Gone... But Not Forgotten: Part 6
by Jai L
Buffy shuddered against the post she was chained to. She felt the hot tears streaming down her cheeks. She felt the bonfire in front of her burn at an incredible heat. She felt the mood of her companions now.

And she really didn't give a damn.

She was so tired. Of everything. Since the first day that Merrick had come to her, her life was hell. She had lost Merrick, been kicked out of school, moved, died, brought back by the man she loved, lost Willow and Angel because of the Annointed one, grieved, came to England to find her long lost friends, been attacked, had her love kidnapped, stabbed in front of her, died in her arms, and thrown into a bonfire.

Life was such a bitch.

"Buffy?" Willow called out.

Buffy didn't look up as she replied with a faint, "Yes?" She heard Willow shift around next to her and say, "I'm sorry." Buffy sobbed and whispered, "I never got the chance to tell him." Willow was silent for a moment then said, "He's in heaven now. He knows." Buffy laughed bitterly and replied, "It so ironic. We came because Xander never got to say goodbye to Jesse. He wanted at least to say goodbye to you. Now he's gone... And I never got to even say goodbye."

Willow only answered with silence, not knowing how to answer her devastated friend.


* * *
Giles looked up as Falen walked in. Falen was now in his male form. He walked up a sword laying on the ground. The same one that he had used to stab Xander. He lifted it up to his lips and licked off some of Xander's blood. He then turn towards them and smiled.

"Yummy."

"You sick demented bastard." Giles screamed.

He heard Buffy sobbing to his right. Buffy was like a daughter to him. He loved her so much. When he watched Xander die, he knew that Buffy was going to lose it. Especially now that she realized her love for him. He was furious at Falen for slaughtering Xander. He wanted to go over there and kill the vampire. He new he didn't stand any chance, but he was in such a rage, he felt he could rip the vampire apart.

"Awwwwww, the compliments." Falen said with a sick smile.

"You didn't have to kill him." Angel said next to Giles.

Falen's smile widened as he turned around to walk away.

"Yes I did. Your hatred is an added bonus."


* * *
"Buffy?"

Buffy looked up to Giles as he called out her name.

"What is it?" She asked.

"He's doing this to distract you. To make you vulnerable." Giles answered.

"It's working." Buffy mumbled.

Buffy could tell that Giles was worried about her. Hell, she was worried too. But right now she was lost. And she didn't know how she'll recover.


* * *
An hour later, Falen and the two vampires walked back into the cavern and gave his captives a toothy smile. He walked up to Buffy and stroked her hair. Buffy pulled her head away angrily. She didn't know where she got the energy, but she did. Falen gave her a surprised look. He was obviously impressed with the sudden burst of hatred.

"Feisty. I like that." Falen said grinning. "The power you show is just what I need. To open the gate, I need unbelievable power."

"Gate?" Cordelia echoed. "What gate?"

Falen turned around and replied, "The gate of hell." Angel sighed and said, "This is not good." Falen grinned and responded, "You better believe it. For 2000 years, I have searched for a source of power to open the gate. Where I failed once, I will succeed now. With the power of the slayer, I shall open the gate. The dark lord shall come, and hell will envelop the world."

He walked off, leaving his two minions to stare at his captives. Then they themselves left, leaving Buffy and her friends to say a silent prayer. For themselves and the world.

* * *
His fist pounded into the door once. Twice. A third time. He yelled in frustration. Xander Harris was not happy. He looked around his surroundings for any type of escape route. No cell was foolproof. If Buffy was here, she could probably do something. After all, she's the slayer.

Xander leaned against the wall and sighed. He had to get out. His friends were in danger. He had to be there. But there didn't seem to be any way out of the cell. Xander brought his head back, pounding it against the sheetrock wall.

Sheetrock.

Xander turned around and smiled.

"Blood thirsty demons, yes. Construction workers, no." Xander said with a grin.

He reached his fist back, and crashed it into the wall. She pulled his fist from the wall, and kicked it. Over and over until there was a large hole. He braced his foot against the ground and slammed his foot into a wooden brace in the wall. He watched it splinter and drop onto the ground. Xander wriggled his body through the hole he had created.

He dropped onto the ground, getting a good look at his surroundings. He saw a large stockpile of weapons against the wall.

"Jesus. Who do these guys think they are, the army?" Xander muttered to himself.

At that moment Xander heard a noise behind him. He twirled around and saw two vampires entering the cavern. He saw their shocked expression to him, and smiled. His smile vanished as they rushed him. The one who reached him first got a quick kick to the stomach, while the other received a blow across the jaw. Xander spun around and pivoted his foot upwards and saw it connect solidly to the vampire's head. He swung around and punched the other vampire in the face and quickly followed with a roundhouse to his chest.

At that moment, Xander felt something hard crash down onto his back.


* * *
Falen walked into the cavern and smiled at his prisoners.

"Time to begin." He said in a devious grin.

Buffy watched as dozens of vampires entered the cavern and stand against the wall. Falen shedded his trenchcoat and slipped on a robe.

He looked at the bonfire and his captives and said, "Let's begin."

Falen turned to the bonfire and started chanting.

"Aji. Ghas. Kure. Devus. Jorun. Malid. Rutis. Wedu. Getra. Coni. Vergu. Cameil. Fedal. Vosga. Tarden. Himte. Gengru. Degsa. Saldi. Paratadi. Hevnol. Lokta. Quape. Custa. Morgot. Dirtis. Fols."

The flames swelled enormously. Buffy watched as small green orbs of light formed around the bonfire and spun. The flame grew and grew, until the cavern stung with heat. Buffy closed her eyes, wanting her last thought to be of Xander.


* * *
Xander fell to the ground and looked up. The first vampire he had hit was standing above him with a large rock. Xander rolled out of the way as the rock dropped to where he had been laying. He jumped to his feet and turned around. The vampire slammed into him, sending him into the cavern wall. Xander felt the wind knock out of him at the impact. He looked up and saw the vampire standing over him. Xander tried to get up, but the impact had made him too dizzy. The vampire snatched up a wicked looking sword from the ground and brought it up. Xander clenched his eyes, preparing for the deadly blow.

It never came. Xander heard a grunt as the vampire dropped the sword with a clatter and blew up in a cloud of dust. Standing behind him was Nicholas. Nicholas moaned in pain and crumpled to the ground. Falen's spell, Xander realized. Xander saw that the other vampire was advancing towards Nicholas. Xander wasn't going to give him the chance.

Xander jumped up in a rush of adrenaline. He ran up to the vampire and tackled him. He picked the demon from the ground and delivered a sharp uppercut. He then punched the vampire in the gut. He grabbed the vampire's arm and swung him into the wall of the cavern. Xander looked down onto the ground and saw a sliver of the wooden brace from the wall. He picked it up and slammed it into the vampires chest.

Xander didn't even bother to watch the vampire turn to dust as he turned around to check on Nicholas. Nicholas was staggering up, quite pale. A big feat for a vampire. Xander rushed to his side and helped him up.

"I can't..." Nicholas started. "I can't feel him..."

"Falen?" Xander asked, confused.

"Yes." Nicholas continued. He straightened up, obviously feeling stronger and said, "I can't feel him in my mind. Watching me anymore. Something's happening. Something big. Something is causing him to use his magic. Using it a lot."

Xander straightened and murmured, "Buffy." Nicholas looked up with worry and said, "If I can't feel him, Falen must be using a lot of his magic. Your friends are in danger."

Xander nodded silently. As if making a final decision, Xander grabbed a crossbow, arrows, a gun, and a sword from the stack of weapons. Nicholas grabbed weapons of his own and followed Xander as they ran to help Buffy and his friends.


* * *
Xander hid in the shadows as he walked on the ledge above the huge cavern Falen was chanting in. Quite hard considering the fact that the bonfire in front of the powerful demon was shining brightly. Nicholas had led him there, and showed him how to avoid being caught.

Below him, he saw Buffy, Willow, Cordelia, Giles, and Angel chained to large wooden posts. They all looked like they had been through the ringer. Buffy really looked tired. She even seemed like she was ready to throw in the towel.

Falen continued chanting, oblivious to Xander or Nicholas. "Paratadi. Hevnol. Lokta. Quape. Custa. Morgot. Dirtis. Fols."

Xander watched as many small green orbs of light or energy appeared and spun around.

"What's he saying?" Xander whispered.

"I don't know." Nicholas said while shaking his head. "Some of the words I recognize. I can make out 'Fire. Gate. Dark. Chaos. Lord. Come.'. but that's it."

"Gate. Chaos. Dark." Xander repeated. His eyes widened and he looked at Nicholas. "Could Falen be trying to do the job that Gregan failed at? Could he be trying to open the gate to hell?"

Nicholas stared at Falen , then at Xander.

"Yes, I think so." Nicholas confirmed. "We have to stop him. Now."

Xander looked down at Falen and his friends and muttered, "I have a plan."

* * *
Xander leaned against the wall, surveying a way to save his friends.

"I don't see how we can do this." Nicholas muttered next to him. "Black magic can't be trifled with."

Xander straightened at what he said. Black magic. That's it.

"You said Falen tried to teach you black magic, right?" Xander asked.

"Yeah." Nicholas answered, clearly confused.

"And what nullifies Black magic?" Xander asked.

"Well, white magic would. But I don't see... Oh you can't be serious." Nicholas replied.

"Yes I am." Xander responded with a gleam in his eye. "Don't you see? You are the descendent of the mages. Good guys. They practiced white magic. Maybe you can too."

"No." Nicholas said while shaking his head. "I'm a demon remember?"

"A good demon." Xander answered, emphasizing the word, good. "You have incredible control over your dark half. Maybe that's why you couldn't do black magic."

"You might be right." Nicholas replied. "But the problem at hand would need some knowledge of white magic. Something I don't even have."

"You're right." Xander responded. "Too bad I am not a descendent. I could have probably done it. I have knowledge of hundreds of spells."

"You do? How?" Nicholas asked.

"Oh, I did a lot of research into the occult and stuff. You learn a few tricks along the way." Xander replied.

"If that's so, there may be a way." Nicholas said.

"What do you mean?" Xander asked.

"I could merge with your body, like the two mages merged." Nicholas replied. "I've done it with Falen. That's how he mainly tried to teach me. But the interesting thing is that when the two forms are merged, their minds become one. But if we did do this, there would be a danger."

"Danger?" Xander echoed.

"My demon." Nicholas answered.

"Look, if it'll save my friends, I'll do it." Xander said. "No risk, no danger is too big. Let's do it."

Nicholas nodded silently and placed his hands at the sides of Xander's head. Slowly, their bodies became one. Then it happened. An explosion of pure thought. For what seemed like years, Nicholas' and Xander's minds exchanged thought.

Xander saw Nicholas play with his mother as a baby.

Nicholas saw Xander playing football with Willow and Jesse.

Xander saw Nicholas have his first kiss.

Nicholas saw Xander meet Buffy.

Xander saw Nicholas meet Falen.

Nicholas saw Xander fall in love with Buffy.

Xander saw Nicholas' fear and horror at the ancient vampire.

Nicholas saw Xander's heart get broken when Buffy rejected him.

Xander saw Falen feed on Nicholas.

Nicholas saw Xander's pain after Willow's and Angel's disappearance.

Xander saw the demon Nicholas reborn.

Nicholas saw Xander's pain over those two years.

Xander saw Nicholas' pain when he received his soul back.

Nicholas saw Xander's joy at his reunion.

Xander saw Nicholas' hope with Buffy and her friends.

They were one.

Xander opened his eyes to find himself alone. Yet he felt otherwise.

*Nicholas?*

And from the depths of his mind, he received an answer.

*Yes Xander?*

*Where are you?*

*I am here. Within you.*

*Are you okay?*

*I was about to ask you the same. Can you feel my demon?*

*Yes. We have it in check. What do we do now?*

*We fight."

*Do you have access to the spells in my memory?*

*Yes. We are ready. Xander?*

*Yes?*

*Clowns?*

*Oh, be quiet.*

Xander heard Nicholas chuckle in his mind. Xander looked down at Falen and his friends. They were ready.


* * *
Buffy clenched her eyes shut, not wanting to hear Falen's chanting. Not wanting to know that she was about to die. All she cared about, all she thought about, was Xander. I never told him, she thought.

From behind her, she heard a shuffle, as if something was moving behind her. She felt the chains behind her strain and weaken. She looked next to her and noticed that Willow's was doing the same. Suddenly all the chains, holding all her friends, snapped and fell to the ground. She pulled herself free from the post, as did her friends and looked behind her. Around them was nothing but shadows. Then from the shadows, emerged a figure. A figure that shined of hope. Of power. Of love.

Xander.




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