Disclaimer: I own: Ralph, this story. I don't own: Everything else. That belongs to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy Inc.
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Part Four
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Shock roiled in Buffy's mind. Ralph was one of the bad guys? How? Any other thoughts she might have had vanished as he squeezed her neck harder. Spots of light flashed in front of her eyes.
"Y'see, Buff, can I call you Buff?, good, anyway, you really should have seen this coming. I mean, come on, I practically came out and said I was turning evil. Of course, I didn't really consciously know I was the Master at the time. I was still Ralph. I took over the night before, while Ralph thought he was asleep. I-" He was interrupted by Buffy's foot. It had just connected with the side of his head, hard. "Why you little..." This sentence was stopped by a right hook. Roaring, the thing which used to be Ralph Johnson grabbed up half of the bat he had used earlier. He swung at Buffy.
He moved with a swiftness she had never seen before. He made the Master look slow on his feet. She barely had time to dodge. He continued to swing, the splintered end of the bat becoming a blur. She was soon backed up against the wall. He pulled the bat back...
... and stopped. A change seemed to come over his face. The bat fell from his hands. The glow in his eyes dimmed, then died.
"Buffy. Go, quick. I can't stay in control for long." His voice was strained, and he sounded as if he were in pain.
"I can't just leave you here!"
"Look, Buffy, either go now, or kill me. I won't stop you. But if you don't go now, He will. Even if you can beat him physically, he was just playing with you. Remember what I did with the books? He can do that, too. It just isn't as fun. So get out of here!"
Buffy looked at him, unsure of what to do. She new she should probably kill him now. But deep inside, Ralph's condition struck a chord with Buffy. Was he really so different from Angel? Both fought for their souls. The only difference was that Ralph was fighting a losing war. She turned and ran around the corner.
Ralph cried out, and the light returned to his eyes. The demon roared with rage. He had lost his prize. Growling, he crawled into a manhole, and vanished from sight.
* * *
Giles was starting to get frightened. Angel had finished and come back, yet there was no sign of Buffy. Add that to what he had discovered about what was happening to the Hellmouth, and he was beginning to approach the point of terror.
The door crashed open, and Buffy ran in. Angel jumped up from where he was sitting.
"You're hurt!" He ran over to Buffy. Her neck was bruised, and it looked like fingers had done it. "What happened?"
She filled them in on her encounter with Ralph. Giles' face paled noticeably. "I was afraid of this. Ralph is entering a situation very similar to that of a vampire. The difference is that the demon gains control of the vampire's body after the soul has already passed on. Ralph was still alive. His soul fought to maintain it's place, but unfortunately, it was outmatched. When Ralph stopped himself from killing you tonight, I fear that may have been the last spark of the boy as he was before the Spring Dance."
Xander looked relieved. "Well, if he's just turning into a vampire, Buffy can just slay him right?"
"Unfortunately, it isn't that simple. He is a living dimensional rift, and his continued metamorphosis indicates that his power is still growing."
Xander was frowning. "Giles, you're talking Watcherese again."
"All right Xander, I'll put it to you this way. Ralph is gaining power directly from Hell. Imagine an extension cord running through a door. You can't shut the door completely because the cord is in the way. The power being transmitted to Ralph is like a cord keeping the Hellmouth open a crack. The larger problem is that as Ralph grows more powerful, he is pulling more power through the Hellmouth, and he is forcing it open wider as time passes. The longer he does this, the wider the crack. Eventually it will be open enough that.... well, I believe you know what happens next."
Buffy spoke. "Yeah, we know. Fire, Brimstone, the sky dark as sack cloth, etcetera." A look of sadness crossed her face. "So Ralph isn't in there any more? I don't want to dust him if there's still a chance he could come back."
Giles too looked sorrowful. "You don't understand Buffy. If he lives, the world will die."
* * *
Ralph sat on a throne he had created from the rock around him. He was no longer recognizable as the person who had tried to ask Willow out on a date a few days before. His transformation was still happening, and it was speeding up. His body was now thickly muscled. His skin was gray, and leathery, like an alligator. Horns a full two feet tall sprouted from his forehead, and jagged spikes grew down the sides of his face. The red light shining from his eyes throbbed with the beating of his heart. He sat, watching Hell.
At least, that's what he assumed he was looking at. In the corner of the room, it appeared that the air had been torn. Roughly six feet from top to bottom, a slowly widening crack was forming in the fabric of reality. On the other side, he could see the shadowy shapes of things moving inside, and hear the far of cries of souls screaming their eternal damnation. It sounded like music.
He knew he had made a mistake. He was horribly angry when he had lost the Slayer. He had come into the catacombs in a blind rage, attacking anything that he saw. He had killed Satan knows how many vampires. The rest had fled. He grinned in the darkness. Once this crack opened enough for something to come through, he would have some fun. Until then, he could wait.
* * *
Buffy and Angel strode through the tunnels purposefully. They had quickly noticed the lack of vampires. Once, they heard something behind them, but when they stopped and stood motionless, there was no sound. They had also noticed that there were quite a few piles of dust. It looked like Ralph had been pissed. Buffy reminded herself. She didn't want to hesitate at a crucial moment.
Angel reached out an arm and stopped her. "We're almost there." He began to slowly walk forward.
Buffy spoke in a quiet voice. "Angel. In case one of us doesn't make it out of this... " She stepped up to him. Their lips met. They held each other.
After a time, they began to approach the Master's lair. Buffy felt extremely uneasy. Last time she had been here, she had died. If it hadn't been for Angel and Xander, she would still be down here rotting. They rounded one final corner, and found themselves in the shadows, looking at the tableau playing out in front of them. A massive form sat sprawled out on a throne hewn from the stone of the chamber. He was staring at the corner, and giggling.
In the corner was the crack. It had now been forced to nearly a foot in width. It was near pitch blackness on the other side, but there were faint motions of giant things, waiting for the crack to open wide enough.
Without warning, Angel threw himself at Not-Ralph. He was nearly a blur a he flew toward the demon. Turning, a grin threatening to split his face, Not-Ralph went into action himself. He grabbed Angel out of the air, and casually tossed him headfirst into the cavern wall. There was a sickening thud. Angel fell bonelessly to the floor.
"BASTARD!!!!" A crossbow bolt flew out from the shadows. It stabbed directly into a glowing eye. Black, thick blood flowed forth. The thing shrieked with rage and agony. He leapt toward Buffy, only to be tripped by Angel, who had pulled himself across the floor. Not-Ralph skidded across the floor.
He stood. A low rumbling came from deep in his throat. Gesturing across the room, Angel lifted into the air, and floated over to him. With a grimace, he yanked the bolt from his eye, and held it to Angel's chest. His voice spoke out, and it was as Buffy had heard it in the library, when it echoed inside her mind. "OH, SLAYER. COME OUT, COME OUT, WHEREVER YOU ARE. UNLESS, OF COURSE, YOU WANT ME TO PUT THIS THROUGH HIS HEART."
Buffy stepped forward. She felt herself lifted up, and she was dragged through the air to where he stood.
"YOU KNOW WHAT? I DON'T THINK I WILL KILL YOU JUST YET. WOULDN'T YOU LIKE TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THAT THING OPENS ENOUGH FOR SOMETHING TO FIT THROUGH?" He began to laugh, loud and hard.
A voice spoke. "Ralph."
He choked on his laughter. A slight figure stepped into view. Willow stood, facing him.
Buffy was shocked. "Willow! What are you doing hermmpphh" Her voice was cut off as invisible hands pressed her mouth shut. The demon was shaking. Suddenly, he stopped, and the light in his eyes went out. The voice which spoke was tiny and strangled.
"Willow, what are you doing here?"
"I can't let you do this, Ralph."
"Don't you understand? You can't stop me. Nothing can. If you don't leave, I'll kill you."
"I'm not leaving."
He looked determined. "I love you, Willow. Boy, great time to tell you, huh. Well, I'm not going to kill you. I ... I can't." With that, he flew into action. He threw himself past Willow, at the hole. She was shocked to see him pushing at the edges, muscles straining.
"What are you doing?!" Willow cried out.
"Good-bye." With that, he ripped the hole fully open. He turned, took one more look at her, and flung himself into the abyss.
There was a shrieking sound. The crack began to glow fiercely. Willow averted her eyes. When the light faded, the hole was gone. With soft thuds, Buffy and Angel fell to the ground. Willow only stood watching. "Good-bye, Ralph."
* * *
Ralph looked around. He was floating over Willow. She didn't seem to be able to see him. A voice spoke out.
~For Your Sacrifice, You Have Been Blessed~
He spun, trying to find who had spoken. "Where are you?"
~Come In To The Light~
"Oh." He didn't seem to be able to fit his mind around the concept. Suddenly, he was surrounded by a soft, white light. A sense of peace filled him.
The End
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