WELL KIDS ANOTHER CHAPTER OF "THE END OF ALL THINGS" IS HERE. I HOPE YOU ARE ENJOYING READING AS MUCH AS I AM WRITING (ALTHOUGH BY THE LACK OF REVIEWS HERE LATELY I'M BEGINNING TO WONDER.) ANY FEEDBACK POSITIVE OR NOT SO POSITIVE IS APPRECIATED, THANK YOU AND ENJOY.

CHAPTER 9

ILLUSION

"How many more of these little demon packs we got to go through?" Spike growled as he sliced a creature through all three of its heads.

"Come on Spikey, what's the matter? I thought you'd love the exercise." Faith taunted as she staked a vampire.

"Do you two always chatter so needlessly in battle?" Marcus asked as he decapitated their last opponent.

Faith eyed him. "Do you always have a pole stuck up your ass?"

"Not when I'm trying to sit down, that makes it kind of difficult."

Spike gave Faith a shocked look. "Well how about that, sword boy does have a sense of humor underneath that tough exterior."

"I hate to interrupt all this but we need to find Angel." Willow said.

Spike looked around seemingly smelling the air. "We're still on the right track. Dru's scent is strong, and so is Angel's." He pointed north. "This way."

Faith twirled her stake in her hand. "All right boys and girls what are we waiting for? Let's roll."

The building seemed to radiate with darkness as the shaman prepared for the ritual. "Ready to go off into eternity Angel?" Hamilton asked with a smug grin.

"Go to Hell!" the vampire spat.

Hamilton continued with his smug grin as he walked over towards Angel. "You feel that Angel? That sense of finality. You should, because you are finished. You see, even if something goes wrong and Angelus is not with us in a few short moments, then we will have the pleasure of seeing the sun come up in about three hours and you my friend are under a skylight. In other words, here you will either burn out or just simply fade away. The lawyer dodged Angel's attempt a kicking him. "Oh don't be like that Angel, you are about to be part of history feel honored." Hamilton looked at the shaman. "You may begin."


Connor sat in his father's old room. His emotions conflicted. His mind seemed to have separated into two different sets of memories. One contained a dark life filled with monsters, demons, and uncertainty. The other was nice normal life where he was going to college and doing the things young men do. What worried him was the fact that he seemed to enjoy the parts with the demons and monsters more. A knock on the door woke him from his thoughts. "Come in," he said. The girl whom he had talked too when they first got to the Hyperion, Dawn, walked in.

"Hey Connor, Buffy and Giles wanted me to get you. They are all talking about plans to defend the hotel."

"Why do they want me there?" Connor asked.

Dawn shrugged. "Maybe because they saw you fight. You definitely aren't your average guy."

"Yea so I'm finding out," Connor sighed.

Dawn raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

Connor shook his head. "Long story, let's just say I used to think I was normal."

Dawn smiled. "Yea join the club on that one."

Connor returned her smile. "Maybe after all this is over we could talk about how normal we used to be?"

The girl blushed a bit. "Yea I'd like that but right now."

"Yea I know more plans to save the world, and hopefully they'll have some news on my Dad, let's go."


Angel hung unconscious as the shaman continued the ritual. "How long until Daddy comes back?" Drusilla whined.

Hamilton patted her on the head. "Soon my dear, he will experience a moment of true happiness in the little spell induced fantasy our shaman friend is creating and then it shall be good-bye Angel, hello Angelus."

Drusilla jumped up and down and clapped like an excited school girl. "Oh goody, it's going to be me, Daddy, and our new masters, so much fun to be had!"

"Are you sure this is it?" Faith asked as they approached what looked to be a very old, very scary, very abandoned looking building.

"Oh isn't this stereotypical," Willow quipped. "Dark, big, and scary, a perfect place for a bad guy hideout."

Marcus looked the building over. "I think we should try to get up top, maybe there is a skylight or a way we can sneak in."

Spike looked up. "How do you suppose we do that, fire escape?"

Marcus looked back at the vampire and smirked. "You can try to find one if you like."

"What are you talking about?" Spike asked just before the warrior leaped straight up and landed on top of the building. "Show off," Spike muttered.

Marcus looked down at Spike pleased at the dumbfounded look on the blonde vampire's face. He turned around to start to investigate the situation but instead found his three companions all in front of him. "Teleportation, nice trick."

"Thanks," Willow beamed.

"Intrudersssss!" the group heard a strange voice hiss.

"Oh balls, Scalog demons," Spike said as six reptile- like creatures came from the darkness to surround them.

"Anybody got a plan," Faith asked her sword ready.

"Yes," Marcus replied. "You and Spike clear a way for Willow and I. We get inside and try to stop whatever they are doing to Angel.

Faith smiled itching for the fight. "All right then kiddies, let's do it."


"Angel? Angel, you awake?" The voice in his ear was soft, gentle, and familiar. "Angel, it's time to get up. I know you're still not quite used to this human thing, but it's another day." Angel opened his eyes and then shot up out of bed. "My we're wired this morning aren't we?" Angel looked around till he saw the source of the voice.

"Buffy?"

The petite blonde smiled, "Who else would it be? I am the girl you married after all."

Angel looked around the bedroom. It was simple, elegant, and he didn't remember any of it. He saw the sun beaming through the windows, a sun that didn't burn him. "What's going on Buffy?"

The slayer's face fell a bit. "It's happening again isn't it?"

"What, what is happening, the last thing I remember,"

"Shhh," Buffy hushed him as she sat behind him and began to rub his shoulders. "About a year ago you suffered a really nasty head injury that still affects your memory sometimes."

"But, how did I end up here? What happened with Wolfram and Hart?" Angel asked the whole situation thoroughly confusing him.

Buffy moved in front of him and straddled him. "We won the war, you got your Shanshu and we got married. Faith leads the slayers now. I decided to retire. I'm a cop, you're a private detective again, but now it's only normal people cases."

Angel shook his head, "I don't remember any," His words were stopped by a deep kiss from Buffy.

"All I want you to remember is how much fun you can have with your wife." She pushed him down and she started to undress. "You do remember how to do that don't you?" Angel looked at her half-nude body and smiled.

"I think so but why don't you remind me."


"Why have you stopped?" Hamilton asked as the shaman stopped the ritual and looked up.

"We have uninvited guests," he growled.

Hamilton frowned. "So they have come to save their fearless leader?" He turned to Drusilla. "Would you be so kind as to go on the roof and kill our party crashers?"

"Oh goodie," Drusilla giggled. "Come pretties it is playtime." The seven vampires that stood behind Drusilla moved towards the stairs leading to the roof.

Hamilton turned back to the shaman, "Please continue."


"Faith duck!" The brunette slayer dodged just as a wicked looking claw swiped the air where her head was. Faith was about to say thanks for the warning when she saw the thing that attacked her have its head cleaved off by Marcus' two pronged sword.

"Watch your head," he said with a smirk.

"I think he enjoys this a little too much," Faith thought to herself just before another one of the serpent like demons lashed its tongue out at her. She attempted to dodge the attack but the creature's tongue connected on her forearm. "Ow!" she yelped. The demon tried the attack again but this time she was ready. The slayer leaped over the lashing tongue and twisted her body landing next to the Scalog. "Later ugly," she quipped before grabbing the demon by the neck and snapping its head around. "Five by five, damn I'm good."

Willow had tried every attack, defense, or any kind of spell she knew of, but the two creatures kept stalking towards her. "Um guys a little help?" Her plea was answered by Spike as he divided one of the creatures into with his axe. The vamp turned to face the other demon only to have his neck slashed open by its claw.

"Oh bugger," the vamp exclaimed as his hands went to the gaping wound.

"Spike!" Willow screamed. The witch kneeled next to the injured vampire as Spike's attacker started towards them. "Magic may not hurt you but I bet an axe will." A short chant caused Spike's axe to lift into the air and fly into the demon's head. Its only response was the thud it made as it fell dead. Faith and Marcus finished off the remaining creatures and rushed to Spike's side.

"You okay Blondie?" Faith asked her concern obvious.

Spike coughed up some of the blood in his throat. "Just peachy," he wheezed and coughed again.

Marcus tore a piece of his tunic and placed it on Spike's wound. "He will heal quickly but I don't think he should go any farther."

"Okay then now what? Faith asked.

"Aww is my little Spike hurt?" The group turned to see Drusilla standing in front of the skylight. She was joined by seven other vampires.

"Great," Faith muttered. "Psycho-bitch vamp and her posse."

"We do not have time for this," Marcus growled. "We have to get Angel."

"Marcus," Willow said with pure fear in her voice. "I can feel Angel down there, what he's feeling, it's happiness. They are trying to take his soul."

"Original plan then, sword boy and red get down there and me and Faith kick ass up here." The voice belonged to Spike who was unbelievably was standing, but barely.

"You sure about this?" Marcus asked his respect for the unlikable vampire growing.

"Get red down there," Spike responded his voice a hoarse rasp.

"Eight on two, not good odds," Faith mumbled.

Marcus looked at her and smiled. "How about we even them up then, Willow?"

The witch responded with a single word, "Flames." A stream of fire erupted from the witch's hands.

"No!" Drusilla screamed as she and three of her vampire children dove to the left of Willow's attack. The four that moved to the right however, were burned to ashes instantly.

"Now!" Marcus yelled as he grabbed Willow around the waist and jumped crashing down into the skylight into the building where Angel was held.


Angel was happy being with his wife. He still didn't remember how he got to be married to Buffy, but his wife's talents were keeping his mind of those details. He was in bed with her and he was quite happy. He was continuing to enjoy the moment when it seemed an alarm went off in his mind. "Happy? I'm not supposed to be happy am I?" the thought entered his mind and he shot up as his insides begin to feel like they were on fire.

"Buffy!" he screamed.


Marcus and Willow landed on the floor of the building glass falling all around them. The witch turned her attention to the shaman and sent out two waves of magical energy, one towards the dark man and one towards Angel. Marcus ran at Hamilton swinging a fist at his brother. Hamilton dodged the initial attack but could not avoid the kick that the warrior aimed at his jaw. "Hello brother," Marcus sneered, "So good to see you again."

Hamilton stood up rubbing his now bruised jaw. "You've learned some new tricks little brother," the lawyer growled his voice revealing the pure hatred he had for his younger sibling.

Marcus replied with a fist that knocked Hamilton back. "Shut up and fight me."

Hamilton stood up and dusted himself off. "Little brother I am going to finally kill you."

"Buffy!" Angel screamed again.

"Yes lover?" he heard a voice that was not Buffy's hiss.

Angel looked down to see his wife now replaced by a burned disfigured form. He leaped up out of the bed and looked around to see his entire world now in flames.

"Welcome to Hell darling," the creature that was his wife cackled as everything around him burned.


Willow poured more magic at the shaman trying to counter his spell and the shaman fought back, two masters of the mystical arts literally fighting for the soul of a champion. The two continued to battle until their combined mystical energies erupted causing an explosion of pure power that shook the foundations of the whole structure.

Hamilton and Marcus traded blow for blow, their moves almost mirroring one another. A few hits were landed by Hamilton, but a quick counter by Marcus would make the fight between brothers even once more. The combatants prepared to attack again when the explosion hit knocking them apart and sending both flying across opposite sides of the building.

The four on two battle was going relatively well for Spike and Faith, relatively meaning they were still alive. "Ooof," Spike grunted as he slammed to the ground by one of the biggest vampires he had ever seen. The huge vamp kneeled on Spike pummeling him until blood starting pouring out of his mouth again. "Bloody hell," the blonde vampire thought, "just when I thought I might make it through this."

Two vampires held Faith's arms as Drusilla stood in front of her. "Another pretty slayer," Drusilla moaned as she stroked Faith's bruised face.

The slayer spit at her, "Go to Hell psycho witch!"

The vampire responded with a slap so hard it made Faith's ears ring.

"Time to kill the pretty slayer," Drusilla whispered in Faith's ear. The vampire bared her fangs ready to bite Faith when an explosion hit that sent all of them flying off the building."