From the Desk of Lizzy Rebel

Yes. Another late update from yours truly. One the bright side however, we're almost near the end! Which means I have ever reason to get it posted. I want it done before the summer so I can concentrate on new ideas and such. Expect the next update sometime in April.

Chapter Thirty Seven- Rise of Chaos

Jean found herself being once more dragged to the crypt where they had first learned of Buffy's true identity. Jake was grinning above her, muttering things in an ancient demon language that she didn't understand.

But her head was hurting so bad…

The closer they got to the cemetery the more Jean's head began to throb. Something inside her knew whatever was going on in the crypt it wasn't going to be anything good. She knew she should fight, try to escape, but she couldn't make her arms and legs obey. She was nothing more then a helpless daisy clutched in the wind.

And she was so tired. She had exhausted herself both mentally and physically when she had fought Jake. Her cheeks were itchy from the tears that dried on her face. Her fingers were aching from scratching and her voice was hoarse.

They entered the dank crypt and Jean lost her sense of direction. Her head began to pound harder, faster. She could feel the migraine throbbing behind her right eye. Not only that, something inside her seemed to have known all along that this was where she was meant to be. In some closed off part of her she knew what was going to happen.

Jake looked down at her, saw the look in her eyes, and laughed. "Feel it don't, ya sugah? Ya've been waiting for this ya whole life. Admit it, ya knew deep down that this was where it was all going from start. Ya always knew because Lord Deltoramina has always been watchin' ya. He's always been close ter ya. Did ya know that was why he wanted ta rise here? He wanted ta be near ya so he could exploit yer full powers."

Jean glared up at him, defiant and burning with rage. "You won't get away with this. Once Buffy is ready, she'll come after you. It won't matter what powers you—"

Jake gave her a jerk but continued to smile as he went on as if she hadn't spoken, "Once ma Lord has arisen the Slayer will be useless. She can bring on her army of Slayers, but it won't help a bit."

"You're wrong. You don't know Buffy," Jean whispered, her hope dimming as if Jake has spread his hands over a burning fire as they entered the center of the bottom of the crypt.

"Ya think that, do ya? Well, we'll see what ya think when ya free ma Lord from his gate." Jake laughed at Jean's horrified look, enjoying in a sick, twisted way.

"I would never do that," Jean whispered.

"Ya won't have a choice," Jake explained. "Once ya are thrown into the limbo between ma Lord's hell and yar Earth, ya'll be in his complete control."

"No…" Jean whispered as they moved into a dimly lit room. Her eyes fell onto the stone platform raised by flat rocks in the center. On it was the demon Furia, swinging her legs and looking very impatient.

Furia watched as Jake dragged the redhead over to where she sat. She frowned slightly and thought, is this the reason I'm not currently Jake bedmate? She almost growled. Pesky little mortal. Doesn't she look very so pretty? Good riddance.

The demon hopped off the stone platform just as Jake forced Jean to lay down onto it. Furia handed him roped and together they tied her down.

"Don't try to use that nifty power o' yars, sugah," Jake drawled to Jean. "In this place, yar powers don't work. We're protected by ma Lord's power."

Jean's eyes rolled to the back of her in horror and she met Furia's. The pretty demon's lips pulled away from her teeth and she snarled.

"Why aren't you a pretty thing?" Furia sarcastically drawled slowly. "You date the Cyclops, right?" She shook her head. "You could've had better taste."

Jake's eyes narrowed at her with an anger never seen in him before, "Just do the spell, Furia," he snapped. "And stop pestering the darlin'."

"Fine," Furia snapped right back and placed her hand over Jean's forehead. "This is gonna hurt a lot, dearie. You have my permission to scream. In fact, please do. Hearing your scream will be music to my ears. It's what makes it fun."

Jean listened as Furia's voice deepened. The words the fell from her mouth were strange and foreign to her but at the same time so very familiar. Jean looked over at Jake and saw the young man was closing his eyes and smiling, slowly.

Then all thought were pushed from her mind.

A searing pain rushed through her veins. Jean arched against it, straining her bonds to try to get free. The scream that tore from her mouth wasn't a Jean scream. It was the scream of a horrible beast that would devour the world. She screamed and screamed and screamed until her throat as burning but nothing stopped the pain. She struggled against her bonds to try to escape the pain, but she was held fast. All she could do was watch Furia's evil smile until the pain made her numb.

Then she went limp.

She was now standing in a dark area. Mist filled the ground and hid her feet. But the real Jean Gray did not comprehend what was happening.

Her eyes were on the golden gate in front of her. She narrowed them and saw the beast. It racked its black claws down the golden bars and looked at Jean with hungry red eyes. Jean almost backed up but her feet were planted firmly on the ground.

"Release me," it demanded in a voice that was everywhere. It surrounded her, trapped her, filled her with fear and put her in a trance. "Release me. You cannot resist me. You were destined to bring the destruction of Earth."

Jean wanted to pull away, wanted to run and curl up in a corner. But she couldn't. She was lost in those red eyes behind the gate. A small cry came from her lips as her feet moved to the gate on their own accord. Jake had been right, there was no way not to do as the demon king asked. She was a helpless slave in his limbo.

She stopped at the foot of the Gate and with the monster's deadly eyes on her raised her hands. Her burrows came together and made a crease on her forehead from concentration. The gate began to shake violently.

"Yes!" Lord Deltoramina shouted as the gate rattled.

Jean's body tensed and sweat rolled down her back as she worked. She bit her lip to keep from screaming from the pain. Slowly, achingly slow, the gate began to rise. The claws of Deltoramina reached up and grabbed the bottom, helping her lift.

"YES!"

Then the golden gate was thrown from its hinges, cast into the mist far away. Jean collapsed to her knees from exhaustion. There had been some powerful magick on that gate. Something had not wanted it to be opened. Ever.

As Jean panted a black figure rose from the gate. Jean back away, not wanting to see him. The figure moved towards her, but she still could not see him. He was everywhere. He was the mist that wrapped around her body, he was the air she breathed. She couldn't escape.

"Thank you, young one. I'll remember you when I've destroyed the Earth," Deltoramina's voice boomed and then Jean heard its malicious laughter.

She curled into a ball and began to sob. She had done a most horrid thing. She had awakened the most evil being she had ever known… and she had been helpless to do otherwise.

She collapsed.

Jean's eyes snapped open and the pain dulled to a throb. She arched against her bonds and tried to free herself but it was useless.

Then she thought back to what had happened in the limbo and tears welled in her eyes. He was free… all Jake had to do was create a rift from limbo to this planet and Lord Deltoramina could finally wreck his havoc.

And she had done that.

Jake smiled down at her, "How do ya feel, sugah? Still think ya Slayer's gonna win against ma master?"

There was no way Buffy could win, Jean knew. She had barely caught a taste of Deltoramina's power and it had been more than she had ever seen. Buffy didn't even compare. There was no way she was going to win. Not this war.

"Well?" Jake pressed and behind him Furia laughed.

Jean did the only thing she could do. She sobbed.

&

Buffy was sitting in the large kitchen of the Institute. Around her was her team of mutants, Slayers, witches, half-demons, and Xander. They were all silent. Buffy was staring at her pancakes, which Willow had whipped up in a desperate act to calm herself, and wasn't feeling like eating. In fact, she was fairly certain she'd never feel like eating again.

Besides her was Colossus. He looked at her worriedly, saw the helpless look in her eyes, but didn't say anything. Her Slayer walls had gone up and nothing could penetrate it until she allowed that to happen.

Across from them, Scott lowered his head into his hands; his body shaking from worry and grief. "Jean…" was all he said.

Faith was the only one who didn't seem out of it. And it wasn't because she wasn't grieving over Jean. No it was because she didn't get sad. She got pissed. And right now she was imaging what she'd do to certain parts of Jake's anatomy when she got her hands on him.

Willow, who's face was tear streaked, looked over at Buffy and said, "What do we do now, Buffy?" At that point everyone looked at her.

Buffy scanned the room. Their faces, their eyes, all rested with her. They were looking to her, her leadership. Even Logan, who's face was set in a grim scowl, was looking at her. Waiting for her plan. Because she was the Slayer.

She was the leader.

It was such a tiresome burden, Buffy mused. No matter what happened, people would look to her because she had the experience. She had survived these things and worse. She killed a goddess, the prime evil, and a man she had once loved. That made her stronger, her skin iron. It made her very tired.

But now was not the time for tiredness. Their eyes were hopeful, trusting, she couldn't let them down. She had to be strong. For them.

It was her destiny.

She stood and everyone watched her, waited for her, and then Buffy said in a calm voice, "We get Jean back. We go after Jake and his pathetic lord. We make them bleed. We make them pay." Everyone looked at Buffy with surprise except for Faith, Xander and Willow for they had all seen this aggressiveness in her before.

"That sounds good n' all, kid," Logan said, standing as well, "but there is one problem in your 'brilliant' plan. Where is Jake located?"

Buffy paused and frowned at him. There was something she had not told them, something she herself had not thought about before. In her dreams, though she hadn't had them since she had taken up with Colossus, she had always fought the battle in the graveyard. She had seen the blood on the headstones, on the brown grass and on her shirt. She had known, deep down inside, where the battle would be.

"I have a gut feeling," she answered. "We'll need to go back to the graveyard." As everyone stared at her she said, "Now, everyone, go to sleep. Tomorrow morning, early as possible, we're making the trek to the graveyard. Understand?"

Everyone nodded at her and Buffy exited the room, waiting for the footsteps to follow her. She gave each one of the mutants, Slayers and the half-demons reassuring smiles until they had disappeared from her view.

Shibita stepped up next to her and titled her slightly. "An aggressive plan, indeed. I trust you don't only plan to just run into battle? Did not your witch explain that once Deltoramina has been resurrected he cannot be killed?"

"I'm working on it," Buffy snapped and leaned against the wall.

"You're a grand leader, Buffy, but I think that sometimes your unwillingness to sacrifice lives damns you. You know that many of your Slayers and my people will die?" Buffy said nothing and the half-demon leader continued, "Wars are won by sacrifices. You would do well to remember that, Slayer."

Buffy waited until she heard Shibita clank away, her sword bashing at her hip. She drew in a deep breath and tried to steady herself. Shibita was right, many of her team would die and she didn't know if she could handle that. She couldn't imagine losing Colossus or any of the New Slayers or the X-Men. They had all become important to her.

"Buffy?" She turned and saw Colossus standing only a few feet any from her.

She looked into his eyes and he looked into hers. He saw her sad, sad eyes and the way she wearily stood. She looked so tired and so very depressed. She looked ready to topple over or maybe burst into tears. He didn't want her to do neither.

Without thinking about what he was doing, Colossus held out his arms for her. Buffy looked at him in surprise for a few moments, as if not used to being offered a hug, then she gave a small cry and fell into his arms. She pressed her face into his chest and tried not to let the tears fall.

Colossus ran a hand through her hair and said, "Buffy. Buffy, I'm sorry. I wish, God I wish, I could make the pain go away. I wish I could take your burden from your shoulders."

Buffy smiled up at him. "You can't take the burden, Colossus. It's my destiny and I wouldn't wish it on anyone, especially you, but you can take the pain away. Hold me tonight. Just hold me."

Colossus felt a small smile come across his lips. Inside Buffy still needed to be held, she was a woman, after all. "Of course, Buffy." He said and led the way.

Ah see. We're setting up for the fight, which will take about three or four more chapters. I'm not sure how many. They're written, just not counted. XD Like I said, be on the look out for it in April.

Hellmouth2: you're such a loyal fan, dear! Whenever I start to think this fan fiction has gone down hill I still you're out there reading it! It just makes me want to finish it for your sake! You're wonderful!

flying alien: yes. That was one of the reasons why I didn't do the whole 'blood of the Slayer' thing. Everyone sees that coming. Beside, despite what everyone else seems to think, I like Jean Gray. I wanted to give her an importance because no one else really does!

"Is it weird in here or is it just you?"

-Lizzy Rebel