Trials: All's Well that End's Well?

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Summary: Everything wraps up...until the big finale of the series...

AUTHOR: Laure Alexander
EMAIL: lara@sunflower.com
RATING: PG
PAIRINGS:
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.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:First, an apology for taking several months to get to what has turned out to be a pretty sad and short ending to the story. I had vague plans of several chapters, of storming into rescue Joyce, of posturing and threatening the Council, of more smut....but I just couldn't find my muse. So, here's a much briefer and less satisfactory wrapping up of "Trials". Thanks to all who have been with me through the two years it's taken to write what should have taken about two months...
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In the end it was easier than anyone would have guessed.

Easily holding Quentin Travers by the scruff of his neck, Angel watched with quiet gloating as Buffy fell sobbing into her mother's arms. A dozen well-armed goons lay unconscious on the floor, while the three remaining Watchers huddled in a corner guarded by Spike and Willow, each one armed with a small crossbow.

Only the young one, Wesley Wyndham-Price, had his face turned towards the room. He was watching Angel, speculation gleaming in his eyes.

Angel grinned evilly as Cordelia held up a broken fingernail, complaining loudly, then kicked one of the unconscious men in the hip with her pointed toe boot.

"Buffy...I don't understand..." Joyce began, looking over her daughter's shoulder in bewilderment.

Pulling back and sniffling, Buffy tightened her hold around her mother's shoulders. "I don't care who knows anymore. I just...I just had to get you back."

"But the risk..."

"I don't care. Look at how easy it was to take down this small bunch. They send in an army and we'll still beat them."

"We knew something was going on here," Travers coughed out, his voice strangled with bitter fury. "But, for a Slayer to be a vampire's whore..."

Growling, Angel tightened his hold until Travers face began to turn purple.

Buffy pulled away from her mother. "Angel, let him go, please."

As the vampire opened his hand, the Watcher tumbled to the floor, gasping for breath.

Nursing a wrenched shoulder, Giles walked over to him and crouched down. "When I found out, I felt much the same way, Quentin, but I quickly came to accept that without this...alliance, the Hellmouth would have been compromised nearly a year ago and the world would have been lost."

Travers struggled to his knees, his face going from purple to red in anger. "Nothing will ever justify her betrayal, Rupert."

Giles looked at him sadly before rising to his feet. "To you and the rest of the Council, bound by ancient tradition, lost in ancient ways, Buffy will never fit your idea of a Slayer." He turned and bestowed a smile on his young Slayer. "That is precisely why she is the best there has ever been."

As Giles opened his arms, Buffy ran to him and flung herself in them, hugging him tightly.

*****

It really had been simple. The group had massed down the street from the office building the Council had leased, the Scooby Gang armed with staffs, Spike with a crossbow and a second one he demanded Willow take, Angel and Buffy weaponless. Although Angel was perfectly happy to kill all the Watchers and their men, Buffy demanded that no one be seriously injured.

Even though the dozen men guarding the place were armed with guns, the speed and fury of the vampires easily disarmed them, knocking half of them unconscious before they could even lift a weapon. The others went down after brief battles, Giles, Xander and even Cordelia quite proficient with their staffs.

The four Watchers were the easiest to capture. When faced with two master vampires and a very pissed off Slayer, all but Wesley surrendered without a fight. Giles took down Wesley after five minutes, suffering only his wrenched shoulder, while the younger Watcher earned several nasty bruises in the duel with wooden staffs.

Joyce was found in a locked room in the very center of the building, shaken and frightened, but unhurt. Willow released her with a gentle hug, relief flooding both women.

Everyone was amazed at how smoothly the operation had went.

Though Angel was a bit disappointed no one bled very much.

*****

"Thank you, Giles," Buffy whispered, her tears of happiness and relief wetting his shirt.

"Thanks are unnecessary, Buffy," he replied gruffly. "Regardless of the Council's decision, I am your Watcher and I will stand by you through any and every trial the world throws at you." Turning so that his good arm was around her shoulders, he guided her over to where Travers had risen shakily to his feet. "You and the Council are not welcome here, Quentin."

"Don't be a fool, Rupert." He glanced warily over his shoulder at Angel. "They will turn on you at the first opportunity."

"Quite possibly," Giles replied silkily. "On the other hand, they may be all that is keeping the world spinning. Love really is a wondrous thing."

Travers gave him a look of utter revulsion, then straightened his spine. "We will have nothing more to do with this Slayer or you, Mr. Giles. Her line should have ended two years ago. Faith is the Slayer. Miss Summers is an aberration."

"If that means you're leaving town and never coming back, you can call me all the names you want," Buffy quipped. "I don't need your help to keep the Hellmouth closed. I don't want it. The price is way too high."

"Yes, actually expecting you to do your job and slay vampires, much too high a price," Travers replied snidely, looking pointedly at Angel.

"If you call my lover a whore again, Watcher, you *won't* leave this town in one piece," Angel growled menacingly.

"Nice posturing, dead boy," Xander quipped as he began to disarm the guards. "Can we keep the guns?"

Buffy shook her head. "Guns and Slayers don't mix. Let's just turn them over to the police for melting down."

Jenny glanced cooly at the M16 in her hand. "This will make a nice paperweight."

*****

Several hours later the whole gang, even Joyce, stood on the tarmac of the small Sunnydale Airport watching every member of the Watcher's Council and their guards, secretaries and other underlings board a private plane. A copy of a termination of lease for the property they had rented was in Giles' coat pocket along with his official letter of termination and pittance of a check for severance pay.

Wesley and Faith were the last ones to board the plane, and they both turned back to the group of humans, vampires, and Slayer. When Spike and Willow had accompanied Wesley to find Faith an hour earlier, she had done a great job of portraying shock and horror on learning of the 'truth', but the facade was slipping, and a smile was breaking on her face.

"It's been...real, B."

"Be careful, Faith. Don't die."

Faith's eyes traveled to Angel where he stood just behind the petite blonde Slayer, a menacing and protective force of nature. "You too." Hesitantly she held out one hand, and then both girls were hugging tightly. "Take care of everything you have here, Buffy. Family, friends, they're more precious than I ever imagined," she whispered.

"You're a part of that family now, Faith. You'll always be welcome here."

Pulling back, Faith smiled down at the blonde girl. "I may take you up on that offer some day." She glanced up at Angel again and smirked. "Keep him in line."

As the master vampire scowled, the two Slayers giggled and hugged again.

Wesley continued to watch the proceedings with a speculative eye as he turned to Giles, holding out his hand. The older man looked at it for a moment, then took it. "My illusions have been shattered, Mr. Giles. I'm not certain that's such a bad thing."

Giles nodded towards the plane. "If the Council continues like this, Mr. Wyndham-Price, we may all be doomed. This is a new world. We must have new ways of thinking."

"And I have much to think about," Wesley continued, nodding in agreement. "But, vampires and Slayers working together..." A rueful smile played on his lips. "That may take a bit of time to come close to understanding let alone accepting."

"If just one person is willing to attempt that understanding, than change is possible."

Wesley nodded again and shook Giles' hand more firmly. "It has been educational, Mr. Giles. Take care of your Slayer."

"You, too."

After further farewells from the gang to Faith, the remaining two boarded the plane and the door was pulled up behind them.

"Good riddance," Cordelia called, waving at the plane.

Wrapping his arms around her from behind, Xander chuckled. "Life sure is weird around here."

"Duh."

"I can't believe it's over," Joyce said softly, reaching for her daughter.

"It is, mom. Angel put the fear of god into them; they won't be back."

"I resent that," Angel replied playfully. "Unless you're calling me a god."

Chuckling, Buffy thwapped him on the shoulder, then hugged her mother again.

Jenny reached into Giles' inner pocket and pulled out the check. "Well, this is just about enough to cover a celebration at Dennys."

Giles smiled and kissed her. "Yes, comfort food and hot coffee is on me."

"Good, I'm starved, it's cold..."

As Cordelia complained, Willow looked up at Spike and sank into his embrace. "So...all's well that ends well?"

"Apparently." He smiled down at her and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"And they lived happily ever after."

Willow's light-hearted words sent a sudden chill through Spike and he looked up to meet his sire's amused eyes.

End