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The tension was thick in the air as the gang made their way through the dark woods. Ireena had found the location of the vampire’s hideout using magic and was helping the elder woman along the path. Arianna followed at the back of the pack, she was to help the elder home after the spell was complete. She was not happy about the arrangement and had protested fiercely. Her aunt had not listened.
Buffy, decked out in black leather pants and a thick strapped black tank top, led the way. She was in battle mode, her thoughts focused on the upcoming confrontation. Her crossbow hung at her side and she had stakes strategically placed all over her body. She could not let her thoughts dwell on her friends, even though she was worried about them. She had given them strict instructions to stay off to the side, but she highly doubted they would pay them any mind. They were like that.
Up ahead, she saw lights blazing. A Victorian house came into view. It was fully-lit and beautiful. But the house’s radiance was overshadowed by the evil that dwelled within its walls. The whole aura of the house was menacing, a silent warning to all who came near to run. Buffy led the group up the path and signaled for them to wait. The elder woman started her incantation, eerie words escaping her mouth. They waited several minutes until it was finished, then Arianna took her great grandmother gently by the arm and led the tired woman away.
“Here goes everything,” Buffy said grimly as she stalked up to the porch with Angel and Giles.
All hell was about to break lose.
Buffy, Angel, and Giles stole quietly into the house. They crept down the hall, searching for vampires. They came to what looked like the living room and found close to twenty vampires waiting for them. Spike and Dru stood off to the side and Leonna led her undead army.
“We were getting worried that you wouldn’t show,” Leonna said coldly.
“We couldn’t have spoiled your fun,” Buffy retorted as she launched herself at Leonna. She delivered a sharp kick to her gut and the fight began.
In a matter of seconds Buffy was surrounded. She went to work, staking the closest vampire. It exploded but another moved forward to take its place. Striking out with her left leg, she caught one of them in the shin. Arms grabbed her, holding her in place. She used them for balance as she kicked out with both legs, catching the vampire that was charging toward her squarely in the chest. Seeing an opportunity, she kicked off from the vamp’s chest and flipped over, taking her supporters with her. They landed in a heap on the floor and Buffy made quick work of them.
Leonna stood off to the side with Spike and Dru, watching the fight progress. Angel went down hard and looked to be in trouble when a crossbow bolt hit his attacker in the back. With a cry, she was dust. Giles quickly reloaded and went to work on some other vampires.
The door burst open at that moment and in flew the Slayerettes. They tried to help, but their methods were sluggish Two would grab hold of a vampire while the third would ram a stake into its undead heart. They managed to create a space in the middle and waited for them to strike.
Buffy lashed out, taking the offensive. Angel fought with her back to back and she allowed herself to slip fully into Slayer mode. A sharp right hook caught her squarely in the jaw, and she paused for half a second for the stinging to stop. She looked up with murder in her eyes. The vampire didn’t stand a chance.
Angel was having a bit more trouble. He had taken more of a beating than Buffy and was hurting. He was pretty sure a few ribs had been bruised, but he kept fighting. He would not let them win.
Try as they may to put a dent in the population, the Slayerettes were suffering. Taking more than a few punches, Willow, Xander, Oz, and Cordelia were in pain. They pressed on though, fighting for all they were worth. Katrina was holding her own against the vamps that tried to escape.
The shattering of glass caused everyone to stop in their tracks. Leonna, not being able to wait anymore, had taken the fight straight to Buffy. With a shout she had pushed her out the huge bay window that had been covered with black curtains. The vampires scattered and the gang ran out to see if they could help.
“Stay back,” Buffy cried to them. “This is my fight!”
Leonna threw a solid punch that landed on Buffy’s already sore jaw. Buffy responded with a sweeping kick that brought Leonna to her knees. Buffy reached for a stake as Leonna’s arm shot out, knocking her off her feet. Landing in a heap, Buffy fought to bring oxygen back into her lungs. Leonna loomed over her as Buffy brought her leg up and kicked the vampire off. Leonna snarled and rained punches down on Buffy.
Her friends had their hands full as well. The vampires that had fled before were now back. They fought valiantly, though. Willow felt a warm trickle running down her head and was amazed to find it was blood. She forgot all about when Cordelia shrieked. She was being held down by a vampire that was going in for the kill. Willow reached into her overalls and pulled out a small jar of holy water that she had stored there early. She emptied it on the vampire, who screamed in pain and ran. Cordelia looked up in thanks as Willow helped her to her feet.
Buffy had the upper hand now. She was beating Leonna back, finding strength she hadn’t even known she had. She had been fighting for a long time and felt exhausted. But she pushed on, throwing punch after punch at the creature of the night. Buffy had her right where she wanted when Leonna suddenly vanished.
“What the hell?!” Buffy cried. She looked at the spot where Leonna
had just been. “Giles!”