From the desk of Lizzy Rebel
Yes, I know. Another later update. Well, I've been sick for the past month (flu and strap throat) and then summer came along and I had to do some work. But anyway, I work up this morning with the sudden urge to update all my fics and put up some long overdue one-shots!
-
Chapter Thirty Nine- Return to HellJean was sleeping, quite peacefully actually. Surprising considering that she was the cause of her own world's destruction. Jake wasn't sure if he would have been able to sleep so peacefully.
Not that he would've cared.
Furia leaned against a pillar a few feet away. She was glowering at Jean, as if she had just swallowed something nasty and it wouldn't go down her throat. Jake chuckled and shook his head.
"Jealousy does not become you," he said.
Furia knew that very well. She knew she had angry lines on her pretty face and her lips were puckered so tightly it looked like an old woman's but she couldn't care when she normally would've. "I didn't ask you. When I want your opinion I'll give it to you," she snapped.
Jake shrugged and walked over to Jean. She drew in a deep breath as he neared, as if she was aware of his presence though she was not awake. He smiled down at her young, pretty face and drew a finger down her check. Jean shuddered and jerked her head away. Jake's smile widened. Perhaps Lord Deltoramina would allow him to have this one. Jean's power and beauty enthralled Jake.
Furia glowered over at the redhead and her face twisted in the anger. This was one human she would not miss. She recognized anyone with beauty as a threat to herself and often eliminated them with a cold ruthlessness. But Jake was fond of Jean and she knew that there was deep angry, power beneath that pretty-boy smile.
She didn't want to be faced with that.
Instead she arched back against the wall showing off her breasts, and said lazily, "How much longer till your master gets here? I would think he would just pop up immediately for revenge. I'd do that if I had been imprisoned in the Gate."
Jake smirked and shook his head. "How little ya know. The Slayer will be here soon and Lord Deltoramina wants ta have the pleasure of seeing the horror in her eyes when he rises. Ah do, too."
Furia flickered her red nails towards the stairs leading to the Earth. "So when will this Slayer get here? I'm getting bored."
Jake smiled as well and turned his eyes to the stairs in the crypt, "Any minute now, darlin'. I can feel her. She's wantin' her little friend back. Whonda if she knows that she just brought all of her little team to their deaths?"
Jake laughed, his head thrown back with it, and Furia shook her head. She turned her head away from Jake and looked towards the crypt.
The little Slayer better get here soon. She wasn't waiting forever.
--&--
"Odd," the Wicca called Willow mumbled as Team Buffy, the X-Men and the Brotherhood made their way down the darken streets of Bayville to its crypt.
"What?" the blonde Slayer asked, turning to look at her friend.
"There's no Tora-Kone," Willow murmured. "A few days ago, the streets were filed with them. Why did Jake call them back to the graveyard?"
"Don't make me freak out, Will," Xander said in a panicky voice, grabbing a jagged sword in his hand. "I keep on seeing my other eye being plucked out and you aren't helping!"
Tabitha chuckled. "Would it make you feeling better if I said that I'd love you if you ever lost your other eye?" Xander looked at her in horror.
"YOU THINK I'M GOING TO LOSE ANOTHER EYE?" he shouted in angst. Tabitha burst into laughing.
Gambit shook his head at the insanely laughing couple and looked over at Rogue. "Now, chere, don go jumping into danger like last time. Last thing we need is another coma like the one you went through a few weeks ago again."
Rogue turned her head to look at him and said angrily, "If ya remember, moron, it was yar fault Ah ended up like that in the first place! Watch what ya're doin from now on and we won't have that problem again."
"I'll try, ma petite, I'll try," Gambit said and smiled at her. Rogue smiled back and reached out for his hand. He took it and held it tight in his own.
"Are you sure I have to fight? I'm not very good at it, you know. Maybe it would be better if I went back to the Institute," Andrew whined, trotting up to Buffy with his camera in hand. Buffy turned and glared at him.
"If you're part of them team you die with the team. I… I mean 'if' we die, of course," Buffy said and grabbed Andrew's camera despite his protests. She placed it in her backpack and handed him a stake.
Andrew pouted.
Kitty was in the back of the group with Lance at her side. Her head was lowered wearily and her lips were trembling slightly. Lance was frowning and looked very worried. But this was not the cause of the battle they were about to fight, but because they would not fight it together. Kitty was to bring Buffy, Colossus, Sidney and her ghosts deep into the pit of hell. They were to fight without one another.
Lance saw the worried look in Kitty eyes and reached out to hook an arm around her waist. "Hey, don't worry. We'll… we'll both be fine, okay? We've got Buffy with us and she's the Slayer. We'll be okay."
Kitty looked up into his face and smiled sadly. "I really like hope so. It would suck so bad to die right now." With that she leaned against Lance.
Ori was biting her nails as she and Pyro walked in the middle. Pyro, at her side, had a goofy battle-high grin on his face. He looked ready, already running on adrenaline. There was no fear in his eyes like there was in Ori's.
He looked over at her and blinked. "Scared, luv?" he asked and she looked up at him.
"Yes damnit! I am!" Ori said loudly but everyone ignored her, lost in their own thoughts. "I thought I'd be like: hey, cool death! Bring it on! But now… now I'm just scared! I don't wanna die, Pyro. I like living!"
"Don't worry, luv, you've got me to watch your back. I won't let anything happen to your pretty face." And he meant it. Pyro knew nothing would happen to Ori as long as he could keep an eye on her.
Ori smiled but rolled her eyes. "Wow that is so comforting," she said sarcastically, but she was staring to feel a little better about fighting now.
Sidney was walking off to the side with her ghostly charges. Eve, for once, had broken down and become soft. In her pale arms she held the small form of Ann. They both held blank looks on their face, as if they already had no emotions in them. But the trembling of Eve's hands and Ann's body gave them away.
Jack was walking closer to her then the other two. His hand was intertwined with hers. He squeezed it lightly and Sidney answered with her own squeeze, but didn't look at him. She couldn't and raised her free hand and clutched her stomach, as if she feared she was going to be sick.
Buffy looked over at Colossus and wished he wouldn't be fighting today. It was an odd feeling. She had never wanted to keep a lover from running into battle. Not even Angel. She had always been willing to let him fight his battles, but with Colossus Buffy was inches away from hitting upside the head and hiding him behind the tree.
A warmth flooded over her and she almost smiled. She loved Colossus. She had realized it when she had looked into Sidney's eyes and told her she would have to sacrifice the man she loved. Colossus had been there and had given her strength, he didn't have to. That was when she realized she had loved him.
Colossus looked over at her and deep into her eyes and she thought he feels it too. Definitely something they were going to have to talk about. From the way she felt, she planned on being in Colossus's life for a long, long time.
"We are almost here," Shibita said, reaching for her sword.
Besides her Logan growled and called forth his claws. "They're gonna pay. And it ain't gonna be pretty." Shibita grinned over at the Wolverine.
"Yes indeed," she agreed.
Buffy turned her head, shaking it at the two warriors, and saw Scott. His head was lowered and his red shades covered his eyes and his emotions, but the Slayer could tell from the way he walked that he was defeated. He had been like this— sluggish, sober, depressed— ever since Jean had been kidnapped. Not that Buffy blamed him.
She reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. Scott turned his head to look at her and Buffy smiled reassuringly. "We'll get her back, Scott. And we'll make Jake and Furia and their master pay for what they've done."
"I hope you're right," Scott said hopelessly.
"Looks like we're here, B," Faith said, stepping up to her and casting a scowling look at the looming graveyard.
"Super," Buffy drawled sarcastically and her clutch on her scythe tightened. She looked over at her team, mutants, half-demons, Slayers… and Xander and smiled softly. Some offered weak smiles back, others were to numb to do so.
Buffy turned from them and a frown replaced her smile. She swung her arm forward and her team started to walk. Their feet crunched against dead leaves and an eerie silence fell over the area. There was no Tora-Kone in sight.
"It's quiet. Too quiet," Xander muttered as the entered the graveyard. All the younger Slayers, excluding Charlotte, gave him fearful looks.
"I love that movie!" Tabitha said softly.
"Shut up," Charlotte snapped and Dana reached out for her arm in hopes of safety. Charlotte glared at her, "You're a Slayer, woman! Toughen up."
Buffy raised a hand and all conversations ceased. They all turned to see what had their Slayer leader's attention. Gasps rose from the team.
Furia sat on the archway to the crypt where both Jean and Jake were located. She swung her long legs back and forth with an evil, twisted grin on her face. It was not Furia herself that was daunting, it was the thousands and thousands of Tora-Kone behind her. Her smile widened when she saw them.
"Oh boy," Dana said.
"Still happy about the battle?" Ori muttered to Pyro, who shook his head.
"Glad you've finally arrived," Furia said as she hopped off the archway and placed her hand on her hips. "I was getting bored."
"Where's Jake and Jean?" Buffy demanded, flexing her triceps.
"They're down there, Miss Slayer. Jake's waiting with Lord Deltoramina," Furia explained. "And he told me to tell you that you and you're few chosen fighters are allowed to go into the crypt without being harmed. Get going, my Tora-Kone grow impatient."
"Alright, Kitty, Colossus, Sidney, and ghosts let's go!" she said and started forward. She stopped by a growl and turned her head to Logan. "And no, you can't come. You need to fight up here. This is where most of the army is going to be. I need you to keep them in the vicinity."
"I know," Logan growled again, clenching his teeth. "I just wish I could get a chance to kick Jake's ass." He turned his eyes to scan the thousands of Tora-Kone. "But I guess these guys will do. Good luck, kid."
"Buffy." The Slayer turned and looked at Scott. "Get Jean back and make Jake pay," he told her. The Slayer smiled and nodded, walking towards Furia.
Lance gave Kitty's hand a squeeze before allowing her to walk away. "Be careful, Kitty-cat," he said softly and Kitty smiled up at him.
"You, too," she answered and joined Buffy.
"Be careful, Sid," Ori said. "Watch your six." Then she turned her gaze to Jack and Ann and Eve. "Bye Jack, good luck. See ya Ann. Ah… yeah, Eve…"
"Farewell, Oriana."
"Bye, ORI!"
"Bite me."
Sidney, Jack, Ann and Eve walked over to Kitty and Buffy. Together the group of six walked over to the archway. Furia smiled at them as Sidney and Buffy placed their hands on Kitty's shoulder. Kitty frowned with concentration and phased herself and the other two people through the stones that protected the entrance to the crypt. Jack, Ann and Eve, unseen by all, walked through the stones and joined the three on the other side.
Furia smirked as she looked at the remaining members of Buffy's team. She could see the fear in their eyes and it made her twisted smile widened. But what had her confused was the courage in them as well. They willingly stood before her and accepted certain death for a mere girl-child proclaiming the greater good?
Well, wasn't Miss Savour going to get a surprise when she got into the pit of the crypt? Lord Deltoramina would devour their bodies with his giant teeth. Her only regret was that she would not be able to watch as the Slayer died.
But then she had these fools to humor herself.
Shibita glared at Furia and her grip on her broadsword tightened. "Be ready," she told her half-demons and they crouched down into a fighting stance.
"And so it begins," Furia said as the Tora-Kone lunged.
-
AN: Ah! Evil cliffhanger. What are you going to do? The story is almost done, only three chapters plus an epilogue left. I'm still trying to get it finished before the summer's end. And I'm stick by that. Next chapter the fighting actually begins.
Damia- Queen of the Gypsi's: your spot has been marked.
flying alien: well, the reason I usually only reply to you two is because you are the only people who review. I reply to anyone who reviews the current chapter. And I will reveal nothing but since we only about four more chapters to do (including the epilogue) you'll see soon enough!