The End: The Five

Home : Stories by Author : Stories by Laure Alexander : Laure Alexander - TEAOW&S : The End: The Five

Summary: The prophecy begins to unfold and the two humans and their vampire lovers need to figure out how to stop it.

AUTHOR: Laure Alexander
EMAIL: lara@sunflower.com
RATING: PG-13
PAIRINGS: none
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or any of the characters on the show. Joss Whedon and the WB Network own them (for now). No copyright infringement intended, so please don't sue.
DEDICATION: To Mary Ann; take care, hon! I always love hearing from you and I'm going to miss your kind words for my stories and the never-ending encouragement. :)
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Willow awoke to a feeling of euphoria which was quickly dashed by a feeling of intense weakness and aches throughout her entire body. Groaning, she forced her eyes open and found herself staring at Spike who was on his knees slumped against the bed.

Between them lay an antique gold chain with a white crystal set within a pentacle.

Her memories returned on a rush of panic and she pushed herself up onto her knees, dimly acknowledging that her back didn't hurt as much as it should.

"Ow," came Buffy's voice from the end of the bed. "How can I feel so great and so horrible at the same...oh..."

"Spike." Willow shook his shoulder and he stirred, mumbling.

"What the hell happened?" He blinked his eyes open and spying her smiled. "Willow."

"Emerald, bond, not dead, remember?"

"Hellmouth." At the end of the bed, Buffy was suddenly a flurry of activity, as she ignored the languor in her bones and found a robe for Willow. "Get dressed, quickly. The Hellmouth's opening."

"Oh shit," Angel yelled, forcing himself to his feet and grabbing Drusilla from the floor.

"The Old Ones are coming," Drusilla whined. "They'll ruin everything."

"We can stop it, right?" Buffy asked, getting in Drusilla's face.

"I think..." The vampiress trembled helplessly, her mind awhirl with images and memories. "Bound, five into one. To open or close. We five choose the fate of the world." Suddenly her eyes cleared and she snapped upright. "But, we must hurry."

Spike helped Willow into the silk robe. The four outside the center were recovering quickly but she was weak as a kitten. Scooping the amulet up, he placed it over her head. "I'll carry you."

But, he stumbled as he tried to lift her, and Angel was there, cradling her against his chest. Spike made a move to take her away, his heart protesting, and Angel shook his head.

"I'm stronger than you, Will. I've got her." At Spike's indecisive look, he smiled gently. "I've got her."

Finally Spike nodded and gave his sire a strong, determined look. "Right. Time to go save the world."

As one, the five headed for the door.

*****

"Buffy was taking the amulet to Angel," Cordelia said. "What if they did something stupid?"

"I think that's a given," Xander replied bitterly, gesturing to the swaying doors to the Library and the mounting destruction visible through the windows.

"How long do we have, Rupert?" Jenny asked, trying to stay calm.

Giles stared blindly at the Library and slowly shook his head. "Not enough time to find her."

Cordelia turned and snapped, "Cell phones, time to invest in them."

"Survive first, accessorize later," Xander cried, as the doors swung violently open and a bookcase full of books flew at them, sending them scattering.

"Giles, what do we know about the amulet?"

Slowly he turned to face his lover as they moved away from the slowly opening Hellmouth. "The number five seems to be of some importance. Five somethings, people perhaps, are needed to open the Hellmouth."

"Nothing about a time or place?" Jenny asked, frustrated by their lack of knowledge.

He shook his head, warily glancing back at the sounds of wood splintering in his beautiful Library. "I managed somehow to translate the word 'moon', but couldn't discover what phase of the moon."

"Tonight's a full moon," Xander pointed out. "And the room started rocking at midnight. I'd just checked the clock."

"Traditional times, both," Giles sighed, suddenly looking very old. "I'm afraid I've failed quite miserably."

"Rupert..." Wrapping her arms around his waist, Jenny comforted him the best way she could.

Watching more debris spill into the hall, Xander pointed out worriedly, "Maybe we should head for the hills."

"No need. Cavalry's here," Buffy said from the other end of the hall.

Giles and Jenny looked up, and Xander and Cordelia spun around to see Buffy flanked by Spike, Drusilla, and frighteningly enough, Angel carrying Willow walking towards them.

"Since when is Dead Boy cavalry?"

Cordelia thwapped her boyfriend.

At the sight of the destruction fifty feet further down the hallway, Buffy frowned and glanced at her watch. It was ten after twelve. "No beasties yet?"

"None that we know of," Giles replied. "What happened?"

"Long story short, we triggered the opening, but we can stop it."

"We who?" Cordelia asked.

"The five of us."

"...Five?" Giles rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Red and black and gold?"

Drusilla smiled and chanted, "The red and the black and the gold will entwine, to save the world under the full moon's shine."

"An orgy?"

Cordelia smacked Xander's arm harder.

"OW!"

"What is it with you humans and your ability to constantly jump to the most sordid conclusions?" Angel asked as he strode towards the Library doors. "Let's get this over with. We have much to discuss."

"Any clue *how* we're supposed to do this?" Spike asked, jogging to catch up with his sire.

Buffy gave Giles an apologetic look, grabbed Drusilla's wrist and took off after their lovers.

Angel stopped before the now wildly swinging doors and looked down at Willow. "Can you stand?" At her nod, he set her carefully on her feet. Spike immediately wrapped one arm around her waist to support her.

"Has anything come out, yet?" Buffy asked, trying to peer into the Library between swings.

"Doesn't look like it."

"Or smell like it," Angel added on to his eldest childe's statement.

"Lovely. So...what do we do?" At Buffy's question, they all turned to Drusilla who smiled vacantly back at them.

"Why are you looking at me?"

Angel groaned loudly. "Dru!"

"I just know we can stop it. I don't know how," she replied petulantly.

"Maybe we need to hold hands again."

At Willow's suggestion, they all moved to form the same circle as they had in the emerald. As Angel took Willow's hand, forming the final link, the now clear jewel resting between her breasts began to glow until a beam of pure white light exploded from it, encircled the five, then poured through the open doors. A loud humming noise filled the air as the light spread through the room.

Coming up behind them, Giles and the others stared in shock as energy flowed into the Hellmouth. Though the light was very bright, they could make out the rifts in the floor mending as glowing streams of energy interlaced along the tiles, forming a web that slowly constricted until the separate strands could no longer be seen.

All that left was a shield of white.

With a bang, the doors closed and the light went out.

Willow was the first to collapse, falling heavily against Spike, gasping in pain. As he caught her, he saw a spot of blood forming on the silk of the robe over her heart, and felt a lance of pain go through his chest. Cradling her against his side, he pulled aside the robe and found a small pentacle carved into the inner curve of her left breast, oozing blood.

"Damnit! What the fuck is this doing here?" Angel ranted, his shirt open and an identical wound on his chest.

"I have one, too, daddy."

"Dru, stop waving your tits around," he barked, moving in front of her to shield her from the humans until she pulled her dress back up. Looking over at Buffy he saw her peering down the front of her shirt, a chagrined look on her face.

"Mom is *so* not going to be happy about this."

Spike didn't need to look to know that he had one as well.

"You did it." Awed, Giles pushed open the Library doors and stepped inside.

Everything was back to normal, as if the damage had never occurred. The only thing different was a faint pentagram carved in white on the floor.

It matched the marks the five now bore.

"Spike?" Willow whimpered. "I don't feel so good."

Concerned, he scooped her into his arms and carried her into Giles' office, settling her on the couch before dropping to his knees beside her. "What's wrong with her? We all went through the same thing and we're fine."

"I feel like I've been bulldozed and could sleep for a week, but otherwise I feel okay." Buffy shrugged helplessly. "Maybe it's because she's the only one without super-stamina?"

"That's probably it," Giles said, entering the room and putting the kettle on for tea. "You were all channeling powerful energies. We could actually feel the power. That kind of energy has to take a toll on the body."

"She's the weak link," Angel growled softly.

"We have to protect her." Floating into the small room, Drusilla settled on the couch and lifted Willow's head onto her lap to gently stroke the girl's sweat and blood matted hair. Her fingers came away with flecks of dried blood and she raised them to the light. "Her wounds are healed, yet the blood remains. It binds us together."

"Her wounds?" Jenny asked from the crowded door way.

"In the hurry to get here, I'd actually forgotten about them." Buffy rounded on Angel and punched him in the nose.

"Hey!"

"Oops, my fist slipped," she replied sweetly, then leaned up and kissed him. "You're a pig and a brute, and I'm the idiot who loves you."

"Not the only one." Spike scowled up at his sire, then turned his attention back to Willow. "They didn't even scar, did they, luv."

She shook her head slowly.

"I dreamed of the Aurelian whip," Drusilla murmured. "A symbol of our line, a line so different from others." She broke down into giggles. "We saved the world."

Spike grinned up at her. "That we did, pet."

"It was fun."

Angel rolled his eyes.

"And now it's time for babies."

At that pronouncement, Giles nearly dropped the tea kettle and everyone gaped at the dark vampiress benignly patting Willow's flat stomach.

End Chapter 17