Chapter 26
&&&&&&&&&
"Welcome wagon?" Charlotte guessed as she met the demon's punches and
easily blocked them. "I really was wondering how long I'd go in this
town without something deciding to take their shot at the new Slayer.
What's the kill-suggestion, Watcher-Man?"
"Uh, what've you got on you?" Doyle winced as Charlie punched the
demon in the stomach and got backhanded for her effort. The force of
it sent her sprawling on her back, but she was up and dodging blows
again within seconds.
"Stake," she gasped for breath, answering his question.
"It'll at least hurt it," Doyle shrugged. "You need any--"
"No, I'm good," Charlie answered, and delivered a kick to the demon's
stomach that sent _him_ sprawling this time. She pulled the stake out
of her jeans pocket and landed it in its heart, but it only roared in
anger and shoved her back.
"Okay, now I'm really getting irritated," Charlie said, as she got up
from the ground and brushed herself off. "That was my favorite
stake!" she added as the demon pulled it out of its chest and threw
it thirty feet away. "Okay... big, scaly, rather slimy, definitely
not a people-demon.......any of this ringing a bell with the
recent demon research?"
"Oh."
"Doyle, I know that tone of voice, and yes, I'm probably going to kick
your punch ass, but help me kill the nasty first."
"It's a Kuntar demon, and they have two hearts. Kind of a backup
system, I guess you would say," Doyle mumbled apologetically.
"Left and right sides of the body?" She kicked the demons legs out
from under it, and it went down again. It didn't get up, and she
hoped it was dazed for the moment.
"Yeah."
"Now he tells me," she muttered. "So now all I need is a --"
"Charlie!"
Charlotte ducked to miss the grasp of the demon. It had recovered
faster than she'd hoped and come up behind her as she looked for a
weapon. "You're not amusing, you know," she said to the demon, while
meeting and blocking its blows and getting some of her own in. "No
witty comebacks, just roaring and punching. Not to mention that you
cheated with having two hearts. How's a Slayer supposed to Slay?"
"This might help," Angel said from her left. He tossed her a sword,
and she promptly drove it into the demon's right side, where she
hoped the heart would be. Apparently it was a good guess, because the
demon screeched, and fell to the ground. She watched as it twitched a
few times, then stopped moving.
"Dead?" she asked Doyle.
"I think so, though it looks like body burial is next," Doyle replied.
"Or not," Charlotte said. They watched in shock as the body burst
into flames. "Now that's something you don't see every day," she
remarked. "And if you think you're off the hook brother dear, you are
so wrong," Charlotte glared at him, her arms crossed in front of her.
"What did I do?" Doyle gave his best innocent look.
"The, 'by the way, the demon's got two hearts' is what! You've really
got to do more demon research, Doyle! It's a good thing that Angel
happened to walk by, because I was not prepared for an attack in broad
daylight by a demon," Charlotte said.
"Welcome to the Hellmouth," Angel grinned. "Life in Sunnydale doesn't
follow the normal rules as far as demons go. I'm just glad that I was
walking by and saw you, and that Spike happens to keep a fascinating
array of weapons in the trunk of his car."
"Well, thanks, you were more helpful than my _watcher_," Charlotte
said.
"Glad I could help. You're Faith's replacement, right?" Angel asked.
"Yeah, Charlotte McNeill," Charlotte replied. "Guess my big brother
filled you in. And you're Angel. So what now, Doyle?"
"I thought you were going to kick my ass," Doyle teased with a
chuckle.
"Don't tempt me," Charlotte said, with a raised eyebrow. "I'm hungry,"
she decided.
"Well, then I guess that's the next thing on the agenda," Doyle
replied. "Angel, you and Wesley want to join us?"
"Sure," Angel shrugged, "Food sounds like an interesting idea
right now," he added with a smile.
&&&&&&&&&&&
Sunnydale Sewer Tunnels
5:30 pm
Spike was pacing up and down the room, and Drusilla was sitting in a
corner nearby, humming and talking to unseen people. A male vampire
entered from the sewers, and said, "I couldn't find it."
"What the bloody hell do you mean, you can't find it?" Spike yelled.
"How can you not find a car, you mindless moron!"
"Um...are you sure you left it at the mansion?" the vampire mumbled,
looking away apologetically.
"No, I left it somewhere else and walked IN THE SUNLIGHT TO THE
MANSION!!! I've staked vamps for stupider questions, you realize," he
growled.
"Sorry, I just...it's not there, Boss," the vampire shrugged.
"What...." Spike's look of bewilderment changed to that of rage, and
the vampire stepped back as far as he could without drawing Spike's
attention. "ANGEL!" Spike roared. "BLOODY HELL! THE WANKER STOLE MY
EFFIN CAR!" Spike charged up to the other vampire and slammed his
fist into his face. The vampire stumbled back, wiping the blood from
his nose.
"Spike, what did you do that for," Drusilla asked, walking up to lay a
hand on Spike's arm. "It's not his fault, besides, what do we need
that silly car for anyway?"
"Pet, if you and I are sailing to Paris, we need a ride to the coast,"
Spike explained patiently.
"Well, just find another car," Drusilla answered and walked back to
her corner, already bored with the situation. Spike opened his mouth
to argue, but then smiled. *She may be completely looney but she has
her moments* he thought.
"Another car," he said to himself. "Yeah, that's a good idea, Dru,"
he looked over to her, but she was distracted watching a rat that was
scurrying along the far side of the room. Sighing, he turned back to
the vampire minion, "Well, go find a car. And don't come back unless
you're in that car."
The vampire nodded, and left. Spike walked to where Drusilla was
standing. She was staring at the wall. Spike hoped she was seeing
something more fascinating than what Spike saw, which was a dirty wall
covered with mold and grime. "Dru baby," he said, putting his hand
under her chin.
When she looked at him and he reassured himself that she was back
with him, he continued. "So Patrick is going to get the car, and
then we'll head for the coast. We'll find a cruise ship going to
Paris, and spend some time there. Hell, maybe the whole summer, maybe
longer. How's that sound?" he kissed her on the tip of her nose, and
she giggled childishly.
"Perfect," she replied with a broad smile. "I'm so glad my Will is
going to take me on a trip. We haven't been anywhere together since
we left this silly town last time. We just have to hurry. The bad
thing, he's getting ready to play. And if he finds you he'll hurt
you."
Spike relaxed when he heard her call him by his real name. She only
did that when she was in a particularly clear frame of mind, and
happy. He realized she was quickly forgetting her real reason for
coming back: Angelus. "Don't worry, Luv," Spike said. "We'll be out
of here within the hour I'm sure. As soon as Patrick comes back with
our car."
"What are we going to do while we're waiting?" Dru with an innocent
look up at him. Contrary to her expression, though, she wrapped her
arms around his neck and pressed her body up against his, making it
clear she had definite ideas of to pass the time.
"Uh..." Spike tried to form a coherent sentence, but realized it
wasn't going to come. Instead he grabbed her face in his hands and
kissed her, thinking she had a very good idea on how to pass the time
until that car showed up.
&&&&&&
End of 26
&&&&&&&&&
"Welcome wagon?" Charlotte guessed as she met the demon's punches and
easily blocked them. "I really was wondering how long I'd go in this
town without something deciding to take their shot at the new Slayer.
What's the kill-suggestion, Watcher-Man?"
"Uh, what've you got on you?" Doyle winced as Charlie punched the
demon in the stomach and got backhanded for her effort. The force of
it sent her sprawling on her back, but she was up and dodging blows
again within seconds.
"Stake," she gasped for breath, answering his question.
"It'll at least hurt it," Doyle shrugged. "You need any--"
"No, I'm good," Charlie answered, and delivered a kick to the demon's
stomach that sent _him_ sprawling this time. She pulled the stake out
of her jeans pocket and landed it in its heart, but it only roared in
anger and shoved her back.
"Okay, now I'm really getting irritated," Charlie said, as she got up
from the ground and brushed herself off. "That was my favorite
stake!" she added as the demon pulled it out of its chest and threw
it thirty feet away. "Okay... big, scaly, rather slimy, definitely
not a people-demon.......any of this ringing a bell with the
recent demon research?"
"Oh."
"Doyle, I know that tone of voice, and yes, I'm probably going to kick
your punch ass, but help me kill the nasty first."
"It's a Kuntar demon, and they have two hearts. Kind of a backup
system, I guess you would say," Doyle mumbled apologetically.
"Left and right sides of the body?" She kicked the demons legs out
from under it, and it went down again. It didn't get up, and she
hoped it was dazed for the moment.
"Yeah."
"Now he tells me," she muttered. "So now all I need is a --"
"Charlie!"
Charlotte ducked to miss the grasp of the demon. It had recovered
faster than she'd hoped and come up behind her as she looked for a
weapon. "You're not amusing, you know," she said to the demon, while
meeting and blocking its blows and getting some of her own in. "No
witty comebacks, just roaring and punching. Not to mention that you
cheated with having two hearts. How's a Slayer supposed to Slay?"
"This might help," Angel said from her left. He tossed her a sword,
and she promptly drove it into the demon's right side, where she
hoped the heart would be. Apparently it was a good guess, because the
demon screeched, and fell to the ground. She watched as it twitched a
few times, then stopped moving.
"Dead?" she asked Doyle.
"I think so, though it looks like body burial is next," Doyle replied.
"Or not," Charlotte said. They watched in shock as the body burst
into flames. "Now that's something you don't see every day," she
remarked. "And if you think you're off the hook brother dear, you are
so wrong," Charlotte glared at him, her arms crossed in front of her.
"What did I do?" Doyle gave his best innocent look.
"The, 'by the way, the demon's got two hearts' is what! You've really
got to do more demon research, Doyle! It's a good thing that Angel
happened to walk by, because I was not prepared for an attack in broad
daylight by a demon," Charlotte said.
"Welcome to the Hellmouth," Angel grinned. "Life in Sunnydale doesn't
follow the normal rules as far as demons go. I'm just glad that I was
walking by and saw you, and that Spike happens to keep a fascinating
array of weapons in the trunk of his car."
"Well, thanks, you were more helpful than my _watcher_," Charlotte
said.
"Glad I could help. You're Faith's replacement, right?" Angel asked.
"Yeah, Charlotte McNeill," Charlotte replied. "Guess my big brother
filled you in. And you're Angel. So what now, Doyle?"
"I thought you were going to kick my ass," Doyle teased with a
chuckle.
"Don't tempt me," Charlotte said, with a raised eyebrow. "I'm hungry,"
she decided.
"Well, then I guess that's the next thing on the agenda," Doyle
replied. "Angel, you and Wesley want to join us?"
"Sure," Angel shrugged, "Food sounds like an interesting idea
right now," he added with a smile.
&&&&&&&&&&&
Sunnydale Sewer Tunnels
5:30 pm
Spike was pacing up and down the room, and Drusilla was sitting in a
corner nearby, humming and talking to unseen people. A male vampire
entered from the sewers, and said, "I couldn't find it."
"What the bloody hell do you mean, you can't find it?" Spike yelled.
"How can you not find a car, you mindless moron!"
"Um...are you sure you left it at the mansion?" the vampire mumbled,
looking away apologetically.
"No, I left it somewhere else and walked IN THE SUNLIGHT TO THE
MANSION!!! I've staked vamps for stupider questions, you realize," he
growled.
"Sorry, I just...it's not there, Boss," the vampire shrugged.
"What...." Spike's look of bewilderment changed to that of rage, and
the vampire stepped back as far as he could without drawing Spike's
attention. "ANGEL!" Spike roared. "BLOODY HELL! THE WANKER STOLE MY
EFFIN CAR!" Spike charged up to the other vampire and slammed his
fist into his face. The vampire stumbled back, wiping the blood from
his nose.
"Spike, what did you do that for," Drusilla asked, walking up to lay a
hand on Spike's arm. "It's not his fault, besides, what do we need
that silly car for anyway?"
"Pet, if you and I are sailing to Paris, we need a ride to the coast,"
Spike explained patiently.
"Well, just find another car," Drusilla answered and walked back to
her corner, already bored with the situation. Spike opened his mouth
to argue, but then smiled. *She may be completely looney but she has
her moments* he thought.
"Another car," he said to himself. "Yeah, that's a good idea, Dru,"
he looked over to her, but she was distracted watching a rat that was
scurrying along the far side of the room. Sighing, he turned back to
the vampire minion, "Well, go find a car. And don't come back unless
you're in that car."
The vampire nodded, and left. Spike walked to where Drusilla was
standing. She was staring at the wall. Spike hoped she was seeing
something more fascinating than what Spike saw, which was a dirty wall
covered with mold and grime. "Dru baby," he said, putting his hand
under her chin.
When she looked at him and he reassured himself that she was back
with him, he continued. "So Patrick is going to get the car, and
then we'll head for the coast. We'll find a cruise ship going to
Paris, and spend some time there. Hell, maybe the whole summer, maybe
longer. How's that sound?" he kissed her on the tip of her nose, and
she giggled childishly.
"Perfect," she replied with a broad smile. "I'm so glad my Will is
going to take me on a trip. We haven't been anywhere together since
we left this silly town last time. We just have to hurry. The bad
thing, he's getting ready to play. And if he finds you he'll hurt
you."
Spike relaxed when he heard her call him by his real name. She only
did that when she was in a particularly clear frame of mind, and
happy. He realized she was quickly forgetting her real reason for
coming back: Angelus. "Don't worry, Luv," Spike said. "We'll be out
of here within the hour I'm sure. As soon as Patrick comes back with
our car."
"What are we going to do while we're waiting?" Dru with an innocent
look up at him. Contrary to her expression, though, she wrapped her
arms around his neck and pressed her body up against his, making it
clear she had definite ideas of to pass the time.
"Uh..." Spike tried to form a coherent sentence, but realized it
wasn't going to come. Instead he grabbed her face in his hands and
kissed her, thinking she had a very good idea on how to pass the time
until that car showed up.
&&&&&&
End of 26