Found

The volume of the men’s chanting increased, and the glowing of Travers sword became so bright, that the human eye pained to look at it. The Hellmouth was buckling beneath Deidra, and it’s edges crinkled releasing hot steam. It was beginning to open. Deidra felt so helpless. There was nothing she could do but just lie there!

All of a sudden, the chanting stopped. Travers reached down with his sword, and sliced open Deidra’s right forearm. Her blood drenched the Hellmouth. Travers coated the tip of his sword in her blood, and raised it straight into the air, with the tip extended up above his head. In a loud voice he chanted out another unintelligible phrase in some strange foreign language. The ground shook, and the air crackled. Lightning began to strike, and the tunnel’s ceiling swirled into a tornado. The sky above was ripping open. The dimensions were beginning to bleed.

When Travers had taken his sword to Deidra, Magna moved. He threw himself towards Travers, only to be held up by several Watchers. He was much stronger and more skilled in fighting than them, but they slowed him down. He fought and kicked and punched his way towards Deidra, but couldn’t reach her in time.

Giles too had reacted in the same manner, but without any weapons, he was powerless against so many. His brain screamed out for Buffy. Where was she?

Suddenly she was there. The Watchers went flying, and Giles was free. There was no time for thanks however. The tornado that had ripped their dimension was growing bigger and bigger.

“Do something!” Magna screamed.

Giles searched his Slayer’s face. She knew what he was thinking, and she shook her head vigorously from side to side. “No.” She sobbed, tears streaming down her face now. “You can’t. I won’t let you!” She hung on to his arm with all her strength.

“You heard the prophecy, Buffy. It’s the only way!”

The sound was deafening now in the tunnel. Deidra was barely visible lying on the seal, with Travers standing above her with the sword still outstretched in his arm.

Spike could barely make out what Buffy and Giles were saying, but he could see that Buffy was distraught. “What are you two talking about?” he demanded. “What is the only way?”

They either chose to ignore Spike, or didn’t hear him. Buffy continued to sob and would not let go of Giles. She fully hugged him to her now. He hugged back, but kept his focus on the opening dimensions. It he was going to act, it would have to be soon. Or there would be no saving any of them.

Spike turned to Willow who stood beside him. “What is going on?”

Willow didn’t take her eyes off of her two friends clinging to each other on the edge of the Hellmouth, but she did answer. “The prophecy this morning said that the Watcher had to jump into the dimensions to close them, like Buffy did with Glory.”

“What?” screamed Spike. “Exactly what did it say?”

“I just told you what it said!” Tears were coursing down Willow’s face now too, and she noticed Giles tearing himself away from Buffy. He had whispered something to her, and she had clenched him to her breast fiercely, but was now slowly releasing Giles, and sagging to the floor.

“Tell me exactly what it said, woman!” Spike raged at the Wicca.

“It said, ‘death was the Slayer’s gift’ and how the ‘Watcher will now do the same.’ Buffy’s death was her gift before, so Giles must be the one to die this time.”

Spike swore. Then he paused. “Wait.” He turned to Willow, and she could tell he had some kind of revelation. “What, Spike? What is it?”

Spike ignored her, and turned to Allison. He looked her deeply in the eyes. She saw the resolve on his face, and softly touched his cheek with her gentle fingers. He smiled at her, and then turned his full gaze on Travers. He put on his full vamp face, and ran pell-mell through all the Watchers that were also gaping at the maw. He leaped onto Travers, and together they flew up into the air, and were sucked into the abyss. Thunder clapped once, and then the skies were still.

“What just happened!” Screamed Willow.

Allison looked at them all. “Travers was a Watcher. Deidra’s blood opened the dimension, and her father’s blood closed it.”

“Just as Dawn’s blood opened Glory’s portal, and my blood closed it.” Buffy turned to Giles, relief on her face. He held on to her with all his might.

“Where did they go?” Asked Xander. “Are they dead? I mean, Spike of course was already a walking dead man and all but….where are they?”

No one answered, because no one knew.

“Hey guys.” Interrupted Oz. “We still have the problem of an opened Hellmouth here.”

Oz was right. The Hellmouth was indeed on the verge of being wide open. Deidra still was sprawled on the ground. In all the commotion, the remaining Watchers ran down the tunnel, but Magna still held one fiercely in his grip. It was the young looking chap that had shot Spike earlier in the dungeon. “Give me the antidote for Deidra, NOW!” he screamed in his vamp face. The man blanched, and pulled a vial out of his pocket. He thrust it at the vampire. Magna shoved the man away, took the vial, and knelt down before Deidra. She just looked up at him, not able to do anything else in that moment. He gently held her head, opened her mouth, and helped her to swallow the liquid in the vial.

It burned her throat on it’s way down, but immediately she could feel the needles of her nerves stinging her appendages. Magna pulled her up into his arms, and carried her over next to Buffy and Giles.

Deidra licked her lips, and looked up at her old friend. “Rupert.” She hoarsely whispered. “You have to close the Hellmouth.”

He knelt down next to her. “How? How do I do it?”

She searched his face, and she knew the answer to give him. “It’s your destiny, Rupert. It’s in the prophecy, ‘Bond with your Slayer’. Close the Hellmouth forever. You know what to do.” Deidra couldn’t speak anymore. She just hoped she had told them enough.

Giles stood up, and looked at the Hellmouth. It wasn’t any worse, now that Deidra was removed from it, and the Watchers were not activating it. But it was still not all the way closed. Anything could leech out at any moment if they didn’t do something.

“What is my destiny?” He asked the sky. Then he knew. He turned to Buffy. “You, Buffy. You have always been my destiny. You were my life before we ever met. And you are in my heart, always. We have grown together until now we are more than just a partnership against the evil. We are one against it.”

Tears were flowing down his face as well as hers now. “Trust me?” he asked her.

“With everything in me.” She answered. He smiled at her, and then lead her to the seal. Holding both her hands in his, they stood in the center of the Hellmouth. He hugged her close, and nuzzled her neck, planting soft kisses up her throat, until their mouths joined and melted into one.

The gang all stood mesmerized by the spectacle, speechless and shocked. Then they all held hands, and formed a semi circle around the Watcher and Slayer, including Magna and Deidra, whom he held close to his chest.

As their kiss deepened, the Hellmouth began to glow again, and the ground to shake. Giles and Buffy were oblivious to everything and everyone however. Then Giles broke the kiss, and bent down and picked up a sharp stone lying beside the seal. He took the stone and slashed his palm with it, drawing blood. He looked at Buffy, and she held out her hand. He grimaced as he sliced her palm as well. They clenched their hands together, and their blood mingled as one. It splattered onto the seal of the Hellmouth. The ground shook violently, bringing everyone to their knees except for Buffy and Giles. They held each other up, standing strong in their bondage.

A loud BOOM filled the air, and then there was silence. The Hellmouth dissolved, and then beneath Buffy and Giles’ feet was only sand. The Hellmouth was closed. The Hellmouth was gone.


TBC