Powerless Chapter 12: Purpose, a buffy x-overs fanfic

LEGAL A/N: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all characters belong to Joss Whedon, Fox, UPN and the WB. The Dead Zone and all characters belong to Shawn & Michael Piller, Stephen King, Lion's Gate Television and USA Network. No profit is being made off of this and no copyright infringement is intended.

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Sequel to Real. Post-BTVS S7 "Chosen" and post-DZ S4 "Vanguard"

WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS STRONG VIOLENCE. DISCRETION IS ADVISED FOR THOSE YOUNGER THAN 15.

12: Purpose

Greg Stillson paced hastily down the darkened hallways of the lower gallery floor. He paused and gazed around in confusion. He had to be lost.

He was in a large room made mostly of stone and marble decoratively themed to be some sort of Victorian mansion. Stone pillars rose out of the floor to the high ceiling as lit candelabras hung off of the walls. A grand, ornate fireplace big enough to walk into and still be standing was the centerpiece of the room on the center-back wall. It was large and mighty enough to appear to be literally holding the entire room together. On every pillar and parts of the floor, long strands of emerald English ivy grew in plentiful bounds. Dozens of tables all across the impressive room were littered with Victorian-era statues. Medieval weaponry hung on the wall with a few paintings and family crests, all usually impressively lit.

However, the lights flickered on and off at this point in time, blanketing the majority of the room in darkness most of the time. He felt an overwhelming eerie feeling as he stood in the dark room alone and gazed around warily. Slowly, he began to walk backwards out of the room as a gust of wind blew through, jolting him. He stared up at the walls as one-by-one the candles blew out, filling the dark room with smoke. Darkness was folding around him, only fought off by the light pouring into the room from the doorway.

A portion of the light was suddenly eclipsed. Stillson turned around to see a figure his size and shape, torn and bloody, standing in the doorway as it heaved lividly. It was shaped like a man, but it certainly wasn't a man. It wasn't any of the creatures that Stillson had met in the few weeks leading up to that night.

He gazed at the shape in worried confusion, staring at it cautiously – not knowing what to say to it. It stood still, glaring at Stillson with resolve and inhuman form.

Stillson slowly shifted out of its sight – or he tried to. He ever-so-gently stepped out of his position, moving into the unknown darkness. He moved far enough so at least the shape wasn't staring at him directly. But the second Stillson was out of direct sight, the inhuman creature's head snapped and found him once more – keeping his eyes straight on Stillson.

"Who the hell are you?" Stillson demanded, trying to bring power and importance to his voice. He received no reply. "Didn't you hear what I said? Who are you?" The shape remained immobile for what seemed like hours. The senator gazed at it with growing fear and disturbance. Suddenly, within the span of a single blink of the eye, the creature appeared no more than a yard in front of Stillson. He jumped in terror as the creature simply shoved him on the shoulder with a single hand, a slight move powerful enough to throw the senator across the room.

Greg Stillson slid until he was at the base of the fireplace, at which the creature slowly strolled up to him. Stillson tried to crawl slowly towards the light, his body aching from the horrible blow. He looked up and found the creature once again standing over him. His eyes widened in terror.

There, standing over him, with blacked-out eyes and an open shirt revealing the Symbol was the demon who used to be Johnny Smith. On his face was the expression of a man who had lost everything twice in his life and now was about to get rid of the only thing left – his soul.

Next to them, the fireplace exploded into flames, the blaze extending out of the fireplace for a few moments before it recoiled and burned bright. Stillson shuddered in fear, the heat of the fire burning hot on his skin. He stared up at Johnny in absolute terror, nearly cowering in his presence.

"Who am I?" Johnny repeated, with a voice that was half his and half-demon. His hand suddenly appeared around Stillson's throat as he slowly lifted the man off of the ground, glaring into his eyes. Stillson gazed up at him motionlessly as he saw sharp, fanged teeth form the chilling words, "I am god."

In an instant, Stillson was flying through the air as his back collided crushingly with a stone pillar.

Buffy laid on the floor motionlessly as Stillson's screams of agony rang out through the lower level gallery. Buffy's green eyes suddenly opened with a slight gasp. She looked around groggily to see Johnny nowhere in sight as red lightning flashed from the warehouse outside of the room.

"Oh, no," she whispered as she heard another shout of pain. She rolled over, the blood still draining from her neck and pushed herself off of the ground. Buffy sat up dizzily as her eyes adjusted to the shapes in the room, keeping one hand on her neck wound and the other on the floor, holding her up.

Her hand felt cold metal as she looked down and saw the Sword of Acathla resting on the tiled floor. "Help!" she heard from the distance, turning her head slowly to hear the sound. Buffy grasped the hilt of the sword and pulled herself up, running towards the direction of the screams.

Stillson was lying on the floor, his face back-and-blue and most of his body swollen from Johnny's fist. Johnny marched to him slowly, still ready for more, with fists covered in blood and wild eyes. Perhaps the most terrifying fact was that this monster was no longer Johnny Smith – even Stillson knew it.

"No…" he whispered in horror. "Please…" He rolled over and tried to crawl away only to be grabbed by the ankle. Stillson was flying through the air again and landed on his right arm. He howled as he heard it snap in at least three places.

"Stop!" Stillson shouted. Johnny was already over him as he unleashed a flood of brutal punches to the face and chest. He felt as if he were being hit with a truck over a dozen times – he lost count at twelve. The senator prayed that he would lose consciousness, but the prayers went unanswered.

"You are weak," Johnny declared, glaring down at Stillson's sobbing face. "You do not deserve to be in my presence."

"I'll do anything you want…" Stillson cried. "Just… please! Please… stop… please…"

Johnny suddenly had Stillson's left hand in the palm of his own. His fingers closed around his hand, crushing it into a thousand pieces as blood dripped from between Johnny's fingers. Stillson shrieked again in tortured agony.

"Would you like this pain to stop?" Johnny asked.

"Yes!" Stillson shouted. "Please, stop! Make it stop!"

"You don't deserve that."

"I know!" he cried. "I know! I-I'm a horrible person. I was wrong… You were right… Please, I'm sorry… Please!"

"Why didn't you think this before?"

Stillson gazed up at him in too much pain to think clearly. Tears rolled down his bloodied face as he stared up at Johnny in horror. "I-I don't know," he said, shaking his head. "But-but you made me see… I didn't think it was possible, but-but you did."

Johnny coldly ordered, "Stand up."

Buffy raced down the dark halls of the gallery until she saw a room lit by firelight at the end of the hallway. She ran towards it and stopped in the doorway to see Stillson standing in front of Johnny. Suddenly, Johnny's arm shot through Stillson's chest. He jerked upwards, frozen by the unimaginable pain.

Johnny stared at him with a twisted smile, relishing in the senator's weakness. "Don't ever underestimate my power."

Buffy's eyes widened and her jaw dropped as she saw Johnny rip his hand back out, carrying a long line of bones. She felt her stomach heave upwards as she saw Stillson's body fold up and fall to the ground. If she were not paralyzed by terror and shock, she would have thrown up.

The monster before her opened his hand and dropped Stillson's spine on the floor, letting it fall lifelessly with its owner. A crimson sea poured out across the floor, flowing like a river towards the doorway. Johnny's dark eyes followed the steaming red liquid until it reached the legs of a terrified young woman. The monster stared up and caught gaze of the confused, horrified woman. She stared at him as if she could see him. As if she knew him.

Johnny's cold, expressionless face suddenly melted. He stared at the beaten young woman standing in the doorway with the sword in her hand. Tears welled up in her green eyes as she shook her head in disbelief. She whispered in agony, "Johnny…"

Johnny - that was his name. The way she said it brought back fond memories which brightened up his expression momentarily. The moment was gone as soon as he realized the gravity of his current situation. He looked down at Stillson's body, then up at the Slayer.

"Buffy…" he whispered with a river of regret. Buffy slowly began to walk towards him with jaw agape. Panting slowly, Johnny looked down at his blood-covered arms with growing disgust and horror. "No…" He shook his head, human tears welling up in his eyes. "No…"

Buffy was staring down at his chest as the burn mark of the Symbol began to glow white, his soul somehow slowly seeping through it. "Oh god…" she breathed in disbelief. She looked up at him as he gazed up at her in horror; he could feel his heart slowly hardening for himself and for all other things in the world except for Buffy.

"Buffy, I…," he shook his head in anguish. "I'm so sorry…" Buffy reached up for his face as he recoiled backwards away from her touch. "Don't," he said as a tear rolled down his face. "Please… don't forgive me."

More tears fell from her eyes as she wrapped her arms around him, embracing him against his will. In her mind were images of a horrible Armageddon that had absolutely nothing to do with Greg Stillson that she tried with all her will to shove away. He tried to pull away, knowing that she could see these things, but couldn't bring himself to. She rested her head on his shoulder as she tried to keep her sobs silent and her body from trembling.

Slowly, she pulled away and came to face him. She gazed up at him, caressing his face as he wiped away the trail of moisture on his cheek. "I love you, too," she whispered tearfully.

He stared down at her with eyes full of pity and sadness. "I know," he nodded, swallowing hard.

Giles cut off the head of an oncoming vampire guard reliquishing a dust cloud as several more rushed into the room and rushed into the adjacent ballroom. Beside him, a cloud of dust formed as Dawn killed another vampire. A crack of thunder broke his attention.

He turned around to see a bolt of lightning slam into the concrete ground outside, shaking the entire building. Another bolt of lightning collided with the ground next to the first. A rain of electricity began to pour. Giles stared up at the sky, then back down to the floor with growing anxiety and a grim expression.

"Now," Johnny said with a pained voice, "it's time to say goodbye."

Buffy looked up at him in silence, and nodded. She kissed him gently, his hands drifting down her arms to rest on hers. When they finally pulled away from each other, Buffy gazed down to see his fingers resting the hilt of the sword, Buffy's hand wrapped around it. She looked up to see Johnny with that familiar faraway look.

A few moments later, he looked back at her crushed face. He stared at her, taking a breath, and then he slowly closed his eyes. Buffy looked down, tears streaming down her face as she tightened her grip around the sword.

After yanking the end of his axe out of the chest of a vampire, he looked down at his watch. The spinning hands suddenly froze. The hands were rested on 3:07.

With a final heave, Buffy pulled the sword back and thrust it into Johnny Smith's heart.

Her eyes widened as she came to a clear understanding. "There's still time," she whispered. She reached over for something to pull herself up with.

Tears began to brim, having foreseen what was required of her. "I can't do that…" Buffy whispered. "I can't sacrifice him to—" The words cut off abruptly. She understood something else that had not occurred to her before. She turned towards the warehouse, the red light flashing randomly and the wind blowing her hair back.

Buffy strolled into the warehouse, tired and beaten as she gazed up at the red statue of Utarefson. Swirling red clouds encircled the statue as a fierce gust of wind blew around the room. She glared up at it in cold defiance.

"I figured it out, you know," Buffy announced, gazing at the motionless statue. "I know why the visions don't connect and make sense. They're not real. The Powers sent them to us because they knew we would figure out how to stop you."

The demon statue glared at her in frozen silence.

"Stop!" Stillson shouted. Johnny was already over him as he unleashed a flood of brutal punches to the face and chest. He felt as if he were being hit with a semi a dozen times – he lost count at twelve. The senator prayed that he would lose consciousness, but it did not come.

"You are weak," Johnny declared, glaring down at Stillson's sobbing face. "You do not deserve to be in my presence."

"And as for John taking Angel's place?" Buffy said as she stared up at the statue. "Got that answer, too. They knew I sacrificed Angel, the love of my life, to save the world. And they knew the truth – I could never sacrifice him again."

The statue listened to her quietly, boiling with anger as this unworthy slob continued to speak to him as if he were lower than her.

"Something else I figured out?" Buffy offered, matter-of-factly. "Johnny Smith is the second love of my life." She threateningly decreed, "And I will never let anything hurt him. So here's the shocker – the Powers knew that, too."

"I'll do anything you want…" Stillson cried. "Just… please! Please… stop… please…"

"Would you like this pain to stop?" Johnny asked.

"Yes!" Stillson shouted. "Please, stop! Make it stop!"

"You don't deserve that."

"I know!" he cried. "I know! I-I'm a horrible person. I was wrong… You were right… Please, I'm sorry… Please!"

"Yeah, you're a big bad demon," Buffy sneered. "And you have every reason to hate me. I'm the symbol of everything you're against. I'm the complete opposite of you in every way except one."

Utarefson stared at her silently, curious as to what her next answer would be.

"Why didn't you think this before?"

"There's a demon inside me, too," Buffy admitted as she dropped the Sword of Acathla on the ground. She stared down at the sword, then looked up at Utarefson defiantly. "And if it means Johnny's life… you can have it."

Buffy watched as the red light of Utarefson got brighter and brighter, then suddenly consumed her whole.

Johnny coldly ordered, "Stand up." Stillson did as he was told, coming to a slow, wary stand as he gazed at Johnny fearfully. Johnny opened his fist, stretching his hand wide. Suddenly, a red light shot through Johnny's chest.

He threw his head back and howled in pain. His skin began to glow red with light as his eyes reverted back to their bright blue color. The symbol on his chest began to glow and disappeared as the light inside of him became bright white before it disappeared.

Johnny fell to his knees, exhausted as he stared at his hands in wonder. He gazed around at his surroundings, enormously grateful that he had full control over his body and mind once more. He let out a small laugh, confident of Utarefson's absence.

The last vampire was dusted as Angel looked around the ballroom in amazement, the lights coming back on fully. Walt and Bruce, both of them covered in dust, gazed around in bewilderment. "What just happened?" Bruce asked, his jaw still agape.

"She did it," Dawn smiled warmly. She, Willow, Xander and Giles stood in the lobby as the wind outside stopped howling and the lights came back on.

Willow's hair changed back to its normal red color as she added with a relieved smile, "It's over. Utarefson's toast." They stood in bewildered awe as they gazed around the lobby.

"Well," Xander suggested after a few moments. "Who wants hot dogs?" They turned and gave him a stare.

Johnny reached up for his chest and felt the burn mark of Buffy's silver cross only. With a relieved expression, he slowly came to his feet. He looked over to see Stillson still cowering in the corner, completely unaware of the fact that Johnny was now back to his normal self.

"Buffy!" he exclaimed, as the memory popped into his head. Johnny looked back towards the doorway, then looked down at Stillson. He reared his fist back and knocked it across Stillson's face, knocking him out cold. He then turned around and began to run towards Buffy's aid.

He raced through the disabled security hallways until he came back to the gallery where he had left her. Johnny sped to a stop, gazing around and not finding her anywhere. He moved passed La Musique Aux Tuileries, his eyes batting from corner to corner until he looked inside of the warehouse. His eyes widened with terror.

"Buffy!" he shouted, rushing to her side. She was lying unconsciously on the floor of the warehouse in front of the dim statue of Utarefson. He cradled her in her arms and held his hand over her neck wound.

"Buffy!" he heard Giles' voice shout from the distance.

"John!" Bruce called.

"In here!" Johnny yelled back. "We need help!"