Part Three
“It’s her temple” Wesley said, showing an engraving in one of his books, for the others to see. “This is where she was supposed to be resurrected.”
“That’s Illyria?” Asked Angel looking at the central figure in drawing, Wesley nodded.
“In its native form” said the ex-watcher.
“And what are these smaller bits?” Spike asked reaching for the book.
“Her army of doom” confirmed Wesley translating some lines from the book.
“That’s a surprise” murmured Spike and Buffy at the same time, before turning and glancing at each other.
“They were entombed with her” said Angel.
“Waiting for her return” Wesley added.
“To Los Angeles?” Willow asked sceptical, approaching slightly.
“This is where her temple was millions of years ago” explained Wesley turning to look at Willow “And it’s still here.”
“You think I would've remembered seeing something like this parked next to Ralph's” Angel said looking at the drawing again.
“It's out of phase with our time line” Wesley explained “Only Illyria can open the gateway.”
“Great” complained Spike.
“I’ll do a locator spell” Willow quickly volunteered, while the others nodded.
“Has anyone any idea how to stop Illyria?” Angel asked lifting his head, Buffy was thinking with her arms crossed and she exchanged a look with Willow, then both girls nodded.
“We have a plan” Buffy said, looking at three men in the room.
“While I was investigating” Willow began to explain “I found a spell that could extract Illyria's essence from Fred’s body.
“Are you sure?” Wesley asked afraid, Willow nodded.
“There is only one problem” Buffy explained “We should weaken Illyria’s presence as much as possible, before Willow’s does the spell.”
“Yeah” continued the redhead “The spell is indicated for high-level demons, but not for Old-ones.”
“So we’ve to rough Illyria up, before Red can do her mojo stuff” Spike said thoughtfully, both girls nodded.
“She’s superstrong” said Angel, they nodded again.
“Nothing we haven’t done before” Buffy and Willow said with a half smile, glancing at each other.
“Well, so what’s the idea?” The broody vampire asked eager to hear the girl’s plan.
“Willow’s gonna bring my scythe” Buffy said pointing to the witch.
“What scythe?” Wesley asked curious.
“The Slayer’s scythe” Buffy said naturally.
“Wait, Are you talking about the legendary Scythe that keeps the essence of the Slayer?” Wesley repeated surprised, the others just nodded.
“It was with that, that Willow was able to activate all the potentials” Buffy explained.
“I thought it was just a myth” Wesley said, then he shook his head trying to focus on the Illyria issue “Well what about this plan?”
“Okay” Buffy said, watching Wesley and two vampires “This is the idea…”
~ * ~
Buffy came in the first, carrying her scythe confidently, flanked by Angel and Spike, and Wesley and Willow a few steps behind. In the middle of the hall were Illyria and the young man in his laboratory white coat, who turned back to look at the intruders surprised.
“Are you waiting for us?” Buffy asked with the scythe upon her shoulder.
“What…?” Asked Knox looked at them astounded, while Illyria made a disgusted face.
“Any seats left?” Spike said from Buffy’s left.
“Hey… guys, you should scan the headlines here” Knox babbling without understanding. “You can’t win this.”
“Then we all die trying” answered Wesley behind Angel.
“Why?” Illyria asked surprised and confused.
“You want the short version?” Angel asked grasping with strength his sword. “Let's start with you walkin' around looking like the woman you murdered.”
“You think your actions will restore her?” Asked Illyria looking at the broody vampire.
“How much are you betting?” Willow replied from behind Spike, defying the demon, who leant her head to observe her better.
“You cannot win” answered Illyria, observing the redhead meticulously.
“If you gave me a penny for every time I heard that, I would be rich” said Buffy smiling arrogantly at the bluish demon.
“We can’t let raise your army, Illyria” Angel added in his usual grim tone.
“Why?” The demon asked, driving its gaze from Buffy to Angel.
“Because it’ll kill too many innocent people” replied broody vampire.
“You are the protector of these creatures?” Illyria asked again.
“I am” replied the Slayer one step forward, watching and evaluating the Old-one.
“Are you the Chosen One?” inquired Illyria looking at her with renewed interest.
“Yup, that’s me” Buffy answered, taking another step forward with the scythe on her shoulder.
“You'd fight for their lives?” Asked the demon, this time speaking to the whole group, the five nodded slowly.
“That’s exactly what we do” said the Slayer.
“Even for this one?” Illyria asked turning to Knox, who was watching fearfully.
“Is that an issue?” Asked the laboratory’s assistant “I-Is my life in peril, boss? King?” Knox asked again, making Buffy smile while she watched him, seeing a strange and even more evil replica of Andrew, before his ‘reform’.
“You're about as low as it gets, Knox” Angel began to say with solemnity. “But you're a part of humanity. That isn't always pretty, but it's a hell of a lot better than what came before” said the vampire nodding at Illyria. “And if it comes down to a choice between you and him... then, yes, I would fight for his life... just like any other human's...because that's what people do, that's what makes us—
A gunshot rang through the room, breaking the quiet calm that had been imposed when Angel started his speech, interrupting the heroic and false speech from the broody vampire. Knox dropped his head, stunned, to see the blood flowing from his chest, before falling to the ground with a dull thump. Behind Angel, Wesley brandished the weapon that had killed him, trembling with anger and pain that had taken him over.
Willow was watching him in sadness and pain, she couldn’t condone what he had just done. Angel's speech was vain and empty, he wasn’t even a man, and yes, he had lost many things in last years, but the vampire couldn’t know what Wesley felt when he was looking at the face of the murderer of the woman he loved, and not finding the slightest hint of remorse, just an arrogant look on its face, as if everything was a game, as if taking Tara… Willow shook her head, trying to shun the memories from her mind and blinked to contain the tears that were gathering in her eyes.
“Were you even listening?” Angel asked turning back to glare the ex-watcher.
“You’ve destroyed my Qwa'ha Xahn” complained Illyria looking at Knox’s lifeless body.
“Well, yeah” Spike said looking at the blue demon “but you’ve gotta admit he had it coming.”
“It offends me” said Illyria angry “that you think he matters.”
“You’re right” answered Angel “He’s not the problem, you are” he said before pouncing on the demon.
Seconds later, Spike joined the fight with Angel. From his side, Wesley approached Willow, while the witch was sitting on the floor preparing her spell as fast as she could.
Buffy watched the fight between vampires and demon. Illyria was very fast, Spike and Angel were having real difficulties to land a blow on Illyria, because the demon avoided nearly everything. And its strength was also huge, probably similar to Glory’s, ‘cos it launched first Angel to one side of the room, and then Spike to the other effortlessly.
The vampires got back up and continued fighting with the enormously powerful demon, as best they could. Buffy kept one eye on Willow and Wes, who were preparing the extracting spell, and the other on the fight that was going on in front of her.
But soon, all her concentration was only on the fight and not only because of the extraordinarily strong and fast demon. Her eyes were unable to move away from both vampires. Their coordination was completely perfect, when one attacked the other defended and waited, and when both decided to attack together, their paths were kept parallel, they never crossed, as if it were a strange dance in which both knew their movements by heart.
Their fight styles were different, their constitutions too, Buffy knew that very well, and both were muscular and strong but in different ways, and yet both kept in pace with absolute precision. When had they reached this point of understanding?
Buffy had been fighting since she was 15 and she knew that achieving such a level of coordination was not just a matter of time or training, but of understanding, of knowing each other so well that you would know instinctively what the next step of your partner would be. She knew that Angel and Spike had known each other for more than a century, but this empathy between them hadn’t existed before, or she hadn’t seen it.
Buffy shook herself out of her pensive state to see how the vampires being thrown through the air and behind them, their swords. Now it was her time.
“Unimpressive” Illyria said arrogantly, extending its arm to stop the room.
“Back at’cha” replied Buffy appearing in front of the demon when it turned, and delivering a brutal blow to its face with the handle of the scythe, that catapulted a confused Illyria against the room’s wall.
“How… how?” The demon babbled, staring at Buffy from the floor.
“With this little thing which Wes found in your sarcophagus” said the Slayer showing the gem before putting it back in her pocket and moving near Illyria to hit it again.
The demon was prepared for the attack and responded to it by kicking the Slayer, forcing her back several meters, but it didn’t scare her off, on the contrary, it annoyed her.
A brutal fight sparked off between Illyria and Buffy. The blue demon no longer dodged blows as it did with vampires, it couldn’t if it wanted to answer Buffy’s hits that she gave with her body and her weapon, so they both took savage blows while trying not to loose their chances to defeat the rival. Buffy landed a good blow with the edge of the scythe that managed to cut through its suit, and the hardened skin of Fred’s body causing a small wound, while Illyria was thrown back several meters.
The Slayer seized the opportunity to breathe and clean the blood that fell from her forehead and clouded the vision of her right eye, with one her hands. Then she spat out the blood which had accumulated in her mouth, while she approached the demon that was trying to stand up.
“Unimpressive” Buffy said this time, walking toward Illyria and holding the scythe with strength.
“You are better than the others” said the demon stared at her. “But you are a human, you can not defeat an Old-one.
“You would be surprised at the things I can defeat” replied Buffy taking another step towards the demon while she smiled somewhere between nostalgic and haughty. “You aren’t that special to me, Illyria” explained the Slayer watching how the demon stared at her with anger. “I’ve overcome things worse than you” said Buffy giving it another blow with the scythe, before Illyria was able to stand up completely, sending it back to the floor. “I’ve fought against vampires, demons” the blonde kicked the demon forcefully as she spoke. “Possessed teachers, giant snakes, crazy scientists, demoniacal Frankenstein, goddesses of hell, stupid geek kids, powerful witches and” said the Slayer positioned on top of Illyria who crawled on the floor struggling to stand up. “The source of all evil. Do you really think you scare me? You only are a damned pain in my ass.” Buffy said holding her scythe up over its head, ready to deliver the final blow.
But Illyria was faster than her, and the demon knew that it could defeat her if it managed to make her loose her weapon, so, overcoming the beating it had taken, it stood up in a split second and grabbed the scythe by the handle, surprising the Slayer. The demon turned its arm and in the same movement, it threw Buffy through the air, far away from the scythe that fell on the floor.
Buffy spat out the new blood that filled her mouth on the floor, leaning on her forearms and trying to get up as fast as she could. All the others remained paralysed by the temporary wave of the demon, and she had lost her weapon, if she didn’t recovered immediately, by the time the others came out of their paralysis, she would be pushing up daisies, again.
She was still on her knees when she felt the possessed hand of Fred grasping her hair near her forehead and pulling it backwards, Buffy opened her mouth to moan but refused to scream her pain.
“You shouldn’t have challenged me” said Illyria pulling Buffy’s hair. “Now I have to put an end to your pathetic existence.”
Buffy felt the temptation to close her eyes from her impending fate, but she was braver than that, she’d already looked at death’s face, this time wasn’t going to be different. Only the moment stretched and the blonde suddenly felt the hand of the demon weaken its grip on her, releasing her hair.
Confused, Buffy turned to Illyria, to see the demon looking down and moving its hands to its stomach, where more than a half of the scythe’s handle peeked. Then, something pulled on the scythe, making it leave Fred’s body.
Illyria fell on its knees to the ground, holding its belly and Buffy raised her eyes to meet Spike’s determined ones, in his hands he held the scythe of the Slayer with firmness and determination. And then the paralysis ended.
“Red, now!” Buffy heard the blonde vampire shout.
Willow began to recite the spell in an ancient and unknown language, while Wesley approached them carrying a vessel made from the same material as Illyria’s sarcophagus, who looked at him with astonished blue and cold eyes.
Gradually a breeze began to form around Illyria at the same time Willow recited and Wesley opened the vessel. But the soft breeze soon became a tornado that surrounded the demon and dragged Buffy towards it.
Desperate the Slayer scrambled her fingers over the floor, feeling her nails scratching the polished stone without finding anything to hold on to, until something fell on her, something that protected her from the howling wind that surrounded the demon who screamed desperately, even louder than the horrible noise that the mystical wind was creating in the room. And then suddenly everything stopped.
A bluish powder left Fred’s body and floated through the air to find the vessel that Wesley was still carrying with difficulty, entering it and closing it itself tightly.
Only then, Buffy breathed, and when she raised her sight she met the deep and indigo stare that she’d missed so much and had thought she never would see again.
Understanding hit her then.
Spike had placed his body between her and the vortex of all-powerful magic that had enveloped Illyria, risking his unlife in the process, just to save her. The blonde felt her eyes filling with tears while she and Spike remained staring intensely transmitting thousands of things that they were afraid to put into words for fear of repercussions. He had also saved her from a new death at the hands of Illyria. Somehow, Spike had managed to escape from the paralysis of time that the demon had made, with enough time to grab her scythe and skewer Illyria with it, when it was about to finish Buffy off.
“Spike…” Buffy murmured with a quivering voice raising one of her hands, quite bruised, towards vampire’s face.
“Fred” Wesley called, Buffy and Spike looked away from each other to gaze behind Spike, where Illyria had been only a second ago.
Instead of that, Fred’s lifeless body was lying there now. Her real body, with her innocent face and her soft and humane skin, without any remains of the venomous blue, but also without the slightest trace of life.
Wesley took Fred’s naked and inert body in his arms, took off his jacket and wrapped her up in it, while he rocked her with tears of pain that would break the bravest of warriors, whispering her name with infinite devotion.
Buffy noted how Spike looked away, avoiding her eyes, though without knowing why. Without knowing that the heart-rending image of Wesley, rocking the woman he loved, had brought to his mind, horrible memories, memories that it would make him shed tears if he continued to look at Buffy.
Memories of 147 days with their respective nights, begging the PTB to help him forget the image of her dead body lying in the rubble of the tower, in the sunlight, which prevented him from approaching her and doing the exact thing Wesley was doing at that moment.
Hugging the dead body of the love of his life.
~ * ~
“Hi Wills” said Buffy coming in to room where the witch and a strange green demon were making the necessary preparations to attempt to restore Fred’s soul.
“Buffy” the redhead said turning to her friend, from the armchair in which she was sitting surrounded by all kinds of books and ancient papyrus. “I thought you were with the boys.”
“Yeah” Buffy answered nodding. “They’re… preparing Fred… and I felt very uncomfortable there.”
“I understand” Willow said scribbling something in a notebook.
“So, you’re the famous Buffy” the demon said watching the blonde, who turned to him, raising an eyebrow. “I thought that you would be higher, or stronger, I don’t know. Well, I mean, people say so many things about the Slayer, but no. You’re even more a cutie than Faith.”
Buffy smiled slightly pleased with the comparison with the other Slayer and then turned to Willow for explanations.
“Oh, sorry” said the redhead looking at both. “This is Lorne, he’s an empathic demon, he can read people’s destinies when they sing."
“Really?” Buffy asked, looking at demon with a smile who nodded. “Well, if I’d known I’d have saved myself visits to the therapist.”
Lorne leaned his head to closely observe the blonde, after that comment.
“Hey Wills” Buffy said approaching the redhead. “I… wanted talk you.”
“Talk away” answered the witch raising her sight from the books to look at her friend with a smile.
“Are you sure about what you’re gonna do?” Buffy asked looking at her friend seriously, Willow stared at her and nodded slowly.
“Yes, I’ve researched and studied… and I can do it, Buffy” answered the witch.
“I didn’t mean…” Buffy shook her head nervously, searching for a way to explain. “I know you can do it, Willow. You can do so many things but…… Are you sure it's a good idea? Are you sure you should do it?”
“Buffy, I’ve… changed since… then” said the redhead staring at her friend knowing perfectly well the damage and pain she had undergone in the past because of her actions. “I grew up. I know what I’m doing.”
“But…” Buffy said after watching her in silence for a few seconds. “But if she… what if Fred is…”
“In Heaven?” Willow asked carefully, Buffy nodded slightly. “I’m making sure, Buffy. So I did a variation of the spell we used the… other time” explained the witch. “I’m gonna apply my recent knowledge about astral travel to find out where Fred is before bringing her back.” Buffy nodded with her arms crossed, not completely convinced with Willow’s explanations. “Anyway, not all those who have returned from the dead were in Heaven, quite the contrary. Angel, Darla, Spike, they were all in hell."
“We don’t know where Spike was” Buffy said with a hintt of bitterness in her voice.
“In Hell” Lorne offered from his seat on the sofa, Buffy turned to see him better.
“How do you know?” The blonde asked the demon.
“When Spike came back, he was a kind of ghost” Willow and Buffy nodded, both knew that detail. “But there were times he was talking or whatever, and he would just disappear. Fred investigated for several weeks a way to return him to his body, after Spike confessed that every time he disappeared, he went to hell.”
“So it was Fred who returned Spike to his corporeal form?” Willow asked curious, Lorne shook his head.
“No, though Fred found a way to make a ghost corporeal” said Lorne pensive “But Spike sacrificed himself so they could catch an evil spirit and save little Fred from Pavayne. Duh, the evil ghost.” Lorne clarified seeing Buffy's face visibly change with the information. “It was Wolfram & Hart who returned his body, more or less…” Lorne summed up thinking of Lindsey. “And I suspect they also had something to do with Spike leaving that medallion.”
Buffy opened her eyes as if she had been hit with something and looked at the demon, her hands trembling slightly, while she trying to hold on to the fabric of her pants.
“You…” Buffy asked unstable. “You were… were present when Spike… came back?”
“That's right, honeybun” Lorne responded with a nod, then he observed the shaking body of the Slayer and took a breath before explaining. “Someone sent an envelope to Angel with the medallion, and as soon as he opened it our beloved blonde vampire left the medallion with a show of fireworks and ash” the demon smiled amused. “The first thing he did was roar like the lion of the Metro and pounced on Angel.”
Buffy and Willow smiled amused imagining the scene perfectly.
“It was just luck” Lorne went on to say with a smile. “That he was immaterial at the time, because if not, I think he’d have torn the boss’ throat out.
“I can imagine” Buffy said sharing a smile with the redhead. Lorne leant his head to observe Buffy who raised an eyebrow at the demon exam.
“The second thing he did was ask for you” said Lorne still staring carefully at the blonde, who opened her eyes and swallowed hard. “He was more concerned knowing you were fine, than about his newly found incorporeal status.”
“I…” Buffy whispered blinking forcefully as she heard the warm words of green demon.
“He didn’t want to hide from you” Lorne explained, making sure that she understood him. “He wanted to see and talk to you, he argued with Angel then. And I don’t wanna question Angel, he’s my friend, but sometimes he doesn’t take the most correct decisions. I think he persuaded Spike that it was better for you not to know that he’d returned; that you deserved a chance to move on."
“I …had a…” Buffy sighed deep trying to stabilize her voice. “They should… I had a right to know.”
“Oh, sweetcake” Lorne said standing from the couch and approaching a quivering Buffy, the demon placed a hand on her shoulder and searched eyes that were bright from the tears that she refused to spill. “I don’t need a song, to know what you feel.”
The blonde let out a weird laugh, mixed with sadness that she tried to hide, Lorne gently stroked her back with tenderness.
“When Willow brings Fred back, you can talk to her” Lorne said with a smile. “She knows more than I do about this”
“Red” Spike said suddenly appearing at the door. “Harm and Wes've finished with Fred. How ‘re you goin’?"
“We have also finished” Answered the witch taking a last look at the notes of her spell and lifting her eyes to look at Buffy, who was trying to get herself under control in the vampire’s presence. Spike followed the gaze of the redhead and observed Lorne caress Buffy affectionately.
“Are you ok, pet?” The vampire asked, frowning and staring at the slayer. Buffy was only able to answer with a nod, she didn’t trust herself, after hearing the affectionate nickname from Spike, but at the absence of direct response, he asked again. “You are healed from all that beating, right?” He inquired, gazing carefully the stitched wound on her forehead.
“I’m fine, Spike” Buffy managed to say, and although her words didn’t convince the vampire, he just nodded and turned to Willow.
“Well, the time has come” Willow said standing up and taking the necessary tools to perform the spell.
The witch went through the door followed by Buffy and Lorne and finally Spike, who closed the entourage, keeping a worried look on the Slayer’s back.
To Be Continued...
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Well, here is three chapter again, re-updated and now translation corrected by LadyAvalon.
I hope you like it.
*Disclamer*: In this chapter there're several quoting taken enterily of the chapter Shells of the Angel's fifth season.
I hope you like it.
*Disclamer*: In this chapter there're several quoting taken enterily of the chapter Shells of the Angel's fifth season.