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Chain of Ascension
68.Enter the End. Part II

68.Enter the End. Part II

Enter the End - Part II.

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Xander communicated his location to Cordelia every five minutes, who would relay that to Faith. He was surprised when she informed him that Buffy had joined Faith, but remained focused on the task at hand. After thirty minutes, the demons finally parked their car beside an old two-story house on the outskirts of town. The house was at the end of a short No Outlet street with a pair of equally old, two-story houses on either side.

Xander turned off his bike’s lights, and with his camouflage gear, he blended effectively well in the darkness of the night. Enhancing his eyes to see at night, Xander observed the old, abandoned homes for any sign of sentries. The area was eerily quiet and devoid of any street lampposts; his only source of light came from the moon above. Xander didn’t like the feeling of the abandoned home at the end of the short street, and the empty houses on either side of him felt like they were staring at him.

He remained vigilant, however, and focused on gathering intel before his backup arrived, so that they could attack as soon as possible. Xander knew the demons inside the church were far stronger than him, but he was confident he could remain undiscovered.

Rather than enter the cul-de-sac, Xander rolled his motorcycle past the cluster of houses and parked half-a-klick away. As he ran back, he quickly called Cordelia and Faith to relay the final location, hoping they wouldn’t have a difficult time finding the secluded patch of old houses in a wooded field of nothing.

As Xander approached, he noticed the dim light peeking through the dust-covered windows of the house at the end, giving the otherwise dilapidated building a haunting glow. As he slowly walked forward, dark clouds obscured the moon’s light, and the only sound was that of crickets and the occasional hoot of an owl. The stillness of the night felt deceptive, and Xander questioned where the sentries were, if there were any.

The two houses on the left side of the street appeared to be just as abandoned as the two on the opposite side. The grass was overgrown and weeds had crept up the sides of the withered homes. His enhanced senses allowed him to hear even the slightest noise and see everything in sharp detail, but Xander wondered how many demons were in each house.

With an invisible Dreadnought and Hellguard in his hand, Xander stayed in the shadows as he snuck past the two houses on his right toward the two-story home that stood at the end of the short street. As he approached the car parked on the grass beside the weathered house, he quickly picked up the horrendous smell of sulfur, sewage, and decaying flesh in the area. Xander would’ve hurled at the stench if he hadn’t lowered his olfactory sensitivity.

Upon closer inspection of the garaged home, Xander couldn’t help but notice its unique architecture. From a distance, it looked like a typical two-story house, much like the other four on the street. However, upon closer inspection, he observed that it had been converted into a church. The front of the house was residential, but the back of the house stretched out further than any normal three-bedroom home would. Additionally, the structure was much plainer. It little more than a simple rectangular addition to the house, with a flat roof and tall, darkened windows on the walls.

Xander could hear the motor of the car he was crouched by clicking as it cooled down, making him wonder if this was a cell of their coven or their nest. The tire tracks on the grass suggested that there were at least two other cars that regularly parked there, plus, possibly more in the garage of the building.

Xander tested the garage door, and when it clicked open, he quietly walked into the garage. The dimly lit space was cluttered with tools, spare tires, and old boxes, but he spotted an additional sedan parked inside, which suggested to him this was likely the nest. As he tiptoed around the car toward the door leading into the rest of the house, the smell of gasoline, engine oil, herbs, sulfur, and decaying flesh filled his nostrils no matter how much he dampened his sense of smell.

Xander touched the door knob when he heard many faint sounds vibrating through the wall, alerting him of movement deeper within the house; like many heavy objects pressing down on creaky floors. As he slowly opened the door, his phone vibrated, and he quickly answered. Faith’s tinny voice told him they were fifteen to twenty minutes away.

Peeking his head around the corner of the dark hallway, Xander whispered, “This might be the nest. Two cars; possible third somewhere. Going in for visual confirmation.” He then hung up and snuck deeper into the house.

Xander crept silently across the hallway, his footsteps barely making a sound as he made his way to the living room, careful not to disturb anything. The pungent odor was the first thing he noticed; like getting smacked in the face with a strong spray of onions, chives, garlic, peppers, chlorine, tobacco, and, again, decaying flesh. It made his eyes prickle and water instantly.

The living room was dimly lit, the only source of light coming from a flickering candle on a nearby table. Shadows from the strange and unusual objects scattered about danced across the walls, giving the impression of something lurking just out of sight. Xander’s eyes fell on a bookshelf, filled with ancient tomes and grimoires, and he was certain Giles, Willow, and Jenny would love to read them. The room also had strange symbols etched into the walls. He couldn’t decipher their meaning, but he couldn’t imagine they spelled anything good.

Suddenly, he heard a low growling noise coming from the next room. He froze, straining to listen for any other sounds. A faint rustling caught his attention, and he turned to see an enormous rat scurrying across the floor. He breathed a sigh of relief and continued, making his way toward the source of the growling.

As he entered the next room, the walls were covered in a thick layer of grime, dried blood was splattered across every surface, and the floor was littered with bones and bits of rotting flesh. He held his breath and steeled his nerves. The demons were close, and all he needed was visual confirmation. Buffy and Faith were likely ten minutes out, and they could form the plan while waiting for the rest of the gang to arrive.

Xander quietly made his way toward the home’s connecting structure and peered through the broken circular windows of the double doors. The carpenter side of his brain noticed the worship area—with its old and dusty pews pushed to the side—was not well built. He was fairly certain a strong enough force could bring the ceiling down on the dozens of eight-foot-tall female demons within.

He watched the teams of demonoids work over tall drums of green liquid. Xander couldn’t help but notice the stark contrast between the dilapidated state of the church and the meticulousness with which the demons worked. The green liquid they were mixing bubbled and hissed, emitting a noxious odor that made Xander’s eyes water and his stomach churn. The demons worked with an almost mechanical efficiency, their large, clawed hands moving swiftly and precisely as they mixed different concoctions in the drums.

Xander couldn’t see their demonic faces clearly, but the glimpses he caught were enough to make him curl his lips in repulsion. Their hair was long and greasy. Their skin was a sickly whitish-gray, covered in dark veins that seemed to pulse and writhe as they worked. Their long, sharp, black teeth were especially horrifying, and he knew he’d seen enough. Before his luck ran out, Xander slowly backed away from the double doors, eager not to stir the hornet’s nest.

As he made his way down the hallway, the sound of heavy, shuffling footsteps echoed through the house, alerting him to the presence of more demons nearby. He pressed himself against the wall, holding his breath and straining to hear their movements. After a few tense moments, he heard the footsteps receding and proceeded to the exit.

Outside, Xander sprinted towards his bike, but before he could even pass the first house, an ear-splitting screech pierced the chilly night air. Looking to his left and right, he saw two towering demons, each at least seven feet tall, leaping out of the second-story windows of the houses on either side of the cul-de-sac. They landed on the pavement with a resounding thud, blocking his path and cutting off his escape. They appeared to be the lookouts and judging from the rustling sounds building behind him, the entire nest had now been alerted.

Xander knew he needed to act fast, and rather than escape to the sides—taking a longer route to his bike—he preferred to injure the lookouts and run straight to his motorcycle. Xander called on his ring to greatly enhance all of his physical capabilities so he felt as strong as a Super Soldier. Without hesitation, he charged at the two demons blocking his way—sprinting fast—and they rushed toward him as well. His muscles surged with otherworldly strength, and as he closed in on the first demon, he drew back his arm and flung his invisible Hellguard with all his supernatural might.

At the last second, the large demonoid must’ve sensed the lethal blade and swerved to the side. Hellguard missed the creature’s heart and plunged into its shoulder instead, making it screech in terrible agony. To Xander’s great fortune, the demon’s large body quickly dropped to the floor, as if yanked down by an invisible hand. It would appear that the Sisterhood of Jhe were unworthy of holding his magical weapons.

Xander pivoted on his heel, focusing on the second demon, as they were nearly on each other. The gray-skinned creature swung its massive arm in an attempt to bat the teen to the pavement. Xander reacted quickly, dodging the attack—feeling the rush of wind over his ear—and countered with a swift strike from his invisible Dreadnought. Craning its head up, the demon grunted loudly as Xander tucked into a roll away.

Like the first evil sister, the second dropped to the street, as well, but there was no time to celebrate his victory. The demons from within the house-church had already spilled out onto the streets and were hot on his heels. Xander kept running toward his ride half-a-klick away, and with a squeeze of his hand, electrocuted the two demonoids behind him for good measure. But just as he was about to make his escape, a van screeched to a halt in front of him. Five Jhe demons leaped out, blocking his path and fixing their eyes on him like he was dinner.

“Fuck me,” Xander cursed as he abruptly juked to his right, sprinting toward the abandoned-looking house.

Sensing some movement from the two demons he had injured, he electrocuted the writhing monsters once more before summoning his weapons. Dreadnought and Hellguard were visible now, and they hummed as they flew into his grasp.

As Xander escaped into the house on the right, he felt the horde of demons pounding the path behind him. Kicking the door open, a plume of dust billowed around him, and clawed hands nearly reached him. However, they bumped into each other, bottlenecking at the door frame.

It didn’t last.

The screeching Sisterhood easily broke through the old wood and continued to give chase. With lightning-fast reflexes, Xander swung his weapons in a deadly arc, striking the first demon with the Dreadnought and a second with Hellguard. The air crackled with the sound of electricity as he zapped the monsters, sending them crashing to the ground. Sweat dripped down his face as he fought off the relentless demons, swinging his weapons with deadly precision as the musty air of the abandoned home filled his lungs. The air crackled with the sound of electric shocks as he zapped the monsters one by one, buying himself precious seconds to escape upstairs.

Reaching the top of the stairs, Xander quickly surveyed his surroundings. The hallway was dark and narrow, with only a few slivers of moonlight streaming through the cracked window at the end. Dust and debris littered the floor, and cobwebs clung to the corners of the ceiling. Without hesitation, Xander charged down the hallway toward the window, the demons hot on his trail. Though it felt horrifying to have so many hands with long sharp nails trying to grab him, he kept his cool and periodically fought them back with wide swings from his weapon.

As he fought, Xander could feel his adrenaline surging, his heart beating faster and faster. His eyes were wide and focused, his senses heightened by the intensity of the battle. Every muscle in his body was taut and ready for action, as he fought for his life against this sisterhood of evil. However, there were more of them and they were stronger than him. Xander knew he couldn’t hold them off forever.

He buried his weapons into the drywall and amped up the lightning to slow down his pursuers who tried to pass them. With fierce determination, he dashed towards the window, his sole salvation. Bidding his magical ring to further enhance his already surging leg muscles, Xander spaced his steps and jumped through the window as if shot out of a cannon. From the second-floor window, the cold air rushed past Xander as he leaped to the next house.

While he soared through the air, a cacophony of snarling alerted him to a haunting vision of all the scurrying demons below him. Their black eyes were fixed on him and their clawed hands reached out, hungry for his flesh. The monsters made the ground under him look like a pool of eels squirming over one another as he flew through the air.

Xander hit and caught the second-story windowsill of the next house with a heavy THUD. He was about to hoist himself inside when he saw a Jhe demon already entering the dusty old room, as well as hearing a demon behind him following his example.

“Fuuuuck,” he groaned in growing annoyance.

With his enhanced strength, Xander pulled himself up and delivered a fierce donkey-kick to the demon hurtling through the air behind him. He used the sudden boost of momentum to launch himself through the window and into the room. Glass shattered around him, cutting into his face, but he ignored the sting to tuck his knees in and roll onto his feet.

In a blur of movement, before he could react, the Jhe demon knocked him to the side with a powerful swipe. Xander hit the wall hard, but ricocheted and quickly regained his footing before unleashing a devastating kick to the monster’s midsection, sending it reeling backward.

The young warrior only had enough time to thank God his gear’s magical protection prevented the monster’s claws from ripping through his flesh, because it was on him in less than a second. As the creature’s claws and fangs gleamed in the dim moonlight of the room, Xander heard more pounding on the stairs approaching fast and knew it wouldn’t be long until he was surrounded.

Sensing a second demon entering through the window, Xander summoned his weapons as he charged the first one head-on. Dodging the wide, powerful swing of the first demon, Xander’s arsenal rushed through the wall, his battleaxe getting stuck in the spine of the second demon as it entered through the window. He then moved with lightning-fast speed, his body a blur of motion as he lunged forward and plunged Hellguard into the calf of the next Jhe sister to come through the door.

Dodging a second swipe from the first demon, Xander immediately leaped into the air, spinning on one foot and launching a powerful roundhouse kick at the demon’s chin. The loud impact of his heel colliding against its chin was like a thunderclap, knocking the monster back several feet. Though panting, Xander wasted no time zapping anything touching his weapons with thousands of volts of electricity, causing them to writhe and spasm where they lay.

The room was filled with the acrid smell of burning flesh as a new demon was climbing through the demolished hole that was previously a well-framed window. Summoning Dreadnought to his hand, and with a swift motion, brought the blade down, chopping off most of the demon’s fingers before delivering a powerful kick that sent it back to the ground below. Unfortunately, as it fell, its bloody nubs grasped at Xander’s foot, holding on with a fierce grip that pulled him down with it.

Xander was yanked out to fall toward the swath of demons waiting below, but he desperately grabbed for the wood frame. The tension of so much weight nearly yanked his lacerated fingers off. However, the demon couldn’t hold onto him and dropped to the group below. With a fierce grip, he clung to the wood, his eyes scanning the chaotic scene below—monsters screeching for his blood—as he remained calm and allowed himself to react fluidly and find the best route to survival.

With more demons leaping toward him from the first house, as well as those entering the room in front of him, it seemed like there were more and more of them coming at him from all directions. Without hesitating, Xander buried his battleaxe into the outside wall four feet from the window, providing a solid anchor for him to use as a foothold to launch himself to the roof’s edge above. His fingers just clasped the edge, and he pulled himself up with all his magically enhanced strength.

Breathing heavily, a sweating Xander took a moment to catch his breath, his eyes scanning the desolate landscape around. The dilapidated roads—overtaken by wilderness—stretched out before him, and was shrouded in darkness. He couldn’t help but wonder where Faith and Buffy were. Much too soon, he could hear chaotic sounds of clawing and screeching echoing through the night air, reminding him of the danger that still hunted him.

As Xander sprinted across the decrepit roof, the sound of his pounding footsteps was drowned out by the snarls and roars of the demons nipping at his heels. The demons were closing in fast, their clawed hands reaching out to snatch him up and drag him down to the ground below. However, Xander summoned Dreadnought. It ripped through the brittle wood and rotting shingles, shoving and slicing many demons out of the way to reach his hand.

At the other end of the old roof, Xander stopped to survey the ground below. To his dread, it was littered with hungry demons, their black eyes fixed on him with carnivorous intent. With more Jhe demons coming from behind, Xander leapt down, hurtling towards the ground below. For a moment, it felt as though Xander was doomed to certain death, as he was only eighteen feet up and eleven away from their sharp claws. However, at the last minute, he just managed to maneuver his feet onto the handle and the head of his battleaxe.

Letting go of his magical weapon, he summoned it back to his hand, but using his feet to keep the axe away propelled him high into the air. Xander soared above the demons, the wind rushing in his ears, and let his hand touch the handle when he was high enough. The height and trajectory were just accurate enough for Xander to land on the roof of the church-house.

“GRRHH!” he grunted upon the hard impact.

Though the weak, slanted roof provided a sense of relief, Xander scrambled to find a secure footing on the slippery surface. Every step on the old, weather beaten, paper thin plywood felt like walking on thin ice toward the edge of the roof. Hurriedly, Xander plunged Dreadnought into the crumbling shingles to keep himself from falling.

With a long exhale, Xander pulled himself up and turned to make his way toward the car parked by the side of the church house. His sprint came to an abrupt halt as his foot crashed through the fragile roof. He struggled to regain his balance, but it was too late. Xander plummeted through the crumbling frame, dust, splinters, and asbestos enveloping him as he fell into the room below. The sudden rush of air, and the overwhelming sensation of free-fall, all came to a sudden bone-jarring stop.

Xander hit the floor hard, planks of withered wood collapsed all around him, and though his body ached all over, his ankle flared with sharp pain. Despite the dizziness clouding his vision, he compartmentalized the pain away and willed himself to stand up. The injured warrior gritted his teeth and summoned Hellguard to his empty hand as he rushed into the hallway through the darkened doorway of the bedroom he’d landed in.

He limped down the hallway, his eyes scanning the darkness for any sign of danger. Spotting the stairs, any hope of escape was dashed away when he heard two demons stomping up them. Without hesitation, he hurled Dreadnought and Hellguard at them, but the blade didn’t cut more than a few inches through their tough, leathery skin. Instead, it only enraged them, and they let out a blood-curdling scream as their unworthy bodies dropped to the steps of the staircase.

Xander was about to jump over them to the first floor, but the stairwell was quickly filling up with more demons. Their grotesque faces contorted in fury as they lunged at the teen, swiping at him with their long claws. Xander electrocuted the two on the stairs in hopes of slowing the others down. He then veered away and ran back to the room at the end of the hall, but to his dread, the screeching only grew louder behind him.

In the next room down the hall, Hellguard flew into his hand as he made his way to the window, knowing full well that he would have to jump. Fortunately, it wasn’t a long fall to the roof of the long sanctuary room built at the back of the house. The loud screeching sounded right by his ear, and with a deep breath, he jumped. No sooner was he in the air that he heard several of the monsters crash against the wooden frame of the opening, clawed hands reaching for their leaping prey.

With a quick rush of wind, he plummeted to the roof below and landed hard, adding more sharp pain to his throbbing ankle. Xander gritted his teeth, asked his magical items to heal him faster, and pushed himself to his feet, determined to escape this horde of demons.

As he made his way toward the right side of the roof, he noticed two demons climbing over the edge of the roof. Turning around, he noted more pairs of horrific hands gripping the edge of the roof. With few other options, Xander ran down the length of the long roof while the demons closed in on him. Peering over the edge of the end, he wasn’t surprised to see Jhe demons waiting for him on the ground as well. The wind whipped through his raven-colored hair, and the sounds of demons howling filled his ears, telling him he was surrounded.

“Fuck me,” a heaving Xander cursed as he summoned Dreadnought. It whistled through the air, slicing into the flesh of a demon, sending it reeling off the roof before it went straight into his grasp.

His breaths came out in labored gasps, and the cold sweat on his skin mixed with the grime and blood caking his body as he backstepped. Seven wounded and seething demons stalked toward him from the front, another five tracked him on the grass behind him, and Xander was only four hours away from the year-loop ending.

“Come on, sisters,” he tried to jest, to give himself more time, his eyes darting between advancing demons. “I know you’re hungry for new members, but, really, would Jesus approve of these recruiting tactics?” he asked, though his words fell on deaf ears as the demons closed in, their monstrous forms towering over his battered body. Xander was tired, aching everywhere, and didn’t see a way out but to fight.

Xander’s ears perked up as the familiar sound of a motor he had built cut through the screeching clamor of the Jhe demons. His heart leapt with hope, but he also knew that their escape might mean fighting their way out. With a fierce determination, he called on every ounce of strength, speed, and combat training he had to face the seven bloodthirsty demons in front of him whilst also conscious of the other five on the ground below. Xander refused to be their next meal.

With a mighty throw, Dreadnought sliced through the air and split the foot of the first demon in front of him as the blade pierced down to the wood of the roof—sending a spray of dark blood in the air. The demon howled in agony as Xander charged towards the group of Jhe demons, his feet pounding the rooftop like thunder. With an involuntary squeeze of his hand, a burst of lightning erupted from his battleaxe, stunning three of the nearest demons momentarily and charring the wood of the roof, coaxing a small fire.

With the demons distracted, Xander leaped high into the air and doubled-heeled kicked the first demon, knocking it into the second demon as he hit the floor. Throwing Hellguard with deadly accuracy, it embedded itself in the center mass of the fourth demon, though not as deep as he would’ve liked. Xander electrocuted the demon as he grabbed his battleaxe and engaged the other three in a fierce battle.

They were faster and stronger than him, but absent technique or strategy, they were little more than large animals. As he fought, his mind raced, calculating every move and countermove. His heart was pounding with adrenaline and his body was alive with the thrill of the fight. Sadly, there were simply too many of them, but he refused to go down without a fight.

Xander was now outnumbered three to one, surrounded as they closed in on him. With quick and suppressive swings of his axe, he managed to keep them at bay for a few seconds. But one of the demons charged at him recklessly, its black eyes burning with rage and thirst for blood. Xander braced himself for impact, and as the suicidal demon took the brunt of his axe, it wrapped its powerful arms around his waist, bringing them down. The other two demons jumped in, and before he knew it, Xander and the three monsters went straight through the old and charred roof into the sermon room below.

The impact knocked the wind out of Xander, leaving him feeling dizzy and numb. Although he wasn’t in excruciating pain, his right ankle, left wrist, and left knee felt hot and swollen. As Xander tried to gather his bearings, he coughed out the dust that filled his mouth and lungs. The ringing in his ears eventually died down, and he could hear the sound of approaching footsteps. With a deep breath, Xander called upon the power of Odin’s ring, drawing on his last reserves of strength as he struggled to his feet, his hands shaking as he summoned his weapons.

Two of the Jhe sisters were already up and two more had burst into the room from the double doors of the church’s entrance. The four charged at him, their dark eyes blazing with fury, and Xander didn’t feel anywhere near ready to take them on at the same time. He braced himself for serious damage when a darkish figure dropped from the hole in the ceiling, golden blonde hair flowing, and buried the entire length of Slaymore’s blade into the skull of one of the demons rushing him.

As they fell, she rolled with the momentum, slicing through the leg of the demon on the right before throwing her blade at the third one. The third demon dodged it, but Buffy summoned her blade back and it embedded itself in the tough muscle of the demon’s neck, dark blood gushing out of the open wound.

“Buffy!” Xander called before passing Dreadnought to her. The agile girl easily caught the battleaxe as she dodged the many swipes of the final Jhe demon. With a low dodge and foot pivot, she swung Dreadnought and buried the razor edge in the stomach of the tough creature. Buffy immediately summoned Slaymore and cleanly sliced through the screeching monster’s tough neck.

After Buffy wrenched Dreadnought from the dead demon’s open gut with a stiff kick, the blonde Slayer turned to her weary and panting friend. She rushed to him and placed his magical weapon in his tired hand before pulling him into a fierce embrace.

Xander basked in the warmth of her body and inhaled her familiar scent, and for a moment, he forgot all about the horrors of the battle. Dropping his weapons, he held onto her with equal intensity, feeling her heartbeat against his chest and her soft breath on his neck, finding solace in her touch. The distant sounds of demons snarling and clawing seemed to fade away as they held each other tightly, both grateful for the other’s presence in this deadly fight.

Between ragged breaths, Xander panted, “Oh, boy… am I happy… to see you…”

Buffy’s grip on him was tight, and against his shoulder, she scolded him with relief in her voice. “Xander! Gah, you idiot!”

“Sorry, Buff. Sorry,” he apologized, adding a little sway to their embrace.

Their moment was short-lived, as Faith burst through one of the blackened windows, Blood and Lust in either hand, and was already bleeding from a wound on her forehead. Faith back-stepped to their side as the remaining seven Jhe demons rushed into the room and surrounded them.

As the demons loomed closer, Faith quipped, “Does anyone else see the irony of demons in church?”

“The Big Guy… really does accept all,” Xander huffed, feeling a hint of gallows humor in the face of danger.

The demons began screeching loudly in the church. One demon’s screech seemed to incite the others, causing a chain reaction of screeching that filled the room, sending shivers down the spines of the three warriors as they prepared for the impending battle. Buffy and Faith stood back to back to back with Xander, their weapons at the ready.

Buffy noted, “That doesn’t sound good.”

With concern in her voice, Faith asked, “Sweet Spot, how’re you feeling?”

“I’m just glad you guys are here,” Xander said, finally feeling marginally better. “And way ready to return the hospitality.”

The Jhe demons attacked with ferocity. Half charged forward with reckless abandon, while the others hung back to strike when the opportunity arrived. Xander, Buffy, and Faith fought back-to-back-to-back, a whirlwind of steel and fury as they parried, dodged, and attacked. As Xander’s wounds slowed him down, the demons targeted him, but he used their aggression to his advantage, leading them into the path of Buffy’s or Faith’s weapons.

The fight was intense and grueling for Xander, who struggled to keep up with the demons. Faith and Buffy took the brunt of the attacks, but all three were slammed into pews, vats of liquid, or thrown to the ground. However, the Slayers were just as strong, and the three were better trained. The teenage warriors refused to stay down, rising again and again, fueled by their unrelenting determination to survive.

With each passing second, the demons began to falter, their movements becoming less coordinated, less precise. Xander saw his opening and took it, unleashing a flurry of blows that sent one demon crashing to the ground. Buffy and Faith followed suit, their blades slicing through the remaining demons with ease. When it was all over, the room was in shambles. Dust and debris filled the air, black blood stained the floor, and the sound of heavy breathing filled the room. Xander, Buffy, and Faith were at the center of the carnage, battered, bruised, and bleeding, but—with a sense of satisfaction and pride—they stood victorious.

After the adrenaline-fueled fight, Faith pulled out her phone and dialed Cordelia’s number while Xander sat on the stage to catch his breath. Faith sat on his right, her clothes torn and her hair disheveled, and Buffy sat on his left, resting her head on his left shoulder, her golden hair spilling over him like a soft blanket.

As the magic of his weapons and ring healed its way through his body, Xander felt both invigorated and drained, as the healing process took a toll on him. But he couldn’t help but feel a sense of comfort and safety with the Slayers resting on either side of him, their warmth and scent soothing him.

After she hung up with Cordelia, Faith relayed the news, “Giles and the gang are on the way.”

Xander nodded in understanding, his hands behind him, propping him up.

Resting against his shoulder, Buffy quipped, “I bet they’re going to have so much fun going through all of this.”

“What’s left of it anyway,” Faith remarked, surveying the destruction, and lingering on the crumpled forms of the dead demons.

Worry laced Buffy’s voice as she asked a very sleepy Xander, “Are you sure you’re okay? One night in the hospital isn’t going to kill you.”

Taking a deep breath, Xander pushed aside his fatigue and answered, “Yeah, no, I’m good. I just want to stay with you two for as long as possible.”

“We’re not going anywhere,” Faith said, adding with derision, “even if it is in a weird church.”

“How’s your bike?” Xander asked her.

Instantly, Faith’s face winced. “Sorry,” she apologized, her tone filled with remorse. “I kinda used it like a battering ram. It probably still runs, though.”

“It’s fine,” he replied kindly, reassuring her with a smile. “I can fix it for you.”

Buffy asked, “Would you teach me? How to ride, I mean. When you’re better.”

Xander felt a wave of emotions wash over him. He wasn’t sure if he would see this Buffy again, nor was he sure if he would be able to fix Faith’s motorcycle for her, and the thought of never seeing this version of them again made him feel emotional enough for her to notice.

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“Xander, what is it?” Buffy pleaded, certain that he was withholding something. “And don’t say you’re fine. Something about this, the way you look at me… my dreams… I feel like there’s something I’m missing.”

Xander shook his head, trying to convey ‘no’ as much as clearing the emotion from his thoughts. “It’s fine, Buffy. You’re not wrong, but it doesn’t matter.”

Sitting straighter, she shook her head and returned, “It matters to me. I came here because I knew I had to.”

“Why?” Faith questioned. At Buffy’s curious expression, the beautiful brunette explained, “Don’t get me wrong. I, for one, am glad you forced me to pick you up—using my pudding pops was low, though—but I get it. It would’ve been a hairier fight without you, no doubt, but I still don’t think it was more than Xander and I could’ve handled. And honestly, I probably would’ve gotten here faster if I hadn’t picked you up.”

Buffy eyed Faith apprehensively and asked, “What are you trying to say?”

With eyes hinting at an underlying truth, Faith replied, “I’m saying there’s only one real reason you’d leave the library.”

Buffy was silent, her beautiful face etched with a mixture of sadness and confusion as she cast her gaze downward, likely feeling the one reason Faith was alluding to. Xander watched Buffy, his heart heavy with appreciation, that there could be such a conflicting feeling for him in her heart, despite her deep love for Angel. He looked around the dimly lit room, taking in the dusty or bloody pews and blackened windows, and couldn’t help but feel a sense of foreboding. This might very well be the last few things he could share with them before meeting the end of this loop.

“It really takes a lifetime to learn simple things like who you are, what matters, and what doesn’t,” he calmly spoke. “There’s a lot I can tell you both, but the only thing that matters is you guys are my light. No matter how dark it gets, I can always pull through because you guys are with me.” Feeling overwhelmed, Xander released Dreadnought and wrapped his arms around Buffy and Faith. His embrace was tight, filled with all the loving gratitude he felt for them. “It’s why I’ll love you, forever, and on repeat,” he whispered.

The girls were both taken by his words, but felt the heartfelt weight behind them and hugged him with just as much warmth and love. Their embrace was so warm, comforting, and genuine that after several silent moments, Faith had to pull away. The vulnerable girl hastily stood, cleared her throat, and told them she was going to get his bike. Xander and Buffy remained wrapped in their embrace, holding on to each other tightly as they watched her go.

They were silent for a few moments before Buffy asked, “What is it you’re not telling me?” Her voice was soft, but her eyes were sharp with concern.

Xander hesitated, his mind racing. He didn’t want to worry Buffy any more than she already was, but he also wasn’t certain if revealing the time braid would send him back in the hour or so time he had left. Xander simply promised to reveal everything once he was out, and finally answered, “Minor and irrelevant stuff, for the most part.”

Buffy’s face twisted in frustration before she asked, “Will you ever tell me?”

“I want to tell you everything,” he honestly told her. “There’s just not enough time.”

“There is,” she assured him as she took his hand in her. “We have plenty of time. I’ll make sure of it.”

Xander smiled weakly. He knew Buffy was just trying to comfort him and appreciated the gesture. “How?” he asked.

“By always…” Buffy trailed off, her voice catching in her throat. After several silent moments, Xander looked at her with a raised eyebrow, wondering what she was going to say. She simply finished, “B-by always being there when you need me.”

Xander thought that odd, but was too weak to give it much thought, and replied, “Oh. Well, I’ll always be there for you, too. Forever and ever, and ever; all the evers.”

Buffy leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek before whispering, “Shhh, just rest.”

Xander closed his eyes, a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips. Faith’s footsteps echoed as she returned to them, and soon enough, the others arrived, the sound of three cars pulling up outside echoing through the empty space. Willow and Cordelia hurried to Xander, their eyes wide with worry as they embraced him and assessed his injuries. Fortunately, his Armor Wear prevented any of the sharp claws from reaching his flesh, even if his skin had many red lines of irritation from the clawing. They bandaged his cuts as Xander suggested they split up, causing some concern on their faces.

“One group stays here to figure out the ritual, along with some protection,” he suggested. “The other group goes to the library to make sure no one shows up. I should’ve thought of that earlier, but honestly, I was wiped.”

“And don’t forget, one person goes home to rest,” Buffy pointedly told Xander.

Xander tried to say, “I can rest at the library-”

“NO!” Buffy, Willow, Cordelia, and Faith all yell in unison.

“Angel and I got the library. The rest stay here,” Buffy conveyed to the gang. She turned to Xander and directed, “And you! We’re taking you to my house; where you’ll stay, you hear me?”

Faith had to stay so she could load her bike in Oz’s van and protect everyone while they investigated the bloody scene for any new information. The scene was gruesome—blood smeared across the walls and the smell of death hanging heavily in the air—but if there was anything to learn about the Sisterhood of Jhe and the dragon demon they worshiped, the brains of the gang were sure to find it.

——

Xander rode his bike with Angel following closely behind in Giles’ car, and Buffy sitting in the passenger seat. The trio made their way through the quiet and dark streets of Sunnydale, but rather than drive to Buffy’s home, Xander rode straight to Sunnydale High School. He parked his bike near the side entrance closest to the library, and was just about to enter the familiar sanctuary when Buffy finally caught up to him, her brows drawn in confusion.

In front of him, she planted her hand firmly on his chest, and demanded to know, “What are you doing? You need to rest!”

Xander limped around her and entered the, thankfully, silent and undisturbed, library. The room was still and peaceful, the shelves of books towering high above him like sentinels. He took a deep inhale of the warm and comforting space before telling her, “I can rest here. Nothing puts me to sleep faster than books.”

“Xander…” Buffy weakly protested as she watched him walk over to the center table.

“Buffy…” he cheerfully mimicked. Sitting on the table’s edge, he replied, “Come on. We’re already here. I just need a few hours and I’ll be as fit as a fiddle.”

Buffy hesitated for a moment before reluctantly nodding. She watched Xander lay down across the length of the table before making her way to Giles’ office. Xander could hear her call Faith and inform her of the change in plans, as well as hear any updates. Though the table was a hard surface, Xander was so tired, it felt incredibly comfortable, and closed his eyes.

While Buffy was on the phone in Giles’ office, Angel quietly walked up to the table and asked Xander, “How are you feeling?”

Feeling jolted out of his peaceful rest, Xander warily admitted, “More and more annoyed with that question.”

“You didn’t seem to mind when the girls were asking,” he dryly replied.

Xander snorted, answering, “Who would?”

“Fair enough,” he responded.

Angel was silent for several heavy seconds, lost in thought. Xander could almost feel how much Angel wanted to say something, making him roll his eyes and respond, “Your brooding is suffocating. What?”

Angel hesitated before stating, “Buffy compromised this location to get to you.”

Xander’s eyebrows furrowed as he replied, “Kinda needed the backup.”

“We didn’t know that at the time,” Angel astutely pointed out. “You’d only just found them.”

Xander felt confused, unsure where Angel was going with this, and simply nodded before replying, “Okay…”

“I guess I’m just wondering why she would do that,” Angel said, the tone in his voice pensive.

Xander took a guess and answered, “Slayer intuition? I suppose you’d have to ask her.”

“I’m asking you,” Angel responded firmly.

Xander huffed in amused laughter before pointing out, “You and I both know how much Buffy cares; more than anyone. She’d do the same for you. She did do the same for you.”

“That I get,” an annoyed Angel asserted. “But she left Willow and Giles with less protection-”

“Because I trusted you to protect them,” Buffy hotly interjected, her voice sharp as she entered the room. Without moving his body, Xander craned his head over his chest and observed an irate Buffy staring at Angel in disbelief. She looked like someone vomited on her favorite stuffed rabbit, and Xander almost felt bad for the vampire when she hotly asked Angel, “Can we talk outside?”

Angel looked at Xander—who raised his eyebrows—then followed Buffy out of the room. Xander watched the couple leave before setting his head back down. As the double doors closed, Xander resisted the urge to enhance his hearing in favor of some shut-eye and healing before peacefully entering the end.

—B—

Buffy realized talking in the silent halls in the dead of night would be easy for Xander to hear, and walked toward the nearest exit. It was an exit-only door, but it didn’t matter. Stepping outside into the cool night air did wonders for her unexpected irritation. The moon cast an eerie glow over the school’s empty parking lot, and the rustling of leaves in the gentle breeze provided the only sound. They walked farther than needed, but only because Buffy was so frustrated with her conflicting feelings.

When she felt they’d walked too far, Buffy took a deep breath to calm herself and turned to face Angel. Her eyes scanned his handsome face, taking in the sight of him standing tall and imposing against the darkened sky. Buffy shivered. She didn’t want to feel angry at Angel because she couldn’t understand why she’d even feel angry toward the love of her life in the first place.

Buffy tucked several strands of her golden hair behind her ear before crossing her arms and asking, “Why are you grilling him when you know he needs to rest?”

Angel took a few seconds to gather his thoughts, his dark eyes flickering with emotion. His voice was low and measured as he replied, “Two nights ago, everything felt right between us; in our separate lives as much as when we were together. And then last night-”

“I was poisoned,” Buffy interjected, a hint of frustration in her tone, though she couldn’t tell if it was directed at him or herself. For emphasis, she reminded him, “Taken hostage and made to fight a psychotic vampire by the very organization I work for.”

“I know,” Angel softly said. “I know. And after your call letting me know you were okay, I came by your house to check on you… to be supportive.” Buffy paled as Angel continued to confess, “But you weren’t in your room.” Her throat felt incredibly dry as he sadly added, “You were in the living room. I saw you through the window, sleeping on the couch—comfortably—with him.”

“...They poisoned him too,” she managed to get out, though her voice felt incredibly strained. She felt like something was slipping away, and to avoid losing it, needed to explain, “We were tired- like, really tired, especially after fighting off those vampires. We just… fell asleep that way.”

Angel persisted cautiously, “The next time I see you, the only thing you’d tell me about was the Sisterhood of Jhe. The rest, you’re quiet.” Pointing behind him toward the school, he continued, “And then you leave the library when it doesn’t make sense to do so, because, as you put it, ‘you’d never be able to forgive yourself if something happened to him.’” Buffy was quiet because anything she said threatened to take something meaningful away from her. “Help me understand, Buffy. That’s all I’m asking.”

Buffy’s heart sank into her stomach and her knees felt paper thin. The thing she had been trying to avoid all day; the thing she’d been trying to rationalize away, finally hit her hard in her chest, daring her to continue lying. In front of her love, she felt like she had run out of excuses—like time had run out. Her eyes welled up with hot tears, threatening to spill.

With a heavy heart, Buffy met his gaze, and, though hesitant, the despondent girl softly answered, “...Even I don’t understand.”

“...How you feel about him?” Slowly, nearly painfully, Buffy nodded. “...Because it’s more than friendship?” The tears fell, spilling over her cheeks as she hesitantly nodded once again. Angel took a step back, as though he’d just been struck in the chest and momentarily lost his balance.

He looked just as upside down and lost as Buffy felt, then he turned to leave. She chased after him, crying out, “Wait, Angel!” Buffy followed him down the sidewalk, moving further away from the school, as she tried to explain, “You have to know, I didn’t intend for this to happen.”

“That’s how it usually happens,” he hotly voiced as he kept walking around her. “He has a girlfriend!”

“I know! I’m not trying to… Listen!” Buffy sadly exclaimed, planting her hands on his chest to keep him from going any farther. Her voice cracked as she implored, “Xander and I are j-just friends. If anything, I have a small, minuscule, manageable c-crush… on him-” Angel tried to move, again and she stopped him as she asserted, “But! But, he had a crush on me first. So, so, it’s kinda like chicken pox, you know? Someone else will get it next and I’ll never catch it again. Have you gotten your shots? It could be you,” she tried to jest.

Angel looked at her with a mixture of disbelief and heartbreak. With dark eyes, his next question cut to the heart of her. “Have you kissed him?” he gravely asked.

Buffy stopped breathing, and instantly hated how impossible it was for her face to mask her emotions. With widening eyes, her alluring facial muscles instantly announced her guilt over kissing Xander, and immediately Angel started walking away again.

Buffy continued to stay in front of him as she frantically explained, “It was an accident! We were half asleep! I wasn’t even thinking! Neither of us were!”

“You were just reacting?”

“Yes- No! Not like that!” she exclaimed, shaking her head frantically, getting mixed up with her own meaning. “The second we realized it was real life, we pulled away.”

“So, you were kissing him in your dream?”

With a frustrated groan, Buffy stopped his walking once again and implored her boyfriend, “...Angel, please. He saved my life last night! I was just glad he didn’t die because of it. Faith understood, and she forgave him.”

Angel seemed to respond to her plea and settled enough for Buffy to remove her hands. “...Fine,” he sadly said. “Was that the only time?” Again, Buffy’s muscles tensed and she hated her inability to remain straight-faced. “Buffy?”

She took a deep breath and raised a peaceful palm before pleading, “Listen… you were Angelus at the time- Wait!” Angel moved around her to keep walking away and Buffy followed, explaining to him, “You have to admit, when you were Angelus, it was even worse than being broken up! You were actively trying to torment and kill me. It wasn’t like the moment you stopped being Angel, I was finally free to cut loose and go wild! No! We kissed because of totally reasonable circumstances.”

“I’m not blaming you for anything you did, Buffy,” Angel spoke, his voice strained with pain. “I just need some space.”

“Wait, Angel,” she pleaded. “We’re still together. You’re the one I love!”

He whirled on her, frustration in his voice as he yelled, “Well, maybe you shouldn’t!”

The force of his words hit Buffy like a punch to the gut. She looked at him in surprise, her concern and confusion etched on her face.

“…Angel,” she softly said, her voice trembling.

—X—

With a little over twenty minutes before the year loop ended, Xander was alone in his second home, and thought back on how much he enjoyed the year. Eyes closed, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of nostalgia for the past year, which had been one of the best of his life. He had never felt so comfortable with himself than he had in this loop, and it meant everything to him. Xander was hoping Buffy would return soon, so he’d get to see her one last time, but it wasn’t as if he was out of the time braid. He was going to repeat this very same loop for all of eternity, and Xander was content with that.

Suddenly, Xander’s ears perked up as he heard the faint sound of the library’s atmosphere being shoved to the side by a heavy, fast-moving mass descending toward him. Without hesitation, his body instantly rotated off the table just as a large female demon of Jhe slammed through the hardwood.

Xander dodged a second demon that had jumped off of the balcony, and he rolled toward the entrance, his body moving with a fluid grace that spoke of decades of training. As he rose to his feet, he extended his hands as he immediately accessed the threat.

“Buffy!” Xander cried out, his voice ringing with urgency as Dreadnought and Hellguard slapped into his grasp.

The young warrior counted five demonesses in total and three of them quickly gathered around the splintered table to place five urns in a symbolic arrangement and paint the floor in a greenish liquid. The acrid smell of the paint quickly reached Xander’s nostrils, reminding him of the same scents from their church nest. They lit the urns before beginning their screeching chant while the other two launched themselves at the teen.

Xander smiled as they neared. He knew he had to stop them at all costs, but the idea of going out fighting felt much better than sleeping into the end. Calling for all the power magic could possibly draw out of his beaten body, Xander charged the large demons. He gritted his teeth and pushed himself to the limit, drawing on all the strength and magic he could muster.

Xander initially only attempted to disrupt the chorused droning, but the two Jhe demons were fast and agile, and were protecting the ritual taking place behind them. As he threw his weapons, he noticed that the two would throw themselves in the path of his flying weapons, sacrificing their tough bodies for their ultimate goal. This made Xander even more determined to defeat them before they could complete their mission.

He used that strategy to kill one and then kill the other, but by then, the chanting was done. With wide eyes, he watched all five demonesses get sucked to the symbol painted on the floor and burst into blue flames. Each burning body then transformed into the five snarling heads of a dragon, each head trying to push its way through a portal that seemed too small for its massive form. As the heads rose high above Xander, the heat from their growling, fiery breath filled the room, causing the air to shimmer and dance. The wooden bookshelves and ancient tomes nearest the demon began to smolder, the pages of the books curling in the intense heat.

Hurt, out of breath, and bleeding down his face and neck, a smile spread across Xander’s face.

In his Old Man memories of this very moment, Xander had always wondered what he missed when everyone but him fought this demon dragon. Eying the long necks of the five-headed dragon struggling to pull itself out of the portal, now he knew, and thought it was hilarious that he still wanted to be there. Xander was going to keep fighting for fifteen minutes straight. His arms were going to keep hacking until he was back in his bed and it was Halloween again.

Xander charged towards the dragon, his weapons glinting in the flickering light from the lamps and wall fixtures. The dragon’s heads lashed out at him with blinding speed, its razor-sharp teeth glistening as it tried to chomp down on Xander. He ducked and weaved, his reflexes honed by decades of fighting, and swung his weapons with all his might, biting into the dragon’s tough scales.

It felt like he was trying to cut through steel, but he knew his weapons could. The dragon head thrashed and twisted, hitting Xander like he was struck by a car, and he flew across the room, hitting the wall with a bone-jarring impact. Pain shot through his body, but his Armor Wear protected him from much worse. Nothing felt broken and he could still move.

He stood up once again and walked over to the entrance to face it head-on. As he did, he bid his magical axe to heat up to the temperature of lightning without the lightning. His battleaxe began to glow from a steel gray to an auburn, to a bright red, yellow, and finally, blazing white. It was incredibly hot to be near, but as a master weaponsmith, he was used to the heat. Glaring at the five hypnotically moving snake-like dragons, Xander didn’t hesitate to lunge forward once more.

Xander tossed Hellguard at one of the heads. The fast creature used its head to swat it away, but the ultra-sharp dagger stuck in its scale. Xander jumped in the air, raising his axe to bring down on the exposed neck, but before he could, one of the other heads struck out to bite him whole. With a thought, initiated an explosion of electricity from Hellguard that traveled through all five heads.

The snake-like dragon heads all screeched and trembled violently, but they did not die. Xander only needed that moment to bring his super-heated Dreadnought down on one of the heads, slicing through the log-thick neck. It took a second swing to completely sever it from the body, and that moment cost him another hard hit to the torso, sending him flying across the room.

Xander’s vision blurred and danced, but he stood up, and walked forward, his gruff voice grunting, “Four more.”

—B—

Buffy’s eyes widened in disbelief as Angel’s words sunk in. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she asked, “What do you mean I shouldn’t? I can love whoever I want!”

Angel’s eyes were soft and filled with love as he looked at her. He took a step closer, his hand reaching out to touch her face. Buffy wanted to lean into his touch—she would have a few months ago—but she couldn’t shake the feeling of confusion that swirled inside her.

“Buffy, I love you more than my own existence,” he confessed. “You are my soul in human form… but that doesn’t change the fact that I can’t give you the life I know in my heart you deserve… the life he can.”

“I don’t want a life that doesn’t have you in it,” she heatedly proclaimed.

“Why?” he questioned, his expression growing serious. “Because that’s what being in love demands you say? Because if you don’t say that, it must mean you don’t love me as much as you think you do? Or are you saying that because you really mean it?”

Buffy was taken aback, that question sounding a lot like the one Willow had asked her—the one she couldn’t answer then—and Buffy actually wondered for a second what the most accurate answer was. That second seemed too long for Angel and he continued walking.

“Angel! Wait!” she begged, following after him, even farther away from the school.

—X—

After another five minutes of intense battle, Xander couldn’t take a deep breath anymore and his lungs burned from the heat radiating off the Lernaean. The four-headed demon dragon was relentless, but despite his exhaustion, he continued to use his quick reflexes and precise footwork to dodge the heads and strike back with his weapons. As often as he could, he stayed close to the base of the long necks, as it was harder for it to strike him. He’d be dead five times over if not for his Armor Wear and Odin’s Ring.

The snake-like heads ran into each other often when he was near the base, and with his enhanced strength, he’d fight their chomping teeth with Dreadnought while he stabbed Hellguard into any part of their body. He used the blunt end of his battleaxe to pound the Viking dagger deep into the demon’s flesh before unleashing a tsunami of electricity that jolted throughout its body.

In their sluggish movement afterward, Xander had just enough time to activate Dreadnought’s scorching, white-hot temperature again—his skin baking from the intense heat emanating from it—and cut off a second head, spurting black demon blood everywhere. The other heads immediately retaliated, attacking Xander with a ferocity that made his heart race. He barely dodged two swiping heads before the third one slammed into him, shooting him across the room.

Xander’s exhausted body landed languidly on the reception desk before tumbling to the floor behind it. The dragon’s screeching could’ve been a lullaby, Xander was so tired. Blood dripped from his many wounds, but raising his shaking left hand, he summoned Hellguard. The hilt slammed into his palm, spewing demon blood everywhere from the rotation’s sudden stop. His left forearm hooked the reception desk as his right hand called on Dreadnought.

He leaped on the desk, heaving shallow breaths, and gazed at the decapitated demon heads before refocusing on the raging demon dragon. Though struggling to catch his breath, he gripped his weapons tightly, and whispered to himself, “Three… m-more.”

—B—

“Wait,” Buffy called, getting in front of him again, her desperation written all over her face. Her heart racing, she pleaded, “I can’t take a second to think?”

Angel took a step toward her, and with understanding, asked, “You’ve been thinking all day, haven’t you? I can just imagine how surprised and confused you must be about this, because you love me. I know you love me, but, for a while now, I’ve been confused about something too; been thinking about this extensively. Am I really the right person for you?”

“Of course-” Buffy began, eager to protest.

“Stop,” Angel cut in, begging with his eyes. “Buffy, it’s simple. Really, it is. You love me, you don’t want to lose me, and I’m certain if you had it your way, we’d always be together, without all the complications… but does any of that mean that you don’t love him?”

Buffy opened her mouth to protest, but she didn’t want to lie. Any lie would only serve to be an indirect way of telling the truth, and her stomach twisted in knots at the thought. She had been struggling with her true feelings for Xander ever since… she couldn’t even say when. She loved Angel with all her heart, but now, there was someone else in her heart. Someone who had always been there for her, even when Angel wasn’t.

“Does it?” Angel repeated, his voice slightly above a whisper.

—X—

It took another five strenuous minutes. His tough military gear was covered in black demon blood, but fortunately, the steel-like scales crashing into him hadn’t shredded his only protection. Xander was bleeding profusely from his forehead, little cuts littered his hands and forearms, his left eye was swelling, he couldn’t take a deep breath without agony blossoming from his chest, and he was so impossibly tired he didn’t know how he was still standing. Even still, his ring and weapons kept him in the fight, his mind wouldn’t quit, and his mouth kept grinning.

Xander threw Dreadnought with his strained, but enhanced, strength, electrifying it so the remaining heads avoided it, then he called it back. He’d repeat the attack as many times as it took for one head to swerve close enough for him to attack with Hellguard and stab it with his dagger.

The Lernaean head recoiled violently, and with his grip, took Xander high into the air. He held on, his fingers scraping the scales for purchase, until it switched directions. The sudden momentum switch launched him toward the second-floor balcony. Again, his armor took the brunt of the shock as he smashed through the wooden railing and into a bookcase with a sickening crunch.

Dazed and disoriented, Xander shook his head to clear the stars from his vision. Despite his pain and exhaustion, Xander gathered his bearings and rushed the monster. He summoned Dreadnought to his hands as he kicked off the railing, raising his battleaxe over his head. With Hellguard still on the beast, he unleashed a surge of lightning that would fry a whale to a crisp, sizzling the air.

The demon lord convulsed long enough for Xander to come down with his white-hot Dreadnought, slicing through the monster’s log-thick neck with a shower of sparks. The wound hissed and steamed, the smell of burning flesh filling the air. But as always, the remaining heads were jolted by the sudden agony, and landed a brutal hit the moment Xander cut through the third head.

Xander gritted his teeth as he was launched back into the hard bookcases, knocking them over, and burying him in books. His chest heaved as he struggled to catch his breath, his muscles screaming with fatigue. But even as he lay there, battered and bleeding, he knew he had to keep going. With a grunt of effort, he pushed the heavy shelf off him and staggered to his feet, his eyes blazing with determination.

With the third head in a thin pool of its own purplish blood, Xander could barely whisper, “Two.”

—B—

“It’s not that simple,” Buffy tried to reason, feeling her eyes stinging with tears. She felt as if she were fighting for their relationship, as if the future she’d always envisioned depended on it.

“It is,” Angel asserted, his voice firm. “When Xander told Spike off—after the disbelief those words came out of his mouth—I found myself agreeing with him. Then, I came to learn Spike and Drusilla still have their souls despite making love.”

“They do?” Buffy gasped, taken aback by the news, and couldn’t help thinking that Xander was right.

After a moment of tense silence, Angel articulated, “His view on love isn’t perfect, or romantic, and I can imagine the drawbacks, but I can’t deny how pure, how genuine, how healthy that love is.”

The silence between them stretched for several moments, the weight of his words hung heavily in the air between them. Buffy struggled to find the right words to say, to convince Angel that their love could still be everything they wanted, so long as they fought for it.

“This isn’t selfish, Buffy,” Angel said. “I don’t want to hold you back-”

“You’re not!” she loudly interrupted, desperation creeping into her voice. “Angel, you’re not. I’m never stronger, better, or happier than when I’m with you because you’re the only one for me! It’s you and me!”

“Buffy, let’s be honest here,” Angel said, his voice full of anguish. “You’ve never asked Xander about what happens to us in the future because you don’t want to know, do you? You don’t want to know as much as I don’t want to know.”

Her red-rimmed eyes widened and her heart felt constricted in her chest. The truth they both wanted to avoid and ignore was clear and present for both of them. Neither wanted to know that in this world, Buffy and Angel could never truly be together. It was a demoralizing and antagonistic thought that Buffy simply didn’t want to confirm with Xander. It would feel too much like evil won.

“We can’t even be intimate; not completely,” he continued. “What kind of life is that? Always holding back for fear someone might die if we go too far… At some point, we have to ask ourselves, are we just delaying the inevitable? Maybe you’re already asking.”

The silence stretched between them, heavy with unspoken words and unfulfilled dreams. Buffy knew that she had to make a choice. Either she could continue to cling to their love, hoping against hope that they would find a way to be together, or she would have to let their impossible love go.

The tears streamed down her face.

—X—

Xander’s heart pounded as he focused on dodging the ferocious heads of the dragon demon. With their deaths, the portal will have no anchor into the human world and close once again. The beast relentlessly pursued him, its eyes burning with a fiery rage, and Xander knew he had to stay sharp if he wanted to survive. He darted left and right, his body moving with the precision of a seasoned warrior, always staying one step ahead of the dragon’s snapping jaws.

Xander jumped to avoid both heads and realized his mistake the moment one flexed its neck up. Xander placed the flat of Dreadnought against his chest before the scaly neck slammed him into the ceiling with a powerful thrust of its neck. Xander grunted in pain as he felt his bones creaking under the pressure, but even then, the thought of giving up never crossed his mind.

The other head was coming up to bite Xander while he was falling. With few other options, Xander reached around his back, placing his palm against his spine, and summoned Dreadnought just as the dragon was about to sink his teeth into his torso. The whiplash put him face to face with sharp teeth, the stench of which was gag-inducing.

Xander summoned Hellguard as the head shoved him out of the way. As it opened its mouth to bite him again, he threw his Viking dagger into its mouth and quickly blasted it with an unholy amount of electricity. He landed on the ground as best he could, tweaking his ankle as he forced himself to roll to his feet.

While the beasts were sizzling in the burst of electrical energy, he rushed to the nearest neck with a white-hot Dreadnought cocked back, and swung his battleaxe with all his might, cutting through another neck of the dragon. Faster than Xander could see, he was struck in the chest harder than any other hit, launching him through the double doors of the library, breaking them off their hinges.

Xander slid on the cold tile to a stop. After a moment, he struggled to get to his feet. The library was behind him, and ahead of him was the path to salvation—to his hero. The dark hallway ahead beckoned him, tempting him to flee and seek help from Buffy and Angel… but Xander refused. He stood up and turned his back to such safety. This was his fight, his moment, and he had to give it everything he had. With fierce determination, he walked back into the library, summoning his faithful weapons to his hands, ready for the final round.

Unable to speak, Xander looked at the last blurry head, and sluggishly thought to himself, ‘one.’

—B—

“If you believe in Xander’s selfless sort of love,” Angel began to ask. “Do you believe I’d be hurt if you found someone you could love more than me? Someone who I felt could give you the life you deserve?”

Buffy’s red-rimmed eyes overflowed with tears streaming down her delicate face, and her heart clenched in her chest as she looked up at him. She struggled to keep her voice steady as she responded, “I can’t love him more than I love you.”

Angel’s expression softened, but his eyes betrayed his uncertainty. “You know what I mean,” Angel softly said. Buffy remained quiet as she felt the answer in her heart. After some time, he gently insisted, “It’s a simple question, Buffy. Are you in love with him? Yes or no?”

The question hung in the air between them, heavy with unspoken fears and doubts. Buffy took a deep breath, feeling the weight of Angel’s gaze upon her. She closed her eyes, searching her heart for the answer—for the truth.

—X—

The last head was relentless, snapping its jaws and lashing its long neck at him like a battering ram. Xander dodged its fierce attacks as his eyes darted around the room for anything he could use as a weapon. He knew enough geometry and setting traps to capture the elusive dragon in a guillotine-style snare.

It avoided Dreadnought when Xander threw his battleaxe. It avoided Hellguard as well, and just as it was about to strike the weaponless teen, Xander lifted a long piece of the table his friends often sat at, and drove it like a lance into the dragon’s open maw. With the demon lord distracted, Xander dashed forward, summoning his dagger and jamming Hellguard at the base of its neck. He electrocuted the demon with all the power he could muster.

As it flung its head back, Xander called Dreadnought to his grip, and in its distraction, the teen warrior jumped high before bringing the razor-sharp blade down, cleanly cutting straight through the last dragon head. Fearing the loss of his dagger, he quickly summoned Hellguard to him as blinding bright light began emanating from the portal. The limp necks still attached to the rest of the body were dragged back into the dimension from whence it came, taking the searing heat with it.

The last minute before the end of the year-loop instantly became unbearably cold. Other than his short gasps of irregular breaths, not a sound could be heard in the stillness of the destroyed library.

Despite his magical assistance, Xander could now feel the agony he’d been holding back in battle. His body was suffering from catastrophic failures; battered and bruised, broken bones, damaged organs, heavy bleeding, and swelling all over his feverish body. The floor was flooded with thick demon blood, and he struggled to move through it. With each step, he felt like he was dragging his broken body through molasses, and could feel himself losing consciousness.

However, he limped to the small staircase and fell onto the stairs, feeling some measure of relief as the hard steps felt as comfortable as a bed. He turned to look up at the ceiling, smiling weakly despite the pain that wracked his body. He knew that even if the next ceiling he saw was that of his dirty room, he would be back here again.

—B—

Angel stood across from Buffy, his expression pained as he searched her tear-filled eyes for an answer. “Rather than being kind, just be honest with me, as you always have,” Angel begged, his voice scratchy. “Are… you… in love… with him?”

Buffy’s tear-filled eyes looked deeply into Angel’s, the weight of his question heavy on her heart. She took a deep breath and her lips trembled before she answered.

—X—

Xander lay still on the stairs, his chest heaving with the strenuous effort of breathing. His face was contorted in pain, and sweat beaded on his forehead. His clothes were singed and stained with dirt, blood, and sweat from the tremendous battle. His heart thumped painfully and irregularly in his chest, and he wondered if he was going to die. However, as he lay there, he felt the magic from his arsenal work its way through his body, knitting together his broken bones, keeping the swelling in his brain down, and his organs from shutting down, but there were many injuries.

Despite the agony he felt, Xander couldn’t care too much. After all, he was seconds away from the end of the year-loop. He only cared to think about his friends—his family. Oz, Kendra, Jenny, Giles, Cordelia, Willow, Buffy, and Faith—especially Faith. He recalled all the fun times and closed his eyes, along with the mental chapter of the most amazing loop.