He shook his head and some of the fog lifted.
He staggered outside but lost his footing and fell onto the ground, hand hitting something soft and familiar.
He lifted it up to his nose and sniffed.
“…Why the bloody hell has Angel been wearing my coat?” asked Spike, a bit worse for wear but feeling himself recover more and more each passing second.
He shook the coat and put his arms into the sleeves, jumping on the spot to wake himself up more.
He took in his surroundings. The house which had sheltered him from the blazing sunlight after the fight with the shadow demon had a few burn marks on the side closest to the road. As far as he knew, the demon hadn’t been able to breathe fire so the others had had to fight yet another spawn of Hell after or even during the fight with the shadow demon.
He was a little hurt by the possibility Buffy hadn’t come looking for him, but suspected that she’d have been too busy to worry about him.
He was a little terrified by the thought that it was entirely likely Buffy and the others had all been killed by the legions of the First but again, reasoned that they were too tough for that. She was too tough for that.
He wandered to where an enormous scorch mark spread across the entire street.
“Well, looks like I missed out on some top quality fun,” muttered the vampire. “And I suppose you were the fella dishin’ out the party treats.” He turned around to see a tall robed man in the street behind him.
“Finally, a nice human lookin’ Bad for me to brawl with,” smirked Spike. “But unfortunately for you, you happen to be standing across the way from the Big Bad, and that means for you -”
He didn’t finish the sentence as he felt a hand grip his shoulder and launch him across the road, sending him tumbling across the concrete. Before he had a chance to get up the figure was there, lifting Spike to his feet.
“Silence, hybrid.”
For possibly the first time in his lifespan Spike did what he was told and didn’t fight back. Later on he wondered if it was some kind of mind control at work.
“You are separated from your group, and this pleases me. You have saved me an immense amount of work and in return, I will not harm you in any way unless you attempt any action contrary to the instructions I am about to issue you.”
Spike had felt joy and relief flood into his heart as he read between the lines and discovered that at least some of the Scoobies were still alive – increasing the possibility that Buffy was alive substantially.
“I am sure you are eager to return to your Slayer, however this would be contrary to the aforementioned instructions. You are not to seek out the Slayer under any circumstances. If she seeks you out then you are to evade her attempts. If contact of any kind is established between you two then I will be most displeased and force you to watch her being dismembered slowly over the course of several days.
“I am keeping you alive for a reason, and I see no reason to keep this information from you. You are aware of the coming Apocalypse?”
Spike wanted to give a smart arse comment, but found himself nodding.
“In a prophecy predicting the events of this Apocalypse a being of power – being more than human but possessing a soul – must bear a mythical object of power and make a stand against evil or accelerate its flow into the world. You are such a being. Angelus is another, as am I. The Slayer, though possessing great strength, remains fundamentally human and so cannot bear this object. For centuries it was believed Angelus would be the one to make the decision, however recently it was discovered that another entity similar to, though not identical to Angelus had appeared in this dimension. You, William, are not meant to be. Fate guided Angelus to that Gypsy camp; however the decision to reinstate your soul was an entirely selfish decision.”
Spike’s voice found some volume at last. “Selfish?” he asked with no small amount of indignation. “I got it back for her!”
“Yes. Exactly. You did not seek out your soul for redemption or through remorse; you did it for yourself – no matter how much you attempt to fool yourself, you sought out your soul so the Slayer would return your love. Ultimately, your quest ended in your own desires. Angelus has been redeeming himself for a century, and everything you have done since obtaining your soul has been for the sole purpose of acquiring the love and respect of the Vampire Slayer.”
“So?” asked the vampire, still indignant.
“So, this creates an opportunity for me in that Angelus has been committed to the way of good for many years. You, on the other hand, are the wild card of this scenario. There is a great darkness in your soul yet you ally yourself with the Slayer. You are the embodiment of the greatest paradox known to exist – to find the balance between good and evil. You flirt with evil but somehow manage to remain fundamentally true to yourself and to your love.”
“Buffy.”
“Angelus, given the choice, would be torn between the decision of his own selfish gain and the annihilation of the world, whereas you would not. If the decision were presented to you to save the life of the Slayer or secure this dimension against evil forever, which would you choose?”
Spike glared at the Erus Veneficus, knowing that the wizard knew full well what he’d do in that scenario.
“As I suspected. Hence the reason for my ultimatum. Keep away from the Slayer, and I will ensure her survival, at least until the Apocalypse comes. Until then, you are forbidden contact of any kind with her, on pain of death – her death. Do we understand each other?”
“Well, I understand you…”
“Excellent. I will check on you intermittently however be aware that I will know if you contact the Slayer.”
He vanished.
Spike kicked a small stone down the road, hearing it clink several times before coming to a stop.
“What the bloody hell do you WANT from me!?” he roared all of a sudden. “I bloody well GET the sodding soul, then all I get is bloody HASSLE from EVERYONE! Give a bloody lad, a bloody BREAK!”
“Well now, somebody’s having frustration issues.”
Spike whirled, ready to tear something apart, but all he could see was a glowing ball of white light.
“And what might this be?” he asked, weary.
“You don’t remember me?”
He thought for a moment. “Oh. Cordelia. So, you’re a giant ball of white light now, eh. Well, whoopdy-doo, what the bloody hell do you want?”
“That’s no way to treat an old…” the voice faltered. “Well, anyway, I just wanted you to know, if it makes you feel any better, he only did that cause I whipped his ass in a fight just now, and he probably needed to vent on a lesser being.”
“Yeah, great boost to the ego there…” he muttered, sitting down on the sidewalk.
“But, everything he said was true. You’re the wild card, Spanky; it might all come down to you. Then again, it might all come down to Angel, or our good friend the Erus Veneficus might decide to just do it himself, but you never know.”
“The who?”
“Oh, he was that big scary magic guy just now.”
“Right.”
“Seriously, Spike, you have to prepare for the possibility that you’ll be the one deciding the fate of the world.” She paused. “As unlikely and, frankly, frightening that thought is.”
“Yeah, yeah, join the queue. Just cause I don’t mope in an alley somewhere for a century doesn’t mean I don’t have a soul.”
“Oh, you have a soul. I can see it as clearly as you can see daylight. Okay, bad example, but I can see it. It’s there. It’s you that people can’t get.”
“Why, cause I don’t act like Angel?”
“Basically.”
“Great…”
“No, think about it. You go all insane for a few weeks then you’re basically back to normal again.”
“How do you…?”
“Higher being.”
“Oh.”
“It’s the back to normal thing people can’t get used to. You never used to kill humans anyway cause of the chip. Then, you smack Buffy around a bit and then leave town, next time anyone sees you you’re all insane in the school basement, right next to a fissure leading into Hell.”
“But…”
“Then you start acting all weird then go back to the way you were before.”
“That’s cause -”
“I know, Buffy needed you at your Big Bad best, but you’ve all managed to do squat, in my humble opinion.”
“Hey -”
“Well you haven’t, I rustle up all kinds of reinforcements or whatever and all you manage is to get your asses kicked by a giant shadow and just piss off the First and the Erus Veneficus! And it wouldn’t bother me but that’s all you’ve managed to do! Piss them off! You don’t want to see a being of supreme power pissed off, believe me!”
“Well what else are we supposed to do,” retorted Spike, rising to his feet. “Tiptoe around and let the First walk all over us? Let it raise some flunkies and take over the planet? And look who’s talkin’, Miss ‘I’m a big ball of bloody light’! How in the hell is that useful to anyone?”
“I’ll have you know I’ve been very busy these past few hours, setting things into motion you have absolutely no -”
“- No comprehension of, yeah, I’ve heard this tune before love. How about you get all floaty and the like elsewhere – I’ve got to figure out what the bloody hell’s goin’ on, then I’ll give a moments pondering as to how to survive this whole war zone Sunnyhell’s suddenly become then maybe you can come back to me when I’m a little less preoccupied, eh?”
“Look! Just shut up a minute, will you? This hasn’t sunk in for you, has it? You can’t go back to Buffy or the Erus Veneficus will kill her. Do you get it? Kill her! Horribly, slowly and painfully! As long as you stay away from her you’re safe and she’s safe, and she’s only safe cause he wants you to toe the line!”
“Yeah, fine, whatever. I’ve got to…I dunno, do something.”
“Ugh! Okay, okay. I’m calm. Look, just try to stay out of trouble, right? And whatever you do, don’t go looking for Buffy.”
She vanished.
Spike stood there for a moment, staring into the space where Cordelia had just occupied.
“Right.”
He stood for a few moments more and then started laughing uncontrollably, having to sit down in his previous position on the sidewalk.
“Oh, this is just…this is beyond words, that’s what this whole situation is…”
He just sat there, laughing at the insanity of the world, for a long while.
**********
Cordelia did the disembodied version of a sigh.
“Look, I know it’s hard…God knows that I know. But that’s just the way of the world, it’s hard, and it’s unfair.”
Connor lay on the floor, staring at the ground. Memories previously inaccessible to him had flooded into his awareness and he remembered eighteen years of Hell, all at once.
“Connor…There isn’t anything I can say to you right now to make it better. I can only say that…that some very important people need you right now, and they won’t all make it unless you come with me right now.”
“…Why?”
“Because you’re the only one who can save them.”
“No…why…?
Cordy sighed again. “Like I said, life’s unfair. You earned this life, Connor, not having to worry about vampires, or demons, or fathers who aren’t alive but haunt you. But you don’t belong in this world Connor. You belong at your father’s side, fighting the darkness back with him.”
“What if I don’t want to? Do I get a say?”
“…No.”
“Then why are even bothering to justify yourself?”
“Because it wasn’t my decision to make.”
“What, it was destiny then?”
“Yeah. Fate played a part too. But, the fact remains that forty people re walking into a fight they haven’t prepared for in the slightest and someone very important is going to die unless you come with me now.”
“What, is it the President or something?”
“Don’t be silly. You know what a Slayer is don’t you? Well there’s two at the moment, you’ve met one before. One of them is going to die unless you walk with me. And the First will have one less enemy left to kill.”
“Well, seeing as I have no choice and all…”
Connor lifted himself groggily to his feet. “Well? Let’s go.”
“One more thing, Connor.” She sent a faint tendril of light towards the teenager. He blinked a couple of times, and seemed to stand taller.
“That’s gonna help you along. You’ll have to deal with your memories eventually but that’ll allow you to keep your happy memories and also make them more dominant in your mind, so you aren’t swamped by evil thoughts all at once.”
“…Okay then.”
“Oh, and just one more thing.”
“…What?”
“Uhm…you’re gonna need one last item before you go.”
Connor half smiled at the strangeness of it all. “Alright, then.”
**********
Spike sighed in relief, having just dropped off the unconscious figure of Dawn in the road for Faith and Gunn to find. He’d been keeping his distance from the pair, not talking to them, in case the Erus Veneficus heard him wherever he was laying low at the moment. He’d almost lost them, but mission accomplished – getting Dawn back into safe hands before she was eaten or otherwise disfigured horribly.
He started along the alley, intending to find the hole the Erus Veneficus was hiding in. What had disturbed him is the information Dawn had divulged while she was asleep.
The Erus Veneficus had the scythe.
The alley lit up in front of him.
“Not now.”
“Look, I know what you’re gonna do -”
“Look love, whatever you say isn’t gonna stop me from findin’ the Erus whatever and stoppin’ him from usin’ it to slaughter Buffy and the others.”
“Stop you? It’s the best idea you’ve had so far!”
“Oh. Thanks. I think.”
“Thing is, you’re not gonna be able to distract him from hacking into the scythe.”
“Oh, no?”
“No. For that, you need to make a stop on the way.”
“And presumably you’re goin’ to tell me where to find the Big Bad himself?”
“Yup.”
“Well then, you have my undivided attention.”
**********
He was sitting cross legged on the floor when Spike arrived. All he had to do was keep him talking for a few minutes.
Nothing happened at first, then Spike thought he should get the ball rolling.
“So, I finally found you, eh?”
“It matters not. You could not harm me if you tried.”
O-kay, thought the vampire. “I beg to differ, mate.”
“I care not about your ramblings. You have no influence over me.”
‘Influence?’ He thought. ‘What is this oversized poncey, dressing gown wearing toad going on about?”
“What about if I put my fist through your skull?”
“You would be dead before the thought crossed your mind.”
“I see…”
Spike was at a loss on how to proceed.
So he decided to ramble.
“I came here to make sure our little deal was still in action.”
“It is. At least, until the deal holds the same objectives I do.”
‘Objectives? He’s lost it!’ Spike thought, utterly lost by the exchange. Then it hit him.
The Erus Veneficus thought he was the First.
They were collaborating to some degree to do…something. He decided to try and find out if it was what he thought it was.
“The complete eradication of -”
“Enough. Leave me.”
Spike silently cursed, still clueless as to what the two evil’s deal was.
“Fair enough, mate.”
He turned around and walked out of the basement of the house, grinning. The plan had worked.
**********
‘Crap,’ thought Cordelia as she shielded the others from the Erus Veneficus’ probes. By rendering him incapable of hacking into the scythe through Spike he came straight to the only other person in the world who could do it.
Willow.
It had turned out bad. The best thing she could do was to keep him occupied while Buffy and the others ran as far and as fast as they could before the wizard inevitably caught up to them.
As predicted, the wizard tensed to snatch Willow, and as he let his guard down, Cordelia wrenched the scythe from his grasp.
That was reassuring. That he was stupid enough to actually bring the scythe with him spoke volumes concerning who had the brains and who had the brawn in their “odd couple” existence in this dimension. Unfortunately for Cordy, that meant he had the brawn.
She thought of every possible outcome, then decided on the course of action she thought best.
A fight to the death with the Erus Veneficus.
She smiled to herself as she prepared herself physically and mentally. Then she threw the gauntlet and the fight of her life began.
**********
“Bugger,” whispered Wesley as the Turok-Han closed in around them.
He saw a possible window of escape over the burned out wreckage – and presumably the charred corpse of Robin Wood – of the bus and over the fence of the school yard, but didn’t think he could make it over with the unconscious Gunn over his shoulder.
“Time for Plan B, then,” he muttered.
Gunn moaned and tried to lift himself up. “Plan B…?”
“Yeah, I just don’t know what it is yet,” said the Englishman.
The Turok-Han were slowly walking towards them.
“Well think quick, English…”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Only that’s never enough, is it Wes?”
He turned suddenly, surprised at the voice that had been absent for so long.
“What do you want with us?”
Lilah laughed. “Oh, I’m going to kill you. Well, they are, but I’m gonna have fun watching.” She sat down on the steps of the school bus and regarded Wesley.
He looked desperately at the slowly advancing super vampires.
“You know, I think this will sit well with the history of your life. One last failure.”
Wesley gave a despairing glance at Lilah then sat Gunn against the side of the bus. His head rolled to the side, groggily.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
“Nothin’ to be sorry about, Wes,” managed Gunn.
Wesley stood and turned to the Turok-Han, ready to go down with as much of a fight as he could humanly manage.
Suddenly a truck roared into the schoolyard, headlights blinding Wesley temporarily. Then without any warning a cascade of water ploughed into his chest and he flew backwards onto the concrete, the air forced out of his lungs, water streaming around him.
His eyes had grown accustomed to the glare of the headlights just in time for him to witness the fiery deaths of the Turok-Han.
“Holy water…?” he muttered, shocked.
The jet of water ceased but water still flowed slowly along the ground beneath him. He shook his head and water flicked the side of the bus from his hair.
The truck’s engine rumbled to a stop, and a figure climbed out.
“Fancy seein’ you here.”
“…Spike?” asked Wesley with incredulity.
“Yeah, the cavalry’s arrived.”
“How…?”
“We were in the neighbourhood, heard you were in a bit of a fix.”
“We?”
“Yeah, met some new friends on my travels.”
“How did you hear about this?”
“Like I said, we were in the area. You just got lucky we were here.”
“Oh, the fireball.” Wesley had temporarily forgotten about the explosion that had taken Robin’s life. “About that…Robin was in there.” He gestured to the blazing ruin of the school bus.
Spike glanced over, his face unreadable. “That’s a shame,” he said after a moment’s silence.
Wesley knew there had been some bad blood between the two men in the past and didn’t really want to press the issue with the vampire.
“We need to get out of here, before the First brings any more reinforcements.”
“Agreed. We need to take the bus back with us though.”
“Is that one rigged?”
“No, I started it up before, and it didn’t explode so I guess that’s a good sign.”
“Usually.”
Wesley lifted himself gingerly off the floor, drenched to the bone.
“I’d offer you a hand, mate, but…you know. Vampire.”
“How’d you fill a fire engine full of holy water?”
“That’d be my new acquaintance, Father Greg Duncan.”
“Pleased to meet you!” called a voice from the side of the truck.
Wesley shuffled over to where Gunn sat against the bus and helped him up. He was barely conscious and probably didn’t register anything that was going on around him.
“Father?”
“Yes, I’m a priest.”
“A tactically minded priest, mind. This was his idea.”
Wesley hoisted Gunn onto the bus and lay him on one of the seats. He walked back to the driver’s seat and twisted a few of the exposed wires from his previous attempts to start the bus and the engine roared to life.
“Do you have any more new weapons handy?” called Wesley.
“No, but I have a few ideas,” was the reply.
He heard Spike tell the priest to take the fire truck back to the Summers’ house, obviously the priest knew where it was because the truck had fired up and was ready to go almost immediately afterwards.
Spike sauntered over to the bus and met Wesley on the edge of the pool of holy water.
“Look mate…I’ve been encounterin’ your good friend the Erus Veneficus and he’s told me to stay put and away from Buffy or he’ll kill her.”
“I doubt he’d bother now. He has Willow and the scythe, he’ll be pooling his resources into breaking the pair.”
“Damn, a lot’s happened while I’ve been gone…”
“Yes, it has. I have to go get some things from Robin’s car, I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“I’ll start headin’ back to the house in the bus then. I mean, Robin’s not here to drive his car back now anymore, is he?”
“Oh…yes. I’ll take the car. Keep an eye on Gunn will you? He was caught in the blast and he’s injured pretty badly.”
“Sure.”
They parted ways and Wesley ran outside to the car.
Fortunately Robin had left it unlocked and ticking over. As he was about to climb in, something made him look up the street to see a shadow speeding towards him along the road.
He whirled around. “Spike! Get out of here!” he roared, before leaping into the car, jamming it into gear and pressing the accelerator to the ground.
He checked in the mirror for the shadow and felt a sinking feeling as he saw it gaining on them rapidly. Soon it would be upon them, and this time he got the feeling they were on their own.
**********
Spike is back! Hail to the Peroxide One! Nah, I jest, but R/R pls! Thanks!