Time For Something Heroic
Authors:
Hilary and ShoshannaNotes:
This is a sequel to our fic Better Than No Love.Summary:
While visiting a mysterious old castle, the gang gets into trouble...tearing our couples apart. Can they conquer their fears and find their way back to one another?Rating:
PG-13The sun had just slipped behind the horizon, as the large rented van pulled up in front of the old 17th century castle. The car doors opened and everyone began to pile out.
"I still think you should have let me drive. We nearly careened over that cliff back there." Giles said to Xander as he straightened his clothes from the long drive.
"We did not. I was just trying to get used to driving on the wrong side of the road. I got a little mixed up." Xander explained sheepishly.
"Yes, well, I'm driving us back to London." Giles informed him.
"Good plan. Dude, I was so freaked back there I think I saw my life flash before my eyes." Andrew said nervously.
"I bet that was a pathetic sight." Warren snickered under his breath.
"Shut up. Maybe it was so pathetic cause I saw your life pass in front of my eyes?" Andrew shot back.
Willow and Buffy groaned loudly.
"Both of you shut up. We've had to listen to your bickering for the last three hours." Buffy said exasperated with them.
"Well, it's just that--." Warren started, then he looked at Willow.
She gave Warren a look that told him he better not cause any trouble. He sighed and decided to hold his tongue. Sometimes it was annoying how her resolve face could get him to do anything. He grabbed their bags and put his arm around Willow's shoulder.
Everyone else followed suit. Xander turned to Andrew and gave him a curious look.
"Was my driving really that bad?" He asked softly.
"A little." He admitted. "But that's okay. It was more exciting that way." He assured him.
"What can I say? I like to make every day an adventure." Xander grinned.
Andrew took Xander's hand and they started walking.
"You promised I'd see lots of freaky stuff and you weren't kidding." Andrew admitted. "I never thought I'd say this, but this is way cooler than trying to be a villain."
Xander laughed and shook his head.
"I still can't believe you guys thought you could take on Buffy."
"Yeah, it was kinda lame. But it was all Warren's idea." Andrew clarified, not wanting his lover to be upset with him.
"I know. But you're still my little super villain." Xander teased him, as he put his arm around him.
Everyone walked up to the enormous doors of the castle. Outside, there was a creepy looking little man waiting for them.
"Good evening." He said as they approached.
Everyone muttered a greeting, and began to feel a little uneasy with the strange man.
"I trust your journey was pleasant?" He asked.
"Yes, well, we made it in one piece." Giles said with a small smile.
"Excellent. Everything that you need is already inside. You are the only guests here this weekend. If you need any assistance, please don't hesitate to come and get me. I'll be staying in the servants house over there." The man informed them, as he pointed to a small cottage way off in the distance.
"Um, do you guys have like cable or anything?" Andrew asked.
"I'm sorry sir, there is no electricity."
"I thought this was supposed to be vacation? Not torture." Andrew muttered.
Everyone ignored his complaints as the man opened the heavy doors for them.
"Have a lovely time." He said with a slightly sinister grin, as they all shuffled inside.
Before they could say anything else, he was gone. The doors slammed shut with a resounding clang.
"Okay, that guy was way creepy." Buffy shook her head uncomfortably.
"Well, then we should feel right at home, luv." Spike smirked.
She grinned at him as everyone began to marvel at the decor of the castle. Everything was lit by torches and large candelabras.
"This place is amazing. I stayed in castle once." Anya remarked.
"You did?" Willow asked curiously.
Anya nodded.
"Yes. One time I was summoned to curse a king for cheating on his wife with her sister. They cut his head off." She said plainly.
"For cheating?" Willow wondered.
"No, for treason. But I kinda set that whole thing up." Anya smiled happily.
"How proud you must be, darling." Giles said dripping with sarcasm.
Anya just beamed, not realizing he was being facetious.
"I think we should all get to our rooms, don't you think?" Spike said anxiously. He wanted to get Buffy alone before he burst.
"Good plan." Warren nodded, equally as anxious.
They all grabbed their bags and headed up the ancient staircase. Everyone picked a room and headed inside. Willow walked into their room and dropped her bags at her feet.
"Wow. Look at that bed." She said with amazement.
The bed was adorned with golden cherubs and had a large white canopy. There was a mountain of pillows, which she had to dive into. She giggled as she sunk into the plush feathers.
"I could totally get used to living like this." She said dreamily.
"Well, someday when I invent something amazing, we can live in a castle. Just like this." He said as he jumped onto the bed with her.
She rolled over to look at him.
"Only can we have electricity? Cause I'll need to charge my laptop somewhere." She told him with a joking smile.
"Anything you want." He assured her as he kissed her lips softly.
Meanwhile, Buffy and Spike were already getting hot and heavy on the floor of their room. The last few months they had been together, had been amazing. Neither one of them ever expected things to be as good as they were. But once Buffy had finally realized her feelings, and stopped running from them, life improved dramatically. For both of them. Buffy had finally found a true partner. Someone that she didn't need to change for. He loved her exactly the way she was. And she found herself loving him the same way.
"Don't you think we should at least attempt to make it to the bed this time?" Buffy asked breathlessly between their fiery kisses.
"Next time..." He whispered as he began undoing the buttons of her blouse.
She squeezed her eyes shut and smiled at the feel of his lips across her skin. She was in a castle with the man she loved. It felt like a fairytale to her. She hadn't been thrilled with Giles' suggestion of visiting a castle for a vacation, but now that she was here, she was glad. It was like a romance novel fantasy.
"I feel like a princess being here." She sighed happily.
"You are a princess. My princess." He assured her, as he silenced her with a kiss.
* * *
Giles and Anya looked around their quarters. He was in awe of the history surrounding the castle, which was why had chosen it as a place to go on holiday.
"Would you look at the detail on this statue?" Giles remarked as he gently ran his hand over the marble piece of art.
"Yeah, it's great. But the bed is even better." She said suggestively draping herself across it.
He glanced over at her quickly, and then focused his attention back on the statue. Completely oblivious to what she had in mind.
"It's remarkable that everything is still intact just as it was hundreds of years ago." He said to himself.
"Are you going to spend the whole trip rubbing your hands over a naked statue?" She asked impatient with him.
He removed his hand and blushed slightly. He looked over at Anya who was still draped across the bed. He smiled.
"Because if you want to marvel at something naked, then you should come over here." She told him seductively.
Giles may have been excited by history, but he was no fool. He was still a man. He went over to the bed and swept Anya into his arms. He kissed her passionately.
"See? Isn't this more interesting?" She asked.
"It's fascinating." He agreed as he kissed her again, forgetting all about the statue.
* * *
"This is so cool!" Andrew exclaimed in awe as he and Xander explored the armoury. Dozens of suits of armour lined the wall, each of them carrying a different weapon and coat of arms.
Xander nodded, being reminded of the stories he used to read about King Arthur. When he was a kid he used to play knights with Willow, making her pretend to be the princess that he had to rescue from the fire-breathing dragon. Maybe he and Andrew could play a game like that, although he wasn't sure if Andrew would want to play a princess.
"I bet they're heavy." Andrew said, examining one of the ones that stood on the floor and trying to imagine what it must have been like to have to try and walk around in metal suits, never mind fight in them.
He reached out to touch it, just to see how heavy it was, but before his hand had even made contact with the armour, the hand began to move. For a second Andrew thought he was imagining it and looked over at Xander to see him studying one of the other suits with his back to him. He looked back at the armour and saw the hand reaching for its sword.
"Xander." Andrew called, moving slowly back as the empty suit raised its sword. The fear became too much for Andrew and his body shut down, leaving him frozen and staring with wide eyes as the sword swung down at him.
The next thing he knew he was lying on the floor with Xander on top of him, having tackled him away from the suit of armour which was now slowly making its way towards them with its sword raised. Xander was the first to react, jumping to his feet and pulling Andrew with him. They quickly ran out of the room and down the corridor to their room, locking the door behind them.
Xander heaved a sigh of relief and turned to Andrew. "That was a close one."
Andrew merely whimpered and sank to the floor, shivering as the shock of what happened finally hit him. He'd nearly been killed.
"Oh God." He whispered, wrapping his arms around his knees and rocking back and forth. "Oh God, Oh, God, Oh God."
Xander was at his side in an instant, pulling Andrew into his arms and stroking his back gently as he shook.
"Shh. It's ok, you're safe now. I've got you. Shh."
Finally Andrew stilled and he looked up at Xander with tear filled eyes. "You saved me."
Xander smiled and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. "I always will."
Yet again Andrew was filled with awe at how lucky he was to have someone like Xander in his life.
"Come on." Xander said, helping Andrew to his feet. "We need to go and tell Buffy what just happened.
***
Buffy and Spike were lying on the floor of their room, tangled in the bedspread they had torn off the bed. He was kissing her shoulder as he gently stroked her hair.
"Hmm...That was fun." She said with a satisfied grin. "Wanna try for the bed now?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Already? You're gonna kill me Slayer." He teased her.
"You're already dead."
"True. Might as well have another go then." He kissed her hungrily.
Just then, there was a relentless pounding on their door.
"Bloody hell..." Spike muttered. "Go away!" He yelled at whomever was daring to intrude.
"Buffy! Open up! It's an emergency!" Xander shouted through the heavy door.
She sighed and pulled the bedspread around her tightly.
"Come in." She called out, as she tried to make herself presentable.
Xander and Andrew rushed through the door and slammed it behind them. They were out of breath and Andrew looked like he'd seen a ghost.
"What's wrong?" Buffy asked, as she shifted slightly, inadvertently exposing part of Spike's nude form.
Andrew looked over at them.
"We were just attacked and--." He stopped when he realized that he could see Spike's manly charms. He grinned and forgot what he was saying for a moment, as he enjoyed the view.
Buffy noticed what he was looking at, and that Xander also had his eyes fixed on the same compact, yet well-muscled body. She frowned and quickly covered Spike's attributes.
"Hey! Stop ogling my boyfriend." She scolded them.
Spike smirked slightly; satisfied that even two pathetic poofters appreciated his physique.
"Sorry." Andrew muttered softly, hoping Xander wouldn't be mad. He just couldn't help himself from looking.
"Okay, back to why we're here...We were just attacked by a suit of armour. It tried to kill Andrew." Xander said, bringing back the topic at hand.
"What?" Buffy asked confused.
"Yeah, it was like possessed or something. I-it tried to cut my head off." Andrew said nervously.
"Can't say as I blame em'." Spike muttered under his breath.
Buffy smacked his arm, and looked back at the two of them.
"Where did this happen?"
"In the armour room." Xander told her.
"We'll check it out." She said, as she attempted to get off the floor. Then she looked at the two men in front of her.
"You guys can wait outside." She said, annoyed that they made no attempt to leave their room.
"I-I'm not going out there again. What if it's waiting out there for me?" Andrew shook his head.
Buffy groaned.
"Fine. At least turn around."
She knew that Xander wasn't into the female persuasion anymore, but she still wasn't going to parade around naked for him. And she definitely wasn't going to have either of them fantasizing over Spike and his washboard abs. That fantasy belonged to her, she grinned to herself.
Spike and Buffy got their clothes back on quickly. When they were dressed, the four of them ventured into the hallway.
"Shouldn't we like, warn everyone else? Oh god...What if everyone is already dead, and we're the only ones left?" Andrew asked worriedly.
"Will you shut your bloody yap?" Spike complained.
"Don't talk to him like that." Xander said angrily, getting into Spike's face.
Spike chuckled.
"Go on, you sodding poof. Give it your best shot. I'll wipe this floor with you."
"Is that a fact, chiphead?"
"I'll work through the pain." Spike sneered at him.
"Stop it! Or I'll wipe this floor with both of you." Buffy stood in between them and glared.
They both stepped away, but continued to stare each other down. Buffy rolled her eyes and set off down the hallway. Everyone followed behind her. They came up to Willow and Warren's door, and Buffy raised her hand to knock.
Coming from inside they heard various gasps and moans that kept getting louder. Buffy lowered her hand, and couldn't help but blush a bright shade of red at the amorous noises emanating from their room. Andrew started to panic.
"Oh God...Oh God...They're being murdered. Do you hear that? We're too late." He said frantically.
Everyone turned and gave him an incredulous look.
"Yeah Einstein, they're being shagged to death." Spike said snidely.
"Oh my god...That sounds painful." Andrew said with fright.
"Uh, Andy, 'shagging' isn't a type of murder." Xander whispered into his ear.
Andrew grew embarrassed as he realized how stupid he had been.
"Oh, right. British slang... I see." He said softly, feeling like a moron.
Spike shook his head and stepped forward. He didn't care if the witch and robot boy were interrupted. He and Buffy couldn't enjoy themselves, so why should anyone else? He pounded loudly on the door. The noises stopped and they heard someone stomp over to the door. It opened quickly, and Warren peeked his head out.
"Go away. We're busy." The door slammed in everyone's faces.
They heard giggling and the noises started again. Spike sighed and pounded again.
"Open up!" He shouted at them.
The door opened again and Warren looked at them desperately.
"Whatever it is, can't it wait?" He asked. "They really need one of those little 'Do Not Disturb' signs."
"Something's trying to kill us!" Andrew blurted out quickly.
"What?" Warren asked, suddenly concerned.
"We'll explain later. Just get Willow and get out here." Buffy said to him.
After a few minutes, two very dissatisfied people joined them in the hallway.
"This better be good." Warren muttered, unhappy that his romantic liaison was cut short of the finale.
"Xander, you explain. I'm gonna go get Giles." Buffy said, as she headed to the next room.
Thankfully their room seemed to be quiet. Buffy wasn't sure she could handle hearing Giles and Anya in the throes of anything resembling passion. She knocked loudly. After a moment, Giles opened the door and peered out. He was wearing nothing but a sheet around his waist, and Buffy looked away quickly.
"Eww..." She muttered, trying to get the image of a half-naked Giles out of her head.
"Yes, well, thank you for that." He said wryly, closing the door slightly to hide himself. "Is there something you need?" He asked impatiently.
"Spooky things are lurking, Giles. Andrew and Xander almost got filleted by a suit of armour."
"Come again?"
"Just get dressed and I'll explain." She said with a sigh. "By the way, great choice of vacation spots." She muttered sarcastically as she turned to wait with the others.
****
Everyone was assembled downstairs, as they tried to figure out what to do.
"Are you certain you didn't just imagine this?" Giles asked curiously.
"No. This thing totally attacked me with his sword." Andrew explained again.
"Well, then perhaps we should alert the groundskeeper?" Giles offered.
Warren was standing nearest the door and he tried to open it. It wouldn't budge.
"That would be a great idea, except the fact that we seemed to be locked in here." He told them all.
"What? We're trapped? Again?" Anya asked, beginning to panic.
"Calm down. There must be an explanation." Buffy assured her.
"Right. I'm sure there's a perfectly good reason why we're all going to die." Andrew said hysterically.
Just then, the room became stifling. It was as if the air suddenly grew thicker, agitating everyone. Xander glared at Andrew.
"You know what? You really do whine an awful lot don't you?" He asked irritated.
"What?" Andrew's feelings were hurt.
"You both whine like two little girls. Stupid bloody poofters." Spike said nastily.
"Spike, shut up. Why are you always such a jerk?" Buffy asked, annoyed with him suddenly.
"Maybe because you and your sodding friends are a bunch of idiots." He shot back.
"Oh really?" Buffy asked, getting into Spike's face.
"Really." Warren answered for him, as he stepped forward.
Everyone looked at him curiously.
"That's right. I can't stand any of you. Every time we do anything, we always end up almost dying. I was better off when I wanted to destroy all of you. I'm starting to realize that it wouldn't have been that hard to do." He said angrily.
Willow was shocked and hurt and she felt tears spring to her eyes.
"Warren..." She said sadly. He ignored her.
"I agree with you, mate." Spike nodded his head. "It was so much simpler when all I wanted to do was kill the lot of you."
"Well, give it your best shot." Buffy said to both of them, knowing exactly who would win this fight.
"Stop! Now isn't the time for this. Shouldn't we be trying to figure out a way to get out of here before I suffocate to death?" Anya interrupted in a shrill voice.
"Do you always have to talk like that? Your voice sounds like nails on a chalkboard." Giles said with a groan.
"My voice? What about your stupid voice? It's all British and proper and annoying." She shot back at him.
"Stop it all of you! Or I'll--." Willow interrupted everyone.
"Or you'll what, Sweetheart? Do a spell? Face it. You suck as a witch. Your friends were right." Warren said hurtfully.
"I suck? You suck. You're so pathetic that you have to build a girlfriend!" She shouted back at him.
Before he could muster up anything to say to that, the room felt like it was spinning. Everyone started to teeter on their feet and soon everything went black.
*****
Buffy slowly started to slip back into consciousness. She held her head and opened her eyes. She was in a dark room, lit with only one small torch. She was lying on a bed and she focused her eyes to take in the rest of her surroundings. She felt a heavy arm lying across her stomach and she managed a small grin. She must have fallen asleep after she and Spike finished their lovemaking. She sighed and readied herself to tell him about the horrible dream she had just had.
She caressed his arm and turned her head around to give him a small kiss. She was just about to place her lips on his when she realized that it wasn't Spike, but Andrew lying beside her. She screamed and leapt out of the bed.
"Ahh! What the hell are you doing in my room?" She asked, as he was startled out of unconsciousness.
"Huh? What?"
"W-we were in bed. Together. Oh god..." She muttered, completely confused by what had just happened.
She looked around and realized that this wasn't her room. It was much smaller and had tiny window at the top of the vaulted ceiling. The she looked down and realized she was no longer in her clothes, but in a long flowing gown. She had remembered feeling like a princess before, but she certainly didn't remember taking the fantasy this far.
Suddenly the all the memories came back to her. Everyone had been fighting with one another, and she couldn't even remember why. And now she was locked in a tower somewhere, dressed like a princess. She looked at Andrew.
"W-where are we?" Andrew asked, as his memories started to come back to him as well. "And why am I dressed like someone from Lord Of the Rings?" He asked, taking in his attire.
"I have no idea." She muttered sadly.
****
Willow and Anya awoke to find themselves in the same kind of 17th century dresses. Only they were alone in a dungeon. There weren't any lights except for one tiny flickering candle in the corner of the room.
"Oh my god...We're in a dungeon." Anya said, with tears in her eyes. "And why am I dressed in this ridiculous outfit?"
Willow walked over to her and put her hand on her shoulder.
"Do you remember what happened?" She asked.
Anya shook her head.
"I seem to remember Giles telling me my voice reminded him of nails on a chalkboard." She said sadly.
Willow remembered the hurtful things that Warren had said to her and everyone else. She knew something must have been wrong. Everyone had been acting strangely. She had been compelled to say things she didn't mean.
"I-I think someone did a spell or something. Whatever is in this house is trying to make us all crazy." Willow rationalized.
"Maybe my voice is a little shrill at times, but that's because no one listens to me." Anya said, ignoring Willow's explanation.
"Anya, Giles didn't mean it. I-I don't think anyway. We all said some stuff." She told her hoping that it was true.
"Can you get us out of here?" Anya asked hopefully.
Willow nodded.
"You bet I can. Because I, Willow Rosenberg, do NOT suck as a witch." She said proudly.
She tried to use her powers to blow the door off its hinges. She realized that she had nothing. Her magic was gone. She tried several times, and nothing happened.
"What? What's wrong? Are you broken?" Anya asked frantic at Willow's unnerved expression.
"I-I can't do it. I do suck. My power is gone." She said confused.
"That can't be good..."
****
When Giles and Warren came to their senses, they realized that they were alone in large throne room. They also noticed that they were dressed in the outfits of noblemen from hundreds of years ago.
"Okay, first of all, what the hell is with these outfits?" Warren asked, looking down at himself. "These friggin' pants are too short." He complained.
"It's the traditional dress in this part of England. At least it was about four hundred years ago." Giles scratched his head with a perplexed look.
"Four hundred years ago? Did we just go back in time? Cause I've considered building a time machine, but I don't remember actually doing it."
"No, I rather think something else is going on here. Where did everyone else go?" Giles wondered.
Warren thought for a moment and suddenly remembered how cruel he had been to Willow. He rubbed his eyes and shook his head.
"Great. I just remembered that I told Willow she sucked and I hated everyone. Looks like I'm back to building girlfriends." He said miserably.
Giles then remembered what he had said to Anya. He felt horribly, and couldn't even recall where all his anger had come from. He shook his head.
"We can't worry about that now. We need to find the others." He said, trying to keep a level head.
*****
Spike and Xander found themselves inside the armour room once again. And not only that, but they were both dressed in full suits of armour.
"Okay, when I was a kid, I thought this would be cool. And now I'm thinking it pretty much sucks." Xander complained as he clanked across the floor.
"What the bloody hell happened? How did we end up in these wretched things?" Spike asked, trying to wiggle his way out of the heavy metal.
"This place is totally cursed. I knew we should have gone to Disneyland instead. But no. Everyone voted for boring old England. No one ever listens to me." Xander complained.
"That's because you're a moron." Spike said offhand as he tried attempted to open the door awkwardly. The armour made it almost impossible to move. "We need to find Buffy."
All at once, memories of arguing with her flooded back to him. He instantly felt terrible. He didn't know why he had said those things, but he hadn't been able to control himself. Something in this house was definitely not right.
"I can't open the sodding door." Spike realized unhappily.
Xander pushed past him, and Spike nearly tipped over. "Watch it!" He told him irritated.
Xander ignored him, and tried the door himself. It was stuck and he turned to Spike.
"It's jammed or something. Can't you just get all 'grr' and break it down?" He asked.
Spike tried to loosen up and get himself into fighting mode. He tried to vamp out and found that he couldn't.
"What the hell?"
"What's wrong?" Xander asked anxiously.
"I can't vamp out. This bloody chip must have malfunctioned or something."
"Maybe you're just trying too hard."
Spike was getting pissed and he hurled his body against the heavy door to break it down. He bounced off with a loud clang. He felt as if he didn't have any strength left in his body.
"I've lost all my strength." He realized unhappily.
Xander felt his heart drop to his knees with the realization that something awful was definitely going on. He just hoped that Andrew was all right wherever he was.
****
Up in the tower Buffy sat down exhausted on the edge of the bed. She had been trying in vain to break the door down, but she had no fight left in her. As the moments passed, she felt weaker and weaker.
"Why are you sitting down? You're the Slayer. Get us out!" He said frantically.
"I can't. I'm too tired." She said weakly.
"What? Tired? Y-you can't be tired. You're like a hero and stuff. So hurry up and do something heroic."
"Something's happening to me. I-I don't feel right." She said shaking her head. "We're just going to have to wait for someone to come rescue us."
Andrew felt his panic rising, and then he thought about Xander. He hoped that he still loved him enough to come and save him. He had been hurt by his words earlier, but Andrew knew he something must have made him say it. Xander loved him. He was sure of it.
"Xander will save us. I know he will. He said he'd always save me." Andrew said with confidence.
Buffy looked up at him and smiled slightly.
"So did Spike." She whispered. "Every night he saves me." She only hoped that this time it would be true.
*****
By now Anya was starting to freak out. Why was it that whenever she went out somewhere with everyone else they ended up trapped in small, confined spaces?
"We-we have to get out of here." She stammered, starting to panic as the walls seemed to move in on them. "I can't stand it in here anymore."
Willow didn't know what else to do. She felt lost without her magic. She was back to being the helpless girl she'd been when she'd first met Buffy and she didn't like it one bit.
Suddenly Anya screamed as a shimmering image appeared before them. It was difficult to tell exactly what it was, but it seemed to have the appearance of a man.
"Greetings fair maidens." The spirit said. "I trust you are enjoying your stay with us."
"Get us out of here." Anya shrieked.
"Alas that is not for me to do." The spirit replied. "Your noblemen must first pass the challenge."
"Our noble-whats?" Anya asked confused.
"Your men. They must pass the challenge in order to save you."
"What kind of challenge?" Willow asked, already starting to fear for Warren.
"One filled with great peril. Should they succeed then their love for you will be proved and you will be free. If not then you will remain here forever."
"Why do they have to prove their love?" Willow asked, her thoughts turning back to the cruel words Warren had used earlier.
With no reply the spirit vanished, leaving them alone once more.
"We'll be ok, right?" Anya asked hopefully. "Warren and Giles will save us."
At this stage all they could do was hope
* * *
Buffy now knew there was something seriously wrong. She could literally feel her strength draining with every moment that passed and she could now barely find the energy to move. Andrew was doing his best to find another way out but she knew it was useless. She was scared and wanted Spike more than anything. He always knew the right way to comfort her; sometimes all it took was a look.
"What's that?" Andrew asked fearfully as the spirit that had spoken with Willow and Anya now appeared before them.
"How are you feeling, princess?" The spirit asked.
"What's happening to me?" Buffy asked weakly.
"The curse of this castle is taking its toll upon you." The spirit explained. "Your strength will continue to wane until you fall into a deep sleep from which you will never awaken."
"How do we stop it?" Andrew asked. Despite it all he kind of liked Buffy and also didn't really like the idea of being trapped in a room with sleeping beauty.
"Only the princess's knight can save her. And first he must do battle, as must your knight also."
"I have a knight?" He asked with a small smile. "Very cool."
The spirit began to vanish, and Andrew hurried over to Buffy. She had slumped to the side. He shook her roughly and forced her to sit up.
"Come on, you have to stay awake. Our knights will save us." He assured her.
"Our what's?"
"Spike and Xander. They'll save us, I know it."
"I'm just so tired." Buffy murmured but she forced her eyes open. Xander and Spike were both heroes in different ways. She had to believe that they'd get to them in time.
* * *
"So, what do we do now, knowledge guy?" Warren asked as he and Giles explored the throne room, trying to find a way out.
Giles sighed impatiently. "I know about as much as you do, alright."
"Ok, ok." Warren replied defensively. "Geez, I was just asking."
"Look over there." Giles suddenly exclaimed.
There was a small light hovering near one of the large portraits. The two men moved over to it and Giles suddenly had an idea. He pulled the painting and sure enough it moved aside to reveal a dark tunnel.
"You want us to go down there?" Warren asked with disbelief. "Just because Tinkerbell told us to?"
"The alternative is staying in here until we starve to death." Giles replied dryly.
"Right. Let's go." Warren replied quickly, entering the tunnel and feeling his way down. He'd only walked about a hundred feet or so when he came across a door and stopped, causing Giles to bump into his back.
"Well done my Lords." A voice suddenly said. "You have found the entrance."
"Entrance to what?" Giles asked, looking around but seeing no one.
"Beyond this door lies a maze filled with many traps and pitfalls. You must navigate these to find the center and claim the key.
"What key?" Warren asked, getting annoyed with this bodiless voice.
"The one to the dungeon where your ladies are being held."
"You bastard! You better not touch Willow!" Warren hissed but all was now silent.
"Come on. Let's go." Giles said, trying not to think of how scared Anya must be.
He pushed the door open and the two of them entered the maze.
* * *
Xander and Spike were still trying to get out of the armoury when suddenly a booming voice filled the room.
"Save your strength. You will not be able to get out." The voice told them.
"Who the hell are you? I've had just about enough of this." Spike said furiously.
"Who I am is of no consequence. If you wish to see your princess again, you must prove your worth." He told Spike.
"Prove my what?"
"Where's Andrew?" Xander asked suddenly.
"When you find the princess, you'll find him as well. But first you must do battle. If you succeed, you'll be given a key to the tower where they are held."
"Battle? Bloody hell..." Spike muttered, sorely feeling his loss of strength. "How am I supposed to do battle when my strength is gone?"
"Ah, well, you'll think of something, won't you?" The voice laughed. "And if you win, then your strength will return. As will the strength of your princess. Fail, and she will fall into a sleep from which she will never awake."
"What?!" Spike shouted angrily.
All at once, two of the suits of armour sprang to life and began coming towards the two would-be heroes. The ominous voice was gone, and Spike and Xander knew they had no choice but to fight. Buffy and Andrew were counting on them.
*****
Warren and Giles made their way through the maze cautiously. It was almost completely dark except for one torch that Giles had grabbed before they entered. The walls were lined with various pictures that seemed to have eyes that followed you wherever you went.
"This sucks. I'm serious. I-I'm not freakin' noble anything." Warren complained, feeling the intensity of the situation.
"Will you quit your incessant chatter. I'm trying to concentrate." Giles snapped at him.
"I'm just saying, we're never gonna make it out of here alive."
Giles stopped and turned to Warren with a furious expression.
"Do you wish to go back? Is that it? Do you want Willow to die down there?" He asked seriously.
Warren's face turned sombre and he shook his head.
"No. Of course not. I love her." He said softly.
"Well then start acting like the man you should be, and save her."
Warren hung his head and realized that Giles was right. He had to push his fears aside and do this. If he died trying to do something good, it was better than dying like a sissy girl while running away.
Inside, Giles shared Warren's concerns. But he refused to lend any credence to them. He only needed to get to Anya before it was too late.
They came to a turn in the maze and they stopped walking.
"Which way should we go?" Giles wondered aloud.
Warren looked at both of their options. Giles silently decided for them, and started off down one of the tunnels. Warren grabbed his arm to stop him.
"No. Not that way. It's a trap." He told him.
"What? How?"
"Look at that painting on the wall over there. It's glowing slightly. If you follow the glow, you'll see that it's attached to a trip wire."
Giles moved the torch further into the tunnel, but he wasn't able to see anything. Perhaps his glasses were failing him.
"I don't see it." He told Warren.
Warren bent down and picked up a rock that was lying at his feet. He tossed it down the tunnel, activating the booby trap. All at once, dozens of swords protruded from the walls in a slicing motion. Giles didn't fail to see that.
"Right then, we should go the other way." He agreed as they turned around and went the other direction.
The made their way down the tunnel, with Giles in the lead. They rounded corner and Warren saw Giles about to step on another trap. One of the stepping stones was raised slightly, covering a lever that would undoubtedly trigger something nasty. Before he could warn Giles, his foot made contact with the stone.
"Look out!" Warren screamed as he instinctively tackled Giles to the ground.
A large axe came crashing down, just barely missing the two of them. Out of breath, Giles turned his head to look at Warren.
"Maybe we should have gone the other way?" He asked.
Warren pulled himself off of the Watcher and shook his head.
"No, I still think this is right. You just have to watch your feet."
Giles pulled himself up and dusted his clothes off. They continued to the next fork in the tunnel.
"We went the other way last time, so logically we should head this way now." Giles scratched his head.
"I don't know. I don't think logic has much play in this twisted little game."
Giles feared he was correct and he paused for a moment. He looked at the paintings on the wall of the tunnel he was going to choose. They were pictures of gargoyles and other various demonic icons. As he went to the other tunnel, he saw the paintings were that of people being tormented. One painting depicted two men chained to a wall in a dungeon. The light went on his head.
"It's that tunnel. The paintings suggest that this is the way to the dungeon. I'm certain." Giles said confidently.
Warren had to agree it was the best clue they had to go on. He followed him cautiously, hoping that Willow would be okay. He hadn't meant what he said about her being a sucky witch. And he didn't hate her or her friends. He just hoped she would believe him if they ever found her.
After awhile they came to a large room. They had hit paydirt. In the center on a pedestal was the key, presumably to the dungeon.
"We did it! I can't believe it!" Warren exclaimed as he started to rush towards it. But then he stopped himself. "That was almost too easy."
Giles nodded his head.
"I assume that getting over to the key is part of the challenge."
They looked around and saw various items of weaponry hanging from the ceiling. They knew it was probably rigged to dice them into small pieces if they dared make a wrong move.
"What shall we do?" Giles asked uncertainly.
"Why are you asking me? I thought you were the guy with all the answers." Warren said nervously.
"And I thought you were some sort of evil genius? Plotting to take over the world?" Giles asked distasteful of his companion.
"That was before. I'm out of the villain business. Besides, what do you want me to do? Build a robot to get us the key? Cause that's pretty much where my expertise drops off." He explained.
Giles shook his head.
"Wonderful." He said dryly.
Warren's eyes widened as he suddenly got an idea.
"That's it! That's how we get the key." He exclaimed.
"I highly doubt we have the time to build a robot." Giles said with disdain.
"No, not a robot. But if we use something to trigger the traps, then we can slip through after."
He searched the perimeter of the room and saw various chairs and tables. He grabbed a chair and tossed it into the middle of the room. Swords and daggers shot out from the ceiling, annihilating the chair. Giles joined in and started tossing the other items into the booby traps. Once it appeared every obstacle had been spent, Giles made his way over and grabbed the key.
Smiling, he held it up to Warren.
"We've got it."
"Damn, I'm good." Warren said proudly.
"Congratulations. You've successfully completed the task. Hope you had fun." The booming voice announced with a sinister laugh.
"Great, now where's the friggin' dungeon?" Warren asked anxiously.
Suddenly, the wall on the opposite side of the room dissolved, revealing the entrance to the dungeon. They both rushed over and Giles fumbled with the key. They opened the heavy door, revealing Willow, trying desperately to comfort a panicked Anya.
They both jumped up when they saw that they had been rescued. Anya leapt into Giles' arms and kissed him all over.
"Oh Giles! You saved us! I'm so sorry I said you were annoying. I knew you'd come through." She said happily.
"Oh, Anya. I didn't mean those things that I said. I adore you. I'd never let anything happen to you." He said, getting misty eyed.
Willow approached Warren slowly, and he was afraid she was still pissed at him, regardless of being saved.
"Are you okay, Baby?" He asked softly.
Her lip trembled a bit and she nodded her head.
"I wasn't sure you would come for me." She admitted.
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her.
"Of course I would. I love you."
"What about all those things you said?" She asked softly.
"I didn't mean it. You don't suck. You're awesome. I'd die if anything to happened to you." He said sincerely.
She held him tightly as the tears of relief and joy rolled down her face.
"I never knew you could be a hero." She whispered softly.
He shook his head.
"Neither did I." He admitted.
He realized now, that being a hero felt a lot better than being the villain. Especially with someone like Willow at his side.
*****
Spike reacted as quickly as he could with a suit of armour weighing him down. He hurried over to two of the stationary suits and grabbed their weapons, tossing a mace to Xander and keeping a sword for himself.
"I don't know how to fight with one of these!" Xander cried, keeping his eyes on their opponents.
"Now's a good time to learn." Spike replied, hefting the sword and realising just how heavy it was. He moved in to attack and received a heavy blow to the head, which sent him sprawling backwards.
"You got a better plan?" Xander asked as he helped Spike to his feet.
Spike shrugged. "I was planning on just attacking."
He moved forward and ended up on his back at Xander's feet once again.
"Ok." Spike agreed. "We need a better plan."
Xander scanned the room, looking for weaknesses. It there was one thing his job taught him it was how to spot flaws in a building design.
"There!" He cried, pointing at a low beam at the far side of the room. "We need to drive them over there and then knock out that beam. It'll bring the whole ceiling down on top of them."
"You sure it won't crush us in the process?" Spike asked sceptically.
"Trust me." Xander replied. "I know what I'm talking about."
Spike nodded. "Ok, on the count of three we need to charge them and hit them with everything we've got. Ready?"
Xander nodded.
"One….Two…..Three."
With a cry the two of them charged, taking a knight each and hitting them with every ounce of force they could muster. They kept the blows coming hard and fast and sure enough the knights slowly began to move back. Soon Xander and Spike had them right where they wanted them.
"Keep them busy." Xander yelled, ducking out of the way of his opponent. "I'll work on the beam."
As Spike struggled to keep both knights at bay Xander began to pound at the joint with everything he could. Finally a low groan resounded through the room, indicating that the ceiling was about to give way.
"Get back!" Xander yelled to Spike as a crack began to form above them. Spike looked up and at that point one of the knights used the distraction to his advantage, impaling Spike through the shoulder with his sword.
As Spike screamed in pain Xander ran forward and grabbed him, pulling him off the sword and dragging him away from the knights. Seconds later a portion of the ceiling collapsed on the two suits of armour, burying them entirely.
"Are you ok?" Xander asked Spike once the dust had settled.
"Yeah." He groaned in reply.
"Congratulations." The voice which had addressed them earlier said. "You have defeated your enemy. Here is your reward."
A key and two glass vials of purple liquid appeared on the floor in front of them.
"The potion will restore your strength. The other is for your princess, if you can reach her in time."
"Where are they?" Spike growled as he struggled to his feet. He'd take his own potion once he was sure Buffy was safe.
A door appeared at the other end of the room.
"Let's go." Xander said, grabbing the key as Spike picked up the two bottles.
* * *
Buffy felt her eyelids growing heavier by the second. She was trying desperately to stay awake, but it was almost painful to do so. Andrew kept shaking her and forcing her to sit up.
"Please don't fall asleep. I'm sure they'll be coming for us any second now." Andrew tried to reassure her.
"I know...But I can't help it. It's too late." She whispered.
"No! Don't say that. Xander and Spike are like the coolest guys I know. Spike's all mysterious and evil, but in a cool way. And Xander is like totally smart." He said with a large smile.
"I-I'm not sure it's going to be enough. There isn't...any...more...time...." She trailed off as she finally drifted off, her head lolling back in Andrew's arms.
Andrew shook her with all his strength.
"Wake up! Slayer! Buffy? Come on!" But it was no use, she was deep asleep.
Tears began to roll down Andrew's cheeks. If someone as powerful as Buffy succumbed to this, he was certainly gonna die. He prayed that Xander and Spike would get there soon. But he feared it was already too late for Buffy.
Not knowing what else to do he gently swung her legs up onto the bed and arranged her so that she looked comfortable. If she was going to sleep like this forever then it was the least he could do. He carefully placed her head on the pillow of the bed and clasped her hands together. Now she really looked like the princess Spike knew she was.
*****
"Hurry up!" Spike yelled as Xander fumbled with the key. He was aware that every moment that passed meant they were closer to it being too late for Buffy.
Finally the door swung open and the two knights crashed into the room. Spike's eyes immediately fell on Buffy who was lying motionless on the bed.
"No." He whispered, running over to her side. "NO!"
He quickly opened the bottle of potion and lifted her head, pouring the liquid down her throat. He waited for her to respond but she continued to lie limp on the bed.
Andrew had thrown himself into Xander's arms as soon as he had seen his knight enter the room, but from his embrace he looked up at Spike with tear filled eyes.
"You're too late. I kept telling her you were coming and she tried to stay awake but it was no use."
Spike pulled off his helmet and his gauntlets so that he could see her properly and he traced a trembling hand over her smooth cheek. He'd lost her. Again. Tears began to roll down his cheeks as he realised that yet again he'd been unable to save her.
Gently propping her up he cradled her head to his breast, willing her to wake up and smile at him again.
"Come on, Buffy." He urged. "Please?"
When she still failed to respond he choked back a small sob and dipped his head down, brushing a soft kiss on her lips.
"You'll always be my princess." He whispered gently.
"And you'll always be my knight." Buffy whispered, her eyes fluttering open.
"Buffy?" Spike gasped. "You're awake!"
Before she could even answer he had crushed her into a hug, smothering her face with kisses.
"I thought I'd lost you." He whispered, tears of joy replacing those of sorrow.
Buffy smiled and kissed him. "You think I'd miss seeing my knight in shining armour for real?"
Seeing that Buffy was indeed awake and fine, Xander turned his attention to Andrew who was still nestled in his arms.
"I knew you'd come for me." Andrew said proudly.
Xander smiled and kissed him. "I wasn't about to let anything happen to my little supervillain."
Andrew smiled back. "You're my little flying butt-monkey."
"We should get out of here." Buffy said, climbing off the bed. "We need to find the others. I hope they're ok."
Spike nodded and stood up, wincing as his shoulder wound made itself known.
"Here." Xander said, offering him the second bottle of potion. "I think you need your strength back now."
Spike nodded gratefully and drank the lot in one gulp.
"My poor wounded soldier." Buffy crooned as she examined his wound. "Don't worry, I'll soon get you out of that armour."
With a wicked grin she turned and headed down the stairs, the others following close behind her.
As they reached the main hallway where they'll all passed out earlier they saw the others already there, each of them cuddled up to their respective partner.
"Are you guys ok?" Buffy asked, hurrying down the stairs.
"We're fine." Willow smiled. "Warren and Giles saved us."
"Xander and Spike saved me and Buffy." Andrew said, still proud that his faith in his lover had been justified.
"Look." Anya said, pointing at the main door which was now open wide to reveal the dusky night sky. Their bags sat on the front steps of the castle and the van was parked and waiting for them.
"Hope you enjoyed your stay." A now all too familiar voice said and with that they were pushed outside and the doors slammed shut behind them.
As they turned back to look at the castle they realised they were back in their normal clothes. Buffy sighed in relief.
"I never thought I'd be so glad to be wearing pants in my life."
"Here here." Anya agreed.
"I'm pretty glad to be out of that stupid puffy shirt and tights myself." Warren said, relieved to have his old jeans and T-shirt again.
"All those in favour of getting away from the scary castle?" Xander asked.
Everyone raised their hands.
"I'm driving." Giles said, grabbing the keys from Xander.
"Hey! No fair!" Xander protested.
Andrew squeezed his hand. "At least this way we can snuggle in the back of the car."
No further protests fell from Xander's lips.
"Next time? We're going to Disneyland." Xander informed them all.
Everyone nodded their head in agreement.
"But if the Pirates of the Caribbean suddenly come to life and try to kill us? We're all blaming you." Willow said with a small grin.
Everyone laughed, and grabbed their bags.
In the shadows, the groundskeeper watched them with amusement. Not many couples survived the castle. He had to hand it to them. They obviously had a bond that couldn't be broken, despite his evil tricks. He sighed, and went back into his cottage to await the arrival of his next group of victims.
As the gang piled into the van they all reached the same conclusion. Despite everything that had happened to them they were still all together and still very much in love. What they had may be weird, but nothing on this earth was going to break them apart.
The End