TITLE: The End

 

AUTHOR: persistenceofmemory

 

DISCLAIMER:  As usual, Joss owns all I'm just borrowing his people.

RATING: R

PAIRINGS: A/S

A/N: The way Angel ended was stupid! And what was up with that “thank you from your friends at the WB” news flash you WB people aren’t my friends! Anyone who would cancel my favorite show is not my friend. I hope you WB jerks like hell! Anyways, this is a continuation of what happened after the charge into the horde of demons. I don’t need reviews, this is for all my friends who hated the ending as much as I did. Enjoy!

“Personally.” Angel said calmly. “I kinda want to slay the dragon.” He smiled as he tightened his grip on the sword. “Alright, lets go to work.” On Angel’s order Gunn, Spike, Illyria ran into battle along side him against what seamed like millions of demons.

Blood and other bodily fluids were everywhere in moments. The water running down the storm drain was dyed red with blood of human and demon alike. As Illyria had predicted Gunn only lasted ten minutes before falling to the ground. Illyria turned sharply at the smell of his blood and ran to protect him. She fought back demon after demon as Angel and Spike made their way through the bigger fiends.

They had been fighting for a half an hour and hadn’t made much progress, demons were still coming at them from all angles. What seamed like hours later every demon was lying dead in the ally and well into the street.

“Illyria.” Angel shouted over the noise of the rain. “Is Gunn alive?”

“Just barely. I put him on the top of the roof so nothing could harm him.” She huffed, out of breath from the fight.

“Good.” Angel said nursing his broken arm.

“Not good.” Spike shouted from the mouth of the ally.

“What is it Spike?” Angel asked walking over to the other vampire.

“Me thinks that was to easy and as usual I’m right.” He said pointing his ax towards the street.

“Oh God.” Angel’s jaw dropped as his eyes fell upon another horde of demons, ten times larger than the first barreling towards them at top speed. “Well, here we go again.” He sighed as he motioned for Illyria to join them.

Angel, Illyria and Spike stood at the end of the ally ready to face down another cavalcade of demons when a familiar voice rang out over the din.

“Angel!” She shouted from the rooftop. All three looked up to see Buffy’s head poking out over the edge of the roof of the Hyperion. “You want help?” Buffy shouted. Not needing an answer she and about a hundred slayers jumped down from the roof and landed next to Angel in the ally.

Lucky for them most of the demons were quite large and moved slow for it took Buffy a second to take in the shock of seeing Spike again. “Hi Goldie locks.” He smirked. “Long story I’ll tell ya if we live.”

“Works for me.” Buffy smiled. “Alright guys, get ready for your first apocalypse.” She shouted to the slayers.

When the demons got closer Buffy and Angel sounded the charge. “Now!” They yelled in unison. As they did every one charged into battle.

“Oh Angel.” Buffy shouted from across the ally moments later. “We found your man on the roof, Willow and Giles are patching him up.”

“Thanks Buffy.” Angel shouted back as he rammed his sword into the heart of the nearest demon.

“Also Willow created a sun shield over the city just incase this runs past sun rise.” She called while decapitating three vampires at once with the scythe.

“That’s good to know.” Spike yelled.

Days passed, the sun came and went several times and still the battle not only raged on it had spilled into the street and down the block and demons still seamed to be appearing out of thin air. Over the coarse of the battle slayers came by the thousands. About half of them died but still more came until there was a slayer for nearly every demon.

Midnight of the third night Angel raised his sword and brought it down on the body of the last demon. Every one on the block yelled with joy despite their fatigue.

“Willow.” Buffy panted. “What’s the body count?”

Willow had joined them on the ground to fight and heal. “We lost about two to five thousand girls, but that’s just guess.” She winced in pain. “I’m handing around a potion, it should renew everyone’s strength.” She started to pass out vials of purple the potion. “Oh, Buffy you’ll never believe what happened. Slayers from all over came, most of them we haven’t even found yet.”

“The apocalypse called them.” Angel winced as he sat down on a dead body. “Slayers can feel the apocalypse, it’s kinda a slayer sense thing.”

“Well that explains a lot.” Buffy said sitting down next to him.

“Ya.” Angel grunted as he tried to move his still broken arm. “Buffy, you’d better tell your people to rest now, the Senior Partners won’t give up this easily. If some of them want to leave I’ll understand.”

“Angel no one is leaving you, my girls least of all. From what Giles said this is the end and if we stop this that means no more world ending cults, demons or monsters of any kind.” She panted. “The senior partners are going to throw every demon in the world at us, and if we win life will be normal. If there’s even a small chance that could happen I’m taking it.” Buffy said coolly.

“Buffy.” Angel said slowly. “You remember the Shanshu prophecy?” She nodded. “I gave it up. There is no way in hell that I’m ever going to be human.”

“What?” Buffy asked in shock. “How could you?”

“I had to convince the Circle of the Black Thorn that I didn’t want it. So they made me sign something that released me from it.” Angel winced as he stood up. “If it does come to pass, Spike will be the one to become human again, not me.”

“But I’m done baking.” She said sadly. Angel tried to respond but before he could a cold voice rang out over the street.

“Aww. That’s just so sweet.” The voice said. Angel couldn’t tell if it was male or female, all he could hear was a demon.

“Like a fairy tale.” Said another voice.

“Only this one won’t have a happy ending.” A third voice cackled.

Three dark figures appeared in the middle of the street and began to walk towards Angel. They wore long cloaks, which hid their bodies, but their faces were clearly visible. All three of them were women, very attractive women to boot. “Who are these clowns?” Buffy asked, standing up.

“Buffy, I would like you to me the Senior Partners.” Angel said calmly as the figures got closer and closer to them. As Angel said this, the street fell silent, the only sound was the rain.

“Hold up.” Spike shouted cocking an eyebrow up in question. “You’re tellin’ me that they are the Senior Partners?” Angel nodded his head slowly. “Right then, just making sure.” He fell silent.

“Very good Angel, you recognized us. There is hope for you yet.” The first, tallest woman smiled.

“Not a snowflake’s chance in hell.” Angel said coldly not losing his composure.

“I am surprised Angel, we are the most powerful not to mention the most evil force in one hundred dimensions.” The shortest of the three chuckled. “Yet you do not fear us. Now why is that?”

“Probably because over the past three days I’ve seen the worst of the worst, and I guess a few ancient morons in cloaks just doesn’t scare me like it used to.” He said sarcastically.

“Well, your either extremely brave.” The third woman started.

“No, that cant be it.” Smiled the first one.

“No, you’re just extremely foolish.” The short one said, her voice full of venom.

“Well bully for him.” Spike rolled his eyes.

“Silence vampire.” The tallest hissed. She cleared her throat and regained her composure. “Well, you must be wondering why we are here.”

“No not really.” Angel said, scratching the back of his head with his sword. “But I will venture a guess. You’re out of demons, well living one’s anyways you’re still going to try to raise the old ones from the deeper well but you’ve decided to give us a chance to join your side first. Am I right so far?” All three nodded. “Well that’s your version this however is reality. This is your last ditch attempt to win before releasing what used to push you around way back when.”

“We should cut out your tongue for your insolence...”

“I don’t think so.” Angel smiled that evil Angelus smile. “Because I have a theory, you are not only out of demons but also out of power. That’s why you’re here now. And how do I know that you ask. Well I’ll tell you. Because the Senior Partners I have come to know and loathe don’t get their hands dirty, they prefer to let other lower beings do their dirty work for them.” He said casually as he started to walk over to them. “But yet here you stand, and the only thing that would bring about that was if you were out of options.” Angel smiled.

“Um... Angel, mate.” Spike asked sweetly. “Is there a point to all this?”

“Yes Spike, there is.” With that Angel thrust his sword into the gut of the first woman and pulled it out again. The woman remained still and had absolutely no reaction to the blow what so ever, there wasn’t even a wound. Angel took another swipe at the other two but their reaction was the same. “The point is that they aren’t here to kill us. They are here to explain our existence.”

The first woman smiled wickedly and then began to clap. “Well done Angel!” She laughed. “Well done.” She scanned the crowd and was met by thousands of confused faces. “For those of you just tuning in here is the abridged version. The Senior Partners aren’t the Powers enemies, we are on the same team.”

“The Powers That Be are made up of both sides, good and evil. We, the Senior Partners are the evil half, Jasmine for example. She was a Partner before she got tired and came to earth.” The short woman continued. “She got tired of merely watching the mortal coil, she wanted to, for lack of a better word, she wanted to uncoil it. She wasn’t the only one of us to fall there have been many more.” She stopped and looked to the last woman.

The third woman continued on. “We have lost the great majority of our members. Your son was born to become a Partner, and your friend Cordy, she was born to be a Power. All of your friends were meant to be on either side, you as well. The Shanshu prophecy was one steaming load of bullshit. You were meant to hand it over so that eventually you would become one of the Senior Partners, or one of the Powers That Be. We weren’t sure and this battle was suppose to tell us what you would be. But you aren’t playing it the way it was prophesized, you are not suppose to have thousands of slayers on your side, you weren’t supposed to kill every damn demon and vampire in the world.” She almost shouted.

“Now because of what you have done, all of you, you’ve taken the matter out of our hands.” The first one said.

“You and Spike have both earned your Shanshu, regardless of the fact you singed it away.” The short woman said angrily. “So congratulations, you won a battle that wasn’t meant to be won by anyone. And not only did you get your Shanshu, you get your friends back.” She started counting them off on her fingers. “Doyle, Cordy, Wesley, Fred, Lorne and you even get to keep Illyria.”

Angel was stunned, his jaw was hanging open, as was Spike’s. For what seamed like hours no one spoke until Angel finally managed to squeak out a few words. “Who... how...?” Was as far as he got before Spike intervened.

“Hold on. You expect us to believe that you lot, the almighty force that rules us lower beings, answers to someone else? Who could possibly be above you?” He said leaning on the battle-ax he was holding.

“We answer to the Universal Council. The great force that is made up of every god, every goddess, every higher power in the known and unknown universe. From all forty billion dimensions. And one of your friends has convinced them to change the rules for you.” The tallest answered then turned to look down the block.

Every one followed suit and saw six people walking down the street towards them. Every person there stood in complete silence as the figures got closer and closer. When they were half way down the block Angel could start to make out a bright lime green jacket on one of the figures and realized it was Lorne.

“Oh my God.” He said in awe. When they got close he saw the faces of his lost friends, Lorne, Wesley, Doyle, Cordy and Fred. He looked to Lorne first he started to ask why he came back but Lorne beat him to it.

“What can I say Angelcakes, I know people in high places. The Universal Council, I go to their headquarters once every year and read them, the reason they have half the prophecies they’ve got is cuz of me.” He said casually. “So they owe me a favor or a billion.”

“That’s not what I was going to ask. I was going to ask why you came back.” Angel said, keeping as calm as possible. “I thought this wasn’t your thing any more.”

“Your family, you don’t have to be biological to be family but, well. I like you more than the real ones and if there’s one thing you don’t do is leave your family out to dry.” He smiled. “I guess now that there are no more demons and other things that go bump in the night, we can...”

“Be a family again.” Angel smiled back.

        FIN

 

 

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