Part 11

Angel didn't like the fact that it was laughing at them; to him it meant that it had some trick up his sleeve… something to tear them apart or to wear them down. Since it had almost won last time…he wasn't going to kid himself, if it hadn't been for Buffy (with a little help from the PTB) he'd have been dust long ago, so he figured whatever it was going to do it was going to do to Emma. Angel stepped in front of his beloved putting himself in the firing line, if it was going to try and kill his lover; it wasn't going to have to get rid of him first.

Emma didn't like the fact that Angel felt the need to protect her from this thing, after all she was not only a slayer but a witch… a daughter of one of the charmed ones, she was much more powerful than he was. Also her senses were telling her that something was off, the first evil had, had years when she wasn't around to make a play for Angel… so why do it now when she was here to protect him… unless he wasn't what it wanted.

What if it wanted to turn a direct descendant of the charmed ones evil? No one had ever managed to do that… her mother and aunts had foiled that plot once themselves, she had to be wrong, but what if she wasn't? Before she could tell Angel what she thought, it spoke.

"Foolish vampire. Do you think that after your failure last time I would through all of this trouble to get to you?" Angel looked at Emma and grasped her hand even tighter; there was no way he was letting this thing get to her. She was too good and pure of heart to live through this evil's training in the dark arts, even if it cost him his very existence he would make sure she was safe.

"Ooh, I can't stand it. Why do Peaches and Fluffy get all the fun? Why can't I go pound something?" Spike whined. He hated being cooped up in the manor with all of these depressed white hats, he wanted… no he needed to be out there helping or even just out there pounding some demons face in. Spike didn't want to admit it but he was worried about them, after all Angel was his grand-sire and Emma… well, she was the reincarnation of the woman he had been in love with and stood absolutely no chance with.

"Then go" Giles told him, "Maybe we'll get lucky and someone will stake you and we'll finally get some peace and quiet."

Jenny lifted her head from Giles' shoulder and said, "We're worried too, Spike. However bitching about pounding things isn't going to help… all we can do is wait."

Cole looked out of the window and saw a whole bunch of the scourge's army on their lawn. He moved away from the window and said, "I think Spike has a point."

"Why because he's *evil*?" Prue asked sarcastically.

"No. Because there's a whole bunch of those scourge guys on the lawn" he replied terrified.

Everyone was shocked, but quickly got up and went for the weapons that they had earlier discarded. They stood waiting and after a few minutes Leo asked confused, "Why aren't they attacking?"

Phoebe looked out of the window, "They're just staring at the manor… like they're waiting for something."

"What could they be waiting for?" Piper asked.

"Give me the girl and you can reign beside her" the first evil told Angel. It was confident that Angel would rather have her evil, than not at all.

"Over my dead body" Angel replied.

Emma looked at Angel strangely and whispered, "You're already dead."

"It's just an expression," Angel hissed back.

The first evil grew impatient and threw some sort of bolt of electricity at Angel. "Give her up now or die trying to defend her… it's all the same to me, but she will be my tool and she will bring forth hell."

Angel let go of Emma's hand and said, "Not if I have anything to say about it."

"What is a mere vampire going to do? Nothing can kill me… I exist because they exist" it calmly told him.

"Actually I can do this" Angel said. Without warning he charged the first evil catching off guard for a moment, but only for a moment. All it did was laugh at Angel's infantile attempt to stop it. It simply threw off another bolt of electricity and this time caught Angel directly in the chest, causing him to fall to the floor.

"Now to get to my plan," it told Emma moving towards her.

"Well… what are we gonna do?" Xander asked panicked. He'd thought that all of the danger was over and that they were safe and sound.

"I don't know" Leo replied. He looked out at them and wondered why they were just standing around, they were an army and army's were supposed to attack and not stand around. Not unless they had orders to do just that. But he couldn't just sit and wait for them to come at them either; he stood up and addressed the room. "Look I know at the moment that we're all nice and safe here, but if they decide to attack we won't be and I say we take the fight to them. There's no shame in us fighting and getting our butts kicked, but there is in not fighting at all. I don't know about the rest of you but I'm going out fighting."

The others watched Leo walk out of the living room and head towards the door and surprisingly most followed, and then the rest left did. They had all decided that if they were going to die, they were going to take as many of them with them as possible. The group stood on the manor's front steps and surveyed the enemy, huddled in and listened to Leo and Spike's suggestions and moved into position, ready for the fight of their lives.

"Your plan? Does it involve a facial…because you need one, badly" Emma quipped. She really wanted to tear it limb from limb for what it had done to Angel, but she'd just seen him move and knew that he was okay. All she had to do was keep the first evil distracted long enough for Angel to get up and things would be okay. At least that's what she kept telling herself.

"Little girl you have no idea of the power you truly hold. You think that the power of the slayer and the power of manipulation are your greatest assets, but you are so much more and *soon* you will be my servant," it told her stepping forward.

Emma took a corresponding step backwards, "Great power… you have to be kidding. The ones I've got are all ready pains enough."

"Don't fight it… I always win."

"That is so not true" Emma objected, "Angel beat you."

"If I'd wanted him to win he would have… I wanted her to save him" it replied.

"Oh please, cut the crap. You lost and therefore you lied," Emma said. She knew it probably wasn't a good idea to torment the first evil, but it was all she could think of doing. Emma knew that brute force wasn't going to work against this thing, it was ageless and immortal… she needed a plan and she needed one quick before she became evil charmed one-slayer girl.

"It doesn't matter, you will be my servant" it insisted, "No one can save you now."

"Oh I don't know about that" Angel replied standing behind the first's form. "I think I can."

The Scoobies, charmed ones and assorted others stood there holding their ground and staring at their opponents, it all would've looked spectacular except for the fact Xander's legs were shaking and he looked like he was about to pass out.

"Ready?" Leo asked everyone, but was staring at Xander.

"Yes"-replied most of the voices.

Xander thought about it for an instant, "No, but I deal."

"Then let's do it" Leo said nodding his head, "ATTACK!"

The first evil whirled around in shock; it hadn't expected Angel to recover. "You… haven't you given up enough for this lousy mortal."

"It can never be too much when it comes to her" Angel replied as he moved into a fighting stance.

"Then you are as stupid as I thought and your mortal will become mine," the first evil told Angel confident that this mere vampire could not do anything to it.

With that comment Angel saw red, his anger bubbled within him and all he could think about was marching around town with its head stuck on a pole. He dodged its first attack and kicked in the side of its head, where it laughed as though it thought Angel was just one big joke. Angel on the other hand was deadly serious he was going to see that thing dead… or at least this form of its dead before it got anywhere near Emma. He was kicking and pounding on it with all his might and wasn't making a dent, even when Emma joined in the only thing they seemed to accomplish was tiring themselves out.

"Foolish" was all it said looking directly at them. "I must make an example of you… pity."

With a flash of light Angel was struck down and this time there would be no return since all that remained was a pile of dust. Emma couldn't believe her eyes; she didn't want to believe them. She knelt down beside what was once her lover… her soul mate and stared at his ashes. The first evil laughed and Emma's eyes shot up burning with anger and the first evil stopped laughing.

Leo dodged another sword that one of the army had swung at him and had a quick glance at the rest of his 'troops'. Piper, Prue and Phoebe were cornering three of the scourges newest demon recruits, Xander was dodging swords and making sarcastic remarks to them.

Anya seemed to be hiding behind a bush waiting to ambush one of them, Cole and Spike were working as a team taking down more than their fair share of the demons. Cordy, Wes, Jenny and Giles were working as a group and taking out a number of them.

He turned back in time to see another charge him, to which he simply orbed out of the way confusing the demon and allowing Leo to simply and swiftly dispose of it. As he faced another demon, one of an endlessly seeming supply he wondered how Emma and Angel were holding up.