Chapter Text
Changing Times
by Lucinda
"Willow needs to try the ritual, and one of us needs to be here to guard her," Buffy's words were mainly directed to Mr. Giles, the Watcher.
Kendra frowned, still uncertain why her sister Slayer was trying to restore the soul of the demon terrorizing her friends. It would be so much simpler to just kill him and be done with it. When the fact that the vampire with the angelic face now had a demon that could endanger the world if he was awakened, there was no question - he had to be stopped. "If you think this ritual is so very important, then you should stay and protect her for the casting."
"What do you mean?" Buffy blinked, as if she hadn't expected any questions. Maybe she hadn't, Willow seemed caught between hope that she could do the spell and a dreadful, silent fear of the things that could happen if they didn't stop Angelus.
She tried to keep her explanation simple. "You are more familiar with this library and the foes that might attack. Angelus is more familiar with how you fight. If I go, he will not know what to expect, and I might be better able to fight him."
"But Angel is my boyfriend," Buffy argued.
"If the spell fails, if she is attacked, could you strike him down? Could you look past the familiar face and do your duty to protect the world?" Kendra's questions were harsh, but the stakes were terrifying. If they failed, the world would be lost.
"I..." Buffy faltered. "I don't know."
"Then stay here, protect your friend. I will go and fight the demon. His face will not prevent me from fighting," Kendra argued. "If her spell does not work, we must still prevent Acathla from awakening."
Buffy considered, her eyes filled with worry. "I guess she's right."
Kendra nodded, resisting the urge to smile. Just because Buffy had agreed that she was a better choice to fight the vampire didn’t solve all their problems. Angelus still had a demon that could suck the world into what was listed as a place of great torment. Someone still needed to fight him and any of his minions, for the world’s future.
She picked up a nice axe, deciding the Mr. Pointy probably wouldn’t be quite enough against all of the minions. “Wish me luck.”
The mansion looked ominous, dark with broken windows and a yard overgrown with tall grass and weeds. She could feel the vampires, though there were only a few. Kendra felt guilty at her relief that they were probably out hunting. For a moment, she cherished the idea of kicking in the door and going in with a yell, but perhaps stealth might be more useful.
There was a battered dark car sitting in the driveway, and as she moved closer to the house, the door was kicked out. A blond vampire moved out, carrying a woman in a flowing dress. He snarled at her for a moment, and then stepped towards the car. She remembered seeing him at the old church, which meant that the woman was probably the vampire that had kidnapped Angel before he had become evil once again.
“You again,” the blond vampire growled. “Much as the challenge of a good fight gives me a warm feeling, this once, I’ll take a rain check. You go keep the bloody idiot from ending the world, and I’ll fight you some other time.”
“Why should I trust you?” Kendra held the axe ready, dreading the moment when the bond vampire would bellow out something to alert the whole house to her presence. “You are a vampire, a demon.”
“I went through this once with the other one. Fine, it’s like this – I like this world. There’s Manchester United, rock’n’roll, whiskey, and lots of people, running around like happy meals on legs. I don’t like you, I don’t like Slayers, but I don’t want to be sucked into hell.” He shifted his grip on the female vampire, and nodded towards the door. “You go stop him, and the world keeps going.”
As much as she disliked agreeing with anything a vampire said, he had a few points. Moving towards the door, she muttered, “I do not like him, and he should be killed. After I make sure the world will still be here.”
The sound of a car roaring away from the house gave Kendra the feeling that the blond vampire was smarter than most would give him credit for. He’d left, taking his lover with him. She just wished it didn’t feel so much like a rat deserting the sinking ship.
There were two minions, both easy to dispatch. Angelus was in a large room, an old sword in his hand as he looked at a large, ugly statue. Blinking, Kendra realized that the ugly statue was the demon Acathla, and the sword had been driven deep into the demon’s heart.
Angelus had removed the sword. Damn.
She had to defeat Angelus before the world was doomed. The only good news was that the portal had not yet opened. With luck, she would be able to figure out how to close it before it was too late. Something about the blood of the worthy…
He didn’t turn around. “I can feel you. It’s too late to stop me, lover.”
“I think you have me confused with someone else,” Kendra observed, slashing at him with the axe.
“What?” He spun around, blocking with the sword. “You… I don’t think you’re up to stopping me, Slayer.”
They fought, her axe and Slayer reflexes against his sword and vampire strength. If the stakes were not so high, she would have found the challenge he presented enjoyable. Angelus was a skilled opponent, and a part of her enjoyed the dance of fighting.
“I will not let you do this. I will not let the world perish while I can try to save it,” Kendra insisted.
“What makes you think you can stop me?” His voice was a challenge. “You have no friends, no allies, nobody to watch your back. You aren’t good enough to take me down, destined calling or not.”
Kendra’s eyes narrowed, and she kicked at him, hoping the distraction would give her an opening. Something about his words… He thought that she wasn’t good enough. Of course she was good enough; she was the Slayer. If the Powers hadn’t found her worthy, she wouldn’t have been Chosen. Worthy…
Kendra could feel the beginning of a plan forming. It was dangerous, filled with foolish risks and a desperate hope. It was crazy. Unfortunately, it was the best plan that she could think of. Subtly, she started to maneuver so that her back was to the statue of Acathla, despite the way it made her spine feel covered with ice water. She would only get one chance, and she had to be able to take advantage of it.
It was too bad about Buffy’s hopes for a restoration of Angel’s soul. The world’s safety had to come first.
Purposefully, she overextended one of her blows, leaving her defenses open. Silently, Kendra prayed that she was right, that she was worthy. With a gleeful smirk, Angelus stabbed at her stomach, his features shifting to the ridges and fangs of a vampire.
“No need to rush, Slayer,” Angelus taunted.
Kendra reached out, grabbing his wrist and pulling him closer, forcing the sword deeper into her stomach. The pain was sharp, radiating like waves, spreading to fill her body, and pulsing. “I want to get this over with.”
He didn’t see her other hand moving until the axe was almost at his neck. All he could do was turn sideways as his head was severed, blood spraying over Kendra, the sword, and the demon Acathla.
Kendra felt herself falling backwards, and she could see a ring of light surrounding her, walls of fire around a shrinking view of the room, a puff of dust in the air. Then, everything went dark.
End part 1.