Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy: The Vampire Slayer.
Buffy and Kennedy both recovered as they groaned and came to and saw Andrew knocked out.
"Why didn't they kill us?" Kennedy wondered as Buffy looked around and saw that Nisha and Simone were gone, alongside the Ragna demon.
"They weren't trying to. They wanted the demon." Buffy said.
"Which wouldn't have gotten into their hands if not for that maggot." Kennedy grumbled, turning to knocked out Andrew. "Seriously, why do you keep him around?"
"As much as I hate him, he's still useful and calling him 'a maggot' is not going to help matters." Buffy sneered and Kennedy recoiled back, remembering what she had unwittingly driven Chloe into suicide by calling her 'maggot' as she felt herself deflate, realizing this attitude wouldn't help matters as Buffy approached Andrew and shook him before he came to.
"What happened?" Andrew asked.
"We were attacked." Buffy said and Andrew then remembered and smiled.
"Yeah, if not for me—"
"Cut the crap, you didn't fight them, they knocked you out, I saw it." Buffy snapped and Andrew looked offended.
"Let me finish." Andrew snapped and Buffy was quiet. "They beat me, yeah, but if not for me having a way to track the demon, we'd be screwed." He got up and pulled out his phone.
"So you can find it?" Kennedy asked and Andrew nodded.
"I played with genetic modifications with radioactive isotopes, when I bred it." Andrew said, smiling. "Ironic, right?"
"Get on with it." Buffy said as Andrew nodded and began tracking it.
Buffy saw Kennedy gesturing aside as they walked away for some privacy.
"Are you sure we can trust him? I mean, it's not the first time you have to clean up his mess." Kennedy whispered.
"I don't exactly have a choice, do I?" Buffy pointed out.
"And how do you know we're not gonna walk into another trap blindly?" Kennedy questioned and Buffy winced, remembering the situation with Caleb.
"Kennedy, that's not fair." Buffy protested. "I get that I screwed up and I realize now I should've listened to you guys back then and be smarter about it, but we've got a few options right now and it's not like I'm trying to treat everyone like a soldier this time. I know it's tough but I'm doing my best here, even though it's not easy."
Kennedy sighed. "I'm not trying to question your motives, Buffy. But even your best sometimes isn't enough."
Buffy could get where she was coming from. "I know. Which is why need to know that the people I trust will have my back and will put their feelings aside for the sake of bigger picture. If there was any other way, I'd take it."
Kennedy nodded. Even though Buffy had deserved to be called out in her plan against the First Evil after how they had almost died in the fight against Caleb, the way everyone went about it didn't show them in the best light and Kennedy had to admit Buffy's leadership had progressed a bit, even though Giles and Andrew had lost a lot of her trust and Kennedy had learned to become more of a team player.
"As long as you're sure you know what you're doing." Kennedy said and Buffy nodded back.
"And as long as I can count on you to have my back." Buffy said and Kennedy shrugged.
"Fair enough." Kennedy said.
"Anything?" Buffy asked, turning to Andrew.
"It's on an island off the coast, we'll need to get closer for me to get a more specific location." Andrew said.
Buffy was driving the boat, with Andrew and Kennedy sitting behind.
"You should've come to me first." Buffy said.
"No, I had to do this by myself. I was Simone's Watcher and she was my responsibility. Maybe you don't blame me for her turning into another Faith but I know I've screwed up with you a lot, especially with Angel and Dana." Andrew said, remembering when Buffy had given him an earful and a black eye, when Angel told her about Andrew telling Angel the Scoobies did not trust him anymore. "I just wanted to make up for my mistakes and earn your trust again."
"It's not that I don't trust you because you lost a gun-loving psycho Slayer. It's because you keep secrets and lie to me about it." Buffy pointed out. "You embellish and try to make yourself better than you actually are and say stories where you show yourself as superior when it's otherwise and you treat this all like a game."
"I get it, I messed up!" Andrew said.
"Then find a way to make it up to us." Buffy said and Andrew was silent, knowing she was right.
They docked nearby as Kennedy tied the boat to the pier, while Buffy looked around. "It's beautiful."
"We could bring everyone here for vacation, I mean, after we deal with the evil Slayers and killer spider demons, obvies." Andrew stammered.
"How exactly are we going to find Simone here?" Kennedy wondered.
"Excuse me." They turned to see a little girl march down the pier. "No one is allowed to go in there." She said.
"You speak English?" Buffy asked and the girl nodded.
"They teach us in school. I used to live in the village." The girl said. "Then strong angry woman came here few days ago. She said they were hungry and needed home. My grandma was kind, so she helped them, she helps everyone." Her eyes were getting wet. "But then more strong women come and said everyone needs to find new home because this was their island now. My grandma protested and the angry women hurt her. Kicked everyone out of the village."
Buffy, Kennedy and Andrew felt sad for the girl. No one deserved to be forced out of their home like that and now Kennedy felt guilty about how everyone had come off about voting to kick Buffy out during the fight against the First Evil.
"What happened to everyone here?" Kennedy inquired.
"Most people fled to mainland. But me and grandmother have nothing out there. We stayed on the docks, don't go to the village." The girl said as she began sobbing.
Buffy knelt down towards the girl and placed her hand on her shoulder with a kind sympathetic look. "We're going to talk to the angry woman and explain to her no one can just take your home. It's going to be OK."
The girl nodded.
"Do you have a shelter? Some place you can stay safely?" Buffy asked and the girl nodded. "Go. We'll try to get your home back, I promise."
Buffy, Andrew and Kennedy walked down the abandoned village. Windows were shattered, there were cracks on the walls and most of the vehicles had cracked windows and dents on the exterior.
"Someone's made themselves comfortable here." Kennedy said as Andrew checked the signal, while they approached a large theater.
"Signal's coming from here." Andrew said as they entered.
"Is it just me or is this…" Kennedy trailed off, when they heard 'click' and were immediately surrounded by several women aiming guns at them.
"…too easy?" Buffy finished with a sigh and Kennedy gave Buffy a look that said 'I told you so.'
The rogue Slayers were escorting Buffy, Kennedy and Andrew at gunpoint down the hallway until they entered the theater, where several girls were preparing guns and on podium on a stage set throne was Simone, wearing a prop crown.
"Well, well, well, nice of you to join the party." Simone said, laughing as she got up. "Some of the girls were getting worried you wouldn't arrive, but it's just like the great and powerful Buffy Summers, riding up on her steed to save the day, or as the case may be, her pathetic lapdogs."
Kennedy sneered at being called 'a lapdog.'
"The Ragna demon. Hand it over." Buffy ordered.
Simone shrugged as she paced down the stage. "I'm not looking for a fight, Buffster. I've got nothing against you, the truth is, I admire you. But the fact is, you're obsolete now. There's not just a Chosen One anymore. The way I see it, there's two kinds of people in the world now. The ones who fear us so much they want to put us down and the ones so stupid they'll try and fail."
"Powers don't make us gods." Buffy sneered.
"Don't they?" Simone chuckled. "The world's changing. You've changed the rules and wanted everyone to adapt to them. Me, I'm making my own rules. Look around. We're agents of change and harbingers of fear. You of all people should know they have to fear us. It's the only way we'll win, not just above demons and vampires, but above anyone who might think we don't deserve this power."
"You've murdered innocent people. People who were just doing their job." Kennedy pointed out, remembering seeing the footage from attack on the military base.
"It's a war. Collateral damage. And 'innocent' hardly matters in the war." Simone said.
"We'll stop you." Buffy said and Simone chuckled, amused.
"I'm sure you will try." Simone said as they saw a cage with the Ragna demon behind her as Simone gestured. "Look, Arachnophobia is Plan B anyway. I'll hand it over in exchange for one thing." She pointed at Andrew as Buffy, Kennedy and Andrew were shocked.
"Him?" Kennedy questioned.
"Really?" Buffy inquired before glancing at Andrew. "No offense."
"None taken." Andrew shrugged.
"Come on! Him being in charge of us?" Simone asked as she knelt down. "First of all, I've never been a fan of authority. Second of all, he's just so incredibly annoying, so I think I deserve some payback."
"Not arguing with you there. But he's not going anywhere with you." Buffy shot back.
"Buffy—" Andrew began.
"That nerd screwed up, yeah, but he's my nerd." Buffy cut him off.
Simone smirked smugly. "You think you can fight back? Come on, it's sixteen Slayers against two, plus a useless Watcher."
"Add a vampire to that."
Simone's eyes widened when she turned around and next thing she knew, she was hit in the face and fell down, while a bleach-blonde man in black leather duster appeared as her gun fell away from her hand.
"Spike!" Buffy and Andrew exclaimed at once.
The rogue Slayers engaged him, but Spike dodged, blocked and countered with ease. While they were naturally gifted with skills, their lack of experience as Slayers gave Spike an edge and that was when Buffy and Kennedy disarmed the other Slayers and knocked them down, while Buffy tossed another away and Kennedy began trading blows with other Slayers. One Slayer grabbed Kennedy from behind but she rushed back and slammed her against a chair before punching her and then blocked a kick from another Slayer before throwing her down, holding her own.
Simone recovered and was about to reach for her gun, when Buffy jumped on the stage and kicked it away. Buffy and Simone both reached for nearby rapier swords as they began fencing with rapid exchange of sword strikes as sparks flied. Buffy knew she had to improvise, so she jumped and cut a chandelier as it fell down. Simone rolled away and was on the ground before Buffy kicked away her sword and pointed at her.
"I've been doing this longer than you. You may have the skills, but you lack the experience. Game's over, Simone." Buffy said.
"We haven't even begun playing yet." Simone said before she pulled out some remote and pressed the button and tremors began shaking the theater, with explosions going off and soon enough the whole theater was in flames. "Escape plan D!"
The rogue Slayers retreated, while Simone got up and ran off. Buffy was about to chase her, but a spider leg protruded from the floor as she retreated, while the Ragna demon climbed up.
"Buffy, I think we should run!" Kennedy suggested.
"Yeah. Fall back. Now!" Buffy said.
"No! I can tame it." Andrew assured as he stepped up. "I bred it. I got it." He reached out with his hand. "It's OK, girl. No one's going to hurt you anymore."
The Ragna demon stared at Andrew, seemingly docile as he reached out with his hand and rubbed its face before he turned to them.
"See? Nothing to worry—"
Next thing Andrew knew, the demon recoiled back, as if it was about to attack and Andrew widened his eyes in horror before it swung its leg and sliced him in two. Andrew's upper torso went flying, with his guts spilling around, while his legs toppled.
Buffy and Kennedy groaned at the brutal sight, even though it wasn't like if they would miss Andrew. They prepared themselves as the Ragna demon was about to attack them before the burning debris fell on it as it screeched, crushed by it and now engulfed in flames. Wasting no more time, they turned and ran off as more explosions began rocking the theater.
Buffy, Kennedy and the Slayer team in Italy were helping the refugees get their homes back, while they began rebuilding the town.
"So much in their lives has changed." Spike said.
"I know. They lost their homes and it'll be a long time before they recover them." Buffy said.
"Or maybe it'd be better if we moved." One of the refugees said. "I think that after what has happened, it's clear it's not safe here anymore."
"I'm sorry you lost your homes." Buffy said.
"You did what you could." The refugee assured before walking off.
"He's right. You can't blame yourself. If anyone's to blame, it's that wannabe punk Slayer." Spike said as he held her shoulder.
"It's my fault I trusted Andrew in the first place and activated all the Slayers around the world. Now Simone's taking advantage of it and creating an army and it's my job to stop her before more innocent people get hurt." Buffy said.
"It's not just your job. Like I said once, I'm with you." Spike said as she turned to him.
"How did you find us anyway?" Buffy asked.
"I went to see you back in Scotland but you weren't there. Nibblet told me what you're up to, so I got here as fast as I could." Spike explained.
"And you're not going anywhere this time?" Buffy inquired.
Spike leaned his forehead against hers as he held her hand. "I'm not going anywhere."
They smiled at each other and kissed, with both of them glad to have found each other again.
They were on a boat to the mainland, while Kennedy was treating her injuries. "We got lucky today."
"You're right. They are forcing us to play defense, so now we need to fight back." Buffy said.
"How? We found them because we got lucky because of Andrew." Kennedy pointed out.
"Which is why we need to do better. Draw her out. Or use something as a bait she won't resist taking." Buffy said.
"Any ideas?" Kennedy asked and Buffy was silent for a moment.
"I'm working on it." Buffy said.
Elsewhere
Simone was staring at the wall, when a brunette woman in green dress entered her room.
"I told you that you shouldn't underestimate Buffy Summers."
"I know." Simone snarled as she clenched her fists.
"You tried it your way with guns and explosives. I may have more refined solutions." The woman said.
"What do you suggest?" Simone asked.
"Willow once hurt someone very brutally." Amy said as she smiled viciously. "And if there's one thing I've learned from her, if you want to make someone suffer, you need to know how to get under their skin."
Scotland
The ship docked, while Xander and Dawn greeted them, with Dawn smiling to see Spike as Xander sighed at the sight. Dawn rushed and hugged him as he hugged her back.
"Welcome back, Spike." Dawn said.
"It's good to see you too, little bit." Spike said before looking at Xander. "Harris."
"Spike." Xander said neutrally. Even though he had shed most of his bigotry and let go of his grudge towards Angel and Spike, it wasn't like either one of them was going to be best friend with each other anytime soon. "Where's Andrew?"
"Which half of him?" Spike asked with a grim look and Xander and Dawn tensed, the implications clear. Even though none of them would miss Andrew, the mental image was a bit disturbing.
"It's been a long day, I need to get some sleep." Kennedy said as she walked off.
"Italy was a bust. Simone got away but at least the Ragna demon is dead, though the refugees will need to rebuild their homes." Buffy sighed.
"Hey, she's on the run and the demon's dead. I say we take the win." Xander said.
"I wish it was that easy." Buffy said tiredly. "But now she bolted and we need to track her again.
"Willow said she'd be practicing her magic and improve herself to track her." Xander said and Buffy nodded.
"I'll talk to her." Buffy said.
Buffy walked down the hallway and approached the door and heard some heavy panting and moaning and slamming as she knocked. "Willow, are you awake? I know it's late, but I need to talk to you."
It took a few moments before she heard footsteps and Willow walked out with a blanket around to cover herself as she held it at her chest, full of sweat and panting out.
"You look tired, you've been practicing?" Buffy asked.
"Uh… yeah! Practicing magic." Willow said quickly.
"Practicing naked?" Buffy questioned, narrowing her eyes.
"Some magic practices do that." Willow pointed out.
Buffy had pretty good suspicions what was going on, but ultimately she decided not to pry. "You know what, I don't wanna know. I just wanted to ask you if you have prepared some tracker spell or something. We found Simone but she got away."
"Uh, I'm sure I can think of something. I'll come to you as soon as I have the spell. Now can you just leave me in private?" Willow snapped.
"Yeah. I think I'll let you get back to…" Buffy resisted the urge to laugh, even though she still giggled quietly. "…practicing."
Willow smacked Buffy on her shoulder as Buffy turned and walked off. Though before she got to the other end of the hallway, she heard more groans and banging and sighed, returning back to Willow's bedroom as she burst the door open and turned on the lights.
"And whoever you've got with you, keep it quiet—"
Buffy paused, when her eyes finally registered the sight in front of her. Faith was on top of Willow, both of them naked and in a spontaneous position, with Willow looking like a deer caught in the headlights, while Faith looked amused.
"Oh, hey, B. You wanted to join?" Faith asked.
Buffy's eyes widened as she stared for what seemed like an eternity, her mind unable to process the sight in front of her, while her mouth was opening slowly.
"I think we can work on some new moves, Nibblet." Spike said as he and Dawn were examining the weaponry but then they heard Buffy shouting out loud.
Giles was reading a book but then dropped it upon hearing Buffy's voice echoing throughout the hallway.
Kennedy was almost falling asleep in her bed, but jumped, when she heard Buffy screaming.
Xander was sparring with Satsu, but were startled upon hearing Buffy's voice loudly echoing throughout the hallways.
"WHAT THE FUCK?!"
Well, that went as well as expected.
Originally I was going to go for something a bit different for how to get rid of Andrew but I figured it has certain sense of irony, if one of Andrew's creations killed him. At least we don't have to deal with him anymore. Kennedy is going to get lost too and I'm sure you'll love her exit here.
And yes, Simone is working with Amy as well and I know what her line was implying, but no Skinless Warren here. I originally considered involving Warren too but it felt a bit too convoluted and I ended up having to scrap that idea.
As for the ending, well, poor Buffy, LOL!
So, what do you guys think?
Please review and let me know if you have been enjoying this so far.