at her, but her hands were out in front of her, and she was opening the portal. As Illyria made a dash for the portal, Buffy and Wesley dove into it after her, managing to get through just as it closed. Angel and Spike got to their feet too late.
Wesley landed on the floor of the temple on his belly and his gun slipped out of his grip. Buffy rolled skillfully to her feet and then help Wesley get to his feet as Illyria walked up the steps commandingly, heading for the nave of the temple. "You're too late." She said. "My army will rise. This world will be mine once again." She arrived at the nave of the temple, only to see her statue has been toppled and her army is dead. "No." Illyria looked around the temple. The columns were broken and the place was silent as a grave. Her temple was in complete ruin. "It can't be. It's gone." She fell to her knees and ran her hands through the sand. "My world is gone."
Wesley and Buffy walked up behind her. Wesley cocked his gun at Illyria's head. "Now you know how I feel."
Illyria looked up at Wesley and Buffy, wide-eyed. A low sound reverberated nearby and they turned to see a portal had opened up behind them. Buffy looked back at where Illyria was kneeling and saw she was gone. Wesley looked at her toppled statue and Buffy pulled him out of the portal.
***
"No army of doom scorching the earth. Huzzah for our side." Spike said. He, Buffy, Angel, and Wesley were in Buffy and Angel's office.
"We need to close the gateway to Illyria's temple." Buffy said. "Permanently. I don't want any more surprises."
"What about the leather queen?"
"She still has enough juice to be a threat." Angel said.
"We regroup and we take care of it. Wes?" Buffy asked.
"It's all we can do. I'll be in the lab." Wesley walked out.
"Long day." Spike said. "That offer still good? Send me abroad, roving agent and all?"
Buffy looked at Spike surprised as Angel said, "Yeah, it's still good."
"Great. Maybe we should send Gunn.... before Wes has another poke."
Buffy smiled. "You're not leaving?"
"This is what she would have wanted. It's what I want. I don't really like you." Spike said to Angel. "Suppose I never will. But this is important, what's happening here. Fred gave her life for it. The least I can do is give what's left of mine. The fight's coming. We all feel it.... and it's gonna be a hell of a lot bigger than Illyria or Sunnydale. Things are gonna get ugly. That's where I live."
"I think that's where we all live."
Spike kissed Buffy's forehead and smoothed down her hair. "You're one hell of a woman." He nodded at Angel and walked out.
Angel stood and walked over to Buffy. "It all seems so petty now."
"Yeah, it does." Buffy took Angel's hand and turned to look up at him. "She's really gone, isn't she?" Angel nodded sadly. "And I made the call to let her die."
"It's what had to be done."
"And I hate that." Buffy's eyes welled up. "I told Giles along time ago just after mom died, that being the perfect Slayer means being too hard to love at all. Because I let Fred.... Die.... I feel like I let her go because I don't feel like I can love anymore."
"You know that's not true."
"Is it? I have to doubt that. I mean, am I not stone?"
"No. You are full of love. You told what the spirit guide told you and she was right. Buffy, you're love draws everyone around you closer together. You're love makes my heart and soul soar every time I think about being with you. I wake up every day knowing that you're at my side and you're not going to leave me until it's your time.... Or mine."
"It wasn't Fred's time."
"Maybe not, but I know Fred. Had she known that thousands of others would've died just to save her, she would have killed herself to stop it from happening. And you would too. Maybe, deep down, you knew that and that's why you made the decision. It was the right choice. Fred knows that."
Buffy closed her eyes. "Help me remember how to grieve. It's been so long...." Angel held Buffy tightly, knowing there was nothing to ease her guilt but love and warmth.