Survivor: The Hellmouth - Chosen Fan Fiction #1

[CMK1887]

Survivor: The Hellmouth - Chosen Fan Fiction #1
Word Count: 9905

The sky over Sunnydale was a royal blue blanket sprinkled with twinkling diamonds. With the scythe in her hand, Buffy walked slowly up the path to her house. Looking up at the beautiful night, she felt empty. She longed for a time in her life when she could look up at the stars without sadness or guilt for actually enjoying herself. Opening her front door wearily, she was surprised to find Dawn waiting. Her sister silently kicked her in the shin.

“Ouch.”

Dawn rolled her eyes and said with trademark sarcasm, “Dumbass.”

Buffy looked over to Xander who simply threw up his hands defensively and said, “Don’t look at me, this is a Summers thing; it’s all very violent.”

Buffy, staring at Dawn disapprovingly, said, “If you get killed, I’m telling.”

“Did you find out anything about the scythe?” asked Giles quickly from the dining room.

“It slices, it dices, it juliennes!” She joked, “And, voila, it brings forth mystical research.” Leaving the Angel parts out, Buffy went on to describe her encounter with Caleb in great detail and handed Giles the Sunnydale case file. Her watcher quickly skimmed the valuable material, removed his glasses, and gave Buffy a curious look.

“Well, this should certainly give us the advantage of, uh… the advantage,” Giles stuttered, trying to disguise that he knew very well who had given her the source material. She uncomfortably tried to keep the amulet hidden in her pocket and her best poker face on. Even after all this time, Angel was still a sticky subject with this group and they did not have time for drama.

“Anything new here?” Buffy asked hopefully and was answered by Anya and Xander aimlessly shaking their heads.

“You want me to work on this file?” asked Dawn in her eager Watcher Junior mode.

Shaking his head, Giles replied, “No, not tonight Dawn. We all need time to rest.”

Xander responded in confusion, “Time is something we don’t have.”

“No, Xander, he’s right,” Willow said with a note of exhaustion, “I think a good night’s sleep would be best for all of us.”

“Let’s hear it for the last Sunnydale Sleepover Party, Hip, Hip…oh who am I kidding?” Xander said with his usual flair for awkward humor.

Giles watched the circle of friends slowly leave the room for their beds in hope of rest. Though the house was filled with tension so thick you could cut it, he hoped that some of them would find a little peace this evening. Walking from room to room, Giles offered words of encouragement to the last few potentials that had yet to tuck themselves into their makeshift beds. After a few moments of somewhat artificial sounding pep talks and heartfelt reassurances, Giles made due with the only spot that was not inhabited by teenage girls: the dining room table.

Surrounded by the glow of candlelight, Giles removed his glasses, rested his head on his arms and feigned sleep. But his mind was not feeling very restful. His thoughts drifted to happier times: riding through the meadows of England on his horse Otto, working as the school librarian when Buffy was still young and carefree, and lastly, he thought of Jenny, beautiful Jenny Calendar. His Jenny.

Feeling a chill wind blow through the dining room, he looked up quickly. The candle flames flickered then snuffed out leaving nothing but dim shadows outlined by moonlight. “Who’s there?” he demanded quickly.

“Rupert?” asked a soft voice.

Giles froze. “Jenny?”

Dressed in an olive dress with faded roses, she approached and leaned over to him. “It’s me.”

Blinking, Giles shook his head. This was a trick of the First and he knew it. Though it looked and sounded like his lost love, only lies and deceit would come from her mouth. “You’re not Jenny. You’re just a figment.”

Looking hurt she said, “You always liked to bury your head in the sand, didn’t you, Rupert?” Jenny scowled and continued on in a mocking tone, “The world still depends on musty old books! The world will one day be a better place! Buffy will always triumph.” She snorted and leaned back. “You’re nothing but an old fool, Rupert, a miserable, old fool.”

“You’re not her! And you’re wrong! Buffy will triumph!” He protested angrily.

“Just think of how you’ll feel when you send those girls to their death. How will you react when you see Rona and Vi get their necks snapped by Turok-Han? Or when Kennedy gets stabbed by my Bringers?” Her eyes were like black marbles as she leaned forward to whisper in his ear, “Just think of all the Slayers that have come before and how they will cry out as they watch their sisters torn down by my army. How they will weep at the bloodshed. And how it will all be your fault, Watcher!”

“Dead slayers helpless, pleading, and crying out to be there alongside them as more and more of these so-called ‘potentials’ join them on the Ghost Roads. And you know what else?” Jenny smiled wickedly, “You’re not going to win this, Ripper!” Jenny straightened and began to laugh malevolently as she faded back into the moonlit shadows.

Not Jenny. This wasn’t Jenny. Not his Jenny.

His forehead was beaded with hot sweat that ran down his temples. The First was gone leaving its sinister threats to replay in his head like a nightmare. He thought of the spirits of those young girls he had read about so many times in Watcher’s Journals: brave Kendra, Robin’s extraordinary mother Nikki Wood, the noble Lucy Hanover, and countless others. Absentmindedly cleaning his glasses, Giles took notice of the smoking candles struggling back to life and his face suddenly filled with hope.

“Of course!”

Giles just had a remarkable idea.

With the rest of the Summer’s home silent and all of the potentials asleep, or pretending to sleep, Willow was still staring at the ceiling. Lying in Kennedy’s warm embrace, the witch’s own red hair splayed across the pillow and contrasted with Kennedy’s dark locks. The girl had fallen soundly asleep as soon as she hit the pillow but Willow had no such luck tonight. She was restless and worried about the impending fight they would all face tomorrow. Willow had been thinking of her family whom she loved so very much. She thought of Xander, the man she was so sure was her soul mate until the whole Barbie stealing incident…oh, and the gay thing. She thought of Buffy and Dawn; they were her sisters as well. Giles was her mentor, but he was also like a father to her and all of the Scoobies. Her real soulmate, Tara, the woman she loved more than she had ever loved anything in her entire life, was always a constant presence in her mind. Or rather, she was a constant absence. Why aren’t you here with me? Willow thought the hole left in her heart by Tara’s death would never heal.

“I don’t think I can face this fight without you, baby,” she whispered to the darkness. “Tara,” Willow said again as a tear rolled off of her cheek and onto Kennedy’s arm.

“You won’t be alone,” said a hushed voice in Willow’s ears.

Immediately recognizing the voice as Tara’s, Willow sat up in her bed assuming that she was in the company of The First.

“You aren’t her,” Willow shouted.

Then Tara’s visage appeared from the shadowy corner of the room and suddenly Willow found herself bathed in light. She was no longer in her bed and Kennedy was no longer fast asleep beside her. Willow was surrounded by whiteness and Tara, her Tara, was standing directly in front of her.

“Where are we?” Willow asked.

“We are wherever you want us to be.”

Willow closed her eyes and thought about happier times when Tara was still alive. Slowly opening her eyes, she saw that things were changing. From the white light emerged a wooden bridge and lush foliage. Willow could feel the warm sun on her face. They were both standing on the park bridge where Tara had professed her love for Willow with the most beautiful song she had ever heard.

Standing side by side, bathed in light together, Tara reached out for Willow's hand. In the split second before Tara touched her, Willow could hear her heart thumping. When that gentle touch came, Willow broke down in tears.

“It really is you?” She said through her sobs.

“Don’t cry Willow. We don’t have much time. There are things we need to talk about.”

“I miss you so much,” Willow sobbed. “I miss you so much that I have trouble breathing. I can’t be without you. I can’t make it through tomorrow without you!”

“Willow, you are never without me. You are in me. I told you that before. You need to realize that I will always be in you as well. You are never alone.”

As the angelic tones of Tara’s words washed over her, Willow’s sobs reduced themselves to silent whimpers. Tara lifted her chin to meet her eyes.

“I never want to leave this,” Willow told her.

“You can’t stay here Willow. You have to help your friends, our friends. They need you now more than ever. Listen to me, Willow. You have to be strong! You have to help them win this fight.” As Tara leaned closer to her, Willow could feel her heart pounding again. “You have to help them build an army,” Tara whispered. Willow closed her eyes when Tara’s lips touch hers and felt their hearts beating so hard she thought they would explode.

Opening her eyes suddenly, Willow found herself again shrouded in the darkness of her room and she was unsure of what was real and what was dream. Kennedy was still by her side sleeping undisturbed and Willow realized she no longer felt the anxiousness of unrest and worry. Instead, Willow Rosenberg had a great idea.

Images of a spell and an ingenious plan flashed through her mind in quick succession. She carefully slinked out of bed trying hard not to wake Kennedy and ran from the room. She turned the corner at the top of the stairs and descended quickly hoping her loud stomping would wake either Buffy or Giles. With a sigh of relief, she saw Giles was poised at the bottom of the stairs looking equally excited.

“I have a plan,” they both blurted out in unison then smiled with hope.

Meanwhile, Buffy was pacing around the basement as Spike murmured strange things in his sleep. Earlier, he had accepted the amulet with minimal moaning about where and who it came from. He even seemed to forget about that kiss and her “Angel breath” after she had so tentatively asked if she could stay with him tonight. They had lay in the small cot together for several sweet hours. Spike held her close during his wild dreams of God only knows what and Buffy was just content to be there…to just savor the intimacy of the moment and occasionally smile at his more colorful sleepy utterances.

But now she could not relax. She circled the room going over strategies in her head. No matter what, girls would die tomorrow. That was their job right? Slayers slay or be slayed? But these girls weren’t slayers and short of a miracle, they would all die. Death. Buffy’s life had been full of it in recent years. First, Miss Calendar killed by Angelus and then Kendra by Drusilla. She could have used Kendra’s fearlessness right about now.

“Buffy, you awake?” Willow’s voice came from a crack in the basement door.

“Yeah, Will. What’s the what?”

“Giles and I have a wacky, hair-brained plan to run by you.”

With a smile of relief, the Slayer bounded up the stairs and a great thought ran through her head: We might just win this.

[CMK1887]

>>>

Sunnydale High School: the last stand, the last battle and the last day. The sun had risen far too fast this morning, thought Principal Robin Wood as he led the girls through the familiar maze of empty corridors. It was a perfectly beautiful day. A great day for the world to end, he thought with irony. Well, not on his watch!

“Welcome to Sunnydale High,” he said in a booming voice, “There’s no running in the halls! No gum chewing! After that there’s only one rule.” He stopped and turned around, “If they move, kill them!”

Andrew, feeling like the odd-man-out, watched with his typical blend of goofy admiration as General Buffy moved her warriors into position. The Potentials were to follow Faith and Spike down to the bowels of the school where the Seal of Danthazar lay unearthed in the basement. Kennedy headed off to the principal’s office to set up for some sort of magical thing. Andrew didn’t really know the details and felt more than a little wounded that he was not let in on the plan. Buffy wouldn’t even let him bring his camera to record the historic events for posterity. She had suggested he would be too busy keeping his posterior from getting killed to worrying about filming. Whatever that meant!

“Andrew!”

He jumped realizing Buffy was speaking with annoyance in his general direction.

“Are you even listening? You and Anya will cover that hallway while Xander and Dawn cover the cafeteria,” Buffy said with authority, “Giles and Robin have got the rest.”

“Don’t worry, little troll man,” comforted Anya as she dragged him off to the North Hall. “Odds are they’ll go for your gorgeous blonde-bombshell companion first.”

Andrew didn’t know whether he was distraught or relieved.

“Of course by that time I will have abandoned you and run for the hills, leaving you to face them on your lonesome,” she added sarcastically.

Andrew let out an uneasy laugh and gripped his sword even tighter.

Buffy watched as each of the groups proceeded to their posts. Dawn went silently with her back turned resolutely to her. She knew Dawn would not want to trade goodbyes for fear they might stick. Buffy returned to the remaining three and smiled at the individuals in front of her. Xander, Willow, Giles, and Buffy. The four of them had been through so much in the past seven years.

“Buffy,” Xander said softly as his lone eye twitched, “Are you sure you want to do this? Do you really want to send those girls down to the Hellmouth alone?”

Willow and Giles smiled gently knowing that Buffy had made the right choice. “They won’t be alone. At least not for long,” she said with a twinkle in her eye and the four friends parted to face the most difficult and important tasks of their entire lives.

Willow walked into the principal’s office and felt the butterflies in her stomach morph into enraged bats. She didn’t know if the rumbling was from her apprehension about this crazy spell or from those goodie-two-shoes years of avoiding principals like the plague. It was probably the former with a little dash of latter. Buffy and Giles both thought this idea was their only chance of defeating The First, but doing this spell would force Willow to call on powers she feared to tap or, maybe, she wasn't even capable of tapping.

Kennedy already had the ritual circle around the scythe prepared and was busy lighting candles. She moved with a litheness gained by years of physical training. Yet, she still managed to burn herself on one of the matches and curse loudly. That was Kennedy: a perfect balance of youthful sass with a self-assurance that was always in your face. Initially everyone had found her precocious confidence erring on the side of bratty. But Willow knew better; Kennedy had strong opinions and a fierceness about her that could not be contained. Yet underneath that brusqueness was a sweet girl seeking love and approval. Where Tara was shy, Kennedy was brazen. But she gave Willow that feeling of being grounded and special. Though Tara was the love of her life, Willow knew that Tara would not want her to be Willow’s only love. Her heart was too big for that.

Kennedy quickly finished lighting the candles and looked to Willow for approval. The witch nodded and they took their places. Kennedy, a few feet away, was feeling anxious. She knew it was all on Red now and she was prepared if the worst should happen. Kennedy had experienced only a small taste of Willow’s dark side and it had really shaken her. But she trusted Willow and believed in her strength. She could do it. Well, she had to do it.

“You ready for this?” Willow said trying to hide the nervous tremble in her voice.

“I’m was born ready! Bring it on, Red!”

“Cause I could go all Malificent at any moment…”

Kennedy withdrew a potion in a glass vial from her jeans. “Witch bane, locked and loaded. Break in case of Veins.”

Willow nodded. The Sisters of the Coven had helped her prepare the potion in the event the darker side of Rosenberg ever made a comeback. If this spell went bad, it would be the only thing that would keep her darkness from ending the world…oh wait, the world was ending anyway right? That takes some pressure off…in a way, right?

With that not-so-comforting thought, Willow Rosenberg, former high school nerd turned witch-fu master, began to focus and channel all of her energy into the mystical slayer’s scythe laid out before her. She concentrated on all the young women who had battled the forces of darkness before Buffy and Faith. When she touched her hands to the cool steel blade and sharpened wood point of the primeval weapon, their voices and faces became clearer in her mind.

“Great Goddesses of War, hear my plea! Athena, Ishtar, Sehkmut, Macha, Babd! All your names be honored. Bring forth the Chosen lost to this world. Unite the spirit and the flesh of those marked by destiny.”

Willow felt hot flashes of power surge in her veins. Her eyes no longer saw the office around her but rather a dark cave with sinister shades and three Shadowmen glaring back at her. Her vision skewed and the images warped around them. The cloaked men pointed their staffs at her and the darkness in the cave attacked. Willow felt it first in her hands, pulsing off the powerful scythe in black waves, and then rising in her blood leaving a scorched path of malcontent in its wake. The base evil forced on that very First Slayer by these same Shadowmen was now violating Willow. She felt it calling to the Dark Willow caged within and as her hair changed from auburn to black, a dark tear rolled down her pale face.

Kennedy saw it begin and clenched her stomach in terror. No, not like this. It cannot end like this! She would not lose Willow. The World could not lose! Without hesitation she leaped to her feet while snapping back her arm to throw the potion. Before she could release, a blinding light filled the room and her arm would not move. The brightness came not from her poisoned Willow, but from the glowing apparition of a young woman in a flowing gown, with shining blonde hair, and a crooked, shy smile. The spirit, who Kennedy knew at once must be Willow’s fallen love Tara, brushed her cheek with a finger and smiled with grace and love. Nodding, Kennedy brought her arm back to rest and crossed her fingers behind her back.

“She's not lost yet,” the ethereal voice said as she sat across from Willow.

When Tara placed her hands over Willow's on the scythe, she felt the change at once. The twisted shell covering Willow’s heart shattered and light flooded her system. A healing burst coursed through her body chasing the darkness away. The faces of the Shadowmen melted and, in their place, Willow saw Tara, just as beautiful as she’d been in her dreams last night. The two witches, one flesh and one spirit, put palm to palm and formed a circle of white magicks so powerful that the Hellmouth groaned in pain.

The mystical scythe began to hover and Willow saw spirits of dead slayers crossing over from the Ghost Roads take shape around them. The apparition of a funky black mama wearing a familiar looking coat strutted to Kennedy and seemed to step right into her. The potential slayer fell back against the wall for a moment then quickly recovered. With a confident toss of her raven hair, she smiled back at Willow and gave her a spunky snap of her fingers.

“You are both goddesses!” The changed girl said in what sounded like two distinct and equally sassy voices. Willow and Spirit Tara watched as Kennedy grabbed the scythe from midair and ran out the door with the other spirits following close behind.

They looked back at each other and Tara reached out to finger a lock of her hair, now turned a luminous white from their combined good magicks.

“There will be no more darkness for you my Willow Tree. Only light and love.”

She then faded away, leaving Willow feeling a joy she had never known. Flopping on her side in exhaustion, the once again titian-haired women giggled, “That was nifty!”

>>>

Buffy caught up quickly with the potentials and joined Spike and Faith at the front of the pack. Her eye caught a reflection from the mysterious amulet incongruously hanging from Spike’s neck. He caught her looking at the gaudy thing and shot her a priceless look of annoyance.

“I look like Elizabeth bloomin’ Taylor in this thing,” He muttered with dissatisfaction and Buffy could not help but grin a little at his expense.

With Spike leading the way and Faith at her side, they walked the potentials through the maze-like halls. What an unlikely group, she thought. Spike, first nemesis, then pain in the ass, then lover, then...well she was not exactly sure of his current status. He's still a pain in the ass that's for sure. But she knew he had become something much more to her. He was closer to her in ways Angel never had been, closer than maybe anyone for that matter. Spike had seen her at her darkest moments and helped her through her lowest points. She was glad to have him by her side.

"Back again at the old alma mater, B!" Faith said, "S.S.D.D."

"Huh?" Buffy replied having no idea what her cryptic anagram meant.

"Same sh...”

"Ahem!" The objection to the impending expletive came from the quirky potential, Amanda, with a teasing half-grin.

Faith smiled back obligingly and continued, "Same STUFF, Different Day! But without the hot slayer-on-slayer action this time around B."

"S.S.D....where do you get this stuff Faith?" Buffy replied in mock exasperation of her fellow slayer.

Their history had as many rocky turns and upsets as her dealings with Spike but somehow it felt different now. She knew the troubled young woman had turned away from that destructive path and, having been tempted more than a few times in recent years to go on a destructive walkabout of her own, Buffy felt forgiveness and understanding in her heart. She wouldn't say that to Faith of course, knowing that such pleasantries would only mess with Faith's bad girl exterior. Instead she simple said, "Glad to have you here, Faith."

"Proud to be here, B!" Faith replied then gave Buffy a playful shove, "Don't get mushy, yo! I got a rep to protect," She murmured and nodded back at the potentials.

Each of the girls was loaded up with sharp weapons and masks of steely resolve. However, Buffy knew they were all afraid. Well, she was freaking out herself so these girls must be shaking in their Sketchers. She hoped her speech this morning had done the trick to instill a bit of confidence in them. She was asking so much of them and she knew most would not live once they passed through the seal.

Ahead, Spike busted through a door and held it open until all the girls were circling the seal. Nervous looks passed between the potentials as the looked at their peers and then to Spike, Faith, and finally Buffy. Her words from earlier today ran through their minds again like an encouraging mantra:

"In every generation, one girl is chosen in all the world to fight against the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer, and when a slayer dies, the next is chosen. I died, at the hands of one of the cruelest vampires this world has ever known, but then I was brought back. I found myself face-to-face with the next chosen slayer, Kendra, and when Kendra died, Faith was called. And when Faith dies, one of you will be next. Chosen. One of you will be chosen," Buffy had explained to the girls gathered before her in the living room.

Her solemn, yet hopeful, expression had kept them enthralled. Buffy had held up the Scythe, the weapon of the Slayer, and had passed it to Faith. Faith had then passed it to Kennedy, as so on continuing around the room until every single girl had been given the opportunity to hold the ancient weapon in their hands.

"Do you feel it? The waves of power weaving through the blade, the handle, and stake? Does the history of the slayer play in your mind as you begin to tap into the greatest destiny a girl can ever have? Many of them died never knowing of it, but you will be given the chance to hold it, to use it, to bring evil to its knees with this weapon. And I'll be right there with you, as your leader, and as your friend," Buffy had said as the Scythe finally reached her yet again.

She had taken a long hard look at the weapon before speaking again to the girls, "We're going to change the world, and the way things have been done for ages. We're going to change history. Are you ready to be strong?"

Now, standing around the seal and staring into the eyes of those same girls, Buffy withdrew a small knife from her new suede coat. Dress for success, her mother had often said. But Joyce never gave her any fashion tips on what to wear for the apocalypse. The Scoobies could have had their own reality show about that one. Shaking off that pleasant distraction, Buffy made a small incision on her palm and watched the blood slowly flow from the cut onto the seal. The others followed suit and the seal slowly opened. It was time for the infantry to take position.

"Put your game faces on ladies," Faith said and Spike answered her with a bumpy-faced growl, "It’s Game-time!"

>>>

Once she left the office, Kennedy felt the presence of the other woman in her mind and body. There was wisdom, strength, and ...um, a bit of a tingling sensation. She had never felt better.

"Kennedy, hurry up! They need that deus ek machina ASAP!"

The shout came from Principal Wood at the end of the hallway. He was holding the line against the creepy eyeless Bringers that seemed to have multiplied like rats in a matter or minutes. Buffy, Faith, Spike, and the rest of the girls must have the seal open by now. The Bringers attack was proof of that and he knew they needed that scythe and Willow's mojo to succeed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the young potential coming towards the basement entrance with a comet tail of white spirits behind her. The Bringers seemed to shrink away at their approach. Robin wasted no time taking advantage of their momentary weakness and cut them down with his sword. He saw Giles do a neat job on four across the room as well.

"Baby boy, you done good in this world."

That voiced spun Robin around. Mystified, he stared into the eyes of Kennedy and realized they were no longer hers but that of his mother, Nikki Wood.

"I should have made you my mission, Robin," his mother said putting a hand to the cheek of her now grown son.

"You couldn't. I know that now. Thank you." He smiled at her, covering her hand with his for a moment and said, "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

Twirling the scythe with dramatic flourish, she smiled back and said, "Yeah I do...and we're gonna kick some evil ass!"

[CMK1887]

>>>

Now through the seal and faced with a staggering number of raging Turok-Han making their way to the ledge, the slayer’s small band of fighters did their best to hold the line. Buffy noticed with growing alarm that The First’s army seemed endless. At that moment, Kennedy arrived with supernatural reinforcements. Spirits flowed into the potential girls and each one stood a little taller and prouder after the bonding. Way to go Willow, Buffy thought to herself, just in time!

The first wave hit and spilled over the girls in a blur of teeth and axes. They were overwhelmed but oddly enough, none of them were scared. They just stood there with content smiles on their faces as they fell into fighting stances. Buffy was amazed, but had no time to dwell on it. She launched her pointed boot into the face of a snarling ubervamp. She drew her stake and plunged it through the armored chest of another. A swirl of dust choked her lungs for a second.

Behind her, Chao-Ahn moved with such precision and grace that it was uncanny. Her sword work was like no other. Only one Slayer in history had mastered the art of swordplay quite like her: Xin Rong, the slayer during the Boxer Rebellion. Chao-Ahn felt a strong bond with her Chinese ancestor and sister slayer. She looked over her shoulder and saw Spike’s fist smash into growling jaws trying to worm their way past him. All resentment was gone as she watched the vampire who killed her fight on the side of good. Chao-Ahn could feel the slayer's thoughts like her own and finally experienced what it was truly like to be a Slayer.

Nearby, Amanda struggled as vampires swarmed her. Her slayer spirit, Anni Sonneblume, shouted in German in her head and for some crazy reason, Amanda understood her even though she took French in school. She used her sword with skills and moves she knew must be Anni's and every blow to her enemy made her heart soar.

Rona, fighting alongside Buffy flicked her head back and said “Buff-eh! Get your slayers back on track, eh!” Buffy nodded and smiled at Rona, recognizing the Jamaican lilt in her voice as Kendra's. Rona returned the grin then jumped in to help Amanda who was quickly being cornered by several vampires.

“Rona, no!” Amanda cried knowing her situation was dire.

Rona ripped two vamps off her and swiftly dispatched them freeing Amanda to take care of the two on her left flank. But then a fierce turok-han overpowered Rona from behind and snapped her neck with little effort. A look of empty defeat filled her eyes as she fell to the floor. Amanda howled in anger and attacked Rona’s killer with newfound ferocity. The Jamaican Slayer, Kendra, wept inside as she felt her presence begin to leave the corpse of the young woman. Just as she saw the passage to the ghost roads open ahead of her, she felt her spirit being called in an entirely different direction. Kendra saw the amulet around the ensouled vampire’s neck and knew what they were really here back on this earth to accomplish.

“Faith!” yelled Kennedy and the scythe hurtled towards the slayer at a frightening pace. The Boston slayer caught it without even looking and dispatched two vamps within moments. Feeling a hot trickle of blood travel down the side of her face from a sudden claw scratch, she wheeled around and sent the stake end of the scythe right through the throat of the attacking uber-vamp.

“Good thing for me that you’re on a diet pal,” she muttered as he disintegrated in front of her, “all dust and no bite.”

Buffy watched as Faith plunged the stake end of the weapon into an advancing Ubervamp and liberate several heads from their bodies. She caught Faith’s eye for a split second Buffy thought she saw Faith mouth, “Five by five, B. Five by five!”

Without missing a beat, Faith threw the scythe across to Buffy. Centering her balance with one foot set solidly in the center of a large piece of rubble, Buffy pushed off with the strength that only a true slayer could muster and sprang into the air catching the scythe in her left hand. The moment she landed on the ground she found herself covered in Turok-Han. In one maneuver, Buffy swung the scythe with a powerful circular blow, killing all of the vamps in one fluid motion.

Caridad, joined with the spirit of Lucy Hanover, fought hard even as a French girl named Amelia fell before her eyes. Abruptly feeling the stone walls of the cave at her back, she knew there was nowhere to run. She thought of her family and said a few silent words of thanks to the ghost inside her as the swarming menace approached. Caridad, like so many girls like her, died a hero’s death. Lucy’s spirit left Caridad and joined with Amelia’s slayer spirit, India, in the call to the amulet.

Spike's fists throbbed as he and Kennedy protected the stone stairway to the school basement relentlessly. The vamps kept coming but the duo seemed to be getting into a smooth rhythm and very few managed to get past them. He could only hope that Robin would make short work of them upstairs.

“I forgive you, you know,” Kennedy whispered, “for killing me back on that subway.”

Spike looked to her with shock. Her voice suddenly changed into a musical drawl with lots of attitude that he recognized in an instant.

“What I don’t forgive,” the spirit of Nikki said to him playfully, “is you nabbing my superfly leather jacket. I looked so much prettier in it!”

He smirked back at her and continued to fight. He was no longer that vamp on that subway. She had seen the goodness inside of him and knew that his work today was far from over.

>>>

“This is it; this is the end, isn’t it?” Anya worried out loud.

They were coming. Some of the vamps must have gotten passed them downstairs. Typical Buffy not doing her job and now she would have to clean up the mess, Anya thought. She could hear them coming now. The stomping of feet at first was a faint sound but she knew they would be here soon. How long was she going to last? Would she live to see tomorrow? Would she ever see Xander again? All these thoughts were racing through her head. She could hear her heart beating faster, louder, and then even faster still.

“Look at me! I’m too young to die! I am too pretty to die!”

“Um, Aren’t you, like, err, a thousand years old?” Andrew argued back and she shot him a dangerous look.

Realizing that he wasn’t helping, he looked at his sword. “Trust your instincts, young Jedi. Let the force flow through you,” he soothed himself in his best Obi-Wan impression.

“Oh, stuff it, geek boy.”

He was trembling at the idea of fighting these things. What experience did he have? He was a lover, not a fighter! Help me Obi-Wan, he thought, you're my only hope!

“No! I want to live to see time machines being invented, at least. Or the first demon cloned, or, or, the American dollar become the single worldwide currency!” Anya started yelling in a fit of panic, “I’ve lived through so many things and I refuse to die like this!”

"We are like the Fellowship holed up in the Mines of Moria waiting for the Orcs to attack,” Andrew observed with a nervous smile upon his face and then asked, “Do you really think we’ll both die?”

“Well, no, I guess there is a chance that I will survive, I mean, if it gets too tough then I could just use you as a shield and head for the door. Blame the end of the world on you, or Buffy, or probably Willow,” Anya replied, in an attempt to comfort herself.

Andrew’s nervous smile faded to a look of sheer dread. He could no longer hear his own heart beating. The sound had been drowned out by the rampaging Turok-Han now in sight. Anya got her sword ready; she needed to ensure she would survive. What she wouldn’t give to be a demon right now! That would have given her some more leverage at least. Andrew stood beside her, shaking.

“Oh crap," they squeaked in unison as the enemy attacked.

>>>

There they were, standing back to back in the cafeteria with their swords at the ready, just the two of them. Dawn knew she could count on Xander. He would always have her back, but she couldn't help but worry. She’d be stupid not to worry.

"What do you think?" she asked, keeping her eyes peeled for any vampires, "Do you think we'll survive?"

Xander took a deep breath, his voice sounding hopeful when he answered, "I'm sure of it. We always do, don't we?”

Dawn got a hold of Xander's left hand and they both turned around to face each other for a moment. Xander smiled and said, "Really Dawnie, you don't have to worry."

Dawn tried to smile as well, but she couldn't. Only Xander could smile at a time like this. Xander “Laugh-in-the-face-of-danger, then hide-until-it-goes-away” Harris! She knew he wasn't sure at all that they'd survive, but it didn't matter. It gave Dawn hope even if it was a lie.

"Thanks," she said, "Thanks for everything."

With a quick hug, they both resumed their battle positions. Within seconds they heard running footsteps and growling. Xander felt that familiar lurch in his stomach when danger approached. So many thoughts raced through his mind. Run! mostly came to mind. Not really a praying man, he felt the sudden urge to send one up to the big guy in the sky for his friends. For Anya. And heck, for himself!

"Well, here they come," Xander whispered, "This is it!"

>>>

Chao-Ahn hit the floor with a thud. Tears of blood spilled from her eyes and Buffy saw her own axe had been embedded in her skull. The silhouette of a woman rose from the body in a fine mist. The spirit of Xin Rong’s arms were outstretched and draped in a glowing white gown. The Chinese Slayer rose like a mighty phoenix and her hands entwined with Chao-Ahn's own spirit as they both moved away from the battle. Buffy choked down a sob for the fallen girl and then refocused on the fight in front of her. With the battle raging and dust floating in the air, Buffy was slaying Ubervamp's and Bringers in rapid succession. Having handed off the scythe to Kennedy, Buffy now had a sword in each hand and was swinging like never before. She was thinking to herself, this is it. This is the battle. Everything I have done was in preparation for this, she thought, this one could be the swan song.

After slaying a few more uber-vamps, Buffy stepped out of the fray and stopped fighting just long enough to take stock. She glanced to her left and then her right, taking note of the potentials that were still standing. Time seemed to be moving in slow motion. She saw Kennedy running down into the thick of things just like a real slayer would do. Buffy felt proud. She looked so sure of herself and unafraid. Kennedy wielded the scythe like it belonged to her, like she was the chosen one. She leaped to the ground, swinging the scythe before her feet hit earth and took out three Ubervamps in one sweep. Kennedy then handed the scythe off to Faith again and pulled an axe from the hands of a fallen comrade to continue the battle.

Just as quickly as the Ubervamps had turned to dust around Faith, Buffy’s suddenly experienced sharp pain and confusion. She clutched the right side of her stomach, just above her waist and felt something hot oozing between her fingers. Realizing that an unseen Bringer had stabbed her, Buffy dropped her weapon and, for a moment, wondered if she was dying. Things were moving in slow motion again. To her left, several potential slayers lay on the ground. One had a gaping wound in her neck. Directly in front of her Faith now seemed to be losing a struggle with the group of Ubervamps. As Buffy began falling to the ground, her thoughts drifted to someone else. Dawn. If a room full of supernaturally enhanced slayers were losing the battle, what would become of a regular teenage girl?

“You always were a foolish girl, Buffy, foolish and selfish. Who in their right mind would bring a teenage girl into the mouth of Hell? I thought I’d raised you better than that.”

Buffy knew the voice without having to look. Though it sounded like her mother, Joyce, she knew it was only a malicious trick of The First.

“Having to raise you, it’s a wonder your father and I lasted as long as we did.”

Buffy knew that this was not her mom; however, the physical sight of her mother reminded Buffy why she was leading this fight. Family: Dawn, Xander, Willow, Giles, Anya, even Spike. Her family.

“Would you just die already? Everyone would be better off without you. You are a waste of flesh, Buffy. Your father told me a long time ago that I was wasting my time loving you. It took me a while to come around but now I realize he was right.”

Even though Buffy knew that these words were false, they still hurt more than the wound Buffy at her side.

“They stopped loving you as well. Your precious friends. It was all just a matter of time,” she continued, “Do you honestly think that Dawn wasn’t going to wake up one day and realize that you constantly risk her life? She would be better off if you were dead. Why don’t you do the right thing for a change, Buffy, and just give up this fight?” Joyce was crouching on the ground inches away from Buffy’s face. Buffy slowly met her gaze. “Give up, Buffy. You have nothing to live for,” Joyce whispered in her ear.

“I do have things to live for and the first is to get you to shut up,” Buffy yelled, “Now, Get out of my face! I have stuff to do, apocalypses to stop!”

Buffy, wrapping her fingers around her sword, hoisted herself until she was eye to eye with her mother. Even though she knew it would do no good, Buffy clutched the sword in both of her hands and swung with every ounce of strength she could muster, directly at The First. The blade slid through the air as The First evaporated and then reappeared as The Master, then again as one of the dead potentials, and then, finally the former Mayor.

“You can never stop me!” He stated with a smirk before vanishing again. Buffy turned away with newfound strength and went once more into the breech.

>>>

Anya swung her sword and dusted the opposing Turok-Han.

“That makes four!”

A bringer came towards her, his knife brandished and ready to strike. Anya thrust her sword directly into the left eye socket.

“Five!”

Andrew was shaking, he couldn’t move. “Err, a little help here?”

A pair of ubervamps was advancing towards him. Their faces were snarling and their eyes focused on his neck. Anya made a swift 360 degree turn and sliced both of their heads clean off. Dust covered Andrew. Coughing, he staggered forward and accidentally stabbed a Bringer in the neck, taking him down.

“One! Ha ha! Take that Rebel Swine!”

Anya was still swinging and slicing at everything she could. They all had to die. It was either them or her. “Six, Seven…Eight,” Anya grunted and fell backwards slipping on Bringer remains for a moment.

“Argh, die!” Andrew groaned as he struggled to slay an ubervamp. Anya came to his rescue and decapitated it from behind. A mist of dust surrounded them. Andrew squinted and saw through the dust a Bringer about to stab Anya. In an impulsive and completely un-Andrew-like split second reaction, he pushed her out of the way to meet the Bringer himself. Then he felt pain. The pain that comes from being stabbed in the stomach. He fell to the ground without another word. Anya looked with astonishment. Andrew Wells. Super-nerd extraordinaire had died for a reason: the worthiest of causes. Maybe this was enough? Maybe this was his entry to heaven? He’d have to see.

>>>

"Dawn! How are you holding up?”

Dawn turned around in time to see Xander stab one of the Bringers. "Nice job,” she yelled back then ducked to avoid a bringer knife. "I'm fine. It's just like dancing, only dustier.” She turned around again to face two other ubervamps with a glissande leap to the fifth ballet position and a port de bras with her sword arm to take them out. Who knew all the ballet training could be so combat helpful? "I can do this. I'm the slayer's sister," she mumbled to herself, "No need to worry. It’s just like dancing." Just as she raised her sword, another group of vampires emerged. She sprung into a plie and waited for their next attack.

"CAN'T-GIVE-UP-NOW, JUST-LIKE-DANCING!" She chanted over and over. With every word and graceful movement, a vampire went poof. By the time Dawn dared to open her eyes, the air was full of dust.

"Xander, are you alri…?”

Her words suddenly got stuck in her throat. A Turok-han was standing over Xander crumpled on the floor. Dawn's eyes started to fill up with tears as the ubervamp turned around to face her, his mouth smeared with Xander's blood. Crying now, looking at the vamp, that thing, she stormed at him full of rage. With her sword high in the air ready to stop this once and for all, she went into battle for possibly the last time.

"This is for Xander!"

Sidestepping the vamp at the final moment, she used his momentum to push him into the wall and drive her sword home. She collapsed to the ground, crying, and tried to get herself together. The floor beneath her was rocking and debris began to fall from the ceiling. The room filled with dust and she could hardly see a foot in front of her face.

"Dawn, are you okay? We’ve got to get out of here and to the bus!"

Dawn gasped and spun around with joy to see Xander gesturing at the door exiting the cafeteria. He was beaten, bruised, and super bloody but still standing! "I thought, I thought you were gone!" She stumbled.

Xander gestured with his empty hands and gave her a weak smile adding, "Oh no, you won't get rid of me that easily missy." Suddenly a big piece of ceiling came down and he jumped away just in time. "Whoa, that wasn't meant as a challenge," he said looking up to the heavens presumably, “Let’s get gone.” He said taking off at run and she followed behind with a little smile on her face. We made it, she thought to herself.

[CMK1887]

>>>

“Buffy!”

Spike yelled to the slayer across the cave as he kicked a Turok Han and used his elbow to strike one behind him. “These bloody vamps just keep on coming. I don’t know how much longer the little bits can keep on going,” he said gesturing to the potentials fighting around them.

Buffy looked around and saw her girls were starting to show serious signs of wear. They were dirty and tired, but the adrenaline was keeping them all going. Buffy stared at the carnage. Young slayers, her new friends, dead on the cave floor and she knew it wasn’t much time before everyone fighting would join them. Buffy knew Spike was thinking the very same thing.

Looking down into the pit at the hoards of Turok Han coming at them, she knew they didn’t have a chance in the world. As the fear crept into her eyes, she shook it off and readied herself for the great fight: her last fight. Looking around her at the tired slayers, she put on her brave face and took control of her army. “Ready girls?” She shouted and looked to Spike, “And vampire?” He nodded and underneath her breath she muttered, “Ready as we’ll ever be.”

With each onslaught of Turok Han, every girl fought hard but there were just too many. Seeing some being struck down, Buffy angrily attacked as did Spike. One Turok Han grabbed Spike and ripped the lapels of his favorite leather jacket. “Eh, get your bleedin’ hands off my coat!” Spike yelled angrily as he decapitated the culprit.

They were being overwhelmed and the casualties around them began to grow. Buffy looked once again to Chao-Ahn lying lifeless with her glassy eyes staring at the ceiling. The Xin Rong and Kendra's spirit as well as several others hovered above the battle like grim witnesses. The other potentials suddenly took notice of the apparitions as well and momentarily stopped their fighting. Slowly the spirits of other past slayers began to float out of the fallen potentials as well as the girls still living. The cave became filled with a ghostly white light that seemed to stun the fighting Turok-Han into submission. Past slayers from all ages and times materialized. The spirits of Elizabeth Weston, Nikki Wood, and the other ancient slayers gathered into a ghostly army and stared in the direction of Spike.

Before Spike knew what was happening, the spirits combined into a heavenly light and shot straight into the amulet on his chest, nearly knocking him off his boots. The amulet began to shake and glow with untold power. The light and heat of it continued to build, brighter and nearly blinding. Buffy felt the Hellmouth tremble again and knew what was coming. If the now defense-less potentials didn’t get out of there ASAP, they were all going to be burnt to a crisp.

“GIRLS!” She yelled, “Fall back NOW!”

“But Buffy…” Amanda started and pointed to Spike with fear.

“NOW! Get OUT of here! Faith, retreat!” Buffy demanded and watched as some of the potentials reluctantly ran while others were only glad to finally stop fighting. Faith was the last to leave giving her a solemn nod of goodbye as she exited the cave.

With the amulet glowing around his neck, Spike could feel the heat begin to seep into his body and knew the amulet’s secret magic trick was about to be revealed. “Listen Buffy, this bloody thing isn’t gonna hold out much longer. You’ve done your duty. Just get out now. I’ve got it covered,” he said with feigned confidence.

“I’m not leaving, Spike,” she stubbornly said, “The job isn’t over!”

Spike pleaded, “Buffy, you’ve done all you can. I’ll keep them busy with the shiny bauble. You slip away, pet. This is my fight now, not yours!” He knew his death wouldn’t do much to fix the millions of horrible things he’d done in the past, but at least it was a start.

“Spike, I’m not leaving. This is my town. This is MY fight! I need to finish this with you. See how it all ends. And hey, this whole death thing… I’m kind of a pro at it,” she said with that look which always made him feel alive again.

Spike’s lips twitched into the tiniest of smiles. No matter what horrible thing was coming at her, Buffy would never give up. No matter what the cost, even if it was her own death. “Well, I’m not leavin’ either. Seems my costume jewelry wants to save the world with us!”

Buffy stepped close to Spike as the heat from the amulet turned into flames. A concentrated beam shot forth and eradicated all the Turok-han with swift force. The magical beam initiated by the slayer spirits in the amulet instantly killed them. The cave began to quake and crumble. Buffy turned slowly and brought her hand up to the vampire. Spike followed suit and pressed palm to palm as flames licked in a hot kiss.

With tear-filled eyes, Buffy quietly said to him, “I love you William,” and at that moment, Spike felt the soul within him cry out in joy. His love for this woman had made him a better man and, though he doubted that she really meant the sentiment, it did not seem to matter because his happiness was complete. He took a long look at Buffy’s beautiful face, preparing to never see it again. Inside him he felt the heat growing more and more and he shoved the slayer back from him with his last ounce of strength. With a tremendous shout, light shone out from all over Spike’s body and the tremors reached a violent climax.

Spike laughed as he disappeared into ashes.

>>>

Still waiting outside for the remaining survivors, the bus shook outside the high school as the structure collapsed. Inside, the frantic tending of wounds was chaotic.

“Come on, Amanda, stay with me!” Vi shouted and tossed her short red hair back. “Xander! Pass me that bandage!” She pressed a thick white rag against Amanda’s chin where blood was gushing with one hand and reached out to Xander with the other. He looked down slowly to the medical kit on the seat and then shook his head at her. “Xander?” She questioned him again in astonishment.

His fear-filled face stared at her blankly and he made no motion to help, but rather moved further back in the bus away from everyone. Vi searched around and at last, Anya came to her aid and handed the bandage to Vi. She wondered what was with Xander but had more important things to focus on. I have to keep my friends alive, she thought. High school candy striper to battlefield triage nurse was a big leap for her but she seemed to be rising to the occasion.

A cloud of dust engulfed the bus as another tremor hit. Through the haze came Faith with arms and legs pumping as she boarded the bus. Dawn ran down to her immediately.

“Faith!”

The slayer looked over her shoulder anxiously with the hope of seeing Buffy following. No such luck. The brunette looked to a bandaged Robin behind the wheel with sad eyes.

“Go. We are all here,” Faith told him quietly and he shut the door as the large vehicle peeled away from the curb.

“Faith! Tell me!” Dawn screamed hysterically as she grabbed the collar of Faith's denim jacket, “Where is Buffy!”

Faith removed her hands gently and looked into Dawn's eyes. “She’s not coming. Buffy stayed behind to help Spike finish the job.” Faith words were blunt, but they were the only way the Slayer could deal. “I’m sorry,”

As Dawn began to break into heavy sobs, Faith turned away fighting back her own tears. Robin floored the accelerator and the bus tore on just ahead of the cracking earth. The town seemed to be disintegrating. Pavement shattered around them as the Sun Cinema sign came down followed by the Espresso Pump. Anya and Willow looked out the window in time to see the remnants of the Magic Box succumb to the destruction. Giles fearfully watched the fissures in the earth chasing them. The entire town was sinking into a smoking black crater and it was trying to take their tiny bus with it. Dawn looked out the back window at the destruction with great sadness. When it finally seemed to stop as the bus roared past the city limits, Kennedy shouted, “Clear!” Robin quickly brought the bus to a screeching halt. The still-mobile passengers of the bus all gathered outside in a daze and stepped to the brink of the crater in disbelief.

”Wow, that’s some pothole!” Xander said with his typical brand of ill-timed humor.

Dawn tried to smile and keep her spirits alive, especially since her sister was still nowhere to be seen. The sadness in the group was palpable. They all knew Buffy wasn't with them and they weren't sure who would be there to lead them now.

Inching closer to the edge of the canyon than was now Sunnydale, Dawn did not want to accept that her sister was dead. As she knelt to the ground, rocks and sand began to fall and shift and, for the briefest of moments, she considered letting herself fall as well. She stopped, however, because she knew that she could not waste Buffy’s sacrifice like that. Just as she began to stand back up, she heard the sound of rocks falling away and a hand reached over the edge of the crater. Dawn hurriedly knelt down again and pulled with all her strength on the outstretched hand. Through tears of joy and a shout of exertion, Dawn pulled her sister Buffy out from the crater. Buffy Anne Summers, looking dirty and covered in wounds, smiled at her kid sister and friends.

"The news of my death has been greatly exaggerated."

"But, how?" Giles asked, stunned by her appearance and overwhelmed with joy at seeing her again.

"The Ghost Slayers! They pulled me onto the Ghost Roads at the last minute, before everything well, went boom. They saved me and took Spike's soul with them. He saved the world. He saved me. He saved us all," Buffy replied and her eyes shone with tears, both of happiness and of loss.

Dawn grabbed her sister and the two proceeded to share a warm hug. Gathering around the edge of the crater, Buffy smiled at her friends and knew that their lives would never be the same. Good had triumphed over the Biggest of Bads in a major way today. She knew it wasn’t all over, but somehow Buffy felt like things were going to be a whole lot sunnier for her and the Scoobies.

"What are we going to do now? The Hellmouth is dead. The First is toast!" Dawn exclaimed.

“There’s always the Cleveland Hellmouth, “ Giles quickly added and Faith punched him in the arm.

Buffy let their excited chatter wash over her as she turned to survey the former Hellmouth. It was done for now and she could finally relax. She looked out into the sky and a small smile crept over her face.

“The world is saved, I say we party,” she stated to the group and received cheers in agreement.

Behind her and removed from the rejoicing group of heroes, Xander gave a small, sinister smile that said otherwise.

The End.

[CMK1887]

I don't know how, but I accidently left out an entire post when I first posted this fanfic. If you've already read it and plan on voting, please take the time to read the new post (the second one in the thread).

Thanks, and I apologize for the mistake!

-CMK