GREETINGS TO ALL. ONCE AGAIN THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS PLEASE KEEP THEM COMING. I'LL UPDATE AS MUCH AS QUICKLY AS I CAN. ANYWAY PLEASE R & R IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FEEL FREE TO EXPRESS. THIS IS MY FIRST FANFIC AND I LOVE FEEDBACK.

TITLE:THE END OF ALL THINGS

AUTHOR:AVES

DISCLAIMER: JOSS OWNS I WRITE, THE UNIVERSE IS IN HARMONY


CHAPTER 12
ALL ABOUT SOUL

The mood at the Hyperion had gone from bad to worse. Morale among the troops was low. Spike had spent a lot of time cursing, and mumbling. His only break from that routine was trying to explain the situation to Illyira who seemed more upset that angry. "Must we kill Angel now?" she had asked.WhenSpike explained that it was a possibility she looked sad but then simplysaid, "If it must be done, then it must be done," then she told him she wanted to be alone. Spike now stood within a group that included Giles, Willow, Faith, and Marcus. Buffy was somewhere in the hoteL. Willow said she was with Dawn whowas still petrified.

"Can't blame her," Spike thought. "Angelus loves little girls."

"We must assume that Angelus could ally himself with Wolfram and Hart," Giles said as Spikefocused his attentionon the conversation.

"There are manyunknowns," added Marcus. "We don't know where Cordelia took Angelus, where she is, where he is, pretty much nothing. All we know is that Angel is no longer with us and that weakens the Cleveland offensive."

Giles nodded in agreement, "Yes, but we must continue as planned. Illyria will help offset the loss of Angel and," Giles was interrupted by a blue light appearing in the room that signaled the return of Cordelia.

"Angelus is loose," was all she said.

"Well then," Spike replied, "I guess we stop this without Peaches."

"Damn right we do," the group looked to see Buffy now standing in thedoorway. "Destinies, prophcies, frankly I'm really sick of it. If the Senior Partners want to bring Angelus let them. If they want to try to open Hellmouths let them. With or without Angel if they want an apocalypse we'll bring them one."


Hamilton stood in a place deep beneath the ruins of the Wolfram and Hart building. A place only he and his masters knew of. He was before the Senior Partners in the chamber where they were waiting for the battle to begin.

"Progress report," they hissed at him.

"Our forces are being assembled," Hamilton began.

"What of the generals?" they demanded

"Drusilla is prepared to lead the Cleveland team, our resurrection ceremony for our Sunnydale leader is almost complete and Angelus has been brought out. He will lead the Mexico force as soon as we locate him."

"There is something you are not telling us," the Wolf growled.

Hamilton paused a moment not really wanting to inform his masters of the Angelus situation. "Yes, well a fascinating development occured during our attempt at removing Angel's soul. They were seperated. Angel and Angelus are now two seperate beings." Hamilton winced bracing for a torrent of wrath from his masters but it never came. Instead, to his surprise they seemed amused.

"So the centuries old question is now answered. What side will the vampire play in the apocalypse? How interesting is it that he will be on both." They all looked at Hamilton in unison. "Go back and oversee the resurrection ceremony. The time is coming and we must be ready to make this world what is should be, ours."


Plans continued in Hyperion. The group trying to forget the loss of one of their strongest. "I hope that prophecy thing is wrong," Spike said.

"Which one?" asked Buffy.

"The one where Peaches is supposed to be a major player in the big battle," he replied.

Cordelia sighed, "I honestly don't know how we are going to defeat them now."

"We stick with the plan," declared Buffy. "We stop them from opening the Hellmouths then we see what happens."

Their discussion was interrupted by yelling from outside. "Bloody Hell now what?" Spike grumbled.

"We has four of the girls on guard duty," Buffy answered, "Come on let's go."

The group ran outside to see the girls fighting with a familiar vampire. "Angelus," Buffy growled.


Hamilton watched as four vampires were chained to a weird looking cage. "You are sure you have the power to do this?" Hamilton asked the dark shaman standing next to him.

"I have studied the ritual. I have the ability. It shall be done." he replied.

"Can I hurt the nasty creature who made my ears scream?" Drusilla asked Hamilton for the third time since he had found her unconscious.

"Later my dear," he replied. "They will all suffer for their interference. Now hush we have work to do."

The shaman began the ritual, but was quickly stopped by the arrival of an intruder. "Well isn't this precious, we got a magic man, dark oogity boogity mojo, why I'd say somebody's trying to wake the dead."

"Angel," Hamilton snarled.

The vampire smiled at him, "Close but no, I lost the pounds an unwanted soul adds on."

"Daddy?" Drusilla shrieked.

Angelus looked at the vamp and licked his lips, "Hey baby, Daddy's home."


"Buffy, what are they doing? Call them off!" Angel pleaded as he tried to fight off the slayers without hurting them.

"Not a chance, I'm going to enjoy this," Buffy said as she took out a stake ready to join in.

Spike walked to the elder vampire as well but his attention was grabbed by a green demon who was getting his butt kicked by one of the other girls. "Lorne?"

"Lorne?" Cordelia repeated. "Buffy call them off it's Angel!"

"There's no way," Buffy said.

"Buffy, trust me," Cordelia pleaded.

Buffy looked at Cordy and then turned away obviously frustrated, "Fine, slayers stand down!"

The girls complied leaving Angel who had dropped to one knee the combination of Drusilla's torture and the beating he just took leaving him wincing in pain. "You want to tell me what you were doing?"

Buffy moved closer, cautiously, toward Angel, a stake still in her hand. "There is no way you got your soul back," she snapped.

Angel frowned, "He was here wasn't he?"

"What do you mean he was here?" Buffy growled at him.

"They tried to take my soul," Angel began. "I barely remember what happened. Some kind of dream, I guess they were trying to make me experience true happiness. Anyway, when I woke up I was still me and they were trying the ritual again. The shaman said Angelus was no longer inside me."

"That would make sense," Willow interjected, "The magics I used against the shaman could have caused that reaction."

"All right I'll bite," Buffy said. "Angel and Angelus are seperated, but how did you know he was Angel by seeing that guy?" Buffy motioned towards Lorne who was dusting himself off and looking kind of bruised.

"That's Lorne, friend of ours," Spike said. "Although what he is doing here is beyond me."

"He saved me from one of Drusilla's torture sessions," Angel answered.

"Ouch," Spike groaned. "Chest split?"

"Yea," Angel nodded, "She even added reaching in and clawing my heart."

"Okay," Buffy butted in, "This is all real nice, but we've got Angel back and I'm sure he's dying to know what the Senior Partners are planning."

Buffy's comment got Angel's attention, "You know?"

"Yes," Giles said, "It seems they are literally going to raise Hell."


Hamilton was pleased to see Angelus, but personally the vampire irritated him to no end.

"So the big three, Wolf, Ram, and Hart want me to lead one of their armies?" Angelus asked.

"That is correct," Hamilton sighed.

"Well that sounds ducky and all but why would I? I'm not the joiner type. Why shouldn't I just take Dru, get the hell out of Dodge and start my own little party?"

Hamilton was despising every second talking to the vampire so he decided to get to the point. "If you lead our army then we will give you the one thing you've obsessed over since you first saw her."

"What's that?" Angelus inquired his interest suddenly peaked.

Hamilton smiled, "Our goal is to remake this realm into the image of the Senior Partners in order to make it their permanent home. We already rule several other dimensions. If you were to succeed we would give you a realm of your choice. Also when you arrive you have a nice little present. Buffy, captured, chained, ready forto do whatever you want with her."

Angelus licked his fangs, "Good start but not enough."

"What?" Hamilton growled but then tried to calm himself, "What more do you want?" He asked throught gritted teeth.

"Real simple," Angelus answered. "That bitch Cordelia Chase tricked me, and stole my memories. She might not be human but I am eager to see if she can still feel pain. Add her to the deal and you got me, and oh can you find a cute young blonde for me and Dru to share? I'm starving."

Hamilton smiled evily at the vampire, "You have a deal." The lawyer snapped his fingers and a demon brought in a young girl who was shivering with fear. "Will she do?" Hamilton asked.

Angelus and Drusilla already had their vamp faces on. "She's perfect." he growled.


COMING UP NEXT CHAPTER

An old enemy returns, The third champion revealed, and Angelus really gets on Hamilton's nerves. All this and more in Chapter 13 of the End of All Things. Master Plan.