FIC: Heroes Never Just Fade Away (17/17)

"NOW!"

Vi and Rona raced forward at his yell, his two finest Slayers working in their usual, perfect harmony, to attack the demons guarding the roof entrance. Wood by contrast held back, his pistol crossbow waiting for the right shot.

---

"Hello Angelus," the Immortal smiled as he walked into the reception area to greet his rival.

"Immortal." The vampire nodded. "You know that I killed Hamilton, I suppose?"

" Hamilton?" The Immortal laughed. "Oh that's sweet, it really is. You think that impresses me? Hamilton was a prototype; I am the finished article, the true instrument of the Senior Partners."

"I brought help," Angel smiled.

"Him?" The Immortal laughed when Spike strutted into the hushed reception area. "I beat you both once before."

"I know," Angel's smile remained unruffled. "That's why I didn't just bring him."

The Immortal felt a hand on his shoulder. Then he was spun around and into a crashing left to the jaw. "Hi! I'm Connor!"

---

Caridad, Colleen, and Shannon burst past them as they made their way into the dimly lit car park, attacking the vampires with a sort of gleeful joy that only other Slayers could match. One of the eight vampires wriggled through the brawl and charged them.

Kate joined Justine in leaping to tackle the demon. "Ahhha!" she grunted as the demon caught her with a foot to the gut, her legs buckling under her as the oxygen exploded from her body, the pain forcing her to her knees. She watched as the demon launched itself at Justine, blocking her roundhouse kick on its shoulder before grabbing her beneath the chin and slamming her headfirst into a steel-grey Corvette. Her ears reverberated to the deathly sound of Justine's stake clattering to the ground.

"Just!" Kate's eyes widened as Justine fell, her best friend's neck shredded by the vampire's teeth. Heart racing, Kate forced her legs to work and lunged forward, her stake sinking into the demon's back, but even as he burst into dust, she could see from Justine's lightless eyes and unmoving chest it was too late, her partner was dead.

---

The Immortal stumbled towards him. And then launched into a leaping dropkick that would have taken Angel's head off if he hadn't flung himself over a couch and out of the way. In an instance he was up to see the Immortal grab Connor around the neck and fling him into Spike.

Angel leapt over the couch and straight into a back-handed right that launched him into one of the reception area's pillars, stone cracking with the impact. Pain lanced through Angel's back as he slid to the ground.

He saw Connor leap at the Immortal, his son ducking under a straight right but walking straight into a high knee to the face that sent blood showering everywhere. Even as Angel raced towards his stunned son, the Italian playboy caught Connor with an elbow to the head that had his knees buckling.

Spike leapt from nowhere to cannon a dropkick into the Immortal's chest. The Immortal grunted before swatting the soulled vampire away like a normal man would swat a fly. Angel tackled the Italian around the waist, attempting to dump him to the ground. Instead he caught an ax-handle to the back, driving him to his knees, quickly followed up by a back-hander to the face that threw him into the far wall.

Angel growled as he climbed back upright to see the Immortal pounding punch after punch into Spike. Not that he was bothered about his grand-childe, but if Spike got dusted, there was only him between the Immortal and Connor.

That thought was enough to launch him into the air. He landed on the demonic creation's back. Immediately the Italian playboy reached up, grabbed his wrists and effortlessly flung him into the air. "I have to give you credit," Angel groaned as he crashed through a window, hit a desk, and bounced to the floor, "you're putting up more a fight than your stupid bitch did." The Immortal chuckled. "Either to get into bed or kill."

---

Groo fought back to back with Kennedy, marvelling at the tiny brunette's power and ferocity. Of all the Slayers he'd either helped train or fought alongside, her skills were the most formidable.

But then they would have to be given the hordes they faced.

Suddenly he smiled. Live or die, he would do his duty and defend those his princess had once defended. Should he die, he would at least finally re-join her.

---

A white-hot rage scorched through Angel at the Immortal's taunt, temporarily burning his soul away. Before he knew it he was leaping through the shattered window in time to see the Immortal lift Spike above his head and slam him onto the reception desk with enough force to snap the table in two. Then, the hybrid turned his attention to Connor, snapping his son's head back with a right. The Immortal laughed as he pulled his arm back for a second blow.

"Daddy's home." Grabbing the Italian play-boy's arm, he spun him around and butted the W&H enforcer full in the face. When that didn't have any effect, he crashed a double right into the man's gut. Connor connected with a kick to the Immortal's hamstrings, knocking him forward. Angel grabbed him in a chokehold, lifted him off his feet and flung him into a pillar.

The Immortal grunted with the impact before leaping back at them. Spike leapt up and over the reception counter, grabbing the Immortal around the neck and driving him face-first to the ground.

At least that looked to be the plan. Instead the monster snapped an elbow into Angel's hapless grand-childe's chest and sent the demon crashing into the stairs just behind them. The Immortal continued on his advance.

Connor leapt to meet him, catching the Immortal with a right to the jaw, and following it up with a kick to the chest. The Immortal grunted but caught Connor's foot before he had chance to pull it away. Angel howled in rage as his son was lifted and flung through a first floor window. The fall wouldn't kill him, but it was hardly the point.

Then the Immortal caught him with a clothesline across the chest, spinning him in a three-sixty to land on his feet. A right to the face followed, instantly closing an eye. Angel attempted a groggy block but was unable to prevent a left to the mouth.

Shoving aside his inclination to back up, Angel leapt into a somersault over his opponent's head, reaching down to grab the man's head beneath the chin and pull down as he landed, dragging the man back towards him. The Italian's neck collided with his shoulder, his head snapping clean off, viscera spurting up as the air echoed to his neck snapping. "That wasn't Queensberry."

"Worked didn't it?" Angel threw the bloody head away. "I just hope the others are-." Angel looked down as his cell began ringing.

---

"We're here," Xander whispered as they climbed out of the stairwell and started towards the room where Dawn was being held, "all we need-."

"Sorry hon." Faith's elbow crashed into Xander' jaw. She had the briefest glimpse of her lover's shocked, betrayed expression, and then she was leaping forward to catch him. "I know you'd do this to shelter me, that's why it's gotta be me." Faith kissed the Sunnydaler on the forehead before lowering him to the plush carpet, slumping him up against the creamy-white wall. After wiping away the mist in her eyes, she pulled out her cell. "Fang," she swallowed at the demon's concerned tone, "just don't speak. I need ya to haul ass up to Dawn's holding place. Thanks for everything ya ever did for me. And tell Xand, I always loved him. Even before I knew him."

"FAITH!"

She closed the phone on Angel's horrified bellow before steeling herself and opening the door. "Thank god," she whispered when she walked in to find Dawn hooked up to half a dozen machines, a tube in her arm withdrawing blood from her thankfully unconscious body. Faith wiped the tears away before leaning over the ghostly white teen and kissing her on the forehead. "I'm sorry kiddo," she muttered before drawing the dagger Willow had given her. "Way it has to be," she pressed the knife to the younger neck, took a breath, and dragged the knife towards her in a brutally efficient slash.

Faith screamed as the power flew up the dagger and her arm, ripping through her, tearing her body, mind, and soul into a thousand pieces and scattering them across the cosmos.

---

Sweat glistened on Giles' forehead, dripping into his eyes to obscure his vision as he stared at his watch. The attack would have started twenty minutes ago. They would get news soon, they had to. Dawn had to be alright.

"Nooooooooooo!"

Giles spun from pacing the room at the scream. His heart hollowed at the tears rolling down Willow's ashen face. In an instance, he was knelt by the witch's side, his hands clasping hers as she shook and wailed. " Willow," he forced his tone to remain calm, "Willow what's wrong?"

"It's done," the witch whispered. "The fissure is closed."

"Well that's-."

"Noooooo!"

Giles stared into the witch's reddening eyes. " Willow, please I can't help you unless you talk to me, please."

"No-one can help me, I made her do it." The witch sniffed.

Giles swallowed, his fear growing like a hollowing tunnel in his stomach. " Willow, what have-," remembering blame probably wasn't the best way to go, he started again. " Willow, please tell me what's happened?"

"There never was any way to close the fissure, not like I said. Please," Willow shook her head at Giles' opening mouth, "if you ask me anything I'll never be able to finish." Giles forced his mouth to close. "Once the Immortal's spell started, there was no way back, any attempt would have torn the planet apart. Unless…" Willow gulped and sniffled. "Unless Dawn also died."

"No," Giles whispered.

Willow didn't seem to have heard his mumble. "I gave Faith a knife, a dagger I'd made myself. When Faith killed Dawnie," Willow whimpered, "no when I had Faith kill Dawnie, the power of the Key whip-lashed up the dagger and ripped Faith apart, splitting her essence to a hundred different dimensions."

"Faith too," Giles mumbled.

"She's dead," Willow whispered. "I killed them both."

The End