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Chapter 38

One by one the group gathered together. Angel and Cordelia were the last to show up. They burst inside the Magic Box, Angel smoking. He stomped on the blanket, smothering it. Spike smirked with the knowledge that the tunnels would have provided easier access. When the blanket was cooled, Angel and Cordy faced the group.

“It’s all going down tomorrow. I had a vision,” Cordelia announced.

Angel grabbed his love’s hand. He remembered the pain Cordy had experienced during the vision. It was worse than the others before. Afterward, she had to take four ibuprofen pills in order to ease her headache. Then she had to lie down.

“The solar eclipse is tomorrow?” Giles inquired.

“Yes. And I hope we’re all prepared cuz this one’s going to be quite a big one,” Cordy informed.

Buffy stood up. “Okay, what are we facing?”

“Oh, about a zillion vampires. And of course, Glory and the key of darkness.”

“When you say a zillion . . .?” Spike said, holding up his hand.

“A whole lot of the Sunnydale undead, if not all. We’re going to be swamped,” the seerer told the blond.

“Bloody hell. We’re gonna need a lot of stakes then.”

“The key of darkness is covered,” Willow declared. “I found a spell to turn him human.”

“Very good, Willow,” Wesley complemented.

“So, all I need to do is defeat Glory again. No problem.” The slayer turned toward her former watcher. “Where’s the hammer?”

Giles removed his glasses. “Gone, I’m afraid. It was stolen shortly after your . . . “ He coughed. “Departure.”

“Oh,” Buffy said softly.

“Don’t worry, Buffy,” Anya stated. “All you need to do is use your light energy. It’ll be a piece of cake.”

The teen among the group frowned. This wasn’t going to be as easy as they thought. The powers wouldn’t have made such a big deal otherwise.

“Buffy?” Dawn said.

Her sister shifted her attention to focus on her. “Yeah, Dawnie?”

“If the spell doesn’t go as planned and the key ‘does’ open the portal to unspeakable hell, you and Spike are gonna have to use your power.”

Spike’s head snapped to the side. “Power!? Wait a sodding min, I don’t know how to use any power!”

“Your dark keeper power,” Dawn explained.

“I’ve never used any such thing. How am I gonna . . .?”

“You’ll know,” Dawn said. She looked at Spike and then at Buffy. “Both of you will know what to do.”

“Whatever you say, nibblet, you’re the knowledgeable key of light here.”

Buffy folded her arms. “Okay, people, we have a big day ahead of us. Get some sleep, kiss your honey, whatever. Just be ready for this.”

There were nods of acknowledgement.

|} - - -> <- - - {|
Buffy lay a hand on Spike’s shoulder. He jumped, startled.

“I thought vamps were supposed to be super alert,” she teased.

“I was preoccupied, pet. Readin the prophesy again. Maybe it’ll give us a clue as to what to do,” he told her.

“Spike, Dawn said that we would know what to do.”

“That she did, but . . .”

“You’re scared, aren’t you? It’s okay, you know. This thing is big even for a big bad like you.”

He remained quiet. He wouldn’t admit to his feelings with words, but she knew his silence was confirmation.

Buffy leaned forward reading the passage Spike had open.

One with no beginning and no end
She who is who she was, and was not who she is
Making up what has never been
Blood of yesterday pumps renewal for today
Trickles until gone, and fills up again
Light Bearer for the Dark Keeper
Hand in hand
Set the clock of time back
Rise from the dark
Breath from the light
Army of stars to brighten the blanket of night

“Light Bearer for the Dark Keeper,” she whispered. She reached out and took his hand. “Hand in hand.”

The vampire gazed over at her. His clear blue eyes swam with emotion. She smiled at him. He moved in for a tender kiss. Their tongues battled, trying to steal forever in just one moment. They pulled away with reluctance.

Buffy rested her head on his chest. He wrapped himself around her, drawing her as close as possible.

“We stick together,” she murmured.

“What, luv?”

She breathed in his scent. A mixture of cigarettes, blood, and that odor she could only identify as Spike alone. “Hand in hand. We never leave each other’s side. All right?”

“I’d stand beside you until the end of the world and beyond, Buffy.”

|} - - -> <- - - {|

“It’s the end of the world as we know it! It’s the end of the world as we know it!” Xander sang off-key, pacing in front of the magic shop. “And I feel fine!”

“What in hell are you singing?” Anya asked from her seat on the sidewalk.

“Ya know, REM.”

The vengeance demon wrinkled up her nose. “Well, it is dreadful.”

“I guess it is kinda inappropriate, huh? Sorry,” Xander apologized.

Anya shivered. She’s scared, he realized. She looked so small and alone. Xander moved to sit down beside her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She gave him a look of surprise. They stared at each other, unmoving and not speaking.

|} - - -> <- - - {|

The Next Day

“It’s starting, you guys!” Willow called. She turned the radio volume up.

“The sun and moon are moving into alignment. Scientists predict that they should be in place around 3:30.“

“Everyone, grab your weapons!” Buffy commanded.

“Wait a sec, Buffy. Where is this taking place?” Xander questioned.

It was Spike who answered. “The tower. She’ll do the ritual to open the portal there.”

“Makes sense,” Buffy remarked. “Okay, everybody ready?”

They exited out into the darkness. Buffy had to fight the urge to glance up at the covered sun.

Soon they were approaching the construction site. It looked just as it did all those years ago. Except for one thing: vampires. There was a myriad of vamps. They all had their necks craned, attention fixed on the top of the tower.

“Will, Tara, got your stuff?” Buffy asked.

“We’re ready,” Tara informed.

“Good.” Buffy scanned the gang. “Don’t let anyone up the tower. We have a better chance of success if we can keep it vacant.”

Buffy grabbed Spike’s hand. “Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be,” he replied.

“We stick together,” she said with determination.

He squeezed her fingers. “Right, luv.”

|} - - -> <- - - {|

The first thing Tara and Willow did was build a force field. They would be protected from harm while they performed the spell. The archaic book of magic was placed before them, its words seeming to glow.

Willow took Tara’s hand. Their fingers curled together. She placed a kiss on Tara’s mouth. “Love you, baby.”

Tara smiled. “Love you too.”

They closed their eyes, building up their power.

|} - - -> <- - - {|

“So, the slayer and her pet vampire have decided to be joined until death. How sweet,” Glory mocked.

Buffy and Spike were unmoved by her words. They got into fighting stances, aware of the other person’s actions. Amused laughter came from Glory.

“Missing your hammer, sweet cheeks?” the hellgod asked.

Buffy threw a massive punch at the god. It hardly effected Glory. The badly permed female returned the punch with her own. Buffy went flying. Spike caught her, returning the slayer to her feet.

“Gonna haveta try harder than that blondie,” Glory remarked.

With that, Buffy did try harder. She sent a series of powerful punches and kicks.

|} - - -> <- - - {|

Anya was closest to the tower. She was the first one to spot the boy heading toward the stairs.

“Hey, kid, you can’t do this!” she shouted. “You don’t know what you’re doing here. This planet is a very nice place. At first I didn’t think so either, but now I know differently. It has commerce, friends, and love. You can’t just unleash a hellish darkness and destroy it.”

The boy shot her an eerie grin. His hands came out, aiming toward her.

Xander saw this. He rushed toward them. “Anya! Watch out!”

She dodged the bolt that was sent from the dark key. The kid aimed again, this time hitting her in the chest. She was sent crashing to the ground.

Xander knelt beside her. “Anya!?”

She struggled to sit up, but he held her down. “No, stay still.”

She groaned. “But the key of . . . darkness . . . he’s getting away,” she choked.

“Don’t worry about that, Ahn. Just rest.”

Anya surrendered. She felt a great warmth coming from Xander’s presence. She relaxed, looking up into Xander’s brown eyes.

|} - - -> <- - - {|

Things weren’t going so great. Glory had the upper hand. She was too strong. Buffy and Spike were a mess. They were covered in scrapes and bruises, but they refused to give up.

Glory grabbed a hold of Buffy’s hair, tugging. Buffy managed to get lose. She sent her foot smashing into Glory’s middle. The god staggered.

Something had to be done. Buffy was getting pretty tired, and Glory seemed basically unfazed. She glanced over at Spike, who was in about the same condition she was.

Spike rammed into the god, to be knocked aside with her arm. She chuckled. As he was picking himself up, he noticed Buffy’s situation. She was being grabbed by Glory. She struggled in the god’s grasp, but to no avail. The god was too powerful, and Buffy was too exhausted.

“Say goodbye to your slayer, vampire,” Glory said.

No! Spike’s mind cried. He knew what Glory was planning. He had done it a hundred times. Before Sunnydale he had done it to many humans, and lately to great numbers of the demon population. It was written all over the way Glory tilted Buffy’s body, the way she held his precious lover. She was going to snap Buffy’s neck.

His eyes widened, no longer blue, but a darkened gray. He jumped to his feet. Something grew inside of him. It burned, coursing through his entire being. With a scream, something unleashed itself. His vision went black. After a moment it passed.

Spike blinked, his vision focusing. He spotted Buffy on the ground, unmoving. Glory was nowhere to be found.

The vampire crouched near her form. With a shaky hand, he checked for a pulse. He was relieved to find one.

“Pet?” He stroked her cheek.

Buffy moaned.

“I think I used my dark keeper power,” he told her. “Glory’s gone.”

Her eyes slowly opened. She coughed and then said, “ Good. Damn bitch pulled a chunk of my hair out.”

Spike sent her a smile. “You good to stand?”

She nodded. He helped her to her feet.

“Spike?”

“Yeah?”

Buffy pointed up toward the tower. “Somebody’s up there.”

He peered up where her finger indicated. Sure enough there was a dark figure moving around on the platform. “Bloody hell.”

|} - - -> <- - - {|

“Dawn, where are you going!?” Xander demanded.

Around Anya and him, chaos reigned. Vampires stirred about, battling the warriors among them. Xander felt guilty for not fighting. But he refused to leave Anya’s side.

The teen key ignored Xander and ran up the tower stairs. Her feet pounded as she traveled upward. She could hear her heart pound inside her chest. She kept her pace up until she reached the top.

The boy was standing near the edge. As she came closer she could see the large knife he held in his hand. She gasped.

“What the hell are you doing? Don’t tell me you’re going to bleed yourself,” Dawn said in disgust.

The boy spun around. “Who are you?” he spat.

“Dawn Summers.”

“Oh, you. Glory told me about you.”

Dawn put her hands on her hips. “Oh she did, did she?”

“Yes. Did you know that we can’t live without each other?” He noticed the shock in her eyes. “It is true. Your existence depends on mine.”

“So, why don’t you stop this cutting thing and we can both live happily?”

The boy gazed down at the battle going on below. “I’ve only spent a few days here on earth. Already I don’t like it.”

“That’s because you haven’t been able to see it during the day. It is quite nice when you aren’t consumed by shadows.”

A snort came from the dark key. “I am part of the shadows.”

“But you don’t have to be. We can make you human. Just a regular guy.”

He froze. “Nice thought.”

“Please, let us . . .” Dawn pleaded.

The boy shook his head. “No! This world is turning into hell little by little. I’ll be doing it a favor by speeding up the process. Less suffering.”

The teen girl watched as he inched the blade toward his wrist. “No!” she protested.

The knife cut into the boy’s skin. Red droplets ran down his arm and over the tower’s edge. She watched in horror as a massive ball emerged. It resembled that of her own making, yet this one was a mass of pitch blackness. It pulsated and crackled.

“My God,” she whispered.

The boy was captivated by the energy ball. “Amazing. So many dimensions all clustered together. Not just hell, but ‘all’ the dark dimensions together as one.”

Dawn screamed as a giant greyhen-like creature flew out of the energy. She was witnessing the end. The end of everything she knew, to be enveloped in a black nothingness.

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Please review people so I know someone is reading. I know this chapter wasn’t that great, but I hope the next one is better for you guys.

 
 
 
 
 
 





 





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