Chapter 10: The End is Near
Buffy sat at the Gryffindor table with Hermione and Willow, Harry and Ron eating dinner, "Has anyone seen Dawn this afternoon?"
Hermione and Willow shook their heads as they looked at Ron and Harry, "Not since lunch, why?" Willow asked.
Buffy shook her head, "She was supposed to meet me in the Library so we could study together for our last exam. She never showed, she probably just forgot. I bet she's probably up in the dorms right now."
Hermione and Willow looked at each other and then nodded to Buffy, "You're probably right," Hermione said.
Harry sighed; he knew his sister was worried about their cousin. "I'm sure she's fine. Why don't you go talk to Professor McGonagall and ask her?"
Buffy nodded and walked over to the professor, "Professor, can I have a moment of your time?"
McGonagall nodded, "What is it, Miss Potter?"
Buffy looked around the room to make sure Dawn hadn't walked in while she wasn't looking, "You haven't seen Dawn this afternoon, have you? She was supposed to meet me in the Library and never showed."
McGonagall shook her head, "No I'm afraid I haven't. She's probably up in her dormitory. I wouldn't worry too much."
Buffy nodded and turned to walk back to the Gryffindor table when she noticed Dumbledore leaving out the Entrance Hall. She quickly followed and watched as he apparated away when he hit the edge of the ground. "Something has to be up, why would he be leaving?"
Buffy turned and went back to the Gryffindor table, "Guys, something is up, Dumbledore just left. I think now would be the perfect time for Snape to get Dawn."
"And for someone to go after the stone," Harry said.
"I'll get, Faith," Buffy said, "and the two of us can go look for Dawn. The rest of you can go stop whoever is after the stone."
As they exited the Great Hall the split up. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Willow headed for the third-floor corridor while Buffy hurried to Faith's suite.
"B," Faith said when she saw Buffy at the portrait hole to her rooms. "What is it?"
"Dawn's missing," Buffy said. "And Professor Dumbledore just left. This would be a good time for Snape to try and get Dawn and deliver her to Glory."
"Alright, B," Faith said. She grabbed a hammer out of her rooms and the two of them headed off.
As they looked, Dawn was on Buffy's mind. It was then that realization occurred to her, she loved Dawn as if she was a sister. Not just a cousin, but a sister. That revelation made her think about Joyce and Hank, and she knew that despite being her aunt and uncle, they were still her parents.
They found Dawn tied to the edge of the astronomy tower and Glory standing there holding a knife in her hand. "Ah, Slayer," Glory said. "She said you and her sister would come. But I doubt it would be to save her. Because you both know the quicker, she dies the better for your sorry world."
Glory and Faith eye each other as they circle each other. "Get Dawn," Faith said over her shoulder. Glory took a step towards Faith who swung at Glory with the hammer and sent the hell god flying into a nearby wall. Glory rebounded only to be met with a flurry of blows and kicks from Faith. Glory barely fends them off at first, then starts to get her own back, landing a couple of good blows.
Buffy untied Dawn and was hurrying her sister toward the stairs out of the tower. She noticed that Faith swung the hammer into Glory's face, home run style.
Glory once again flew back and smashed again into the nearest wall. "This isn't fair," she said.
"I'm sorry. You want to rip apart the fabric of reality, destroy the world and kill B and her sister and now you're introducing the concept of fairness?" Faith asked.
Glory leapt at Faith, swinging at her, slashing her neck and sending her reeling. Glory's next swing, Faith blocked with the hammer, kicking her back.
"You're just a mortal... you couldn't understand my pain," Glory said.
"I guess I'll have to settle for causing it," Faith said as she hit Glory with the hammer.
"You can't kill me ..." Glory said as she reeled back.
"No... but my arm's not even tired," Faith said as she hit Glory with the hammer again.
Faith wailed on Glory with the hammer. A blow sent Glory to her knees; an uppercut put her right on her back.
"Stop it..." Glory pleaded.
"You're a god ..." Faith said as she slammed into Glory's face. "Make it stop." She raised the hammer to strike again as Glory, bloody and defeated, morphed into Ben.
"I'm sorry ..." Ben said.
"Your, Glory?" Faith asked.
Ben nodded and sighed, "You could say that. She promised me that I wouldn't die when she returned home. See when she returns home, I get discarded. She promised to bring me back. I know what she did was terrible, I ask you to kill me, so that she can die as well."
Faith looked at Ben and nodded. She looked at Buffy and Dawn who stood near the stairs. "I have to do this."
"You can't," Buffy said as she realized what Faith intended to do.
"It what a Slayer does," Faith said. "Something I hope you never have to do." She reached for Ben and leapt off the tower pulling him with her.
Buffy grabbed her wand and raced to the edge of the tower. With a swish and a flick, she called out, "Wingardium Leviosa."