Author's Notes:
By the way, this is a sequel to End of the Line and probably won't make a whole lotta sense if you haven't read it.
Also, to avoid confusion (and flames) this is set around mid 4th season. Spike does not love Buffy yet, and is still in the "skulk around in the shadows and only help when I'm paid" stage.
Dedicated to Pippa (Lil Miss Giggles) 'cause she rules.
Primary Objective
Darkness enveloped the lone figure. Standing motionless, the only source of light was the long gleaming blade in it's hand. The figure smiled.
The Hunt had begun.
* * *
3 weeks ago....
Douleur waited nervously. This is a bad idea. But there was no way to back out now. Fuelled by the anger of his brother's death, Douleur had searched the world for a legend. Funny what vengeance is capable of. The legend in question?
Gabriel Ropen, professional assassin.
Douleur knew the risk he was running by attempting to hire Ropen, but after his brother had been brutally impaled through the back he was damn well prepared for any consequences.
Suddenly, the bar door opened.
Every individual present; humans, demons, turned, sensing trouble. Some of them began to brace themselves for a fight.
But there was no-one there.
Breathing an unnecessary sigh of relief, Douleur turned back to his drink.
There stood an enormous, terrifying presence.
"Ropen..." Douleur trailed off as Ropen grabbed his throat and shoved him violently against the wall.
"Who here is Douleur." Ropen demanded in a deep, low voice.
Douleur knew a show of weakness on his part would result in a pile of dust on the floor.
"I'm Douleur." He managed to say, voice wavering.
"Why have you dared to contact me, puny vampire?"
Douleur swallowed, but pressed on.
"I need an assassin."
He dug into his pocket for a small photo. Glancing around the bar, he saw the remaining patrons blatantly ignoring the scene. Figures. In my place I'd do the same.
"What is the Target?" Ropen interrogated Douleur. Douleur held out the photograph, which Ropen snatched off him.
"He goes by the name of Spike. My Sire."
* * *
Present...
Ever since hiring Ropen, Douleur had been questioning whether it had been the right move. He had been around long enough to know not to trust Ropen. But he also knew that there was no way he could kill Spike himself, and Ropen was the most likely candidate for the job. Plus, Douleur mused, he has the best rates.
He was aware that it had in fact been The Slayer who had murdered his brother, but Douleur knew that if he sent an assassin after her, she'd more than likely end up killing it. Plus, she was just doing her sworn duty. It was Spike who Douleur truly shamed, turning on his own kind. Besides, there was a pretty easy way of telling whether or not Ropen had betrayed him.
He'd be burning in Hell.
* * *
"Spike!" Buffy Summers slammed open the door to Spike's crypt. Spike was lying there, asleep. Or so it would appear, thought Buffy, knowing fine well what a convincing actor Spike could be.
Maybe I should stop pretending, before she introduces my heart to that tree branch over there.
Spike almost smiled. With a groan, he made a show of 'waking up', stretching, then blinking in 'shock' after seeing Buffy."Slayer? What're you doin' here?"
"Spike. I want you to patrol with me tonight."
Spike considered this, then burst out laughing.
"You, the Slayer, want me, a vampire....your mortal enemy...to...oh, this is the best part, to...patrol with you?!" Buffy frowned.
"Uh...yeah? Why is that so hard to believe?"
Seeing that she was serious, Spike instantly stopped laughing.
"I think what I last said just about covers it."
Buffy moved further toward the vampire.
"Spike, vampire activity has been pretty high lately, and I don't want my friends at risk." Spike considered this.
"But since I'm not your friend, you don't really give much of a toss about putting my life at risk, right?"
"Bingo." At least she's honest.
Spike got up, and stood at the other side of the large stone casket he slept on. He was pretty sure he was going to agree to patrol with her, but that didn't mean he wouldn't get the fun of making Summers squirm a little. God, I love being evil.
"Say I do help you. What's in it for me?"
"I got a good deal for ya. How about: you help me, and you get to live. I don't understand what the big drama is, you helped me last month with Cage and Solarus."
"Lady knows how to bargain. And you do have a point, so, alright Slayer, much as it pains me, I'll help you."
"Good. I'd hate to get dust all over this....dusty crypt. God Spike, don't you clean?"
"Well yeah, sometimes I do get a brush...AHEM, anyway Slayer I know you won't stake me. You'd miss me too much." Spike flashed her a cocky grin.
"Spike, I would miss you as much as I would miss a really annoying nuisance in my life. Oh, wait! Wouldn't that mean... why yes! I wouldn't miss you *AT ALL*. Bye now."
And with that, she turned and flounced out the crypt.
* * *
Gabriel Ropen, professional assassin, travelled along the dimly lit street. After arriving in the town known as 'Sunnydale', he had identified the local places in which one could seek information. Ropen was now heading for his first destination of many, a bar for mixed species, called 'Willy's'. There he would find the location of his target, which would the lead to the target's annihilation. A simple strategy.
After a short and uneventful journey, he found the bar. He noted the positions of any possible exits.
Ropen entered the bar, drawing no attention to himself. He quickly located the bartender, but before approaching, made a mental note of the breed of each demon present, the positions of each in the room, and a calculation of the timing it would take for any of the demons inside to reach him. Satisfied with this, Ropen made his way over to the bartender. He noticed demons gazing at him in fear and awe, whereas some of the braver, dumber ones regarded him with pure contempt.
"Willy." Ropen said in a deep voice.
Willy looked scared, but mumbled, "Yeah...what'll it be?"
"I have no desire for any of your beverages, I merely seek information."
"They always do," Willy muttered. "I should turn this damn bar into a freakin' tourist centre." Ropen stared at him. Then, sensed a disturbance in the air, and instantly deduced he was being attacked.
Moving faster than the Willy could follow, Ropen spun round and grabbed the long spike that was being directed at the back of his head. A Polgara demon. This is gonna be nasty...Willy thought to himself, before hastily scrambling behind the bar to cover.
Ropen, still holding the spike, regarded it for a moment, puzzled. Then, without warning, broke it in half. He followed this with a headbutt to the demon, staggering it. Taking advantage of this, Ropen reached back and grabbed a long samurai sword strapped to his back. With one quick slice, he cleanly severed the demon in half through it's midsection. The top half fell messily to the floor. Ropen kicked the legs through a window.
Another demon ran at Ropen, hoping to use it's weight to knock him over. Ropen swiftly dropped the sword, and grabbed an automatic shotgun from a belt on his waist, blowing a large gaping hole in the demon's stomach. It's lifeless corpse stayed upright for a second, before dropping loudly. The sound echoed around the walls of the bar.
There was a brief silence.
...Before every single demon in the bar made a break for the door, all tumbling over each other in their efforts to escape. Ropen let them go. They were of no concern to him.
He calmly strode over to the bar, and grabbed Willy from his hiding place on the floor.
"P, please don't hurt me, I'm just an honest bartender trying to earn a living!" Willy stammered.
"Cease." Ropen commanded. Willy obeyed. "I wish to know the location of the vampire known as Spike."
"Spike?" Willy repeated hastily. "Why I, I never heard of the guy." Ropen had no time for this vermin's pathetic sense of loyalty.
"You have a total of 3 seconds to tell me the whereabouts of Spike, before I remove your head." This seemed to work.
"Wait I'll tell ya!" Willy cried. "Spike stays in the cemetery! Large crypt."
"Good. You have served your purpose." And with that, he flung Willy to the other side of the bar. Willy slid down the wall, unconscious.
Roughly 10 minutes after Ropen had left, a figure wearing a leather trenchcoat entered the bar. He had just been in the process of lighting himself a cigarette. Spike looked around the bar. He took in the carnage. The cigarette fell from his mouth.
"What the bloody 'ell..."
Chapter Two coming soon.