Title: Come To Play
Author: Starla
Email: starla@buffymail.com
Disclaimer: These Characters belong to Joss Whedon, except Gorlock, Alana, Adrian Townsend, and anyone else you don't recognize.
Distribution: Take it, but let me know. If you have any of my other fics, go ahead.
Author's Notes: It *will* be B/A I promise. I realise this part is a little depressing. Sorry. Season 4 did happen, Fish Boy did date Buffy, Angel went to LA, etc.
Spoilers: I dunno. Anything is possible, be warned.
Summary: 150 years after the Scooby Gang die, they return to Earth to help out the current Slayer and her Slayerettes.

Part 22


"It's nice to know that you remember me. Of course, I was probably in your every nightmare for the past 150 years." Gorlock mused. "After all, I did kill you."

"Holy shit...." Alana whispered, her eyes widening in realization.

"You got lucky." Buffy said. "It won't happen again."

"Maybe so." Gorlock said. "But where are your little friends? They aren't going to come running to help you this time."

"You're right." Buffy said, grabbing the hands of her three companions. "We're gonna go to them."

There was a flash of bright light, and when it cleared, they were gone.

"And so it begins." Gorlock said, a smirk crawling across his face.

Adrian jumped and dropped a book as Buffy, Angel, Faith and Alana materialized in the Mansion.

"Would you stop doing that?" He snapped, and then his eyes fell on Faith and he backed up in fear.

"Guys!!" She called, and a few moments later the Slayerettes, past and present, trooped into the room. Their reaction to Faith was much the same. "She's on the home team again, no time to explain."

What's going on?" Willow asked, her eyes wide and anxious.

"Gorlock." Buffy said simply.

"Gorlock? Is here?" Xander said, and then it dawned on him. He whirled on Faith. "You brought him here, didn't you?" He screamed. "Didn't you?"

Faith swallowed, trembling. "I-I did."

"How could you do something so stupid?" Giles said, whipping his glasses off.

"I-I" Faith stuttered, tears streaming down her face. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry ain't gonna cut it, sweetheart." Cordelia said angrily.

"Guys!" Buffy yelled. "Can we do this later? Please? I zapped us out of the cemetery, but he'll be here soon. We need to keep level heads."

"She's right." Oz said. "We're prepared this time. Besides. We can't be killed. Banished, but that's not so bad..."

"Facing your fears is the only way to conquer them, people." Doyle said with a nod and a swig of whiskey.

"Easy for you to say, he didn't murder you." Cordelia seethed.

"Oh. Yes. Bickering is going to help." Angel said, glaring at them. "We need to work together. Can we do that?"

Everybody took a moment to collect themselves, closing their eyes, breathing deeply, calming themselves. Regaining focus. Their eyes snapped open as one, identical smiles gracing their faces.

In that moment, Adrian and the current Scoobies knew that they were going to win.

Gorlock smiled to himself as he swaggered into the mansion. He gestured to the minions of hell the followed him, and they followed him down the passage to the Great Hall.

He had such wonderful plans for the Slayer and her kin....He'd been planning for so many years now....

An endless millenia sitting around and being tortured had given him some time to ponder the finer things in life.

"The clan are a free for all, boys and girls." He said with an air of authority. "The Slayers are for *me*."

The demons glared at him behind his back, but had had a glimpse of his power and did not argue.

He walked with a flourish into the hall, and stopped.

The room was filled with a bright green light. The witch, Willow, if he recalled, was standing in a corner, chanting, her hands raised. The light got stronger and stronger, and Willow finished with a shout.

Gorlock barely had a moment to flinch before he was thrown backwards by the bolt of energy that she had conjured.

Willow smiled to herself. "Go me." She whispered under her breath.

Gorlock's face shifted and he growled as he stumbled to his feet. "That wasn't very nice."

"We're not into nice anymore." Buffy said, surprising him as she kicked him in the back from behind, sending him flying into the shelves. "Fairness and freedom in this world is an illusion."

"Now, luv, that's awfully cynical." Spike said, ramming his fist into a large, ochre coloured demon's horny face.

Buffy didn't reply as she turned her attention to pummelling a large scaly lizardy looking thing.

Gorlock stood, and was immediately pounced on by a very wolfish Oz. The two tumbled to the ground, rolling around, clawing at each other, swiping, slapping, punching kicking. Gorlock mumbled in Latin, and seconds later, the back of Oz's neck burst into flames. The werewolf leapt off the vampire, howling as he galloped into the wall, quenching the flames against the stone.

"Oz!" Willow cried, then glared at Gorlock. "You big Meanie!" She yelled, lifting her hands and squeezed her eyes closed. "Pan, hear my plea...."

Angel watched Willow conjuring up her next spell, and looked at Faith. "Help Xander." He said firmly.

She spun around to see Xander trapped against the wall, a slobbering Meglomite demon crushing his neck between two long fingered hands. She ran to him, pulling the bulky demon away , hooking her fingers under it's strange shaped ribcage and-

She smiled as she heard a distinct *crack*.

She held out a hand, and Xander looked at it for a moment before taking it and allowing her to pull him to his feet. "Thanks for the save." He mumbled, running off to help Anya.

She turned and began to fight another demon.

Angel waited for Willow's spell to do it's work.

He smiled when Gorlock's eyes went a milky white colour. He was blinded.

Angel grinned at Willow. "Good job."

"I do what I can." She shrugged.

Angel dove at Gorlock, pinning him to the floor, repeatedly driving his fist into his solar plexus. The other vampire groaned, unable to defend himself. Angel whipped a stake out of his pocket, spinning it to the right position in his hand. He brought it down, but Gorlock's eyes cleared of their milkiness, returning to the blazing yellow that belonged there.

Angel took a moment to glance in Willow's direction, wondering what had happened.

Panic filled his stomach when he saw her, held down by two demons, struggling against their strong hold.

He had more important things to worry about, though.

The split second that he'd looked away had given Gorlock the opportunity he'd needed.

Gorlock slammed his hand against Angel's chest, and suddenly he couldn't move. Power threaded through his veins, swirling into his stomach, flooding his head, and it had him frozen in place. He couldn't budge. He couldn't see. He was powerless to stop the hostile takeover of his body that the power was demanding.

He felt himself being sucked away, pulled to into the light, away from the material body that he knew and into the deep abyss of peace.

His soul was pulled away from his body, and he could do nothing to stop it.

His last action was to shove the stake through Gorlock's heart.

Alana glanced over to where Angel and Gorlock had been fighting, and shrieked.

Angel lay face down on the ground, and Gorlock was just a pile of ashes next to him. She quickly dispensed the demon she was battling, and then rushed to his side to help him up.

She gently touched his shoulder, kneeling beside him. "Angel? Are you ok?"

He rolled over, smiling up at her with cold, amber eyes and a demonic grin.

"Never been better."




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