The last few months had been very good ones for Alexander Harris; his conversion of Spike's hoard had meant financial freedom, and behind the scenes he'd found and purchased the mortgage and car loans of his friends parents, setting aside the money as college and graduation gifts not knowing how the adults would react to a 'kid' being their benefactor.
Dating Cordelia had been one of the happiest experiences of his life, one we wouldn't have believed possible before The Judge incident. He'd arranged things almost exactly as planned, except that he'd arranged through his lawyer to secretly offer to buy the property of the extended Harris family at appraised value after leaving Las Vegas brochures all over the living room; the next morning every single one of them had left town and except for Rory, had done so without a good-bye or other contact.
Without the constant reminder of failure, and with the Chases finding out Xander himself was now a real estate investor with clean money, Cordelia's parents had quickly ceased to object to the relationship. Xander had convinced Cordelia to emancipate and accept a five percent stake is his financial activity, and then promptly allowed her to handle everything except the check-signing and the final decisions unless he had reviewed them with her an their accountant.
Oz with his improved sense of smell even in normal human form had turned out to have a knack for literally sniffing out hidden property damages, the occasional cache and if a place just 'felt wrong.' This led to Xander hiring him on a flat-fee plus cache-percentage basis. Buffy and Angel were paid a hundred dollars for every vampire dusted or demon eliminated on the premises. By the beginning of May, life was good for the tax-lien and fix-it teenagers until news of a break-in caught Giles' eye one morning.
"Oh, this can't bode well," he muttered to himself, the phone ringing a few seconds later, "Yes?"
"Giles," Angel greeted from his side of the telephone conversation, "I was on my way back to the apartment when I think I saw Spike and Drusilla pulling into that abandoned mansion on Crawford Street Xander's been thinking of getting."
"Oh dear, this morning I read in the paper about a certain theft at the museum, a-and from the picture I noticed some markings, part of an inscription. I was only able to read one name: Acathla." He heard the phone drop.
"A-Angel? Are you there?"
"Yes, I was just surprised. And after seeing Dru and Spike, it can't be a coincidence."
"Understandable. I believe it might behoove us to consider a dusk assault on th-this mansion you mentioned."
"I agree, if you leave the doors unlocked, I'll make the dash from the manhole to the library around five-thirty. I'll call if I read anything that'll help."
"Thank you, Angel, I'll see you then."
By five-thirty, the gang had learnt of the impending Acathla problem and cleared their schedules. Xander and Cordelia entered, holding the door as a singed Angel ran in.
"Thanks for help," Angel nodded at the teen couple, "Were you able to do anything from your end?"
"As if?" Cordelia complained as they sat down at the table, "We went down and slapped down the bucks, filled out the papers and everything. And that clerk—"
"—Cor," Xander interrupted, placing a hand on the back of her wrist, "Unfortunately, it won't officially be ours until 12:01 Monday morning, so after that we can chase them off long enough to do a disinvite." He looked at his watch, "So we have fifty-three hours and twenty-five minutes to keep them busy if the stone guy is there."
"Well," Giles sighed, "It was a good effort, especially as I believe you were interested in the property anyway…" He halted as Xander was gesturing behind Cordelia's head, trying to get him to stop, "…or maybe it was another."
"So do we have a set of blueprints yet," Xander asked, "or are we going to just force the front entrance and ask nicely."
"Too bad we don't have a way of knowing how many minions they have…" Giles considered, "Or of a way to make them come outside."
"Hmm," Oz mused, "Does the place have electricity, or indoor sprinkler system?"
"No, I checked, everything's shut off, and the previous owners had gotten permits, but then disappeared before installing a system," Willow informed them, causing Cordelia and Xander to look at each other.
"If we kept her from hacking…" Xander began.
"…unless we tell her to," Cordelia added, then smiled as Oz sensed his girlfriend's unhappiness about not really having a job with Xander and nodded, "So why don't we go ahead…"
"…with our security company plans," Xander finished, "Though we might have to double her up with the repo business…"
"Yeah, until the cash flow starts picking up," Cordelia smiled, "But a simple scan-thingy will give us better leads." The two hugged, confusing the others.
"What are you guys talking about?" Willow asked.
"They're hiring you," Oz told her.
"Oh, better, you two are being spun off with the clearing crew here," Xander said with a wave at Liam and Buffy, "as part of a Security and Securing Company, we'll talk after the demon thing's over with."
"Yes, that would be a better time," Giles insisted, still a bit lost as they examined the printouts, "But from what the plans show, it just might be our best bet, perhaps j-just a reconnaissance in force."
"You mean all of us in, check the first couple of rooms around the foyer, then back out?" Angel asked, trying to find a way that entailed less risk for his human companions. Since reviewing Michael's words of Halloween, and catching the 'crewing up' reference, he'd committed himself to very careful attention and being first in any fight to make sure there'd never be a death because of his broodiness or lack of effort.
"Y-Yes, especially as we should be going now, though I don't know whether or not they understand what's involved with the ritual."
Fifteen minutes later, the Gang had pulled their vehicles up in front of the mansion's driveway and scooted along the vegetation enough as to minimize contact as they stuck to the shade.
In through the front they charged, Angel and Buffy first, then Xander to the right with Cordelia behind, Rupert and Jenny similarly to the left as Oz and Willow drove Xander's pick up to the front and turned it around for a fast get-away.
Slayer and Vampire took advantage of the partially surprised minions, dusting five in the first minute as the others managed another three. They push forward into the next large room, and notice thirty vampires, many of them familiar to Angel as his demon had created many of them a century or two before, as well as a few 'cousins' such as Penn and two others turned two hundred years ago. As they glanced over their backs, Willow and Oz ran in.
"There are thirty vampires outside!" Willow cried out, "What do we do!"
Spike, near Acathla, cut his hand as part of the ritual. And behind him, tied up, was Kendra and her Watcher, both looking well-tortured but alive.
"I'd say, 'die,'" he smirked, "I hope you like the reunion, Angelus, it'll be your last. I'm taking a page from your book, I'm going to end the world" They watched as Drusilla seemed to keep chanting under her breath and making hand motions at Spike. The vampire leader turned to the others, "Well, have fun, but kill them."
"Xander, now!" Cordelia shouted, "Do the Armor thing! They're gonna end the world!" The others fired crossbows and took out stakes, swords and crosses as they prepared to go down fighting, when a brick was thrown that hit Xander in the head and stunned him with a glancing blow. The crossbow bolts dusted five and wounded four more, but the vampires smiled and swaggered, the Gang moving into the Acathla room so they might hold the door and fight only half at a time, when in their midst a bright light flashed and suddenly Xander Harris was racing past Slayer and Vampire at unbelievable speed, surprising all, but out of sorts enough that he'd gone away and into the other room.
Angel lashed out at the two unknowns as Buffy charged Penn and a minion, desperate to protect her friends as hope for a miracle. Giles stabbed with a sword as the others pulled out super soakers of holy water to hold off the vampires for a few precious moments. Giles decapitated three in the next minute, as Angel and Buffy barely held off foes, though she'd gone through two minions.
In the foyer, Xander gathered himself, and in not fighting a true demon, wielded his sword but without the extra burn, slashing at his best, as he quickly recovered he took many blows but ended ten and sent weeping into a corner with blessed wounds another six, causing the others to hold back in uncertainty which kept him alive.
Xander found himself back to the doorway, and stabbing at two minions, backflipped between Oz and Willow as they soakered his opposition. He turned and setting his eyes on Acathla and the vortex starting to open, surged ahead, stabbing and slashing, dusting Penn in front of Buffy and a master in front of Angel en passant in order to get at the evil awakening. Minions scattered to the side and both Angel and Buffy angled behind the gap the warrior in white had achieved, dusting as they could those minions stupid enough to stay and fight rather than run. Buffy ran forward and pulled out of Spike the sword Drusilla stabbed her William upon to ensure the opening. The slayer leapt over and through to defend and rescue Kendra and Zabuto, causing more vampires to disperse after her. Angel grabbed Spike and threw him into Drusilla, who fell against Buffy, causing the sword to falter in her hands. The vampires got up and as Angel charged from the rear, near the vortex, Xander raised Michael's sword up high…
Buffy skewered a confused William the Bloody, pushing him hard into Drusilla, piercing her…
Xander struck down toward the statue, Angel tripping on a minion, causing him to miss Drusilla's heart and from Slayer strength suffer the fate of Spike and Dru, falling back into the vortex…
…as Xander split the demon Acathla in twain, in a flash ending the portal and disintegrating the once-feared Demon Lord.
The minions and masters fled as they watched an apparent Archangel with a single blow exterminate one of the 'heroes' of demon legend on this plane, the ones in the outer room hearing the screams of vampires, the retreat of vampires and the flash of pure white light.
A minute passed, as Xander rose from his knees, traded back his Armor and Sword for his Michael clothes, and stagger forward to the group. He noticed a large black puppy, picked it up, and carried it over, petting it.
"There goes another three years of life," he sighed, sadly smiling, then looked around, seeing Buffy near the space briefly occupied by the portal, "Where's Liam?" He placed the dog collar, still in his pocket from Halloween, around the puppy's neck. It fit perfectly.
"In Hell, he fell in as Buffy pushed Spike and Drusilla in," Giles quietly told him, binding a wound on Jenny as Oz did the same for Willow, Cordelia brushing her clothes off.
"Well, not letting Buffy be by herself should be our first priority," Xander stated as his friend sobbed. He looked pointedly at Cordelia, then Buffy. Cordelia got the hint, went over, and didn't have to try to be comforting as Buffy simply attached herself to Cordelia and continued crying.
"And our second priority will be the revelation of secrets," Giles asserted.
"All of them?" Xander asked, staring intently at Giles who Xander guessed still had many secrets the Gang had no idea about. Giles faltered, looked at Buffy, then resolved with a nod.
"All of them."