Remembrance: 16
by Selene
Andrew scanned the crowd with an increased interest... If he could find out something of importance and relay it on channel 12 Xander MIGHT forgive him. It wasn’t fair! Xander had Dawn helping him and she was REALLY organized. The girl even color coded her underwear. That thought just made him feel even more guilty... It’s not my fault I tipped over her laundry basket and ruined that color coded splendor. He sighed. This battle was confusing and scary and in such a bigger scale than he had ever imagined. Like the Ewok battle in Endor but with no log traps or C3PO. Buffy’s scythe was almost as cool as a lightsaber but...
Hey what was that? He had been so focused on finding Spike that he didn’t look in the other direction. Xander’s direction... He snorted. Was that Angel? What the frell was that thing? That fahrbot vampire was going to fight a dragon? He watched the Angel vs. dragon scene play out with one eye peeking out from under his hand the other clenched around the binoculars. His high pitch scream was lost in the sound of the battle below as Angel was blasted by a fireburst. He looked down and made sure that the channel was on 12 or was it supposed to be 5? He switched it to 5 and then back to 12 again... He double checked to see that Angel was down. Well, if he was going to possibly broadcast this to all he better double check.
Then he saw Rona. Ohhhh... Rona. The sweet, sweet slayerette. She was all crusty on the outside but he knew she melted like butter for him on the inside. She too must have seen Angel fall... She pulled the demons off the pile. Then he caught movement a demon had kicked her into another. Why hadn’t he warned her? Those damned binoculars were zoomed in all the way! He leaned over the roof ledge so he could see better. Ahhhh... Sigh of relief. She had taken good care of herself he took the two-way in his hand just so he would be ready if there was a next time. She had returned to the pile pulling off corpses... She froze and whirled around in a crouched fighting stance. In slow motion Andrew watched this thing lunge at her and attach itself to her neck. It was hideous... all burned on the left side. Then he recognized the right side. The two-way slipped out of his sweaty palm falling over the edge of the rooftop wall and shattering on the ground. He spun around fully intending to run straight to Xander and Dawn when his feet got tied up in the emergency weapon pack that he kept for himself. He went down hard. It happened so fast that he had almost no time to brace himself for impact. His head hit the corner of the brick wall and everything was black...
Her breath was coming harsher now. Her arm felt like lead. Each swing was getting slower and slower. She pictured him then... bathed in a glowing white light. Glowing from within. His soul exposed shining on them all. She relived that horrible moment when she realized that he was staying behind. Her words hanging on the air. Her hand burning within his grasp. The look of wonder that had flashed in his eyes for a second. Doubt and confusion following. Then cold certainty that her words offered nothing more than comfort...
She felt her determination harden. Nothing would stand between them this time. She could do this. No fears. No mixed messages. It took her losing him once to find out what her truly meant to her and she wasn’t going to waste anymore time... She couldn’t live her life to make others happy. At least she couldn’t sacrifice her personal happiness just because they were unhappy with her choices...
The tender moments between Spike and her were all that she had to hold on to and those were precious few. She swung harder. She had so much to make up to him for... She knew that they were on borrowed time now... Feeling the scythe tear through flesh like paper she half turned. Right into a fist. She was knocked back into Giles who caught her and stumbled... A quick motion from him and one word, “censum..” set the offender on fire.
Willow who was taken aback by Giles use of power stepped in and chastised HIM for once, “Giles... Y’know that we are conserving our powers till we are in position. Could you please learn some control?” She smiled to take the sting out of her words and bounced on her feet. Giles suddenly felt like control with Willow was the most important thing he could focus on. He reached for his glasses... rubbing them in a swift circular motion. Willow’s eyes strayed to his hands her mouth parted slightly. He could see the tip of her tongue dart across her pink lips.
Buffy glanced at them in confusion... What was going on? Well there was no time to figure it out. They were almost through the area that had been burned by the dragon when Willow spotted her... Rona was laying on the ground split in two. Willow started to cry knowing that there was nothing that she could do to help. Giles put a comforting hand around her shoulders. Buffy wanted to turn to him but knew the moment that she turned they would be set upon again. There were less demons now but they kept coming. One of the girls called out a warning. She saw a movement out of the corner of her eye. She swung the scythe up high trying to catch the opponent unaware. The scythe cut though the sword with a loud twang. She whirled.
There holding a half of a sword was Angel...
Buffy flung herself in his arms. Grateful that he was still alive. He returned the hug squeezing the breath out of her lungs. He leaned over her swooping down to kiss her on the lips. Buffy put a finger up to his lips to stop him.
“I am sooo glad you are alright... Ummm... have you seen the others? Wesley... Gunn... Spike...” Her scythe flew through the air and buried itself in the chest of a demon.
Angel’s face had gone cold at the mention of his name. “I lost them...” His fist shot out and he broke a demons nose. Followed by a kick that sent him flying.
Buffy’s face fell. Two rabbit punches followed but an uppercut leading into a low arc of the scythe that cut the demon in two.
“Well Buffy... I HAVE been kinda busy here. Killing dragons?!” He flung his arm out to point out his latest conquest. Also nailing another opponent.
Like she could have missed it. Inwardly rolling her eyes, she thought, ‘Hello... My tally has demon god... AND I helped Spike with the first... Also giant snaky mayor, who in my book, equals a dragon.
Giles had been trying unsuccessfully to get Buffy’s attention for a minute. Willow stepped closer and shouted, “BUFFY!” practically in her ear. Buffy swung around stunned. Willow’s mouth scrunched to the side and she lifted her shoulder up in a way of an apology. “Ummm... Buffy... Ummm... Giles and I are ready to start. W-we need you to guard us as we complete the spell. Is that, okay?”
Buffy nodded and signaled the slayers to get into defense mode.
Angel watched all this with a calculating eye. “Buffy? Where should I go?”
“Right by me will be fine...”
Angel stood rigidly beside her.
The stood in the center of the battle rain now misting down on them. Entwining both of their hands they felt the power expand. Rushing over boundaries and spilling into each other. Travelling back and forth until it burst free full of power. Both lips moved in unison, “Motus terrae imprecor nostras adgredior cessare...” The ground shifted and buckled knocking back the horde surrounding the group. Travelling outward. They saw Faith and Group A hanging in there not far from where they were at. Buffy waved sassily. Faith blew her a kiss. Farther away at the end of the battle Buffy swore that she could see a flash of white. Her hopes skyrocketed.
Angel could hear her heartbeat accelerate and her breathing hitch. He knew then that there was no hope left for him. He felt bitter and wanted to smash something preferably Spikes face. The slayer blood was now a secret that he kind of relished. It would hurt Buffy to know that he had done that just like it hurt him to finally realize that she was gone. Out of his reach. He didn’t REALLY want her to know and would do anything to keep the secret... But he liked the fact that he could replay the moment of sinking his teeth into a slayers neck and drawing her life out. Right next to the Slayer that broke his heart.
The demons brushed themselves off and half of the resumed the attack on the survivors. The other smarter half started to rush toward the opening in the alley way. Trying to escape. They knew now that they were dealing with major magick. Giles and Willow smiled they were ready. This was the focusing spell that they had practiced on at the Coven. Now it was gametime.
Giles took Willow by the hand and turns her so that her back is up against his chest. She felt all barriers go down between them. He had seen her at her worst and he finally just let go of his past and focused on the now. She leans back into him as close as she can get. He takes her hand and lays his own above it. His finger is pointed out and underneath his is Willows. The rest of their hand is fused together. Power glyphs appear over them as they trace them into the air “diluvium...” a blue glyph appears. “procella...” Another one. “tempestas...” this one is black rimmed in white. “ignis...” Silver. “censum...” Red. “deflagration...” Bright orange. The last word were spoken and triggered the glyphs, “imprecor nostras adgredior cessare morbundum hoadie...” Giles and Willow suspended in the air arms wrapped around each other in bliss felt only release.
Glowing energy shoots out over the whole battlefield. Each demon is targeted by a single ball of energy bringing with it its own special brand of death. By water, flame or lighting the huge horde was reduced to none. Buffy watched the demon in front of her explode from a lightning strike that came out of nowhere... ‘Hey! that was close!’ The battlefield cleared Buffy drops the scythe and starts to run in the direction that she thinks Spike is in. Angel is completely ignored...
A/N: review me... Also, I have a bunch of Latin in this fic. Please forgive me, in the fact that it is an equivalent of a two year old trying to speak it. I just wanted to use it for a more realistic feel than a bunch of nonsense words. By who knows, the way I strung them together I am sure that it IS nonsense.
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