In the front yard, the winds still blowing, the rain still falling, the girls meet up. Each had a look of anguish on their face when they met. Ariel looked around, and noticed that Maggie was not among them. Julie fell to her knees, a broken arm cradled to her chest, tears streaming down her face. Around the girls, howls of the darkness swarmed, and no one came out to help them. Dawn looked at her house, the front window was smashed in, caliginosity filling the rubble inside.
“We’re going to hospital.” Dawn told them. “We have to find Buffy.”
Willow let out a cry as birds flew at her, protecting her face with her arms, she ducked. Nothing hit her, and she looked up, unfolding her arms. The birds were passing right through her body, turning she saw them flying through the wall, screaming war cries as their black wings carried them. Her friends noticed their bodies were not being pelted by the birds either, and they too were staring at them in confusion.
“Okay, so, that was a big surprise.” Willow exclaimed, breaking the awkward silence.
“That’s it.” Buffy said getting up from the hospital bed. “I can’t stay here anymore – I have to be out there figuring out what’s going on.”
“I’ll go to the university library and look for some…books. Anything that could help.” Willow told her.
“Good. Riley, Sam, Spike – you guys get back to house. I’m going out to look for Xander and Andrew. Lets get the show on the road. No more waiting.”
“So was I.” Xander told her. “After staking myself, I feel cheated.”
Vamp Willow snarled and snapped at Xander’s words. She lunged at him, but he ducked out of the way. Andrew skid across the floor, grabbing for a broken piece of wood. Xander punched out at Vamp Willow, but she caught his arm and flung him into the wall. Turning her attention towards Andrew, she slowly padded towards him, a smile on her face.
“Think you’re going to stake me?” She asked him.
“No.” Andrew said sighing, “But he is.”
Turning, Vamp Willow fell right onto the stake in Xander’s hands.
“Tell myself that I say hi.” Xander said, ripping the stake from her heart as she dissipated into dust. “Two down – three big evils to go. I am so getting good at this.”
“Three?” Andrew asked.
“Master, Faith, and the First.”
Willow sat on a large table in the middle of the deserted U.C. Sunnydale library, an open book in her lap, a mystical ball of yellow light by her right shoulder. She had had to break into the library due to the fact that the whole campus seemed deserted – everyone was in their dorms, away from the rain. She had had to sneak in, and unlock the library doors, which wasn’t that hard considering that she was a witch after all. She flipped the page of the black bound book and ran her finger along a line of symbols. It was Ancient Sumerian and she wasn’t sure if she was reading it right or not, but so far it seemed to make sense in a cryptic sort of way. It talked of The First, where it’s power source was, and how it controlled it’s evil, but it wasn’t very clear on any of it. Below a passage, were more symbols in smaller writing, lined up in the middle of the off white page.
“Bring forth the…bring forth the power that I call? Okay then.” The red head told herself. “Bring forth the power that I call, the evil that dwells inside, the walls that hold it up, the ceiling and cage floors that bound it….bring forth the First and let it be known who….Uh Oh.”
The ex-college student look up at the building she was in started to rumble.
“I didn’t mean it.”
She quickly un-tucked her legs from beneath her body, shut the book, put it under her arm, and began to slide off of the table. Just as her feet hit the ground, the walls and ceiling began to crack. The ball of light still at her side, grew brighter.
“Descrete!” She cried out and the ball of light went out.
The walls around her began to crumble, and when she looked up, she saw the ceiling beginning to come down. Dropping to her knees and leaving the book behind, she scrambled under the table she had been sitting on. Sitting India style once again, she scooted against one leg of the table and drew her head down and arms over her neck and head. A large piece of concrete ceiling above, fell on the opposite end of the table, shifting and breaking it. Willow began to scream.
Xander and Andrew hurried down the street back towards Xander’s car, the wind whipping at their backs. The rain had stopped, but the breeze continued, and the thunder above shook the ground. Pulling his jacket over his head, Xander noticed that they had reached the familiar old black barely-running Volvo. He hopped in and put the key in the ignition just as Andrew shut the passenger side door.
“Chilly out.” Andrew noted.
“Ya.”
“Where are we going?”
“The Hospital.” Xander pulled out onto the deserted road, and began to drive the duo to the hospital.
“Buffy Summers.” Dawn said again, this time irritable. She had only told the nurse at the desk that she had been looking for Buffy Summers ten times, and she still wasn’t helping.
“She’s gone.”
“WHAT?” Dawn shrieked as the girls behind her grumbled.
“Yes, she checked out a few minutes ago. You may be able to still catch her on her way out if you hurry.”
“Gee, thanks.” Dawn told her, and bratty smile on her face as she twirled her body from the counter.
Kennedy walked at her side, Molly on the other. Selena, Ariel, Julie, and Anna walked behind them, trying to keep up.
“What now?” Kennedy asked, dropping her role as Leader.
“I don’t know. I guess we go back to house and see if she’s there. If she is, I’ll bet she going crazy trying to find us in the rubble that was once known as my bedroom.”
“So what else is new with your room?” Kennedy asked giving her a sad look. “Kidding. I just thought we could use some humor right about…”
“Riley!” Dawn cried as she ran out of the hospitals front doors and into the parking lot. “Sam!”
Riley turned at Dawn’s voice, and opened his arms as she flew into them, burying her face in his chest. She pulled back a moment later, the potentials behind her.
“What are you doing here? Are you with Buffy?” She asked, looking around his shoulder, searching for her sister.
“Big Sis went to go find Xander and the Geek.” Spike said as he strolled up on the other side of the Commando.
“We’ve got bigger problems to worry about than them.” Kennedy said. “Faith’s dead, and the First is going around dressed like her, able to touch people and all of the other extras.”
“What?” Spike asked, a look of confusion on his face.
“Faith – well, what we thought was Faith came in the house. Only then the real Faith’s dead body made its way in the front window. The First said something about the Slayer, her being evil from the beginning and all. Some of the girls thought she was talking about Buffy and they left.”
“We’re split up.” Anna told him. “Kelly, Melissa, Gabriela, Beth and Laura all disappeared right after the First did.”
“We went up to my room, because of the body and everything.” Dawn started again. “And then the floor gave way, and we all feel into the living room. Maggie didn’t make it.”
“That’s why you all look beat up then, eh?” Spike asked her.
“Ya.”
“I’ll go find the Slayer, tell her what’s going on. First wearing Faith’s skin and all. That and we still have the Dupe Vamps, and the Master lounging about.” Spike drawled more to himself than anyone else.
Dawn grabbed his hand and clung to him.
“Be careful – okay? I don’t want to loose you.” She told him, pulling back, tears in her eyes. “I don’t think I can take anymore deaths right now.”
“Me either.” Kennedy told him, a sad look in her eyes. “Don’t get staked.”
“Or beheaded.” Anna told him.
“And don’t catch on fire.” Selena put in, “You still haven’t taught us how to hear vamps sneaking around in the bushes – you’re the only one that can do that.”
As much as Spike hated to feel something by their words, he did. Not only had he shamefully bonded with the potentials, he actually kind of liked them.
“We’ll work on that as soon as we get everything straightened out. Till then, go with Soldier Boy and Mrs. Congeniality over here. Witch is at the college library looking through books and such.”
“Good.” Dawn told them. “Now I know where to find them.” Her eyes turned to ebony, her skin glowed green, and she fainted.
Andrew saw the young blonde Slayer first and pointed her out to Xander just as they reached the Sunnydale campus. Pulling the car over to the side of the road, and honking the horn rapidity, Xander opened his window.
“Buffy!”
“Hey Z-man.” Buffy smiled as she hopped in the back of the car. “Thought I wouldn’t be able to find you. I’ve got to fill you in on some stuff.”
“Me too. Vamp me and Will are history – dust dead history.” He told her, “I staked them myself.”
“I helped too.” Andrew whined.
“How’d you change so fast and get out of the hospital?” Xander asked her. “Did you see Dawn at the house?”
“Nope. I had Will bring me some clothes a few days ago, and her, Riley and Spike were all weapon-ed up. Got everything we need.”
“Riley?” Xander asked her, turning the corner onto the campus road leading back to Buffy’s house.
A loud rumble made all of their heads turn, just in time to see a building shake and collapse.
“Oh my God…” Buffy said silently. “The library…”
“And?” Xander asked.
“Willow’s in there.”
Inside of the Magic Box, the Master scoffed, smelling the dust of his two dead offspring. He did not seem the least bit surprised as Faith appeared next to him.
“Eh, they were weak anyways.” She told him.
“And what would you know about it?”
“I knew them as humans?” She asked.
“Hmm…yes. The Willow and Xander of this world – they’re still alive, yes?”
“The witch shoved her nose in one too many books – she’s gone.”
“And the boy?”
“Under the Slayer’s wings at all times. But don’t worry – he’ll be gone soon. If you want, I can bring him too you. You can turn him.”
“It would be an interesting twist, now wouldn’t it?” The Master asked.
“Totally.” Faith replayed, absent mindedly running the knife her hands against her palms, a cool crimson coming out.
Spike was at her side in a moment, pushing Riley and the potentials back, his harsh voice scaring most of them back a few feet. He pulled Dawn up to his chest by her shoulders, and she moaned. Dawn put one hand on the side of her head and opened her eyes to see Spike staring down at her, fear in his shinning eyes that glowed in the night.
“Ow. What just happened?” She asked as Spike helped her stand.
She leaned against him for support, and Anna came to her side, brushing Dawn’s hair out of her eyes.
“You sounded like you were possessed.” Kennedy told her.
“Again?” Dawn asked. “I didn’t breath fire this time, did I?”
“No.” Spike told, remembering what had he had been told about the after effects of the spell Willow had used to bring Buffy back. “No fire. Just green glowing skin…and a creepy voice. I need to find Buffy, you’ll be okay with Soldier Boy and his wife?”
“You are not going after her alone.” Riley told him.
“And you are not leaving these girls alone. We already lost the first half to the First the first time, and now we just lost another half to the First again. Stay with them. Protect them.” Spike growled as he ran off, not letting a word be said edge wise.
Dawn shivered as the winds blew around her. Her hair got stuck in the deep cuts on her forehead, but she welcomed the pain. Losing the potentials wasn’t so bad – now she just need to get ride of the others.
Her pupils grew wide as the sky darkened and the clouds let out a roar, lighting stuck the air in the distance. Looking around her, Dawn felt her blood growing hot, her skin boiled and she let out a shriek as her arm burst into flames.
The pain was so intense she didn’t even know what was going on. All she felt was pain in her arm, then the other, her legs were next, and she started to run. All she wanted was for the pain to go away, but then she saw Julie and Ariel huddled against each other, both backing away. Through the darkness and flames around her, Dawn rushed them, knocking them to the ground.
Spike dove after her when he saw the flames, but the girl had already knocked over Julie and Ariel. All three girls were on fire, their screams ringing out in the air.
Medical personal were beginning to run out of the hospital. Selena and Kennedy rushed to the sides of Ariel and Julie. Spike knocked Dawn on the ground, pouncing on the flames that grew higher and higher from her body. Two doctors pulled Selena and Kennedy away from Ariel and Julie, another began to help put out the flames that engulfed Dawn. Riley was helping with Julie and Ariel, Sam was holding Anna and Molly back. Dawn’s screams rang out through the air as nurses began to rush outside, pushing gurneys in front of them. Spike patted out of the last flame on Dawn, and her voice was quieted – her eyes closed, body limp and burnt. Anna screamed from behind them, and Spike let himself be pulled away as hospital personal loaded Dawn onto a gurney.
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