Title; A Childe Awakens, (BtVS)
 
Author; Phoenixheart79 aka Carl/theblondiebear
 
Rating; R overall, 18+ if you're british like me
 
Disclaimer; I do not own BtVS, that privilige goes
to Joss Whedon and M.E. I guess I own Sebastian, but
the rest I'm just borrowing. I promise to put them
back in the toy box when I'm done!
 
Distribution; (not that anyone will want it! LOL)
Please ask my permission before putting it anywhere
else than the places I do.
 
Feedback; Please! I write for me, but it's a boost
to know what people think of my work.

Chapter 13 - At long last. Sorry about the gap guys, it was a struggle 
after the fun and games of the last chapter. That and my muse went on 
holiday without leaving a contact number. I hate it when he does that.

"Slayer!" Willie smiled, a smile about as genuine as the singing 
talents of the ‘stars’ of American Idol, "It’s the Slayer, here! And 
with a friend! What can I do you for? A drink? Complimentary peanuts?" 
He pushed a small, grimy bowl towards Buffy.

Buffy shook her head, "No thanks, Willie. Here’s the thing. A whole 
gang of vampires, lead by Amy, just attacked my house. People are 
dead."

"That’s terrible, Slayer."

"Where are they?"

"Honestly Slayer, I haven’t a clue." Willie said, raising his hands, a 
grimy bar towel in one. Suddenly an arm flashed out, grabbing him by 
the collar of his rather loud shirt. Sebastian pulled him close, their 
faces almost touching.

"Where is she?" 

Willie looked slightly panicked. "Hey Slayer, who’s your new friend? I
don’t talk to anybody now, got a new image to keep."

"Who I am doesn’t matter. Your image doesn’t matter. The fact that I 
have you in my hands does." Sebastian yanked hard and Willie’s face 
slammed into the bar. Sebastian grabbed a handful of hair and pulled 
Willie’s face back up. "Now where is she. Because if anyone else dies, 
I might just break the ‘don’t kill humans’ rule."

Panic in his eyes, Willie flicked his gaze to Buffy, "She’s camped out 
at the mansion, the one your old beau had."

"Angel’s mansion?" Buffy asked, Willie nodding in eager agreement. 
"Okay Bastian, lets get out of here." Bastian pulled Willie a little 
higher, then let go, the barman dropping down and his face slamming 
into the bar again. As they walked away a look of disgust passed over 
his face and he wiped his hand on his black jeans.

"Ugh, that guy can’t have washed his hair in a fortnight, gives new 
meaning to ‘slimy’. I have so got to shower before we attack. I can’t 
face bad guys with this on my hands."

"You kind of enjoyed that, didn’t you? Giving Willie grief?"

"A little. People like that, harbouring some rather vicious looking 
demons and vampires - well, dangerous ones - willingly, make me mad. 
It’d be different if they ruled the town and he was intimidated, but 
they don’t. He could get out, run a bar elsewhere. Guys like that, I 
sometimes wonder if they’re human."

"They’re human. And we have to protect them. Unfortunately."

"Yeah. Doesn’t mean I have to like it."

"I know what you mean."

The Mansion

Draped in a blood red cloak, Amy stepped forward, her arms held out in 
front of her, the final piece of the totem, a crown with spokes 
running inside it and a central spike three inches high, in her hands. 
Behind her, seven naked bodies hung, suspended upside down from the 
ceiling. Blood still dripped slowly from their slashed necks, the 
majority having been caught and used to dye her cloak for the ritual. 
One of the bodies was that of her father. An eighth victim, one of the 
boys who had teased Amy at school, was chained to the wall, his naked 
chest covered in whip marks. His genitals were purple, Amy had taken a 
lot of pleasure in torturing him. She had cut his manhood repeatedly, 
not to deep, she was going to need almost all his blood. But what had 
made her pleasure complete had been that, even through his screams, he 
had gotten excited. She and Willow had savoured every minute, every 
taste of his excitement. The smell of fear on him had been 
intoxicating, especially after the evenings events at the Slayers 
home.

Amy dipped the crown into the same bowl of blood that had been used to 
stain her cloak, intoning a chant under her breath in a language long 
forgotten by man. She lifted the crown, dripping blood, from the bowl 
and held it high. Her chanting increased in volume and purple 
lightning erupted from the very air itself, caressing the crown with 
energy. The blood ignited, becoming bright purple flames almost a foot 
high. Despite their size, the flames ignored Amy. They didn’t even 
blister her skin. Within seconds, the flames had gone out, leaving the 
crown a deep blood red colour. Amy stepped forward, towards the totem, 
lowering the crown. Gently she placed the crown in it’s place atop the 
totem. Small bolts of lightning arced down from the crown, caressing 
every inch of the totem. She turned towards the boy.

"Bring him." Two vampires, blond twins, stepped forward, grabbing the 
boys wrists and unchaining him. They dragged him, struggling despite 
his discomfort, towards a large stone alter in the centre of the room. 
They lifted him with ease and flung him down, snapping ankle and wrist 
restraints shut, their hands trailing over his bruised and cut chest. 
Amy smiled.

"Now boys, don’t get too attached to him. Soon he’ll be forgotten and 
we will savour the sweet taste of slayer blood, as one after the next 
falls to us." The twins melted back into the shadows, identical ghosts 
of smiles playing across their faces. Amy turned and picked up the 
totem, small traces of the purple energy flickered across her fingers. 
In a swirl of blood soaked cloth, she returned her attention to the 
bloodied and bruised boy on the alter.

 

Xanders apartment

"It’s suicide."

Bastian sighed and turned to face the potential. "Rhona, do you ever 
stop moaning, ‘cos it’s getting on my bloody nerves. If you aren’t 
going to be constructive, shut up." Xander had to smile, the look on 
Rhona’s face was priceless. He wondered why no one had said it sooner.

Buffy stepped up next to Sebastian, "Yes, it’s dangerous. If they get 
this totem working, then we’re all dead." She held up her hands to 
stop any arguments. "That’s it. Discussion over. Everyone who’s 
coming, get yourself ready." She turned and entered Xanders bedroom, 
which had been requisitioned for the makeshift armoury.

A short while later, his room all but emptied of weapons, Xander was 
looking over his shirts, deciding which one he wouldn’t mind getting 
ruined. Normally, it wouldn’t bother him, but since Anya, his tastes 
had changed a little and not even with his job did he fancy losing an 
eighty dollar shirt. "I’ve gotta do a Buff." he mused to himself. 

"What’s that, drown?" Xander whirled at the voice to see Bastian 
leaning against the doorway. Bastian pushed himself up and stepped 
into the room, closing the door behind him. Xander smiled.

"Willow been filling you in on the old times, eh?" He asked. Bastian 
smiled and nodded slightly. "I meant get a slaying wardrobe." 

"Ah." Bastian nodded.

"I’d borrow Buffy’s, but somehow I can’t see her clothes fitting me." 
Xander turned back and spotted a work worn shirt. He grabbed it and 
slung it over his shoulders, "This’ll do. It’s withstood cement, paint 
thinner and builders-sweat, blood’s not gonna bother it."

Bastian smiled, "Looks good." He stepped a little closer, his eyes 
trailing over Xanders still bare chest. A little distracted he said it 
again, "Looks good."

Xander laughed softly. "Sidetracked much?"

Bastian had the grace to look bashful. "Sorry. You should finish 
getting ready."

"I...I am ready."

Bastian looked him up and down, "No offence, but you go fighting the 
forces of darkness like that, you’ll catch a cold or..." He trailed 
off as Xanders lips brushed against his own, a brief, chaste kiss. 
"Oh."

Xander backed off, fastening his shirt, slinging a crossbow over a 
shoulder and then picking up a sword. He opened the door and gestured 
Bastian through, "Lets go, don’t wanna keep the ooglies waiting. 
Besides, I hear Buffys’ got us all treats for afterwards if we pull 
this off"

"She has? Well then, we don’t want the lady of the manor to get 
impatient." Bastian grinned and left the room, followed by Xander.

***********************************************************************

Chapter 14

Willow watched, entranced by Amy’s magic. In the centre of the room, 
the totem sat atop the boy’s chest, slowly draining the life from him. 
For the first two hours he hadn’t stopped screaming, but now his body 
was drying up, shrivelling away to nothing and he could no longer 
scream. But the terror that still emanated from him was intoxicating, 
the smell filling Willow’s nostrils. 

Over to one side, Amy was again performing the temporal fold spell, 
for the fifteenth time. Of all those lost in the assault on the 
Slayers’ home, she had already brought back the most potent fighters. 
Willow smiled. She knew of Slayers, The Master had told her of them, 
and especially of this one. She had no doubt that the Slayer and her 
friends would be coming. That was why Amy was doing the spell. As she 
watched, the air rippled again and another vampire stood in the hall, 
a dazed look on her face. Willow turned and left Amy to her work. This 
was going to be fun.

Spike looked up as he heard a door open and close. Willow stopped in 
front of his cage, setting a tray on a small table beside the door, 
her eyes taking in every detail, the scars on his chest that were 
slowly healing. With a click, the cage door was unlocked and he saw 
her slip the key into her cleavage. Silently she picked up the tray 
and walked in, then made a disapproving sound. 

"You’ve healed to much. What a shame. If the wounds were a little 
fresher, this would be so much more fun." she placed the tray down and 
with a flourish whipped the cloth that had been draped over it’s 
contents away. A small bowl, half filled with water, was in the 
centre, surrounded by numerous tools. Spike stared at them for a 
moment, not comprehending. Willow lifted one for him to see. It was a 
branding iron, shaped like a ‘W’. But where normally a branding iron 
would be just metal, the brands of these had a small layer of sponge. 

With great care, Willow dipped the brand in the water, lifting it 
gently and tapping off any lose droplets. She turned to Spike, holding 
the brand out for him to see. "I think it’s time we labelled you. 
After all, all puppies needed to be marked, so that if they’re lost, 
they can be returned to their owner." 

She leaned in, pressing the sponge to his cheek. The skin beneath 
began to smoke and burn. Spike screamed, a sound that had not left his
mouth in over a century, a blood-curdling scream. He tried to turn 
away, but it was no good, Willow grabbed his hair and held him in 
place, his skin sizzling under the brand. Then the pain stopped, the 
brand taken away. He slumped back, the pain washing over him. 
Suddenly, the hand grabbed his hair again and another scream tore from 
his lips as the brand was pressed onto his left cheek.

Willow stood up, placing the brand on the tray. She took a step back 
and admired her handy-work. The air was still thick with the smoke 
from Spike’s burnt skin. Then she bent down and picked up a fresh 
brand, this one in the shape of a ‘P’.

As the brand seared his flesh, the pain washed over him, Spike looked 
out through eyes slitted in pain and was staring down Willow’s chest. 
He could see the glinting of a key. He screamed again as another brand 
pressed into his chest. He had to get out of here, to tell Buffy what 
had happened to Red. Then the pain engulfed him again as a brand was 
pushed into his chest. 

Through it all, he brought a hand up and rested it on Willows thigh, 
she was crouched in front of him now. She didn’t remove it, so he took 
it as a good sign. His hand trailed over her, then his arm jerked away 
as a fresh brand pressed into his flesh. His hand dropped back onto 
Willows leg and she smiled.

"Does puppy want to play?" she asked, her voice dripping sex in a way 
he had never heard Willows’ voice. He had never even thought she could 
talk like that. Through his pain, Spike didn’t dare to speak, he 
simply let his hand trail over her body, as far as his chains would 
let him reach. With a hiss, he cried out as again a brand pressed into 
his skin. Distantly, he heard a clattering sound. He opened his eyes 
and saw the brand lying against the far wall, where Willow had thrown 
it. 

Willow was leaning over him and suddenly the pressure on a wrist 
stopped. Distantly he heard the click of the lock being released. With 
another click, his other wrist was free. As he sat slumped against the 
wall, Willow straddled him, rubbing herself up close to him, pressing 
her cleavage into his face.

"Okay puppy, lets play."

 

Outside

Buffy sat beside Bastian, staring up the drive at the sprawling 
mansion that had once belonged to Angel. In a way, she was kinda 
surprised that no bad guys had moved in yet. To the East, the sky was 
starting to grow light, dawn would be on them again. It was the 
perfect time to assault a nest of vampires, usually the younger ones 
would flee, their sense of the coming dawn not as precise as that of 
older vamps, and be caught in the first rays of daylight.

"You sure about this plan? Will they follow you?" She asked him. 
Bastian looked at her,

"It’s our best chance and you said yourself, you know the layout of 
that place a lot better than anyone else here." Buffy sighed.

"I know," she answered, "I just hate putting my responsibility onto 
somebody else."

Bastian placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled gently in the rapidly 
retreating darkness, "Buffy, it’s not your responsibility, it’s the 
responsibility of the Slayer. That means me now."

"Yeah," Buffy nodded, "doesn’t mean I like it." Bastian sighed and 
whacked her gently on the shoulder.

"Just get going, or we’re going to lose our opportunity."

Buffy gave him a mock glare, "Yes dad." She opened the door and 
vanished into the twilight. A few moments later, Bastian got out and 
approached where the others were gathering in the shadows. Silently he 
led them up the path. As they approached the mansion, he raised a hand 
and stopped them, two vampires were on guard. He turned and signalled 
Giles and Xander to join him. 

As they crouched by his sides, he pointed out the sentries. They 
nodded. In silence they raised their crossbows and fired at the same 
time, twin twangs barely audible in the darkness. The two vampires 
exploded into ash. Swiftly, the group stole up to the mansion’s front 
doors, standing flat against the wall. Sebastian glanced at his watch. 
Buffy should be ready.

He stepped away from the wall and stepped up to the door. Gently, he 
tried the handle and the door moved a little. He grinned. It wasn’t 
locked. He was about to open the door wide when a hand appeared on his 
wrist. He looked up and saw Giles shaking his head, mouthing the word 
"Trap". Bastian nodded and moved to one side, leaning his back against 
the second door. He slid down into a crouch and reached up for the 
handle again.

He pulled the handle and shoved. The door swung open and the boom of a 
gunshot filled the air. Giles leaned round the doorframe and fired his 
crossbow. No more shots sounded. Bastian stood and stepped into the 
mansion, his coat swirling around him as he drew his sword. The others 
poured in after him, some raising and firing crossbows, others 
brandishing swords, axes and crucifixes. Together they stormed down 
the short hallway into the main hall and stopped.

Thirty vampires stood in the room, all holding weapons. As they 
watched, the air rippled and another vampire appeared. Willow let out 
a gasp,

"A temporal fold! That’s why Buffy’s been slaying the same vampire 
more than once."

"You’re slow Rosenberg." Amy stepped from the shadows, her cloak 
swirling around her. "I’d have thought you would have figured it out 
before now. Still, better late than never and you’re just in time."

"Time for what?" Bastian asked.

"Why, time to die of course." Amy answered. As if on an invisible 
signal, the vampires rushed them.

Spike’s cell.

Willow continued to press herself against Spike, running her hands and 
tongue over his chest, her tongue tracing the scars on his chest. 
Against his will, a small moan of pleasure left his mouth. He wasn’t 
enjoying himself, he kept saying in his head, again and again, he was 
just playing. He needed her off guard before he made his move. 
Unfortunately, his body wasn’t cooperating with that.

A distant sound filtered down to them, a gunshot. Willow stopped and 
sat upright, looking around. "Damn," she muttered, "they couldn’t wait 
anoth..." Her sentence broke off as Spike slammed the shackle that had 
held his wrist against her skull. She slumped over him and he thrust a 
hand down her top, pulling out the keys. Three of them. He shoved her 
form away, scattering her torture tools everywhere. He struggled with 
the keys, taking two tries until he found the right key. The ankle 
shackles fell away with a clatter. 

He staggered to his feet and headed for the door when he heard a 
groaning and turned to see Willow getting to her feet. He turned and 
ran, still clutching the keys in his hand. He didn’t bother to lock 
the door, he didn’t have time. Buffy might need him. 

Behind him, Willow staggered from the cage, "Uh oh, puppies escaped," 
she grinned and grabbed a sword from the far wall, "time to put him 
down."

***********************************************************************

Chapter 15

The vampires charged them, Amy slipping around the edge of the room, 
heading for the alter. Bastian and the others stepped forward to meet 
the charge, the others giving him a wide berth, freedom to let loose. 
Crossbow bolts flicked past him and two vampires exploded into dust, 
another fell down, clutching the bolt in his genitals. Bastian broke 
into a run and jumped high in the air, twisting as he came down, 
landing behind and facing the charging vampires. His sword swung in 
a glittering arc, decapitating one severing another’s arm. He ran 
forward, grabbing the armless one by the collar and hurling her to one 
side. He stepped forward and spun, his sword passing through two necks. 
Dust erupted around him. The vampires charge faltered, assaulted now 
from both sides.

Giles stepped forward, his axe swinging wide and low, taking one 
vampires legs away. Screaming in agony, the girl crashed to the floor. 
He prepared for the death blow when another vampire slammed into him, 
sending him sprawling. The girls rushed in, short swords, axes and 
stakes flying. In the melee, another three vampires erupted into dust 
and ash.

Bastian whirled, a vampire on his back. Another punched him in the 
face, blood spurting out. The vampire smiled at him as it licked his 
blood from it’s fingers. He continued to spin, trying to shake the 
vampire off. Another snap kicked him in the stomach and he fell to his 
knees’. The vampire on his back lost her grip slightly. His hand 
flashed out, grabbing her hair. With all his strength he pulled and 
she sailed over him, slamming into two of her friends and sending them 
sprawling. As she passed in front of him, something registered, there 
was a mark on her forehead, an inverted T with arrows either side, 
each pointing in their corresponding directions, the one on the left 
pointing left and the same on the right. 

Bastian leapt high into the air, somersaulting, his sword flashing out 
as he did, carving a vampire in two across his waist. As he landed a 
foot connected with his back, sending him staggering and his sword 
clattering across the floor.

Amy stepped towards the alter, drawing a knife from under her cloak. 
Swiftly, she drew it across her palm, blood welling up into her hand. 
She reached out and smeared it over the boys forehead and then onto 
the totem. Purple lightning arced over it again, caressing the boys 
body. With a rasping sound, he drew his last breath. The lightning 
stopped, but a soft purple glow began to grow within the heart of 
the totem. Amy stepped back, it was done.

Suddenly, high above, the blacked out skylight exploded, glass 
falling to the ground below. As Buffy dropped, glass cascading around 
her, she raised two miniature crossbows and let the bolts fly. She 
dropped the crossbows and landed in a crouch. Two vampires vanished.

Her arrival had caught the vampires off guard. She was amongst them 
before they could react. Her foot connected with a vampire who had 
pinned Bastian, sending the creature sprawling. She grabbed a stake 
from within her jacket and slammed it into the chest of another 
vampire.

Across the room, Xander swung his sword, slicing open the stomach of 
a vampire. Howling in pain, the woman collapsed, trying desperately 
to hold her intestines in and failing. Beside him, Kennedy was 
whirling an axe like a woman possessed, sending arms and fingers 
flying. She wasn’t trying to kill the vampires, just to cause as 
much pain as possible, so that they wouldn’t threaten them. And her 
approach of swing like a nutter seemed to be working. With a cry, 
Xander stepped forward, hacking at the nearest vampire. As that one 
staggered away, he kept on swinging. Bellows of pain filled the air.

Bastian looked up as the vampire on him went flying. Buffy was above 
him, staking vampires and snapping out punches and kicks. A vampire 
grasped his nose and staggered back, Buffy kicking him in the chest, 
then spinning into a roundhouse kick that sent him flying. Bastian 
looked around and spotted his sword, lying a good eight feet away. 
He leapt to his feet, punching a vampire who appeared in front of 
him so hard that he knocked the creature backwards. He snapped a kick 
to it’s face, then spun into it, slamming a stake through it’s heart. 
He tucked into a roll and passed under a kick that had been aimed for 
his chest. As he rolled, he reached out and plucked his sword from 
the floor.

Spike was racing up the stairs from the basement when the sound of 
glass shattering reached his ears. He’d known a fight was going on, 
but it sounded big. He charged up the stairs ever faster. Behind 
him, he could hear Willow taking slow, deliberate steps up the 
staircase after him. He reached the door and with all his strength 
pushed. The door swung wide on a scene of chaos. A huge battle was 
raging in...he looked around. They were in the mansion. Suddenly, a 
blast of purple light washed over them all. As it cleared, lightning 
arced from something atop an alter, reaching out and slamming into 
every vampire in the room. He ducked to one side as a bolt arced 
past him.

"Buffy!" he cried out.

Across the room, Buffy looked over on hearing her name. "Spike!" 
Around her, the vampires stood immobile, each one pierced by a line 
of energy. As she watched, Spike stepped from the shadows of the 
doorway he was in. She drew in a breath. He was a mess. His chest 
was covered in scars and burns, as was his face. But her eyes were 
transfixed on his chest. A word had been burnt there. "PUPPY". The 
skin around it was blistered. Buffy knew what did that. Holy Water.

"Everyone! Get together now!" Bastian’s voice cut into her thoughts. 
They gathered together in a circle, unable to approach the totem 
because of the energy flowing from it. Spike staggered over to them, 
some of the girls taking breaths at what they saw on him. With a 
flash, the totem sent out a pulse of energy, then the glow vanished. 
The vampires staggered slightly, free of the magickal reigns that 
had held them. Gradually, one by one, they turned to face Buffy’s 
group, their eyes glowing with purple light.

"Now!" Buffy cried.

Those at the rear of the circle, facing back the way they had come 
and the vampires who had cut off their escape, two of the potentials 
flung back their jackets to reveal, strangely, water guns. Buffy 
smiled, this had been Bastian’s plan. The priest had been quite 
perplexed when they had turned up asking to have the water blessed, 
but had relented when Buffy had spoken quietly to him about what was 
happening. Like many of the clergy in Sunnydale, he actually knew of 
vampires, so had been almost eager upon hearing what the water was 
needed for. Such blasphemies to God must be stopped, he had said. 
Buffy had smiled. Why she’d never thought of this before, she never 
knew, it was so simple. She heard the cries and screams as holy 
water met vampiric flesh behind her. Beside her and Bastian, Xander 
and Giles let fly crossbow bolts.

As two more vampires exploded into cinder and ash, the others moved. 
She’d never seen vampires move like that, they were so swift. 
Wordlessly, she and Bastian met the charge, barrelling into the 
vampires at a crouched run, sending vampires sailing over their 
shoulders. With a grunt, Bastian stumbled as a foot connected with 
his left side. His sword swung in a glittering arc, but he only got 
one of his opponents, the others dodging the blow. Buffy staggered 
as a vampire punched her in the face, then kicked her in the chest. 
Another jumped on her back, trying to wrestle her to the floor. 
Another swept his leg low, knocking Buffy’s feet from under her. With 
a heavy thump, she fell to the floor, vampires rushing her.

"Buffy!" Spike and Willow cried out at the same time, rushing to 
help her. Spike paused as he saw Willow here, in shock. She had been 
behind him. He shook his head. There would be time for that later. 
Willow only got two steps before a vampire punched her in the chest 
and she went sailing through the air, tumbling to the ground clear 
of the fight. Dazed, she looked up as a shadow fell over her. 
Leather. Lots of black leather. Her gaze moved up and up, until 
finally she was looking into mirrors of her own eyes.

"Oh no." She whispered. Her double smiled and crouched down, looking 
Willow in the face.

"I think two me’s would be fun. Imagine all the...exploring we could 
do." Her eyes held a gleam that promised things Willow really didn’t 
want to consider. Not with herself anyway.

"N-No thanks," she looked her double in the eyes, "Besides, I don’t 
think my girlfriend would want a vampire in her bed."

Her double smiled, "We wouldn’t be in her bed." Suddenly her eyes 
widened in shock as Willows’ foot connected with her stomach. Off 
balance, she staggered back and stumbled into a crowd of her 
flunkies, sending them sprawling.

Buffy was struggling like a woman possessed, two vampires pinning 
her down, another grabbing at her hair and trying to move her head 
into a biting position. They were so fast and strong, she thought. 
Suddenly the weight on her lessened as someone crashed into one of 
the vampires, sending her tumbling across the floor. Her upper body 
free, she grabbed the head of the vampire leaning over her for the 
strike and pulled him over her head. Off balance, he carried on and 
crashed into the vampire pinning her legs. Gathering herself, Buffy 
did a little flip, landing on her feet. Her arm flashed backwards, 
her elbow shattering the nose of an assailant rushing up behind her. 
She crashed sidewards as another vampire slammed into her. As she 
fell, she caught a glimpse of the others backing away, reluctant to 
face too many of the slayer powered creatures. The two girls with 
the water guns were being more cautious now, careful not to waste 
what water they had and aiming mainly for the eyes. At least a half 
dozen vampires were staggering around blind, hands clawing at their 
eyes. Around the room, Buffy saw the bodies of at least four of the 
potentials, dead or wounded she didn’t know. And there were probably
more she couldn’t see, as well, she thought.

Bastian struggled to reach the totem, but there were too many 
vampires. And his sword didn’t seem to be as powerful. He wasn’t 
sure, but the rush effect of the empowering seemed to be wearing off. 
Instinctively, he knew they’d have to do it soon. He redoubled his 
efforts, sword decapitating another vampire, foot lashing out to 
kick one in the chest, but the woman, who from her stance looked 
like she’d been a professional martial artist in life, dodged the 
kick and grabbed his leg, pulling him off balance and sending the 
sword sailing up in the air. She watched it and smiled at him.

"Death by your own weapon. How poetic." The vampire said, grabbing 
the sword as it fell back to earth. With a rush of energy, the 
fiery serpent rushed from the blade, wrapping around her. In seconds 
she vanished in a cloud of fiery ash, her screams disappearing 
amidst the sounds of battle. Taken aback by this sudden development, 
the vampires paused. Bastian’s feet shot out, shattering the kneecaps 
of one vamp, who fell to the floor screaming. He’d heal in time, 
Bastian knew, but for now he was out of the fight. He did as Buffy 
had done, a little flip, grabbing his sword as he did. As he landed 
upright, he stepped forward and spun, the sword stretched out at arms 
length. Taken off guard, he cut two vampires clean in half and 
dropping back down to his knees, took the legs off a third. With all 
his energy, he leapt into the air, trying to clear the throng of 
vampires. In mid air the wind was knocked from him as somebody 
collided with him. Again his sword sailed through the air. He crashed 
to the ground in a tangle of arms and legs and looked into the face 
of Willow.

Buffy jumped to her feet, dust from the vampire who had rushed her 
falling from her clothes, the stake still clutched in her hand. 
With a clatter Bastian’s sword slid to a stop at her feet and she 
grabbed it up. Instantly she felt warm energy rush up her arm. She 
smiled, this sword was a rush. Inexperienced with such a weapon, 
she went for the tried and tested approach, swinging for the head. 
She was rewarded with a cloud of dust. She took in the sight before 
her, an almost clear path to the totem. She broke into a sprint and 
leapt high in the air, spinning over the heads of the warriors 
battling beneath her. The totem loomed closer and she brought the 
sword up above her head. Amy stepped forward, hand raised towards 
Buffy.

"Nooo!" she screamed. 

***********************************************************************

Ooooooh, cliffhanger.................