Disclaimer: I own nothing besides the original characters, Joss and Mutant Enemy are the lucky ones.
Summary: Angel and his group took out the Thorn, but they opened up a whole new can of worms.
Pairings: Spuffy, Fresley, D/OC. Others might present themselves.
Warning: There will be cursing, violence and a smidgen of sex in this story.
Chapter Nine: Where has my good man gone?
Graumans Chinese theater - Seven weeks ago
The slayers couldn't believe what they were seeing, Buffy was flying through the crowd, slicing and dicing any and all demons within range. She wasn't even blocking blows, simply wasn't there when they landed, causing some of the beasts to kill their own. At that moment, her form embodied exactly what a slayer was. Inside though, she could not have been any weaker.
'Why does every man I love leave me?'
Her subconscious answered chastisingly.
'Too little too late sister.'
And just like that the fight leaves her, it's not the demons fault Spike is dead, sure they might have been the ones to kill him. But she's the reason he didn't believe what she told him. One declaration of love couldn't undo the time of mental and sometimes physical abuse she'd put him through. In the end, she'd done to Spike what all other men before him had done to her.
Broken her ability to trust, to put faith in someone. Because it always came back to bite you in the ass. And now she'd never know if Spike would be the one who would have stayed, because misery loves company.
Faith notices Buffy has fallen out of sight, causing her and the girls to pick back up their share of the fighting. She'd put a bad hurt on a lot of the bastards, there was only a few hundred left in all. And soldier boy and the rest of their girls were on the way.
They might just have a chance at winning this one. Lightning flashed illuminating the sky and everything in it. Off in the distance she saw what looked like a swarm of bats. When the lightning came again she realized what she was seeing.
Dragons, lots and lots of dragons.
Several blocks away - Same time
Dawn was walking at the back of the group with their leader. He was smoking a cigarette and humming to himself. She couldn't quite place the song, but it sounded like something her mom had made her listen to.
"What is that your singing?"
He stopped humming and flicked the butt into a broken store front.
He cleared his throat dramatically and started belting out the diddy.
"Where have all the good men gone and where are all the gods, where's a street wise Hercules to fight the rising odds, isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed, late at night I toss and I turn and I dream of what I need, I need a hero!"
At the last line he fell to his knees and raised his arm into the air, everyone in the group save Dawn burst out into laughter.
She grabbed his arm and unsuccessfully tried to drag him up, he jumped up of his own accord and bowed to the group as a whole. They applauded lightly before resuming their trek.
Dawn pulled him close and whispered into his ear.
"Isn't it a little risky to burst out into song when we just got ambushed?"
He smirked, back-peddling to catch up with the group, keeping his voice low he replied matter of factly.
"If I recall correctly it was your team that got sideswiped, not mine."
He turned around and fell into step with the rest of them. She quickly caught up and shot back demeaningly.
"Well what good did acting a like a total dork do?"
He shook his head, pointing to the backs of her girls and his own team.
"First of all, two minutes ago all they were thinking about was that they had nearly gotten killed, and are about to throw them selves into an even worse fight where the odds are a hundred times worse. Now they're thinking about how silly that cute guy at the back is. Secondly, the pip squeaks are keeping a constant watch of anything happening within a six block radius using their little mindmeld thing. And lastly, I felt the song held merit in this instance since I so saved your ass back there, making me your hero."
There was never a more proud shit eating grin than the one adorning his face at that moment.
"Someone's a little full of them selves."
He lifted his eyebrows questioningly.
"Are you saying I didn't get you guys out of a pickle back there?"
Dawn smiled innocently.
"No, I was referring to you being the cute guy at the back of the group."
He stopped in his tracks, grabbing at his chest, and falling to his knees, his eyes rolled back comically and he fell to the ground, his eyes closed.
The group looked back giggling, but they didn't stop walking. Dawn kicked him lightly in the ribs and bent down to roll him onto his back.
"I really don't have time for this, could you please get up?"
With his eyes still closed he said poutingly.
"Not until you admit I'm cute."
Dawn huffed and stepped back.
"What does it matter?
He opened his eyes and lifted his head.
"Maybe I like you thinking I'm cute?"
She blushed, keeping her face even and started walking towards her sister again.
He got up and darted past her, on his way to the front of the group.
"That color looks good on you."
He smiled seductively and she couldn't decide what she'd like to do more, kiss him or kick him right between the legs. She moved to the front of the line and spoke to him politely, trying to forget their little exchange.
"So why were we at the back anyways, shouldn't the leader be up at the front?"
"Not exactly, if you are gonna get attacked it'll most likely be from the back, and who said I was the leader?"
"But I thought that..."
She didn't get to finish though because the little boy and girl spoke at the same time, their voices melding and forming a harmonic melody.
"Were almost there."
The "non-leader", who's name she hadn't quite gotten yet; stopped and looked at the both of them.
"You shrimps feel something?"
Dawn grabbed his arm and pointed a ways off in the distance.
He looked in the direction she pointed, seeing nothing but clouds and lightning, when one strike lit up a particular section of sky. The sight took any quick jokes right out of his head.
Dragons, lots and lots of fucking dragons.
Graumans Chinese theater - Same time
She didn't know how long she stayed like that, crying silently, she knew she should get up and fight, but something felt broken, almost like when Dawn was taken. It all felt unreal, even when she'd been forced to send Angel to hell, she'd burdened the pain, knowing it had been for the greater good. But there was no greater good than having Spike by her side. And now he was..now he was gone forev..
"Somebody die pet?"
Her throat seized and her eyes slammed shut, not daring to believe it was possible.
'Please god don't let this be a dream.'
She opened her eyes and turned around, the tears not drying up. Spike stood there, slightly worse for wear, but still wearing that cocky smile.
"Spike?"
He tilted his head and raised his hand, moving it towards her face, she panicked, fearing his hand would pass through her and it would be the first, taunting her over losing him again. When his hand was an inch away she wanted to grab it and squeeze, to prove he was really here with her, but the thought of feeling nothing but the cold air made her want to throw up.
He moved the last inch and put his hand to her face, a jolt of something stunning her. Her legs almost gave out and she put her hand on his arm to steady herself. The muscles under his jacket were just like she remembered, lithe and deadly. She gave out a hysterical giggle, joy blinding her to everything around her, like the fact that he didn't smell the same, or that she hadn't felt a vampires presence before he appeared, or that his eyes didn't hold the love he'd always worn so openly. When she heard Dawns shout, it barely fazed her.
Her head turned to the side, and she saw Dawn running toward her along with some guy. Dawn looked terrified, maybe because she couldn't believe Spike was back. When she saw the man running with her sister unsheathe his machete, she looked around for any enemies in sight, but all she saw was Spike's smiling face.
That face she'd dreamed about almost every night since he'd died and left her all alone. Suddenly he wasn't smiling, but grinning sadistically. In an instant there was a dagger in his hand and it was coming straight towards her heart. With everything that had happened, she couldn't move fast enough to block the blow.
Right before the blade pierced her skin a bolt of lightning struck him straight in the chest, blasting them both yards away from each other. There was a ringing in her ears and her skin felt like it had been rubbed against a warm rug, the static aftershocks of the electricity setting her nerves on fire, she raised her head and looked to where Spike had fallen, only Spike wasn't there; Wesley was. She looked to where the lightning had come from and gasped.
Willow was floating above the roof tops, lightning crackling from her finger tips, her hair wasn't white and it wasnt balck, it wasnt even gray; it was an ever shifting kaleidoscope of the two; and when she spoke, the heavens shook.
"Stay the hell away from my friend!"
Vail got up off the ground and dusted himself off, looking down appraisingly at his form. Suddenly his arm shot out and a blast of energy shot Willow straight dab in the chest. The blast flung her into the sky, like a bullet she flew into one of the downtown sky scrapers, Vail jumped up into the air, darting towards her at a break neck speed. His voice boomed out, overshadowing the thunder.
"Make me!"
Dawn rushed to Buffy's side, helping her up on her feet.
"What the hell was that Buffy?"
The slayer shook her head, stumbling over her words.
"I..I don't know."
Several of the demons, drawn by the fireworks, set their eyes on the group of three. As they made their way over Dawn grabbed a discarded sword and hefted it.
"What should we do Buffy?"
But her sister was drained; she couldn't cope with all the emotions going on inside of her.
"I don't know Dawnie."
Dawn looked at her worried and panicked.
"Buffy, snap out of it!"
Buffy looked at her sister and choked on the words as she spoke them.
"He was Spike."
She broke down, the scythe falling useless at her side just as the small group of demons came upon them, the man who Dawn still hadn't gotten the name of whistled for his men to come back them up as Dawn grabbed her sister and hugged her.
"I'm so sorry Buffy, but I need you to be strong, I know your tired and it hurts, but we have to stop them."
"Why did he have to die Dawn?"
Her sister hugged her, cooing into her hair.
"So we could live Buffy."
The demon fighters came up giving their leader relief from keeping the demons at bay. Having overheard what they were saying, he kneeled down and looked the slayer straight in the eye.
"Buffy right?"
She looked feral, halfway between breaking down and halfway from tearing everything apart .
"Yeah."
"I can see your having a hard time right now, so I'll be succinct and to the point, if this guy, Spike, was here right now, what would he tell you to do?"
Buffy's eyes shined, a small smile coming to her lips.
"To kill as many of the buggers as I could."
He smiled, standing and holding out his hand.
"Then let's dance."
The demons found a small hole in the group of demon fighters, charging into it they were met by a slightly less pissed off slayer and her kid sister, followed closely by said kid sister's recent crush/object of hatred. The small band of demons didn't have time to crap themselves before their bodies were spilled open all over the ground. She didn't care about the battle, the fate of the world seemed very small right now. If Spike was gone, she would honor his memory the only way she could think of. By fighting, slaying, making the world a better place; so other people could be happy. Other women could marry, have children and spend the rest of their lives happy and safe.
But she would continue to be alone, because before when she'd lost someone, they took a piece of her with them, one she could never get back. But this time it was her that was left with a piece, a small reminder of Spike's love for her. And that was enough to last her as long as she lived. Which, considering the line of work she was in, might be tomorrow or never, if her friends did any more spells to bring her back.
"Buffy, are you there?"
Not pausing from splitting a vampire in two she concentrated on the voice in her head.
"What's up Andrew?"
"You need to make a hole for the witches to teleport."
Keeping her eye on Dawn, she started towards a snake like demon giving some of her girls a hard time.
"What are they planning?"
"Willow said we needed to see about giving the vamps some time to tan."
Buffy smiled, a dangerous glint in her eye.
"One hole, coming up."
"The witches say they need something to center onto, so Willow should be in the center of the circle so they can focus on her."
Buffy jumped over the demons in her way, landing beside the serpent. She grabbed his small tail and swung him like a club, knocking over demons and vamps, finally she smacked him into the side of a telephone pole, splintering the wood and crushing the demon's insides. The pole fell over, taking out a brick wall and showering them with mortar dust.
"Willow's busy right now, can't they lock onto me?"
Nothing happened for a few moments, when a woman's voice came into her head.
"Buffy, this is Clara, from the coven. With all the dark magic and demons there, even your power doesn't stand out enough. It has to be someone who can anchor the tele-portation spell."
"I'll see what I can do."
"Hurry Buffy, there's not much time."
"Preaching to the choir sister."
Several hundred yards away - Office building
What once had been the thirty-fourth floor of a record company office was now the site of a crash landing. A hole the size of a mac truck now gaping in it's side. Debris covered the floor and rubble fell from the roof. A rubble pile shifted slightly, then again. Suddenly a hand shot out, electricity sparking out from it. The pile blew away as Willow stood, shaking off the dust and clearing her eyes.
Surveying the scene, she reached out with her mind and tried to find whatever it was wearing Wesley's body. The witch whirled as applause sounded from outside. She walked to the edge of the hole looking up.
Vail hovered several feet away, clapping and smiling vigorously.
"I must say Ms. Rosenberg, I was sure that would take you out of this game for good."
Willow balled her hands into fists, flashes of energy blazing from her hands.
"Who are you, and what have you done to Wesley?"
Vail lowered, bringing himself even with the redhead.
"My most recent moniker is the name Cyrus Vail, I'm afraid you could not pronounce my original name. And as to what I've done to the watcher, I have simply borrowed what he was no longer using."
Willow grit her teeth, ready to send him back to whatever hell dimension spawned him.
"So your the one behind the apocalypse, pulling the strings?"
Vail laughed heartily, shaking his head.
"No child, I am the string, the facilitator for the planner of this master piece you call doomsday."
"The senior partners?"
Vail gazed at her dipping his head and rolling his tongue.
"No, not the senior partners, their first client. The one who turned them from simple demons into the overseers of all evil in the universe."
Willow grew pale, realization coming to her eyes.
"The first evil."
Vail sighed, bored with the exchange.
"No wonder you humans won't win, you can't even think out of your own experiences."
With that, Vail unleashed a stream of energy, colliding with the structure and knocking Willow off her feet. Stopping the exchange he summoned all of his strength and directed it at the base of the building. The windows shattered and the walls caved, the building tilted to the side somewhat before crumbling in on itself, the redheaded goddess still inside.
Vail looked towards the battle, clicking his teeth.
"Now where was that slayer."
Right as he started towards the theater a large piece of rubble crashed into him; knocking him off course, he righted himself and looked down.
Willow stood on top of the wreckage, bloodied and bruised, she cracked her neck and sailed up towards him.
"Time to cut the string."
A/N: I know, how in the hell can the battle be lasting this long, well, this one needs to be good, because after this were gonna be digging right into the angsty fluffiness which is Btvs. Read and Review if you like, it will increase productivity.