Hello all ;) So I've been a little emotional and somewhat busy with finals, which explains my delay in updates. I apologize for that... as far as the emotional part ... well let's just say some of the reviews in my other stories, kind of made me sad and it hurts my muse. But it seems back on track now and am totally excited about your response to this chapter.
So please voice it :)
Updates should come more fluently now that I may have time, so bare with me.
Chapter 13
Right then…
After much arguing on who was to stand in the first line of battle… they'd all settle for the demanding personalities of… Buffy and Angelus spearing the attack, backed by Spike, Faith, Connor, Wesley, Gunn, and then the rest of all the potentials, who if the spell worked, would be the real deal in slayers.
Hopefully with the amount of fire power down in the hell mouth, they wouldn't let anyone escape into the outside, but should that happen. Their second front was to be ready with Giles and Wood, Xander and Dawn, Anya and Andrew, Lorne was to help with a vocal distraction should the situation call for it, but if not, then he was to be driving the get a way bus, while Kennedy, Fred and Willow set up for the spell and would join the fight there after…. So this… was it…
The town was finally completely deserted, Xander pulled up a bus in front of the house for everyone to get on board. Whatever little belongings they were trying to hopefully take with them, had been tied to the top and stashed in the bottom. Lucky for all, Xander had stolen one of those cool buses used for traveling. Buffy had been adamant of everyone taking anything that meant something to them because that is all they were going to have left.
/
In the mean time, Willow had requested a moment away with Giles and Wesley at the now empty next door house, where half of them had rested…
"Thank you for giving me a minute, I know this is probably not the time to bring this up but I needed to tell someone…"
"Sure…" Wes said.
"What's going on Willow…?" Giles asked.
She fiddled with her hands, "I don't even know how to… it just doesn't make any sense… but… I think, actually I'm sure, Connor is Buffy's and Angel's son…"
"WHAT…" Giles said taken, he wasn't sure what he expected to hear her say, but it was not what he was hearing.
"That's impossible Willow… I was there… when Darla came pregnant to us… he's Darla's and…" Wes explained.
"Look…" she cut him off, "I know how this sounds okay, it's crazy… but when I touched him… I saw them. Buffy and Angel, you know, getting it on and why would I see something like that… from the kid…?"
Giles and Wes stared at each other thoughtfully.
"He has a soul…." She went on, "and have you seen his eyes… he's the depiction of his father with Buffy's eyes and spirit… I can feel it…"
Giles shook his head, what the hell did this mean? Why was he here then if that was the case…? "Have you told any of the three of them…?" he asked.
"No…" she paused, "I… I just have my doubts, I mean I can feel it in my gut that I'm right, but what kind of explanation can I give her?" she said somewhat frustrated, "It's not like I can be like hey Buffy, so yeah Connor's your son but some other woman had him; but congrats on being a mother…"
Giles stared wide eyed, "Yeah… not the best way to break this kind of news…"
"And we should at least make sure we are right…" Wes added still skeptically.
"We may not even make it past today…" Willow said, "She should know…"
The three processed that thought, there was a good possibility that if they survived and Buffy found out after the fact, that she'd want to kill them for not telling her sooner. But Willow was right, what kind of reasoning could they put behind the fact that she hadn't been able to bear her and the love of her life's own son?
/
Everyone boarded the bus nervously… they were all willingly driving to their death but no one seemed to acknowledge it. It was better that way, they need to stay focused on the fact that this fight was happening and that they'd come out victorious rather than think… that this was where life ended.
* Take care of her…* Angel thought to him *Stay with her at all times, the thought that someth…*
Who the hell do you think you're talking to…? Angelus said insulted.
*I'm just…*
I know… Angelus thought powerfully to him. She was their sole purpose for living. Her first death had almost broken him. Angel luckily had tapped into Angelus non-caring emotions to suppress it, but that unfortunately had meant that Angelus had to take on the whole pain… and the agony he'd endured, he wasn't even sure how he'd survived. It had been worse than the time she'd sent him to the hell dimension or any of his suffered torture… all put together.
"Ready lover…?" he asked in half a smirk.
"As ready as I'll ever be…" she grinned back.
The drive there was pretty silent until Lorne parked up by the school and said gulping, "You know guys… the end of the world don't go with my outfit…" a nervous smile on his lips.
They all sort of laughed and started getting off the bus…
"Let's kick some ass…" Faith said while the potentials followed to their destination. They all soon stood in the cross connection of four hallways in a circle as they all wondered if they should be saying goodbye…
Giles, Wes, and Willow made a gesture to speak, when Connor interrupted…
"Are we really going to get all mushy over this? It's just one of many fights we'll come up against…?"
Angel felt like rolling his eyes…
"Kids?" Angelus voiced.
"I agree with Puppy Junior here…" Spike added.
The ex-watchers and the witch attempted again when Buffy spoke…
"Aside from this being my duty… just know that I'm glad it's you fighting by my side, now let's get moving. We don't have much sun time left…"
Kennedy quickly pulled Willow away to set up. Fred pulled Wesley against her surprising him with a kiss that was long overdue with their unspoken attraction and left after the two girls.
"Come on Junior…" Spike called to Connor, and after giving him a questioning look. He shrugged it off and followed the vampire.
Wood gestured to Giles to get moving and had no choice but to follow reluctantly, there had not been a moment to share with Buffy the discovered news. Gunn took Wes' hand in a brotherly battle hold as they nodded walking off to position. By this time the rest of the team had left.
Buffy had given Xander a look of 'take care of my sister' while also reminding him with that stare to give Dawn that letter she'd written, he nodded back parting ways and then soon it was just the two of them…
*Tell my beloved that I love her… always will…* Angel said.
Angelus did not want to but Soul Boy had a point, this wasn't for him but for his other self…
"Buffy, I Lov…" he began but was cut off by the passionate bruising, yet tender lips of hers taking his. Her lips moved lovingly and with emotion as she nudged for entrance into his mouth while caressing the hairs at the nape of his neck. He growled in pleasure wrapping his arms around her tiny frame. He'd been taken at first but had quickly responded allowing her into him. Their tongues seemed to massage and elicit other desires in the other, almost forgetting were they were and what they were about to do. But that's just the way it was between them… a love so consuming that they could make the entire world disappear, leaving them to only be aware of each other's needs.
Buffy pulled away panting, giving him a smile…
"Quickie…?" He questioned hopeful.
She tipped her head in a 'seriously?' kind of way.
"Right…" he winked, "after then…"
They began walking into position, but right before they were to get to the seal, Angelus tried to tell her again what Mr. Righteous One had wanted…
"Buffy, I…"
"Don't…"she stopped him, she knew what he was trying to do and after SO many goodbyes from him, well Angel technically; she couldn't take another one. Regardless of the different circumstances, "I don't want to heart it… I know we're going to win… don't you?"
He understood the familiarity of the situation and why she didn't want to let him tell her he loved her, so he just said… "I do…" confidently.
"So no goodbyes…" she said with finality while grabbing his hand.
"Never…" he answered while bringing the top of her palm up to kiss it. And he was being honest; as long as he was capable of it… he would never leave her side, in this life or the next.
The group was all gathered around the seal as Buffy and Angelus walked hand in hand. Nobody said a word… the plan was now in motion so they needed to get going. The girls all cut their hands making fists over the seal to open it… Angelus could pick out the smell of her lovers blood and he shifted into game face…
The moment it opened… Angelus and Buffy were the first to walk in, quickly followed by Connor, Faith, Wes, Gunn, and Spike… the girls joined them swiftly after, as they took in the sight of being inside the hell mouth.
It didn't take long for the demons to notice their intruders, and as they did, they made their way up to attack…
War was now upon them…
/
The others waited patiently as they could hear the battle happening already… snarls, followed by commotion and commands flooded the hall ways… they were all ready for any that got past them, but they were falsely hoping it didn't come to that…
Giles and Wood saw Kennedy run past them with the axe; they hoped that meant the girls were all slayers now.
/
Kennedy called out Buffy's name and threw the axe to her… she took hold of it and fought. They had already lost a couple of the girls but for the most part the group was intact and the line was being held.
Connor had spotted from the corner of his eye the kind of fighting machine that this team was… they were kicking ass and he was impressed, but not as impressed as he had been of his father and his ability to read that woman's mind and movements. Their fighting around each other almost seemed as graceful as a coordinated dance. His father knew what Buffy was going to do next, and she knew what he was going to do next. It was an amazing thing to watch…
Caught off guard for a moment… a vamp attacked the side of his ribcage, injuring it. He was able to fight him off easily, but as he killed him… the momentum of it pushed him back making him lose his footing, falling off the cliff…
Buffy was the one to notice first and quickly reached out for him; grabbing his hand securely… the moment her hand connected with his as he dangled off of her… she got a vision…
Angel? This is the first time I ever felt this way…
What way?
Just like I've always wanted to. Like a normal girl, falling asleep in the arms of her normal boyfriend… It's perfect.
Sleep claims her… she dreams about the most beautiful four year old boy she's ever seen, as he's sweetly smiling at her, while calling her mommy, waving his little hands at her in the air…
The scene swiftly changes to her leaving Angel Investigations… with his promise of making things work…
Months after her return to Sunnydale and her relationship with Angel being stable and growing, she finds out she's pregnant… she plans on telling Angel that day, but finds out he was helping save someone from a demon and died in the process…
Her despair and sorrow is so much that she doesn't think that she can continue living, but the reminder of the life growing inside her, helps her hold it together…
She sees herself pregnant in a mirror, smoothing out a dress over her growing belly tenderly…
Soon she's giving birth and the sight of her baby boy is the reminder of his father, which is uncanny, though not his lovely sparkling eyes… love quickly becomes a word with a new meaning to her…
She sees herself sitting on bench while watching her son play in a sand box, when something pulls him under, she follows right after without hesitation, but whatever has them… takes them both… taking their lives…
Buffy wakes with a startle still in Angel's arms and slips out of his grasp… Doyle finds her crying and offers to take her to someone who can help.
She's standing before the Oracles and she explains that she doesn't want to lose both men she loves in her life. She begs with desperation for them to let her have her love and her son… They tell her that the price will be steep, and before they explain what the consequences will be… she agrees. The only question she asks is, "Will I get them back alive eventually?"
When they answered her with a yes, she tells them to do whatever it takes… the time is then turned to her sleeping in bed, as she vaguely remembers Angel slipping out to talk to Doyle.
She gasps as tears fill her eyes still holding; who she know knows, is her son… and apparently by his stare, so does he. Enwrapped in the moment she'd just had of the vision, she misses Angelus holding Connor's other hand, as it becomes clear for him too.
They both pull him swiftly up… and continue to attack the never ending pile of vamps, when Spike begins to glow.
Faith, Gunn and Wes quickly start ushering everybody out… as the earth begins to shake.
"Connor!" Angelus yelled, "GO! Get out of here…"
Connor stares with emotion at Buffy who's speaking barely above whisper to Spike… Angelus grabs him by the arm and leads him up the stairs, while saying more firmly, "Now…"
He stares at the woman he knows is his mother and the last thing he wants is to leave her side, Angelus notices and he sighs grabbing Buffy's hand… She tries to pull from his grip because she doesn't want to let Spike die…
Spike nods he's okay and tells her to go but her legs don't move.
"Buffy… we gotta move…" Angelus says somewhere between desperate and angry.
She's still non-responding until she hears Connor say, "Mom please…"