Gabrielle
Part Two

Matthew had tried to sit up while this battle went on above him but he couldn't get his legs under him to stand up. As Michael sent April flying backwards, Gabrielle reached down and grabbed his shirt and lifted him easily and sent him sprawling into the pillows out of harms way.

She turned back to see Michael bleeding badly from his throat, the tissue blackened from what silver was left on the blade. If it had been freshly dipped he would not be standing but as it was he was bleeding but the silver was not burning as the acid it was. She had to make sure he didn't recover anymore than he already had so she rushed him with the knife in front of her and felt it hit home again as it sunk into his chest. She had rushed him with all the strength she had and the two of them went backwards onto the floor. He couldn't scream from the gaping wound to his neck but she knew she had hit deep.

Angel rushed to help Gabrielle hold Michael as she plunged the dirk into his chest again and again. They had to do as much damage as they could so he didn't have the strength to recover while they finished the job. Normally he was much stronger than both of the girls but his wounds we grave enough to allow them to overpower him. "Find me a bigger knife Angel, something strong!"

Angel ran to the kitchen, Gabrielle heard drawers being opened and their contents dumed. She came back with a meat cleaver and Gabrielle swiftly severed Michael's head. She threw his head away from his body and brought the cleaver down with a sickening crunch and opened his breastbone to retrieve his heart. With that done she knew he would never be brought back. She would see to it the pieces where disposed of separately so none of his followers could ever attempt to bring him back. She fell back onto the floor and allowed herself to cry for the first time since she had run away.

Angel went to Ben to tend to his wound. He was hurt badly, the silver had burned through to his organs. He was breathing but barely. She knew without Michael to lead him he was no longer a threat to either of them, but Gabrielle was not willing to nurse him till he was able to fend for himself again. "Angel if you wish to help him you can, I won't. He would gladly have helped place the coffin lid over me and I won't help him live so don't ask me. If he is able to walk I want him gone from here. He can leave by the elevator or he can leave the way he came in. I won't run anymore. If any of them come for me again I promise they will suffer the same fate." "He isn't walking anywhere Gabrielle. He won't leave here unless we carry him. If he recovers it will take months for his body to repair the damage the silver did. I can't do it but if you want to end him I will walk away."

"I need to take care of Matthew first then we will decide what to do with Ben. Gabrielle went to Matthew and checked to see how badly he had been hurt. She knew by the sound, he had broken bones when he hit the wall. She could only hope there were no internal injuries as well. "Matthew, try to answer me, where do you hurt?" She began at his legs feeling for breaks. She didn't like the sound of his breathing. She didn't dare sit him up until she felt for broken bones but his breathing was labored and she had to hurry. "Matthew, can you hear me? Try to open your eyes and talk to me. I need to know where you hurt." He finally opened his eyes and tried to focus on her. "It hurts to breath. I can hardly get a breath in" When he said that he started to cough and blood sprayed from his mouth. "Oh no!" She had to hurry. She ran her hands up his stomach and he groaned as she got to his ribcage. She closed her eyes and felt along each rib trying not to cause him anymore pain. She felt three broken on one side but only one break on the other side. A rib must have punctured his lung though and his lung was filling with blood. "Angel help me we have to get him sitting up." "Matthew try to listen to me, we need to take you to a hospital. Your have internal bleeding and I am not a doctor!" Angel helped get him sitting upright and he began to cough as soon as he sat up. Gabrielle knew by the blood they had to move quickly. " Matthew we need to get you to an emergency room." He struggled to stop coughing. "NO! No doctors. No." He fell into another coughing fit while Gabrielle tried to think what to do. "Angel we have to take him. He can't just die here! We can carry him and take him." "There is another way Gabrielle. We can give him our blood and it will help heal his wounds." "No! He doesn't know what's at stake! What if he ends up like April and he can't handle it. I can't help another friend die! I can't." " We can try to only give him enough o start him healing. We don't have to change him until he knows what the consequences are. We can't let him die Gabrielle." Matthew heard the discussion and tried to form words to tell her yes. Between bloody lips he whispered, 'yes.Gabrielle,yes.'