THE REMNANTS

Alternate Ending # 4

AKA How to Kill a Vampire in Ten Days

This ending occurs in the middle of chapter 8. Edward has just forced Badiyah to return to the temple, but she has not yet met Buffy or been thrown to the wolves by Darling. Here we go...

A throat cleared behind her. Buffy looked up from her movie in surprise. She had been so enraptured by the latest in fuzzy penguin socks that she hadn't noticed the footsteps in the hall. There was Decoy, glaring at her as if she had just kicked a puppy or something, and Buffy had the irrational desire to hide her potential purchases from Decoy's notice, lest her penguins melt from the glare. Mentally, she ran through all the possible reasons for Decoy to be mad at her this time. No, she had refilled the water jug. She had checked on all the Bellas. It wasn't her turn to watch Edward. She had even saved a few slightly stale Oreos in the cupboard. Maybe it was dinner, but that couldn't be it. Buffy hadn't burned anything and she made sure she made enough for three.

"What?" Buffy asked - in slightly defensive irritation. "I saved you some macaroni."

"I know," Decoy answered. Her glare remained and Buffy shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"So, you delivered the rest to our 'guest'?" Buffy asked. She cringed slightly at the reminder of the unfortunate creature locked up in that room. Buffy hadn't seen her since that first night Edward had carried her into the bunker, kicking and screaming the entire way. The poor thing had wept and screamed and shouted for days but lately she had grown eerily silent. Buffy hoped she was still alive, but it was anybody's guess how long she would remain so.

"Of course, I fed her," Decoy responded, her voice accusatory.

"So why are you giving me that look?" Buffy said. In surrender, she saved her shopping cart for later and shut the lid of her laptop. Decoy rarely approached Buffy about anything, but when she did, it was usually a little important. Penguin socks must wait.

"You know why," Decoy said. She crossed her arms over her chest and dared Buffy to contradict her.

"No, I don't. I'm not a mind reader."

Decoy gave an exasperated sigh. "It's nearly time for Edward to feed."

"I noticed. When he's not moping or whining, he's been crawling the walls and ceilings again. He's driving me crazy. I hope he feeds soon and gives us all an extra long break."

"Buffy, what's gonna happen when he decides to feed? You know what he's like-before."

"Yeah. So? We've always managed."

"You know where he likes to feed," Decoy pressed, her eyebrow arched suggestively as she quirked her head in the direction of the hall. To the room that was no longer empty. To the room in which a live Bella now lived... the one Edward had scoured the desert for years to find and force back amongst them.

"Since when did you grow fond of Edward's pet?" Buffy challenged.

"It was you who admired her for surviving in the wild. I simply wished to know what your plan is, oh wise mistress. If it's to wait and watch her die, then we may carry on," Decoy said. "It's only a matter of time before he crashes through that door. You think he's mopey and whiney now, he will be positively unbearable if he wakes and realizes he's devoured the love of his life."

"Serves him right."

"But we'll have to live with him."

"What do you expect me to do?" Buffy said. She threw out her arms in frustration and ran one hand through her uneven bangs. When they refused to stay out of her eyes, she grimaced and tried to tuck them behind her ears. Once satisfied, she turned her own glare on her companion.

"Nothing," Decoy spat out in response. "I expect nothing out of you." The tone she spoke with was cutting, accusatory and Buffy felt that familiar, uncomfortable stab of guilt.

"You wouldn't have brought it up if you didn't think we should intervene. So, what do you want? A daring rescue? A brave escape from the jaws of death? You want us to storm the castle and rescue the damsel in distress all while smiting the dragon? I mean, what's the point? We'll only be postponing the inevitable."

"Which is what we do, every single day of our miserable lives," Decoy bit back. She continued to fix her eyes on Buffy in challenge until Buffy felt more and more exposed. Then, Buffy let out a huff and stood to pace the rows of the shelves in the supply room, her mind reeling with possibilities.

"Fine, whatever. We can't do anything without luring the dragon away from the drawbridge. Edward's been in front of her door nearly nonstop."

"He left her for three days."

"I forgot about that. Why didn't you say something then?"

"Only following orders. You told me to keep watch, not stage a rescue."

"Oh really? And now you decide to stage a rescue? That's B.S. and you know it."

Decoy cleared her throat. "Let's feed him before he snaps. Fill his lair with his meal and... "

"Ugh. Stop there. You are right. We should. It's a good plan. If we can get out in time. Is he still in front of her door?"

"Yes."

"Ok. Let's do it... but we need to wear our camouflage pajama pants."

"Why?"

"Image. We will blend in more."

"Against the white walls?"

"We'll inspire more fear and intimidation if we dress the part. Trust me. Wear the pants. We will have better rate of success if we are confident and we become confident by dressing like heroes. Oh, and I have the perfect eyeliner to make us look really bad ass."

"You are ridiculous."

"We are the same person."

"I will argue against that till my dying breath," Decoy retorted. Still, she followed orders. Once each woman was clothed in fuzzy camouflage pajama pants, black turtlenecks, and extra thick eyeliner, they marched as silently as they could to the barracks, each fearing to breathe lest they gain the attention of their vampire master too soon. Together, the pair carried a four Bellas from the barracks to the Research Lab, both sweating and groaning from the exertion.

"I never have to move them when they are this heavy," Buffy complained. "My arms are killing me."

"You should do your exercises more."

"This is not a task I really hope to repeat in future."

"Yeah, but you never know when you will need the strength in future... just in case."

"Yeah, yeah." Buffy wiped her sweaty brow with the back of one hand and examined the three writhing, confused women on the floor before her. She tried not to meet their eyes. She tried even harder not to feel guilty. Guilt was a terribly unproductive, irritating emotion, terribly inconvenient when trying to save one's skin from the jaws of death. Yet, she had fed and clothed and washed each of these Bellas since the day they first opened their eyes and she couldn't help but feel she was betraying them.

"Is this enough?" Decoy asked.

"I really hope so. It's what he took on his last feed."

"How long was he out for?"

"Maybe five days."

"Double it," Decoy said.

"But... they are heavy!" Buffy protested. Then, she sighed. "Fine, fine. You are right. But we are going to be running a little short after."

"That won't be our problem."
"How will it not? If he comes up short for his next meal, you know we are gonna be the ones the fill the gap in the menu."

"Not if we make sure this meal is his last," Decoy said, her voice as cold as ice. Her glare directed at the hapless figures on the floor sent shivers through Buffy all the way to her toes.

"You mean... you can't be serious...," Buffy said, her eyes growing wide at the implications.

"Buffy, do you honestly believe our best bet is to continue as we are indefinitely? No matter how long we continue, we are only postponing the inevitable. It would be better to die trying to make our permanent escape than remain as we are."

"It just seems too soon, too risky... too crazy...how could we... where would we... could we even... Decoy, I'm not sure I could do it!"

"Fine," Decoy said with a shrug. "Then we give up. We feed him these five and call it a day."

"No, no. Damn it all, woman you are making me pretend to be courageous and I don't like it. Not to mention, my arms are gonna be wicked sore tomorrow."

Decoy arched an eyebrow but instead of answering, she simply left the room to fetch another Bella. Buffy followed after her, grumbling all the way.

When they finally had eight Bellas lined up on the floor of the room, Buffy heaved a great sigh of relief. She nearly sat on a nearby chair, only to notice the interesting shade of color of the seat and her mouth curled in disgust. It wasn't just that chair. It was the entire room. It did not look as if it had been well-cleaned in months, if not years. A stale stench of rotting flesh clung to the dank air and every surface was marred with layers of sand and dust... and other stuff that Buffy would rather not inquire into too deeply.

"This room is disgusting," Decoy said, echoing Buffy's thoughts, her own face twisted with abhorrence.

"It's more than that. It's a living nightmare. I've considered filming my own documentary here and publishing it as a horror movie. You know, just to support me when I get out and have used up all of Edward's money and require a secondary income."

"If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not spend any more time here than I have to."

"Well, let's invite him in," Buffy challenged. She held out a knife to Decoy. Decoy grimaced and took it. She neither flinched nor shrank back. Buffy, on the other hand, had to turn away. She had spent so long taking care of the Bellas, the prospect of willfully inflicting injury on them seemed wrong. She knew this was nonsensical, especially considering their fate, and yet she still could not watch as Decoy slit the wrists of the first Bella.

With a clatter, Decoy threw the scarlet knife on the floor and fled out of the room as quickly as her feet would carry her. Buffy was only a step behind her the entire way. They fled down the hall to the nearest supply closet. They barely managed to shut the door and bar it before they heard it. A growl that shook the very walls around them and made their blood run cold. The next sounds they heard were garbled screams.

"Ugh. Your invitation was too effective. He didn't even bother to close the door," Buffy hissed in a whisper. "I really don't want to hear this."

"I'd rather hear it than watch it."

"Good point. Unfortunately, that means we are stuck here until it's quiet."

"I don't want to be anywhere else at the moment."

They huddled in the dark, their backs leaning against cardboard boxes and the unexpected collapse of an old mop on their heads nearly made them both scream. Buffy managed to find Decoy's hand and she clutched it in her own, a tiny island of warmth in the dark space they shared. Then, they waited, both straining to hear and trying not to hear what was happening beyond.

The noise continued for some time, though neither wished to calculate how long. Neither spoke of how each of their stomachs grumbled or how they wished they had thought to bring a bucket and flashlight with them. Eventually all screams and garbles and sounds of movement ceased and instead they were immersed in deathly quiet.

"Let's hope we plan our next steps a little better," Decoy whispered, breaking the spell of quiet between them in the closet.

"Yeah. I can't argue with that."

By unspoken agreement, they both stood and slowly, so slowly, they creaked open the closet door.

The hall was empty beyond. Yet, both were uncomfortably aware of the open metal door of the Research Lab. It loomed nearby, like the mouth of a great beast, ready to swallow them up. They could not turn away from it, but the thought of approaching it was entirely untenable.

"You close it," Buffy whispered, even her quietest voice feeling uncomfortably loud next to the looming maw of the open door.

"No, you close it," Decoy hissed back. Buffy felt a shove on her shoulder and she quickly shook her head in protest.

What might have descended into a full-fledged argument was rapidly smothered by the sound of the door slamming shut with a reverberating bang. Both women jumped and swung around, their hearts thrumming through their ears as they turned towards the Research Lab in surprise. There, stood a petite woman, her hair falling in two braids down her back, silver jewelry hanging from her ears and nose. She appraised them both with fire in her tear-stained eyes.

"I believe our damsel in distress has just rescued us," Decoy whispered.

"So it would appear. "

ooooooo

Introductions proved far more complicated than Buffy would have imagined. For one, the woman spoke no English. Not a word. Sorting out translation was almost as difficult as figuring out everyone's names. This was Buffy's next big shock.

Buffy knew her name and why she had chosen it. Badiyah, too, had her own name that was most decidedly not-Bella and she explained how she came to carry the name she now claimed as her own. Then there was Decoy...

"My name is Wendy Moira Angela Darling," Decoy had informed them, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Buffy gaped at her in shock.

"But... your name is Decoy!" She said, in what she knew was less than eloquence and tact, but she couldn't help it. She had chosen Decoy, raised her, trained her, and had only known her by one name. Since when did she decide to become all independent and rebellious and have her own autonomy? Buffy needed far more sleep... and maybe more Oreos... before she was ready for such a revelation.

"You call me Decoy, because that is your purpose for me. But I have my own name. You may call me 'Darling' for short."

"But... that's a ridiculous name!"

"And yours isn't?"

Buffy opened her mouth to argue the point when she closed it just as suddenly. She shook her head. "Why didn't you tell me? All this time..."

Decoy... no Darling... quirked her head in the direction of the Research Lab and a sly half-smile crept across her face. "Because, after today, I am no longer the Decoy. I intend to make sure I never am a Decoy again."

ooooo

It turns out that dramatic rescues and taming of mad vampires and hiding in closets does wonders for the appetite. All three women found themselves badly in need of food and sleep. Thus, all plans to overthrow the tyranny of their creator had to be postponed until the next day. They took turns keeping watch and resting until they were refreshed enough to think coherently again.

When they gathered in front of the white board in the Generation Lab, they were ready. Or, well, almost ready. Buffy groaned when Edwards ancient notes refused to wash off the board. Those notes were probably a century old so it was no wonder they were stuck on there. She couldn't even make sense of them, but they were as stubborn as their creator and did not want to come off. It took the determination of Darling and her army of spray bottles and rags to scour the board back into a semblance of whiteness again.

At Buffy's insistence, they each wore matching black outfits and carried her special invisible ink pens to take notes with. Only the corresponding flashlights would reveal the notes they wrote.

"You know Edward can probably still read this, even without the lights," Decoy... no - Darling... observed wryly. Her fingers clicked on the flashlight, making the light blink against her notebook on and off.

"No! He can't!" Buffy said with a pout. She knew Darling was probably right. Still, any small way she could feel like she had control, could make herself a little less vulnerable, she clung onto like a fish on a hook.

Darling stood, then, and moved to the front of the room before them. She stared at each woman before her, without the faintest trace of a smile, and then in a single, graceful movement, she withdrew a fresh dry erase marker and held it against the recently cleaned board. She drew a line from one side of the board to another with a very satisfying squeak of her marker.

"Right, then. I think we all know why we are here," she said. "We, each of us, wish to live." At the nods of the other two women, she continued. "Yet, as Badiyah's fate has shown us, no matter how far we run, Edward will not stop searching for us until he finds us. Then, he will drag us back here." With wary expressions, both women nodded their heads again. "Thus, escape is not enough. We have two choices before us. Either we die, or Edward dies. Since I have no intention of dying, then that only leaves us with one possible option. We must kill Edward before we escape."

It took time for the translation program to work through all the words. Thus, the identical gasps came at intervals. Then, both shook their heads slowly. It was a truth Buffy reluctantly acknowledged, but that didn't mean she liked it. Badiyah, though, struggled with the idea even more than she did.

"You are right," she finally said. "I know you are right... it is only... sentimentality. However, for my family... I know... yes, it is the only way," she acknowledged.

"Yeah. I'm not sentimental. My main issue is that he's kinda hard to kill. I mean, it's a plan that sounds nice on paper, but it's a bit harder to do in reality."

"What have you already tried?" Darling asked, her expression knowing. Of course, Darling knew Buffy had already tried. She wondered if there were any thoughts Buffy had which Darling had not yet experienced. For all that Darling liked to focus on their differences, Buffy could only dwell on their many, many similarities.

Buffy shrugged and began ticking off items on her fingers. She ran out of fingers. "Garlic- fresh, powdered, oil, dried, and pressed. Silver bullets. Silver knives. Silver handcuffs. Holy water. Holy garlic. Silver garlic. Poison. Machetes. Darts. Drowning. Suffocation. Crucifix. Wooden stake. Garlic steak. Sunlight. Moonlight. Brick on the head. Brick in the mouth. Brick in his... well, never mind. The point is, it didn't work. It was all a fail. I Googled all the ways to kill a vampire and worked my way through the list. Yet here he is."

"Can he starve?" Badiyah asked thoughtfully, her dark eyes full of intent concentration.

"Dunno. Not without eating us, I'm pretty sure."

"Acid?" She asked again.

"We can try it."

"Heat or cold?"

"I have a bit of a phobia of fire, ever since Edward warned me about getting stranded in the desert without a place to live, so I've never tried it. I'm not sure how to try cold, too. Unless we can shove him into the freezer, but I don't think he'll fit," Buffy said. "And I already tried amputating his limbs without success."

Darling looked at the white board again before she walked over and handed Buffy the pen. "Write them all down. Then, we will work our way through the list."

Buffy did as she was bid, but not before she grimaced and then groaned. "No! Do you mean we have to enter his crypt and hope to all that is holy that he doesn't wake up early?"

"Did any of your previous tests ever wake him?" Darling responded.

"Not a one, but I also wasn't sure if they worked or not until he woke up. Gotta say I was a bit disappointed to see him every time."

"We can't afford to fail," Darling said. "If it doesn't work..."

"We can destroy all his Bellas and equipment and make a run for it," Buffy said.

"Or just end it ourselves," Badiyah whispered. "We could make sure we are already dead before he finds us."

All three women fell silent then, their eyes fixed anywhere but on each other. It was Darling who broke the silence, her face now marred by a slight smile.

"But if it does work...," she said, looking up at them both with such hope, such intensity, that her emotions proved contagious.

"We go away and we never look back," Buffy finished for her.

"Is my old truck still here?" Badiyah asked.

"Yea," Buffy answered.

"Does it work?"

"We can find out."

Badiyah reached out to clasp Darling's hands in her own, her bangled arms clanging against the metallic table as she moved. "We will fill it with supplies, then, just in case. We will be ready to run at a moment's notice."

"The suggestion has merit. Alright, Badiyah, as the only one of us who has ever survived 'the wild,' you are in charge of packing the truck. Darling, you help gather any supplies she asks for. And I will...," here Buffy stopped and audibly gulped. Then, she squared her shoulders and continued. "I will start the tests."

ooooo

Thus, it began.

Item after item was crossed off the whiteboard and new suggestions were added.

"No on acid. No on bleach. I will try running him over with the truck next. Then, what'dya think? Pushing him into the generation tank and locking him in there full of water? Or should we try boiling him in there?" Buffy asked.

Badiyah asked Buffy to read her their list again and she carefully looked at each line, though she could not read it.

"Try fire first," she said, her head tilted to one side and her eyes intent on something none of them could see. Then, she turned to face them both and gave a weary smile. "In all my years with Edward, I have never once seen him around fire... and you said yourself he warned you about the dangers of fire."

"It's worth a try. Well, we can bring the kerosene tank from the kitchen," Buffy said nonchalantly. She didn't really care which order they proceeded. She was already losing hope in their success and her list of ideas continued to shrink.

By this point, all three women had entered the crypt of a Research Lab more times than any of them wished to think about. They had pried the corpses of his victims out of his arms and disposed of them outside, in the desert. Though the acid had done its job on the corpse, it had not touched the vampire and he lay as still and motionless as the days before. His face was still twisted into a contented grin, blood still coating each of his glistening teeth. His eyes were blood red and open, though sightless. He neither breathed nor blinked. He simply lay where he was, entirely absent from his body, lost in his own unconscious dreams.

"He is so creepy when he is like this. So inhuman. Like he doesn't have a soul," Buffy whispered, as they poured the kerosene over his prostrate form.

"Has he always had these little cracks running through him?" Darling asked, her eyes caught on the little chasms marring his nearly translucent skin.

"I have never seen them before. He is so different, than he was," Badiyah said, her voice tinged with a deep sadness neither of her companions could truly understand.

"Well, let's try this. If this doesn't work, maybe we can try concrete next," Buffy said. "Or maybe the truck."

"Light it," Decoy said.

Buffy cast the match.

ooooo

Three women fled from the room, heat searing their backs and nipping at their feet as they ran. Farther, farther, until they reached the front door of the bunker and then they flung themselves behind a series of rocks. Smoke billowed out of the door in their wake, choking them and causing them to cough. It curled around them, first in a violent purple and then later shifting into deep gray.

"I'm glad we moved the truck," Darling observed, as the flames continued to wrap their way around the bunker. "I think we may have succeeded in burning down the whole place."

"No going back now. I don't think we will be able to try anything else, even if we wanted to," Badiyah said.

They watched in morbid fascination until the smoke finally shrank and shriveled and it appeared there was nothing else left to burn. Even then, the bunker was too hot to enter. They waited until the sun had nearly set before they ventured into the bunker again. Even still, the floors were warm to the touch and they had to cover their mouths with their shirts to be able to stand the smell.

The fire had spread from the open door of the Research Lab and along every carpet, every piece of furniture, each abandoned rag. Badiyah's room with its barred door had been spared. The shrine to the original Bella, too, remained. However, each door which stood open had welcomed to flames to consume their contents, leaving nothing but charcoal and ash in its wake.

The Bellas were gone. The Supply Room was in cinders. All the equipment in the Generation Lab was twisted into melted plastic and burned equipment.

The three women, garbed in black, held hands as they entered the charred out remains of the Research Lab. Within, amidst the simmering cabinets and damaged tables, they found nothing.

There was no one.

With uneasy glances, they looked at each other and then looked around them.

"Did he run away?" Buffy whispered; afraid the sound of her voice would summon the apparition they sought.

Again, each pair of eyes combed through the room, seeking answers in each dark crack and crevice. It was Badiyah who let go of their hands first and bent over a pile of ash on the floor. With tears in her eyes, she held up the remains of a gold watch. It was cracked and blackened, but still held its shape in an unbroken circle.

Each felt an impossible surge of hope mingled with fear.

"I think we need to leave," Badiyah said.

Without another word, all three women backed out of the room. Once their feet hit the hallway, they broke into a run and they did not stop until they reached the waiting truck beyond.

"Drive, drive, drive!" Buffy urged. Badiyah did not hesitate to comply.

She pulled onto the old, familiar road and began to drive as quickly as the poor, bumpy dirt tracks would allow her to. For a time, each remained silent, each transfixed somewhere on the exotic sights passing out the window beyond and the turbulent, troubled thoughts from the events of the day before them. It was some time before Buffy interrupted their thoughts with her own musings. It's not like anyone had different musings, but speaking them out loud made it all seem different. More real, less fantastical and nightmarish and wonderful.

"Did we... Is he really?" She began.

"I don't know," Badiyah answered. "He wasn't there anymore... but..."

"What if he comes back for us...," Buffy finished for her.

"Then we know what to do," Badiyah said, a haughty toss of her head and her shoulders held high. "Carry a dagger with you always and do not hesitate. If you see him, pierce your own heart. It is the only way to be free."

Buffy wondered if she could ever be brave enough to do it. She did not doubt that Badiyah would. Darling, well, Darling was a little intimidating in her determination, and she did not doubt that Darling would, if needed. Buffy, well, she knew she was the least likely to pass a test of hardship or show any great fortitude in face of obstacles. Still, if she was pressed with the choice between returning to Edward or not, well, she would much rather not.

"Where are you taking us?" Darling asked, addressing Badiyah with her question. It was obvious Badiyah knew the route she was on and had a familiar destination in mind. Buffy wondered how she and Darling could have managed without her. Probably not well.

"Someplace safe. There is a village I know, near the Tibesti Mountains, where we can rest and determine where you will go next. You are welcome to stay with me and my family as long as you wish, but I will help arrange for you to go where ever you wish."

"Where would I even want to go?" Buffy mused. "For so long, I've planned to make a run for it and make a life for myself outside the Bunker... yet I never really stopped to consider where I actually would want to go."

"I wish to go to London," Darling interjected, her statement so confident and sure that her companions looked at her in surprise.

"London?" They asked.

"Yes. It is where I am from," she said, "and it will be where I belong."

"I'll go with you, then," Buffy said. "That is, if you don't mind."

Darling glanced up at her in question, her expression considering. "Why?"

"I dunno. I thought, you know, maybe we are better off together. You have my back, I have yours, and we can take on the world together. I mean, if we manage to kill a vampire, London should be no problem, right? Besides, I think I'd rather be with you than not. You and Badiyah are kinda my only friends... and... well, more than that. You are my family. We gotta stick together and take care of each other, right?"

Darling's face was lit with a sudden grin, one which covered her from cheek to cheek. Buffy had never seen such an expression on her face and she felt it suited her far better than any other expression she had yet seen.

"You have earned your name and I have earned mine," Darling said. She reached out to clasp Buffy's arm. "Together, then, we will go to London."

ooooo

The trio of travelers did not reach their destination before they came upon another unexpected obstacle. A lone figure stood in the middle of the road. No city or village or herd of camels could be seen for kilometres in every direction. Yet, the petite, willowy frame of a woman dressed in khaki trousers and a neat coat stood in the middle of the road, as if waiting for them. Her stance was too self-assured, too motionless. Her pale face nearly glowed in the trickle of moonlight. At first, they all doubted what their eyes saw but they could not deny her existence when all three saw her standing there. Once they approached, she held out her hand to motion them to stop.

For a moment, Badiyah considered avoiding her, but they each had the wary impression that the figure would not let them escape. Instead, Badiyah stepped on the brake, but left the engine idling. She rolled down her window and watched as the woman approached. She came and looked at them all through a pair of dark glasses. Despite the dark night, they had no doubt she could see them clearly.

"I had a vision," she began in a high-pitched, deeply American accent.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Buffy said, her fear making her words sound angry.

"Don't be afraid. I am here to help you."

"Help us what?" Buffy said.

"Live! Thrive! Do what you were always meant to do! I am here to help you live the lives you were meant to live. Afterall, you three did what I should have done decades ago."

"What is that?"

"You killed my brother."

At the exchange of wary, fearful glances, the figure threw back her head in a tinkling, bell-like laugh. "Don't worry. You have my thanks for that. As I said, I should have ended him years ago. I am indebted to you for doing it, so I don't have to."

"Are you going to kill us?" Darling asked.

"No. My family sent me ahead to help you and to bring you to them- at least, those of you who wish to come. I know Badiyah will not come. She has another path before her and she will live a long, happy life. But both of you, well, you have many paths before you and I do not know for certain which you will choose."

"Where is this family?"

"Just outside London. Waiting for you. We've been waiting for you for a very long time."

The End

Author's Notes: Ok, here's what happened, there was a day where I wondered what would have happened if Darling hadn't thrown Badiyah under the bus. I.e. what if Darling had chosen to be benevolent rather than evil? Then, I had this image of the three women, clothed in black, walking away from the burning, smoldering temple. I eagerly scribbled down thoughts and ideas. Then promptly forgot about this for... well, a really long time. I meant to work on a different story today, but stumbled on this one and decided to finish it. So, here it is. I feel like Badiyah, Buffy, and Darling have all had their own AU ending where it is their choices which shift events. Now, I think we are really done. Hope you enjoyed it.

P.S. a shout out for another story to read- one of my favorite fanfic authors has decided to grace the Twilight fandom with her extensive literary talents. Her words are magical. Any fandom she writes for will be gifted with something marvelous. Check out The Things We Can't Erase : An Alternative Ending to Breaking Dawn, by PhilipaHolt.