Gone 2: Rome: Part Eleven
by Bria
All characters that have appeared on the show belong to the show, all others and the story line are MINE!!!! HAHAHAHA. Sorry, too much sugar. All feedback is welcome.



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Part Eleven

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THE SHOW DOWN

Angel looked up as Lily landed nearest to them, with barely a telltale thud. She straightened effortlessly and glanced casually around her, as if at an evening party down South. Then she grinned, and it was the grin of a predator, anticipating playing with its prey before ripping its throat to shreds. "Hey y'all," she drawled, as if among the best of friends. "Y'all ready to party?" Angel smiled to himself. Leave it to Lil' to come up with a line like that, in this kind of a situation.

Her comment was met with a stunned silence. For one confusing second, no one moved. Then the entire world erupted into violence. Angel snarled, using the distraction to kick Kalith in the stomach, sending him stumbling backwards as Angel stood. Ri launched herself at Lily, confidant that she would eradicate this insolent pest within a moment. Lily smiled benignly as the demon rushed towards her, then at the last possible second side-stepped and placed her foot directly in her path. "Oops," she commented lightly as Ri slide across the floor. "My bad."

Vampires dropped from the rafters like rain, some landing lightly, the younger ones slightly more clumsy. Aaron turned half way as he felt one land behind him and swept his arm back. His forearm connected solidly with the girl's jaw, crushing her nose, then he continued his turn, burying his other fist in her abdomen. Someone grabbed him from behind, pinning his arms down. They made the mistake of assuming that he was now defenseless. Aaron kicked out behind him, feeling his foot connect with solid flesh. He smashed his head back and freed himself. Turning, he placed his teeth on the vampire's neck, and jerked his head to the side, tearing out its throat. He spun, immediately searching for the next opponent. Indeed, he had his pick of them.

Zachary was also in the thick of things, having been attacked right away. That particular encounter had lasted only a moment, ending when he pulled a stake out of his jacket, instead of taking his comrade's way of dealing with them. Unlike Aaron, Zachary didn't really have the stomach for that kind of blood, ripping their throats out. He preferred it when they immediately turned to dust, instead of waiting for their bodies to drain of the blood. Zachary ducked as an overzealous "newbie" tried to kick him in the face. On his way up he allowed his fist to connect with the side of it's ribs, snapping a bone, then continued up to smash his jaw. Standing fully upright, he sunk the stake halfway into his chest then pulled it out with a quick jerking motion that was none the less as exact as a surgeon's cut. The vamp stared at him for a second; a look of shock on it's face, then it exploded into falling dust. Zachary half smiled to himself and muttered, " Ding, ding. Round one." He always had enjoyed boxing.

Angel's fist sent Kalith spinning violently, obviously causing a lot of damage, but he was ambushed before he could follow up. Two vamps jumped down from the roof and knocked him to the floor, on his back. One leaned over, as if to bit his neck. It never got the chance. Angel bent his legs and kicked up over his head, hitting it's face. He half spun, half rolled on his back so he came to his knees. Jumping up, Angel kicked the other vamp in the face before pulling it towards him and biting its neck. He drained it quickly, relishing its powerful blood, then let it go as it turned to dust. He sensed rather than saw the other coming back for more and he picked up a piece of a wooden box that had been crushed earlier on in the fight. Angel held his arm out and the idiot speared himself on the makeshift stake. Angel dropped the shard of wood with a clatter that was lost in the battle, then turned, searching for Kalith. In the battle-rage he didn't even notice how he'd fed off the vamp. Then again, he didn't really mind. It was only a demon.

Lily too, was busy, but with the same vampire she had started out with. Silently she wondered who the hell had trained this one, for Ri was keeping pace with her quite nicely. The two vampresses attacked each other savagely, but with more finesse than their male counterparts. They didn't bother to give in to impulses that originated from blind rage, nor did they just throw a punch and hope it worked out. Instead, these two each had a battle plan, thinking ahead of their moves to see where they'd be in the game after they threw a certain punch, or retreated a certain distance, etc. It was much like playing chess, and you never knew for certain what your enemy was going to do. That's what made it fun.

Ri kneed Lily viciously in the stomach, then brought her arm down on the back of her neck, keeping her bent over. Lily pushed herself backwards, preferring to be on her back where she could use her legs than in such a defenseless position. She shook her head, trying to clear the ringing, then she became aware of Ri flying through the air towards her. She rolled and Ri landed where Lily had been only a moment before. The dark vampire turned to go after her, when Lily's small booted foot caught her in the side of the face, causing her to take a step to the right, which was what Lily had in mind. She was already there, waiting. As soon as Ri put her foot down, she punched her sideways, snapping her head back around to the left. Lily tightened her arm and brought it back around, smashing solidly into Ri's nose with her elbow. Blood poured forth from the wound, but there was nothing special about that, they all had blood coming from some cut or other. Ri snarled her white teeth flashing against the dark red pouring forth, but Lily was too fast. She placed her foot on her chest and shoved backwards. Pushing Ri right into the sharp end of a forklift.

Ri screamed out loud as the prong pushed through her torso, the sound of a tortured soul, her voice shrill and unbelieving. Everyone stopped, looking up in amazement. Lily quickly grabbed her stake from her pocket and ended the vampress' life. Turning, she saw that everyone was still staring at her. "What?" she asked irritably. "Y'all never seen a body turn to dust before?" The other immediately began to fight again and Lily looked for a new target.

There were many to choose from. Even to her practical eyes, it seemed like the warehouse was swarming with enemies. A quick glance around assured her that her friends were still in one piece and not scattered dust particles. Aaron was tearing through demons like a wildcat, letting out the pain and rage that had been with him since his soul had been restored. Zachary, deviating from his normal dispassionate attitude, was attacking savagely and with out mercy. Lily mentally noted to herself that Zachary could very well rival Angel in his fighting prowess, but he needed the proper motivation. When they had first re-united with Angel, Zachary had said that he would do everything in his power to protect the girl and his brother. No one screwed with his family, no one. Lily felt a slight relief that if she ever needed him, Zachary would be there for her.

Zachary, meanwhile, was concentrating only on fighting. He raked his claws across the vampire in front of him, and reveled in the dark liquid that ran down its cheek. Like Angel, his demon was also exulting in the violence. Unlike Angel, he was doing his best to keep it in line, while at the same time remaining vicious enough to win his battles. He wasn't sure that he would be able to get back in control if it happened to take over, even for a second.

His thoughts were rudely interrupted by an enthusiastic vampire with an urge to dust him. Luckily, the feeling was mutual. Zachary sidestepped a punch, then ducked another ill-placed blow. Whirling, his foot connected with its jaw, sending it reeling. Zachary quickly followed up with a strong punch into its stomach. As the younger vampire straightened in an attempt to strike back, Zachary stepped forward, extending the stake in front of him, piercing flesh and bone. He felt the wood push through the dead heart and then there was an explosion and for a moment, his world was dust, swirling around him, shadowing his vision. He took a step backwards, shaking his head in an attempt to clear the small particles of what had been a demon out of his vision, and he caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye. A quiet alarm went off at the back of his head, a silent warning system he had learned to trust. Listening to it usually saved his life.

Across the warehouse, two vamps came rushing out of the darkness, glancing around wildly. They immediately rushed into the fray, throwing themselves at Angel, who had temporarily lost sight of Kalith. Zachary sprinted across the floor, reaching the trio just in time to run his stake through the heart of a vamp about to do the same thing to his friend. Angel looked over at Zachary as the stake the vamp had been holding clattered to the floor, a look of mild surprise crossing his face.

"Well, well, fancy meeting you here. Anything exciting happen?" he asked casually in-between landing punches on a vampire's face.

Zachary back handed another while saying over his shoulder, "Oh, nothing much. A vamp here, a pile of dust over there. You know the usual. By the way, did you see where those two jokers who just attacked you came from?"

Angel ducked a kick, then smashed his palm into the vamp's nose, pushing him over to Zachary, who availed himself to the opportunity to stake yet another demon. Angel looked over at him, suspicion shadowing his visage. "No, why? Where did they come from?"

Zachary stepped closer, sensing a short lull in the fight. "They just arrived, came out from behind those boxes over there. Why would they be back there? Kalith would want all the man power he could get, wouldn't he?"

Angel's eyes narrowed, and he answered grimly, "Of course he would, unless of course, he needed guards for something, or someone. Such as a former Slayer-turned-vampire, whom he knows happens to be under my protection."

Zachary nodded, "All right then, let's g-" He grunted suddenly as someone jumped him from behind, forcing him to the ground. A foot connected solidly with his ribs and he dimly heard the sickening snap of bone, then the foot hit him in the head. He was aware of Angel grappling with his own opponent and knew he was on his own. His muscles tightened, expecting to receive another blow from the boot nearby. Suddenly, a new pair of black boots came into his view, running up to the other pair and skidding to a stop. Without warning, the pair that had kicked him rose from sight and he heard a crash somewhere off in the distance, when the body of his attacker collided with some crate or another. Zachary glanced up, unsure of whom his savior was.

As he raised his head, a pair of long, lean legs, clothed by a too big pair of black jeans came into view, followed by slender hips and hands clenched in fists held at chin level. Blond hair hung to her chin, and blue eyes flashed dangerously. The girl was very pretty, very intriguing and very DANGEROUS. She was staring coldly at something still out of sight to him. A vamp came flying back at her, snarling menacingly. She wasn't phased in the least. Quietly she stood her ground and waited patiently as the moron raced towards his death. Suddenly her leg snapped up and hit him in the head, knocking him to the ground with one smooth blow. She knelt beside him and stabbed downwards with one singular motion. The vamp exploded into dust and Zachary caught sight of a piece of wood gripped in a steady hand. His brain, still sluggish from the blow, struggled to put a name to this wonder girl. Angel did it for him.

"Buffy!" he called out, relief and happiness evident in his voice. "You're all right!"

The girl turned towards him and immediately the mask fell away. Her face softened at the sight of him, battered and bruised as he was. An innocent delighted smile played across her lips and from his spot on the floor Zachary heard her whisper quietly to herself, "Angel. Thank God." She took a step towards him, completely forgetting Zachary lying at her feet. He pushed himself up with his hands and stood, staring at her.

Angel extended his hand to her, grinning like a human. "I thought I'd lost you," he confessed, oblivious to the dwindling number of vamps that were still attacking him and his allies.

"You did," a voice snarled and from out of nowhere a figure tackled Buffy to the ground, pinning her down. She shrieked with surprise, then screamed in pain as the stake buried itself in her side, missing her heart by an inch. Angel threw himself at Kalith, with a growl that sounded disturbingly like that of a wild cat. Grabbing his shoulders, he yanked him off Buffy and threw him about ten feet away. The vamp skidded across the floor for a few feet, shielding his head with his arms.

At the other end of the warehouse, behind Buffy and Zachary, Lily and Aaron were finishing off the last of the vamps. Aaron clutched a girl to his chest and buried his face in her neck, barely aware of her fading struggles as the erotic taste of blood flooded his senses and overwhelmed his consciousness.

Lily quickly forced another back onto a piece of wood and smiled with satisfaction as he turned to dust. A quick look confirmed that Aaron was finished with the girl, tossing her body on the floor where it landed with a dull thud before turning to dust as well. Aaron looked up at her, a victorious grin coming over him, when suddenly he caught sight of something over her shoulder. His face froze, and his icy blue eyes became impossibly colder. Lily turned, greatly alarmed.

Horror rose in her gorge at the sight of a young blond girl lying on the ground, blood seeping onto the floor. The blood was familiar; it was the same strange scent that had been in the apartment. Beyond her, they could see Kalith slid to a stop in a heap on the floor, while Angel, looking like he was capable of the most ruthless murder, which he was, stood a few feet away, waiting for him to get up. He wanted to make him suffer for what he'd done to Buffy, to his beloved.

Zachary knelt besides the girl, reaching out to her. Her face was pale, but that was normal, since she was technically dead. With skillful fingers, Zachary wrapped his hand around the stake still imbedded in her flesh and yanked it out as gently as he could. The girl attempted to muffle her scream, but it partly escaped past her lips. Angel glanced over, momentarily pre-occupied with assuring himself that she was still alive. Kalith used this opportunity to pull himself to his feet and began to circle Angel, who in turn followed his path with his eyes, wary and watchful.

Zachary probed the wound carefully, eliciting a groan from his petite patient. He glanced down at her face and smiled reassuringly, but the effort was lost behind his fangs. "Don't worry," he said. "You're going to be all right." The girl looked up at him, and the look on her face reminded him of an abused child coming in contact with a new person. Used to being attacked, but wanting to trust someone, anyone. Zachary reached down and engulfed her small hand in his own. "Trust me," he whispered, as he quickly bound the wound with a piece of clothe, "I'm an old friend of Angel's."

The girl stared into his eyes for a second and he could almost see the wheels in her mind turning. Suddenly her grip on his hand tightened and she used it to pull herself unsteadily to her feet. Buffy paid no attention to the burning sensation in her side or the would-be-attractive pair of vampires, had they not had fangs, approaching them. A sixth sense told her they were allies, and she was more concerned about Angel.

The two warring vamps continued to circle as if in a boxing ring, occasionally feinting, sensing each other out. Finally they both stopped, about two paces away from each other, staring into each other's eyes. Without warning Angel swung, hitting Kalith with a roundhouse punch, followed by a strong left hook. Kalith stumbled to the side, barely remaining standing, but he was ready for Angel when he came after him. He tightened his elbow and straightened, smashing into Angel's nose. He buried his fist in his stomach, but Angel was able to partly block the blow, allowing him to step backwards and kick Kalith in the forehead.

The fire in Buffy's side continued to grow, and she decided that there must be some splinters still stuck in there. But there was no time to worry about that; her Angel was in danger. She felt her stomach muscles clench as she watched the fight nervously, shifting her weight from foot to foot. Damn it, she should do something! But she knew she shouldn't.

The pair continued to fight, punching, kicking, wrestling. Kalith rammed his palm into Angel's face, pushing him off-balance and gaining an edge that he used to his advantage. Ducking, he head-butted him in the stomach, knocking him to the ground, while falling with him. Landing on top of Angel, he produced a stake out of his jacket and shoved it at his chest. Angel was quick though, intercepting the stake and managing to hold it just an inch over his skin.

That was it. Buffy started forward, fully intending to kick some major dead-guy ass, inspite of her injuries, when all of a sudden a clawed hand snaked out and attached its self to her wrist, yanking her back and nearly knocking her off her feet. She turned to face the red head that held her in an iron grip, her blue eyes flashing furiously. She was aware of the two males watching them, their attention torn momentarily off the fight, but she didn't give a fuck. With out realizing it, Buffy's face morphed, fangs bared and ready for use.

Lily ignored the unconscious threat, knowing she was taking a big risk, getting in between the girl and Angel. She stared her straight in the eye, holding her gaze unwaveringly. "Don't," she said quietly and firmly. "This is his fight. Don't get in the way." The tone of her voice was both commanding and pleading.

Buffy stood stock-still, her mind racing, trying to figure out what she should do. Her Slayer's sense (and common sense) told her she should help Angel, but something else told her that it wasn't her place. Red may be right, maybe she shouldn't get in the way. But if anything happened to Angel...

Meanwhile Angel was having trouble keeping the stake from piercing his heart. His muscles were screaming for relief from the constant pressure and Kalith was leaning all his weight onto the stake, trying to force it down. He snarled under his breath, grinning down as Angel grimaced with pain and his grip wavered. "Say uncle," Kalith whispered tauntingly.

Angel stared up into the demonic eyes he had helped create and felt a new rush of hatred and adrenaline course through his veins. Grunting with the effort, he braced himself and threw Kalith backwards, the stake skidding across the floor into the shadows. Angel stood and shook himself off slightly, answering obligingly, "Uncle." Kalith snarled angrily and leapt up.

Angel ducked a couple of punches, then managed to land some fairly damaging ones himself. Raising his leg, he landed a devastating kick to the soul-less vampires' head, which knocked him backwards, over a couple of unseen crates. Angel leapt after him, vaulting over the boxes and landing in the darkness. No one was there, no prone body lying on the floor.

He glanced around, wary and on edge, waiting for the attack that was sure to come. Silence pervaded the room, seeming to thicken the air. Nothing moved, not a sound to be heard or a shadow to be seen. Angel continued to turn in a circle, looking everywhere, wondering what was going to happen.

Lily shifted uneasily, glancing about with the rest of them. "Maybe he's not as stupid as we all thought," she said, shrugging her shoulders slightly, though she looked less than convinced about her observation. "Maybe he left."

Buffy turned to look at her, considering the idea, "That would be the smart thing to do. After all he was los-"

From out of nowhere a shadow flew through the air and tackled Angel to the ground. He hit his head hard on the cement, nearly knocking him unconscious and preventing him from defending himself. Kalith leaned over him, a mad, victorious glint shining in his eyes. "This is for Germany," he growled, thinking of the battle that occurred decades ago, and with that, he raised his stake high above his shoulder and . . . Gasped with pain. Angel could vaguely see the point of a stake sticking through his chest. Kalith stared at Angel with eyes full of surprise and anger, then half turned to look at his killer.

Aaron kneeled beside him, his cold vampire visage impassive for the first time that night. "That was for my family," he whispered grimly, then Kalith exploded, splitting into thousands of particles of dust that drifted harmlessly to the floor. Angel looked up at his comrade expectantly, waiting for something, though he wasn't sure what. "I told you I'd kill him," he said quietly and extended his hand to help him up.

Angel welcomed the proffered hand readily, his head still ringing from the blow dealt to it by the hard floor. He spread his feet to steady himself, and it's a good thing he did, because Buffy, her face back to normal, nearly bowled him over with her enthusiastic embrace. She wrapped her arms around his chest and held on for dear life, forgetting even her wounded side. Angel winced at the power with which she held him, every muscle in his body aching, but held her in his arms no less tightly. He kissed the top of her head, her cheek, her neck, wanting to say something, but not wanting to stop kissing her long enough to say it. Finally he just settled on a whispered, "I love you." Buffy merely leaned into him, pressing her forehead into his chest, her eyes closed and wet with tears of relief, too wrought with emotion to speak. For the second time in two nights, she'd thought she'd lost him forever.

The three other surviving vampires took in the sight of the united couple for a second, then turned away, slightly embarrassed at having caught each other staring. Instead they surveyed the damage that they had caused in such a short time. Everywhere there were piles of dust, smashed crates and stray pieces of wood that had served as stakes. Blood was splattered across the floor in various areas, and shards of glass were sprinkled under the opening in the roof. All in all, it was a disaster area.

Aaron stared around numbly, still in shock, and partly caught up in his memories. Quietly Lily approached him from the front, her wide green eyes broad casting understanding and love. Aaron didn't say anything, just let her enfold him in her arms, arms which just moments before had brought such death, now held him tenderly as he said good bye to his family, one last time, for in killing Kalith, he had destroyed the last tie that he had to his former life. But somehow, it felt good.

Zachary wandered aimlessly around the warehouse, occasionally kicking some debris out of his way. Finally he ended up standing in the middle of the room, surrounding by glass and patterns of blood. Turning, he completed a full circle, then sighed out loud, distracting the others, who looked at him questioningly. "Well," he said. "At least we didn't burn anything down this time."


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