Bat Out of Hell

"So, I think we have everything. Let's get started." Buffy said as she stood up and closed the book. She glanced around at the others. "I think I understand everything. You guys are going to each stand in one of those symbols drawn on the floor. You can't step out of it the whole time because those are vortexs that are using your energy to open the mouth of hell."

"Very good." Giles smiled at her. "We can't step outside the circles the whole time because we won't be able too. These circles are indeed vortexs but they are also wards that protect our souls from any harm."

"In other words, blondie." Whistler nudged her. "YOU are in this alone. YOU have to make sure you don't flub it all up because it's all on your head."

"Yay..pressure! My God, Whistler person..could you put any more of a burdon on me." Buffy glanced at the symbol drawn on the floor in front of Acathla. HER spot. "Why does my drawing look funky?"

"You are not on a vortex. You will be able to move if something happens." Giles said."

"And is my soul still protected?" She glanced up at him.

"Yes." Giles scratched his head. "I can explain later but for now.."

"Places everyone!" Whistler clapped his hands together.

Buffy watched as everyone took their respective places. Each of her friends stood in small circles with squiggly designs through them on the floor. There were five of them and they were spaced to completely encircle Acathla. She was the sixth. She took her spot right in front of Acathla and breathed deep. The blood tear that had fallen earlier was smudged and dried to a deep brown. The eyes pierced through her. If this worked..if she got Angel back..would he still want her?

"Willow..begin." Giles handed Willow the book.

Willow glanced at Buffy and then gave a small thumbs up sign. "I call to the dark power. I sing to the being from within the hole. I summon thee..I will thee..let the opening begin and let the one we seek cometh..I summon thee from the first pathway..take my power..and open." She passed the book to Xander.

"I call to the dark power. I sing to the being from within the hole. I summon thee..I will thee..let the opening begin and let the one we seek cometh. I summon thee from the second pathway...take my power...and open." He glanced at the others and passed the book to Whistler who repated the same line and replaced the second pathway with the third.

The book made it's way around the outer circle and ended at Giles who summoned from the fifth pathway. Buffy kept her eye on him as he nodded at her. She took a deep breath and began to speak. "I call to the dark power. I sing to the being from within the hole. I summon thee. I will thee...from the sixth pathway..I command thee. I command thee to open and bring forth the son who is within these walls..I command thee to open and bring forth the son who is within these walls.." She saw a flash of light from behind her as Willow became illuminated from the floor up. Willow gasped and closed her eyes. The same thing began to happen to each of the outer five. Buffy remembered that she had to keep talking. "I command thee oh Acathla..I command the to take from me my own blood and use me as a vessel. I command the, Acathla..I deem it so." She had the chain wrapped around her hand and could feel Angel's ring on the end of it. She reached forward with that hand and grasped the sword. "I command thee Acathla..accept my blood and open. I command thee." She groaned out as the sword sliced through her flesh and her eyes widened as her blood begin to drip and smoke on the cold stone of the statue.

In a whirlwind of sound and color the demon's mouth begin to open and spew forth the yellow light that Buffy remembered so well. She kept saying the chant over and over word for word until her mind clouded and her voice intermingled with another's voice. From somewhere within the haze of her mind..Buffy registered that Druscilla had come to stand beside her and was saying the same chant..That wasn't planned, Buffy thought. She could do nothing. Her hand was frozen to the sword and her mouth kept repeating the words even though her mind was screaming at her to stop Druscilla.

Whistler looked scared. He glanced at Giles. "This ain't good." he yelled. "She's gonna try to get out Angelus! And she can!"

"How?" Giles shouted.

"Cause Angelus gave her that same ring and she is wearing it. She can reach into the hellmouth and summon Angelus."

"We must stop this!" Giles tried to step from the circle but his feet would not move.

Buffy's chanting became more frantic and the sword released and clammored to the floor. Buffy's hand shot through Acathla's open mouth. Beside her, Druscilla slammed her own hand into the mouth. Buffy was gripped. Tugged hard by something on the inside and her shoulder slammed into the rock. She kept chanting but cried out in pain. She could feel cold hands ripping at her flesh and she sought to find the hand that counted. She would know his touch. She wanted to push Druscilla away but her other hand was lifeless. She reached further into the mouth of hell and felt someone or something lift the ring and chain from her hand. She felt something brush across her flesh and she knew. It was Angel. She had him. She grabbed hold and tugged with all her might.

She screamed out from the fear and the overwhelming impact that his hand in hers was having. She could feel herself begin to cry and willed herslf to regain her composure. Dear God.. her mind screamed a silent prayer. help me. Help me get him out. She pulled as hard as she could, groaning out as the pain from her shoulder moved into her back. It was so hard not to lose her grip. She took a small step backwards and placed her foot on the statue. She saw something. She saw HIM. He was coming through the light slowly. She could just make out the shadow of him but he was there. She felt Angel grip her arm with both of his hands and she pulled with every ounce of her small frame.

She fell back when he came out. Both of them toppled to the ground with her on top of him. My dream! she remembered the dream and she remembered the fact that he had landed on top of her and run away. He had his eyes closed and wasn't moving at all. "Angel!" she cried.

"Buffy!" Giles shouted. "Get it closed."

Buffy abandoned Angel and grabbed the sword again. "I command thee to close, Acathla. My blood did open and so my blood shall close." She ran her hand along the sword's tip again and moved to close it with her fresh blood. She was a few feet away when some unseen force pushed her away. Spike raced past and grabbed hold of Drusilla and yanked her. Buffy heard Willow scream and then she too joined in as she looked at what Druscilla had pulled from the mouth of hell.

It was a demon alright. But it looked so much like Angel in some ways. It's face had no apparent flesh but it had a human form. It was Angel only it wasn't Angel. Angel was in the floor in a crumpled heap. "Angelus?" Buffy whispered. She had the sword in her hand and looked at Giles for guidance. "What do I do?"

"Dear God." Giles didn't have the heart to say it but he had to. "If you kill the demon..Angel dies. It's the demon that gives him immortality. But the demon is weakest in this state."

"WHAT DO I DO!?" Buffy screamed.

"You have to close the hellmouth!" Whistler screamed. His hair blew all about as the hellmouth grew wider and wider, shooting out hot bursts of air.

"You have to send Angelus back to hell!!" Giles shouted over the whirring noise.

Buffy pounced on Angelus and the demon screamed a deep, guttural scream. She could almost feel the mansion shake as the echos of that devilish wail bounced off the walls. She had it around the neck, holding on tight. It threw her over it's shoulder and she landed in a heap. The hellmouth loomed behind Buffy and Angelus bent down to sneer in her face. It peeled the bloody skin back from it's teeth and grinned..only inches from her face..."If I go back..I will take you with me." he smiled.

Druscilla was fighting with Spike. She raked her long nails across his face and he yelped out in pain. "Damn you, Dru. Stop it!" he shouted and shook her. She continued to fight him. Screaming about her Angel and their life together. Spike reached for the urn that sat atop a small mantle. He let Dru go and brought the heavy urn down to smack her across the head. It connected and she turned to him.

"Spike..." she whimpered. "Owwwwwww." She collapsed to the floor..unconscious.

Angelus had Buffy. He had her by the throat and raised her high above his head. His grip tightened and he relished the look of fear as her eyes bulged. She began to kick and struggle but he never felt it at all. She remembered the cross necklace she had on and slammed it into his hand. He hissed and dropped her to the floor. She struggled to sit up, well aware that the hellmouth was now HUGE. She was just to her feet when Angelus attacked her and they spiraled back into the hellmouth. Buffy gasped at her first glimpse of hell.

"OH MY GOD!" Willow screamed. She tried to move off the vortex but couldn't budge. They were pinned. Paralyzed and helpless as the hellmouth swallowed Buffy and Angelus. "Giles!!!"

Giles was speechless. He had nothing to say...or anything he could do. He didn't tear his eyes away from the place where Buffy had vanished.

Spike looked at the spot that Buffy had just stood in. She was gone. "Watcher!" he shouted. Giles looked at him. "What is going to happen?"

"Well..the hellmouth will eventually envelop the world." Giles looked at the faces of all of Buffy's friends. His friends too. "We'll all die."

"No we bloody won't." Spike charged forward and jumped into the mouth of hell. He jumped in to find the Slayer he loathed...and respected. He jumped in to find Buffy and bring her out. He saw her cowering under Angelus's grip. Spike grabbed him and tossed him into hands that were jutting through the walls of the tunnel they were in. The hands gripped him and held him there. Angelus roared in a rage. Spike looked at Buffy who was in a daze and scooped her into his arms. He took a running go and jumped back through the hellmouth. They landed in a heap with him on top of her. She glanced up at him and he jumped away..like her flesh was Holy Water.

"Spike..." she whispered but he had grabbed Druscilla and was gone.

"Close it, Buffy!" Xander shouted.

Buffy stood up, weakened and bruised. Her clothes were limp rags that hung in tatters and her head was bleeding from a gash she had gotten when Angelus knocked her into hell. She dragged the sword back to Acathla and with every bit of the strength she had left...she plunged the sword back into the stone and then slumped forward to the ground. On her knees..she watched as Acathla's mouth shut. She began to cry.

"Buffy?" Angel had awaken sometime during the whole thing and was struggling to stand up.

Xander stepped out of the circle and offered Angel his hand. "Let me help you." he said.

Angel looked up at him and grabbed his hand. He was shaky on his feet but managed to stand. He looked at Buffy who was on her knees in front of Acathla. She was hurt. He called her name again but she didn't respond or indicate that she had heard him. Whistler was on one side of him and Xander was on the other..helping him. Memories raced at Angel..they flooded him. He remembered making love to Buffy but then there was a void and then she was stabbing him. Then he remembered being tormented in hell. He remembered it with a clarity that was unbelievable. Buffy had sent him to hell. It had felt like a decade in there.

Buffy came back to her senses and she felt Giles' hand on her back. "Buffy..come one."

She stood up and looked around. Her gaze found Angel's and she held it. She could see the questions in his eyes and the accusations. "Angel..I..." She took a step towards him and cried doubled in pain.

Angel looked at her. He was angry. He didn't mean to be but he was SO angry. She had told him that she loved him and then stabbed him. How could she do that to him? Whistler urged Angel toward the door mumbling something about resting but Angel stopped him. "No." he said to Whistler. "Buffy, I have to know." he said.

"Angel," Buffy was clutching her side. "I'm sorry. I..I...never meant for you to go through this. I just..."

Giles cleared his throat and said to the others, "Perhaps we should wait outside..yes?" He led the way as they all filed out. Leaving Buffy and Angel alone.