Ezekiel

Disclaimer: Do not own Buffy.

Previously:

"Oh, God," Edana whispered.

"We're too late."

The myth gave way to reality, revealing four robed vampires with long, emerald and gold necklaces falling from their necks. They each had a sword through their heart, causing the blood to flow freely to the base of the statue.

The statue itself was pure black and upon it were four winged beings.

The light moved outwards and consumed the entire room, leaving all inside blinded.

Out of the Great River Euphrates:

The men were demon in visage, having claws and talons in place of hands and grotesque faces with long ridges extending from cheek to neck. Their eyes were red and bulging. They wore armor, some coded red, others blue, and some yellow.

They had the bodies of great, gigantic black horses with thick manes. Their heads, thought, were those of lions, with great mashing fangs that appeared to quiver at the thought of bloodshed. Their tails, usually bushy things of hair, held now vipers and cobras with venomous fangs that appeared as though they could rip through the armor of a tank without much difficulty. They each seemed to breath fire in and out of their nostrils, and they emitted the distinct odor of sulfur.

They moved forward throughout the world, killing only to sate their bloodlust until they came to their city of purchase.

Continued:

Ezekiel held his hand up to block the onslaught of light against his pupils. He had failed and now the four angels were on Earth, and their army of two hundred million were preparing to charge into the city. The odds were that they were already on Paradise's doorstep. Thank God that a lot of the people had moved on. When the light dimmed down, he knew that it would reveal what would likely be their doom.

Spike did what he could to keep from parboiling in the furious light that was bombarding his body by hiding in the shadow of the Warrioress. Though it was not sunlight, or the light of the holy, it was powerful enough to wound him. If just their light was that strong, then how much power would they have over him?
Tivona stared ahead into the extraordinary light. It was blinding and, when it faded, she knew that their lives would most likely be over. Though she had only known these people for a few days, at most, she knew she could depend on them.
Adil held Marcie's hand as he shielded his eyes against the light. He wondered if this was when it would all end. He had survived things in his homeland that many people did not deserve, Hell, that no one deserved to go through. Marcie had been literally abandoned by everyone around her. Yet, here they were, ready to fight to the end. She had such a big role in this, so much responsibility. He, of course, being the normal one, got the universal role of helping wherever he could.

It wasn't much, but, it was worth it.

Edana held onto Tara as much as she could, pressing her lips onto the blonde witch's with more force than she believed she could have mustered at this time. They were going to die and there was nothing they could do about it. Well, if they were going to die, she was going to die in her love's arms.
Finally, the light died down. The forces of good let their protection against the rays of light fall away, and Spike came out from behind Tivona, a fearful look on his face. It was echoed by all in the room.

The light died down completely, leaving its chaotic aftermath. The four vampires were on the ground, clutching the blades which were now causing them a miniscule amount of pain, when considered to the pain of keeping the angels grounded to this plane of existence.

The four angels were now off of the base, standing in the room. Each of them had on their gothic armor with ancient markings and runes along it. The one to the far left was female. She had long, flowing blonde hair that gave off the appearance of innocence. Her eyes, however, were dark and cruel, marked with black upside-down crosses. She held out her sword and examined it, then smiled a cruel smile that guaranteed pain.

The one beside her was also a woman. She had black hair, pinned up by long, crimson pieces of wood. Her face held a light scar that ran across her cheek to her collarbone. She had red eyes that seemed to suck the soul away. Her face held no smile, which was the best face of them all.

The one to the right, and the one to the right of him, were both male. The first one had short, brown hair and a face filled with scars. His armor held a special marking, a red cross with a serpent wrapped around it. He had on an earring that appeared to be a viper, but no one could tell from that distance. They could tell, however, that he had bright, almost neon, green eyes that seemed to catch the spirit in their gaze. Hypnotic.

The final angel that had once been bound at the river Euphrates had red hair and an eye patch over his left eye, probably caused by when he had been chained. His neck held a lengthy scar, as though his throat had been slit. Perhaps it had been. His face was twisted into a sickly smile, and he flashed gray fangs their way. His icy, blue eyes held nothing more than contempt and sickening hatred for the beings of the earth. He was the one to make the first move and took a step forward, forcing the group of do-gooders to go into the defensive, but he did not attack.

Before anyone could do anything, Tara moved and fired her weapon at all four of the angels. The bullets flew through the air at a lightning pace, guaranteeing pain for when they struck. Except, none of them fell as the bullets made from her own blood struck them in their faces. Instead, they simply stared at her.

"Tara," Ezekiel called out, deciding that now was the time for action, "Edana, Adil, take the one on the far right. Spike, you take the blonde. Tivona…"

"I'll take the brunette," she answered.

"Fine," the Warrior of God said and he turned his attention to the angels, "You don't belong here."

His angel, chosen for him by default, laughed a little.

"We don't belong here," she asked him in a deeply, gravelly voice, "A Warrior of God is telling us that we don't belong here?"

"Enough with the dialogue," the redhead said, his voice equally gravelly with a slight twang of the Orient, "I haven't walked on this Earth in millennia. Several, I think. It's been too long since I've been here."

"I agree," the brunette stated, his voice eerily calm, the kind one would expect a psychiatrist to have, not a destroyer such as this one, "Let us kill these idiots without delay."

"No," the blonde one said, her voice dripping of sexuality, causing everyone present to become attracted to the being, "I want to stay…and mingle."

She sent a look over to Spike, and he had to keep from yanking off all his clothes and screwing her brains out right then and there. He struggled through the effort, wondering whether or not he would be able to do his job.

"Bugger this," he said, "Let's fight."

"Why, dear William," the blonde angel said with a leer, "I didn't know you were such a traitor to your kind."

"Can you please shut up, you stupid bitch," the English vampire cursed her, "I want to be fighting you, not screwing you."

"Can't you do both," she responded.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

Gunn drove down the freeway like a maniac which, in all fairness, he might be. From what he saw on TV and just heard on the radio about a huge explosion at the Reiben mansion, he just knew that something was up with his man, Zeke, and he would always help out his friends, no matter what.

"Slow down a little man," Rondell called from the back of the truck, "We can't help the brother if we're a smear on the pavement."

Charles ignored his friend.

Everyone, angels included, stared at the young Warrioress. Her outburst was unusual, especially to the people who had known her for the time she had been in Paradise. For a long moment, no one answered. Then…

"Very well," the brunette angel said softly, "We'll start the slaughter."

He let his wings come loose and rampaged her way. She tried to bring her blade up to strike him, but he dodged her blade and grabbed her by her chest, then flew up into the air outside of the mansion with her.

Ezekiel stared after his sister in anger. They were supposed to fight together, not alone. Oh, well. Some things were simply beyond his control. He screamed out in rage and turned his attention to the black haired angel, who was smiling at him. He screamed and surged forward, catching her off guard as he did so, and threw himself at her. The Warrior and the angel fell through the window and onto the ground in a heap.
Edana did what instinct told her to do, and instinct told her to try and catch their angel off guard. She began to heat up his armor, trying to burn his skin. Instead of which, he simply lifted his head skyward and smiled.

"Thanks," he said when she stopped, "I needed to scratch that itch."

Tara reloaded her weapon and began to unload the clip while Edana launched fireballs at the angel. The redhead simply took off into the air and dodged the projectiles, laughing at them as he did so.

Spike watched the redheaded angel fly around, wishing that things could be different. Instead of which, he had aligned himself with the good guys and, despite what he did now, the angels of Euphrates would still kill him.

"Bugger it," he said to himself.

"Let us fight," the blonde said, licking the area around her lips as she did so.

"…If I go to Hell," the vampire whispered to himself, "I hope she's my tormentor."

With that, he vamped out and ran at her. She smiled and waited until he was within range, then brought her leg up and kicked him in his chest, sending him flying out off the room through the roof. The blonde laughed and flew up after him.

It watched from its place in the air, pondering at the events of this night. So far, the Warrior, Warrioress, vampire, and the humans had done a fair job of keeping the forces of evil at bay. Now, when the angels that it had personally helped bind at the great river Euphrates had been unleashed to the Earth, completely free of their shackles, they were the only ones able to stand against them. Their plan of attack was a simple one, yet, it would never work so long as even one of those angels was in the area. And, now, all four would have to die, not just one as before. The use of the accursed gem had guaranteed that.

It kept to its flight, awaiting the right moment.

Ezekiel rolled along the ground and landed on his back. He groaned against the aching of his limbs and the short, stabbing pain in his neck, and wondered if he could get up. The choice was made for him when he noticed the glint of a sword flying his way. He rolled himself to the side and heard the earth shattering sound as the blade embedded itself into the ground. It actually shook the area.

The Warrior of God stood up and brought the Blood Sword to the fore, ready for the angel's next assault. It was quick in coming as the black haired being flew at him, her fist held back, ready for the punch. The hunter stayed steady and waited. As she propelled her fist towards him, he slid to the ground and brought the blade up against her body with all his might. Instead, she just stopped before she reached the weapon and kicked him in the head.

He flew through the air and landed, again, on his back. He sighed as he realized that this would be a very long night.

Tivona threw her fist at the angel's face, but the fallen being lifted up his arm and blocked the blow. In follow up, the brown haired devil sent his foot into her knee. She fell to the ground clutching the wounded bone, thankful that it wasn't broken, but still wounded. She gritted her teeth against the pain and slowly came to her knees, keeping the injured one elevated as she did so. When she looked forward, she was staring right into the bastard's crotch.

"Thanks for the offer," he stated calmly, "But, I don't enjoy blow jobs."

Tivona became enraged by the fucker's words and was about to respond when she got an even better, and more fitting, idea. She smiled a malicious smile at him, forcing him to become wary. Yet, he did not see it when she reached out and bit his manhood.

"AH!"

Spike jumped up and launched a combat boot into the blonde's face, forcing her down to the ground. She looked back at him as he came forward and sent a heel into his ankle, causing him to slide down to the ground in pain. She rolled onto her side and got on top of him, grabbed his hands, and placed them underneath her armor and onto her chest. The British vampire froze, all his pain momentarily forgotten as he felt her lush, ripe breasts.

"You're a demon," she whispered into his ear and licked the skin behind it, "Why must we fight?"

Don't fall, you prick, the vampire berated himself, You're not just doing this for you, you're doing it for Dru. And the world.

"Do me a favor, then, love," he said to her, "And take your ill-gotten ways to the Devil where they belong."

He spat in her face and she hissed at him in rage, causing her true face to come loose: a hideous, old woman with dulled fangs and a large, snakelike tongue. She lifted him up and tossed up into the air, high above the skyscrapers and onto one of the tallest buildings, a bank.

The Big Bad didn't feel quite so Big or Bad as he rolled along the concrete. He slowly got up to his feet, wobbling as he did so, and shook his head to clear his vision. He finally became aware of his surroundings and immediately wished he hadn't as he saw a fist head his way. He felt the impact against his chest and the air passing by him at gargantuan speeds as he flew. He turned himself around in the air and saw where he was going to land.

"oh, hell," he said as he saw the pavement down below, at least three thousand feet below.

He heard some laughter to his side and turned his head to see the angel that he had been given to fight, smirking at him.

"You know this won't kill me, right?"

"No," she admitted, "But, it'll hurt."

Adil held his cross sword up to the angel as he stalked towards them. He paused at the weapon and, for a moment, the young Yemenite wondered if it was working. Then, the redhead had smiled.

"I'm a devil, son," he growled, "Not some cheap vampire."

"Either way, you can go to Hell."

The angel reached out and crushed the blade into a thousand shards with his one hand. A few of those shards embedded themselves into the young man and he flew backwards onto the ground, clutching his side in pain.

"Shame," the fallen angel stated, "I thought you would be more worthy opponents."

As he said this, Adil could see behind him as a large spear of fire flew through the air. It struck the angel full in the chest, slicing through the armor, and sent him to the ground. For a moment, it seemed as though he were mortally wounded, but then, he simply gripped the spear and crushed it, causing the fire to fade. He stood up to his full height and turned to see Edana and Tara, the latter with her pistol trailed up at him.

The devil was about to begin his terror against them when he caught something.

Ezekiel silently came to his feet, clutching his leg. It felt as though it were dislocated or, hopefully, sprained if anything. His head felt horrible and he would likely have a concussion when the night was over. Or, perhaps, be in a coma. That last thought was actually one of the most comforting going through his mind. Sighing, the Warrior looked up and saw a sight that would forever be burned against his mind: every single vampire that had sworn allegiance to him and his friends were now dog piling atop the fallen angel, snarling and growling at her.

He smiled at the ironic situation and wondered how it would turned out. He got his answers when a large, blinding light escaped the pile and he heard the sound of dozens of vampires dusting. Groaning, he gripped his weapon and charged forward. He sliced his blade up along a path towards her head, and felt the satisfying crunch as the top of her skull flew off, revealing her brains: a hideous mass of black, throbbing ooze that bubbled and hissed.

For a moment, time seemed to stand still. No sound could be heard and neither being moved an inch. Of course, she wasn't dead. She lashed out with a bladed hand and struck him on the inner thigh, sending him to the ground. She reached over and grabbed the top of her skull, then simply placed it back atop her head. The Warrior of God kicked her in the rear end, sending her up into the air, where she resumed her flight.

"Shit," the Warrior cussed himself and stood up, preparing for her next assault.

"Boy, when you said you didn't like blow jobs, you weren't kidding," the Warrioress of God taunted the writhing angel as he clutched what remained of his lower extremity, though it would likely heal within the next minute.

"I will kill you brutally for this," the angel stated, that same calmness present.

"Shut up," she said as she withdrew her rune dagger and threw it into the bastard's neck.

"You know," he said as blood began to drip from the wound, "I'm a fallen angel…not a demon."

With that, he reached up and gripped the dagger. He gritted his teeth and pulled it out of his flesh, a sucking sound following after. He smiled a sickly smile at her and stood up, his neck already healing. He held his ground for a moment, as though he were awaiting her next attack. She chose not to answer. So, he threw the blade at her.

The Warrioress stood her ground as well and watched the blade move her way. At the last minute, when it would have struck her right between the eyes, she reached up and plucked it out of the air. Not a drop of her blood was spilt.

"Impressive," a voice said behind her.

It was followed by a great force striking her in the back, sending her flying into the grass of the park.

Spike spat out blood and clutched his side in pain. He felt as though his entire body had collapsed in on itself and was begging for the blissful release of the stake or the blade or the sun, anything at all to take the pain away. But, of course, nothing merciful was coming his way. Sighing, the young vampire reached up and drew his hand along his left eyebrow. He winced as he felt the pain of his touch and pulled his hand away. As he examined it, he noticed a speck of his blood. It was also dripping down to the hard floor made of concrete, black, like the night sky.

"Wait a minute," he thought to himself as he looked upon the horizon, "That isn't black."

The sun was rising.

It watched from above in fear as it realized that the fallen angel had noticed the invisible maiden, reaching for the vampires which sustained each of their lives. Once they were killed, the angels would become vulnerable to the dagger. However, there was only one dagger and the girl was in danger. If it didn't act, then all may be lost.

It flew in.

"What's this," the redheaded vampire snarled as he saw the invisible girl reach for one of the comatose vampires, her dagger ready and steady, "You mortals truly are remarkable creatures, so capable of deceit. I admire you. However, I can't let you do that either."

The Yemenite looked to where he meant and figured out that the angel had noticed Marcie. He screamed and charged forward to get the angel before it could hurt her, but he simply raised his leg from behind and kicked the young man, sending him back into the wall, unconscious.

Tara took out her now-empty clip and reloaded, wondering if her gallant weapon would be able to make it through the night as she did so. She leveled her pistol and was about to unload the clip. She stopped, however, as she heard something in the air.

She looked up and saw the brushing of a wing as it flew overhead.

"Shit," she heard her lover sigh, "One of them's back."

She was wrong, however. She knew so, and so did all present, when whatever it was that had been flying around let out a ferocious roar. The roar of a lion.

Ezekiel heard the roar and so did the fallen angel. Both turned their heads and felt the impact of whatever it was that had landed just then. Before the angel could regain her understanding of the situation, or rethink her position, the Warrior of God reached out and withdrew his red rune dagger, took aim, and threw it into the devil's back. She screamed in agony as the blade penetrated her skin, and the layer of it around her began to burn.
Edana stared at the creature that had just made its presence known. It was a lion with six wings and eyes all along its legs and body. It stood at six feet of height, easily, and took on a stance of defiance against the fallen angel, which was now glaring at the beast.

"You," the redheaded being shouted out against the creature, "You dare show your face here!"

"I do," it answered, its lips unmoving, but the sound carrying throughout the room in an eerie echo, the voice itself containing wisdom, purity, and holiness, "And I do so with pride. The Lord God of Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come has given unto me the task of aiding His servants in this battle."

"Why would he send one of the Four Creatures to do his bidding," the fallen angel snarled out.

"You shall not question His will," the lion roared out, angered and righteous with fury, "You may have no trust with Him, and that is your own doing. You, who caused so much hatred and suffering amongst the lower beings, whom I myself aided in the containment of. I will help them and kill you if I must."

The angel screamed out in rage and launched itself at the creature. Marcie, unnoticed by all due to the dialogue, silently slit each of the vampiric throats, ending the magic of the gem of Amara and making the four angels vulnerable. She smiled at her friends and silently moved away, going through a hole in the side of the wall near her.

Neither beings noticed this, though, and they began their battle. The angel used its sword and struck out against the creature, but it simply bit its jaws into the angel's wrist, causing the angel to scream out in pain and drop his weapon. He clutched his wrist, or what remained of it, and stared at the lion in amazement and fear. The lion licked its lips.

"You're not that bad," it said to the angel.

As a final blow, the lion launched itself at the fallen being of Heaven and clamped its jaws over his neck. It applied every ounce of its strength and tore straight through the devil, and the dead one's head rolled away from the body. Once it stopped in its path, the head began to glow. It disappeared in a spectacle of white light, leaving nothing but steaming ground. The creature turned around and looked upon the statue base, which now held two of the four angels.

"When did that happen," asked the now-conscious Adil as Marcie kept him awake.

"I killed the one in the back," the lion answered the question, "And, it would appear that the Warrior killed the one to the right."

Everyone looked to the large hole in the wall where Ezekiel was climbing through. As he noticed all eyes on him, he stopped.

"What'd I do," he asked.

Spike ignored the pain of his body as much as he could, for he needed to reach shelter before the sun reached him. He ran as fast as he could, but, few alleys or buildings were open to him, and those that were would leave him vulnerable later on. If he did not reach something that could allow him room enough to fight the angel, then he would die. Of course, the odds were that the angel would kill him anyway, but, it was better to go down fighting rather than his becoming a crispy critter.

He heard the wind rush up behind him and knew what would happen next, he could feel her advancing. He decided to foul her up at least once more before he died. He leapt to the ground and ducked his head. The angel, having been flying downward, tried to lift up before she struck the pavement, but he had dived too quickly. She slammed her body against the concrete, and the vampire could hear the cracking of her bones. Smiling, the Master Vampire slowly came to his feet and began to move over to the angel.

"If I die," he said hoarsely, "You die."

He wrapped both his arms around her arms and used his hands to grip the back of her neck. When the sun came up and turned him to flame, then she would also burn to death. Sorry, Dru, he thought to himself, Hate to do this, but, I'm doin' it for you, love.

"William," the angel asked him, "If you want to do that, it requires your pants to come down."

"What," the Big Bad asked.

Then, he noticed the shadows that both he and the angel were making…against a red field. He let her go and turned around. There, upon the horizon, coming across the sea, was a sun made of blood, casting an eerie, red light against the Earth. He could see a great multitude of beings crossing the sea. The horsemen.

"Oh, damn," he whispered to himself.

"You guys go and check on Josh and Monica," the Warrior of God said as he straddled the creature, "Make sure they're alive. We'll finish the angels off."

At their nods and turning away, he turned his attention to the gigantic being.

"You know where they are," he asked.

"Yes," it answered him, "And the army is approaching, they are already along the coast. If we don't hurry, it'll be too late. Hold on tight, Warrior."

"No problem," Ezekiel said, fearful of riding on the back of this beast.

Fear didn't matter, though, asthey lifted off into the red sky.

Tivona shook her head and ran up to the brunette angel. She lifted her right leg and hit him in his side, then followed up with a strike to his left temple. He lashed out with his right fist, sending it to her left shoulder, but she twisted her body to her right and backhanded him in the neck, sending him staggering. The Warrioress withdrew her rapier and made to slice his neck, but he kicked her in her stomach, sending her flying into the air. She used her own momentum to soften the blow and rolled along the grass of the park, thankful that she had managed to evade the cement.

The angel smirked at her, then picked up his own blade. He rendered a small salute to her with the blade and she returned it, using the sword salute of the British Royal Air Force as she had seen it exercised. He brought his blade up to his chest while she held it with the point of the blade pointing at him. He charged, not taking flight, and she waited. When he made to strike, she sidestepped his blow and made an accurate slice along his neck, causing the artery to explode and angelic blood to flow freely.

"We got a message from Gabriel about the rune daggers," Ezekiel made conversation with creature from the book of Revelation as best he could, "We believe that there are seven rune daggers, blessed from God."

"Your belief is correct," the lion said to him, "And yes, they are the Seven Stars held in the book of Revelations. They were sent to mankind, specifically the Israelites, and would be returned to the temple of Solomon during the last days of the Earth. You have three of them, each with a different purpose and ability. For now, each dagger will go to one Champion, Slayer, or Warrior. There she is."

The Warrior looked down to where the lion had indicated and saw Spike and the blonde angel, standing along the paved slope, looking down at the coast. He turned his head back and saw the army of the four angels. They would be on the land within minutes. Time was running out.

"You go on," the Warrior called, "Deal with the other one. I'll take care of this one."

"Godspeed, Warrior," the lion said.

Ezekiel smiled at the creature and held on as it began a descent. Once it reached a building which he could jump off of, he slid off and fell to its roof. He rolled along the cement and came up to his feet, catching a final glimpse as the creature flew away. Sighing, he turned his gaze down to the road.

Spike blocked another blow from the angel and wondered why the sun was red as he did so. Not that he wasn't grateful for the fact that he wasn't burning to death right now, but, it was just…weird. He felt the angel's fist impacting against his skull and fell to the ground. The Big Bad decided that he would keep his thoughts on the fight from now on.

He flipped himself over onto his back and stared up into her. She was smiling at him, still dripping with sexuality. He could stare at her all day but, there were more important things to do right now. As she came down to him, thinking that she had caught him in her spell, he sent his combat boot into her face. She flipped over and landed on her stomach. He pushed his arms back and used the cemented ground to force himself to his feet, then stared down at the being.

"Go to Hell, bitch," he muttered and he lifted his left leg up in an axe kick to send her into, what he hoped was, oblivion, but she raised her arm and caught him before he could execute the move.

"You first," she growled into his face.

"Ladies first," a new voice said.

A figure appeared at her right side and drove a red handled blade into her arm, causing her to shriek in pain and let the vampire go. Spike took a quick second to regain his balance and turned to see who his relief was.

"Bloody Hell, Ezekiel," the British vampire greeted the Warrior like a brother, "Good to see you. Now, help me put this bitch in the ground."

"Will do, William," Ezekiel said with a grin as he hefted his dagger up.

The angel snarled at them and got to her feet, but before she could make a move, both men reached forward and grabbed her armor, then sent their fists into her face. Spike punched her once more and gripped her throat, keeping her from moving. Ezekiel pointed his dagger at her forehead and shot it out at her.

She, however, did not wish to die. She used her right hand and reached out to grip his wrist. She held onto the Warrior with all her strength, despite her wound along that arm from the dagger itself, and kept him at bay for as long as she could.

Spike had long ago grown tired of this fight and felt that now was the time to end it. He vamped out and took his hand away from her throat, then latched onto the vein with his fangs. As he began to suck her sweet blood, the Warrior forced her hand away and drove the blade into her forehead. Her eyes rolled up into the back of her head and her mouth opened up, a final cry for whatever mercy could be brought.

The Warrior grabbed the vampire's shoulder and pulled him off of the angel, then watched as she disappeared into light. Sighing, he turned his attention to Spike, who was already back on his feet, shaking off his injuries.

"You look well," Ezekiel stated.

"Angel's blood," the Scourge of Europe said, "That spoon full of sugar that helps the medicine go down."

Ezekiel shook his head.

"Let's get back to the mansion," he suggested.

"Right," the vampire agreed, "I need to get inside before the sun gets fixed."

Adil moved slowly, Marcie supporting him as best as she could. They were making their way to the basement, which was the only room that they had yet to search. The Reibens must be in there. If not, then they were lost.

Tara went first, her pistol ready for any leftover demons. Edana was behind her, her mind focused on the surrounding area. They descended the stairs slowly, not certain of what they would find. When they reached the floor of the basement, they noticed something along the wall.

"Here," Tara said.

She moved forward, followed closely by the elemental mage. They approached the wall with caution, not sure whether or not the two children on the wall were dead, dying, or…undead. That is, until they noticed the rise and fall of their chests.

"They're alive," Edana said, not much joy in her voice.

"Let's get them to the hospital," Marcie said, "And us as well."

"Alright," Tara said, "Here, help me."

Edana nodded and focused her energies on the ropes which held Monica. She used the air that was wrapping around the cords to created a small ring of heat that began to burn through the bonds. When a small fire caught along it, she took all the heat away from the air, not truly concerned with their health after past memories. As the bonds became weak enough, she moved forward and snapped them with her bare hands, then let her fall to the ground in a heap.

Tara, meanwhile, simply shot the ropes that held Joshua. He fell to the ground, groaning as he did so. He was awake, but not truly aware of reality. Tara gently began to help him to his feet, only to be stopped by Adil.

"Let me," he asked.

"You were unconscious, Adil," Marcie scolded the Yemenite.

"I know," he answered, "But, it needs to be me and Edana who get them out of here."

"What about us," a voice said from the stairs.

They each turned around to see four men standing on the stairs. The two veterans of the group recognized one of them immediately.

"Double-O Gunn," Adil said with a smile.

Tivona moved her blade expertly through the red air, cutting everywhere along the angel she could. He attempted to parry a few blows but, found her to be much too fast for him in his weakened state, weakened due to his loss of blood. He would heal quickly but, in the meantime, she was keeping him from doing so by cutting him anywhere she could. Too many wounds for his immune system to deal with at once and get anywhere, anytime soon.

Finally, he managed to block one of her slices against his skin and use the instant to his advantage. He leapt up and rushed her. When they hit the ground, he was on top, pinning her down to the ground. He smiled a cruel smile at her.

"Picture this," he said to her, "You with a sword through your heart."

She spat in his face. He sneered at her and wiped the liquid off of his eye, then hefted his weapon up and prepared to drive it home. Before he could do so, however, a ferocious roar echoed throughout the park. He looked up at something that she could not see and stood up quickly.

"You," he shouted out, his calm voice marred with fury, "Leave here, you do not belong here."

"Shut up," a voice said.

The angel roared out, as did the beast, but the latter was much more terrifying and booming, which forced the Warrioress to hold her hands up to her ears in a desperate struggle to keep the noise out. She looked up and saw the angel charge forward and she felt the thunderous footsteps of the creature with the roar of a lion as it ran to the angel.

She did not watch the fight but, at the screaming of a human voice, she knew who the victor must have been. She looked up just in time to see the devil disappear in a flash of light. What was left was astounding. Standing within the park was a six foot high lion, with eyes all along its body and legs. It had six wings along its back, each of them folded backwards as it sat on its hind legs. Slowly, she came to her feet and walked forward. When the lion noticed her presence, it seemed to smile and bow down before her.

"Warrioress," it said, "I bow to you not in worship, but in respect. You and your brother, and your friends, have done well on this night. Now, my task has been accomplished, I leave you in peace. May God protect you, Dawn Harris, Warrioress Tivona."

"…Thanks."

"Scientists have begun an investigation into the reasoning of the sun's turning red inside the city of Paradise to determine how this occurred and to see how they might be able to keep this from happening," the news reporter said, "Some scientists believe it is due to the methane emissions present around the city, but, this is inconclusive with-" the reporter said no more as Gunn turned the television off.

"That's gotta be the worst cover-up I've heard in my life," the LA fighter said.

They were all in a hospital room that early morning, Ezekiel, Tivona, and Gunn sitting along a couch, watching TV. Rondell, George, Adil, and Marcie were playing with their Nintendo's through those connectors that allow people to play together. Tara and Edana were sitting together in a chair, the former in the lap of the latter. Adil was in a bed, due to his concussion, but would probably be out within a week.

"Y'all really did all that," Gunn asked the Warrior and the Warrioress, "I mean, you helped save the world on the Mouth of Hell, Zeke, and Tivona here helped save Britain from two dragons? Then, you guys worked together to fight four badass angels and stop their army from destroying the Earth?"

"All true," the Warrioress answered with a smile, "Though, I'm not tellin' you how I helped saved Britain because it would violate international treaty."

"You told me," her brother reminded.

"I did," she said with a smile, "But, only because I told them about you. They have you and me down as aids to the royal family when it comes to demons and such."

"Are you telling me that I work for Great Britain right now?"

"Technically, no. You're on retainer, just like me. We can be called upon to help them out with a problem but, they know not to call unless its something on an epic scale."

"You sure you can trust them," Gunn asked, "I mean, they are military. Not exactly known for the trustworthiness."

"I knew I could," the Warrioress said, "The agent, Lonna, she was the child of a wraith. Powerful. I could tell that she was good and not corrupted by any kind of influence."

"That gets my vote," the Warrior said with a smile, "So, we saved the world, Adil's going to be out soon. What do we do now?"

"I am going to take a vacation," Tivona said with a smile, "The Vatican is going to start sending my money and, sense I'm staying rent free, I intend on using that money in New Orleans."

"That sounds like a plan," Gunn said with a smile, "Mind if I tag along? I've always wondered what Cajun country would be like."

"Sure," she said with a smile, "What about the rest of you guys? You wanna go to New Orleans?"

"That's good with me," Marcie said with a smile, "Right after Adil gets out."

"Same here," the Yemenite said with a smile.

"I wouldn't mind seeing that village," Tara said with a smile, "Maybe I could learn a few new spells to help out around here."

"And maybe they could teach me how to full control my powers," Edana said, hopeful, "That way, Tara doesn't have to waste so much energy making my fire into an actual shape."

"I wouldn't mind seeing Yvonne," Ezekiel said with a smile.

"You hurt her, she'll kill you," Tivona said to him.

"Sure, sure," he responded with a grin.

She had watched the battle in amusement. Angels were something special, beings with great gifts given to them by either God or Satan. However, they were little more than ravel when it came to her. She was beyond them, stronger than them. She was not on His level, of course, but…she was as strong as the Son of the Morning Star. Perhaps stronger. Despite what most people believed, Lucifer was not the evilest force in the universe. He just had the most connections of nearly any being of evil in the universe. She, however, had something he didn't.

Power, absolute,over the demon essence.

A/N: So, that part's over. The whole first part of the series. Just for clarification, this will go on until I get tired of the story, I was just doing that for your benefit, readers of my story, which has more potential, if you ask me. Oh, by the way, Spike escaped before Gunn got there so, he's still living.

Be sure to catch the next part of the series, The Warrior and the Warrioress. And, just for reference, no, that was not Glory up there.

She's someone new.