Chapter 3

May 19, 2004

Flashback May 19, 2004

"Let's get to work," Angel shouted, in the forefront of the group of warriors behind him. They would battle to the death if they had to. Gunn was already dying, and Angel knew it. Still, he did not tell them to run, they would stay and fight.

"That's all you've got to say? Let's get to work," Spike mocked. "Oh please. Like we're all not gonna die here anyway."

"Spike, we don't have time for this," Angel yelled, not turning his head more than an inch or two.

"Look you pansy, I told you I'd help you take down the Circle, not the whole bloody army."

"Then leave."

"And let you stand here and have all the fun? I don't think so. I'll fight you for that dragon."

"And I'll win."

"The two of you banter in the face of a tremendous oncoming battle. It sickens me," Illyria stated, tilting her head just a tad. "The battle is what should occupy your thoughts, nothing else, unless you wish to die."

"Takin' all the fun outta it again are ya Blue?"

"Hey guys! Black dude down back here," Gunn said. The three standing turned to look at Gunn, who was holding a stomach wound.

"The flow of your blood is quick. You have mere minutes left."

"Thanks for the optimism," Gunn said to Illyria.

"We've got to get you out of here," Angel said, walking over to his friend and helping him up.

"Leave me. I'm a goner anyway. I know that. The battle is what matters," Gunn told Angel.

Angel wouldn't hear it. He looked to Spike who nodded in silent agreement. Angel helped Spike down the back of the alley and towards the Hyperion. "Guess that leaves my and you to stave the Big Bads off, Blue," Spike said.

Spike launched himself forward, Illyria just behind him, both taking on five demons at once. Illyria did a spinning move, extending a sword at the end of each arm to chop off the heads of all the demons encircling her. Spike plunged his sword into the chest of demon after demon, chopped some demon's heads off, and went the conventional way with punching, kicking, and head-butting wherever necessary.

Slowly they worked their way through the crowd of demons, nearly half of the army was slaughtered and littering the ground by the time Illyria and Spike had reached the street. As they battled the last few demons that were attacking them, Spike turned to Illyria who had just snapped a demon's neck. "Think we should meet up with Angel?"

"Warriors always return to their leaders once the battle has commenced."

"I'm takin' that as a long way of sayin' yes."

Spike started down the street and didn't look back. They had slipped out of the crowd of demons nonchalantly, so maybe they would fight amongst themselves for a bit before they realized Spike and Illyria were gone. Illyria walked beside Spike. She looked at him, head lowered towards the ground a little, her blue streaked hair dropping over her shoulder. "You do not intend to meet the other half-breed. Why?"

"The way I see it Angel can take care of the rest. Buffy and the gang'll be here soon. They'll be fine."

"You do not wish to see this 'Buffy'."

"And?"

"I do not understand."

"Look, I don't wanna see her because she doesn't know I'm not ghostin' about. Hell, she didn't even know I was ghostin' about in the first place. It'll just complicate things."

"Will the other half-breed not mention you?"

"Oh, he'll mention me all right. With a few choice words before and after my name. But that doesn't mean I have to be there to see it."

"Your logic is senseless. I go back because I choose to, not because he requests it of me."

"Right," Spike said, continuing to walk. Illyria stopped and watched Spike walk away. She lingered for a moment before turning and walking in her robotics fashion towards the hotel.

At the hotel, Angel had laid Gunn down on the love seat. He ripped one of the sheets covering another piece of furniture into bandages, and wrapped them around Gunns stomach in an attempt to quell the bleeding.

"Don't worry about it. I'm halfway there."

"You're not. You're going to live. I can't afford to loose another friend to this battle."

"You're gonna have to afford it. And you'll go on fighting," Gunn said. He coughed, and covered his mouth to catch the blood that would have spewed everywhere. "You know you have to go on fighting. There are bigger things happening than this war, you just don't know about them yet."

"What are they? Tell me."

"You'll find out.....soon....enou..." Gunn slowly faded away from consciousness, and ultimately slipped away from life.

An Hour Later

"So you don't know where he is?" Buffy asked Angel, in Angel's old office.

"No. According to Illyria, he took off because he didn't want to see you."

"Coward. Did he really think I would be mad at him for not telling me that he was alive?"

"Apparently he's better at reading people than I gave him credit for," Angel said, exiting the office and walking into the lobby. He looked to Giles. "Are the potentials upstairs?"

Giles nodded. "And they're not potentials any longer, they are Slayers. Buffy and Faith are not the only two anymore."

"Right. I keep forgetting that. It'll take a while to get used to." He looked to Illyria. "Did the army see you leave?"

"I am certain they will find us soon."

"Then I guess we better gear up," Buffy said, standing in the doorway to Angel's office. No sooner had she said that then the demons began pouring in through the double doors at both ends of the lobby and down the stairs. Many of the demons coming from the upper level were wounded, letting Angel and company know that the other Slayers had already gotten their hands on some of them. In fact, a few of the Slayers came downstairs fighting with the demons.

The battle lasted for hours and hours it seemed like, with many punches, kicks, and various other things thrown. Blood splattered the walls and bodies littered the floor. Angel was wounded badly, and was laying on his desk in the office, bandaged up by Giles. Five Slayers had died and their bodies were buried somewhere under the uncountable amount of demon bodies. Buffy and about a handful of other Slayers, along with Illyria and Giles were the only ones left fighting. The odds of living they were facing made Buffy wish that she had brought more of the new Slayers with her, instead of leaving them with Willow, Dawn, and Kennedy in Europe for the second front.

Suddenly, the doors swung open and three demons flew through the opening, followed by Spike, who was vamped out and whose hair color was like a rainbow from the different colors of the demons blood. "Looks like you could use some help."

"About time you showed up, bastard," Buffy said, swinging the scythe she had used to kill Caleb at a demon warrior and lopping his head off.

"You know me, always was one for entrances," Spike said, joining the crowd on the ground.

"And exits," Giles added.

It was a little while later, when all the demons were dead, and no more poured through the entrances. The only ones left alive were the ones who had always been there, fighting in the grit of it. Angel was barely holding on to life, as he was bleeding to death on his own desk. Buffy's right arm was broken, and she had a mean looking gash across her abdomen. Spike was beat up rather well, his left eye beginning to turn blue from the punch he had received, and he had a few arrows sticking out of his back and one in the leg. Illyria had lost a bit of hair, pulled out by a demon who had grabbed her and swung her up and into the ceiling, breaking her back, which she had painfully cracked back into place. Giles was the least banged up of the group, as he spent the majority of his time in the office attempting to keep Angel alive.

"So I suppose we all go our separate ways then?" Spike said. Buffy and Illyria turned to him.

"We're going back to Europe, as soon as we can move Angel. There's evil rising there to."

"Then I guess maybe I'll see you there," Spike said. He looked from Buffy to Illyria then back to Buffy. He wanted to tell her he still had feelings for her, but those feelings would never be returned. So, he turned, and slowly walked up the stairs and out of the hotel.

A/N- Thanks to the reviewers for reviewing: Wesfan1234, spikesummers, and Spike'sGirlLunaAsh. I'm not sure how long this story is going to be, but it won't be short that's for sure. Please bear with me if there's a slow chapter, because I'm just trying to get the story to where it needs to be. I think this one is a bit slow, but it sets up the next one nicely, promise.

Wesfan1234- Spike's journey to becoming human won't be easy, that is for sure. And Giles may help, but not completely. It'll be up to other familiar faces, who shall remain nameless at this time. And another thing—how you do find so much time to keep up with writing a few stories at the same time, reading other people's work, and doing your other daily things? I can barely find time to write one!