DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters in this story. They belong to Joss Whedon, J.R.R. Tolkien, and their other respective owners.
A/N ABOUT THIS STORY: As you can tell, I've taken several scenes directly from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Lord of the Rings, word-for-word in the dialogue. This is not to rip off any of the real writers because I respect their work and I am not a plagiarist. This is an artistic ploy to put the reader in the mindset of where they are and is essential to the story. The Buffy episodes used were episodes (6.1-2) "Bargaining, 1 and 2" written by Marti Noxon & David Fury, (7.17) "Lies My Parents Told Me" written by David Fury & Drew Goddard, (7.18) "Dirty Girls" written by Drew Goddard, (7.19) "Empty Places" written by Drew Z. Greenberg, (7.20) "Touched" written by Rebecca Rand Kirshner, (7.21) "End of Days" written by Jane Espenson & Doug Petrie and (7.22) "Chosen" written by Joss Whedon. The Angel episode used was "Orpheus" written by Mere Smith. The movies used are, of course, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, written by Frances Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Peter Jackson, based on the books by J.R.R. Tolkien (if you didn't know that, you just suck).
15. Armageddon:
A distant Sunnydale clock tower coming from the deserted campus of UC Sunnydale chimed twelve times as the sun shined down directly overhead. The sounds traveled through every corner of the desolate town: through the empty seats of the Sun Theater, past the lonely headstones of the dozens of Sunnydale graveyards, into the vacant Bronze, and right up to the front door of 1630 Revello Drive.
However, no one met the toll of the bells at the Summers residence.
Instead, Buffy's army – complete with two slayers, Potentials, witches, the Fellowship, a watcher, the Key, an ex-demon, the slayer's best friend, an ensouled vampire, the Sunnydale High School principal and a reformed evil mastermind, sorta – marched across the bright, sunny parking lot full of abandoned school buses. The line moved swiftly with their weapons in hand; Wood led all of them with Buffy on the right with her Scythe and Aragorn on the left with Anduril, the rest of the army following closely behind.
"Welcome to Sunnydale High," Wood announced with the Fellowship and all the Potentials in mind as he marched through the double-door entrance and into the darkened and desolate high school hallway. "There's no running in the halls, no yelling, no gum chewing." His deep voice echoed as they passed the hallway of lockers and overturned trashcans until they stopped in the main intersection of the halls on the first level of the school. "Apart from that," he declared, "there's only one rule: If they move, kill them."
Buffy walked up beside Wood and began to direct, "Okay, Potentials in the basement follow Faith and Spike. Aragorn, lead your men down there, too."
Xander added, "If you have to go to the bathroom, it's to your left. If you don't, think about what you're about to face. Trust me; it's better to go now." The Fellowship, Faith, Spike and the Potentials, save for Kennedy, walked down the hall into the shadows.
"Willow," Wood said, pointing down a hallway, "my office is over there."
Buffy explained, "It's right over the Seal."
Willow turned to Kennedy and handed her the bag while Buffy handed her the Scythe. "I'll start getting you set up," she said to Willow as she turned and began towards the Principal's office.
"Okay, civilians," Wood ordered, looking at the rest of the crowd, "if the vampires get upstairs we have three areas that they can get through to another building, and then down into the sewers: down the hall in the atrium, through the North Hall here, and the primary target, through the lounge and straight through to the science building. Now odds are most of them will head there."
Giles suggested, "Teams of two, then? I suggest you and I take the lounge, Wood."
He nodded as he moved to the lounge. "I concur."
"Xander," Buffy declared, "I want you with Dawn."
"I concur," he responded.
"We'll check out the atrium," Dawn offered.
"So that leaves me and the Dungeon Master in the North Hall?" Anya asked with a sigh as she held her broadsword at her side.
Andrew swallowed and said with a shaky voice, "We will defend it with our very lives."
"Yes," Anya agreed. "We will defend it with his very life."
"And don't be afraid to use him as a human shield," Xander suggested.
"Good. Yes. Thanks." Anya responded with a nod, her voice tense.
Andrew, emotional, stated with bravery, "I just wanna say how proud I am to… die with you for this very special cause. There, um, there are some people I want to thank." He reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a piece of paper, unfolding it with misty eyes. "Um, I'd like to give a shout-out… to my… brother Tucker, who gave me the inspiration to summon demons." He added with a shaky voice, "And, um, also—"
Anya grabbed him by his shoulder, pulling him into the north hall as she rolled her eyes. "Nobody cares, you little monkey."
Dawn turned to Buffy as she held a heavy bag of weapons slung over her shoulder, "I'm going to check out our field of engagement." The teenage girl turned around and walked away from her sister like a woman.
Buffy rushed up to her, "Dawn!"
"Don't," she answered, stopping and turning back to her sister with a quiet voice. "Anything you have to say is going to sound like goodbye." Her sister stared at Buffy with eyes of admiration and melancholy for a few more seconds before she turned away and disappeared into the shadows of the atrium. Buffy watched her go, swallowing her words inside.
She couldn't help but have her mind drift back to the words that Lithuen Tinuviel had said to her in the tomb. Was it 'goodbye' that Buffy had meant to say, or 'forgive me?' Buffy turned her face away from the darkness and thought in silence. It didn't matter.
She turned around and faced the only three people standing near her: Willow, Xander and Giles. The original four gathered together in the center of Sunnydale High School staring at each other in calm and quiet. There were no words that could be said to one another for the tears that had been shed, the jokes that had been told, and the bonds that had been formed between them. These four now stood on the mouth of hell, as they had many times before, and had survived with dignity and honor – they were a testament to the human race. Proof that not only could humanity survive the evils of the world, but the evils of itself as well.
Truly, what could be said of any of them to encompass such a grand moment?
"So," Buffy asked with a light tone, "what do you guys wanna do tomorrow?"
"Nothing strenuous," Willow declared.
"Well, mini-golf is always the first thing that comes to mind," said Xander.
Giles shook his head in protest. "I think we can do better than that."
"I was thinking about shopping," Buffy frowned, her mind in contemplation, "as per usual."
"Oh! There's a new Arden B in the mall!" Willow remembered, his face lit up.
Xander shrugged. "I could use a few items."
"Are we going to discuss this?" Giles asked. "Save the world and go to the mall?"
"I'm having a wicked shoe craving," Buffy declared.
"Aren't you on the patch?" Xander asked.
Willow shook her head dismissively. "Those never work."
"Here I am, invisible to the eye," Giles sighed.
Xander, Willow and Buffy detached themselves from the circle and left Giles at the end of the hallway as Xander continued, "See, I need a new look. This whole eye patch thing isn't working."
"Oh!" Buffy suggested with excitement. "You could go with the full-black secret agent look."
"Or the puffy shirt and the pirate sash," Willow recommended.
Giles stood with his hands in his pockets as their voices faded away from him, standing there as he had seven years before while watching them walk off to face their destines. He turned away and began towards the lounge as he rolled his eyes and sighed, "The earth is definitely doomed."
And then there were three. Buffy, Willow and Xander were now in silence as Willow detached herself from their sides. Buffy and Xander watched her walk into the Principal's office as she gave them a warm smile and a slight wink. Buffy looked up at Xander as they continued down the hallway and he grabbed her hand, squeezed it, and then released it to join Dawn in the atrium. Buffy continued down the hall on her journey, now alone.
She came to the staircase leading to the basement as phrases and words from her past filled her mind – those first meetings, those important moments, those painful endings. All of them swirling around in her memory as the terrifying thought of the dark side of what she was destined to become came back to her. Every moment of her life led her here. Was it all for the destruction of who she was, everything she stood for, and the world as she knew it?
She disappeared into the darkness, descending down into the basement. Whatever was about to happen, she couldn't let it phase her. She had a battle to win, and a plan for survival. She figured that if she really was about to become more powerful than she ever had been, then they'd need not only one Slayer, but a whole army to subdue her. But she wouldn't let it come to that. Not if she could do anything about it. She would not let go.
"Glad you made it, love," Spike's voice broke her train of thought. She was there in the basement with Spike, Faith, the Fellowship and the Potentials. "Wouldn't want to start the apocalypse without you."
All of them formed a circle around the unearthed Seal of Danzalthar – a demonic symbol molded out of iron, first opened by the blood of Andrew's friend, Jonathan Levinson, the same friend that Andrew murdered. Faith pulled out Andrew's ceremonial knife and handed it to Buffy.
"You first, B," Faith said as Buffy took the knife from her. Carefully, yet quickly, she slit her hand open and let it bleed over the Seal, then passed the knife around, repeating the same act with Faith and all of the Potentials, then all of the Fellowship, then Spike finally. The Seal began to glow and the blood dripped onto it, the engraved symbols coming alive with light. The corners of an engraved star began to lift up as the Seal itself opened, revealing a flight of stairs below.
"Pucker up, ladies," Faith declared. "We're going to hell."
In the Principal's office above the Seal, Willow and Kennedy could hear the noises of the Seal opening as they echoed from the floor. Willow sat cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by candles and incense as the Scythe lay in front of her. In front of the Scythe, was Buffy's crystal from Middle Earth – something that Buffy had told her should help significantly. Kennedy sat cross-legged across from Willow on the other side of the room, her stomach twisting as the sounds rang out around her.
"They're in place," Willow announced, swallowing hard. She grabbed the crystal, concealing it in one of her palms and she rested her hands on the Scythe, looking up at Kennedy. "Brace yourself."
At the bottom of the stone staircase, Spike turned to Buffy as he looked down at the amulet around his neck. "Not to be a buzzkill, love," he said, "but I'm getting zero juice from this thing. And I look like Elizabeth Taylor."
"Cheer up, Liz," Faith responded. "If Red's spell doesn't work, it won't matter what you look like."
There was enough light for them to tell that they were in some sort of cavern and massive monuments of limestone rose around them, glaring them down ominously as they could see the light of fire at the end of a tunnel. The group continued as Buffy paused, standing still as Faith, Spike, the Potentials and most of the Fellowship passed her. Aragorn however stayed behind and asked with concern, "What's wrong?"
"There's something that I haven't done," Buffy answered, her mind clouded. She reached up for Aragorn's head and quickly placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. Buffy pulled away and looked up into his eyes, "Thank you… for coming. For being here."
Aragorn looked down at her in astonishment as she turned her worried expression towards the end of the tunnel. "You lack faith in yourself," he responded.
"Could you blame me?" Buffy replied.
He smiled warmly. "I have faith in you, Aratoamin." He turned away and began towards the end of the tunnel as she grabbed him by his shoulder and pulled him back.
"Wait," Buffy declared with a less apprehensive tone. "Look, I can't stand it anymore. I know, I suck at Elfish. There, I admit it. I don't know what you're saying when you say that word!"
"Aratoamin?" Aragorn repeated.
"Yes!" Buffy answered, crossing her arms. "For the love of god, what does that mean?"
He gazed down at her intently for a few moments, then smiled at her warmly, capturing her picture in his mind for the rest of his life. "It means 'my Champion.'" With that, he turned away and walked calmly to the end of the tunnel, joining the others. Buffy watched him go as she reflected his words, then a few seconds later she united with the rest of her friends.
When they were together again, Buffy and her army walked to the edge of a balcony of some sort, overlooking one of the most terrifying sights they had ever seen. Literally millions of Turok-Han soldiers swarmed below in their mini-hell like ants inside a hill, growling, roaring and snarling, preparing for their upcoming invasion. Buffy felt her stomach drop out as she gazed down with wide eyes at the lower cavern as the Turok-Han surrounded a massive bonfire in the center, unaware that their territory had been invaded.
The army stepped back in horror, trying with everything to keep themselves from running. Spike swallowed in disgust as he gazed down at the din below, while Aragorn nervously clutched his sword. Frodo clutched his shoulder as his war wound ached ominously, his other hand grasping tighter around the hilt of the short sword.
Buffy breathed quietly with a small, withering voice, "I'm not worried…"
"Really?" Rona asked as she held her stake up protectively with one hand, the other arm still in a cast. "Because I'm flashing back to Xander's bathroom speech."
"Oh my god, oh my god," Vi began to pant. "We're gonna die, we're gonna die, we're gonna die…"
"We're not going to die," Merry declared bravely. "You've nothing to fear."
Pippin added, holding his ax tightly, "Except for the fact that we're going to die."
Gimli declared worriedly, his voice hindering, "A dwarf… fears… nothing…"
Amanda swallowed hard and called with a quiet, terrified voice, "Buffy?"
"I'm not worried," Buffy said, breathing in and out slowly.
"Well, feel free," Sam replied, holding on to his short sword. "Now's a good time."
"We'll be okay," Buffy answered with a rapid rate. "As long as Willow can work her spell before they—"
One Turok-Han roared as the entire cave fell dead silent. Each of the disfigured vampires glared up at the balcony, spotting Buffy's army immediately.
"See us," Buffy finished, swallowing with a sense of doom. A grand, collective roar rang out throughout the cavern as the millions of Turok-Han began to race towards the balcony, armed with swords, spears and daggers.
Buffy closed her eyes, the horrifying sight disappearing momentarily as she called quietly, "Willow?"
Upstairs, Willow could hear her call for help, but she could not let it distract her. She held her eyes closed tightly as she whispered Latin rapid-fire, her palms clutching the crystal and the Scythe tightly.
Suddenly, she gasped as a wind blew through the office and blew her long, red hair out of her eyes. "Oh…" she breathed, feeling the Power form in the pit of her stomach, "my…" She clutched the crystal to the Scythe and held both firmly until the crystal pierced her hand, drawing blood. "…Goddess," she gasped.
The room suddenly was awash in white light as the Scythe rang out in the gust of wind.
Buffy's words from the day before filled all of their minds as the Potentials gasped suddenly, their bodies filling with power. The girls breathed heavily, staring down at their weapons and their danger, at once seeing the purpose of their destinies, the purpose of their training and the purpose of… everything.
"Tomorrow," they remembered, "Willow's going to use the essence of the Scythe to do just that. We're going to change our future. We're going to change our destinies."
16-year-old Jessica Thrash carried her flag across her high school's parking lot headed for the football field, the sun pouring down on the back of her neck, as she suddenly paused… feeling an emotion she couldn't describe. Her face flushed as she breathed intensely, images of Buffy and the new Slayers flashing through her mind.
"From now on every girl in the world who might be a Slayer will be a Slayer."
17-year-old Lauren Lambeth dropped her violin and bow in the middle of her lesson, nearly tumbling backwards. Her friend, Fiona Zwieb came to an abrupt stand to help her, but she realized that she also felt the same flushing feeling. Instead of getting weaker, the two girls realized, they were getting much, much stronger.
"Those who can have the power will have the power."
17-year-old Rina Hosoi stood up, dropping her glass on the table, and held her hand to her forehead as it beaded with sweat. In her mind, scenes of Sunnydale unfolded like a storybook as her eyes sparkled with power.
"Those who can stand up will stand up."
17-year-old Jan Haynes' zone out period provided to her by her physics teacher was suddenly broken. He had been standing over her delivering another endless lecture when she felt the gripping force overcome her. Her mind was carried over seas and mountains to the caverns of Sunnydale, reliving Buffy's journey as if it were her own. Her fist clenched her desk, pinching a metal bar that supported it as she gazed up, unafraid of anything the world had to throw at her.
"Slayers. All of us. Make your choice."
Rosie Gamgee suddenly felt a rush go through her body and center in her stomach. She grabbed her pregnant belly and gazed down at her future daughter. Daughter, she realized as the power came over her and tears of joy welled up her eyes.
"Are you ready to be strong?"
The new Slayers faced their oncoming enemies with steadfast resolve. "These guys are dust," Vi declared as she grinned a wicked smile.
The first wave of the army of Turok-Han leapt over the edge of the balcony and countered them.
The Battle of the Hellmouth had begun.
Kennedy giggled, gazing around her with a new sense of powers as her attention fell on her partner in shock. Her eyes widened. "Willow?
Willow sat across the room from her, light swirling around her as she beamed with joy. Her long red hair become pure white as her skin began to glow, tears dripping from her green eyes and being caught in the bowl of her glorious smile.
Her hands still clutching the glowing Scythe and crystal, she breathed lightly. The crystal began to glow a bright white as it suddenly disappeared in her hand. The light of the Scythe vanished and Willow was released from her trance, the glow fading from her skin and her hair taking on its red luster once again.
The room was lit by nothing more than candlelight once more as Willow grinned contentedly, her face still wet with tears. "So…" Kennedy asked tentatively, "you… are a goddess?"
Willow beamed at her and breathed a reply, "And you're a Slayer." The Scythe scraped the ground as she lifted it up and handed it to Kennedy. "Get this to Buffy." Kennedy took it and turned, exiting the office and running down the hallway. Still panting with glee, Willow flopped over on her side freely as she giggled in a dazed, loopy disposition, "That was nifty…"
Buffy punched a Turok-Han vampire to her left, then turned around and delivered a swift kick to the right as they swarmed all around her. Legolas pulled out double arrows and shot two Turok-Han, dusting them both. Vi jumped on the back of a vampire, slitting its throat with a gruesome blade. Chao-Ahn jumped in the air and delivered a spinning kick to the head of a Turok-Han, breaking its neck.
Gimli threw an axe into the head of a Turok-Han as he yanked another to the ground. With one broken arm, Rona threw a Turok-Han as if it were a rag doll across the cavern, breaking its body on the rocks. Aragorn sliced off the head of a Turok-Han and stabbed another in the chest. Amanda fiercely thrust a spear into the heart of a vampire as it howled with pain. Faith snapped the neck of a Turok-Han and jabbed a stake into the heart of another. Merry and Pippin shoved an off-balance vampire off of the balcony and into a pit of fire below. Sam stabbed his short sword into the back of another Turok-Han, while next to him Frodo sliced the legs out from underneath one and then stabbed it in the head. With a shout, Frodo yanked out the sword and went after another.
Kennedy dropped down into the pit of fighting and shouted out from across the mini-arena, "Buffy!" Buffy punched out a Turok-Han as Kennedy tossed the Scythe into the air, the weapon singing as it flew towards its owner. Buffy turned and grabbed the axe-end of the Scythe, plunging the stake-end into the chest of another Turok-Han. As the monster exploded into dust, she freed her weapon and used the dagger at the tip of the axe, jabbing it into the throat of another Turok-Han, dusting him as well.
A Turok-Han leapt out of nowhere and jumped on Kennedy. She grabbed him by the throat and tossed him away easily, then side-kicked another in the head, knocking him away. "I could get used to this!" she exclaimed with excitement. Another Turok-Han approached her as she grabbed him and bounced him off of a limestone pillar.
Fighting from every corner of the balcony, the army continued to eliminate the onslaught of Turok-Han, but it was not nearly enough to destroy them completely. Legolas let an arrow fly that struck a Turok-Han dead, but he noticed that several more were headed up the stairs through the Seal. "Aragorn!" he called. "They're retreating!"
The tiled floor of the North Hall trembled as distant roars could be heard. Anya stood in the middle of the hallway clutching her sword as Andrew walked up to her. "I think they're coming," he said fearfully, standing by her side with his sword.
"Oh my god," she breathed. "I'm terrified. I thought you would be terrified and I would just be sarcastic about it, but no…" The sounds of the roars became louder and louder as the enemy quickly approached.
"Think happy thoughts," Andrew ordered, beginning to panic. "A lake. Candy canes. Bunnies."
Anya paused, thinking about his last words as anger began to burn inside of her. "Bunnies," she thought, slowly getting over the one thing that brought her terror. "Floppy," she spat with fury, "hoppy… bunnies." She raised the sword in a ready stance as her eyes narrowed with rage.
A dozen Turok-Han charged down the hallway and around the corner into the lounge where Giles and Wood were ready and waiting. Giles cut off a head while Wood kicked another vampire in the face. He pulled out two knives and gutted another Turok-Han while Giles sliced his sword across another's throat.
The Turok-Han down the North Hall towards Anya as she ducked beneath the sword of one, slicing another at the stomach. Andrew backed up quickly as one snarled towards him.
"I have swimmer's ear!" he screamed as the Turok-Han tossed him aside. Anya cut the head off of a Turok-Han and sliced her sword clean through the torso of another as a group of Bringers slowly approached them from behind.
Spike punched out a Turok-Han and suddenly felt his chest become very hot – to the point of burning. He reached down, placing his hand on the amulet and pulled it away as it singed his flesh. "Buffy…" he called worriedly.
Willow was still lying on her side when she felt it. Her dazed eyes focused and were suddenly filled with terror. "Oh, no…" she breathed. "No…"
Xander cut the head off of a Turok-Han when he felt it. A tingling in the pit of his stomach. "No," he gasped, grabbing his heart as it began to ache.
"Xander!" Dawn screamed. He turned around to see three Turok-Han rushing towards him with swords drawn. Dawn sprang into action, grabbing a rope and yanking it down, pulling the window covering off of the skylight above, raining the noon sun down on them and incinerating them alive.
Xander clutched his heart again as she raced away from the atrium. "Xander?" Dawn called with confused as she ran after him.
In Lothlórien, Galadriel gasped deeply as she grabbed her heart and gazed down at the Mirror. "The price must be paid," she whispered alone as the moon shined down on her.
Xander shouted as he raced into the North Hall, "Anya! Anya!" Anya pulled her sword out of a Turok-Han to see Andrew get knocked down. Her focus was on him as a Bringer drew his blade behind her, raising it high in the air.
"Anya, no!" Xander called as he shoved her to the ground. She looked up as the Bringer brought the knife down into his body, cutting him from shoulder to stomach. She let out a terrified scream as Xander's lifeless body fell to the floor.
"No!" she howled in agony, suddenly realizing her love for him. Andrew, watching the horrified scene, turned around again and received a sword in his throat, decapitating him. Anya looked up, her eyes full of tears to see a Turok-Han with an axe raised in the air. He brought it down to her head. Dawn stood at the end of the north hall, watching in horror as the terrible sound of Anya's head being crushed and by the axe rang in her ears, immediately bringing tears forth.
Robin Wood snapped the neck of a Bringer, then stabbed a Turok-Han. He turned his head suddenly as he heard the scream of a young woman – Anya. When he turned back around, a Turok-Han plunged a sword into his stomach. Hearing Wood's call of agony, Giles sliced the head off the Turok-Han and caught Wood as he fell into his arms.
"I'm… sorry," Robin declared as blood poured from his stomach and fell from his lips. "We've failed…" With those words, he died in Giles' arms.
Aragorn kicked a Turok-Han off of him and stabbed another in the heart. As he pulled his sword out, he heard Buffy's voice from the distance. He turned towards her, making sure she was all right. "Keep the line together!" Buffy called out, still ordering her army as they battled around her.
Frodo yanked his sword out of Turok-Han, hearing Buffy's words as he saw a figure approach her. A Turok-Han with a white handprint across his face came towards Buffy with a golden sword in hand. Buffy shouted, "Drive them to the edge! We can't let them—"
"No!" Frodo shouted, but it was too late.
The Turok-Han pulled the sword back and plunged it into Buffy's back, stabbing her through the stomach. She looked down at the bloody, gold sword sticking out of her body as it was violently ripped out. Her attacker simply walked away, not paying her a single mind. Her shaky hand reached for her wound, trembling with fear and pain as she gazed around in disbelief. This was how it was going to end. She would be just another fallen Slayer as her army fought around her without a single realization that she had been wounded. Weakly, she took a few steps, and then suddenly collapsed, losing all strength and power.