8

Three Days Ago

Jade's cheeks were slick with tears shed when she came to. Just. Minutes. Passed. Crouched to the floor, so she straightened up. Arms swung painfully against her torso. Hurt. She'd need to fix that, then, wouldn't she?

She needed her full strength. Deserved it.

Then she felt a wave of anger so strong it nearly bowled her over. Her eyes flickered to the spot where the Mok'Tagar Demon had disappeared. "I should be thanking you," She said to the empty air. But she didn't feel gratitude. Fury gripped her instead. She'd gotten what she wanted, but not like this. She'd been made a fool of, and Lyth would pay.

"But I'll kill you for this," She promised. There, that felt better. The promise of violence. Helped clear her head.

It was disorienting. She'd been screaming for so long and was never heard, and now there was silence. So. Blissful. My turn. First emotion other than anger, a triumphant glee that spread through her stomach and up to her unbeating heart. She'd been patient. Waited so long, when it wasn't fair. Wasn't how it was supposed to be.

But things would be fair now.

Finally, she thought, and the joy dribbled back into anger. It'd been her turn from the beginning. No, no fucking turns. It was always hers. She'd been cheated. Her time was nearly taken from her, and how right was that? This was hers. Been hers since the heart stopped beating, and she'd only gotten it now?

Had to make up for lost time.

Her belly rumbled. She kicked furiously at the bag at her feet. The glass clinked, spilling. Crimson red trickled onto the wooden floor. Blood, but not what she wanted. Pig's blood? Disgusting. Her tongue curled up to her teeth, full and long in all their vampire glory. She'd always wanted to know what real blood tasted like.

Time to find out.

She hated the way her arms wouldn't move. She could force them, curling her fingers up and forcing her elbows to bend, but the pain was so overwhelming it was not worth it. How pathetically useless, although she is far from weak. She'd prove it, arms or no arms, she'd not be powerless. She never would be again. She'd kill anyone who'd try to make her feel that way.

Too many times. Too many fucking times she had all the strength in the world just to watch and do nothing, to decide to do nothing. Choosing to be incapable and passive was worse than fate handing it to her, and it curdled her blood. She curled her fingers into her palm, one of the few movements her arms would allow.

Never again. No more holding back. No more debilitating honor or crippling morality. What had it gotten her? Broken arms.

And no Spike. He'd just. Left. Her. Here. Again. Why would he do that? She'd tasted his blood, she'd saved his unlife. And he'd done the same for her. That was supposed to mean something, shouldn't it?

Should have, but didn't. She pushed it from her mind. Tried to, but the thoughts of Spike kept bouncing back with an undeniable tenacity. Spike, Spike, Spike. She wanted him to see him as she was now. No more simpering. Instead of letting him slip through her fingers, she'd grab him, pin him against the wall with that dominance he coveted and take what she wanted. Finally. Take.

But not yet. Not when her arms were this way. She needed to feed.

Not just anyone, it had to be special. Something she deserved. Something she'd been denied, but no longer.

She found herself at the Orphanage. Some place familiar seemed a comfort. Seemed inviting, but as she walked up the drab stairs, she remembered that wasn't the case. No invite here, but that could be arranged.

She rang the doorbell. Waited. Impatiently, until finally she heard big awkward clumping feet coming to the door, heard them resonating long before the door opened, and there was the drooping, ugly face of the loose-skinned demon, Nigel, the Orphan's keeper. At the last second, she remembered to revert her face, inferiorly human looking as he looked at her.

"Jade," He smiled through large teeth. Red eyes were bright and welcoming.

"Hi Nigel. Thought I'd drop by while it's night. Mind if I come in?"

He frowned. Hesitating. "You—you told us to never let you in." Jade tried not to snort with irritation. The loose-skinned demon picked now to grow a brain.

"Fine, ask them to come out then." She didn't bother to hide her impatience. "Lisa, Rachel. I just want to say hello while I'm in town."

Nigel looked back at her. "S-sure. I'll see if they're still awake." He ducked back into the doorway, leaving her standing out there. She looked at the candles, set outside on the porch. She shifted away, wary. Fire was one of her weaknesses. Crosses, and holy water too. She could work on the last two, but fire was all-consuming. She felt envious of it, tearing her gaze away as the door opened, Nigel returning.

Lisa and Rachel stood there, Rachel with a wide smile on her face. Jade waited with anticipation as the young girl opened her arms and made to step over the barrier. Unexpectedly, Lisa's thin fingers stopped her, wrapping around Rachel's shoulder. Jade frowned. Discovered already?

"Jade doesn't like hugs, remember?" Lisa chided her companion gently. "Especially now."

"Oh," Rachel murmured. "Right. The vampire thing." She whispered 'vampire'. The vampire in question felt a surge of irritation. Jade and her stupid precautions.

"You can give me a hug this time," she said. "I know it's been a while since I've visited."

Rachel's face lit up with glee. Once more, she went for the doorway, and Lisa's grip tightened. "No," the Chinese girl warned her companion. "Being close to her makes it harder on her, you know that."

Rachel pouted. "But she said…"

Lisa's eyes flickered to meet Jade's. "She's just being nice. Like always."

She knew the smart thing to do. Shrug it off and walk away.

But she was so tired of holding back all the time. No. More.

Her foot lashed out before the children could blink. The doorframe snapped off, a large chunk breaking off where she couldn't follow, into the house. Rachel let out a shriek, where Lisa's lips thinned into a line, her black eyes all-too-wise as they stared back at Jade. Knowing.

"What the f—heck! Jade, you'll have to fix that. You can't go around breaking things." Nigel protested, his eyes wide in alarm.

"Not Jade anymore," Lisa said quietly, mournfully.

"It's the Shadow," Rachel whispered as she came to a slow understanding as who stood before her. Finally.

Jade smiled at her. "You don't have to make this hard. There's an easier way."

"You don't have to do this." Lisa responded, still softly. She held Rachel protectively.

"Are you coming out?"

"No," she tried to keep her voice strong, but Lisa's voice wavered.

Jade shrugged. "Fine with me."

She dropped the trees on the Orphanage. Large, overgrown oaks that were too close. Jade rested herself at the bottom trunks and kicked with all her might. Powerless no longer. Nothing would stop her. That meant invitation rights. If she couldn't in, she'd get them out.

The trees fell, and their screams split the air. Children, shrieking, crying out. When they rushed out, she was there. She avoided most of them. Perhaps this wasn't the best place to start. Most of them were tainted with some demon aspect or another. But not all. Finally, one, a little boy, no more than ten. She didn't know his name. She knocked him to the ground, his glasses snapping. He tried to scramble back up, but she stilled him with a single foot on his back.

She hissed with the uselessness of her arms, but they weren't needed. Even if he wasn't a child, he was no match for her. She pushed her knee under him, lifting him up. Fangs found his neck. They broke the skin.

Blood filled her mouth.

It was so

Delicious

Finally.

Fresh and young and rich with fear. Animal blood was nothing compared to this.

She'd never taste that swill again.

His corpse had only barely cooled before she moved on to the next. And the next. She realised then, that some hadn't come out. The trees had knocked some of the candles over, and flames had licked at the leaves, then onto the branch. The fire had begun to spread to the Orphanage, but still, she hadn't seen Lisa or Rachel.

Wouldn't be right if she just left without them now, would it?

And things deserved to be right. Deserved to be perfect.

She approached the house. How much did it need to be demolished before it stopped being a house and instead was nothing, a barely constructed mess? She kicked viciously at the wall, some of it crumbling before her. Still, there was that barrier, keeping her at bay.

But not for long enough. The flames jumped and devoured, sparks shooting into the night, and the foundation of the building fell prey to it.

And the remaining inhabitants fell prey to Jade.

She stepped over the threshold. Triumph filled her. No more failing. No more incompetence. She was strong. Strong as the mountain.

She stepped through the burning halls. She had to be careful here. Couldn't risk the flame enveloping her as it did the house.

Then she saw them. The little-bitty witches, Rachel and Lisa. Even the third boy Jade had rescued once, Gunner was standing over Nigel's unconscious body. Lisa was crouched, pouring sand or some herbs out of her hand, onto the floor. Muttering quickly and desperately. So the little witch was practicing her magic. Her weakness, magic. She chose to never attempt it over arrogance. Like she didn't need it add it to her arsenal, little Jade prejudiced against it because of her sister. Be useful now, wouldn't it?

But she didn't need it. Not now, as she saw the children trembling, one of them a blue skinned demon with red eyes, and another whose eyes looked, unseeing at the floor. Blind, half-demon hybrids. She felt a flicker of shame, then. No worthy opponents here.

Still. Job to do here. She watched their eyes grow large and their breath grow heavy and their heart beats like little hummingbirds. Fear.

"Jade?" Rachel said, eyes wide. "Shadow Lady? Please don't hurt us."

"But I want to," Jade answered, matter-of-fact. Truth, there. She wanted to.

"Why?"

She stopped. Predatory prowl at a halt. Why?

Whydidshewanttokillthesechildren

Why did she have to have a why?

For fuck's sake why rationalize every little thing. Why weigh all the little cons and pros and think and justify and why, why, why, she was so tired of it. So reserved, so careful.

So fucking done.

"Because I'm really angry. I got hurt. Bad. They just broke my arms. All over. And I didn't do anything to stop them. And then, then Lyth of all people outsmarts me. And Spike leaves me in a hallway by myself. Says he'll come back, but why would he? Pathetic. Have all these wants and I never acted on them. Do you know I've thought about tasting your blood? Every time I see you. How you'd taste, all young and magicky. Every time. And I never get to find out. But now I do."

"That's why." And Jade stepped forward.

The children scrambled, an attempt both fruitless and desperate. They split, half into a hallway that the flame had mangled. Dead end. Rachel was at the head. Watched Jade approached her. One of the children peeled off a wooden strip of the doorframe that was on fire and threw it at Jade. She sidestepped it and laughed as it petered harmlessly behind her. Lisa'd had split into the other half.

That was fine, she'd be second.

"Please," Rachel whimpered. She'd been learning magic too, but she was several years younger than Lisa. And lacking the Chinese girl's devotion. There was no danger here.

No need to go slow.

One kick, and she hurled some of the children back into each other. Into the fire, into the wall. Into each other. Crack. Crack. Crack.

Then there was Rachel. She descended upon the blonde-haired child. Cries were ignored. She pinned Rachel to the wall and snapped her neck before her fangs sunk in.

She was almost getting full, now.

But there were more.

She found them around the next hallway. There was still hallway behind them, but they weren't moving. Jade moved cautiously. Lisa was still muttering at the ground in desperate haste.

"Rachel won't be joining us. She was like a little juice box," Jade said.

Lisa's mouth set in a determined line even as her face paled considerably. Her slim fingers curled around her neck, pulling out a blue talisman. Jade scowled, pulling back.

"You promised to protect us, Nobis Magister, return to us now." Lisa flung down the last of the crumpled sand and herbs in her hand, holding tight to her talisman as it glowed. A flash a light, she was forced to close her eyes, and there stood a woman. Jade didn't recognize her. She wore black robes, and a purple scarf wrapped around her head that Jade recognized as a hijab. She was old looking, with sunken bronze skin and large eyes, and the wisps of hair that did seep through her head covering were a silver gray.

"Madame Syeira!" Lisa cried out in a grateful sob. "The summoning worked. Please, save us."

Madame Syeira. Jade's lip curled. Yet another fucking stupid… she'd been the one to ask Lyth to convince the town's witch to pay a visit to the witch-wannabes at the orphanage to teach them magic. Apparently, she had, and now the little children had their magic teacher to come save them. All because she had orchestrated it. So. Stupid. She stepped forward.

She wouldn't turn tail and run.

She wasn't a coward.

"Back, demon." The witch flung up her hand and Jade was propelled backwards. Crashed through a wall and then another. She roared as the cinders touched her skin, as the flames threatened to dance around her, the roof unstable, everything unstable, threatening to drop the fire on her. She felt it singe her flesh, and she pushed through another wall to free herself, jarring her arms painfully as she found herself out of the mouth of the flames. She looked around for the others.

That magical bitch could have killed her. Some of Jade's clothes were smoking, but not on fire.

She plunged forward. She could smell them. She was full, but their blood would be sweet anyway.

She found them in time to see them teleport away, Madame Syeira finishing her spell, the old crone looking back at her as she whisked them all away.

Right out of her palm.

She felt cheated as she stepped out of the house. It collapsed behind her as she aimed one more kick at it. Falling like a deck of cards. That was better. Cinder and flames poured out into the blackest night. There were bodies everywhere. Not everyone had escaped. Just those eight.

But still her anger wasn't spent.

So she went hunting.

Lorne's bar went up in flame. The liquor in it helped. But no Lorne. Jade sniffed around but the green-skinned demon was more elusive than she thought. Still, she got a few of his regulars as they confronted her, indignant at first and then terrified as she slew them. Not quickly. She could savor it. Still, she wasn't quick as she needed to be. Large talons raked her lower back. Acid like spit burned her cheek.

She moved onto Eddie's house next. Maybe she wouldn't have destroyed it if he had answered the door. But there was no-one home, so she levelled it instead. Shattered pieces everywhere, like a giant had sat on it. But even her legs were aching, and they were the strongest part of her.

Where to next? She could go anywhere.

She returned to the apartment. Walked down the hallway.

Spike had left her here.

"I'll see you soon," She snarled aloud. How could he just leave her again? And why did she care?

Because he was supposed to be hers. She'd earned him, fucking earned him by now, and he was everywhere, tearing through her head. The Slayer of Slayers. The best fighter she'd ever seen. He would have had fun tonight. She'd slaughtered demons, danced for hours.

But no, he'd have wanted a reason for it. Didn't slaughter willy-nilly anymore.

He would have been disappointed, and that hurt. He wasn't whole, wasn't a right demon with his soul intact. Didn't enjoy things the way he used to. The way she did now. But she would fix that. Could fix that. He could ignore that soul. Remember what it was to be a demon. And he'd see her in a new light now. She'd be what he wanted.

She had to be.

Jade broke into Lyth's place. She didn't smash it, like the other places. Lyth would never return here. She knew that. Demon was too smart.

Smarter than her, apparently.

She raided the closet. Raided the alcohol, and then spit it out. It was no substitute for blood, and that's all she wanted right now. She'd been denied it for too long.

And she wanted Slayer blood. Wanted to know what it tasted like. Her arms were feeling better. It would take such a pathetically long time to heal her arms with that vegan diet as opposed to real feeding. Real human blood. And Slayer blood, that'd help even more. She'd get some.

She found a dress the color of blood. Struggled to pull it over herself. It was easier now, and the pain, well, she could handle it, if only barely. Grit her teeth against the agony, and in the slowest of goings, she pulled the dress on. Tight to her waist, a low neck that showed off her slim shoulders. She hated dresses, before. But secretly she thought she couldn't pull them off. She didn't care now. Stepped into boots. Looked deeper into the closet and found long, black man's clothing. A duster in leather. With a sniff, she could tell it wasn't Spike's but it looked similar. Lyth had planned for a long time. Knew what sort of things the platinum blonde vampire wore from their old poker games. And she'd kept the clothes in her closet and waited.

Waited for Jade to fall into her trap. Jade snarled. Yes. She had needed to get rid of this soul. But she hated being tricked.

That must have been why Spike left her. Stupidity.

She pulled out the jacket with her teeth. Looked out to the window. Sun was up.

No more adventures for today. She needed to find a place to sleep. Picked Lyth's bed. If Spike came back, she didn't want to be far. Had to be easily found.

She wrapped the duster around her and slept.

Her next stop was Los Angeles. She had taken a car. Her fingers could curl around the wheel, and she lifted up a knee to help her turn sharper corners.

She was disappointed, but not surprised when the Slayer house was empty. She snarled in frustration, and then annoyance. She'd just wanted a taste. Some Slayer blood so she didn't have to take so long to heal.

Because she had to find Spike.

If he wasn't coming back then she had to find him.

Had to, had to.

She wished she hadn't destroyed her phone. She'd kicked it to pieces after it had rung. She didn't care who was on the other end, didn't wish to speak to them. Didn't want to give herself up before she carried out her plans. Not that she had any plans, yet. Just one goal: Spike.

She wished now that she hadn't been so hasty. It could have been Spike on the other end, but she had doubted it. And she could have used it to call Lily. Lure her back. She could have, but now she couldn't.

She spent most of the night looking around. Trying to find a trace of the Slayers, and drinking off the inhabitants of Los Angeles instead. The vampire lover's club wasn't a concern of hers. Vampires were meant to be feared and they were predators and she would not be repressed again. She was free and she would do anything she wanted.

After being denied it for so long.

She returned to Haven, in the end of the night. Before the sun rose. Just in case Spike was there. He wasn't. This time, Lyth's apartment reflected Jade's frustration, her pain. Why hadn't he come back yet? Would he ever? He should have returned this day. But he hadn't.

She slept in Lyth's bed again, ignoring the glass and spilled liquids and wreck around her, that crunched under her feet before she made it to the mattress. The leather of the duster around her was a comfort. But it wasn't… didn't smell like him. But it was her cocoon, her comfort.

Until she could find him again.

Another day. She rose up to see the sun falling.

It'd been two nights waiting. Two days? But he hadn't come back.

So she had to find him, then.

Her path to San Francisco wasn't direct. She hadn't been free, though she deserved to be. Always holding back. She went through the cities, had her pick of those who strolled in the dark. A couple who looked longingly at each other as they walk through the park. Their blood was sweet and filling and she continued on feeling rejuvenated.

The water wasn't frozen yet, but it was cold, and there was no snow on the ground, despite it being January. She remembered snow. Her winters had been snow abound before she moved to Haven, before she ran away. And she never should have ran away. Never let her sister get away with her life, let her mother escape unpunished for her aloofness, for leaving Jade in the hands of her brutal sister.

Sometimes, Jade wondered if Pen had had a soul. That was supposed to be the key, wasn't it? The little barrier that led into either black or white.

Well it wasn't so true. Jade wasn't evil, she was just free. No more inhibitions. If she wanted to do it, then she'd do it. She could, now. Nothing was stopping her. So she wanted Spike? She could go get him. Not sit around, moping. Like Jade would do.

She separated Jade into a different person. The stupid little-sister persona that'd controlled her body when she no longer had a right to. She had died, so it was the demon's turn. That was the way it always was. But she'd had to wait and it wasn't fair. Now she wanted to distance herself from the human-vampire Jade had been. Pathetic.

She deserved a vampire name. That's what vampires did when they were born again, weren't they? Spike had done it. William no more. Spike was what represented him, and it was marvelous. She needed something like that.

Then she remembered Rachel had called her a shadow, and then a shadow Lady. That was no doubt Jade's influence, trying to explain the differences between her and a true vampire. But shadows made sense, and she knew everything that Jade had ever thought, everything she had ever felt. She knew the fear that Jade had felt at the thought of losing her soul, at being released. She knew what Jade had called her in the corner of her mind. The shadow, the night. Knew Jade's perchance for old tales, for Greek myths, for Gods and Goddesses. And Jade'd been so close to being one. So. Close. All the power in her reach and Jade wouldn't grasp it. But she would.

And her name was Nyx. Shadow lady. Goddess of Night. It fit. And Jade would tremble, knowing that one of her errant thoughts had named Nyx. But it was perfect. Jade was just what she had been. The weak part. She could be Nyx, she could be free and glorious. If Spike hadn't wanted Jade, he would now want Nyx.

She was what she was meant to be, now.

She'd been driving. Hours of driving, and she was approaching San Francisco. She was still trying to figure out her plan. Waltzing up to the Slayer headquarter base was a sure way to never see Spike again. They'd try to kill her and she wouldn't get close.

And she wasn't healed yet.

She should wait. A week, maybe two. She'd be stronger. Top shape.

But far as she knew, Willow was still out in her plane, and as much as she hated to admit it, she had to fear the witch. If anyone could screw up her plans, it was Willow. She could stop her, and she wouldn't be as worried about teleporting children away. She was likely stronger than Syeira was. Stronger than them all, and at Buffy's side. Ah, the blonde bitch was so lucky. Had all these friends and adorers around her. While Jade was alone, and she only wanted. One. Thing.

And that was why she couldn't wait. She wanted Spike. Wanted to see him, wanted to taste him, wanted to hold him under her. He could want her back, she knew it. He just had to see her again. Just had be shown.

So she watched the building from afar. Really far back. She'd gotten in hours ago, just before the sun came up, and now she was waiting. Long, long hours. She hated the sun. Sun, magic. She hated anything that might tell her she was anything but unstoppable.

And she was frustrated. How was she just supposed to fight them during the night? They could just run away during the day, taking Spike with them. And what if Spike wasn't there?

A wave of devastation went through her, the thought was so disappointing. No, no, he had to be there.

Or she'd keep looking. She'd just keep looking until she found him.

Underground was her choice. Not that she had many in front of her. She found the sewers. Wrinkled up her nose at the scent of them. Disgusting, but these weren't protected. Not like the rest of the Headquarters would be. They wanted her to drop from the top like King Kong, visible and easy pickings. But she knew that there was an extensive basement underneath the Slayer's hotel. She'd been in there with Spike, after all. It was like a bunker. With thick metal. They wouldn't expect her to go that way, but she would.

And she did.

Through a thick metal grate that had separated the building from the sewers. She slid in. And havoc began. She was no carpenter, but she knew about load bearing walls. And she had her very own wrecking ball. Herself. She shifted all her weight onto her legs and kicked. Here. There. Her arms were slowly able to move now, swing and react, but the pain was there, reaction was slow and strength was diminished.

So she would have to be smart about it. But she did not have to be afraid.

She felt exhilaration when the building shook. Groaned, heavily.

When it collapsed down.

She escaped in time, laughing all the way.

She rose up through the manhole, springing out and landing easily on her feet. The dark sky greeted her. Sun was down, now.

It was her court. Her. Battlefield.

They didn't scurry. She expected them to when they left the building with haste. Expected them to just keep running, and leave the building behind, but they stayed, gathering. There were shouts that she could hear from afar, even if she didn't have vamp hearing. When she neared, she could scent the acrid smell of blood, and it was delicious. Slayer blood. They hadn't gone unscathed when the building had teetered and dropped. Some had died, some might still be pinned down.

One of the Slayers was carried out, missing an arm. It had been crushed by something.

Don't underestimate me, that's what you get. She was proud, triumphant. Nothing to be scared of now.

And then she saw them. Four, huddled together. Not like the rest. Mouths moving, lights emanating from their fingers. Witches. Three females and a man.

She'd take them down first.

But…

She looked. No Spike. And there weren't enough of them, not enough of the Slayers. Some had left already, some had fled before her attack.

But Buffy was there. At the head, of course. Like the arrogant blonde would be anywhere else. She held a stake, while mostly everyone else held crossbows. Crosses dripping from their necks. Angel's crew was there. Gunn, and his girlfriend Gwen. Faith was there, dark eyes searching. Looking for the big bad.

Nyx wouldn't keep them waiting.

She liked the high ground. Buffy and the others neared the vans, and she wondered if they were trying to escape. So she reached there first. A few of the Slayers screamed as she kicked one van into the others. Smashes of metal, smoking engines.

Faith and Buffy didn't scream. They were at the front. Faith cocked her crossbow.

"Don't wanna hurt you," the Slayer said. "But you kinda wrecked their house and that's a bit of a no-no. Kind of a piss off, you know?"

"Stand down, Jade." Buffy spoke, as if it were words she was forced to recite.

Nyx smiled.

Buffy looked at her stoically. She was shorter than Faith, but stood determined and resolute. Oh, the good just radiated her. Such a ball of sunshine.

And Spike was addicted to her.

The thought cut her. Deep and burning. Here was the bane of her happiness right here. Buffy. Who had everything. The vampires with souls, the whole kit and caboodle. She led all these Slayers. They'd die for her. And Jade'd let them. Buffy'd be last.

But first, she needed to find Spike.

"Where is Spike?" She asked.

"Not here." Buffy's voice was steel. Protecting her boyfriend, was she? Nyx's disappointment was tantamount. He wasn't here. She still hadn't found him.

But she would.

He'd come back. Not for her. But for Buffy.

And wasn't that just a stake through the heart.

But the only stake that would go anywhere near hers.

"Why don't you call him back, then?" She leaned against one of the vans. Her eyes crept back, past Buffy.

The four she'd been wary of joined hands.

Magic.

She wouldn't let them. She lifted up one of the vans. Kicked it up and sent it back down. Screams filled her ears.

And then the crossbows were fired.

She dodged two, twirled. Another one was close, too close. But her arm was at the ready, half-cocked. Not too much movement required, so she slapped it away with her palm. Shrieked then, as a pain assaulted her hand, burning and sizzling. They'd dipped the arrows in holy water. She was still reveling in this knowledge when another came whistling through the air. She tried to move, did at the last moment. It sunk into her shoulder.

She flung herself backward to escape the onslaught as the burning sunk through her arm, twisting and eating and devouring. She held up her good hand, shaking with the effort, and pulled it out. Her fingers blistered as she dropped the offending dart and dropped it to the ground. Bitches.

Her shoulder was in agony. But she pushed it back, pushed it out of her head. She had to get those witches.

And she did. Her van had struck one of them, as well as one of the Slayers. This time, when Jade flew back in, she descended upon them like a fury. She jumped in the middle. Heard the clicks of reloading crossbows. One of the witches was bleeding out, having been struck by metal flying from the van as it crunched down. Could hear her heartbeat slowing as the blood flowed freely. So she ignored her. Caught the next witch with a foot to her throat. Crunch. Dead.

There were two more witches left. She could see Giles, crouching near one. Jade approached her, like an animal on the hunt. The witch cradled her arm to her chest. If it'd been broken by the hotel falling down or by the van, Nyx didn't know. Defiant, pale green eyes looked back at her. Blood trickled out of the corner of her full mouth. Jade wondered how it would taste.

But the witch raised her good hand, muttered, "Ignis."

And then there was fire. Not on her. It rose up like a wall, and only the barest flames licked her skin before she jumped back. Away. Cursing as she smothered the flames. She couldn't be so direct.

So she wasn't. They wouldn't dare split up, looking for her, but they'd keep her from getting at them. That was fine. She could see in the dark better than they could. She was a shadow. A shadow with the strength of a catapult. She would drop to her back, letting it collide with the ground. Get her feet under the grill of the cars and lift up. They'd flip and descend. Devastation. Some projectiles went far off her target. The witches were trying to project glamours to confuse her, but the scent of blood and fear didn't lie. She wanted to finish the job, kill the last two, but she couldn't reach them, and trying to had been her first mistake. She was hurt now, and the holy water burned. She'd turned wrong, but she knew better now. She had to take out the others first, and not be ruled by her fear.

So when she separated a Slayer from the others by one well-aimed car, that's when she descended on her.

She think she recognized this one. Something about the fear in her eyes looked familiar. And then her face. Soft and heartshaped with big-framed glasses that sat on her nose. She was young, like most of the Slayers here. She'd seen that Boy Slayer again, the one who called himself James, and she realised then who this was. One of the girls she'd sparred with, who she'd punted into the air and then let go. Yeah, how good it was to let her off lightly then. Obviously, the girl hadn't learned anything. She was at a Slaypire's mercy again, and this time she wasn't getting a get out of jail free card. The girl's reserve was gone, any Slayer calm had dissipated and there was nothing keeping her from shrieking her head off. She managed a hardy kick at Jade's arm that earned a seething hiss from the vampire as the shock reverberated through her arm. The Slayer was struggling for all she was worth. "We weren't trying to kill you," the girl sobbed, her hair spread out beneath her, on her back as Jade pulled her back with an aching arm. There was a chorus of worried voices, calls.

"Daphne!" They cried out. Calls faded as Nyx pulled her back farther. This was private. She didn't need them getting in her way. It would be her first taste of Slayer blood and she wanted to savour it. Just as long as the rest of them didn't take the time to escape. She had a half an ear to the tremors of the ground, and the rest of her attention was focused on Daphne. Slim and frightened.

"We volunteered to stay behind to help capture you," She sobbed. "Not kill you. We're not trying to kill you. Please."

Jade leaned towards her. "Are you regretting your heroics now?" She asked.

Daphne's lips trembled and she didn't say anything. Nyx placed her knee on Daphne's chest, a great whoosh of breath leaving the girl's body as she pushed down.

"I'm curious. Answer me." She said it casually, honestly. They'd stayed behind to try to capture her, did they? They thought they were the merciful ones. How arrogant of them to assume she could be overwhelmed. That they had the power to do so. It was laughable.

"Y-yes," Daphne's teeth chattered. "I thought y-you might…"

"Spare you again?" Nyx asked, tilting her head to one side. What a thought. "Did you think we had a connection?" She smiled, licking her lips. "Did you have a crush on me?" Daphne closed her eyes and didn't say anything. Any of Nyx's desire to tease the girl about her foolish infatuation stirred but didn't burn. Wasn't something to laugh about. Hell, she couldn't blame Daphne. Nyx was Slaypire. Strong, fast. Beautiful, unstoppable. Who wouldn't worship her?

Everyone but Spike. And there was resentment and disappointment. Spike. She'd tried so hard and he still didn't… She was aching all over. Her arms were agony, her flesh burned. And he wasn't here. Didn't even appreciate what she was doing for him.

Daphne cried. She didn't struggle, out of breath as Nyx bore down on her.

"Jade…" She begged. Nyx hesitated. She wasn't that anymore, didn't anyone get that? She was the better version, the 2.0, the rewrite. She had all Jade's memories, knew every thought that had gone in her head, but all the inhibitions were gone. All of Jade's dark thoughts, all her impulses, that's what she was now. She was free. She wasn't the other flip of the coin, she was just the necessary next step. She was what she was supposed to be. A vampire with nothing holding her back.

And there'd be no conflict anymore. If she was hungry, she ate. If something was in her way, she'd take them out. Nothing could stop her, except magic. So she'd avoid it or destroy it. She could do anything she wanted. Except for Spike.

Daphne's eyes had opened again, and tears were visible. And Nyx found she just couldn't look at it anymore. Couldn't look at the dismay, and why, why would she make herself wait anymore?

"I need your blood to heal up," Nyx explained. Not that she needed to justify herself. "Don't worry, though. You'll like it more than you think," Nyx promised. Daphne raised her hands in a last desperate attempt to save herself. Nyx bore down until there was the crunching of the Slayer's ribs, and she let out a pained cry. Then Nyx lowered her teeth to her neck. Daphne's cry dwindled to a whimper, and her struggles stopped.

Slayer blood

Rushed through

Her veins.

Intoxicating, Exhilarating, Arousing.

If she thought human blood was gourmet compared to the animal swill she'd been drinking, this was a whole new scale. It invigorated her. And it tasted so good. Salt, iron, fear, pain, pleasure. She drank so quickly and so deeply she didn't know when Daphne's heart had stopped beating and even the faint protests she'd made had quieted. Nyx sat there and let it wash over her. No more wondering about what that tasted like either. She'd wanted it, and she'd gotten it.

Now all there was left was Spike.

But he hadn't come. A few times, the Slayers made to run. She persuaded them otherwise. She was still wary of the witches, when they put up some spell, but she didn't think it affected her. At least, she hoped so. But she didn't want to risk shoving in.

She knew night wouldn't last forever, and she was beginning to become desperate. She might be able to take them head on, but it would be a risk. She was hurt, and while the Slayer's blood invigorated her, it wasn't an instant health potion. It didn't quite work like that.

And she was running out of time. Maybe this whole thing had been another stupid, stupid attempt. Spike had ran away, or maybe Buffy stored him somewhere. Her anger returned. Back to the kill them all, no matter how long it took.

And then she heard the car. Off in a distance, the first to approach the hotel in hours. She watched and waited. There was only one person she wanted to see, and everything else was pushed away.

And then there he was. Followed by Xander and Angel. She hadn't even noticed them missing before, that they weren't part of the group supposedly staying to capture her. But she didn't care. Didn't notice anything but him.

There was Spike. Spike was here, and there was no stopping her now. She could have him now, finally. All she had to do was reach him.

And there was everyone in the way and ruining it. And Spike, looking back at her with those blue eyes. Was he disappointed. He couldn't be disappointed, not after everything.

She had to find out.

Had to make him see.

She was better now.

AN: Thank you, as always, for the very lovely reviews! I love reading them, and they make me super happy and or guilty. Thank you to MarshWolffe, Vivi H88, Momnesia, xXbriannaXx, LovingAnything and BarbyChan4Ever for your comments. They make my day, and just thank you to readers in general. Also I've been writing tons but instead of having more chapters ready to put out I just have really really really long chapters, so I'm not that much further ahead of you guys at all. Lots to come! Hope everyone has a very Happy New Year!