His whole life or rather undead existence did NOT flash in front of his eyes as the stake descended. But quite a few feelings seemed to race through Spike's mind simultaneously: regret, as he realized he wouldn't be around to protect Dawn after all; concern whether Tara would get out of this in one piece; a strange appreciation of the irony of being killed by a bunch of stake-happy kids after having survived two World Wars, two Slayers *three if you counted Buffy* plus a full scale battle against a hellgoddess and her minions; sadness, that he wouldn't be meeting Buffy in the afterlife; and the frightening realization that he wasn't afraid to die. On the contrary. Just then Butch's words sank in.
"Harm has a brother?" he blurted out just as a loud voice chanted the last verse of a spell:
"...hold mine victim, as in tar!"
The stake froze in mid-air, just as it plunged into his chest. It drew blood but stopped just two inches short of piercing his undead heart. Two inches away from being turned into a pile of dust. Butch was frozen in mid-movement, as were all the other students. It was obvious from the furious look on his face that he was fighting the spell with all he had, fighting to push his wooden weapon in just a little bit further. "I'll - kill - you!" he forced out between clenched teeth and the stake went in another inch.
Tara rushed over to Spike, helping him wriggle out from underneath the stake. It tore his shirt and left a deep bloody rip in his pale chest. He got to his feet and quickly seized the stake frozen Butch was still holding. He yanked it out of the boy's grip.
Tara grabbed the vampire's arm and pulled him into a kind of huddle. "I can't hold them like that for long. They're too many and I don't have Willow's power. But I think I can try to shut down your chip," she said quietly so only Spike could hear her. He noted that Tara handled the situation very well. No stutter, no useless displays of nervousness or fear.
"You're sure this is gonna work?" he asked quietly.
"No." Tara replied. "But it's all I can come up with at such short notice."
She placed her hand on the vampire's head and chanted a brief incantation. Her face distorted by the effort to concentrate on two enchantments at once. Spike felt a brief stab of pain, as if the chip resisted its decommission, but its intensity was nothing compared to the earlier zapping he had taken.
"Ow!" he said. "Well, SOMETHING happened. Let's just hope you haven't just connected me to the Borg hivemind."
He took a deep breath. Frowned. *Wait. Something's not right.* He touched his forehead. Human face. It seemed his vamp face had disappeared at some stage. He looked at Parker and into the eye of the camera. It was still recording. Spike smiled and let the rage and bloodlust rise. His vamp face firmly back in place he gave Tara an evil grin.
"What makes you think," he said, tilting his head and staring at her with predatory intensity, "I won't take a bite out of YOU, now that I can?"
Tara just looked at him. He smelled fear on her. But her heartbeat was steady. He realized she wasn't afraid OF him but FOR him. Well, she had only ever known him WITH the chip.
He shrugged. "You really have to be more careful, Maclay, who you trust. I'd hate to see you killed!"
He resisted the sudden impulse to give her a friendly pat on the back. The visual was just too ridiculous and too embarrassing. Instead, he turned his attention to their foes. They looked scared, ready to run. Except for the football player whose fury was not yet spent. However, they were still unable to move.
"Okay, then." Spike quickly moved from one student to the next, relieving them of their stakes and checking for hidden weapons. Without having to be told, Tara pried the crosses out of their hands. Meanwhile Spike was talking: "Look here, wild bunch, let's call this even. Butch here needs a hospital to get his ribs fixed and Jason or what's-his-name needs his head looked at. You wanna go stab yourself a vampire for your funny little initiation ritual? Okay by me. In fact, dust a dozen for all I care. BUT stay away from me and my place, you hear me? If you don't come for me, I won't come for you."
Spike dumped the complete arsenal in the sarcophagus and pushed the heavy lid closed.
*And now for the spoils of war. This will keep me in fags for a while.*
He moved over to where Parker was standing and pried the video camera out of his stiff fingers, breaking two of them in the process. Not on purpose, but he wasn't sorry, either. And the nice thing was: the chip remained silent. It was a very strange sense of freedom. He could break bones, tear muscles and tendons, wring necks, bite and tear with teeth and claws, stab, slash, hack, kill - if he wanted to.
He placed the camera on the floor, next to Tara, went back to Parker and gave her a nod. With a relieved sigh she let the spell dissipate. She was exhausted but tried not to show it.
The moment the enchantment was lifted Spike grabbed Parker by the hair. Fangs bared he brutally dragged the young man further into the crypt; away from the entrance or rather exit.
The other students began to move again, slowly regaining control of their bodies. Butch got up clutching his ribs. The one called Jason was still lying unconscious, a big purple bruise on his forehead. They seemed uncertain what to do. They knew that they were dead meat, because without their stakes and crosses they didn't stand a chance against an angry vampire. The smell of their fear was almost overpowering.
"Out!" Spike simply said, pointing his thumb towards the door. "And don't forget your mate." Meekly but hurriedly they obeyed. Dragging their unconscious friend along between them, Ricky and Mark passed the vampire and his prey. They didn't even dare look at Parker as they headed for the way out, ashamed at abandoning him, but glad to get out of the crypt alive.
Only Butch hesitated. He was obviously a team player, even if not one of the brightest fellows ever to grace the earth. And he was still full of anger and frustration. But he was also pretty confused.
Spike gripped Parker by his throat and pinned him against a wall. But he turned towards Butch. "Listen, Kendall," he said conversationally. "You have guts. So, I'll give you a piece of advice: if you ever see Harm again, don't trust her. She's one of us now. Last thing I heard she was in L.A., but should she ever get back here, don't invite her in. Because, unlike me, she'll probably kill you."
"Did you...?"
"Make her a vampire? Nah, I just hung out with her a few times."
"What ... what are you going to do with him?"
"Oh, me and Parker, we've got on old score to settle. Don't you worry. We'll have ourselves a really good time." Spike said sardonically. "Off you go, Kendall!"
Butch looked at Parker again and swallowed. "I'm sorry," he said, and turned to go.
Parker struggled desperately, but he couldn't get a word out, because Spike tightened his grip. Together they watched the others leave. Moments later they heard the outer crypt door close.
"Well, Parker, you're all mine now." Spike said cheerfully.
TBC
"Harm has a brother?" he blurted out just as a loud voice chanted the last verse of a spell:
"...hold mine victim, as in tar!"
The stake froze in mid-air, just as it plunged into his chest. It drew blood but stopped just two inches short of piercing his undead heart. Two inches away from being turned into a pile of dust. Butch was frozen in mid-movement, as were all the other students. It was obvious from the furious look on his face that he was fighting the spell with all he had, fighting to push his wooden weapon in just a little bit further. "I'll - kill - you!" he forced out between clenched teeth and the stake went in another inch.
Tara rushed over to Spike, helping him wriggle out from underneath the stake. It tore his shirt and left a deep bloody rip in his pale chest. He got to his feet and quickly seized the stake frozen Butch was still holding. He yanked it out of the boy's grip.
Tara grabbed the vampire's arm and pulled him into a kind of huddle. "I can't hold them like that for long. They're too many and I don't have Willow's power. But I think I can try to shut down your chip," she said quietly so only Spike could hear her. He noted that Tara handled the situation very well. No stutter, no useless displays of nervousness or fear.
"You're sure this is gonna work?" he asked quietly.
"No." Tara replied. "But it's all I can come up with at such short notice."
She placed her hand on the vampire's head and chanted a brief incantation. Her face distorted by the effort to concentrate on two enchantments at once. Spike felt a brief stab of pain, as if the chip resisted its decommission, but its intensity was nothing compared to the earlier zapping he had taken.
"Ow!" he said. "Well, SOMETHING happened. Let's just hope you haven't just connected me to the Borg hivemind."
He took a deep breath. Frowned. *Wait. Something's not right.* He touched his forehead. Human face. It seemed his vamp face had disappeared at some stage. He looked at Parker and into the eye of the camera. It was still recording. Spike smiled and let the rage and bloodlust rise. His vamp face firmly back in place he gave Tara an evil grin.
"What makes you think," he said, tilting his head and staring at her with predatory intensity, "I won't take a bite out of YOU, now that I can?"
Tara just looked at him. He smelled fear on her. But her heartbeat was steady. He realized she wasn't afraid OF him but FOR him. Well, she had only ever known him WITH the chip.
He shrugged. "You really have to be more careful, Maclay, who you trust. I'd hate to see you killed!"
He resisted the sudden impulse to give her a friendly pat on the back. The visual was just too ridiculous and too embarrassing. Instead, he turned his attention to their foes. They looked scared, ready to run. Except for the football player whose fury was not yet spent. However, they were still unable to move.
"Okay, then." Spike quickly moved from one student to the next, relieving them of their stakes and checking for hidden weapons. Without having to be told, Tara pried the crosses out of their hands. Meanwhile Spike was talking: "Look here, wild bunch, let's call this even. Butch here needs a hospital to get his ribs fixed and Jason or what's-his-name needs his head looked at. You wanna go stab yourself a vampire for your funny little initiation ritual? Okay by me. In fact, dust a dozen for all I care. BUT stay away from me and my place, you hear me? If you don't come for me, I won't come for you."
Spike dumped the complete arsenal in the sarcophagus and pushed the heavy lid closed.
*And now for the spoils of war. This will keep me in fags for a while.*
He moved over to where Parker was standing and pried the video camera out of his stiff fingers, breaking two of them in the process. Not on purpose, but he wasn't sorry, either. And the nice thing was: the chip remained silent. It was a very strange sense of freedom. He could break bones, tear muscles and tendons, wring necks, bite and tear with teeth and claws, stab, slash, hack, kill - if he wanted to.
He placed the camera on the floor, next to Tara, went back to Parker and gave her a nod. With a relieved sigh she let the spell dissipate. She was exhausted but tried not to show it.
The moment the enchantment was lifted Spike grabbed Parker by the hair. Fangs bared he brutally dragged the young man further into the crypt; away from the entrance or rather exit.
The other students began to move again, slowly regaining control of their bodies. Butch got up clutching his ribs. The one called Jason was still lying unconscious, a big purple bruise on his forehead. They seemed uncertain what to do. They knew that they were dead meat, because without their stakes and crosses they didn't stand a chance against an angry vampire. The smell of their fear was almost overpowering.
"Out!" Spike simply said, pointing his thumb towards the door. "And don't forget your mate." Meekly but hurriedly they obeyed. Dragging their unconscious friend along between them, Ricky and Mark passed the vampire and his prey. They didn't even dare look at Parker as they headed for the way out, ashamed at abandoning him, but glad to get out of the crypt alive.
Only Butch hesitated. He was obviously a team player, even if not one of the brightest fellows ever to grace the earth. And he was still full of anger and frustration. But he was also pretty confused.
Spike gripped Parker by his throat and pinned him against a wall. But he turned towards Butch. "Listen, Kendall," he said conversationally. "You have guts. So, I'll give you a piece of advice: if you ever see Harm again, don't trust her. She's one of us now. Last thing I heard she was in L.A., but should she ever get back here, don't invite her in. Because, unlike me, she'll probably kill you."
"Did you...?"
"Make her a vampire? Nah, I just hung out with her a few times."
"What ... what are you going to do with him?"
"Oh, me and Parker, we've got on old score to settle. Don't you worry. We'll have ourselves a really good time." Spike said sardonically. "Off you go, Kendall!"
Butch looked at Parker again and swallowed. "I'm sorry," he said, and turned to go.
Parker struggled desperately, but he couldn't get a word out, because Spike tightened his grip. Together they watched the others leave. Moments later they heard the outer crypt door close.
"Well, Parker, you're all mine now." Spike said cheerfully.
TBC