I Hate to Love You 11
Author's Note: This is a challenge posted by Persistence of Memory. It involves Spike, Angel and a confession about a well-kept secret. Set in the holiday between Buffy season 4 and Buffy season 5, as well as Angel season 1 and Angel season 2.
Rating: definitely M for low-level coarse language and low to medium-level sex scenes and/or references.
Chapter Eleven: The Demon
"I think I've got something." Xander announced, after a long search for information. He, Giles, Anya, Willow, Spike and Angel had been researching the Gn'ashmcklav demon for several hours. They'd come up with nothing more than what they started with, until now.
"What have you found?" Giles inquired as Xander's announcement caught everyone's attention.
"It says that the demon lives in deep underground caves, near water sources." Xander read.
"There are some old caves up behind the Old Sunnydale cemetery, Spike and I can go check it out." Angel jumped on the idea of finally getting some answers and finding out where this demon was.
"Xander, does it say anything else?" Giles asked. Xander skimmed over the last of the text in the book he was holding and stopped, pointing at a sentence.
"Its weakness is fire." Angel and Spike both rolled their eyes.
"Great." They said in unison before Angel added, "Something that we both have in common."
"It says you can also kill it by decapitation." Xander added to his previous statement.
"Ah, there's a simple way to do things." Spike declared. Angel grinned at his partner, and Spike grinned back.
"Angel, you should wait until sunset before heading out." Giles instructed. "Then go, just before the sun has completely set. You may be able to catch the demon still at the caves. By nightfall it will have probably left. You must bring back its poison stinger to completely heal Buffy though. I need to some more of your blood to it to neutralise it and then give it to Buffy. Can you get it and bring it back here?"
"Whatever you need, I'll get." Angel assured him. He turned to Spike. "Spike, it'll be dark soon. Help me gather some of Giles' weapons and then we'll go."
"Right. I've just been itchin' for a good fight lately." Spike replied. Angel glared. "What? I keep telling you luv, I am still evil, remember?"
"Yeah, I remember Spike. It's part of who you are, why I love you." The two vampires exchanged a deep-and-meaningful moment in the midst of all the chaos of Buffy's sudden illness and the demon they were about to go and hunt.
"Eww." Anya whined.
"I second that." Xander added. Giles just stayed quiet, thinking the same thing. Angel and Spike ignored them and opened Giles' weapon trunk, grabbing swords, knifes and a couple of stakes.
"You ready Spike?" Angel asked a few minutes later when both he and Spike had tucked weapons galore into various locations on their bodies. In each of their belts a sword was tucked behind the flaps in the coat, and underneath the cuffs of each pant leg was a hidden knife or stake. They were prepared to do battle, and prepared to bring back its poison stinger.
"Ready as I'll ever be mate." Spike replied. Angel nodded a goodbye to Giles and smiled at Willow as he led Spike outside, the sun just setting behind the hills in the distance.
"We have to move fast." Angel told Spike. "Come on."
Half an hour later, the caves behind the Old Sunnydale Cemetery…"Spike." Angel whispered as they came near to the caves.
"Yeah?" Spike whispered back. They both hid behind trees as they watched the mouth of the cave for signs of movement.
"Let's split up." Angel instructed. "You go in left, I'll go in right." Angel stepped away from Spike and approached the right side of the cave's single opening. Spike sighed and rushed towards the other wall of the cave. Angel inched inside slowly, looking over his shoulder to see Spike close behind. He turned back and continued inside.
Ggrr. Scratch. Aagh. He could hear growling and scraping noises coming from deep inside the cave, echoing off the walls.
"I think it's close." Angel whispered to Spike.
"You think?" Spike shot back sarcastically. He could hear the noises Angel was hearing, and could also smell the demon. Its scent was strong and it didn't smell at all friendly. There was no hope of trying to sneak in; it must be able to smell them.
Then there was silence. No growls, no scratching on the walls of the cave. Angel feared that the demon was coming out. He signalled to Spike and the two hid behind boulders on opposite sides of the cave.
They only had to wait about a minute before the demon was visible. It emerged from the darkness in the caves and as soon as it had passed Angel he jumped out and tackled it from behind. It didn't fall to the ground, instead steadied itself with Angel hanging off its shoulders. With a swift movement Angel was thrown across the cave and into the wall near Spike. He landed with a thud and groaned painfully as he tried to get to his feet. Spike stepped into action.
He swung a fist that connected heavily with the demon's jaw. He kicked it, punched it, launched himself at it and still found that he couldn't bring it to the ground. Spike himself thrown to the ground after the demon had beaten on him a few times. Angel ran at it at full speed and managed to take it down, rolling along the ground before finally being able to pin it. He repeatedly punched it in the face, trying to knock it out. It wasn't working.
"Spike!" Angel called. "Get the stinger!" On the demon's wrist was a stinger that before was retracted but now was threatening to stab Angel. "Get it now!" Angel pinned its arm out beside its body and tried desperately to keep it there so that Spike could grab the stinger. Spike scuttled over, diving at its arm and breaking the stinger off. The demon screamed loudly in pain before throbbing, shaking and finally ceasing all movements. It was dead.
"It's 'bout bloody time that bugger went down." Spike commented. Angel got to his feet and straightened his collar.
"Come on, Spike. We have to get back to Giles' with the stinger and save Buffy." Angel ushered him out of the cave.
"Right. Save your Bonnie-lass then." Spike snorted. He didn't like the Scoobies at all, and since Buffy was their leader, he thought a lot less of her than any of the others. Except for Willow, she was the one out of them all he could stand. And Anya, but he never let on about his weakness for the two feisty females.
Back at Giles' apartment…"Got it!" Angel rushed inside Giles' apartment holding the stinger in his hand. He gave it to Giles, who took it over to the kitchen where he had a bowl on the counter. He snapped it in half and let the poison run into the bowl. He looked up at Angel, knowing that now he only needed one thing to cure Buffy.
"Angel, I need some more of your blood." Giles told him.
"Right." Angel stepped forward and held out his wrist. Giles opened the previous wound and held his wrist over the bowl until a sufficient amount of blood had oozed out.
"Thankyou, Angel." Giles pushed it away and handed Angel the tea towel he had used earlier. He mixed the two ingredients together and watched the mixture take a dark crimson colouring, due to the amount of blood. Giles poured it into an old cup. "Let's hope this works like it says it should."
Everyone followed Giles inside to where Buffy lay resting. She wasn't nearly as bad as before; the earlier mixture must have helped. That left only the final stage. Angel held her head up so she could drink Giles' mixture, and gently tried to wake her. She stirred, but didn't open her eyes.
"Now." Angel signalled for Giles to feed it to her in case she slipped back into unconsciousness. Giles held the cup to her lips and tilted it so just a little came out. Buffy swallowed, and all Angel, Giles, Willow, Spike, Xander and Anya could do was stand and watch as Buffy still lay there barely moving.
"Perhaps it takes a little time." Giles suggested. "Maybe we should let her sleep this off, now she's had the last mixture that should cure her."
"Should?" Angel asked. "I thought this was a sure-fire thing, you know, supposed to work no matter what."
"And it is."
"Then why do you sound doubtful?" Angel pressed.
"I'm not doubtful Angel, now drop it. We're all here for Buffy, and all that we can do for the moment is sit back and wait." There was a general silence for a few seconds before Spike piped up.
"Anything good to watch on the telly?"
A/N: Progressing well if I dare say so myself. Please review and tell me how you liked the twist and the solution. And yes, next chapter Buffy will be back. She and Angel will talk about the 'issue' and there will be a resolution. And it's a happy one too. Enough talk, I'm going to go write some more.