Fairy Tales Do Come True: Part 4
by Jared Baierschmidt
Spike finished reading the last few lines from the paperback, describing in detail the tornado about to descend upon the faerie village. He looked up at Giles.
“Well, you’d better hurry up if you want to see your friends again,” he said and folded his hands together. “Before we massacre them anyhow.”
Giles clenched his teeth together and grabbed the sack of silver powder from the table. The assembled vampires moved out of his way as he slowly walked a circle in the center of the floor, sprinkling the dust behind him. Walking back to the table he picked up the spell book and mouthed the words silently for a moment, preparing to cast the spell.
* * *
“What do you suppose this means?” Cordelia asked, staring at the shining light bulb that dangled from the pipes above the sewerway.
“Here be vampires,” Xander replied in his best pirate impression. Cordelia rolled her eyes and took the stake and cross from Xander’s hands as he climbed up the rusty ladder. He pushed against the wooden trap door gently and peered out for a few seconds.
“Well, what did you see?” Cordelia asked as he descended back down the ladder.
“Not much,” Xander replied. “We’re beneath the burned out warehouse. There was a lot of stuff in the way, but I caught a glimpse of some vamps standing around.”
“So, don’t just stand there, go up and get rid of them,” Cordelia said thrusting the stake and cross back in Xander’s hands.
“What do I have the word ‘suicidal’ tattooed on my forehead or something?” Xander asked.
“You’re the big army hero. Remember Halloween?” Cordelia snapped back.
“Look, we can’t just walk in there and start staking things like we’re Buffy twins or something. We need a plan,” Xander said.
“Okay, I’m listening,” Cordelia said.
“That’s a first,” Xander muttered.
“What was that?”
“Nothing. All right, this is what we’re going to do....” Xander said, huddling close to Cordelia.
* * *
Drucilla’s high pitched laughter joined with the howling winds as lightening exploded down around the faerie village. Faeries tumbled through the air, beating their wings frantically against the wind and grabbing on to each other for support. Flames lapped the top of the mushroom houses while continual lightening strikes decimated the roofs.
“Angel, take Bobby to the forest and keep him safe,” Buffy said, detaching the crying little boy from her leg.
“Where are you going?” Angel asked in alarm as her wrapped his arms around the boy. Thunder drowned out Buffy’s first attempt at a reply.
“I have to find Willow and Nibbles,” Buffy cried and charged head down against the winds towards the burning faerie structures.
The grassy lawns of the village were quickly turning to muddy pools in the downpour. Buffy heard shouts from her left and looked down into one of the faerie pit traps. Drucilla’s men, still entangled in the magical netting, were slowly being buried as the walls of the pit oozed down over them. Buffy shuddered but ran on, unable to do anything for them by herself.
Smoke whirled around her, blinding her with tears as ashes stung her eyes.
“Quick, head for the forest,” Buffy shouted at two faeries that appeared suddenly out of the oily blackness.
“The Queen! You must help the Queen, she’s coming behind us,” one of the faeries said pointing into the darkness. Buffy plunged on ahead, choking on the smell of burnt mushrooms.
“Willow, where are you!” she stopped and cried out, losing her direction in the shifting smoke. A voice called to her from just ahead to her right.
The smoke parted enough for Buffy to glimpse Willow bending over a small form on the ground. Behind her, the still burning Faerie palace cast an orange glow over the rolling clouds of smoke. Buffy ran forward, then suddenly stopped as she realized who lay on the ground.
“A piece of the ceiling struck her on the head,” Willow was crying as she gathered up Nibbles motionless body in her arms. “She won’t open her eyes, Buffy. I don’t know what to do.”
A sudden gust of wind tore away the smoke and extinguished the burning palace. Buffy looked up and gazed into the hate filled eyes of Drucilla. A maelstrom of clouds and smoke whirled around her, slowly descending towards the ground. Without a word she aimed a finger at Buffy.
Using all of her strength, Buffy shoved Willow aside. The girl, still clutching Nibbles, was sent sliding across the mud-slick lawn. Buffy closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable lightening bolt when she herself was struck from behind.
Thunder ripped the air around her, flattening her to the ground and rattling her heart. Realizing that she was in no pain she opened her eyes and looked around.
She immediately wished she hadn’t.
On the spot where she had stood lay a single blackened figure, his body still smoking from the electric strike. Skin peeled away from his once brooding face, leaving red and blackened gorges to bubble along his cheeks. Worst of all, however, the man was still alive, clawing at the mud with shriveled fingers.
“Angel,” was all Buffy could whisper as she crawled up to him, the rest of the world forgotten.
“Buffy, I --” Angel tried to speak, but his voice cracked.
“How touching,” Drucilla shouted from above them. “The lovers will die together. I didn’t expect your noble sacrifice Angel, but you’ve only prolonged the Slayer’s agony and increased my sport. Now you will all die.”
Giles raised the silver goblet and chanted in Latin three times, changing the inflection of each word with each recital. The three vampires that stood just outside the circle of silver powder backed away uneasily as the air began to waver in front of them. Spike’s hands were pressed together in front of his lips, his eyes boring into Giles as he waited patiently for the spell to end. One of the vampires edged over towards him.
“Shouldn’t we have summoned all of the others?” the servant asked in a whisper. “This librarian could be playing a trick. And what will we do if the Slayer really does arrive?”
“We have surprise as our advantage,” Spike replied without taking his eyes off Giles. “And with both Angelus and Dru back at our side we should be able to handle the Slayer without problem.”
* * *
“This is insane, you know,” Cordelia hissed to Xander as she grabbed supplies from Giles’ duffel bag. Xander glared at her and raised a single finger to his lips in reply, jerking his head towards the assembled vampires just on the other side of the stack of half-melted television sets. They waited a breathless moment for some sign of being discovered, but all they heard was Giles’ sonorous chanting.
“Just be ready,” Xander said, whispering directly into Cordelia’s ear.
* * *
Buffy’s tears mingled with the raindrops that ran down her cheeks. She took Angel’s blackened hand in her own and laid it gently against her cheek. Angel’s eyes unfocused and his breaths came short gasps.
Willow pulled herself and Nibbles over to the pair, bowing her head and laying a hand on Buffy’s shoulder.
“Buffy!” a sudden shout rang out. Bobby came running out of the smoky mist but slid his way to a stop at the sight of Angel and his sister. He fell to the ground, as if his legs could no longer hold the weight of his body, his face pale.
Drucilla laughed and raised her arms to the sky. The vortex that spun above her suddenly snaked from the sky and reached out to grab the helpless group.
“This is the end!” Drucilla shouted, spittle glistening on her lips.
Buffy closed her eyes, her heart collapsing in upon itself in despair. And then suddenly, the world burst into shimmering white light.
* * *
The shadows were driven from every corner of the warehouse in a flash of light as Giles completed the spell. A number of bodies appeared within the now blackened circle of dust, lying unmoving upon the floor.
“Quickly!” Spike yelled, trying to see through the blur of colors that danced in his eyes. “Kill the Slayer before she awakens!”
The vampire servants rubbed at their own eyes and advanced. Giles hurled the spellbook at the vampires and sprang sideways, sprinting for a wooden broom that lay in the corner of the room.
“Leave him and finish her off,” Spike commanded, his voice tense.
“Now why would you want to bite a plain girl like her when there’s a beautiful girl like me here?” a voice questioned behind the vampires. They turned to see Cordelia, arms held behind her back as she seductively batted her eyelashes. One of them smiled and took a step towards the girl.
Cordelia whipped her hand forward and doused the vampire with holy water. Shrieking in pain as his skin fell in shreds from his face, the demon turned and bolted from the room. Cordelia threw glass flasks at the other two vampires, forcing them to dodge out of the magical circle.
“Dammit, do I have to everything myself?” Spike yelled, his voice cracking as he began to wheel towards Buffy. An arm suddenly snapped him back against his chair and a wooden stake appeared poised over his heart.
“Nobody move or the cripple gets it!” Xander shouted.
“Cordelia! Xander! How did you find us?” Giles panted as he came running back, broken pieces of broom handle in either hand.
“Could we chat later, after all the demon thingies are dead?” Cordelia asked. The two remaining vampires eyed the Slayerettes with hatred, but made no aggressive move. Cordelia grabbed a cross from behind her belt and forced the vampires away from the black circle while Giles carried the children, Buffy, and Willow away one by one.
“Today, we end in a draw,” Spike said, frowning as Buffy was pulled from the circle.
“From where I stand, it looks to me like checkmate,” Xander boasted, keeping the tip of the stake pressed against Spike’s chest.
“Well then, why don’t you take a seat!” Spike snarled and swung an elbow back suddenly. Xander caught the blow straight on the chin and fell backwards.
“Xander!” Cordelia cried out, turning slightly. The two vampires reacted instantly, pouncing on the girl and knocking the cross away. Giles ran at them, brandishing his stakes. The vampires backed away from Cordelia, trying to outflank the librarian. Giles stabbed a few feints at the vampire on the left, then lunged suddenly at the one on his right.
The vampire knocked the stake away with a laugh. The second demon took a swing at Giles, forcing him to jump to one side. He prepared to defend himself again when suddenly something wrapped around his ankle and yanked him to the floor.
"Looks like I got the catch of the day," Angel smiled his face transforming into its demon countenance while he dragged Giles closer. A foot smashed down on his hand, however, forcing him to let go.
"I guess you'll have to tell everyone about the one that got away," Buffy said. Angel snatched back his hand and stood, pulling Drucilla to her feet. She held her head and swayed, looking around disoriented.
There was a snarl behind Buffy. She ducked instinctively as a vampire’s punch cut the air where here head had been. Kneeling quickly, she grabbed one of Giles' stakes. The vampire threw another hook punch at her as she tried to stand. Buffy jumped into the vampire, thrusting her stake up between its ribs with both hands. The vampire exploded into dust, leaving a fine film of sand covering her clothing. Buffy spun around and scanned the warehouse, but there was no sign of Dru, Spike, or Angel.
"This isn't over! This will never be over! You’ll have to kill me to end it!" Angel's voice echoed from the far side of the building. She heard a door slam.
"I know," Buffy said quietly. "I promised." A lone tear slid down her cheek.
"Buffy are you all right?" Giles asked as he stood. "You're not hurt are you?"
"No, I'm fine," Buffy said, hastily wiping away the tear and turning away from him. She paled suddenly. "Nibbles! She was hurt!"
Giles and Buffy ran over to the little girl, curled up in her pajamas on the floor. She stirred at Buffy's touch.
"Can we go home now?" Nibbles asked sleepily.
"Yes, Nibbles," Buffy said with a laugh, bundling the little girl up in her arms and hugging her.
Xander slowly stood up and approached rubbing his jaw. His usual smirk, however, disappeared as he caught a glimpse of one of the bodies still on the floor.
"Cordelia!" Xander's sudden shriek made both Buffy and Giles jump. The teenager dashed across the room and cradled Cordelia's head in his lap, stroking her hair. "Cordelia, what's wrong? Come on, Cordy, say something. Open your eyes and say something!"
"That’s probably the last time I’ll ever hear you say that," Cordelia said, opening one eye as a ghost of a smile traced her lips.
Xander glared at her for a moment, then sighed.
“Cordelia, sometimes you annoy the hell of out me,” Xander said. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t care about you.” He bent forward and kissed her gently.
"It has been a very... very... weird couple of days," Buffy said in a tired voice while watching the two of them.
"Actually, you've only been gone a few hours -- well, according to our time anyway. Speaking of which, we'd best wake the others and get the children home before they're missed," Giles said. Buffy nodded in reply, but kept gazing at Cordelia and Xander as they continued their kiss. She wasn’t sure whether she wanted to cry or throw up.
* * *
Mrs. Thrumman quietly opened the front door and peeked inside the house.
“I was a little afraid I’d find you tied to the dining room chair like the last baby-sitter,” she said, smiling as she saw Buffy sitting on the living room couch.
“Believe me, I don’t think Bobby is going to try that trick ever again,” Buffy said. She gathered her things and prepared to go.
“Mommy?” a sleepy voice came from the stairs.
“Nibbles! Bobby! What are you doing up so late?” Mrs. Thrumman cried rushing to hug her children.
“Can Buffy baby-sit us again next time?” Bobby asked, glancing shyly at Buffy.
“Is that what was so important that it got you out of bed?” Mrs. Thrumman laughed.
“Please, Mommy? We went to the most wonderful place with faeries, and mushroom houses, and knights, and I got to be the Faerie Queen --” Nibbles said, spilling the words as fast as she could think them.
“I read her favorite story before she went to bed,” Buffy explained quickly with a weak smile.
“Well, honey, it’s really up to Buffy whether she wants to come back or not,” Mrs. Thrumman said to the children.
“I’ll behave next time, really,” Bobby said nodding solemnly to Buffy.
“If I have the time, I’ll baby-sit again,” Buffy laughed. The children cheered and, waving good-bye, ran back up the stairs.
“I must say I’m shocked and impressed,” Mrs. Thrumman said, beaming at Buffy. “How in the world did you ever get them to behave?”
“I didn’t,” Buffy admitted. “You have good kids. Maybe their actions are misguided sometimes but their hearts are in the right place.”
“You have great maternal instincts, Buffy,” Mrs. Thrumman said, getting her keys out and preparing to take Buffy home. “Someday I’ll bet you’ll raise two little angels of your own.”
Buffy’s heart caught in her throat. From the doorway she stared up at the stars, trying to make some sense of the constellations. The night seemed much darker than she had ever remembered.
“If only everyone really could live happily ever after,” she murmured to herself and stepped out into the night.
THE END
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