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“Wait” Faith’s command echoed through the section and team leaders, rippling down the line, “Wait”

She took a deep breath holding her nerve in the face of the charging horde of Fyral, “wait!” just a little closer, just a little, “Fire!”

The front rank loosed their bolts in a flurry of pings and whooshes, the leading demons fell, crashing heavily to the ground, to trip and slow their comrades following behind. “Fire!” the second rank fired another devastating volley of crossbow bolts. There was no need to order the reload, “Fire at will” she commanded raising her own bow.

Each Slayer managed another five or six arrows before the leading rank of demons smashed into their line, order gave way to chaos, directive to instincts as the girls ceased to be an army and became what each one truly was, a slayer and the Slayer fights alone.

Faith had felt it before, alongside Buffy when they had been the chosen two and again in the hellmouth years later. She had felt how even with your sisters at your side you where ultimately alone, because you are a slayer and that’s how it works, looking left and right as she fought she saw girls fiercely swinging razor sharp blades and wicked looking battle axes, their faces contorted with their battle cries, slayers everyone of them. True they where horribly outnumbered, and if Buffy failed they would surely all die tonight, but my God would they go down fighting.

……………..

Vi gave the order to move just moments after she saw Marcus’ column slam into the Slayer’s line her relatively small force crashing violently into the demons’ flank. Surprise bought them only a few moments, a few precious moments when they could kill without resistance, then a section broke from the column, turning to face Vi’s girls, claws and fangs flashing in the moonlight.

………………

Rona had never in her life felt so useless, waiting, just waiting for the endless procession of Marcus’ army to pass. She heard the unmistakable sounds of battle, loudly from the summit of the hill and more subdued from over near the tree line. Her blood screamed for her to join her sisters in battle, the Slayer heritage demanding she take action, that she protect the others.

She waited, attack now and we’ll be dead before we get anywhere near that column, just wait, we can’t help them if we’re dead.

…………………….
“Willow” Giles pulled her down against the wall with him as she began conjuring a second fireball. The first had cut a bloody swathe in the temples defenders leaving several dead and still more injured.

“Giles” she tried to stand, “I can help”

He pulled her back down shaking his head, “you need all your energy for the spell” he hissed urgently, “let them handle it” he held her unconvinced eyes “it’s what they do”

Looking up into the chaos above her Willow could see the Slayers moving with terrifying speed and precision, cut, duck, slash, kick, spin, they were made for this, mystical creatures of war, Giles was right, let them handle it.

…………….

“Spike” Angel heard Buffy’s urgent call as the soulless vampire disappeared beneath a swarm of demons. “Spike” she called again, fear and desperation colouring her voice, as she fought her way towards him.

She disappeared too, swallowed up in a sea of clashing swords and savage blows. He moved to follow, drawn as always to protect her, his beautiful fragile Buffy.

Suddenly she appeared hurtling upwards toward the high ceiling, turning in the air, a perfect tuck somersault that had her slamming back down into her enemies her sword sweeping down with devastating force to crack two skulls simultaneously. Angel beheaded the nearest demon and turned in her direction again, a clearer view now, she saw Spike throw her up into the air before spinning away to avoid the downward strike.

……………….

She had to get to Marcus, she could make him out up ahead, a bright beacon in his golden armour, she sidesteps a spray of Trex venom and impaled the creature on her blood-coated sword. No time to check if it was dead, just keep pushing, steadily closer to the bastard responsible for all this. Hell even if they failed, even if B and Willow couldn’t pull it off, even if they failed and she couldn’t destroy the amulet, even then, that bastard was going down, she’d make sure of it.

………………

She’d lost too many girls already, nearly half her force dead or injured. They’d known the flank was a dangerous mission, but they hadn’t realised they’d be quite so badly outgunned. Vi sung her sword again, taking grim satisfaction in the sickening squelch it made as it ripped through the demons cuts, that’s for all my girls you bastard.

…………….

Maria Akuba was dying, she could feel her spirit slipping away, hear the call of the nether world, she fought it for a moment longer, opening her eyes to meet the tearful gaze of her first lieutenant. Gathering her remaining strength she pressed the hilt of her sword into the girl’s hand, before closing her eyes to welcome the spirit guardian.

With an anguished roar Ebu rose swinging the mystical Jhas blade in a perfect circle that turned half a dozen vampires to dust.

………………..

Xander felt the blood flowing steadily down his left arm, clotting and caking in his shirt. It didn’t matter, didn’t matter if he bled, he could still swing a sword, still help to safeguard the hundreds of exceptional girls he had personally brought into the family of slayers. His breathing was coming in harsh gasps, his chest constricting with exhaustion, it didn’t matter, he could still swing a sword.

…………….

“Buffy” Spike’s timely warning sent her rolling forward, narrowly avoiding the Polgara’s skewer. He was at her side when she came to her feet, hell he was always at her side, always had been.

“There?” she pointed to the heavy metal door just feet away from them.

“Probably” he punched an approaching demon, “few more to kill and we can have a proper look” with that he was fighting again, plunging into the fray with vicious enthusiasm.

She followed him in; maybe it was her that was always at his side.

………………

It was too dark, and too chaotic to check her watch so she had no idea how close they were to midnight, no idea how long she had to fight the last few tortuous feet to Marcus. She hoped she had time, hoped she would arrive just in time to know which way things had gone for B, hoped she wouldn’t fail if she was needed.

………………..

Solomon felt the weight of failure fall upon him, felt himself drowning in it, choking and suffocating on it. His force was decimated, just him and a handful of Apeathons left, powerful warriors true, but the Slayers had fared much better, only a few of their number where dead, just six or seven girls to his butchers bill of almost a hundred. He cast his gaze about the room eyes fixing on the redhead crouching against the far wall, the witch, the powerful sorceress from the airport.

Realisation cold and certain filled his mind, they had brought the witch to sabotage the ritual, to poison lord Velmorick’s power and rob his master of his rightful place as leader of all demon kind. He had not failed yet, if her could destroy the witch, Marcus’ would be victorious and his honour would be restored.

With a desperate roar he launched himself across the room, whirling his sword around his body like a dervish, cutting a path through the fight towards the witch, a kamikaze manoeuvre designed to sacrifice his own life to ensure the death of his masters enemy, a swing of his sword split a girls stomach, her guts pouring out into her own clutching arms. He took no satisfaction in it, it didn’t matter, he was so close, one more swing and the witch would be dead.

Willow’s eyes widened in fright as the huge, horned demon swung its sword towards her, frozen in fear her magic defensive failed her, she didn’t have time throw together the collection of words that could have saved her. I’m gonna die, Oh God I’m gonna die. She closed her eyes and braced for the final strike.

Every fibre of Anna’s body demanded she move, to do her duty and protect the witch. Faith and Buffy had each given her the specific responsibility of ensuring Willow made it to the temple. It was important they had told her, more important than any single other duty in this whole war, she must get Willow Rosenberg safely to the temple.

She wasn’t afraid, she was a slayer and death was part of her heritage, she was proud in that last moment proud to sacrifice herself for the witch, for the other slayers, for the world, but most of all she was proud that she had not failed her leader that when the dust settled Faith would know that she had done her duty well.

Willow opened her eyes to see the girl, Anna was it? Fall to the floor just feet in front of her, eyes open and lifeless, blood pooling in her flaxen hair. The demon was still standing above her clawed hands clutching at the hilt of the sword protruding from its chest, for a moment it looked at her before it’s eyes fell heavily shut and it toppled to the floor

…………………………..

“Go” Finally Rona gave the order to attack. The girls moved eagerly forward, quickly covering the open ground between them and the rear of the column. Anger and frustration carried them forward, swords raised, eager to make amends for their time spent crouching hidden in the darkness while their sisters fell on the field.

……………………………

The door was heavy steel, held shut by a coded electronic lock, Buffy frowned at it, damn she had not planned for this. “I can open it” Willow told her, “I’ll have to use magic, but I…”

“No” Buffy cut her off, hand raised “we’ve got time, we’ll get it open, you need every drop of magic for the ritual”

Spike appeared at her side a large metal bar in his hands she couldn’t help but smile, that was her Spike, brute force and ignorance just like her. She took the bar and wedged it in the door.

…………………..

Angel felt the door move a little more and indicated for one of the girls to help him. Spike and Buffy had worked on the door for five minutes before handing over to him, now they where sitting together on the far side of the room talking in low whispers, he strained his hearing to try and catch their conversation as her pushed against the bar.

“So it’s not wearing off or anything?” she asked barely resisting the temptation to brush her fingers gently over the angry bruise on his jaw. “You still all keyed up?” she laughed at her own pun making him roll his eyes and give her a faux annoyed look.

“Yeah” he answered anyway, “Little bit’s just fulla surprises, blood like this could keep a fella buzzing for days”

Buffy fought the irrational jealousy that rose in her, she wondered what kind of high her slayer blood would give him and couldn’t help but hope it would be better. Maybe they’d find out some day? Okay now that was a weird and oddly exciting thought.

“You okay Slayer?” he asked snapping his fingers in front of her eyes, “no time for spacing out pet”

She flushed prettily making him smile, “I, er was just thinking”

He leaned in close, “what about?” he asked his voice deep and suggestive, his smirk letting her know he had a good idea exactly what direction her errant thoughts had followed.

“Er, about, um” she began, trying desperately to come up with a clever response that would wipe the conceited gin of his gorgeous face. The loud clang as the door sprang free save her the bother and had them both across the room in the blink of an eye.

“Ready?” she asked Willow

“Ready”

..........

Thanks for the review KMS, there's always time to be distracted by Spike ;)





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