Part Nine
Sunnydale
Friday 9 pm
"Spike, when are we going to go kill them?" Drusilla walked over to
the blond vampire and stood in front of him, pouting. "And why do we
have to be in this wet, nasty place?" she asked, wrinkling her nose.
Spike pulled her down on his lap, and smiled, "Luv, I promise we'll
go after the Slayer very soon. But we just need to wait for the rest
of the fledglings. If we both had rings, that would be one thing,
there wouldn't be any stopping us. But there's just one, so that that
means whoever doesn't have the ring gets extra protection." *Besides
the fact I gotta get rid of the Pouff before you see him*
"I don't like waiting," Drusilla replied. "I'm hungry. And I want to
have some fun."
"We will, Pet," Spike said, and pulled her face down for a
kiss. "Just a few more hours and the reinforcements will be here." He
eased her off his lap then, and said, "I'm going to go check things
out. You wait here, okay?"
"Spike--"
"Dru, I'm not asking," Spike growled. "Just wait."
"Fine," she huffed at him, then walked away to her corner where she'd
set up her dolls.
*Brilliant, Spike,* he thought, watching Drusilla closely. *Bring the
psychotic vampire to this town _before_ you've taken care of the
Scoobies. Care to rethink that plan now? Oh shut the hell up, it's a
little too late now. Now, you find the Pouff before she does.* He
spared her one last glance, to convince himself she was distracted
with her toys, before heading out further into the sewers system.
*********
"Angel, are we looking for anything particular?" Buffy asked. They'd
been wandering the sewer system for an hour, and she'd seen more
dead - and alive - rats than she'd wanted to see in her entire
lifetime. The only thing she couldn't decide was if she liked them
better alive or dead. "Because you, me, and sewers ...well let's just
say I don't like to mix those three things."
"Buffy, Willie said--"
"I know, I know," Buffy cut him off. "Big vampire gathering. In the
sewers. I swear, he's just _so_ helpful, ya know? Because it's not
like Sunnydale doesn't have somthing like twenty miles of sewer
tunnels." She sighed, and added, "And I definitely do _not_ like
splitting up the gang like this." Anya and Xander were exploring the
north end of the sewer system, while Buffy and Angel were on the
south side. The general plan had been to meet up in the center of the
grid.
"They'll be okay," Angel replied confidently. " Trust me. I wouldn't
have suggested it if otherwise."
"I do trust you," Buffy said with a smile. "I would prefer being
nearby in case the others need me, though. And how are you so sure
that they won't get hurt?"
"Because I know Spike and Drusilla. If they're in town, which I
imagine they are by now, they'll want to make an entrance, so to
speak. And given the choice of people to make their presence known
to, I'm sure they'll choose us."
"So that's what we're doing? Luring them out?" Buffy questioned.
"Yeah," Angel nodded. "Our chances with Spike are better if we knock
him off guard and force him to deviate from his plan."
"Spike has a plan?" Buffy looked at Angel incredulously. "Since when
has he _ever_ had a plan?" she rolled her eyes.
"He has plans," Angel replied. "They just don't go the way he wants
them to, usually. Luckily for us."
"Angel, I gotta tell you. I'm not worried in the least about Spike.
He tried to get Willow to do a love spell to get Dru back, and that
backfired on him. He had the Ring of Amarra and he lost it. Besides
being a general pain in the ass, he's not much more. The only danger
I'm in from Spike is if he finds a way to literally annoy me to
death. Because _that_ just might happen." She grinned over at him and
squeezed his hand.
Angel couldn't help chuckling at that thought, but he composed
himself and tried to look at Buffy sternly. "Don't underestimate him,
he's not as dumb as you think he is."
"He's not dumb," Buffy shrugged. "Just doesn't think things through.
And that's why I -- we -- can always beat him."
"Aw, come on now, Blondie, I'm not that hopeless with my plans,"
Spike said with a grin as he stepped out in front of them. "Hello,
Peaches," he nodded at Angel. "I seem to remember kicking _his_ ass a
few times with my 'not thought through' plans."
"And yet I'm still standing," Angel replied with a shrug. "Why is
that, Spike?"
"Dunno," Spike frowned. "But it's something I plan to remedy real
soon." He vamped out at that moment and dove at Angel. The two went
to the ground, wrestling.
"Hey!" Buffy yelled. She stepped closer to the two, who were now
trading punches. She staked Spike from behind, but to her irritation
he did not vanish in a cloud of dust.
"BLOODY HELL!" he roared instead, but it served her need to get him
off of Angel. He scrambled away, trying to reach around to pull out
Mr. Pointy, which was still lodged in his back. "That hurts A WHOLE
LOT MORE WHEN YOU DON'T TURN TO A PILE OF DUST!" He turned on her,
glaring, and then surprised her by smashing his left shoulder against
the wall with another scream.
Buffy winced, and then realized his intention. He'd dislocated his
shoulder, so he could twist his arm back further to pull the stake
out. He did so with a sigh of relief, and then threw the stake behind
him as far as he could.
"You're so going to die for that, Slayer," he growled.
"Oh yeah? Just try it," Buffy challenged. She retrieved a knife from
her boot, and dropped into fighting stance.
"Gladly," Spike said, before he ran at her. She swiped at him with
the knife, but he blocked the blow with his right arm. She saw the
ring on his ring finger then, and knew that getting it off his hand
was the only way to be able to dust him.
"Not bloody likely," Spike said, reading her thoughts. He grabbed her
right hand holding the knife with his left, and squeezed. Buffy
yelled in pain as she heard the crack of breaking bones. Somehow she
had the presence of mind to kick out at him, though, sending him to
his rear end. She saw a blur that she realized was Angel, as he dove
on top of Spike, pounding him with both fists.
Buffy took her right hand in her left, and examined it. She was
pretty sure that every bone was broken, and felt a wave of dizzyness
from the pain. She reached out to brace herself against a nearby wall
with her good hand, and then discovered her knife was missing. "Oh
shit. Angel, the knife--"
She looked over in horror as she heard Angel's pained scream, as he
stumbled away from Spike. Her eyes met Spike's sneering ones first,
and he held up the bloody knife for her to see. "I win round one," he
declared with a grin.
"NO!" she yelled as she saw Angel sitting against the wall, holding
his stomach, which was bleeding profusely from a knife wound.
***********
Sunnydale
Friday 9 pm
"Spike, when are we going to go kill them?" Drusilla walked over to
the blond vampire and stood in front of him, pouting. "And why do we
have to be in this wet, nasty place?" she asked, wrinkling her nose.
Spike pulled her down on his lap, and smiled, "Luv, I promise we'll
go after the Slayer very soon. But we just need to wait for the rest
of the fledglings. If we both had rings, that would be one thing,
there wouldn't be any stopping us. But there's just one, so that that
means whoever doesn't have the ring gets extra protection." *Besides
the fact I gotta get rid of the Pouff before you see him*
"I don't like waiting," Drusilla replied. "I'm hungry. And I want to
have some fun."
"We will, Pet," Spike said, and pulled her face down for a
kiss. "Just a few more hours and the reinforcements will be here." He
eased her off his lap then, and said, "I'm going to go check things
out. You wait here, okay?"
"Spike--"
"Dru, I'm not asking," Spike growled. "Just wait."
"Fine," she huffed at him, then walked away to her corner where she'd
set up her dolls.
*Brilliant, Spike,* he thought, watching Drusilla closely. *Bring the
psychotic vampire to this town _before_ you've taken care of the
Scoobies. Care to rethink that plan now? Oh shut the hell up, it's a
little too late now. Now, you find the Pouff before she does.* He
spared her one last glance, to convince himself she was distracted
with her toys, before heading out further into the sewers system.
*********
"Angel, are we looking for anything particular?" Buffy asked. They'd
been wandering the sewer system for an hour, and she'd seen more
dead - and alive - rats than she'd wanted to see in her entire
lifetime. The only thing she couldn't decide was if she liked them
better alive or dead. "Because you, me, and sewers ...well let's just
say I don't like to mix those three things."
"Buffy, Willie said--"
"I know, I know," Buffy cut him off. "Big vampire gathering. In the
sewers. I swear, he's just _so_ helpful, ya know? Because it's not
like Sunnydale doesn't have somthing like twenty miles of sewer
tunnels." She sighed, and added, "And I definitely do _not_ like
splitting up the gang like this." Anya and Xander were exploring the
north end of the sewer system, while Buffy and Angel were on the
south side. The general plan had been to meet up in the center of the
grid.
"They'll be okay," Angel replied confidently. " Trust me. I wouldn't
have suggested it if otherwise."
"I do trust you," Buffy said with a smile. "I would prefer being
nearby in case the others need me, though. And how are you so sure
that they won't get hurt?"
"Because I know Spike and Drusilla. If they're in town, which I
imagine they are by now, they'll want to make an entrance, so to
speak. And given the choice of people to make their presence known
to, I'm sure they'll choose us."
"So that's what we're doing? Luring them out?" Buffy questioned.
"Yeah," Angel nodded. "Our chances with Spike are better if we knock
him off guard and force him to deviate from his plan."
"Spike has a plan?" Buffy looked at Angel incredulously. "Since when
has he _ever_ had a plan?" she rolled her eyes.
"He has plans," Angel replied. "They just don't go the way he wants
them to, usually. Luckily for us."
"Angel, I gotta tell you. I'm not worried in the least about Spike.
He tried to get Willow to do a love spell to get Dru back, and that
backfired on him. He had the Ring of Amarra and he lost it. Besides
being a general pain in the ass, he's not much more. The only danger
I'm in from Spike is if he finds a way to literally annoy me to
death. Because _that_ just might happen." She grinned over at him and
squeezed his hand.
Angel couldn't help chuckling at that thought, but he composed
himself and tried to look at Buffy sternly. "Don't underestimate him,
he's not as dumb as you think he is."
"He's not dumb," Buffy shrugged. "Just doesn't think things through.
And that's why I -- we -- can always beat him."
"Aw, come on now, Blondie, I'm not that hopeless with my plans,"
Spike said with a grin as he stepped out in front of them. "Hello,
Peaches," he nodded at Angel. "I seem to remember kicking _his_ ass a
few times with my 'not thought through' plans."
"And yet I'm still standing," Angel replied with a shrug. "Why is
that, Spike?"
"Dunno," Spike frowned. "But it's something I plan to remedy real
soon." He vamped out at that moment and dove at Angel. The two went
to the ground, wrestling.
"Hey!" Buffy yelled. She stepped closer to the two, who were now
trading punches. She staked Spike from behind, but to her irritation
he did not vanish in a cloud of dust.
"BLOODY HELL!" he roared instead, but it served her need to get him
off of Angel. He scrambled away, trying to reach around to pull out
Mr. Pointy, which was still lodged in his back. "That hurts A WHOLE
LOT MORE WHEN YOU DON'T TURN TO A PILE OF DUST!" He turned on her,
glaring, and then surprised her by smashing his left shoulder against
the wall with another scream.
Buffy winced, and then realized his intention. He'd dislocated his
shoulder, so he could twist his arm back further to pull the stake
out. He did so with a sigh of relief, and then threw the stake behind
him as far as he could.
"You're so going to die for that, Slayer," he growled.
"Oh yeah? Just try it," Buffy challenged. She retrieved a knife from
her boot, and dropped into fighting stance.
"Gladly," Spike said, before he ran at her. She swiped at him with
the knife, but he blocked the blow with his right arm. She saw the
ring on his ring finger then, and knew that getting it off his hand
was the only way to be able to dust him.
"Not bloody likely," Spike said, reading her thoughts. He grabbed her
right hand holding the knife with his left, and squeezed. Buffy
yelled in pain as she heard the crack of breaking bones. Somehow she
had the presence of mind to kick out at him, though, sending him to
his rear end. She saw a blur that she realized was Angel, as he dove
on top of Spike, pounding him with both fists.
Buffy took her right hand in her left, and examined it. She was
pretty sure that every bone was broken, and felt a wave of dizzyness
from the pain. She reached out to brace herself against a nearby wall
with her good hand, and then discovered her knife was missing. "Oh
shit. Angel, the knife--"
She looked over in horror as she heard Angel's pained scream, as he
stumbled away from Spike. Her eyes met Spike's sneering ones first,
and he held up the bloody knife for her to see. "I win round one," he
declared with a grin.
"NO!" she yelled as she saw Angel sitting against the wall, holding
his stomach, which was bleeding profusely from a knife wound.
***********