Darkness fell, a little too fast and too early for Buffy's liking. She sometimes thought that Mother Nature liked to play sick jokes on her. Knowing what lay out there in the dark, and letting it loose a little early. She moved these thoughts to the back of her mind as she moved through the eerily quiet halls. The decision had been made earlier to send the sophomore age kids home. With Angelus loose she didn't want a bunch of hysterical pre teens screaming the walls down around her.
She walked from one end of the main building to the other, checking windows and any other entrances were locked and guarded. Three slayers on each door. Even if Angelus could find a way around the de-invitation spell, he'd have to go through three well-trained slayers to get into the building. Any one of them alone could take down the average vampire. But Buffy knew, Angelus was anything but average. The best she could expect the three to do was hold him at bay until either she or Faith arrived. They had both dealt with Angelus in the past, they knew how he operated, how he hunted. It was more sport to him than anything. Buffy wasn't even entirely sure he needed to drink the blood of his victims, as though he could sustain himself on their fear and pain.
She hated him. But she loved the man he truly was. Angel and Angelus were part and parcel of each other; Buffy had learned that the hard way. Could she bring herself to kill him, again? "God, I need a shrink!" She muttered to herself as she continued her checks. She swung the ax of the slayer idly in her hand as she walked. It's power coursed through her veins, with it she felt unstoppable, and yet, she swung it as though it were a common tool. "What is up with me?"
"Well if you want my unprofessional opinion? You're worried about killing the love of your life." Spike had appeared from one of the doorways that led to the basement of the large building. He had made it his home, his 'crypt away from crypt' as he had jokingly put it. No one had laughed then. Not even Spike himself.
"I thought you felt that was you? The love of my life I mean, not the guy I'm going to kill."
"Yeah, I got the distinction." Spike half smiled. "I know you still love that old flouncy haired pansy. Nothing I can do about that, but you may have to deal with him, once and for all. Are you really up to that Buffy?"
"Willow might be able to re-ensoul him." Buffy didn't sound half as sure about that as she had wanted to.
"And if Red can't do it? What then?"
"Then I do what I have to do. If he comes here, looking to kill more people. I'll stop him. Any way I can, any way I have to." Again the sound of unwanted uncertainty tinged her voice.
"Maybe Faith should carry the pig sticker this time?" Spike pointed at the Ax. "Just in case you, well, you know, can't do the deed."
"I'll do it Spike. But only if I absolutely have to. And Faith, well she has other stuff to deal with. Like the rest of the kids."
"Yeah, vice principal Faith, who'd ever have seen that coming? Course, I think she only got the job 'cos she's shagging the principal."
Faith's relationship with Principal Wood was fairly common knowledge around the Academy. They weren't exactly secretive, and their rooms were only two floors above the kid's dormitories. Half the building could hear what they got up to sometimes. Buffy just smiled, "Actually, I was the one who talked Wood into taking her on in the position. He wanted to keep that side of his life separate from his work life. I told him that life was too short to keep people at a distance, for any length of time. Even if it's only 9 to 5."
"Wow! Buffy the philosopher comes into play. I'm impressed. Is that how you live your own life now?"
"Spike, I barely have a life now. We've gone global; I'm working my butt off, trying to stop the world being sucked into hell on a daily basis. I don't have time to do anything. If I'm not jetting off to Tokyo to fight a Gr'shratki demon that's determined to breed with every male child in range, I'm flying off to Paris because another hell mouth just opened up for business."
"Or going to Rome to be with the Eternal?" The sadness in Spike's voice jarred Buffy slightly.
"What? That is so over. It was a fling. Nothing more, no emotional attachments, just plain, old fashioned dirty deeds between consenting adults." Buffy saw the pain in his eyes now. "I never felt for him what I felt for you, what I feel for you." A glimmer showed in Spike's eyes now. "And no Spike. I don't 'fancy a quickie' I've got a headache." Buffy's rebuff of Spikes unspoken advance was rapidly followed by her smile. Which to Spike, felt like mana from on high.
Screams from the direction of the front door jarred the two back to reality. They were running together before they even realised.
The sight that awaited them when the reached the entryway, was one of devastation. Two of the slayers who had been on guard lay at odd angles on the ground, their necks obviously broken. The third, Buffy knew, a German girl by the name of Lianna, was holding her own against Angelus. She had always been the best in the martial arts training groups. Her moves were like fluid, she ducked parried and punched with such grace it almost looked as though she were dancing with Angelus.
"Back off Lianna. He's mine." Buffy shouted as she threw herself at Angelus. Knocking him off his feet.
"Oh, I'm yours am I? That's so sweet." Angelus laughed under Buffy's onslaught of punches. "No. I mean it. It's sweet." There was anger now in his voice as he punched Buffy in the stomach. Buffy had never felt anything like it. She was lifted off the ground and felt her back hit the ceiling. From her odd perspective, she saw Spike running towards Angelus as a ferocious roar filled the air. He was pissed. Then after what seemed like forever, gravity took hold and she feel towards the floor. As she fell, she went limp, to absorb the impact. She was back on her feet seconds after she had landed. In time to see Spike being thrown off like a rag doll. He flew down the hallway that he had just run from.
Buffy was still a little winded from the punch; she needed to stall for time to regain her breath. "How did you get in? We did the spell to de-invite you."
"Oh, Buffy. I don't need to be invited in here anymore." Angelus said plainly. A toothy vampiric smile on his face. The evil in his voice was palpable.
"But that would mean.. Oh my God, now. Dawn" She screamed at the top of her voice.
"Give the girl a prize for being so smart. Then kill her for taking so damn long in figuring it out." The voice came from above her. Buffy didn't need to turn but she did anyway. She saw Kennedy standing at the top of the stairwell, her face distorted by the facial features of a vampire. "Oh, and here's you prize Buffy." Kennedy threw something from the top of the stairs. It hit the ground with a bloody thud. The thing moaned.
"Dawn." Buffy knelt as she recognised her sister's prone form.
"She's alive?" Angelus asked, looking at Kennedy.
"She tasted funny." There was slight disappointment in Kennedy's voice "Ah, but here comes a sweet meat." Angelus turned and saw what Kennedy meant. Willow had just entered the hall. She glanced around until her eyes fell on Kennedy. Her jaw fell. "Aw sweetie. No hugs?" Kennedy's voice filled with hatred, cut Willow to the core.
"No. No. Not again. NOOOOOOOOOOOOO." With the last cry Angelus found himself lifted off the ground and thrown through the still open doors. The vampire that wore the form of Willow's lover was also thrown backwards with a great force. She struck the wall behind her and was immediately unconscious. The front door slammed behind Angelus, and a glowing blue field covered the doorway. "He won't get in." Willow said. "I'll make sure of it."
Willow strode purposefully up the stairs to where Kennedy had fallen. "Now to deal with you." Tears filled her eyes as she physically lifted Kennedy onto her shoulders and headed towards the sickbay again with her lover. Buffy had picked up Dawn and was hot on the witch's heels.
They reached the small room almost at the same moment. Buffy laid Dawn on one of the beds and crouched down next to her sister. "Dawnie? Can you hear me?" Dawn moaned an indistinct response. Giles was at her back, and placed his hand on her shoulder. Buffy turned and smiled. Without even speaking she knew that her sister would be cared for by the man who had been more of a father to her and Dawn in recent years than their own father had been. She stood and took the couple of steps to cross the room to where Willow was watching Kennedy. "What are you gonna do with her Will?"
"Bring her back." Willow held out her hand and a glowing orb appeared there in her open palm.
"What if she wakes up before you complete the spell?" Buffy never took her eyes off Kennedy. Not thinking for an instant that this former friend wasn't capable of ripping them all to shreds.
"That's why you're here." Willows eyes glowed white. Willow noticed Buffy looking at her eyes. "At least they're not black? Right?" Almost a smile.
"Oh. Are you going to give me my soul back baby? I don't want it!" Kennedy was awake and on her feet so fast. Buffy had barely taken here eyes off her for a second. She was running for the door, when a fist struck her in the face.
"Going nowhere bitch!" Buffy2 stood blocking Kennedy's escape. Kennedy fell backwards, and Buffy2 was on her immediately. "Willow, spell. Now." Buffy2 wrestled with Kennedy on the floor, never once allowing the vampire to gain an advantage. Willow began chanting as Buffy moved to help her double to restrain Kennedy.
"I'll kill you both. I swear it; I'll kill you both. I know that to you, death is a revolving door, but I'll make sure you'll never come back. I'll tear you to shreds. I'll.." Her ranting stopped. A brilliant light filled the room as Willow completed the spell to put Kennedy's soul back in her body. Kennedy seemed to have fallen into unconsciousness.
"Will? Did it work?" Buffy still had a hold of one of Kennedy's arms but looked to her friend for confirmation that it was over.
"It worked the last two times didn't it?" Willow herself looked as though she were ready to faint. She found a seat for herself and fell backwards into it.
Under her weight, Buffy could feel Kennedy stirring. "Buffy?"
"It's alright Kennedy. You're back. Willow cast the spell, you're back in control of your body again."
"Willow cast the curse again?" Kennedy asked.
"Yup, you're all better now. Come on Kennedy, you're girlfriend needs a hug." Buffy stood up. Buffy2 a little more cautious rose as well.
"Kennedy? What do you mean?" Asked Angel. Speaking from Kennedy's lips.
"Oh, and this isn't going to get complicated at all is it?" Buffy asked no one in particular.
"Uhm, Willow. I don't think the spell worked the way it should have." Buffy said, as she looked into Kennedy's eyes and saw Angel's soul glowing out from behind them.
"But it should have been Kennedy's soul that took her body back, not Angel's. Sorry Buffy, but I wanted my girlfriend back."
"Woulda, shoulda, coulda." The voice came from behind them. Willow and Buffy both spun around to Cordelia standing in the doorway. "You couldn't put Kennedy's soul back, because she had already crossed."
"Crossed what? Crossed where." Willows frantic tone was tinged with an anger Buffy had only heard once before in Willow. It was a tone she never wanted to hear in her friends voice ever again.
"She has left the mortal world, she's, and I suppose you could say, gone to heaven. You're spell can only work on souls that are trapped on the mortal plane. Thus, we have Angel back. Kinda." Cordelia's matter of fact, almost flippant tone made Willow angry.
"Well bring her back. You can bring her back. Right now." Buffy rushed to stand between her two friends.
"Will, your roots are a little black there, calm down. OK?" Buffy looked earnestly into Willow's eyes as she spoke. She could see her friend calm slightly at even the mention of the 'Dark Willow' phase. Buffy turned to Cordelia, "So what's going on Cordy? You seem to know a helluva lot for someone who used to be the biggest airhead, drama queen at school."
"I was never an airhead!" Cordelia retorted angrily. After a few more seconds, she calmed slightly, "Was I really a drama queen? Yeah, I suppose you're right, I was. Sorry." She did actually look penitent. "I only know what I'm told. I'm kind of an agent for the 'Powers that Be' now, and they let me know things. Kennedy has left the mortal plane of existence. She can't be called back now. Well, She could. I suppose. You've done it before, with Buffy. That turned out OK I suppose. But for that spell to work her body would have to be, oh how do I put this. Erm, vacated?" At this, all eyes in the room turned to Kennedy's body now sitting up in the bed. Angel, looking at them quizzically.
"So, what do we do now?" He asked.
"Well, first step is to get your body back, get your soul back into it. Then call Kennedy back from heaven to inhabit her body, then all will be well with the world." Buffy spoke the list as matter of fact as she could.
"And don't forget we have to beat the big bad Pain thing that's coming!" Cordelia added, a slight smile on her face.
"Are we missing anything out?" Willow asked, "I mean, is there another apocalypse coming and we've missed it?" Willow, despite her sadness had picked up on the humour of her friends and giggled slightly. "One more thing Buff. Would you get jealous if I gave my girlfriend a kiss?"
"Nah, would you get jealous if I gave Angel a kiss?" Everyone smiled, with the exception of Angel.
"I've never been a woman before." At that comment, laughter erupted around the room. A deeper laugh came from the doorway. They all turned to see Spike standing there.
"You know, I didn't think you could beat the time you turned into a puppet. But I was wrong. This is just beautiful." He laughed again as he looked at Angel in Kennedy's body. Angel sprang from the bed and flew at Spike, instantly angered. Kennedy's face had contorted into the nightmarish visage of a vampire. Angel landed the first and only blow of the confrontation. His punch sent Spike flying backwards and through the wall opposite the door.
"Wow. I've never been that strong before." Angel said.
"You've never been inside the body of a vampire slayer who's been vamped." Buffy noticed Spike picking himself up from the rubble of the wall, he was ready to strike back, so she stepped in front of Angel stopping Spike's attack in it's tracks.
"Everyone in here needs some rest. We'll meet up in the library at 9am. That ok with everyone?" Buffy looked around, no one was in the mood to argue anymore. The fight was over. Spike stalked away, down the hall, still sniggering to himself. Angel returned to his bed. Willow, now that the humour had died down, was sitting on the chair, staring off into space. Cordelia followed Spike out of the room and along the corridor to the room she had been given when she arrived. Buffy stayed. She pulled a chair into the middle of the room directly between the two beds occupied by her sister, and her lover. Everyone needed rest, but she knew that she would get none.
6am.
The doorbell rang. Buffy was immediately on guard, no one was due to arrive, she relaxed only slightly when she realised that the sun had risen some time ago, it couldn't be Angelus again, not that he would ever use the doorbell anyway. She heard the door being answered, and the clipped English tones of Chow-An speaking. She couldn't hear who she was speaking to, but when she heard laughter, she knew it couldn't be anything hostile.
A few moments later, Chow-An appeared at the door of the sickbay, "Buffy, are you wakened?" She asked in a hushed tone. Buffy looked over at one of the youngest "active" slayers and nodded. "You have a visitor, old friend he says. Demon I think, says name is Clem?" She still looked uncertain, but then she noticed Buffy's smile and the tense look on her face faded slightly. Buffy liked Chow-An. Her parents had taught her martial arts for as long as she had been able to stand. She could probably outfight Faith if she had to.
Buffy quickly walked to the Main lounge, where Chow-An had ordered Clem to stay. Clem already had company when she arrived. "So where you been hiding Clem?" Xander asked as she walked into the room.
"Oh, here and there. I was in Fort Lauderdale for a while, but the weather didn't suit me, I mean, do I look like my skin needs to be dehydrated any more than it already is?" Clem and Xander both laughed, Buffy smiled as well when Clem spotted her, his face lit up even more. "Buffster." He stood and hugged her as she got close enough.
"It's good to see you Clem. Spike is upstairs in his room right now." Buffy started.
"Oh, I'm not here to see him, I came to see you." Clem answered earnestly. "Wait a minute? Did you say Spike? Isn't he like, well, you know, dead?"
Buffy smiled again, "Yeah, but he got better apparently." Buffy's eyes rolled slightly as she spoke. "Seems no one around here can stay dead for long. So what brings you all the way up here?"
"Well, I've got a message to give you. It's from the Immortal." Buffy was immediately all business.
"What's the message?"
"He says, it is as you predicted. This thing that's coming, isn't just taking out the good guys, it's gunning for the demons too. He says that he is personally bringing his forces to join with yours in the coming fight." Buffy nodded. The late night phone call from her London hotel room had been money and time well spent. "And I bumped into another old friend in Washington too." Clem added, "Seems Angel is on his way to see you as well."
"You saw Angel in Washington?" Buffy was on her haunches looking intently at Clem.
"Yeah, he's a nice guy. He got me dinner and everything, and then gave me directions right to your door. I guess he'll be along later, with the sun being up and all."
"He's already been here Clem. It wasn't Angel you spoke to, it was Angelus." Clem was obviously horrified.
"But he was so nice, like Angel always is. Like I said, he got me dinner, two Siamese. OK, they tasted a bit funny, but I haven't eaten in like a day."
"Tasted funny how?" Xander asked
"Kinda metallic, you know? Coppery. Here.." Clem opened his mouth, his real mouth and regurgitated the form of two kittens, "Only digested them a bit." The bits of mottled skin and fur that remained were falling about on the table. Buffy could see something metallic inside the kittens. She looked closer, and heard a faint beeping. She jumped to her feet and grabbed Clem and Xander and ran from the room.
At the top of her voice she shouted as she ran. "Bomb! Everyone take cover!" The explosions came mere seconds after her shout of alarm. The shockwaves knocked her off her feet, as she, Xander and Clem flew against what was left of the staircase. The world spun for a moment, and then all was dark. Buffy could hear voices screaming in pain and fear, but unconsciousness took her quickly and she could help no one, not even herself.
"Buffy? Buffy." The voice sounded distant, vague, like a whisper on the wind. Darkness surrounded her. Buffy spun around on her heels, trying to locate the source of the sounds that had roused her. More voices cried out in the dark. Spinning where she stood, she couldn't locate the source.
"Who are you? Where are you? I can't see you." She cried in the dark.
"You are failing. All is lost." The voices wailed. Buffy finally realised where the voices were coming from, the wind. It wrapped around her whispering in strange voices.
"I don't understand. I'm failing? Failing what exactly?"
"Your testing!"
Buffy awoke with a start. She saw Willow crouched over her, smoke billowing around her friends head. "Thank the Goddess, you're awake." Willow almost cried. "I thought that… Well, I thought you were gone."
"Never going to happen Will. Too much still to do." Buffy's memory finally returned, "The bomb! What happened?"
"Well, the doors took the brunt of the blast, but there was enough explosive in there to bring part of the stairwell down on top of you and Xander. Clem is in the infirmary resting, he had a panic attack thinking that he'd killed you."
"How long was I out for?" Buffy was shaking her head, trying to clear her still fuzzy thoughts. "Was anyone else hurt? Xander? Is he OK?"
"Xander's fine. Cuts and bruises, Giles is patching him up right now. We're more worried about you. You were unconscious for 15 minutes, you were talking to yourself. You were talking about a test?"
"I was? Yeah, I was having a dream. I was told that I was failing a test; I didn't know what the voices were talking about. What test?"
Nearby...
"You are succeeding beyond our wildest dreams Angelus."
"Well, I'm glad you think so. I love this job, causing pain and havoc, it's almost heavenly." Angelus had a smile on his face as he spoke.
"An odd choice of words Angelus." The formless voice replied.
"Well, it seemed apt at the time." The smile never moved from the vampire's lips.
Back at the "School"
"Will? I want you to start working on a spell. I've had enough of fighting on the back foot." Buffy was walking and practically shouting at her friend as she walked.
"What kinda spell you want Buff? Locater spell to find Angelus? Or something else?
"I want a spell that'll bring this whole thing to an end. I want the source of this thing brought here, so we can kill it, or send it away of whatever we can do with primordial forces of creation." Buffy breathed out, in sheer exasperation. "I've had enough of this. I want it ended. I want my life back on track, and most of all, I want Angel back in his own body, and Angelus out of my life."
Willow nodded, "I'll work something out." She hurried off to her room to research and work out how to do what Buffy had asked of her.
Buffy paced what was left of the hall; she felt a hand on her shoulder, and a presence she could never mistake. "Angel…?" She turned around, and stood facing Angelus.
"Hi honey, I'm home." With a sneer on his face Angelus lashed out at Buffy, sending her flying backwards, she struck what was left of a wall at the bottom of what once was the stairwell. Buffy bounced up from the floor, rage and hate etched on her face.
"Bastard!" Buffy threw herself at Angelus, her hand instinctively finding a shaft of wood en route. Angelus laughed loudly as he swept her hand and the makeshift stake aside. He caught her and spun her around so that he had her in a headlock.
"Now can we talk sweetie? I honestly didn't come here to kill you, I..." He didn't even manage to complete the sentence. A loud growl erupted from the shadows somewhere above them, in the desolation that was the second floor hallway. "Now what?"
"Let her go, you son of a bitch!" Angelus looked up as he saw a feral twin of Buffy flying head first in his direction. He tried to avoid her, but the real Buffy, who must have figured out what her twin was doing, anchored herself and left the vampire immobile. The feral Buffy ploughed through the air, and slammed fists first into Angelus. Her innate slayer strength, combined with the undeniable strength and "pull" of gravity, gave her body and punch, the force of a small truck. Angelus crumpled under the attack. "Stay down." So sudden was Angelus' release of Buffy that she flew forward, almost landing on her knees, she used her martial arts training to change the fall into a roll, she was back on her feet in almost as fast as she fell. She now looked admiringly at her 'other self.'
"Nice work." Buffy smiled.
"Yeah, felt good. I'm feeling more like myself now." The Other Buffy smiled, it looked odd though, a lopsided grin.
"Do I smile like that?" Buffy asked herself.
"What's going on down here?" Giles shouted as he stormed along the hall. "Angelus?" He stared agog at the site of two Buffy's and an unconscious Angelus. "Would someone care to explain this? What's happened?"
"Well, he attacked me, and then my twin here kicked his ass." Buffy stated succinctly.
"You helped. He would have dodged if you hadn't held him in place."
"Yeah, but you did the hard work."
"Can we please forego the mutual, or should that be self, congratulation. What are we going to do with him?"
"We chain him up until we work out how to get Angel out of Kennedy's body safely, and back into his own body. Then we can take care of this Pain thing that started it all."
"Yes, and then we can bring about world peace, feed the starving, and create clean renewable energy sources for the whole world." Giles sounded deadly serious, only his lopsided, oh so English, grin let his real feelings be known.
"Yeah, that sounds like a great plan Giles, you get to work on the other stuff, and we'll deal with the big bad." Buffy smiled, her flippancy not completely covering the concern she felt for the vampire she had only recently come to realise, was her soul mate.
Both Buffy's took an arm of the unconscious vampire and dragged him to the library. "It's strange." Buffy thought to herself as she moved, "most people have books in their libraries, we have cages and chains. Even stranger, no one seems to think it's weird but me." She smiled again, this time genuinely as she put the manacles on Angelus, and locked the cage. Willow looked on from her seat, at a desk covered with at least a dozen tomes, old and black some bound in leather, some in other materials. Parchments and scrolls were also piled on the table; she smiled wanly at Buffy, and returned to her task.
"Cordelia, can you tell us any more about this thing, this Pain creature that we're facing?" Giles sat across from the young woman who had miraculously returned form the dead, again, with the warning about the great evil that now threatened all of existence.
"Giles, I only know what the big guys tell me. They told me that Pain was coming, and that you needed to prepare for it. I was to give you that warning, and well, I don't even know why I'm still here. They told me to pass the warning, and I was kind of expecting to head back upstairs." The look of consternation on her face was earnest; Giles knew that she had no further knowledge of the creature the faced, either its abilities or plans. He turned to the other figure sitting at the table.
"Don't look at me? I only know that my world went to hell in a handbag, and it happened practically overnight." Anya had been sitting quietly, an unusual state for her, Giles had to admit, and he felt there may be more that she didn't want to tell. "Tara was our brains trust person; she seemed to understand what was going on. But, she couldn't keep the doorway open and come through it herself." Anya's eyes welled up with tears as she remembered saying her farewells to the woman, who was effectively sacrificing her own life to save her and Buffy, and this entire reality, from the creature that had so resoundingly destroyed theirs. She might have been useful to you. I'm only a flunky; I've always been a flunky. But if you tell Xander that, I'll deny it." She fell silent, her face ashen.
"I understand that you're upset thinking about this, but is their anything else that could help us in any way?" Giles pushed gently, knowing full well that Anya was on the brink of nervous hysteria.
"Well, Tara did say something, just before she sent us through the portal. But I can't tell you about it while she's here." She stared pointedly at Cordelia.
"Fine!" Cordelia strutted off; I need to check on Angel anyway.
"Now, what did Tara tell you Anya? ..." Giles asked.
The Library.
"I've got it. I know how to bring the big bad right to us." Willow was practically jumping for joy.
"And this would be a good thing why?" Xander chipped in. This thing destroys Universes, he's Galactus on steroids."
"Well, we need to bring this to a head. I want it stopped, one way or the other." Buffy snapped, and then playfully added, "You can tell it the crayon story, that always works." Buffy laughed, Willow joined her as she spotted Xander's growing embarrassment.
"On a more serious matter, I've found a way to switch souls. I can put Angel back where he belongs, but that'll just free the vamp that is in Kennedy's body right now. But I've got a plan to deal with that too."
"You don't wanna know who's responsible for all of this." Angel sneered from his cell. Pacing like a wild animal.
"You're claiming to know who's behind this?" Buffy glanced in the direction of the cage, not wanting to encourage the usual rantings of Angelus.
"Of course! You don't think I sign on with anyone without knowing what I'm joining in with, do you? Angelus deepened his sneer, "but before you ask, no, I'm not going to tell you."
"Fine, then we'll find out for ourselves. Willow, start the mojo." Buffy stalked out of the Library.
Later.
"You sure you're ready for this Will?" Buffy genuinely concerned for her friend, put a hand on Willow's shoulder.
"Yep, I'll just put Angel back in his body, and call up the potentially most powerful bad guy we've ever faced, all in the space of a few minutes. It's a Piece of cake." Willow added, "very big and scary cake, but cake never the less." Willow began the incantations required to remove Angel's soul from Kennedy's body, and place it in his own."
The Library filled with smoke and strange eerie blue lights. "Cool." Xander said, "I'd pay to see this show." A glass orb appeared in Willows hand. "Oooh, an orb of Thesalah, I've seen that before, wow, how did you just make that appear in your hand Will?" Xander noticed several people staring at him and making shush gestures. "Sorry, forget I spoke." Willow, to her credit, continued unabated by Xander's innocent interruption of the proceedings. The orb in her hand glowed brightly, and then vanished.
Willow wilted slightly, in the cage in the corner of the Library Angel's eyes glowed brightly as he reasserted control over his body, keeping Angelus tightly under control. "I'm back." Angel gasped. The memories of the actions taken by Angelus filled his memory. Angelus wanted him to know what was coming. "Willow, don't do it." He gasped, as he saw the wiccan begin the chanting to call forth the power responsible for the pain that had been spreading across the world.
Willow's eyes had turned opaque as she chanted. The chant became rhythmic and except for changes in pitch, almost repetitive and hypnotic.
A vortex appeared in front of Willow and two forms appeared. Angel recognised them instantly.
"How dare you summon us? We are not yours to call upon on a whim."
"Who the hell are you?" Buffy asked the Golden figures who stood before her.
"They're the conduits. The direct line of contact between our world and the Powers that Be." Angel said as he walked free of the cage, released by Cordelia, who now also looked on in shock. The Powers are testing you Buffy. They're testing the entire world."
Buffy looked from Angel to the conduits, and asked simply, "Why?"
"To see if you are ready. We have judged that you are."
"Ready for what?" Willow asked. "Why are you doing this?"
"The End of Days is coming. We needed to be sure that our champions were ready for the fight."
"What do you mean? The end of days? The Apocalypse? Again?" Xander asked.
"The one true ending of your existence is nigh. The forces of light and dark are rallying as we speak. The end is coming, it is inevitable. Such is the command of the Powers that be."
"What about Kenendy? Or Rona? They're dead, are you going to bring them back?" Willow wilted slightly, but she shouted at the conduits.
"Oh, the little creature makes demands of us. How sweet." The female conduit spoke. "No, your friends are gone, they shall join the ethereal armies awaiting the end. When light gloriously defeats the darkness for ever. Then your souls shall transcend this existence, and live in light eternal."
"What if we don't want to go? What if we decide not to fight for you?" Buffy took a defensive stance in front of Willow, she could see her friend getting angrier, and angrier, her hair darkened and her eye's following suit.
"Then in that situation, you would be classified as enemies of the light, and you would be cast into oblivion. Now, neither the powers that be, nor, we are sure, you, want that to happen do we?"
"Bring them back." Willow was, in the blink of an eye, in front of Buffy. Facing down the conduits, her hair darker than coal, and eyes, likes onyx. Lightning crackled around her outstretched fingers. "Bring them back now!"
"The little witch challenges us, how delightful." The male conduit laughed. "You have not the power to stand against the powers of the light. Do not endanger your immortal soul in trying." He began laughing again, until that is, bolts of lightning sprang from Willows hands and struck him squarely in the chest. He looked down and saw darkness spread across his chest and up and down his body, he then exploded in, what can only be described as an explosion of darkness and light.
The female was shocked. "You will be made to suffer for this, Witch." She raised her hand as though to point at Willow, but another hand grabbed hers and raised it up above her head.
"No you don't you bitch." Cordelia held the conduits hand aloft. "You think you can come in here, announce the end of the world, and then when my friend gets pissed, you try and kill her? Ain't gonna happen lady." The conduit struggled against Cordelia's grip, but Cordelia found herself filled with such rage that these so called good beings, had plotted to destroy the world, and hadn't even told her, she held the conduit fast. Willow still fuelled by rage, ran at the conduit and gripped her by the throat.
"Burn!" Willow said simply, but the results were far from simple. The conduit burned, screaming as she burned, Cordelia barely had time to remove her hand before the conduits entire arm was engulfed in flames.
"Will, calm down. We need to think about this." Buffy grabbed her friends.
"No, we don't need to think, we need to kill them. We need to stop them, they're going to destroy the world." Willow began to shudder as the realisation of what she had just done, hit home.
"We will, I promise you Willow, we will stop them." Buffy added as her friend almost collapsed in her arms sobbing.
"Buffy! You can't be serious. They've got the powers of Gods?" Giles stared at his slayer.
"I know, but they've done enough killing. I've had enough of it Giles. It's going to end, and it's going to end now."
"Buffy. You don't have to do this because of me." Willow turned to look at her friend, her hair still black as pitch, her eyes like pools of total darkness, but tinged with such sadness, the likes of which Buffy could not bear to see.
"This isn't because of what you've done Willow. These bastards won't be allowed to get away with what they've done."
"But," Angel put in, "how in the hells are we going to kill the powers that be?"
To be continued in Buffy: War with the Gods.