AN: I know this has taken forever but RL has just been in the way so
much and I just want to thank all the readers who have been emailing about
this story. You guys really make my DAY. I would also like to thank Ky for
being an awesome beta and practically writing this for me. :D I would also
like to thank Nina for her unwavering support and enthusiasm. Your mini me
salutes you. And once again thanks everyone!
The night flowed around her, caressing her like shadowed silk. Hidden well beneath the dark of a moonless night, Max stalked, silently tracking the scent of her elusive prey. There was a steady sense of certainty within her that the two voices she had heard were important. Even now, running free and letting the cool night air pass over her, she felt unease creep up her spine, a cold unsoothing balm. Something was up, something important, and she was gonna' find out what.
Pausing in the middle of her chase, Max sniffed the air, trying to locate the next turn they had taken. A faint trace of light vanilla still lingered, like the remnant of a long exorcised ghost... left. Following the sharp and elegant smell of vanilla, Max found her self being pulled swiftly through the Seattle's best and worst. In a small alley of brick walls squeezed between restaurant dumps, Max kneeled fingering the dust on the floor of the cracked asphalt. They were close now, all signs seemed to show they were heading for the closed down harbor up ahead. Straightening up, she dusted off her hands and continued moving. It wouldn't do to show up after those two had finished doing whatever they needed to get done. What was the fun in that? There was no doubt in her mind that were she to arrive too late, none of the puzzles floating within her head would be solved, but many new ones added.
With the answers to her questions so very near, Max sped on decisively, expertly picking her way through the half eaten burgers and discarded candy wrappers, barely touching the ground as she moved. It always did amaze her how much food people wasted while others starved. Not that she was going to do anything like eat from the alley. She was soldier enough to note the waste, but far too Max to take advantage of it. A girl had her pride. "Your life is forfeit."
Halting suddenly at the sound of voices, Max quickly maneuvered herself behind a pile of rotting crates at the edge of the harbor.
In the distance the muted roar of the ocean could be heard, and above that, the hiss of steel being let loose from a scabbard. White steam rose from a storm drain nearby, and through the smoke two wavering figures stood.
**************************************************
"Your life is forfeit." Stated Chronos calmly, as though waiting for her to fall to her knees and offer him her head. To him, her death was a forgone conclusion...idiot.
"Do you people ever learn any new lines?" Buffy asked, going off on one of her favorite rants, "Why do you have to be so typical? Especially you really really old people. Thousands of years old and all you guys can come up with is 'Your life if forfeit' or 'Shall we dance'. Oh yeah, and the most creative one of the bunch, 'Now you die.' Where do you guys get those lines? B movies? They're cheesy as hell. Seriously people. Have some standards, you have eternity, work with it."
"I am sorry to have disappointed you," Chronos replied, his mouth curved with a polite smile, a cold fire lighting his eyes, "but certain things are classics for a reason after all."
'Damn,' Thought Buffy noting Chronos' response. 'This is not good. Majorly not of the good.' There were few opponents that bantered back. They usually got annoyed with her and charged. Chronos was staying way too cool headed for her comfort. That usually meant a hard long fight. The last time an opponent had bantered back had been Duncan Mcleod. Granted that was years ago, but she still remembered the kiss of cold steel as it sliced effortlessly through her hair and stopped a centimeter away from her flesh. It was her luck that Methos had been the one who put Duncan up to it otherwise she would've been dead. As it were, that one close call had been one lesson too many. She never underestimated her opponents anymore, especially the ones who bantered. But if keeping calm was the key to winning, she suddenly wasn't so sure she was a shoe in. The energy coming off of the bastard was frightening.
Chronos' power was a dark pulsing thing, and she could feel it reach out for her. It took all she had not to flinch as it flared, almost as if it would consume her even before her final death. What if this was it? What if this time it was her essence sucked into that dark hole of immortal power? Taking a breath, Buffy centered herself and staved off an edge of panic for the instant where she contemplated failure. Sure his eyes were scary and empty, and sure he was tall and probably weighed two of her. Didn't mean she couldn't win. She of all people ought to know better. She'd battled and survived thousands of apocalypses and the demons that summoned them. The Slayer wasn't about to lose to a measly immortal.
Looking at him, Buffy summoned her battle calm and simply waited. The wait was not long. It seemed that while she had been feeling him out, Chronos had also conducted his own inspection. That cold mocking smile once again emerged on his deceptively handsome face, "Shall we dance?"
Before she could bite out a sarcastic reply, he charged swinging his sword up in an offensive arc. Silver flashed in the dim light as she attempted to duck his attack, barely bringing her sword up in time to keep the blade from slicing through her neck. His eyes flashed with blood-thirsty pleasure as he pushed his weight into her, chocking her with the dull edge of her own sword.
Buffy gulped, as she resisted the pressure, her vision slowly clouding over. With a burst of adrenaline-laced strength, she pushed him off her body and flipped upright to parry as he continued his attack. Deftly, she countered Chronos' every move, as his unrelenting barrage backed her into an alley wall. The bright sound of steel hitting steel echoed through the dark at a pace Buffy could barely keep up with.
She was getting tired. Her arms strained each time his sword clashed against hers, and she dully realized if she didn't end this soon, he would. It was time to bring the fight to him, so to speak. A small smile twisted across her features as she paused, holding her blade still in front of her.
"I will wipe that smile from your face," he hissed.
He drew back as if to deliver a killing blow only to thrust into still air as Buffy somersaulted over his head, landing on her feet behind him. Changing the grip on her sword Buffy slashed in an upward arc.
But he was too quick. Without looking, he sliced the sharp weapon underneath his right arm- pushing it into Buffy's abdomen. The sick sound of renting flesh was the only thing she was aware of as warm blood trickled down her leg. Her mouth fell open soundlessly as he roughly pulled his sword from her gut and turned to face his victim. Buffy's green eyes dulled as her legs gave out, and she dropped heavily to her knees. An uncomfortable thought registered- she was at the perfect height for him to take her head. She glanced up at Chronos' towering form, cringing at the gleeful look that crossed his features as he drew back for the kill.
"You're mine."
There was no way she was going down like this.
With that thought, she fell backwards; swinging her boot with all of her strength at her opponent's knee. There was a wet pop, as the joint broke. Rolling to her side, Buffy pushed up and waveringly stood her ground.
Chronos struggled to crawl to his dropped sword, an animal-like moan deep in his throat as Buffy staggered across the pavement after him. Weakly, she kicked it out of his reach. The sword skidded past him as he lunged for it, screaming as he fell on his broken limb.
Buffy watched him with un-feeling eyes. A coldness seeping through her as she gathered her strength and raised her blade, "Thanks for the dance."
With shriek of pain, she brought the sword down, letting her weight carry it through the sinew and bone of Chronos' thick neck. Weak and unable to stop her forward motion she landed with a queasy thud on top of her challenger's corpse; watching as his head rolled away. Fibers of his shirt invaded her mouth and she tasted the nauseating tang of sweat and blood. It occurred to her that he was still warm as she tried to shove her body off of him, but it was no use. She didn't have the strength.
A feeling like static electricity flowed from the palms of her hands up her arms, causing the hair on her body to stand up straight. She shuddered as the tingling increased, shivering across her skin and into her bones. An electric transformer she hadn't noticed earlier sent out a shower of sparks as shimmering luminescence gathered around her in violent electrical storm. Lightening raged, swirling unnaturally around her. Abruptly, the bolts paused and coiled like a snake about to strike. Buffy quivered as the slow motion electric cobra reared and thrust into her body, lifting her up and tossing her petite form into the air. She hovered for a moment, a bright shining thing before the lightning coiled and surged into her setting her cells on fire. With a final hiss, it threw her to the ground and dissipated.
The world was mute but for the sound of rushing blood and with a gasp, Buffy tried to rise; pushing up on her elbows. The rough pavement scraped her skin as her arms gave out underneath her. She closed her eyes briefly, breathing hard. Building her resolve, Buffy tried again only to gasped in surprise as a hand grasped her arm. Her eyes flew open weakly registering Max's face.
Her eyes kind of look like Angel's.
With that thought, the slayer passed out.
The night flowed around her, caressing her like shadowed silk. Hidden well beneath the dark of a moonless night, Max stalked, silently tracking the scent of her elusive prey. There was a steady sense of certainty within her that the two voices she had heard were important. Even now, running free and letting the cool night air pass over her, she felt unease creep up her spine, a cold unsoothing balm. Something was up, something important, and she was gonna' find out what.
Pausing in the middle of her chase, Max sniffed the air, trying to locate the next turn they had taken. A faint trace of light vanilla still lingered, like the remnant of a long exorcised ghost... left. Following the sharp and elegant smell of vanilla, Max found her self being pulled swiftly through the Seattle's best and worst. In a small alley of brick walls squeezed between restaurant dumps, Max kneeled fingering the dust on the floor of the cracked asphalt. They were close now, all signs seemed to show they were heading for the closed down harbor up ahead. Straightening up, she dusted off her hands and continued moving. It wouldn't do to show up after those two had finished doing whatever they needed to get done. What was the fun in that? There was no doubt in her mind that were she to arrive too late, none of the puzzles floating within her head would be solved, but many new ones added.
With the answers to her questions so very near, Max sped on decisively, expertly picking her way through the half eaten burgers and discarded candy wrappers, barely touching the ground as she moved. It always did amaze her how much food people wasted while others starved. Not that she was going to do anything like eat from the alley. She was soldier enough to note the waste, but far too Max to take advantage of it. A girl had her pride. "Your life is forfeit."
Halting suddenly at the sound of voices, Max quickly maneuvered herself behind a pile of rotting crates at the edge of the harbor.
In the distance the muted roar of the ocean could be heard, and above that, the hiss of steel being let loose from a scabbard. White steam rose from a storm drain nearby, and through the smoke two wavering figures stood.
**************************************************
"Your life is forfeit." Stated Chronos calmly, as though waiting for her to fall to her knees and offer him her head. To him, her death was a forgone conclusion...idiot.
"Do you people ever learn any new lines?" Buffy asked, going off on one of her favorite rants, "Why do you have to be so typical? Especially you really really old people. Thousands of years old and all you guys can come up with is 'Your life if forfeit' or 'Shall we dance'. Oh yeah, and the most creative one of the bunch, 'Now you die.' Where do you guys get those lines? B movies? They're cheesy as hell. Seriously people. Have some standards, you have eternity, work with it."
"I am sorry to have disappointed you," Chronos replied, his mouth curved with a polite smile, a cold fire lighting his eyes, "but certain things are classics for a reason after all."
'Damn,' Thought Buffy noting Chronos' response. 'This is not good. Majorly not of the good.' There were few opponents that bantered back. They usually got annoyed with her and charged. Chronos was staying way too cool headed for her comfort. That usually meant a hard long fight. The last time an opponent had bantered back had been Duncan Mcleod. Granted that was years ago, but she still remembered the kiss of cold steel as it sliced effortlessly through her hair and stopped a centimeter away from her flesh. It was her luck that Methos had been the one who put Duncan up to it otherwise she would've been dead. As it were, that one close call had been one lesson too many. She never underestimated her opponents anymore, especially the ones who bantered. But if keeping calm was the key to winning, she suddenly wasn't so sure she was a shoe in. The energy coming off of the bastard was frightening.
Chronos' power was a dark pulsing thing, and she could feel it reach out for her. It took all she had not to flinch as it flared, almost as if it would consume her even before her final death. What if this was it? What if this time it was her essence sucked into that dark hole of immortal power? Taking a breath, Buffy centered herself and staved off an edge of panic for the instant where she contemplated failure. Sure his eyes were scary and empty, and sure he was tall and probably weighed two of her. Didn't mean she couldn't win. She of all people ought to know better. She'd battled and survived thousands of apocalypses and the demons that summoned them. The Slayer wasn't about to lose to a measly immortal.
Looking at him, Buffy summoned her battle calm and simply waited. The wait was not long. It seemed that while she had been feeling him out, Chronos had also conducted his own inspection. That cold mocking smile once again emerged on his deceptively handsome face, "Shall we dance?"
Before she could bite out a sarcastic reply, he charged swinging his sword up in an offensive arc. Silver flashed in the dim light as she attempted to duck his attack, barely bringing her sword up in time to keep the blade from slicing through her neck. His eyes flashed with blood-thirsty pleasure as he pushed his weight into her, chocking her with the dull edge of her own sword.
Buffy gulped, as she resisted the pressure, her vision slowly clouding over. With a burst of adrenaline-laced strength, she pushed him off her body and flipped upright to parry as he continued his attack. Deftly, she countered Chronos' every move, as his unrelenting barrage backed her into an alley wall. The bright sound of steel hitting steel echoed through the dark at a pace Buffy could barely keep up with.
She was getting tired. Her arms strained each time his sword clashed against hers, and she dully realized if she didn't end this soon, he would. It was time to bring the fight to him, so to speak. A small smile twisted across her features as she paused, holding her blade still in front of her.
"I will wipe that smile from your face," he hissed.
He drew back as if to deliver a killing blow only to thrust into still air as Buffy somersaulted over his head, landing on her feet behind him. Changing the grip on her sword Buffy slashed in an upward arc.
But he was too quick. Without looking, he sliced the sharp weapon underneath his right arm- pushing it into Buffy's abdomen. The sick sound of renting flesh was the only thing she was aware of as warm blood trickled down her leg. Her mouth fell open soundlessly as he roughly pulled his sword from her gut and turned to face his victim. Buffy's green eyes dulled as her legs gave out, and she dropped heavily to her knees. An uncomfortable thought registered- she was at the perfect height for him to take her head. She glanced up at Chronos' towering form, cringing at the gleeful look that crossed his features as he drew back for the kill.
"You're mine."
There was no way she was going down like this.
With that thought, she fell backwards; swinging her boot with all of her strength at her opponent's knee. There was a wet pop, as the joint broke. Rolling to her side, Buffy pushed up and waveringly stood her ground.
Chronos struggled to crawl to his dropped sword, an animal-like moan deep in his throat as Buffy staggered across the pavement after him. Weakly, she kicked it out of his reach. The sword skidded past him as he lunged for it, screaming as he fell on his broken limb.
Buffy watched him with un-feeling eyes. A coldness seeping through her as she gathered her strength and raised her blade, "Thanks for the dance."
With shriek of pain, she brought the sword down, letting her weight carry it through the sinew and bone of Chronos' thick neck. Weak and unable to stop her forward motion she landed with a queasy thud on top of her challenger's corpse; watching as his head rolled away. Fibers of his shirt invaded her mouth and she tasted the nauseating tang of sweat and blood. It occurred to her that he was still warm as she tried to shove her body off of him, but it was no use. She didn't have the strength.
A feeling like static electricity flowed from the palms of her hands up her arms, causing the hair on her body to stand up straight. She shuddered as the tingling increased, shivering across her skin and into her bones. An electric transformer she hadn't noticed earlier sent out a shower of sparks as shimmering luminescence gathered around her in violent electrical storm. Lightening raged, swirling unnaturally around her. Abruptly, the bolts paused and coiled like a snake about to strike. Buffy quivered as the slow motion electric cobra reared and thrust into her body, lifting her up and tossing her petite form into the air. She hovered for a moment, a bright shining thing before the lightning coiled and surged into her setting her cells on fire. With a final hiss, it threw her to the ground and dissipated.
The world was mute but for the sound of rushing blood and with a gasp, Buffy tried to rise; pushing up on her elbows. The rough pavement scraped her skin as her arms gave out underneath her. She closed her eyes briefly, breathing hard. Building her resolve, Buffy tried again only to gasped in surprise as a hand grasped her arm. Her eyes flew open weakly registering Max's face.
Her eyes kind of look like Angel's.
With that thought, the slayer passed out.
