Title: A Dance with the Devil 1/?
Author: Jullez
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Rating: Pg-13 to R overall.
Spoilers: Season 3. Everything to be safe.
Summary: Something goes terribly wrong during the Ascension.
Distribution: If you want it please take it!
Feedback: I love feedback. This really is my second story for those of you who don't believe me; I'm still fragile.
Notes: This starts before the Ascension and goes from there. I got the idea during S3, but never decided to write this story until Amanda threatened my life if I didn't. This is dedicated to Amanda and everyone who gave me feedback on "With Arms Wide Open."
Note 2: This starts from Buffy's point of view and will probably change in further chapters.
E-mail: Jullez@prodigy.net
It's less than a week until the Ascension. Everything is completely insane. I don't know how we are going to get through this. We'll just have to manage like we always do. All of us together, the Scooby Gang. We're together 'til the end. I just hope that it's not really the end. I mean the end of Sunnydale and mine and everyone else I love lives. I don't know what I'd do without them.
Angel's leaving, so I know what I'll do without him. I'll go on. Last week I didn't feel like that, but now part of me knows that I felt that way because he was my first love. I will always love him in some way. I've never stopped loving anyone that I have ever loved, even if I hate them, I still care about them. I don't think Angel is my one true love or even my soulmate anymore. If he was we would still be together and he wouldn't be leaving. I don't know what he is, but I don't want to think about it right now. I have an Ascension to worry about, not to mention Mom, Xander, Cordy, Willow, Oz, Wes, Anya, and Giles.
**********
It's time to fight. Actually the fighting's already begun. The mayor has turned, God he is HUGE! I've never been this scared before. No! Now is not the time to be scared. I have to get him to follow me to the library. Yeah! That's the plan.
After a nice little comment about Faith and her knife he comes after me. I'm running as fast as I can. In a few minutes this will all be over, hopefully! I just barreled through the library doors with the mayor hot on my heels. The sight before me made me stop dead in my tracks, my momentum almost knocking me over.
"Faith," I practically spat the word. "You can't be here you're…" "Dead. Yeah, I know. Need to learn to check you're victims B! Hey Boss," Faith said with a wink.
I looked over my shoulder to see the mayor looming over me. I've always been afraid of snakes. Fear crept over me and I could vaguely hear Faith say, "Oh boys," as a dozen vampires appeared from out of the stacks. This isn't how I wanted to die!
I look past Faith and see Giles through the window. NO, Please don't look at me! Please! You can't see me die! Not you! Please not you! It will kill you! Please don't watch me! For once, don't watch me!
The vampires around me start to chant and I have no idea what the hell to do, so I do what I know how. I start to fight, lashing out at any vampire I can get my hands on. I'm fighting for the lives of everyone in Sunnydale and maybe the Earth to, so I hardly notice that the ground is moving beneath me until it starts to rip apart.
Oh my god, they're opening the Hellmouth! Damn it! Damn it! What are they doing? It doesn't matter Buffy, just kill them. Faith is just standing there watching me with a smirk. God, I'm gonna kill her! For real this time! Jesus, the floor is starting to break apart!
What was that? It sounded like glass breaking. Oh no! Giles! He'll get himself killed. Why is he in here? Why did he come in here?
"Buffy! I think we can close it if we can get the mayor inside!"
"Are you sure Giles?"
"We have to try!"
"Look out," I shout at him as two vamps attack him from the sides. He throws one off, grabs the other and breaks it's neck before staking the first. Where did he get a stake? OWWW!!!! Faith! Damn she hits hard! I'm trying to get her off me, but she keeps wailing on me.
"How does it fell B? Do you like being hit? Huh? All I wanted was someone who understood! I wanted to be part of something! You just couldn't have that could you?" Faith's words were cutting into me almost as much as her fists. "You couldn't have anyone get close to your mom or your friends or Angel or your precious Giles." Just then she delivered a punch to my throat, choking me. I'm fighting so hard to breathe that I can't fight her.
Faith straddles me to prevent my getting up. God, I can't breathe! Pulling out the knife I had dropped earlier, Faith says, "I'd like to introduce you to someone B." This is it! God, no! I can't die like this! Not with Giles watching. . . .But the knife never hits me. God if it only could have.
The next thing I know Faith is writhing on the ground with Giles attacking her. "You bloody bitch," he spat at her while landing a hard kick to her ribs. Hard enough that I wouldn't be surprised if they're broken. I hear the sound of bones breaking as his foot connects with various parts of her body four more times before he pulls her to her feet. I can see the mayor getting restless, so I get up to help him, but I'm stopped with an extreme pain going through my body. Jesus, I think she broke my ribs! "Giles," I scream out to him just as he breaks Faith's nose with a right cross. Oh god no! "GILES!"
The mayor lunges at Giles, propelling him forward. He didn't want to kill Giles quickly like Snyder. He wanted to do it slow to torture me by making me watch. That wasn't going to be hard considering that I can barely move. Giles was wrestling with the mayor/snake thing. Why was he doing that? He managed to get free from the mayor and grabbed Faith. "Come and get her you bastard!" A roar escaped from the mayor's mouth as he plunged for Giles again. The floor started to separate even more and when the mayor hit Giles the three of them plummeted down the newly exposed passage to hell. "NO! OH MY GOD! NO! GILES! GILES! JESUS!" I managed to throw myself over the spot where he had fallen through, but it had sealed itself.
I was hysterical now, hitting the floor until my knuckles were bloody, screaming, and crying. "Rupert! Oh my god, Giles where are you! GILES!" By now I don't think my sobs are forming words. Willow, Oz, Xander, Wes, Cordy, and Angel all came bursting through the doors. They had been watching from the window. No one said anything they just stared at me. Willow and even Cordelia had already begun crying, but no one said a word.
I kept hitting the ground, screaming his name and crying until I was so drained that I couldn't move anymore. Angel came up behind me and put his hands on my shoulders in an attempt to calm me. I turned on him. All of my emotions were building in me and I just turned on him. Ignoring the pain in my body I pushed him away from me into one of the tables. I spat my words at him with nothing but pure venom, "Don't touch me! You get away from me or I swear I'll fucking stake you!"
For the first time ever I think Angel looked at me with genuine terror in his eyes. Then I collapsed from the pain and before I lost consciousness one word escaped my lips. "Rupert!"
*****
The next day I woke up in the hospital. Willow had called my mom and told her all about what had happened. Angel had left for LA like he had planned. Before leaving he gave my mom and the gang his cell phone number and said to call him if they needed anything or just wanted to talk. Cordy will be leaving in a few days. I didn't really care! The only thing I cared about was Giles. When I woke up I thought it was all a nightmare, but then it was all real. Giles is gone. He's gone! Wait, no! No he's not!
"Wesley!" Willow looked up at me from the chair beside the hospital bed. "What?" "Wesley, is he here? Get Wes in here! Now, get him!" Willow complied upon seeing how desperate I was.
When they entered the room Wes looked stiff and shaken up like he'd been here all night. "Buffy," he said dryly. "I'm uh…. I'm sorry." I cut him off before he could say anymore, I couldn't hear apologies right now. "Wesley, can we open the Hellmouth?" He just looked at me blankly. "When I sent Angel to hell he came back and he was himself. Can't we bring Giles out? If he's there, then he's not dead. He can't be, he can't die on me! We could find a way! We could find a way! We could! We could!" I couldn't take this anymore and I broke into tears, falling into Willow and Wesley's arms. "Please tell me we can! Please!" I couldn't nor did I want to stop the tears. Willow urged me to be quiet and settle down while Wesley sat contemplating the thought. I ended up crying myself to sleep.
When I next awoke everyone was gathered in the room including my mom. They all clambered around me except for the one who mattered. Everyone started chatting at once until Wes cleared his throat. Wesley looked at me seriously and in the most soft, gentle voice said, "Buffy, I've never heard of a ritual to bring those back from hell nor do I know of a spell, but…. But I know it has been done and…. And I assure you I… we will do everything possible to…er… bring him back."
"So you don't think he is dead?" The illusion of hope disappeared when Wesley's eyes dropped. When he saw the look on my face he replied, "I hope not!" Even though he tried to sound comforting his words only served to show how unsure he actually was. He swallowed the lump in his throat and turned to leave. Halfway to the door he turned back to me pulling an object from his pocket hesitantly. In my groggy state I couldn't tell what it was.
"We uh found th-this…. in the library." He opened his palm to reveal Giles' black onyx pinky ring. He handed it to me tentatively. "We thought that you should have it," Willow informed me. They had obviously been talking while I was out. The reality of the ring in my hand was almost too much to bear. Giles never took that off. It was a part of him! If it's here he should be to! I was on the verge of tears as I slipped it onto my finger. It was too big naturally. I never realized how big Giles' hands were. I will have to wrap string around the band, so it won't fall off. Having it made me feel like a part of me was with him, giving him strength.
I didn't notice that everyone was gawking at me. I realized that was due to the fact that I started bawling when I slid the ring on. I could see my mom's lips move to form the words, "Are you alright," but I couldn't hear her. I was crying so hard that all sound stopped. If no one believed me that Giles was alive, then they were certainly going to help me look out of shear pity. All I know is that I need to bring him back to me.