Chapter 14
As soon as she entered the cemetery she saw them. It was like they were dancing to some unheard music as their swords clashed. Neither of them acknowledged her presence if they even realized she was there.
"Having fun daddy?" Branna asked pretending she was 'soulless Branna' as she sat on top of a head stone.
"A blast." Angelus said as he swiped his sword at Neala head and missing as she ducked and rolled away. "Oh, come on Neala. You afraid of me?" He swung his sword so hard it knocked hers out of her hands. He laughed and plunged his sword into her stomach.
Neala cried out in pain and dropped to the ground as he pulled it out.
"Just because you can only die by getting your head chopped off doesn't mean you can't be hurt." He whispered in her ear before stabbing her through the shoulder. He grinned and turned around to face his daughter and jumped when he found her standing right behind him, brown eyes blazing with fury. He frowned in confusion at the fact that her eyes were their normal color.
"Nobody messes with my family." She said quietly looking up at him. She pushed him and he flew into a nearby tree and slumped to the ground unmoving. Branna pulled her mother to her feet and got her out of the cemetery as quick as she could without hurting her any more than she already was.
The Hyperion Hotel
"Will she be ok?" Willow asked. They were all seated in the lobby. Minus Branna. She was up in her and Neala's bedroom.
"She'll be fine. Trust me. I've known her for a very long time. She always pulled through." Skye assured them.
"Good. I'm glad. She needs to hurt some more." They all jumped at the voice. Angelus was standing in the door way with a very large ax in his hand. He ran at them and they all ran in different directions.
"No! Stay together!" Wesley yelled. "He's trying to split us up so he can pick us off one by one!" He grabbed Cordy, who was holding Conner, and pulled her away from Angelus and toward Spike and Buffy.
"Wes, I'm touched." Angelus said as he grabbed Dawn by the hair and pulled her toward his chest. "You know me so well." He raised the ax preparing to slice Dawns head off.
He was suddenly knocked away from her and driven into a wall. He struggled to his feet and found himself standing in front of his Grandchilde. His very pissed off, game face sporting, Grandchilde.
Spike saw worry/fear flash briefly across Angelus's face before he was knocked to the ground. Angelus pounded into Spike face furiously and relentlessly.
"Ard!" The building shook with the sound of a voice as an invisible force pulled Angelus off Spike. "Imithe! Téigh as radharc!". Angelus flew into a nearby wall and vanished. Spike looked up at where the voice originated and saw Branna standing at the top of the stairs.
Buffy ran over to Spike and helped him to his feet as Branna walked down the stairs and helped Dawn to her feet as Buffy checked both Spike and her sister over.
"Thanks for the help luv." Spike said as Buffy helped his wipe the blood off his face.
"Don't mention it." Branna answered. "I think we might have a problem. I'm starting to feel like someone's trying to take my soul again. I don't want to be here when they do. Skye I need you to find out who's doing this and stop them." Skye nodded and left the hotel.
"What do we do while we wait for Skye?" Dawn asked.
"We come up with a plan to stop Angelus without killing him until we can restore his soul." Branna turned around and saw Neala coming toward them.
"Mom, you shouldn't be up." Branna told her.
"I'm fine. What happened to you?" Neala asked Spike after noticing his bloody face.
"Angelus happened to me." His face switched into his demon vintage as he said the name.
"Whoa, down boy." Xander told him. Spike took an unneeded breath and let it out slowly as his face shifted back to human form. Buffy rubbed his shoulder to let him know it was ok.
"Dawn. I have to say, I'm impressed with your courage and the powers you seem to have acquired over night. Thank you for helping to restore Branna's soul." Neala said as she sat down on the couch in the lobby. Dawn grinned.
"Hey, no problem. She would have done it for me." She said sitting down across from her and they started a deep conversation about magic.
"Well, they'll be busy for a while." Branna said.
"Hey Bra. Where did you send Angelus anyway?" Xander asked turning toward her. The immortal witch smirked.
"A church."
The weird words in this chapter are Irish :
Imithe means: away
Ard means: rise
Téigh as radharc means: vanish
