End of Days: Part 9
by Felicity
Disclaimer: No, I'm not this evil...evil, but not this evil. Joss owns 'em.
Author's Notes: Okay, this is therapy fic for IWRY, also involving prophecies, apocalypses and whatever odd things pop into my head...but mostly B/A-ness. The parts are all gonna be first person from different people's points of views. Bad things will happen. This is gonna be very angsty, but I promise, it will all work out in the end!

Teaser: The End of Days is coming to Sunnydale...



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Part Nine

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Light alone cannot defeat Dark. Darkness itself must stand beside Light. So, in the end, must the Dark One stand beside the Chosen, or the End of Days shall truly come for all time.

—Writings of Arioch, 793 B.C.

Buffy

The news reports were pouring in from all over—skies turning black, raining blood, hundreds, thousands of "prophets" suddenly appearing, telling of the end of the world, deformed babies being born…Faith waking up. Xander was a little freaked out, to say the least. Not like the rest of us were in Utopia or anything, but Xander retreated to his basement with a bunch of old books and blockaded the door, calling whenever he found anything he thought might be helpful. He still let Anya in. Figure that one out.

We were all sitting around Giles’ living room (our favorite meeting place lately, seeing as he had all the research materials) discussing Faith. Or, more accurately, what to do about her.

"She did try to kill Angel," Willow pointed out.

"Not to mention me," I added, arching my eyebrows at her. She flushed.

"Right." I shook my head, sighing slightly. I’d never really told any of them about the dream I hadwhile I was in the hospital—the dream that helped me kill the Mayor. Had that really been Faith? Or just my own subconscious?

I tried to visit once a week. It’s not like there was anyone else to care, and what if she could hear? It’s not like she’d always been bad. She was just neglected. She didn’t have what I’d had. You couldn’t really blame her for what happened…well, okay, you could, but it certainly didn’t hurt me to go talk to her, and maybe it helped her.

I wondered if she’d heard me. If she’d changed.

"Well we obviously can’t just leave her to…her own devices," Giles said, sitting on the arm of the couch. I moved over to give him room.

"But we shouldn’t just go attack her. I mean…maybe she changed," I pointed out, knowing I’d let hope creep into my voice.

"Who’s changed?" a familiar voice asked from the doorway. I looked up and met her eyes. She grinned at me. "Aww, were you guys talking about me?"

"Faith," Willow said flatly.

"That’s my name. So, B, what the sitch? I heard something about the end of the world. It’s on all the news stations. Gone for the public approach, have we?"

"Not exactly our choice," I told him. "How are you feeling?" Faith put a leg over the back of a chair and slid down into it.

"Oh, I’m great. Never felt better…okay, so I have, but I’m awake right? No permanent damage done, B. Told you you couldn’t."

I decided not to rise to her taunting. I was too tired and I didn’t have time. "That’s nice. Are you here to help, or to mock us with your health, cause personally, I’m not traumatized by the fact that you’re all right. I’m even, god knows why, glad I didn’t kill you," I told her, half sarcastic and half sincere.

"Y’ know, me too," she grinned. After a moment, she lost the smile and looked around. "I know Wilkins is dead. I mean, you’re all here, right? So it’s not like I have any reason to fight you. And I’d rather not live in Hell for the rest of my life so…I’m with you."

"Promise not to kill anyone?" I asked, serious despite the teasing note in my voice. She returned the serious look.

"For now." Somehow, hearing something in her voice, I knew that it was a promise, and that it wasn’t just for now. That something had changed.

"Good. So here’s the deal…"

Xander

We were going to die. Especially me.

I know I said the same thing before graduation, but this time I really knew it. I could feel it in my bones. I was going to die soon.

Why couldn’t I have been born in some nice normal place like Cuernavaca?

I was kind of torn between not wanting to die and wanting to spend my last moments of life with the people I loved—I decided there were probably a few moments left, and I didn’t want to see the sky anyway. Nothing says ‘Death approaches’ like the utter lack of a sky. Plus there’s the whole Faith issue. Last time we were in close contact she tried to kill me. I decided avoiding her was the best policy.

And then, to top it all of, Angel called. Me. "Xander!" my mom yelled through the door. "There’s a friend on the phone!"

I figured it was Buffy or Giles with more bad news. Imagine my surprise when instead I hear Dead Boy. "Xander?" he asked.

"Uh…yeah. Dead Boy?"

I swear, I could almost hear the non-existant sigh. That guy needs to learn how to breath. "Yes, it’s Angel," he said.

"That’s what I said."

"Right."

"Can I help you?" I snapped. "I’m a little busy contemplating my doom, so if you could get to the point…"

"The point? I found a prophecy, involving you."

"How do you know?" I asked suspiciously, hoping this was a good prophecy.

"It lists off people…not by name, but it’s pretty easy to see what’s going on. By the way, has anyone checked up on Faith lately? Do you know if her conditions changed at all?"

"She woke up," I said dryly. There was a pause.

"Oh. How is she?" I thought about telling him she was fine and dandy, but since I knew that wasn’t what he meant, and he knew that wasn’t what he meant, I decided against it.

"She’s with us. Or so she says," I replied darkly.

"Oh good. She’s supposed to be."

"Supposed to? What does that mean?" I asked.

"Prophecies. The one I was speaking of…included Faith as well."

"So what does this prophecy say?" I asked, flopping into a chair and propping my legs up on the bed.

"That by banding together we’ll delay the End of Days." Sounded good to me…until I realized exactly what he’d said. I sat straight up.

"Delay?!"

"Unfortunately yes…but that is better than nothing."

"Oh yeah, cause I’d so much rather die next week," I snapped.

"Xander, Buffy needs your help. Cordelia needs your help." His voice sounded extremely troubled at the second (not like he was all chipper about Buffy).

"What about Cordy?" I asked, frowning.

"She’s…we’ll take care of her," Angel said, not sounding extremely sure about the fact. "But I’m calling to make sure you help. Without you, Willow, Giles and Faith, Buffy won’t stand much of a chance. Do you promise you’ll help?"

"You didn’t need to call," I said softly. "I would have helped anyway."

"I know, but I had to. I…thank you," Angel said, sounding just a tad on the emotional side. Woah. That guy really must be wigging out. Not that I blamed him, since I was a little on that side too…

"Sure. You…take care of yourself Angel. Buffy would be very upset if anything happened to you," I told him, sounding a little awkward. He made this odd sound, almost a bitter laugh.

"Yes, I’m sure she would be," he said, his voice tinged with bitterness and sorrow.

"Yeah, she’d come kill you for not taking care of yourself," I assured him.

"I have to go Xander. Thanks," Angel said.

"You’re welcome…Good bye," I said, and hung up the phone, wondering what I was missing, and if Angel was this worried, maybe I should just kill myself now and save the Lords of Hell the trouble.

And that was the last time we talked before I died.

Cordelia

I was just walking to work. I knew I should have taken a taxi! But I didn’t think I could afford it, what with the End of Days or whatever coming soon…though it was bringing in a lot more business…but Angel tended to ignore the business and spend all his time researching prophecies from like, a thousand years ago. But I digress.

I was on my way to work. It was kind of freakish, cause it was eight in the morning, and the only blue sky was this teeny tiny little fringe on the very edge, and you couldn’t see the sun at all. The entire street was dark, likeon a moonless light, and all the street lights were going…it was majorly weird. Also hell on my sleeping routine. You know, if you coordinate sleep with when it’s light, you look much more rested. Minimizes bags under the eyes and so forth.

All right, I was going to work, and the whole place was dark, like it was the middle of the night, except more crowded. On every corner there was one or more people talking about the end of the world. This one guy actually tried to grab me. Whatever!

"You have to listen," he said in this weird breathy tone. "It’s coming."

"Duh!" I exclaimed and yanked away from him, walking as fast as I could down the street. I decided rather than weaving through all the crazy people and the ones trying to go to work like I was, I’d go down the alley.

I think it was the dark getting to me. I must have learned a little more than that in all my time working for Angel! Of course, I had my pepper spray and a stake, so I figured I was protected.

Right.

I was about two blocks away from the office when the entire world went as black as the sky.


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