Rating: I'm thinking PG or PG-13 for this chapter but I'll make it PG-15 for the whole story for violence and a death. Just to stay on the safe side.
Setting: The setting is an alternate universe: All the Scoobies are in college (okay, all except for Xander), Spike does NOT have the burden of his chip (whoohoo!!), Tara doesn't exist (aww…) and Oz is already gone into the world to de-wolf himself. I must warn you that this is a fic with a character-death, so beware if you don't like those.
Disclaimer: As all of you know I own none of the characters of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" or "Angel: the Series". It is also common knowledge that I think that is NO FAIR! But hey, Joss & Co own them and so far they've refused my offer to take ove maybe one or two characters. *pouts* Have no fear, I will keep trying, until Joss gives in and Spike is MINE! Muahahahaha! But until then, I am going to use them for my own twisted ideas.
Dedication: to Joss & Co (yes I'm sucking up!) for inventing the said people, the people who invented Internet for making it possible for me to spread out the offspring of my twisted mind and Babette for reading this story and saying: "cool". For the people who beta-read this story for me: Cestruma, Loves_Bitch, Hannalee and Miss Binks. Thanks for giving me good, solid advice!
Please R&R!
***
"Are you sure I shouldn't walk you home?" Xander asked concerned.
"No thanks, Xan. You go have fun with Anya. You know she wants to be alone with you. She practically shoved me out the door. Besides, I have a stake and holy water and I know a few very effective protection spells, so I should be okay. It's not that far," Willow replied with a grin.
Xander smiled, then became serious again. "I know you can hold your own, but I really do think it would be better…"
"Xander! Are you still talking to Willow? Come inside now. We've waited long enough already. Tell her to go away," Anya's voice called.
Willow grinned. "Your lady calls. You'd better go see what she needs. I'll go now."
Xander looked apologetic. "Are you sure?"
The red-headed witch sighed. "Xander. Go inside. I'll be fine. See you tomorrow." She turned and started to walk. After three steps she turned around. "Thanks for the great evening."
"Anytime, Wills. See you tomorrow."
"Yeah."
***
As she walked down the street, she started to hum the theme of the movie she had just watched.
You gotta love Colin Firth. I totally dig that accent.
She paused in front of Sunnydale Park.
Shortcut through the park?
She could hear Buffy's warnings in her head. Willow was very tired and the shortcut looked tempting.
And it's not like I'm helpless.
So, through the park it was.
***
Willow looked around happily. It looked so peaceful at night. No noise, no screams of playing children. Only the sound of the wind through the trees and a few crickets. The moon shone in the big pond that was surrounded by grass and water plants. The water was perfectly still now that the wind had stopped, so it looked like there were two moons.
Suddenly, Willow halted abruptly.
What was that?
Her eyes spied around, observing her surroundings. Even though she couldn't perceive anything out of the ordinary, Willow felt uncomfortable. She took her stake out of her pocket and slowly started to walk towards the other end of the park, her eyes searching from left to right. She quickly turned when she heard a branch break behind her.
Nothing.
She let out the breath she unconsciously had been holding and was about to turn back when she felt something heavy on her shoulder. She looked, eyes wide in fear, and perceived three claw-like nails and a furry paw. She followed the dark brown fur with her eyes and looked at a huge bear-like body.
Note to self: If I ever get home, throw out all the teddy bears.
On top of the body, there was a bull-like head, a nose ring dangling from the slimey, wet nose. His eyes were like red fireballs, fearfully blazing.
Willow let out a loud scream, ripped the claw off her shoulder and started to run. Before she could reach the other side of the pond, however, she came to a sudden halt when she bumped into another one of the bear-bull creatures. She fell to the ground, but immediately scrambled to her feet again. She slowly stepped back, looking around to find away to escape. All around her she could see red eyes.
This is so not good. Xander, where are you when I need you?
One of the beasts seemed to snort a command to another one, because the next thing she knew, she was being knocked to the ground by the second beast. As Willow clutched her arm in pain, the beast that had knocked her down let out a scream and charged at her again. She could see his nose ring shimmer in the moonlight as it was rapidly approaching. As the beast lunged at her, she instinctively rolled away from it. The beast landed on the ground with a loud smack, but lashed out at her immediately.
***
He looked outside through a crack in the wall. The moon was shining bright. The sight of the silvery orb got boring very soon. As he turned back, he could feel his stomach growl.
Let's go grab a snack.
He put on his coat, flung the door open and stalked out.
He decided to go to the park. He didn't have any money, so buying food was out of the question. Maybe he'd get lucky, maybe someone had left him something in the park. As he strolled past the childrens farm, he picked up a sound. He could hear a girl scream.
What's going on there?
He decided to go check it out. This could be his chance to get dinner…
***
Willow screamed as his claws ripped away some of the flesh off her side. She cast a spell she had learned when Buffy had been severely injured in one of her many battles. She held her hand over the wound and whispered: "Injurius anesthaesiam." She could feel the pain leave her body immediately. The gash was still there, bleeding heavily, but at least she wasn't in pain anymore.
The leading beast decided he would have to battle Willow himself. As he roared in anger and agression, Willow knew she had to act quickly. Letting go of her side for one moment, she drew a circle around herself and shouted "Defendum interior!" The beast hit the ring with enormous force, but was thrown back by an invisible hand. Willow jumped up, grabbed the six stakes she had on her and threw them at the beasts at random.
If it doesn't kill them, at least it will slow them down. I hope.
Three stakes missed their targets completely. One hit a beast in the leg. It seemed to have no effect whatsoever. The beast didn't so much as cringe. The last two stakes were thrown with more precision and hit two of the beasts in the heart. They walked forward a few more steps, then suddenly fell to the ground. One fell down right in front of Willow, just outside the circle. The lights in his eyes seemed to have been put out.
Good to know. The heart is the weak spot.
Then a thought struck her.
"I killed a beast. Oh no, I killed them! And they were so cute, and… they reminded me of teddy bears…"
When on of the 'cute teddy bears' attacked and lunged at her with a loud predatory scream, she ducked. It bounced off the ring. She stood up and told herself: "Okay. No feeling bad for the beasts. They are bad and they are trying to kill me. No feeling bad for them. Just kill and survive."
Willow looked around to think of what to do. She couldn't leave the circle without being killed. But she also couldn't wait too long. She had no idea how long the spell would still work.
Besides, I need to get home to call Giles immediately. He's the only one I can tell about this. He has to know.
Behind the ring of beasts she saw a tree.
If I could only reach it. I could climb in it and make me more stakes. Oh wait… I'm no good at climbing trees. Damn! Why didn't anyone ever teach me how to climb a tree? Isn't that what dads are supposed to do? Why didn't my dad do that? Xander's dad taught him how to climb trees. Why didn't Xander ever tell me? Why…
She was about to give up and leave the circle to see how far she would get when she heard a male, somewhat familiar voice with an undeniably British accent say: "Oi there! Yes, I mean you pretty boy. Want to play with me now?"
Colin Firth?
Willow thought hopefully. She mentally shook herself. Not like he'd ever come to Sunnydale. He's more of an LA person, or New York or London or so. Yeah, that's it. London is definately the place for Colin Firth. So if this isn't Colin Firth, who is it?She tried to see who it was.
"Giles?"
Suddenly, she perceived a flash of light blond hair.
"Spike?!"
It can't be him, I must be dreaming. He's a vampire. A bad man. He wouldn't help me. He's a vampire, vampires bite, he's a biting, bad man.
"Red, get out of here! I'll take care of these puppies!"
Oh God, it is him. How can it be him? He is a vampire right? He was the last time I checked. Am I dreaming?
She pinched herself. Ow! Definately not dreaming.
She was about to get up and run when she heard her vampire rescuer scream in pain. Without thinking twice, she ran towards him. She quickly drew a circle around the both of them and yelled her protection spell again. Then she turned to Spike.
"Are you okay?"
He glared at her.
"Didn't I tell you to get the hell out of here?"
Willow could see his shirt was ripped on the right. Blood was pouring from the gash. She ignored his growl and said: "If we stab them in the heart they will die."
"Okay, but how are we going to stab them?"
"Didn't you bring your spikes?"
"I haven't used those in ages. I moved on. Stopped when Dru left me. She always liked those spikes. That's why I used them. Especially for her. They were just a part of me. A good part, I admit…"
"Spike!" Willow spat.
"What?" He woke up from his daydream.
"Those beasts."
"Oh, right." He looked around. "Be back in a sec." He ran out of the circle with vampiric speed, jumped and pulled himself up a tree.
"Red, catch!" He pulled branches off the tree, snapping the in parts the size of stakes and throwing them in the circle. Willow caught them and used them to kill the beasts one by one.
"Are they all dead?" Spike asked from up the tree.
Willow checked the eyes. "Yes, all gone."
Spike jumped out of the tree and walked up to Willow. He reached out to check her wound but his hand bounced back when he touched the circle.
"Can you get rid of that circle?"
Willow looked afraid. "I don't think I should. I don't want you to go all grrr on me."
"I only want to check on that wound, that's all."
After a moment's contemplation, Willow whispered "finite incantatum". She gasped as the pain started coming back. Her counter spell had taken away the effect of all the spells she had used before.
"You really need to get to a hospital, you've lost a lot of blood." Spike could feel his demon pressing forward, but repressed it with a silent growl. She risked her own life to save me. Couldn't bite her now. Besides… if she's here, the Slayer won't be far away. I'm not getting my ass staked tonight.
"I will go to Giles immediately," Willow responded in between two gasps. She turned around to walk to Giles's place, then turned back. She kissed Spike on the cheek. "Thanks for saving me. If there's anything I can do for you, just…"
This was too much for the demon inside Spike. As his face shifted, he held his hands to his face and said in a pained voice: "Get away from me." A low growl escaped his throat.
Willow took a step forward. "What did you say? Speak up, I didn't hear you."
Spike grabbed Willow. She could see his eyes shift from blue to yellow and back to blue again. "Get away from me," he snarled. "Hurt me and get away before I kill you."
Willow hit Spike in the chest, but he wouldn't let go. She struggled and struggled until she remembered what Xander had told her about giving pain to men. She pushed her knee up, hitting him right between the legs. As the vampire doubled over and cursed, she hit him in the neck with both hands. He fell to the ground, growling like mad. Willow didn't wait long enough to see his face shift back to his human visage, but ran to Giles's house immediately.
Spike crawled back to his feet and rubbed his groin. She didn't have to do that. He knew it wasn't true. She did have to do that, or I would have killed her. She has more spirit than I thought. Maybe the next time I see her, I should protect the crown jewels a little better.
He was halfway back to his crypt, when a thought came to his mind. What would Willow say about his rescuing her? Would she mention it at all? If she would, he'd be dust before the sun would rise. He decided to go to the Watcher's house and check out what the little witch had to say.
***
"This will hurt Willow."
Willow squeezed her eyes shut.
"Do it."
A cloth soaked in water and disinfectant was pressed against her waist. She hissed at the stabbing pain.
"I'm sorry Willow, but it has to be done."
"I know Giles, don't worry. I'm a big girl. I'll live."
"But those monsters who did that to you will not," a sharp voice behind Willow said.
Willow jerked her head to the sound.
"Oh, hi Buffy."
Buffy closed the door and shrugged off her coat.
"I came as soon as I got the call, Giles. What happened?"
"Willow got attacked in the park."
Willow avoided Buffy's reproachful eyes.
"I haven't asked anything else yet," Giles continued, "I wanted to wait till you were here."
"Okay, well, I'm here, so spit it out , Will." Buffy sat on the armrest of Giles's couch.
"Buffy," he gave her an annoyed look. She smiled apologetically and slid down till she was on the seat.
"Well, I had been watching a film with Xander and Anya. Xan said he'd take me home, but I said no because Anya had planned on… You know." She gave them a meaningful look. "Anyhow, I hadn't planned on going through the park, but I was really tired so I took the shortcut anyway. Near the pond, I got attacked by a bunch of beasts. They were big with brown fur, and they looked like bear-bull crossbreeds. They even had a nose ring. But what was really weird is that they had illuminated red eyes and they walked on two legs." She paused one moment to give Giles enough time to finish writing. "Well, they had me on the ground in no time, but I cast a safety spell on myself and then started throwing stakes at them. Stakes that hit them in the heart seemed to kill them, so that's what I did. And that's how I got away. Of course I feel very terrible about having to hurt things that reminded me of teddy bears." Buffy raised her eyebrows at that. "Well, you know, it felt like I was killing Mr. Bear, and that was a thing I never wanted. I like Mr. Bear! But anyhow, I escaped. Only, one of them gave me a good swipe with its claw, which is why my side looks the way it does now."
"How many of those beasts were there?" Giles asked.
"I saw about twelve."
"Okay. Giles, do you know what those beasts are? Demons?" Buffy inquired.
"They're not demons actually," Giles said. "They're called Bnor, and they live in the sewers of Sunnydale." He slowly paced around the room while explaining it all.
"Great place to live," Willow shuddered.
"Yes, well, I-I hadn't quite finished yet." Giles looked a bit irritated.
"Sorry," Willow mouthed. "Continue."
"The Bnor are actually a very peaceful species. They have a leader named Cherbr. He is the only Bnor who has magical powers. With those powers he provides for the Bnor."
"If they are so peaceful, why did they attack me?"
"Good question," Buffy agreed.
"Yes, I was just coming to that." Giles took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He took a white handkerchief out of his blazer's pocket and started to clean his glasses. As he sat down on the corner of his desk, he checked to see if they were clean and put them on again. He blinked a few times.
"Giles!" Buffy said sharply.
"Huh? What?" he asked absentmindedly.
"The Bnor."
"Oh, yes, of course." He started to walk around again. "To keep Cherbr young and powerful enough to look after them, the Bnor have to offer a young girl as a sacrifice to him. This takes place once every year. Cherbr drinks the girl's blood, and the Bnor are safe for another year."
"In that case, they must be on the prowl for someone else now."
"Yes, they most probably are."
" I know what to do." Buffy jumped up, put on her coat and walked to the door. With the doorknob in her hand she turned around. "Are you coming with me Wills? I'll walk you home on my way to the park."
"Okay, thanks." As Willow put on her coat, she walked towards Giles and smiled. "Thanks for taking care of me Giles. I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"
"Yes. Be careful with that wound and put on new bandages tomorrow, alright?"
"Yes, alright."
*****
So, she didn't tell. Okay, I'm safe then.
As soon as Buffy and Willow were out of sight, Spike got up from behind the bushes and wiped off his clothes. He stared after the Slayer and her friend. She could have told the Slayer about me. Glad she didn't. Should I thank the redhead for it? He immediately dismissed the thought as poofish and started to walk back to his crypt. When he saw a rose garden, he stopped to smell the roses. He walked into the garden and took a good look around. His eyes fell on a big silky red rose. A dewdrop on one of the petals sparkled like a diamond. Oh, what the heck. One rose won't hurt. He took the rose a few decimeters under the petals and pulled hard. "Ow! Bloody thorns!" He held his finger to his mouth and sucked the wound. With his other hand, he pulled again. The rose came loose immediately. Holding it carefully, making sure he didn't swing it around too much, he quickly took the shortest way to Willow's house.*****
"Thanks for taking me home, Buffy. I really didn't feel like walking home alone now."
"Just promise me you'll never walk through the park at night again," Buffy said as she pressed her friends' hand. "I really don't want you to get hurt."
"I promise," Willow said. She took her key out of her pocket. "I'd better go inside. Good luck with the demon hunting. Remember: a stake through the heart is what does the trick."
"Okay, thanks. Good night!" Buffy turned and walked away.
"Good night."
As Willow closed the door and switched on the light in the hall, she sighed. A note on the table announced that her mother had gone to the airport to get her father and wouldn't be back soon. I could really do with someone to talk to. But no one's home. As usual. She yawned and stretched. I guess I'd better get to bed. As she walked upstairs she remembered Spike. It's a good thing I didn't tell Buffy. If she would have known he was there, she would have killed him. She opened the door to her room and sneaked her hand around the corner to switch on the light. She looked in and gasped. Wow, what a beautiful rose. Who would give me something like that?
She stroked the velvety red petals of the rose when her eye fell on a small piece of her stationary. She took it and started to read.
"To Willow,
Sorry for using your stationary, but I didn't have any other paper. This is a thank you gift from me. It reminded me of you when I saw it. Velvety, red, fragile-looking, but with thorns.
Love,
Me."
She read the note three times, looking for clues as to who could have written it. She didn't recognise the handwriting and even though the words made sense to her, she had no idea who could have sent her a rose that beautiful. She took the rose and held it to her nose. "Thanks, whoever you are," she whispered.
Outside, a puff of smoke appeared out of the shadows.
"You're welcome, love."
It's a good thing her mother doesn't know who Red's friends are. Very nice of her to invite me in. And very convenient she had to leave home for the airport, too.
A cigarette was thrown on the ground. A black-booted foot stepped on it as Spike turned to walk to his crypt.