A/N: Here we go! Part one of the finale. After part two there will be an epilogue and then the story will be complete (sniff). I'll be sad, but 'the time has come'.

The chapter title (The Time Has Come) is a Chambers Brothers album from 1966. Fun fact: The song Time Has Come Today from that album was played during the opening montage of SPN ep 2.02 – Everybody Loves a Clown.

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Chapter 23 – The Time Has Come (Part 1)

Dean and his brother followed behind Willow as she slowly made her way toward Buffy's office. They'd been trying to find a private place to talk and had ended up getting distracted. The distraction was Willow. They'd found her walking around with a large crystal in one hand, a nasty smelling candle in the other, and chanting with her eyes closed. Dean just had to stop and ask her, "What the hell?" She explained that she was on the trail of some "uber dark magic" and apparently she didn't need her eyes because the light of the candle was "guiding her journey". Okaaay. Dean had grown fond of Willow, but the chick was still kinda freaky sometimes. The entire spectacle would've been hilarious under different circumstances.

"That was fast," Bobby remarked when the three entered the room.

"We got sidetracked," Sam said as he pointed to Willow, who was still chanting and waving her crystal around.

"Bingo!" Willow exclaimed when she came to a stop in front of Cas and opened her eyes. "Whoa," she gasped. "What happened to you?"

"Mostly Dean," he replied, "and I don't understand your bingo reference."

Dean threw his hands up and shook his head at Cas. "You gotta be kidding me! You're working dark magic now too? Is there any aspect of douche baggery you haven't signed up for?"

"I don't under-," Castiel began.

"He's not working dark magic," Willow interrupted, "he's had it worked on him." She held the crystal just inches from the angel as she walked slowly around the chair he was sitting in. When she spoke again she had deep frown lines on her face. "This isn't Malfoy level dark magic either. This spell is in full-on Dark Lord, unforgiveable curse territory. As in you need the blood of three newborns to even think about getting started. I haven't felt anything like it in years," she added with a shudder.

"I didn't get half of that," Dean admitted. "But whatever your sayin', my money's on Crowley. What the hell kind of spell is it anyway?"

Willow didn't reply immediately. She was too busy waving her crystal over Castiel. "Reveal," she shouted before taking a dramatic pause as the light of her candle seemed to extinguish itself. "Uh oh," she finally said as she drew her brows together in concern.

"What?" Sam asked. "Did Crowley curse him? Is this some sorta mind control thing? Cause… well… that would explain a lot."

Willow widened her eyes, turned her back on Castiel and whispered, "On'tday aysay Rowleycray."

"I'm unfamiliar with that language," Castiel remarked from behind her.

"It's Pig Latin, you idjit," Bobby said with a shake of his head. "Sorry girl," he remarked to Willow. "I don't think that'll fool Rowleycray if that's what you're aimin' at."

"Sorry," Willow cringed as her face turned red. "I kinda panicked. It's a surveillance spell," she explained. "I think Rowleycray… I m-mean Crowley put it on him."

"And that's how he knows all our secrets," Dean said, finishing the thought for her. "Jesus Christ. We're on Crowley-cam? He's watching us right now?"

"He could be," Willow replied.

Dean got in Cas' very confused looking face and extended his middle finger. "Fuck you, you black-eyed bastard," he yelled. "How's that for a show? Maybe I should drop my pants and show you my shiny white ass too. That should be pretty damn entertaining."

Sam raised an eyebrow at his brother before turning to Willow. "Can you break the spell?" he asked.

"Give him the potion," Dean put in before Willow had a chance to reply. "Cas should get a taste of what sunbaked ass tastes like."

"Sorry Dean," Willow replied. "I think this spell goes a little beyond my standard anti-curse potion."

"I don't give a crap. Give it to him anyway."

Willow sighed and turned her attention to Castiel. "Can you walk?" she asked as she gave a pointed glance to his cuts and bruises. "Because I think we need to go to my office and work this out. All of my supplies are there… and maybe it's best if we keep Dean off camera," she added as an afterthought.

"I can walk," the angel answered, "but I don't see how this is possible."

"Trust me," Willow replied. "It's way possible. My witchy senses don't lie… and neither do my crystals."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Oh hell no," Dean stated. "Find somebody else."

"I'm sorry, but we can't," Willow emphasized as she gave Dean a sympathetic frown. "This ritual requires three very specific women - three very powerful, very specific women. You can't just go to the corner store and find a pregnant superlady. It has to be Buffy."

Dean shook his head and breathed deeply as he tried to control his temper. "So, you three are just gonna hold hands and channel this Moon Goddess, then she's gonna fix the world? Is that the big plan? It'll be happily ever after for all of us, right? You do realize that you sound like Cas right now. He was gonna build a new world order too. You see how that turned out."

"No Dean," Willow stressed. "I'm not talking about happily ever after. I'm talking about a reset… about letting the natural order rule the world again. It's not like a fairy tale at all. We all know nature isn't always the nicest thing in the world. She can be cruelly indifferent and sometimes she can even be a real bitch."

"And this Great Moon Goddess chick controls that?"

"I don't think she's really a Goddess… not with a capital 'G' anyway. I'd say she's more of an archetype."

"A what?" Dean asked with obvious frustration.

"It's like a universally understood symbol,"Willow explained. "In this case we're talking about natural forces like new life, creation, and death. Some people might call that Mother Nature and others have attributed those powers to various deities over the centuries… but in the end we're really all talking about the same thing. I guess 'natural order' is the best term for it. Elton John called it the Circle of Life," she added with a shrug.

"Good to know," Dean snapped. "Has anybody ever actually tried this ritual before?"

Willow averted her eyes. "I-I've found a few accounts. Mostly it ends with a whole lot of nothing."

"Mostly," Dean repeated. "What about the other times?"

"Well…," she hesitated. "There have been reports of some… uh… exploding heads."

"Exploding heads! Are you freakin' kidding me? You can't be serious about this. It's insane! You're gonna kill yourself and Trish... AND BUFFY," he shouted. "Not to mention our baby. Are you even thinking about that? Do you even care?"

"Yes Dean," Willow said in exasperation. "I do care. I care lots. This isn't something I want to do. It scares the heck out of me to be honest, but prophetic Slayer dreams are pretty reliable. If this is what they say is going to happen then we better be ready for it."

"Screw the prophecy," Dean stated flatly. "I don't believe in any of that crap. There has to be another way. You're crazy if you think I'm gonna just sit here with my thumbs up my ass while you kill Buffy."

"I don't believe it will kill her," Castiel interjected. "I am certain she was meant to do this. Even the child she carries is ideally suited. As the daughter of both a Chosen Slayer and the Michael Sword, her conception had to be fate. I can see no other explanation."

Faith snorted. "Yeah, 'no other explanation'. How about - those two screwed like bunnies for months without using birth control. There's fate for ya."

"Uh… thanks Faith," Dean replied. "I think."

"Any time."

"You must have faith, Dean," Castiel stressed. "These events were prophesized."

Dean turned an angry glare on the angel. "Who asked you, Cas? Hell, I'm not sure you should even be here right now. You might still be broadcasting on Crowley Central."

Willow buried her face in her hands. "He's clean," she emphasized slowly. "We've been over this at least fifty times now. No more bad mojo on the premises, I promise."

Dean stood up quickly and kicked his chair backwards. "Fine. I'm just a paranoid dickhead with no faith. Why don't you all just go ahead and make your little plans without me? Who gives a shit what I think!" he exclaimed before stalking out of the room.

"Dean," Willow called after him. "Please don't…" she trailed off when the door to Buffy's office slammed shut behind him. Her face fell in a combination of disappointment and frustration. "I don't know how to explain this to him," she said as she turned to Sam. "I don't want to hurt Buffy. I don't want to hurt anybody."

"I know," Sam assured her. "He just needs some time. I told you he wasn't gonna be very cool with this."

"I will speak with him," Castiel said as he rose.

Bobby raised an eyebrow at the angel. "You sure that's a good idea? You might be on your own this time, cause I'm not lookin' forward to another one of Dean's right hooks."

XXXXXXXXXX

Dean sat outside on the front steps of the Council and stared at the cloudy afternoon sky. At least the weather agreed with him (somebody sure as hell needed to). He startled a bit when he heard Castiel calling his name from behind him. He'd been too deep in his thoughts to realize anyone else was there.

"Son of a bitch," he grumbled as he craned his neck around. "Seriously Cas? Do you want me to beat your ass again?"

"I'd prefer it if you didn't," he replied in a monotone as he stood on the top step and also gazed out at the sky.

"Then what the hell do you want?"

"I'd like to speak with you."

Dean closed his eyes and summoned his last scrap of patience. "Then spit it out."

"May I sit?" the angel asked as he took a few steps down to stand beside Dean.

"It's a free country," Dean sighed as he held out a hand in invitation.

Castiel took a few moments to settle himself on the step before speaking. His slow movements made it obvious that he was stiff and sore and he didn't seem to be sure what to do with his legs.

"My initial hope was simply to restore the natural order," he said once he'd stopped fidgeting. "I just wanted heaven and hell to forget about the apocalypse and for things to go on as they had before."

"Don't we all," Dean agreed as he continued to stare straight ahead.

"I was proud," Cas continued. "I thought I'd been chosen to restore the balance." He paused for a long moment before continuing. "I'd like to say that it was Crowley who convinced me I was the one destined to do so… but he only preyed upon my own hubris. That is his job after all. I suppose I didn't realize he was so skilled," he added with a trace of wry humor.

"The title 'King of the Crossroads' didn't give ya a hint?" Dean replied as he shook his head. "Of course, he's good at getting into your head."

"I was desperate, Dean. I didn't understand why God helped us… Why he brought me back or why he intervened on our behalf. Only to abandon us and allow Raphael to destroy everything we fought for. I chose to believe it was because he wanted me to take over. I suppose I should have had second thoughts when I discovered what I'd have to become in order to do so."

Dean sighed and rubbed at his temples. "Cas, I get it. You're sorry. I believe you… I'm not in the forgiving mood right now, but I believe you." He paused and shook his head sadly at Cas before looking away. "I can't do this right now, man. No offense, but I could give a rat's ass about your salvation at the moment. You'll have to do your penance on your own time."

"I am sorry for the pain I've caused you, but that is not my point."

Dean turned back to face the angel. "So what is the point, Cas? I'm listening, but I ain't got all day."

"I'm attempting to say that God didn't completely abandon us, he just had other plans. He intended for Buffy and the other two girls to set things right. He never intended for me to do it. He only brought me back so that I could help them. It has all become clear. Remember what The Prophet said to you. You must have faith."

Dean laughed, but there was no humor in it. "Great Cas. You've had an epiphany. I'm happy for you. But how exactly are you supposed to help Buffy, huh? I beat your ass not two hours ago… me,"he said as he pointed to his chest. "A regular dude with no superpowers. You're sure as shit not up to facing Crowley and let's not even start on Raphael, because we all know where that ends."

"I still have the weapons of heaven," he said with a small smile. "Raphael does not know where they are hidden. No one does."

Dean paused for a moment. He had to admit he was surprised by this news. "No shit? Damn. Guess that's somethin'. Well, where the hell are they?" he asked with a tiny bit of hope in his voice. "Pull those puppies out. I'm still not on board with all that batshit moon-ritual hoodoo, but I'd be glad to ram the Staff of Moses right up Crowley's ass."

"They are well hidden in an alternate dimension. I cannot get to them. But I -"

"Of course not," Dean interrupted in a bitter tone as his shoulders slumped in defeat. "Why did I even ask?"

"I was trying to tell you that I know someone who may still be willing to help me."

"Who?"

"Balthazar."

"Fuck."

XXXXXXXXXX

Buffy knew she must be dreaming, but it wasn't like a normal dream because it lacked the usual surreal quality. Everything was solid and looked like it belonged and there were definitely no weird guys babbling about cheese. It all seemed very real.

She was standing in her kitchen. It was larger and the paint and décor were different, but she instinctively knew it was hers. A giggle drew her attention to a table in the corner. She recognized the table. It was the same one she had in her apartment. She could see Dean sitting there with his head bent in what appeared to be a state of deep concentration. He had a beer beside him. A little detail that definitely added to the realness vibe.

A blond toddler was sitting on top of the table in front of him, playing with a blob of red Play-Doh. The sight made Buffy's heart stop. She was beautiful, a perfect combination of herself and Dean. Absolutely the prettiest little girl Buffy had ever seen… and no, she wasn't biased. Not a bit. It was a completely scientific observation.

"Hurry," the little girl said as she bounced on the table top.

Dean groaned. "Baby Girl, I got no clue what I'm doing here. Daddy has no talent."

"Make kitten," she demanded.

"Jeez kid, I'm tryin'. Did anybody ever tell you you're kinda bossy. You get that from Mommy."

"Yeah right," said a voice from the other room. "You shouldn't lie to your child, Dean. It's very bad karma."

Buffy was startled, because the voice was obviously her own. She was even more shocked to see herself walk into the kitchen. Shocked and happy, because she looked good and was clearly back to fighting weight (not that she was worried about that).

"Whatcha makin', honey?" future Buffy asked as she leaned over Dean's shoulder. "I thought art wasn't exactly your thing," she teased.

"He try," their daughter said defensively as she wrinkled her brow at Buffy and reached out to pat Dean's hand. Uh oh, it looked like she had a Daddy's Girl.

"Here ya go," he said as he held out a pink Play-Doh kitten. It wasn't a terrible effort. At least it resembled an animal of some sort. Dean looked pretty proud of it.

"Awww cute," the little girl swooned as she reached out to take the 'kitten' in her tiny hands (although 'cute' came out sounding more like 'Q'). She took a moment to admire the creation and then smooshed the 'kitten' into an unrecognizable ball.

Buffy and her double began giggling simultaneously, because the look of shock and disappointment on Dean's face was just too much.

"You killed my kitten," he said incredulously. "I worked hard on that."

The little girl giggled too. She held out her hands and shrugged her little shoulders in an expression that looked so much like Dean it was scary. "Don't be sad," she said seriously as she reached out to pat his arm again. "It okay. Only dough. You make 'nother one," she suggested as she shoved the ball of Play-Doh back into his hands.

XXXXXXXXXX

Buffy jerked into awareness when she felt herself beginning to fall forward. She stared around the filthy room for a moment while she tried to reorient herself. She and Trish were still sitting on the edge of the cot in Crowley's cell (too bad that wasn't just a dream). They were leaning against one another, shoulder to shoulder, so that neither of them had to touch more of the mattress than necessary. Buffy noticed that Trish looked a little disoriented herself.

"Did I fall asleep?" she asked Buffy.

"I think we both did," Buffy remarked as she rubbed at her stiff neck and yawned. "Guess we're really sleep deprived. I never thought I'd say this, but I miss the cold hard floor of my office. I can just imagine my warm and comfy sleeping bag. Compared to this place it's…" she trailed off and her eyes widened. "That's it!" she exclaimed. "That's how we get out of here."

"What's it?" Trish asked. She was obviously not following.

"A devil's trap," Buffy replied, speaking quickly in her excitement. "Dean drew one on the ceiling of my office - in red spray paint, which is going to be completely impossible to paint over by the way. Anyway, he's totally paranoid about those demon guys like Crowley. I mean, he hates them," she emphasized.

Trish shrugged, "Gotta say I'm feeling him right now."

"Very true," Buffy agreed with a nod. "And if this works, I'll owe him the best b… b-biggest kiss of his life," she finished with a blush.

"Right," Trish said as she raised her eyebrows at Buffy. "I may still be a virgin, but I did grow up with cable."

"Anyway," Buffy continued, desperate to change the subject. "This symbol is painted right above where we sleep. I have to stare at it every single time I lay down. So, I'm pretty sure I'd have no trouble drawing one."

"What does the symbol do?"

"It traps demons," Buffy announced with a smile. "If they get inside the circle, they can't get out. It's like a roach motel. Demons check in, but they can't check out."

"But how are we supposed to draw one? We don't exactly have a can of spray paint handy."

"We'll have to make our own paint," Buffy replied with a frown.

"You mean?" Trish asked as an expression of disgust settled over her features. "Gross. Are you talking about blood? Our blood?"

"Yep, afraid so," Buffy confirmed. "We'll have to work with what we've got. But, look at the bright side," she added with a half-smile. "Since you're so much taller, you get to hold me on your shoulders and I get to fingerpaint with the yucky blood."

XXXXXXXXXX

Dean wasn't taking any unnecessary chances when it came to introducing more angels to the Slayers. So he and Cas hopped in the Impala and he drove them to an empty lot on the other side of town. He knew the Council's location wasn't exactly a big secret, but he still didn't want to summon an angel to their front yard - especially not a snarky, shady little thief like Balthazar.

"Splendid," Balthazar said as the ring of fire came to life around him. "Honestly Cas, have you gone that far around the bend?"

"The oil was Dean's idea."

Balthazar rolled his eyes and sighed deeply. "Of course it was. Hello Dean," he said with a curt nod. "Can't say I've missed you."

Dean sneered back at Balthazar. He couldn't stand that smug dick. "Yeah, right back atcha."

"So the rumors are true then," Balthazar stated as he turned his attention back to Castiel. "You're actually going after the souls in Purgatory… with Satan 2.0 no less. You do realize that plan is barking mad?"

"I have been made aware," Castiel replied as he averted his gaze from his old friend. "However, that is no longer my goal. Raphael has taken my place… and I'm seeking to stop him."

Dean noticed the surprise that momentarily flickered across Balthazar's features, but he quickly hid it behind his characteristically bored expression.

"You don't say," he remarked in a casual tone. "Uncle Raffy is shacking up with Crowley. Now that's a surprising plot twist. Can't say I ever imagined those two as a couple."

Dean groaned. He was getting impatient with all the small talk. "Yeah, they're freakin' adorable together. I hope those two crazy kids make it," he remarked in exasperation. "Can we move this along? Are you gonna help us out or not?"

Balthazar turned away from Castiel and favored Dean with a withering glance. "Thank you, Dean. I'd forgotten you were there. I'm so happy you reminded me. Of course I want to help you. You're always so pleasantly persuasive. Obviously, I'm positively aquiver with anticipation."

"Dean," Castiel began, "perhaps you should allow me to discuss this matter with Balthazar."

"Yes Dean," the other angel agreed. "Perhaps you should run along and give the adults a chance to speak. Why don't you go sit in that rusty hunk of steel you favor so much? I'm sure you can pass the time caressing the leather."

"She's not rusty," Dean spat back, but after a few moments of being treated to Cas' patented 'I don't find you amusing' stare, he finally added, "Fine. I'll lay low, but I'm not going anywhere. You winged bastards aren't making any more plans behind my back. I've got too much on the line here."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Wow," Faith remarked as she laid her head on Sam's chest and tried to catch her breath. "That was fun."

"Always is," Sam agreed as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and kissed her above her ear.

Faith lay silently for a moment, listening to Sam's heart pounding in his chest. She was still amazed that she wasn't only allowing the 'cuddling after sex' thing, but she was actually enjoying it too. In fact, every day she became more and more comfortable with the growing intimacy between the two of them. Sometimes that scared the hell out of her, but right now she was too freaked to question it. The world was spinning out of control (again) and she was desperate for an anchor. Hence the apocalypse eve 'hot and dirty sex break'. After the latest news bulletin, she had to do something to try and break the tension.

Sam's friend Bobby had brought along a disgusting document made from human skin when he'd come to the Hellmouth. It was supposedly written in some seriously old form of ancient Latin and it had taken the older hunter months to translate a few bits and pieces. However, once he and Giles had begun combining their efforts, they'd whipped through it pretty quickly. Those two made a damn good team when they weren't trying to one-up one another. It was a good thing too, because now they knew that the ritual to open Purgatory would only work on the first night of a new moon… and, of course, that was tonight. God forbid they actually have time to plan. On the other hand, at least they wouldn't have to wait around wringing their hands for long. Things would be settled tonight, for good or bad. They'd either pull off the ritual Willow had put together or Raphael and Crowley would win and the entire world would lose. No pressure.

"So that angel Dean summoned…do you think he can really be trusted?" Faith asked.

"Who, Balthazar? Not hardly."

"Gee thanks," Faith said as she playfully smacked Sam's chest with her palm. "You're a real ray of sunshine. Ya know that?"

Sam snorted. "Well, it's true. No point in lyin' about it. Balthazar is out for Balthazar. He's not gonna do crap for anybody else, especially not me and Dean. But," he added, "he's got everything to lose if Raphael wins. I doubt he'd let Balthazar exist for very long if he managed to become the new God and I'm betting Balthazar is smart enough to realize that. Besides, he's pretty much the only game in town."

"Okay then, Mr. Brightside. Let's go with the best case scenario. Say dude pulls through and gets us the big guns. Then say we find out exactly where the ritual is goin' down. I mean, that shouldn't be hard since we know it has to happen on the Hellmouth and Cleveland only has about eighty square miles to search."

"Jeez, I thought I was supposed to be the voice of doom and gloom," Sam said with a laugh.

Faith shrugged. "Well, like you said there's no point lyin' about it. It is what it is." She paused for a moment before continuing more somberly. "So we storm in there with our shiny new badass weapons and… and we use 'em on people. Right? I mean, in the end, that's what we'll be killin' is people. Just innocent people who have no say in any of this…" she trailed off.

Sam sighed and tightened his hold on Faith. "Yeah," he agreed. "That's the gist of it. If it makes you feel any better, very few actually survive an exorcism. The demon's the only thing keeping most possession victims alive… and I don't think there's a way to evict an angel."

"That doesn't make me feel any better," Faith replied quietly.

"I know," he said sympathetically. "I guess me and Dean have gotten used to it… at least we try not to think about it. We can't really afford to, to be honest. Not if we want to keep what's left our sanity. The truth is, in most cases it's them or us."

"I get it," Faith said. "I really do. I just never thought I'd be responsible for killing another human being again. I swore I wouldn't."

"Faith, you don't have to do this," Sam emphasized. "Seriously. No offense, but I don't see how one more Slayer will make a difference one way or the other."

Faith leaned up and shot Sam an annoyed expression. "Hey, I'm an extra badass Slayer," she protested. "I'd make two or three of some of those chicks."

"I know," Sam agreed with a smile. "I'm just sayin' I don't want you doing anything you're not comfortable with. You shouldn't have to."

Faith smiled. "You're just sayin' that cuz you got a wicked huge crush on me. I have to go," she said seriously. "I can't cop-out like that. Besides, I'm not leavin' B and Trish stranded. I just have to suck it up and deal."

XXXXXXXXXX

Buffy was beginning to wonder if Crowley's diabolical plan was to let them sit in the cell until they both died of boredom. It had been hours and they hadn't heard a peep from him or any of his toadies. She was starting to get very frustrated… and very cold. From now on she wasn't going to bed without at least three layers on. You never knew when some ambitious demon was going to pop up and magically whisk you away to some crappy, unheated dungeon. Besides, she hadn't cut her arm open with a rusty nail just so she could draw a devil's trap that was never going to see any use. Thank God it hadn't been long since her last tetanus shot.

"Finally," Buffy said when the four 'men' appeared in front of her cell. "I was starting to think you guys forgot about us. I won't be staying here again, just so ya know."

"Sorry sweetheart," smirked one of the demons, who Buffy recognized from the scene at the Council. Crowley, however, wasn't in the group. She wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing. She'd love to catch him in the trap, but she wasn't sure if the trap would work on a demon that powerful.

The demon who'd just spoken unlocked the door and gestured for the two girls to come forward. "It's movin' day ladies. Time to take this show on the road."

Buffy just smiled and remained seated beside Trish. "Nope, I think I'm comfy here. What about you Trish?"

Trish shook her head silently and stared at the floor. She was obviously terrified and struggling to hide it. During their stay in the cell, Buffy had learned that Trish had spent quite a bit of time in church before becoming a Slayer. This type of demon was particularly frightening to her.

"Nope, she's not going either," Buffy said cheerily, speaking up for the younger girl. "If you want us, you'll just have to come and take us."

"You might wanna be a little more cooperative," the talkative demon suggested as he returned her smile. "We're under orders not to hurt that one," he said as he pointed to Trish, "but you're not so special. So, if you're smart, you'll do what we say and try not to show your pretty little ass."

Buffy shrugged. "Guess I'm not too smart then, because I can't picture myself being very cooperative."

The demon raised his eyebrows and grinned. "Sounds good to me, sweet thing. I'd love to take a Slayer for a spin… especially that bastard Winchester's Slayer."

"Then come and get me," Buffy challenged. "I haven't beaten anyone's ass all day. I'm starting to get a little antsy."

Buffy and Trish stood as the four entered the cell and began moving forward. Buffy forced herself not to look up at the ceiling or appear too anxious. They couldn't afford to show their hand. She grinned in relief and pointed when the demon in the lead suddenly stopped short, barely two feet from where she stood. He was trapped and it didn't take long for the other three to realize it as well and start cursing and making threats.

"We did some redecorating," Buffy said as she looked up at the ceiling. "I hope you don't mind. It was kinda gloomy in here. I thought the place could use a little color."

"You'll never make it out of here," the head demon promised her. "All you've done is make sure Dean will never see you in one piece again. Poor guy," he observed with a sadistic grin. "He'll be all torn up when he sees what's left of you."

Buffy grabbed Trish by the wrist and pulled the frightened girl along beside her as they skirted the edges of the trap. She wasn't sure if the demons still had power inside the trap or not and decided this wasn't the time to find out. She really needed to study up on these things.

"Later," Buffy said with a wave of her fingers when they made it through the cell door. "You ready to get the hell out of here?" she asked as she turned to Trish.

"You don't even know," the younger girl replied.

"Then let's go," Buffy said as she took off at a run toward the right. She had no idea where she was going, but that seemed like the safest choice. Earlier, Crowley had walked away to the left and she'd noticed that the demons had also come from that direction, so she decided to go the opposite way. She didn't want to run into any more obstacles, especially ones in the shape of Crowley.

It was obvious that they were in an old abandoned jail. As they ran, they passed cell after cell. Most of them were empty, but a few held various creatures, some of which appeared to be dead or very close to it. Buffy actually felt sorry for them, even though she recognized some pretty nasty varieties among the inmates. Still, she doubted they'd be much of a threat even if they weren't behind bars. Most were too weak to even give the two walking Happy Meals a second look.

Buffy should have known better, but she was starting to allow herself to feel a tiny bit victorious. She'd gotten past all the cells and was beginning to see some natural light up ahead. They were almost out. So, it was par for the course when the four demons who were supposed to be in the trap appeared in front of them and – yay – Crowley was with them.

"Where do you two think you're going?" he asked.

"Crap," Buffy said as she skidded to a halt. She realized the word came out a little whiny, but damn she was getting tired of this guy. He sucked.

"What's the matter Fluffy? Have you missed me?"

"Desperately," she deadpanned.

"How touching," Crowley replied as he crooked a finger toward Trish. The girl's eyes went wide with panic as she began sliding toward him. Buffy grabbed her around the waist and tried to hold her back, but ended up being pulled along too. When they stopped in front of the demon he grabbed Trish by the arms and held her in front of him as he looked down at Buffy.

"It's too bad we won't get to spend some quality time together," he remarked, "but I'm afraid this young lady and I have a date on the Hellmouth. I'd take you along, but sadly you've grown a bit tiresome. Don't worry though, I plan to leave you with some entertainment," he said as he nodded toward the four demons beside him. "You should have read the fine print, princess," he added with a smirk, "because you just broke one of the major sub-clauses. You were only safe as long as your baby-daddy stayed out of my way AND as long as you managed to keep your nose clean."

"Never been much of a reader," Buffy remarked as she folded her arms in front of her and looked at the demons with disinterest. "Gotta say, not real impressed," she shrugged.

"Well hopefully they won't be too terribly disappointing," Crowley replied with a smile. "I do aim to please. Kisses," he added with a wink before disappearing with Trish.

Buffy didn't waste time with small talk or quippy banter. She ran forward and delivered a spinning kick squarely to the center of the closest demon's chest. It flew backwards several feet and crashed into a wall. That one definitely wasn't as juiced up as Crowley (thank God). Demon #2 attempted to grab her from behind and she slammed an elbow into his face. He groaned and stumbled back. His nose was obviously broken, but it didn't do much to stop him. The demon she'd kicked also popped up quickly, looking more than ready for another round, which sucked because she was pretty occupied with dodging blows from demons number three and four. Buffy would have to kick it up a notch. These guys were going to give her a fairly tough fight after all.

The demons weren't quite as strong as the average vamp, but they had the advantage of being practically unkillable and completely unconcerned about the welfare of their bodies. Of course, these weren't their bodies – a fact that Buffy wasn't allowing herself to think about as she threw punch after punch at full Slayer strength. It was best not to even go there, especially since she'd determined that if she couldn't kill them, she'd have to severely disable them. Their borrowed bodies probably wouldn't work so well if all the bones were broken.

After a few minutes of flat out, no-holds-barred brawling, she felt like she should be starting to gain the upper hand. She'd certainly tossed the four into enough walls and broken enough of their bones by now. But, unfortunately, they just kept coming back for more. It was insane and really, really annoying. They reminded her of those cheesy horror movie zombies. Like them, these guys didn't seem especially smart and they didn't have any nifty powers, but they wouldn't stop and pain didn't seem to affect them much. A weapon was what she needed, preferably something really sharp.

Between dodging and delivering punches, she scanned the area around her for anything she could use. Since the building had long been abandoned, there was plenty of trash littered about, but most of it was useless junk - like empty beer and spray paint cans left behind by partying teens. She'd almost given up hope when she noticed something that looked like metal lying in a far corner. She threw a couple more kicks and punches at the demons surrounding her and then ducked and rolled so she could check out the possible weapon. Too bad it was only a crowbar. She wanted something slice-y, but then again, it wasn't too likely that someone would leave a battle axe lying around. A crowbar was better than nothing. At least it would be harder than her fists and bare feet.

She swung her new weapon at the head of one of the advancing demons and was pleasantly surprised when it screamed and clutched at its head in pain. That was interesting. She tested it out on another and got a similar reaction. Then the realization hit her.

"This is iron," she exclaimed happily as she held up the crowbar. "You guys don't like iron do you?" she gloated.

Having a useful weapon gave her a renewed burst of energy. She tore into the four and began bashing them wherever she could land a blow. Finally, she was able to get three of the demons to go down and stay down and the remaining one was looking very unsteady on his feet. One more good blow should put him down and allow her to make her escape. Buffy was about to do just that by landing a vicious kick to his throat, but he managed to catch her ankle and twist it. As he twisted, she brought her other leg up and over and kicked the demon on the side of his head. She landed face down on the concrete floor and quickly rolled to prevent him from attacking her from behind. Her right ankle was throbbing and she could almost swear she could feel it beginning to swell. That couldn't be good. She definitely needed her ankle.

"Ouch," the demon remarked with a cruel grin. "I bet that was painful."

Buffy replied by poking the straight end of the crowbar into the demon's eye and then began dragging herself backwards by her forearms. There was an open room a few feet away where she hoped she could get a minute or two to regroup. She was getting tired. Plus, the demons she thought she'd put down were getting back up and the one she'd just hit was coming for her again. It was ridiculous.

She managed to pull herself inside the room and kick the door shut behind her. Luckily, the room had a thick steel door that locked from the inside. Buffy guessed that was probably part of the old prison's safety measures. Steel doors that locked from the inside would certainly be helpful for the guards if the inmates ever escaped. Of course, the inmates the guards needed protection from probably weren't demon possessed. She didn't know how long the door would last against that type of threat. She'd have to pull it together and move. She scanned the mostly empty room and noticed a small window that was set about eight feet off the ground. That was exactly what she needed, but she had to assess her injuries first.

She pulled up her pant leg and determined that her ankle was either broken or severely sprained. Given the day she'd had, Buffy's money was on broken, but she'd have to try to stand on it to be certain. She pushed herself up onto her uninjured leg and then gingerly tested the other. It hurt, there was no doubt about that, but it held her weight. She was going to assume that meant 'not broken'. That was good, because she needed to get the hell out of there. The door still held, but it was rattling on its hinges with each blow the demons delivered. It wouldn't be secure for too much longer and she'd better be long gone before they broke through.

There was a heavy metal desk in the room and she slid it under the window, then climbed atop and used the crowbar to smash through the glass. She was careful to knock out the shards that remained attached to the frame, but resigned herself to getting a few cuts on the way out. At least she was on the first floor, so she wouldn't have far to fall.

On the way down, she tucked her legs in so that she'd land on her butt and not jar her ankle too badly. It still hurt like hell though and she briefly wondered if she'd broken her ass. She was out though. That was the important thing and that fact gave her an added boost of adrenaline which allowed her to push the pain and fatigue away. Adrenaline was definitely of the good, because she had to keep going and put as much distance between herself and the old prison as possible. She kept the dream/vision she'd had forefront in her mind as she forced herself into a run. She was seeing it as a promise. A promise that told her if she kept going she would earn that future.