Running on Faith, Season Two: 2.22: Illyria
by filmtheory
It was nighttime in the mountains outside Brasilia. Giles, Willow, Dawn, and the Mayor stepped toward the temple first.

“Nice temple,” Angel said a she approached behind them. “I mean, I’ve seen a lot of demonic temples in my day, and this one . . . it’s nice.”

“High ceilings,” Spike said.

“And you gotta love those columns,” Angel added.

“Yeah,” Spike concurred. “They’re a really nice touch.”

Angel looked at Spike and shook his head. “We really need to stop agreeing today. It’s freaking me out.”

“The Immortal is a git,” Spike said.

“Cut it out,” Angel said.

“Please do,” Buffy said. “One of you left me and the other was back over a year before giving me a call. So neither of you get to comment on my love life.”

“In my day, young ladies were married before they even had a love life,” Mayor Wilkins said disdainfully.

“A lot’s changed since then, Dick,” Buffy said. “Now you guys make with the mojo to bring down the force field.”

Faith began giving directions. “Kennedy, you stick with me, Angel, and the rest of our girls on the east. Buffy, take Spike, Connor, and the rest of your team to hit the west. After the field goes down, Giles and Richard will secure the north and Willow and Dawn will take the south.”

The quartet of Wicca’s chanted until a blue hue appeared around Illyria’s temple. A moment later, and the blue field disappeared.

“Looks like it’s go time,” Spike said.

“Oh, shit,” Kennedy said as she saw the throng of Turok Han began charging them.

“Nothing we haven’t seen before,” Faith sighed in a bored voice. “Change of plan,” she called. “Everyone stick together and prepare for battle.”

Only moments passed before the scene became pandemonium. Dark wizards in black robes exchanged spells with Willow, Giles, Dawn, Richard, and Andrew.

The front line of Turok Han slammed into the front line of slayers. A sound like thunder echoed throughout the area when the lines collided. Behind the Turok Han an infinite number of demons of countless varieties snarled and hissed and charged toward the slayers.

Illyria appeared at a balcony and looked down, a shadowy figure behind her. The mass of demons swarmed the slayers and Illyria smiled. The shadowy figure took Illyria’s hand and pulled her from the balcony into the confines of her temple.

A Vlanscheck demon, mostly claws and hard, armor-like scales, leapt and landed near Dawn. Immediately, Connor landed behind it and hacked it down.

“I love you sweetie,” Dawn said before firing a bolt of lightning at another Vlanscheck behind him.

The slayers fought valiantly, but the demons had them vastly outnumbered. They were being pushed back around their witches and surrounded. They were being corralled; penned up to be picked off.

“These species of demons hate each other,” Richard complained.

“Want to tell them that?” Dawn said petulantly.

“You guys hate each other!” Xander yelled. Dawn gave him a condescending look. Xander shrugged. “It was worth a shot.”

“If we killed their leader, they’re natural inclination would be to turn on each other,” Giles said.

“Faith!” Dawn shouted. “Get Buffy, Angel, Connor, and Spike together!”

Guys, Willow communicated to Faith, Buffy, Angel, Connor, and Spike telepathically. Meet right in front of me and Dawn. We’re going to make a path for you. Get to Illyria as fast as you can. If you can kill her, you can stop all of this.

The group fought their way through the lines of demons and gathered where Willow had said. Willow and Dawn joined hands. They threw their free hands out and said simply, “Back!”

The demons flew back, creating a path to the temple.

“Like the bloody Red Sea,” Spike said.

“Okay, Moses,” Angel said, tapping Spike. “Let’s get moving.”

“Moses never made it to the promised land,” Connor said, displaying his knowledge of the Bible.

“Exactly,” Angel smiled.

The five warriors raised their weapons and charged through the clearing. Faith saw a demon in a black robe who looked like he was working mojo to close the opening. It began to work; the path behind them closed off. Demons poured into the gap and charged after them.

Faith turned quickly and hurled her axe. It flew through the air and sliced the mystic demon’s head off. It was too late, though. The path had closed and the demons were hot on their trail.

Faith and the others stormed through the doors of Illyria’s temple. “Close the doors,” Faith shouted. “Lock them out!”

Spike and Angel threw one door closed while Buffy and Connor did the other. They threw their weight against the doors, but it began to rattle from the pressure of the demons on the other side trying to push their way in.

“We need a brace!” Spike shouted.

Faith ran to one of the large columns laying on the floor she tried her best to drag it toward the door. “Could use some help.”

Angel and Connor looked at each other. “We’re the quickest,” Angel said.

Without a word, Connor bolted for the column with Angel in tow. They grabbed the column and, with Faith, slid it across the floor and slammed it perpendicularly into the crack between the doors.

“That won’t hold long,” Buffy said.

“Finding her quick was the plan anyway,” Faith answered.

Connor sniffed the air. “This way.”

“Freaks me out that he can do that,” Buffy said.

“Hey!” Spike and Angel yelled in unison.

The group followed Connor. As they moved up the steps, they could hear Illyria’s voice.

“You expect me to copulate with you,” she said in an even, matter-of-fact tone.

“Our union,” a voice with an Italian accent was heard. “It would cause the entire world to quake with fear.”

Angel and Spike looked at each other smugly while Buffy’s face turned red with rage.

“I can make the world quake with fear on my own,” Illyria said haughtily.

There were sounds of kissing. “Can you do this on your own?” the Italian man said.

Buffy charged up the steps and the others followed. Buffy threw open the door and the group stormed in.

“Pookey!” Buffy shouted. “You said you were trying to find us a country home?”

“Buffy?” The Immortal said, pulling his pants up.

Illyria turned and looked scornfully at the Immortal. “You allow this human to call you pookey?”

“Can we comment on your love life now, pet?” Spike smirked.

“Whoah, Buffy,” Faith said, looking the Immortal over. “You screwed this guy? I’m impressed.”

“Ah,” the Immortal said. “I have heard much of your beauty, but a description could not do it-”

“Don’t even,” Faith said disgustedly, holding up her hand.

“So you’re with her?” Spike asked. “I mean, I’m killing you whether you are or you aren’t. But if you are with her, it’ll make me feel a little bit better about it.”

“Illyria and I shall rule this world as King and Queen,” the Immortal said smugly.

“That’ll be hard to do with your head on my book shelf, mate,” Spike said.

“You have a book shelf?” Faith asked.

“I like to read on my off time.”

Spike, Angel, and Buffy charged forward. The Immortal smacked Buffy away and threw a punch that knocked Angel to the floor.

Connor and Faith charged Illyria. Faith shot head on toward the blue demon, while Connor jumped over her. Illyria spun out from between them and angled to get them both in her line of sight.

Spike punched the Immortal. The Immortal swiped Spike’s feet out from under him and began kicking the vampire viciously.

“What is it with you and evil guys?” Angel groaned to Buffy as he flipped to his feet.

“Tell me about it,” Spike said as he rolled away from the Immortal’s kicks. “After I got my soul back, she’d have none of me. All she wanted was to be held.”

“It was complicated,” Buffy groaned as she slammed the Immortal against a wall and stuck a small dagger into his rib cage. He pulled it out and slashed Buffy’s arm with it.

Illyria pushed Connor away like a rag doll and back-handed Faith to the ground. She turned and ran into a hallway.

“We have to get Illyria!” Faith yelled as she took off in pursuit of the demon goddess. “We kill her we end this.”

“Not so easy to do,” the Immortal laughed as he punched Angel in the gut and shoved him onto the outdoor balcony from which Illyria had surveyed her troops earlier. Angel cocked his fist, but the Immortal swung from the top of the doorframe to kick Angel in the chest, knocking the vampire from the balcony and down into the throng of demons assaulting the slayers on the battlefield.

The Immortal turned and Buffy slammed a sword into the Immortal’s gut. “How dare you touch him? I love him!” Buffy pushed the handle of the sword back past his ribs. The other end of the sword sliced forward through the Adonis-like demon’s guts. Buffy cut the Immortal clean in half. He dropped to the floor, dead.

Buffy turned back to see a hurt looking Spike standing behind her. She wanted to ask Spike what was wrong, to pretend she hadn’t said what she said. But making him say it, or even pretend it wasn’t said, was just too cruel.

“I’m sorry,” Buffy said. “I’m sorry it’s true. I’m sorry you found out this way.”

“I’m not,” Spike said. “There’s no other way I could really be sure. And I needed to be sure. So I can move on.” Spike turned and headed off the balcony, back into the room where they’d first found Illyria. “We need to go help Faith and Connor. Looks like the slayers are taking a beating.”

*

Illyria slammed Connor into the wall. Blood was running from his lips and nose and at least two of his ribs were broken. Faith grabbed Illyria by the hair and pulled her back, forcing her to release Connor. Connor hit the floor, but quickly got to his feet again.

“Looks like we’re doing this like a good old fashioned cat fight,” Faith grunted as she threw Illyria by the hair.

Illyria hit the floor and looked up at Faith, cocking her head. “Cat fight?”

Connor attacked Illyria from the back. The Goddess turned and slapped him away, but Faith slammed into Illyria from behind. Illyria threw Faith off of her back. Faith dropped to her knees. Illyria spin kicked Faith in the head. Connor leapt at her with a drawn sword, but Illyria casually threw an elbow back without looking and nailed Connor in the jaw.

Connor clung to his sword as he tried to stand, but Illyria stepped on his head. She slammed his head into the stone floor with her foot. She pulled the sword loose from Connor’s hands and nailed Faith in the head with the handle.

Connor slipped from under Illyria’s foot and rolled away from her. He got to his feet and pulled the small battle axe that served as his backup weapon.

“I see that desperation you once possessed is gone,” Illyria said coolly. “This time, I shall not let a servant bargain for your life. This time you will die.”

Faith kicked Illyria’s feet out from under her. Illyria hit the ground, repositioned herself into a squat, and launched herself up. She jumped over Faith and came down behind the slayer. Faith spun to face Illyria. Illyria, holding her sword, stabbed Faith in the leg.

Faith screamed and hit the ground. Illyria lifted the sword and prepared to finish the job. But Connor was already in Illyria’s face.

Lorne’s vision was partially right. Connor didn’t want to die, but he was prepared to. It wasn’t for a death wish or for vengeance that he fought. It wasn’t for his lifelong hatred of demons. Connor fought now for his fiancée and daughter and for everyone on the planet who had a Dawn and Anna of their own to protect.

Connor charged forward and let the sword slide into his rib cage. Illyira was shocked and confused by the move. More importantly, she hadn’t adjusted or backed away from him. Connor swung his small axe and it connected with her neck. Illyria’s head dropped to the floor. Connor slumped backward, the sword still sticking in him.

“You’re that desperate to get out of marrying Dawn?” Faith quipped as she got to her knees, then weakly to her feet.

“How did you know about that?” Connor said weakly, blood loss becoming an issue as he did.

“I came into a room with Dawn all over you sucking face and big diamond ring next to you on the floor. I put two and two together.” Faith gripped the sword. “Hang tough for a second. I gotta get this sword out of you.”

Faith ripped the sword from him. “I’m going to use your shirt as a bandage,” Faith said as she removed Connor’s shredded shirt.

“Am I old enough to get married?” Connor asked.

“I don’t know. How old are you?”

“I don’t know.”

“That’s right. You grew up in a hell dimension.” Faith smiled and shook her head. “Can’t tell you how great it is to know someone who actually had a shittier childhood than I did.”

“I don’t know. Demons and stuff I know how to deal with. But I don’t think I’d know how to handle a stepfather.”

Faith’s eyes registered surprise and she recoiled.

“Sorry,” Connor said. “I didn’t mean to make you upset.”

“No, I . . . how do you even know about my stepfather?”

“I heard that guy Billy talk about him once.”

“What did he say that made you think stepfathers were bad?”

“Nothing,” Connor shrugged.

“Then why do you think they are?”

“When Billy mentioned him, your heartbeat sped up a you smelled . . . never mind.”

“No. What?”

“I just never saw you scared before. By anything.” Connor leaned forward. “He . . . he hurt you.”

Faith nodded. “Yeah. He hurt me.”

“Is he dead?” Connor asked.

Faith looked at him and smiled. “You offering?”

Connor glanced around, then looked back to Faith and nodded.

“Don’t offer things like that, Connor. You need to stay out of jail and provide for your wife and baby now. Besides, when I turned myself in, I made sure dear old stepdad wound up where he belonged.”

“Faith!” Spike shouted as he ran into the room. “We have to get out of here!”

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

Buffy ran in and helped Faith to her feet. “Can you walk on that?” Buffy asked, referring to Faith’s leg.

“If you help me,” Faith said.

Spike scooped Connor into his arms. “When Illyria died. The demons went nuts. Willow contacted me and I told her to pull back. But the demons are in chaos and half of them broke down the doors and stormed the temple.”

“We need to get to the roof and hold them off,” Buffy said. “Giles said he’ll be coming with a helicopter.”

The four got into the hallway and heard the sounds of demons running up the stairs.

“Any other stairwell?” Faith asked.

“Not that I’ve seen,” Spike answered.

“Looks like we’ll have to outrun them,” Faith said.

Buffy lifted Faith into her arms.

The foursome hit the stairwell and started up just before the demons reached the floor where they’d been. The demons charged up the steps hot in pursuit, the smell of fresh meat teasing their noses. Buffy and Spike ran through the door onto the roof and unceremoniously dumped Connor and Faith. They slammed the door shut and threw their weight against it.

Faith sighed with relief when heavy wind announced the chopper landing on the roof. Faith limped toward it. Wood jumped out and ran to Connor, scooping the boy into his arms. As Faith and Wood made it to the helicopter, Spike and Buffy let go of the doors and ran for the chopper themselves.

The door burst open and demons stumbled onto the roof. Others flooded from behind them and trampled their fallen brethren. Spike and Buffy jumped onto the chopper and it lifted off, heading for base.

“Riley?” Buffy said, seeing who was flying the helicopter.

“It’s a Buffy boyfriend superfecta,” Spike laughed. “Now all we need is Parker Abrams and that gay kid from Sunnydale High School to finish out the set, eh?”

*

“How did you get here?” Faith asked Marissa, a 14 year-old girl. She was bruised and bloodied.

“I came with Lorne, Wood, and Riley,” Marissa answered.

“For what?”

“I’m a slayer,” Marissa said. “I came to fight.”

“My kind of girl,” Faith laughed.

All in all, over two hundred slayers and fifty watchers took the field of battle. Ninety slayers and thirty-six watchers had been killed. The numbers seemed devastating until one considered that they’d fought over 5,000 demons and killed half of them. It was a costly victory. But it was a victory.

*

“It’s fine,” Andre said. “In truth, I’d begun to have concerns about Illyria. I believe her demise can only be good for us. Good for business.”

“But the girl, Faith,” Mikhail said sadly. “She survived.”

“That is also good,” Andre said. He stood up and smoothed out the creases in his $10,000 tailored suit from London. “Seeing that she killed my brother, do you think I would want anyone on this planet but me to be the one to kill her? No, Mikhail. It is good she lives.”

And with that, Andre Markovic left his office in Sarajevo and headed for his waiting private jet.

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