Buffy shook her head, tears in her eyes. "I can't… I can't kill Dawnie."
Aiden gave her a strange look, his head tilted slightly to the side. "Of course not. She is innocent in all of this—why would there be any need to kill her?"
"The blood," Buffy said, swallowing hard. "He used Dawn's blood to open the portal. The only…" She stopped, her whole body shuddering. "The only way to close the portal is to stop… Stop the blood from flowing."
Understanding dawned on Aiden, and he placed his large hand on Buffy's shoulder, trying to calm her tremors. "Buffy, he used the amulet to open the portal. Dawn's blood is simply to augment the amulet's powers, to add to its strength. The power flow of the amulet must be stopped—not the flow of Dawn's blood."
Buffy let out a deep breath, feeling her strength returning as the feeling of helplessness was pushed back. "Okay then. How do we stop the amulet's power flow?"
Aiden's hand dropped back to his side. "That may pose a problem. If the amulet were to be destroyed now…"
"It could cause a backlash of epic proportions."
Aiden, Buffy, Spike, and Emma all froze, the strange voice startling them as they recognized it as none of their own. Suddenly, the world around them grew still as the figure of a woman bathed in white light appeared before them.
Buffy pointed to her. "Hey, it's you again! Slayer guardian lady."
The woman smiled. "Hello, again, Buffy. And hello to you as well, Aiden."
Buffy turned to Aiden and raised her eyebrow. "You know her?"
Aiden nodded. "She is of my people. A Guardian."
"So there's like a Guardian Club and you're both members?" Buffy asked, her nose crinkling.
"Of sorts. She was the one who told me in order to defeat Chalchicomehuel I'd need the Slayer."
"I said you'd need the strength of a Slayer," the female Guardian clarified. She turned, looking back at the frozen sight behind her. "I cannot hold this moment long, so I must be quick. The Powers have only allowed me enough time to tell you what you need to know in order to be victorious."
"So the powers can like, freeze time?" Buffy asked, peering behind her at the statue-like demons. "Why can't they just zap Chachi and save us the trouble?"
The Guardian shook her head. "If they could do that, then there would be no need for their Champions. You are all responsible for your own destines—the Powers can merely help you along. But I can tell you what must be done to restore the barrier between this world and the Higher Realms. The amulet cannot be destroyed, not here, not like this. As Aiden said, it would indeed cause a reaction strong enough to send ripples out into countless dimensions, breaking apart the very fabric of reality."
"Then how do we save the world this time?" Spike asked.
"A sacrifice can be made in place of the amulet's destruction. When power is taken, power must be given in order to right the balance again." The Guardian reached out and stroked Buffy's cheek. "That is how you were able to sacrifice yourself in order to save your sister before. Your power offered for hers."
"So power from a Slayer can be given in place of the power of the amulet?" Buffy asked.
"Yes," the Guardian replied.
"How would I do that?"
"It will be known when the time arrives. Good luck, to all of you."
Suddenly, the Guardian was gone, and the world around them started again. It had been a strange experience to say the least, but one they could think about more when the universe wasn't in immediate peril.
"We'll have to get through the guards before we can get to the big guy," Spike pointed out. "And then…" He trailed off. "I don't like what the shiny bird had to say. There's got to be some way to beat this thing without taking the energy of a Slayer."
"Spike, I have to do what I have to do to…"
"It's not going to be you, Buffy."
Spike and Buffy both turned towards Emma when she spoke. "What?"
"It's not going to be you, Buffy," Emma repeated "Look, while we're standing here debating this, that portal is getting bigger and Dawn's bleeding to death. There's no time. It needs a Slayer, well, I'm a Slayer. Let's do this."
"Emma, you're…" Buffy started.
"Buffy, you're pregnant. There's a child growing inside of you that needs you. And there's a whole lot of other people who need you, too. Me, well, maybe this is why I'm here, okay? If I can do this, give myself for the world, then maybe I actually meant something."
"Emma, you're not…" Buffy tried again, but Emma wouldn't let her finish.
"Cover me," she said quickly to the other three before she darted out from the stairwell, using her sword to fend off the guards that rushed towards her.
There was no more time for debate. Emma had made her move and the stage was set. Spike, Buffy, and Aiden rushed out after her, fighting off the guards as Emma moved in closer to Chalchicomehuel.
"Hey, lizard face!" Emma yelled over the roar of the opening portal, her sword raised. "How about a bit of a tussle? I could use a new pair of boots!"
Chalchicomehuel turned his head, hissing at Emma. "Who dares to address me now?"
"That would be me, Emma the Vampire Slayer." She grinned. "Or I guess tonight, Emma the Icky Lizard Demon Slayer. Either way, you're dead."
Chalchicomehuel shook, knowing he needed to remain in place in order to continue opening the portal. "Guards! Kill this insolent child!"
A guard rushed towards Emma, only to have Spike jump, tackling the demon to the ground. Emma moved in for Chalchicomehuel when another guard came forward, its sword piercing her side before she had a chance to strike.
Emma gasped, lurching forward as her hand went down and touched the wound. She pulled her hand back up, staring in shock at the blood now covering it.
"Emma!" Aiden yelled, cutting off the head of the demon he had been fighting before he ran to her, running his sword through the demon that had just stabbed Emma before it had a chance to make a second blow.
Emma blinked, then turned to Aiden. "I know now," she told him softly.
"Don't sacrifice yourself," Aiden said, grabbing her arm. "There's…there's got to be another way."
She shook her head. "No. This is what I have to do," he voice almost eerie in its calmness. Emma looked back down at the blood, a strange sort of understanding filling her.
Blood was life.
Blood was power.
She pulled away from Aiden and ran towards Chalchicomehuel, fierce determination in her eyes. As the portal grew even larger, Emma jumped on the back of the demon, wrenching the amulet from around his neck.
"No!" Chalchicomehuel yelled, turning to face Emma. He reached for the amulet, but before he could, Emma wrapped her blood-covered hand around it
She screamed, pain ripping through her as her body bucked uncontrollably. Chalchicomehuel tried to grab for her, but couldn't, as a bright light burst forth, a deafening roar covering the Slayer's screams until the portal closed and Emma slumped to the ground, still.
Chalchicomehuel's yellow eyes were wild, his forked tongue flickering as he bellowed in outrage. He came forward, his claws raised to strike Emma's body when Aiden leapt, a cry of anguish sounding from him as he knocked the demon down.
They struggled, Aiden's sword clattering to the ground as Chalchicomehuel wrested it from his grip. Aiden fought with blind anger, the image of Emma as she was now foremost in his mind.
Suddenly, Chalchicomeheul grew still, and Aiden looked up to see Spike standing over him, his sword driven through the demon's head. "Sorry if I took away your vengeance or anything, but you looked like you needed a hand."
Aiden met Spike's eyes, giving the other man a small nod before he stood and retrieved his weapon, bringing to down to cut off Chalchicomehuel's head.
Suddenly, the guards turned to dust, blowing away in a strong gust of wind. Buffy staggered backwards as the demon she'd been fighting disappeared, a look of surprise on her face.
The roof was quiet and still, a strange sort of peace with all that had just transpired.
Buffy ran to Dawn, breaking the girl's chains and gathering her in her arms. She shook her lightly, trying to bring her back to consciousness. "Dawnie? Dawnie, talk to me please."
Dawn blinked, her eyes opening slowly. "B…Buffy?"
Buffy gathered Dawn against her, hugging her sister tightly. "Oh thank god, you're all right."
"My sides hurt," Dawn said, wincing in pain.
Spike hurried over to them, taking Dawn from Buffy and cradling her in his arms. "These cuts are shallow," he said, looking her over. "They're like…" He stopped, swallowing hard. "I've cleaned up marks like this on her before."
Buffy nodded, knowing when he meant. That time, she hadn't survived the battle. This time…
She turned, looking over to where Aiden knelt on the ground, Emma gathered in his arms.
This time, it was another Slayer who had fallen.
Buffy moved over to Aiden and lowered herself down beside him. "I'm…I'm sorry this had to happen. She…" Buffy stopped, her eyes filling with tears. "She would've been an amazing Slayer."
"She's still alive."
Buffy blinked, Aiden's declaration taking her completely by surprise. "She is?"
"Yes. She is…very weak, but her pulse is still there."
Spike stepped forward, Dawn still cradled against his chest. "I can hear it. Aiden's right, it's weak, but she's alive."
Aiden ran his hand across Emma's forehead. "She's lost a lot of blood and her life force is waning. But…" He smiled softly. "She's holding on. She doesn't seem to want to let go."
"Stubborn. She's a Slayer all right," Spike commented.
"Can we save her?" Buffy asked, leaning in to push Emma's hair from her face.
"I don't know," Aiden admitted. "Her wound is deep and her energy is greatly depleted. She'll need rest." Supporting Emma with one hand, he reached into his pack and pulled out two blue strips. "Tend to Dawn's wounds with these. I will see to Emma."
Buffy took the strips and went back over to Dawn and Spike, placing the enchanted bandages over her sister's wounds as Spike continued to hold the younger Summers. Dawn winced a little when the blue pieces of material stretched to cover the cuts, but then she turned her head towards Spike's chest, drifting off to sleep in his arms.
Buffy stroked Dawn's hair for a moment before she turned back to Aiden. "What do we do now? Is this it? Did we save the world?"
Aiden looked up. "Yes, we did. Chalchicomehuel's plan was stopped, and he is no more. From here, there is nothing to do but return to the Temple and wait for them to heal."
"So now we walk all the way back across the desert and through those tunnels?" Buffy asked, her nose wrinkling in displeasure at the thought.
Aiden shook his head, then uncurled Emma's fingers, still wrapped around the amulet. "This can augment my powers enough to allow us to all return safely to the Temple within a matter of moments," he said.
"And it won't open up anymore of those portal things?" Spike asked. "Or possibly cause anyone to, um, burst into flames?"
"No," Aiden replied, shaking his head. "It won't."
"Then I'm all for it," Buffy said. "Another trek across this world is not very appealing right now."
"No, it isn't," Aiden agreed. He placed the amulet around his neck before chanting softly.
In a flash, they were all gone.
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