Chapter Summary: Dalton took care of Xander. Spike and the rest of the Scoobies are at the cemetery already. Buffy is on her way there. Everything is set up for Angelus' appearance, and everyone is quite nervous about it. Dru is locked in her bedroom at the mansion. It's time for the big fight between Angelus and the Scoobies. Only one group will walk away successful. Will it be the Scoobies or Angelus and his minions?

**WARNING: Major character death (even though it is a villain or two), lots of violence in this chapter (the title of the chapter should give that fact away), and language.**

Author's Note: One of the characters in this chapter will have an accent. I will be trying to show this by phonetically, or otherwise, spelling words out for their speech. So no, I don't need to correct typos. It is being done on purpose. Just an FYI.

Buffy practically skipped the entire way to the cemetery. She put all thoughts of Dalton and Xander out of her mind. She needed all of her concentration to be focused on her upcoming battle with Angelus.

Since Spike and Buffy renewed their claim right before they left Giles' house, both of them still heard the other one's thoughts. Spike felt Buffy draw nearer to the group. 'You all right, luv?' He was worried about Buffy's emotional state of mind after she made the decision concerning her former friend's life.

'Yep. Everything is according to plan.' Buffy's invisible body walked by several barely concealed vamps about fifteen feet from her "gravesite". 'Angelus isn't hiding his minions well. I just passed 4 vamps by the Tapper crypt.'

'He thinks the humans are too weak with grief to be a threat.' Spike paced in the crypt he was hidden in. 'Everything is in place here but you in the coffin.'

'I'm getting there now.' Buffy walked up behind her mom. She tapped her on the shoulder.

"Joyce, are you all right?" Giles rested his hand on Joyce Summers' arm. He knew this whole situation was still a shock to his Slayer's mother. He worried that the slightest thing would snap the woman's emotional stronghold into smithereens.

Joyce's heart raced. "I'm fine, Rupert. Cemeteries have always spooked me." She tried to cover up her reaction to Buffy by passing it off as nerves. It wouldn't bode well to alert Angelus to their plans. They'd come this far already. There was no turning back now.

Giles nodded in understanding. He felt the air stir when Buffy moved in front of Joyce. "I've never been very comfortable in them myself, despite my ... profession."

Buffy leaned as close to Joyce as possible. She whispered into her mother's ear at a level only Joyce would hear. "Walk over to the coffin. Stand in front of it. Then I need you to open the lid just enough for me to crawl in."

Joyce walked over to the coffin slowly. The site of it unnerved her, even though she knew her daughter was "alive". She carefully lifted the lid with only a small space for Buffy to sneak into it with.

Buffy squeezed her way into the tight space. She laid herself out in the bed of satin. She felt the extra stakes Giles left for her in the lower half of the coffin. She added her bag of stakes to the stash. "Angelus is here," Buffy whispered low. "When I appear, open the lid the rest of the way. Then have the priest begin."

"Body, reveal," Buffy uttered the phrase that made her body appear in the casket. The spell still masked any vampiric essence from anyone's senses.

Joyce outwardly shivered. "I hate this." She brought a handkerchief to her face to wipe away real tears. Her daughter truly looked dead as she lay there unmoving.

Buffy wanted to jump out of the coffin to comfort her mother, but she forced herself not to do that. She had to remain still. Any movement might tip off Angelus.

Angelus watched from a nearby tree. He delighted in the grief stricken faces of Buffy's family and friends. The pain they suffered laced the air, much to his delight. This was a delicious way to have his revenge on all of the Scoobies. Before sunrise this town would belong to him.

Joyce motioned for the priest to begin. She took her seat next to Giles. Giles clasped his hand with Joyce's to show his support. He promised himself that tonight he would protect this woman at all costs. She was new to everything supernatural, and her emotions would not keep her focused enough for a proper fight.

Buffy waited in her coffin for the right moment to strike. She needed to wait for Angelus to make the first move. She only hoped that he stuck with his method of taunting his prey before killing them.

Spike bounced on the balls of his feet, itching to be out there to kick some butt. He was ready for a fight. He'd been ready for weeks in that stupid wheelchair, waiting for the right opportunity to stick it to the poofter. Now he had even more reason to want the bastard dead. Everything was a matter of timing. Patience wasn't a strong point of his. He felt Buffy send him a calming sensation and patience to help him out.

The priest stood in front of Buffy's coffin. He not only wore a cross around his neck, but every piece of clothing and jewelry he had on consisted of multiple cross patterns. He'd lived in Sunnydale for a lot of years. A sunset graveside service was NOT a smart idea. "Friends and family, we are gathered here today to honor a vibrant young life who was taken long before her time."

As Buffy listened to the priest drone on and on, she mentally snickered. 'Hey Spike, he thinks I was taken long before my time. Think he has any idea just how much longer I'm going to live now?'

Buffy mentally rolled her eyes. She sent an image of her sticking her tongue out at her Sire.

'Careful pet. I am more than willing to put that tongue to good use.' Spike retorted.

The priest stiffened in front of the casket for a brief moment before he continued on with his eulogy. 'I need to get out of this town before it kills me.'

An ebony skinned woman silently passed through the entrance of the cemetery. She'd heard about the event through various indirect channels. Thankfully she'd already been on her way to Sunnydale after a very disturbing dream. She had a feeling she was going to be needed tonight.

Giles casually looked from one end of the guest area to the other. His main focus was forward on the priest, but he allowed his eyes to scan their surroundings.

The longer the priest droned on, with no sign of attack from Angelus, the more tense the Scoobies grew. Joyce knew Angelus was near. Buffy told her so. Why wasn't he attacking? She really hated that vampire.

Angelus jumped down from the tree limb he previously perched on. With an arrogant air about him, he slowly walked over to the open casket.

The various classmates and Joyce's co-workers assumed Angelus was a late attendee of the funeral. When the man turned to face the gathering in full vampiric visage many screamed.

"Come, Come ..." Angelus cupped his hands in come hither motions. "We are all here today because of Buffy. Don't be shy."

Angelus' minions quickly returned the few attendees who attempted to escape from their seats. Giles and Willow inched their hands lower on their seats towards the taped stakes underneath.

"Some of your faces I recognize." Angelus clapped his hands together. He aimed a broad grin at Giles. "Those of you that I don't know, I'm sorry you chose to come to this funeral because you are all going to die."

Various gasps and shrieks carried through the crowd. One woman fainted into her husband's arms.

Angelus turned back to face the casket. His minions had the whole group surrounded anyways. So, he wasn't worried about an attack from behind him. He leaned over the coffin. "My poor dear Buffy. So young," His voice seemed to soften the more he leaned into Buffy, but the timbre was laced with mocking disdain. "But thankfully you're finally dead, bitch."

"Don't count on it." Buffy head butted Angelus then flipped out of the coffin. "I've had a little reprieve. Heaven isn't ready for me yet."

"What?!" Angelus growled as chaos erupted behind him. Giles, Joyce and Willow flipped their chairs over. They ripped the stakes from underneath and attacked the minions surrounding them. "I killed you!"

"Not so much." Buffy circled and counter circled Angelus' position. "Didn't your mother ever tell you to be sure clean your plate completely. Never leave food behind." She growled, jumped at Angelus with a swinging kick, and she knocked him over to the ground.

Spike ran out of the crypt out of the sight of his Sire. "Reveal me." He didn't care if Angelus saw him or not. Besides the amulet still hid his essence from his Sire. He knew the Scoobies needed help with all of the minions. He barreled through a group of three vampires who attacked some of Buffy's classmates. He tackled another that had a hold of one of Joyce's co-workers.

Joyce forced a stake into the back of one vampire before it could reach one of Buffy's teachers. Her gut instincts took over while she raced to the casket. A cowering priest was pushed out of her way. She ripped the skirting from the casket, drew out a familiar looking axe, and twisted back around to the priest. "Their vampires for crying out loud. You have a cross, and now a stake," she handed him a stake, "Use them."

The priest made a cross with his fingers from his head to his chest followed by both shoulders. He sent up a prayer to heaven before he jumped into the fray of battle.

Dalton ran in from the side along with three other minions, who upon seeing Spike switched sides. The only reason they were fighting on Angelus' side was because they feared Spike was dead. Seeing their Master alive, they immediately returned to his service.

Spike howled in the delight of battle. He felt the thrill of the violence running through the borrowed blood in his veins. He fought to keep his game face at bay. That way he wouldn't scare the various humans he was trying to save. Two vampires dusted from separate stakes he'd slipped from the sleeves of his duster into their unbeating hearts. "About time you showed up, Dalton."

"Sorry, had a bit of trash to take care of." Dalton entered the fray at his Master's side. He looked briefly at Buffy who was fighting Angelus. "Is she all right?"

Spike craned his neck to see Angelus have his Childe pinned against the coffin with his hand on her throat. "Oh no you don't." He ripped the amulet off his neck and stuffed it into his pocket.

Angelus jumped back from Buffy. He held his head in pain as the emotions, essence and presence of Spike returned to him. "Hell!" He screamed with a growl.

The few moments of distraction gave Buffy the opportunity to gain ground again. She kicked Angelus away from her. "Thank you, Sire!" She rubbed the title into Angelus' mind.

Spike taunted Angelus while he dusted Angelus' minions. "Should have listened to Dru, Sire. She might be batty, but she knows what she's talking about at times."

"Reveal all." Buffy commanded the spell to completely end. She watched in delight at the contorted features on Angelus' face with the knowledge of just exactly what was before him.

"No ... No ... that's impossible." Angelus was furious. How dare they trick him this way? He was the head of the Aurelius Clan. They should be withering at his feet in obedience.

The wailing scream of a vampiress bounced off the walls of the mansion. She pulled her locks from her head when the presence of Spike was revealed to her mind once more. She scratched and kicked at the locked door.

The essence of Spike's Childe, no longer being hidden from her, forced her to the ground on her knees. "No ... Daddy ..." She knew that nothing she could do now would save her precious Daddy from dust. The pixies had been right, but he wouldn't listen to her. Now they would both die.

The ebony skinned woman jumped into the fray of battle. At first she had a hard time finding out just who was on what side. Her first trip to Sunnydale revealed to her that not all vampires should be considered evil. Some of the vampires seemed to be attacking the humans. Others seemed to be helping them. She staked a vampire through from the back that had Giles pinned to the ground.

Giles adjusted his askew glasses when the pressure of the vampire was removed from his chest. He looked up at the woman before him. "Kendra?"

"Hello, Wawtcherman." Kendra offered a hand to Giles. "Is dis a pryvat partay, or did I jost miss ma inveetation?"

Giles laughed. He was amazed at the growth in Kendra from the last time they saw her. She actually seemed to crack a joke. "We're glad to have you." He stood up again. "There's too much to catch you up on, but don't stake Spike or Buffy. Angel lost his soul. So feel free to stake him this time."

Kendra looked over at the small blond who fought with fierceness against Angelus. "I tink she wahnts dat playsure herself."

Giles nodded. "Quite, true." He was proud that the amount of minions against them had greatly dimished. He picked up the presence of Dalton's head bobbing over the pair of vampire's he was fighting. "That one in the glasses is on our side too. Anyone else, you'll have to use your judgment."

Kendra nodded. She accepted the extra stake Giles handed to her. She departed into the middle of a bunch of cornered humans. This was going to be fun. With a shrill Xena like howl, she dove through the humans at the vampires. "Tyme to meet Misstair Poynty, devils."

Joyce gasped for breath. She'd just managed to cut the head off one of her latest attackers. She leaned against Giles. "Who is that?"

"I'll explain later." Giles removed his glasses a moment to clean them. He ducked the punch from a nearby vampire. The vampire met with the flat head of the axe over his head. When the vampire fell to the ground unconscious, Giles staked him. "Nice work."

Giles joined her in laughter. Together they attacked another vampire to keep him from disturbing Buffy and Angelus' battle. "You're a natural, Joyce."

Spike retrieved several more stakes from inside the coffin. He tossed two of them through the air. Each hit their targets with unfailing accuracy. The vampires shouldn't have tried to sneak up on the Island Slayer anyways. "Face em fair and square, I always say."

Spike turned in time to bring a stake up protectively and curl to the ground. The dead vampire's dust covered his duster. He jumped up and brushed the vampire's remains from his treasured coat. "Pillock."

Buffy and Angelus' fight heightened in ferocity. Angelus was pissed, and he wanted to make sure to rid the Slayer from his life and once and for all. "Why are you even fighting if you are a vampire?" He backhanded her.

Buffy's head snapped back with the force of the blow. She loved taunting Angelus. She'd been waiting for this moment since the first minute she'd opened her eyes to the night. Even though Spike was her Sire, her only desire had been to kill Angelus not Spike. "Funny thing about us Slayer's," She quipped back. "We keep our souls."

Angelus sneered in disgust. "That's just wrong." He swiped his foot out to knock Buffy off balance. "You just can't do anything right, Spike. You have a bleeding heart Scooby for a Childe." He bellowed into the night air.

"Leave my Mate out of this, you bastard." Buffy elbowed Angelus in the gut followed by a high heeled boot heel into his foot. "He's more a Master than you will ever be." She raised her hand in the air. She brought it down hard to his chest.

"You'll never know what you're missing, Missy." Angelus pushed Buffy to the ground. He lay on top of her with the stake partially into his skin. "Besides, you can't kill the face of your lover."

Buffy pushed the stake into Angelus' chest a little harder. "Sorry, Peaches," She used one of Spike's nicknames for his Sire. "But I have a wonderful lover, and you aren't it. You were most disappointing." She forced the stake the rest of the way into Angelus' heart.

The shock on Angelus' face was the last thing she saw before a poof of heavy vampire dust covered her body. Buffy closed her eyes. She whimpered at the loss of her first love, but the pain she felt was for the loss of Angel and not Angelus. She realized that her first love had died the moment Angel lost his soul.

Spike ran across the gathering area to his Childe. He felt the pain that tore through her the moment his Sire died. He gathered her in his arms. He rocked her back and forth. He whispered soothing words of comfort and calm.

Buffy nodded against Spike's chest. "It needed to be done." She looked up into the loving blue eyes of her Sire and Mate. She saw the questions and doubts in his eyes. "I don't regret my decision. I never will, Mate."

The two of them kissed passionately while the fighting around them ceased. Those few minions loyal to Angelus froze at the death of their Master. It made them easy pickings to be sent to their final death in a flash of dust and wood. Family and friends gathered in different clusters to comfort each other after the night's trauma.

Kendra, Dalton, Willow, Giles, and Joyce gathered around Buffy and Spike. Giles wrapped an arm around Joyce's waist. He drew her in to rest her head on his shoulder.

Dalton sniffed Willow slowly. He picked up the scent of what might be a werewolf, but he also sensed an underlying power under the surface. 'This one would be fun to get to know.' She gave off an air of intelligence that intrigued him as well.

Kendra looked back and forth at everyone. Her dream had proven to be a Slayer dream, but she still needed a lot of things explained before any of this would make sense.

Spike and Buffy looked up at their gathered comrades. He stood up slowly. He directed orders to his loyal minions to return to the mansion without further bloodshed to await his orders. In a flurry of "Yes Master's" they left the cemetery.

Buffy hugged her mother and Giles tightly. Willow joined in the hug as well. Buffy finally noticed Kendra's presence. "Thank you, Kendra."

"Let's get back to my house." Joyce offered. "I think we could all use some rest and regrouping." She turned to Spike. "Something tells me that you'd be a hot chocolate man."

Spike's ears perked up. "Hot chocolate?" He didn't even try to maintain his Big Bad image. He had no idea on this woman figured out his chocolate love, but he loved her already. "Do you have any of those little marshmallows?"

Joyce laughed softly. With instructions to Buffy's classmates and Joyce's co-workers that everyone should go home, the Scoobies headed out of the cemetery towards the Summers' home.

Dru wailed and wailed at the mansion. Blood red tears fell from her face. Even though the pixies told her about Daddy's death, she felt the pain of his loss so deep that it tore at her very being. Even when Angelus was souled, she still felt him in the back of her mind. Now there was nothing left. Her daddy was gone.

When Angelus was souled, Dru always held out the hope that he would return to her. Now she had no such chance or hope. She refused to live any longer without him. She had nothing left to live for anyways. Her Spike was lost to her, and now Angelus was dead.

Drusilla stood up slowly from her spot on the floor. With determined steps she walked away from the door to the window. She threw open the heavy draperies that previously protected the entire room from being bathed in sunlight. The easterly facing window would be flooded with sunlight come the dawn.

Drusilla admired the twinkling of the stars above. They called out to her to join them. They told her it was time to come home. She sadly danced her way back to her bed. She gingerly cradled Miss Edith in her arms after she laid down.

Dru stared up at the blood red canopy top above her. Her mind was blank of thought except the resignation that it was time for her to go. The welcoming voices of her mother, father, and sisters called to her on the breeze. She closed her eyes to the memories of her human days. It was time to rest, and soon she would be with her family again.

"I didn't see Dru, Dalton." Spike turned to his "son". He was proud of how the vampire fought tonight. "Any idea on where she is?"

Buffy grumbled a bit to herself because of Spike's question. She knew where his love lay, but she couldn't stop herself from a little bit of jealousy rising over his concern for Drusilla's well being.

"I locked her up in her bedroom at the mansion, Sire." Dalton explained his earlier actions of the evening. "She refused to follow Master Angelus out for the ambush. He confined her to their quarters."

"He is not your Master anymore, Dalton." Buffy snapped. "I don't want to hear those two words together again."

"Easy there, pet. Old habits die hard." Spike squeezed their joined hands. "We know where his loyalties lay."

"It's all right, Mistress. I understand." Dalton leaned over, took Buffy's free hand in his, and kissed the back of it gently. "My true Mistress and Master are you and Master Spike. Forever more."

Giles watched the exchange with much interest. He had a feeling that he would learn a lot about vampiric families by watching these three from now on. There was an extra bond there that he was sure had been sealed with blood. Everything about vampires dealt in blood, at least from Spike's point of view.

The whole group continued walking through the streets of Sunnydale on their way to the Summers' residence. They were all happy that this night's battle was over. It was time to regroup and recuperate. They each spent the remainder of the journey lost in their own thoughts.

"Miss Summers?" A darkly dressed man in his early thirties stepped over from the Summers' porch swing to stand in front of the main door.

Spike stood in front of Buffy to block the way between the stranger and his Childe. "Who wants to know?"

The man pulled a cross from his pocket. He advanced on Spike's position. "Step away from her, vampire. She is Council property, and we aim to reclaim what is ours."

Spike hissed, but he refused to give up his position. Buffy tensed behind Spike. Her whimpers told her Sire that she had no intention of willingly leaving with any Council member.

"I don't think so, tweed boy." A strangely familiar bass voice called from the street. His footsteps hastened across the lawn. The dark haired boy stopped a few feet away from the group of Scoobies with an M-16 machine gun pointed at the Council representative. "Stand down, and I won't fill you full of holes. These bullets can more than kill a human with one. If you don't step away, I'll unload the whole clip on you."

Buffy and Willow blinked in surprise, the former being more surprised than the latter. "Xander?"

Spike growled. He had no idea why the Whelp was still alive, or why he was protecting them now after trying to kill them earlier. "Whelp!" He snarled.

Review Me Please!
Previous Chapter	Revenge Index	Next Chapter