That Good Night: Part 2

 

 

 

“So how do we get in? Just walk up and say hello, we’re here to stop you blokes from doing something stupid?”

 

“That could work.” Xander grinned. “Stranger things have happened.”

 

“Are you sure we’re in the right place? I don’t see any soldiers anywhere about.” Giles asked.

 

“Are you kidding me?” Willow’s eyes were bright with anticipation. “I can practically see the magic in the air.”

 

“We’re in the right place.” Buffy assured him. “Riley said he couldn’t tell me the exact location, but he gave me a strong hint.”

 

Willow’s search had narrowed their list of possible places, all with a castle fitting the description within the area of a Hellmouth. Riley’s hint that “witches don’t have fond memories of the place” had sent them to the one outside Salem, Massachusetts.

 

“So the Hellmouth’s why they killed the witches?” Buffy asked Giles.

 

“Actually, most of the people accused and executed were not witches. The leaders of the community were, in fact, evil themselves.” Giles warmed to the subject as he always did when given the opportunity to share his research. “One of the accused witches was a Slayer.”

 

“Let me guess, they burned her at the stake?” Having nearly been a Slayer-on-a-stick at one point, Buffy shivered.

 

“No, they drowned her and her Watcher.” A frown crossed his face. “Perhaps that’s not the best subject to discuss right now.”

 

“Enough chattering, we came here to fight, not stand around yakking all day.” Spike had already shifted to game face in anticipation of the coming battle.

 

“We can’t just charge through the front door.” Angel was restless as well, but he hadn’t survived over two hundred and fifty years by being foolhardy.

 

“Why not? I say we vote on it. This is America after all.” Spike held his hand up. “All in favor of rushing the door?”

 

“Spike, we don’t vote on this stuff. Besides – “ Xander smirked at him. “You’re not American.”

 

“I’ve lived here longer than you have. I’m naturalized – “

 

There was a blinding flash of blue from the castle’s towers.

 

“That can’t be good.” Over the years Xander had found that bright, pretty flashes of light were followed by Bad Things.

 

Angel had had similar experiences, and he pulled Buffy down to crouch next to him. “Everybody get down.”

 

There was an explosive blast and the top of the tower shattered and fell away. All that remained was an eerie pulsing light where the top of the tower had been. The main doors to the castle burst open and soldiers began rushing out, followed closely by demons of various shapes and sizes.

 

“Let’s go!” Buffy bolted from the cover of the trees, with Angel close behind.

 

“Oh sure, now everyone thinks it’s a good idea.” Spike grumbled.

 

“Democracy in action.” Hefting his customized baseball bat, Xander ran after the others.

 

“Democracy in action, my ass.” After a moment, he ran after them. “Hey! Leave some for me!”

 

Getting inside the compound was relatively easy, as the soldiers were more concerned with defending themselves against the attacking demons than in keeping a small group of people out. Inside, it was chaos, with pockets of battles everywhere and again the Initiative’s men were too busy fighting to take a head count.

 

“We need to get to the source!” Giles grabbed Buffy’s arm as she headed into the fray.

 

She pointed at a group of white-coated people cowering behind a piece of equipment. “We have to get them out of here!”

 

“They’ll have to get out on their own.”

 

“But – “ She turned to look at him. The people were technicians and doctors, clearly not cut out to handle the situation they found themselves in. “They’ll die.”

 

“Buffy – “ Angel stepped around her, effectively blocking her view of the endangered people. “If we don’t stop this – now – everyone will die.”

 

“I know, but – “

 

“Remember your dream. Remember Lorne’s vision.”

 

There was empathy in the chocolate eyes. Angel understood how she felt, but he also understood the need for the harsh decision. She nodded. “Let’s go.”

 

A source of Angel’s had gotten them the layout for the castle. He didn’t name his source and Giles didn’t ask, merely marking it off as “source material” in the Council’s ledger. Provided the Initiative hadn’t made major structural changes, the path to the tower had been easy to memorize.

 

Dodging around the fighting, the group eventually found themselves at a set of oversized double doors that led out onto a covered landing. The eerie blue light bathed the stone stairs that curved up and out of sight.

 

Faith walked over to one of the large openings and looked out. “You were on the money, Angel. There’s the other tower.”

 

The view matched the one Angel had drawn with only a few minor details differing. “You know, if you ever need a job, I bet you could be one of those police artist guys.” Xander told him. “Or a comic book artist.”

 

“All right, so he can draw. Big deal.” Spike curled his lips over his fangs in disgust. “Let’s get a move on.”

 

“He’s just jealous.” Angel motioned for Buffy to take the lead. “The stairs aren’t wide enough for two abreast. Space out and make sure there’s room to swing your weapon.”

 

“I have stormed a castle or two in my time, you know.” She frowned at him. “Or at least some really creepy buildings.”

 

“I was thinking more of Spike.” Not to mention that he liked the view from behind as he followed Buffy up the stairs.

 

“That was an accident, and I’m not apologizing again!” Spike protested. “You shouldn’t have been standing that close to my demon!”

 

“Is this like your dream?” Angel ignored Spike as they climbed upward.

 

“Yeah.” Too much so. Buffy flipped the scythe so that the axe head was to her left. With the wall on her right, there was no other way she could swing it.

 

“Where’s the doors?” This was always the worst part of things, walking into the unknown with an unknown demony thing ready to hand them an unknown fate. Xander moved a little closer to Willow.

 

“I don’t know. Maybe at the top?” Buffy shrugged. “The dream bounced around a lot.”

 

“The doors were probably the portals, so my money’s on them being where the blue light is.”

 

“Faith’s right. The doors were probably just representations of the portals.” Willow reached for Xander’s hand. “Hey, this is almost like old times.”

 

“And that’s what I’m afraid of.” He squeezed her hand gratefully. Not that he was a coward, but he’d never liked fighting demons. He’d much rather run screaming in the opposite direction. Okay, so maybe he was a coward. Was that really so bad? “So what happened when you got to the top of the stairs?”

 

“I always woke up before that part.”

 

“What?” Xander stopped. “You mean you don’t even know what’s up there? What kind of dream is that?”

 

“The same kind as the ones where you wake up before you nail the pretty girl.” Spike gave Xander a push to start him moving again. “Only Buffy’s are more likely to come true than yours.”

 

“Hey, I could bump into a supermodel and have her fall madly in love with me.” His face flushed. “Let’s see, I’m with two vampires, two slayers, a witch, and we’re on our way to meet a blue demon. Anything’s possible.”

 

“The dreams are prophetic.” Giles told him. “If there were a definite ending, then we wouldn’t be able to affect the outcome.”

 

“Sure, throw logic in there.”

 

There was a rank scent in the air. “Something’s coming.” Angel shifted back to give Buffy enough room to use her scythe.

 

She nodded. Angel’s senses were much keener than her own; if he said something was coming, then something was coming. The air turned bluer around them as they followed the stairway up. When a pair of demons burst around the curve of the stairwell, she was ready, effortlessly taking the head off the first one and dodging the claws of the second one as it dashed past her. Behind her, she heard a growl followed by a swish-thump. Confident that the threat was taken care of, she continued up the stairs.

 

Demons came down the stairs in twos and threes, snarling and slashing in typical mindless demon fashion. Grunting as she decapitated one demon after another, Buffy forced her way up the stairs. “There’s a landing – a few more steps!”

 

Frustrated at getting only the few that slipped past Buffy’s slim form, Angel crouched and launched himself up and over her, trusting her judgment that there was a landing a few feet in front of them. Otherwise, he was in for a painful fall.

 

He landed in the middle of the landing, surrounded by a pack of yellow scaled demons, startling them long enough for him to bring his broadsword into play.

 

“Hey!” Driving the pointed end of her scythe into a demon, Buffy vaulted over the body and onto the landing next to Angel. “No cutting in line!”

 

“Save some for the rest of us!” Spike growled. He and Faith had been bringing up the rear in case they were attacked from behind. So far there’d been nothing but body parts to step over. “I’m tired of being a damned spectator!”

 

As they reached the landing, Willow pulled Xander along the edge of the curving wall and out of the way. They were non combatants, though she had a few spells handy if the need to fight arose.

 

The yellow demons thinned out quickly, and Angel found himself watching Buffy as she took down one of the last of them. She spun and sliced with deadly skill, and he watched in open admiration.

 

It had been years since he’d been able to watch Buffy –  the fight with Caleb hadn’t been worthy of her skills – and Angel let his eyes roam over her body, his own body tightening in response.

 

Finishing off the last demon, Buffy whirled, her lips pulled back, teeth bared in a feral grin. She was panting, exhilarated and aroused. Angel was in game face, his eyes a glittering gold as he watched her.

 

She pressed herself against him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and rising on her toes to mold her body to his. Heedless of the sharp fangs, she pressed her lips to Angel’s.

 

The years fell away, and it was if they’d never been apart. Sliding a hand down her body, Angel spread his fingers across the small of her back and pulled her tightly against him.  He tasted a small, sweet drop of blood as her tongue pushed past his fangs, and Angel forced his game face into the box in his mind where Angelus lived.

 

Spike tapped his foot impatiently as the kiss continued past hot and into steamy territory. “Come on, there’s still the world to save, you know.”

 

Smiling against Angel’s lips, Buffy gave his bottom lip one last, loving nip before stepping back. “You’re right, Faith.” A confused look crossed Angel’s face, and Buffy laughed as she turned to survey the landing they were on. Faith laughed with her and winked at Angel.

 

To their right, there were the remains of a staircase curving around the tower wall. The railing and left wall had fallen completely away. Around the curve, the blue light darkened into a flood down the stairs.

 

“Let’s see what’s up there.” Buffy settled the scythe comfortably once again. “I’ve got an appointment to get my hair done next week, and this crap isn’t going to make me miss it.”

 

“Be careful.” Giles cautioned as the group moved onto the stairs. With the outer wall gone, there was nothing between them and a long fall.

 

“It’s not the fall.” Xander joked. “It’s that sudden stop at the bottom.”

 

“Actually, a lot of people die of fright before they hit the ground.” Willow pressed against the wall. “Not that we need to test that theory.”

 

The footing was dangerous, as the stairs were cracked and pieces crumbled away from the edges. Carefully, they made their way toward whatever was at the top of the stairs. The blue deepened and flickered around them.

 

At least there were no more demons coming at them. Crap! Buffy hoped she hadn’t jinxed them with that thought as she eased around what she hoped was the final curve of stairs.

 

To her relief, the stairs opened up onto another landing. The sides of the tower had fallen away completely, leaving the landing jutting out over open space. In the center stood a woman. Blue light pulsed around her, coloring her hair and body. A group of soldiers were a few feet from her, seemingly frozen in midstep. The woman stepped around them, eyeing them as if they were something unique and unseen before.

 

“Get away from them.” Buffy wasn’t sure who the blue woman was, but she knew who the soldiers were. Humans that she was sworn to protect. “Back off!”

 

“Who are you to order me?” The woman turned and eyed her contemptuously. “I who ruled over millions and bathed in their blood for my pleasure.”

 

“Yeah… “ Just when you thought you’d heard it all. “As beauty regimes go, I’ll stick with oatmeal and honey. Now leave them alone.”

 

“Who are you?”

 

Why did these types always want to know her name? It wasn’t like they were going to exchange Christmas gifts. “It’s Buffy. Capital B followed by uffy.” She frowned. Somehow that had sounded much cooler in her head. That’s what she got for watching TV.

 

“Buffy?” The metallic eyes looked her over more carefully. “That name is known to me.”

 

“Well, yay. And you are?”

 

“Illyria.” Angel said as he stepped around Buffy. “My God – Illyria?”

 

“Angel.” She turned to him. “You survived.”

 

“I did.” Blue and portals. It should have been obvious. “We didn’t know that you survived.”

 

“I – do not know how I came to be here.” Illyria frowned. “I awoke to find myself restrained by these.”

 

The soldiers began to move suddenly, rushing past Illyria and then stopping in confusion. Before they could gather their wits, a gesture from Illyria froze them again.

 

“Okay, what the heck was that?” Buffy turned to Angel. “You know her?”

 

“This is Illyria.” He lowered his broadsword. “She’s – she was – she’s one of us.”

 

“Illyria!” Spike exclaimed as he reached the landing. “I thought you bought it when you went down with the dragon.”

 

“She took out the dragon?” Xander looked at the slender woman. Even after years of working with Buffy, who towered over no one without heels, he couldn’t believe this woman had killed the dragon he’d seen that night.

 

“Illyria’s one of the Old Ones.” Giles said softly. “This is the demon who took Ms. Burkle’s body.”

 

“This cursed shell.” Illyria held up her hands. “This shell that limits and constrains me.”

 

Angel had heard this speech before. He bit his tongue to keep from reminding her that the shell had belonged to someone else who’d been perfectly happy in it. “Let’s go home. Whatever they were doing here, it’s over.”

 

“They were using me!” Her lips curled back in a snarl. “Trying to force me to open portals as if I were their slave!”

 

“Well, that’s all over and done with, luv, let’s go home and have a drink.” Spike stepped back as the soldiers began to move again. “I see you’ve got that little time trick working again.”

 

“My powers are returned to me.” She eyed the soldiers. They’d only moved a few steps this time and were looking at her with respect and fear. She enjoyed that.

 

“Gentlemen, I suggest you go downstairs and help with cleanup.” Giles motioned to Buffy. “You are familiar with the Slayer?”

 

The soldiers shifted nervously. Clearly they were out of their league. One of them nodded and backed toward the stairs. “We’ll check with General Mallory.”

 

Faith followed them down. Negotiating with puffed up super bitches wasn’t on her résumé.

 

“Are all of your powers restored?” Angel asked cautiously. Wes had warned them that Illyria might never truly abandon her efforts to conquer. “When Wes – “

 

“Do not speak his name to me!” She turned on him. “It causes me – discomfort. I do not like discomfort.”

 

“I’m sorry.” He shot a look at Spike, who shrugged. He was clearly as lost about Illyria’s feelings for Wes as Angel was. “Let’s go home and we’ll rest.”

 

“I have no home. My world is dead and empty.” Illyria walked to the edge of the shattered tower and looked out. “Where once untold millions worshipped and feared me, now there is only dust.”

 

“You have a home with us.”

 

“A home with fragile shells? A home with beings not fit to be beneath my feet?”

 

“Thinks pretty highly of herself, doesn’t she?” Xander rolled his eyes. “Kinda reminds me of Glory.”

 

“Illyria, please.” Angel held a hand out to her.

 

“Do not think that I need your family.” Turning back to Angel, Illyria ignored his hand. “I will kill these insects and I will go.”

 

“No, no, please, no killing.” He held his hands up. “They’re beneath your notice, remember?”

 

“They stuck things in me. Wires and tubes.” She held up her arm to expose a gaping wound in her side. Blue light flickered and oozed from it. “They violated my – my shell.”

 

“I know, I understand.” Typical government response. If it isn’t human, dissect it.

 

“They must pay for this transgression.”

 

Buffy moved to block the stairs. She’d let Angel do the talking so far, but she wasn’t letting punk makeup Barbie slaughter anyone. She caught Willow’s eye and the redhead nodded, she was ready with spells if needed.

 

“I will kill them all and then return with you.” Illyria said again.

 

“Illyria, please, you can afford to show mercy.” Capriciousness was something Angel was familiar with, having lived with Angelus for over a century. “They’re nothing – too worthless to kill.”

 

“Mercy?” She said the word as if it left a bad taste in her mouth. “As they have shown me?”

 

“I’ll admit they’re not a friendly bunch.” Spike agreed. “They stuck a chip in my head and I near starved to death.”

 

Glaring at Spike, Angel tried another tack. “Wes would want you to show them the mercy they did not show you.”

 

“Wesley. His wishes mean less to me than the air you pretend to breathe.” Illyria turned away once again, staring out over the exposed night sky. “I stand at the view from the top of the world and yet I feel nothing.”

 

She’s lonely. Willow stepped forward. “You need to rest.”

 

“Rest?” Looking up at the stars, Illyria felt tired. Insignificant. Alone. “I am weary.”

 

“You could sleep.” As she took another step forward, Willow let herself feel the pain and weariness of Tara’s death once more. “Rest and dream.”

 

Turning, Illyria looked Willow in the eye. There was a feeling, a resonance of another like herself. Another Old One had touched this one’s shell. She grabbed Willow and pushed ruthlessly into her mind. Images rushed past of a girl with gray eyes and soft skin. Of blackness and finally of a tired acceptance. And peace.

 

Buffy reached Willow as Illyria released her. Willow staggered back into her arms. “What did you do to her?”

 

“Nothing. I’m okay.” Willow pushed away from her. “Illyria, you can sleep. Rest and heal.”

 

There was no way for Illyria to rest except – Angel realized Willow meant a return to the Deeper Well. A return that Drogyn had warned could kill thousands if not tens of thousands. “Willow, we can’t.”

 

“If she returns willingly, no one will suffer.” Willow assured him.

 

“My dreams were worth more than this reality.” Illyria said softly.

 

“There’s an old truth.” Xander told her. “Having is not as good as wanting.”

 

Tilting her head, Illyria pondered his words. “You are wise for a lower being.”

 

“It’s not logical, but it’s true.” He said softly.

 

She’d ping him later for his Trekness; right now Willow needed to convince Illyria to return to the Deeper Well peacefully. “I’ll open a portal for you. And you can rest.”

 

“Do you take my weariness for weakness?” Illyria snapped.

 

“Of course not!” Great, she’d forgotten the colossal God ego. “Why would you waste your power on something that I can do for you? Opening a portal on the same plane is something even a lower being is capable of.”

 

If she knew that Willow was pandering to her, Illyria ignored it. Being fawned over and lied to by lesser beings was her due. “You may open a portal for me. I will grant mercy. Because it appeals to me, not because of your whinings.”

 

Oh, brother. Buffy rolled her eyes but kept silent. If Angel was kissing blue butt, Electraglide Barbie must be more than they wanted to mess with.

 

Willow closed her eyes and visualized the entrance to the Deeper Well. Within her, the power answered with exactly what was necessary. No more and no less.

 

Where once she had taken the power for granted, abused it for her own whims, now Willow respected it. Thank you. The release of the Slayer power had opened up something within herself. An untapped well of strength and power. Angel’s theory that she had been a potential brought a curve to her lips.

 

The air shimmered and opened into a sunlit English meadow. Instinctively, Angel and Spike stepped back as sunlight seeped across the edges of the portal.

 

“That tree is the opening to the deeper well.” Giles pointed to a large dark tree in the meadow. “The new guardian will meet you.”

 

“You are like Wesley was.” Illyria inspected Giles.

 

“We worked together. We were… compatriots.” In the last few years, he and Wes had developed a relationship very near that of brothers. “I mourn his loss.”

 

“He – he liked books.” She looked away as if embarrassed. “He would read to me.”

 

In the meadow, a figure moved into view. He was tall and fair. Illyria stepped into the portal and walked through the entrance without a backward glance.

 

Willow kept the portal open for several minutes, until the guardian reappeared and waved to them. Waving back, she let the portal close.

 

“Do you think she’ll stay?” Buffy asked Angel. Walking into a tree with a hunky guy didn’t seem much like a prison.

 

“Once she’s sealed back into her sarcophagus – “ Angel nodded. “She can’t get out unless someone goes through the entire process to free her again.”

 

“And that is not going to happen.” Giles said firmly.

 

“No.” Angel thought of Fred and how much he missed her. “Not again.”

 

“Well, this was kinda quiet as apocalypses go.” Buffy picked up a scrap of cloth from the floor and wiped the scythe clean. “Not that I’m complaining. Not complaining at all, oh Powers That Be.”

 

“I’ll take a handful of quiet ones over one noisy and dangerous one any day.” Draping an arm over Willow’s shoulders, Xander led her toward the stairs. “Let’s get some pizza. It’ll be like high school. You can buy.”

 

“Gee, thanks. Have I mentioned lately how much fun high school was not?”

 

They met Faith at the landing. She was leaning over the edge of the railing and looking down.

 

“Faith, please.” Giles’ eyes widened as she leaned farther over.

 

“They look like little ants down there.”

 

Spike grabbed the waistband of her jeans and pulled her back. “Come on, you’re going to give Giles a heart attack.”

 

“Hey!” Faith adjusted her jeans. “I wasn’t going to fall.”

 

“What’s the situation downstairs?”

 

“Under control. The head soldier boy is bitchin’ because we’re here.” She grinned. “I told him we wouldn’t charge him for saving the world.”

 

“I don’t suppose we can avoid him? Open a portal back to LA?” Buffy asked hopefully.

 

“That would be abusing the power for personal gain.” Willow told her sternly. “And besides, then we wouldn’t be able to go shopping in Salem and mock all the tacky witchy souvenirs.”

 

“The bad guys have so much more fun than we do.” Sighing, Buffy trudged down the stairs.

 

“But they don’t live to go shopping.” Leaning down, Angel whispered into her ear. “Or get to put on a private fashion show later.”

 

A smile curved her lips. There were perks to being a good girl after all.

 

 

 

 

 

The prompts used in these two chapters were:

 

mercy

the view from the top