Fanfiction: A Tale Of Slayers : Finale
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
It had only been about three minutes since Buffy and Faith had hurried ahead to the docked ship and their fight with the three remaining inhumans was well on its way. Being a vampire and the strongest in their group, two of the demons focused on Angel, while the last kept Giles and Xander occupied. Willow already had a bolt loaded in the crossbow Angel had given her, but she dare not try her luck at hitting one of the goons for fear of hitting one of her friends. Also considering that her skills with this weapon were nonexistent.
Angel had started the fight barehanded, but he had managed to relinquish a club from one of his opponents and was steadily gaining the upper hand now. The third one seemed to be holding its own against the teenager and the Watcher. Willow cringed when the demon blocked a swing from Giles’ ax and delivered a side kick that knocked Xander to the concrete, but Giles finally got through its defense and buried the blade of the ax into the creature’s back, and she turned her head away from the grisly sight. When she looked up again she saw that Xander and Giles were moving in to help finish off Angel’s opponents.
“Willow,” someone whispered her name from behind her.
She turned and saw a faint outline of someone standing in a narrow space between two of the large crates. “Willow,” the figure said again and stepped out of the shadow.
“Buffy!” Willow moved closer. “What are you doing back here? Where’s Faith?”
She saw a worried expression on her friend’s face. “There’s something wrong with her. I don’t think the spell’s working anymore.”
“What?”
“C’mon, I’ll take you to her!”
“But what about—” Willow indicated the fight that was still going on.
“They’ll be fine. And we don’t have time! Hurry!
Buffy disappeared between the crates again and Willow quickly followed, taking care to point the crossbow at the ground while she ran. They came out of the narrow passage and Buffy led her across the open docks leading away from the frigate, actually. Willow wondered what Faith would be doing out this way. Maybe she had run away when the spell failed and was being controlled by Oranstine, and Buffy had been chasing her. Even when they reached her, the young practicing witch wasn’t sure what she could do to reinforce the protection spell without any supplies.
Buffy didn’t say anything to her as they ran.
“Where is she?” Willow finally asked.
“She was right around that corner.” She pointed to the other side of a group of large cargo containers.
They rounded the corner and Willow stopped right beside Buffy, but did not see Faith anywhere.
“Where is she?” she asked again and looked at Buffy. The Slayer was glaring at her with her green eyes. Her expression sent a chill down Willow’s back. “Buffy?”
Buffy’s hand shot out and clamped around her neck and she gagged as she was slammed against the side of the container. She had dropped the crossbow from the impact and now clawed at the hand strangling her.
“Buffy!” Willow managed to choke out.
Her best friend looked at her with deathly cool eyes. “Now, you will tell me what kind of spell you have on my Slayer?”
“Giles!”
Giles, Angel, and Xander looked up in surprise to see the two Slayers running towards them. At their feet were the last of Oran’s demon henchmen.
“Buffy,” Angel exclaimed.
“What’s wrong?” Giles asked, as they reached them.
Buffy took a quick look around. “Where’s Willow?” she and Xander asked at the same time. Xander had been looking for his childhood friend also.
“She was right here,” Angel said. “She was standing just over there.”
“What’s happened?” Giles asked.
“Oranstine was that tall vampire at the diner. She knows about the protection spell and, I don’t know how, but she knows Willow was the one who casted it,” Buffy quickly explained going over to where Willow had been standing. She saw the narrow passage between the crates. “I think she already has her.”
“We need to go after them,” Xander was already moving.
“No. Faith and I will go after them. I need you to watch the freighter, the Slayer Vampire is on board. If you see her leave don’t go after her, just come get us.”
“Buff—”
Buffy cut Xander off. “We don’t have time to argue, please, Xander. I promised Oz I wouldn’t let anything happen to her. We’ll get her back!” She looked at Faith.
“I’ll go this way,” the brunette said and started running.
“Be careful,” Buffy told the others and disappeared between the crates.
“Oranstine!” Willow gasped.
“Please to meet you, child,” the demon wearing her friend’s appearance smiled briefly at her. Then sneered. “Now, how are you blocking my power?”
“What are you talking about?”
Oranstine tilted her head as she regarded the redhead. “Allow me to repeat myself.” She slammed Willow against the container again, the back of her head making a ringing sound on the metal surface.
Willow closed her eyes against the pain but still saw stars dancing under her eyelids. When she opened her eyes several seconds later, she saw Buffy’s face smirking at her. She inched her hand to Giles’ weapon bag still hanging from her shoulder.
Oranstine didn’t take her eyes off hers, but said, “Don’t.” Willow let her hand drop away from the bag.
The demon said, “If you do not tell me about this spell, I will just take the chance that your death will break it for me, witch.”
The throbbing in her head lessened so that Willow was no longer clenching her teeth. She said, “I’m not really a witch.”
“Is that right? You honestly do not realize the power you exude?” Oranstine seemed to find this amusing. “The potential you have. It’s a shame you will not get the chance to explore your powers more fully.”
Willow closed her eyes again, so that she would not see her friend’s face saying these things, promising her death. The voice still sounded like Buffy’s but not the tone the demon was using, so it was easier to pretend that this creature did not look like her best friend. She felt its hot breath on her cheek as it leaned closer to her.
“If you really are as naive as you say, then I believe I already know what kind of spell an amateur witch, like yourself, would use. Which means I have no need of you, dead or alive.”
The hand on her neck adjusted so it was cupped under her chin and she felt the demon’s other hand on top of her head. She realized it was going to snap her neck. Just like Ms. Calendar, Willow thought, with dread and a tear rolled out from under her eyelid.
“NO!”
Willow was thrown to the concrete, some of the wind getting knocked out of her. She shook her head and opened her eyes to a bizarre sight.
Buffy, the real Buffy, was fighting… well, herself. Dazed, Willow struggled to get to her feet as she watched the two Buffys trading blows. One of the Buffys had an enraged look on her face as her fists battered the other Buffy.
Then that Buffy shouted, “Willow, run!”
Which was great advice, and the redhead took off away from the mirror brawl, securing the weapon bag on her shoulder. She saw Faith running towards them from that direction. She was armed with a machete.
“Oh, shit!” Faith said, as she stopped next to Willow. “Which one is B?”
Willow looked back at the fight, but she could no longer tell which was the Buffy who told her to run. They were identical, even down to the cut above Buffy’s brow. “I don’t know.”
“Damn. I guess we do this the old-fashioned way. Do you have a coin? We can flip heads or tails.”
“What!?”
“Just kiddin’. Get back to the others, we’ll handle this.”
Faith started forward again, leaving Willow behind. She wanted to protest. The Slayer looked over her shoulder. “Make sure Xander doesn’t do anything stupid.”
Reluctantly, Willow ran away.
Faith was about twenty feet away from the fight when one Buffy slammed a hard fist into the other Buffy’s stomach, making her double over, then grabbed that Buffy by her jacket, swung her around, and launched her into the air. The airborne Buffy hit the concrete and rolled to a stop at Faith’s feet. The brunette had the machete poised, ready to strike.
That Buffy looked up at her and saw the machete. “Faith!”
“Faith, kill her!” the other Buffy shouted. “That’s Oranstine!”
Faith glanced at her then at the Buffy at her feet.
“You wouldn’t kill me, Faith,” that Buffy said. “Not after what you said to me in the shower.”
A smile spread on the brunette’s face. She reached down an open palm to the blonde Slayer and helped her to her feet. “You know, I was only joking when I said those things to you.”
Buffy mocked a hurt expression. “Why you tease!” They laughed.
Their smiles faded when they turned their attention back to the Buffy Oranstine. She stood with the spiked club Buffy had dropped in one hand and Willow’s crossbow in the other.
“Shouldn’t we be helping them?” Xander asked.
“You’ve already asked that question,” Angel told him.
“No, no. What I said before was: `do you think they need our help?’ Okay? This is a totally different question.”
“Xander,” Giles spoke up. “I’m sure they’ll find Willow. She couldn’t have gone far.” The Watcher managed to put as much confidence in his words as he could, hiding his own concern for the young redhead.
He was still holding the battle ax in his hand, hanging by his leg. They had moved away from the corpses of the inhumans to a better position to watch over the frigate. He resisted the urge to lean against the crate for the temptation to slide to the ground and sit was very strong in him right now. He had been awake now for nearly forty hours and the lack of sleep was finally catching up to him.
“At least we don’t have to worry about anymore of Oran’s thugs,” Xander nodded toward the bodies littering the concrete behind them. He looked at Angel. “Which means you get to participate in the Slayer match after all. Three against one. Makes you almost feel sorry for the Slayer Vampire.”
“Don’t start feeling sorry for her just yet,” Angel said.
Xander and Giles looked in the direction the vampire was looking. They saw a lone figure walking down the gangplank of the ship. From this distance, they could only make out that the figure had long hair and was wearing a jacket.
“Do we follow her?” Xander asked.
“We won’t have to.”
The figure stepped off the gangplank and marched in their direction.
“This is not good,” Buffy said. The Buffy Oranstine was pointing the crossbow at them.
“She can only hit one of us,” Faith said.
“That’s reassuring.”
“Besides, she wants us alive.” Faith narrowed her eyes at the demon. “Isn’t that right?”
Buffy never imagined her face could look so evil as it smiled at them. “I would prefer to have both of you, but I guess I’m going to have to settle for just one.”
“How are you at catching crossbow arrows,” Buffy whispered to Faith, not taking her eyes off her demon reflection.
“Never tried it before.”
“Me neither.”
The demon continued. “And since Faith already has my mark, I guess you’re the one that’s going to die.” She directed the crossbow at Buffy.
Buffy tensed. If the Slayer Vampire could catch bolts so can she.
“Wait!” Faith shouted. She took a step closer to Buffy. “There’s still a way you can have both of us.” She dropped her machete and pulled the leather pouch all the way out of her sweat shirt. “This is what’s protecting me from your control. All you have to do is take it away from me.”
Oranstine seemed to consider this for a moment. She jerked her head to the side. “Step away from her.”
“Faith, what are you doing?” Buffy whispered.
Faith grinned at her, still looking at Oranstine. “I have no idea.” She put her hand on the small of Buffy’s back and they locked eyes.
“Watch your back,” Buffy said.
“You know me.”
Faith walked slowly away from the blonde slayer, her arms down at her sides. Oranstine stepped out into the open with her, keeping the crossbow trained on Buffy.
“Now take it off,” the demon ordered.
Faith shook her head and smiled. “That’s not how it works, Man-E-Faces. If you want me you’re gonna have to take it from me.”
“I’ll kill her.” Oranstine raised the crossbow an inch for emphasis.
Faith gave a shrugged. “Then kill her.”
She didn’t see Buffy’s jaw dropping as she looked at her with wide eyes.
“But you might miss,” Faith added quickly. “Buffy’s pretty fast, you might not be able to hit her, and then you’ll have to deal with both of us.” Faith lifted the pouch once more. “Now, if you can get this away from me, I’ll be in your control and then it will be you and me against Buffy.”
Oranstine only took her eyes off Buffy just for a second to take in Faith’s shit-eating grin.
“C’mon, whadda ya say?” Faith said.
Still looking at Buffy, the demon started to walk towards Faith.
“I’ll take that as a `yes’,” Faith said, tossing the leather pouch over her shoulder, so it hung down her back, and charged the demon.
Oranstine dropped the crossbow, focusing all her attention on Faith and charged the Slayer, still armed with the club.
As soon as the demon dropped the crossbow, Buffy was also running , but she knew immediately that she wasn’t going to reach them before they clashed. And what happened next occurred so fast Buffy wasn’t sure what happened, despite the fact that she had been looking directly at it.
Faith had leaped into the air at the last instant, and Oranstine launched herself to match her move. They collided in midair and the next instant Buffy was falling back to avoid Faith as she flew straight at her. As she hit the concrete, she watched the brunette slam against the side of the cargo container and flop limply to the ground.
“Faith!” Buffy cried, as she scrambled to her fellow Slayer.
She dropped to her knees and turned her onto her back. Faith let out a cry of anguish and Buffy gasped. There were three long bloody slashes running diagonally across her chest, starting from the top of her left breast, reaching to her right shoulder.
“Oh, my God!”
Buffy heard laughter behind her and looked over her shoulder and saw her demon reflection smiling at her. The spiked club was lying at its feet, broken in half, but there was blood painted on the long talons that had sprung from the demon’s right hand. “If you want her to live you’ll have to… .”
Oranstine faltered, a look of confusion crossing her features and she looked down and noticed the handle of the large hunting knife sticking out of the center of her chest. The knife Faith had slipped out of Buffy’s waistband and kept hidden along the inside of her forearm. With a stunned expression, Oranstine dropped to her knees. She looked up at the Slayers.
“Well done, my child,” the demon said, smiling weakly. “But now, it looks like you are going to die after all.”
“I got her!” Faith managed to say through her pain. “I got her, B!”
“Yeah, you did.” Tears were suddenly filling Buffy’s eyes as she cradled the dying Slayer in her lap.
“Tell Giles … I did good.” Faith coughed and blood came out of her mouth and dripped down the side of her cheek.
“He’ll be so proud of you,” Buffy said.
“Looks like you … and Angel … are gonna have to deal with … fang-girl without me.”
“No.”
More laughter made Buffy look at the demon again and her anger flared as she watched the demon laugh at them. Green blood was flowing steadily from around the knife in its chest but it wasn’t dead yet.
“I’m gonna finish what Faith started, you—” Buffy stopped and just stared at Oranstine for a couple of seconds. Then she looked down at Faith again. She saw the leather strap still around the brunette’s neck. Buffy grabbed it and pulled the leather pouch out from under her. Buffy glanced at the demon again, still alive, then the pouch. She yanked the pouch and snapped the leather strap from Faith’s neck.
Almost immediately, Faith’s fatal wounds stopped bleeding and slowly began to mend themselves.
“Thank God,” Buffy breathed. She looked over her shoulder again and saw that the dying demon was no longer laughing. “As long as you’re alive, she can’t die.”
Buffy saw her own eyes glaring back at her. Oranstine said, in Buffy’s voice, “An excellent idea… . child. But you … did overlook one minor detail.” The demon was getting weaker but its eyes flashed a luminous green.
Buffy gagged as her air passage was suddenly closed off. She looked down and saw Faith, the brunette’s hand wrapped around her throat, and her eyes were lit up with the same green brightness as the demon’s. The slashes in her chest were still healing themselves but they were still gaping wounds.
“F—” Buffy tried to say, but the grip tightened around her neck and she started to feel her strength leave her.
Oranstine was laughing again, but it was more labored now. “You now have a choice, Slayer.”
Buffy tried to pry Faith’s hand off her throat but the brunette grabbed her wrist with her free hand and pinned it to the concrete as she forced Buffy down. Soon Faith was straddled across the blonde Slayer, looking down at her with those glowing green eyes, a sneer on her face. No doubt matching Oranstine’s expression. But Buffy’s other hand was still free, the one she had been holding the leather pouch in, which she realized she had dropped. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw it laying about three feet away from her and she reached for it, the tips of her fingers just brushing against the leather.
Oranstine continued. “What will it be, Slayer? Will you save yourself and let your friend die… .or will you let your friend live and kill you instead?”
Buffy strained harder to grab the pouch, but she couldn’t do more than touch it with her fingertips.
“Yes,” Oranstine said, humor in her voice. “Reach for it.”
“It is her,” Giles breathed.
The young vampire had entered the mouth of the canyon created by the large crates and was striding purposefully in their direction.
“The Slayer Vampire?” Xander asked.
“Yes.”
“Giles!”
The three of them turned at the sound of Willow’s voice and saw the redhead running towards them. Her face took on a mask of disgust as she weaved her way through the inhuman bodies littered across the ground. Xander rushed to her and gave her a huge hug, nearly lifting her feet off the ground.
“Will! I’m so glad you’re alive!”
Willow made a gagging sound under his strong embrace and he quickly released her.
“Where’re Buffy and Faith?” Giles asked, though obviously relieved that she was alive, as well.
“They’re fighting Oranstine, right now. It was freaky! Oranstine was disguised as Buffy, she looked exactly like her.” Willow looked past the three men. “Uh, who’s that?”
“I call her trouble,” Angel said, the only one who had not taken his eyes off the approaching Slayer Vampire. “Giles, get them out of here. Now!”
The vampire took a few steps forward readying himself to face the creature. The Slayer Vampire was close enough so that they were able to see her clearly now.
The young vampire stopped just a few feet in front of Angel and glared at him. “Normally I’d welcome the chance for a quick meal, but the master is calling me now, and even though I don’t want to, I have to go to her. So back off!” The last she said with a growl.
Angel didn’t budge and there was anger in his eyes. “You’re the one who hurt Buffy.”
She smiled at him. “What? Are you Buffy’s boyfriend? Well, I’ll be sure to give her my condolences over your death. And I’ll give her a kiss for you, too.”
With that, she roared, her fangs springing forth, and leaped at him. Angel roared also, his vampire features sliding into place, and leaped forward as well. The two vampires collided and the Slayer Vampire went sailing through the air and slammed into the wall of crates. She hit hard and fell to the concrete but quickly sprang to her feet. There was a surprised look on her face.
“A vampire!” A wicked grinned formed around her fangs. “Why didn’t I smell it before?”
Angel was facing her, ready for another attack.
“Angel!”
Angel looked over his shoulder and caught the battle ax Giles threw to him. The Slayer Vampire thought this was amusing.
“Good idea,” she said. “You’re definitely gonna need that.”
Darkness was starting to creep around the edges of her vision but the bright green coming from Faith’s eyes pierced through. Buffy knew if she didn’t do something, like right now, she was going to loose consciousness and she would not be waking up.
She wasn’t sure how, but she managed to get her nails into the leather of the pouch and dragged it just a centimeter closer to her, which was enough to get a better hold on it. She closed her fist around it and was about to slam it against the top of Faith’s hand. She stopped herself at the last instant. Through her blurring vision she could still see that the slashes had not yet closed completely, if she reestablished the protection spell they would surely start bleeding again.
“What’s the matter, Slayer,” she heard Oranstine say. Buffy wished she would lose her appearance or at least change into someone else. “Aren’t you … going to save yourself?”
She had the pouch just hovering over Faith’s hand, and it was getting heavier and heavier with each passing second. Buffy tightened her grip around it so it wouldn’t slip out of her hand, but even that was now a chore. She was no longer able to struggle to free her other hand, that was pinned to the concrete, but Faith did not let it go. Buffy was trying to keep her eyelids from closing but they were also too heavy and she succeeded in only keeping them partially opened.
“It… looks like it’s… all over for you,” she heard Oranstine.
A flash of anger coursed through the Slayer, but in her weakened condition it only allowed her to open her eyes again. But it was enough. She saw Faith’s wounds were just fading scars now. Miraculously, she was still holding the pouch and she willed her hand to move. Her hand just fell limply and the leather pouch landed on top of Faith’s hand just as darkness finally filled her vision.
When Buffy opened her eyes again, she saw Faith falling back, the green light disappearing from her eyes and the brunette landed next to her, one leg still across her lower body. Savage coughs shook Buffy’s entire body as her lungs clawed desperately for air.
Unable to move, Buffy let her head fall to the side and saw Faith lying there with her eyes closed.
“F… .th.” Buffy could barely hear her own voice.
Faith’s eyes fluttered and opened. She was looking directly at Buffy but didn’t seem aware of what she was seeing. Then she lifted her head and her eyes focused.
“Buffy?” she said, softly.
Buffy managed a smile. Faith raised herself to her knees and Buffy thought that was really unfair. Here she was with a nearly crushed windpipe and Faith was acting like a slow morning person.
“Are you all right, B?”
“y…,” she tried to say.
“Oh, man.” Faith helped her to a sitting position and had to hold onto her to keep the blonde from collapsing. “I’m sorry, B. I didn’t mean to do that. I didn’t have any control. She was inside my head. I could hear her.”
Buffy put a weak hand on her shoulder. “. .on’t orry… ‘out ‘at,” she said.
Red, abrasive bruising was forming around Buffy’s neck in the shape of Faith’s hand. She rubbed her hand tentatively against her throat. It was hurting her just to breath, but hopefully that, usually, reliable Slayer healing will start to work.
She turned her gaze to where she last saw the demon. Oranstine was now sitting, slumped on the concrete looking very weak. She was still wearing Buffy’s appearance and the Slayer did not want to admit just how disturbing it was to see herself, right in front of her, with a large knife sticking out of her chest. However, the green blood still flowing from the wound helped to dispel the surreal image. Then her eyes fell on the leather pouch on the concrete next to her leg. She picked it up and gave it to Faith. It didn’t seem like Oranstine had the strength left to take control of Faith again, but she wasn’t about to bet what little life she had left on it.
“Congratulations, my children,” Oranstine sputtered, and her lips were damped with blood. “You are very… .resourceful indeed. You won. After four centuries… .it’s finally my time… .to die.”
“Oh, stop being so dramatic,” a voice cut through the night.
Buffy, Faith, and Oranstine turned their heads in the direction the voice came from. A silhouette of a person wearing a long trench coat was walking towards them.
“I truly hate the way you’re always posturing,” the silhouette said. It was a female voice. “I don’t remember you being this bad when we were together.”
The person was clearly visible now and she was standing to one side between the Slayers and the demon. Buffy’s mouth dropped again as she recognized the woman.
The woman looked at her. The woman she had met last night in Angel’s mansion. The shapeshifter whom they thought was Oranstine. The Lady Oranstine saw Buffy’s expression and smiled at her.
“Hello, Buffy,” she said. “It’s nice to see you again.”
Buffy tried to say, “F… me…”