Disclaimer: I dont own anything with Buffy. They all belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. The title 'This Is My Letter To The World' is the title to an Emily Dickinson Poem (Please when reading the poem, read it and try to understand it the way it can go w/ the fiction, not really the way Ms.Dickinson meant it to be... yes I know that sounds stupid, but bare with me). The poem 'Acceptance' is by Robert Frost. All quotes belong to the movie or song or whoever/whatever they're tagged with. I only own the characters Cora and Angita.
Summary: After Buffy's death Spike feels responsible for not being able to save her. While the Scooby gang find a way to get Buffy back, Spike tries to deal with his guilt. Will the gang be in time to save Spike from the unthinkable?
Rating: PG-13 for language
Spoilers: I will go through everything in "The Gift"
Distribution: I dont see why not, but please tell me first-- FlpDivA126@aol.com
Author's Note: This picks up RIGHT where the finale left off. The words that are in astrics (ex: *blah*) are said emphatically... or... you get the point. Thoughts are in double astrics (ex: **blah blah**). Oh and I really crave feedback! Please please do review and email if you want! =o)
Special Thankies: To my GREAT spankadelic beta readers-- Amy and Adrianna!! =o) Thanks to you guys for the outstanding feedback, and suggestions to make this story better! Adrianna, thanks sooo soo much for helping me find songs and stuff! Thank you 80! Thank you fellow begger! =o) And a VERY special thanks to Drusilla for giving me ideas, and ingredients that help out my spell! YOU ROCK!
Author's Note #2: I will be introducing Cora and Angita THIS chapter so here are the meanings to their names--
Cora: (Also named Kora) is a Greek goddess. Her name means "the maiden" or "the daughter" and it is a frequent epithet of Persephone. She is the daughter of Demeter and she is the wife of Hades *so basically what I'm gunna do is have her have the power that Demeter mostly was granted with. That power was kind of a green thumb. She brought forth the fruits of the earth and grains... in my story she's also a GREAT gardener and stuff. And because she's the wife of Hades, she's vicious! Just read*
Angita: An early Roman goddess of healing and witchcraft. *so basically here, she's a powerful witch of healing and witchcraft..... that was self exlplanitory. You just have to read the story to find things out*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The door creaked slightly as they opened the hospital room door. They quietly came in to find Xander sleeping silently next to Anya's still body. Tara followed Dawn as they sat down slowly on chairs opposite of Xander, and Giles stood at the foot of Anya's bed. He wiped his glasses with the bottom of his shirt and let out a long sigh. Willow approached Xander carefully and gently patted him on the back.
"Poor guy..." she whispered sadly. With the light pat he woke up. Through groggy eyes he turned to see his surroundings.
"I guess it wasn't all a big nightmare like I hoped..." His voice was low and raspy as he looked deeply into Willow's eyes. Willow nodded slowly, and Xander broke into sudden sobs. She pulled him close and tried her best to hush the cries away.
"We're getting her back Xander... we're getting both of them back. I promise, or I'll die trying." Willow's reassuring voice calmed him down a bit, but they still held on tight to each other.
Dawn watched, through blurry eyes, the desperate hope radiating from their bodies. It kept them strong. She reached for Anya's hand and grasped tight. **We'll get both of you back... the BOTH of you....**
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"When my strength dies, I will die."
~Sophocles (Antigone)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He rushed to his black convertible and threw all his bags in the back. The heat from the sun felt wonderful on his pale skin, and he looked around the sky thoughtfully. He rubbed the ring of Amara around his finger and climbed in the driver's seat. Wesley came out with two other stuffed duffel bags and dropped them on top of the rest of Angel's belongings. He watched as Angel started the engine, and was surprised at how Angel just sat there still... letting the engine run.
"You'll save her Angel... she saved *you* once, this is your chance to return the favor." Angel stared intensely at Wesley and slowly nodded. He got out of the car and gave him a quick, tight hug.
"Thank you Wes... remember to take care of Cordy while I'm gone." He jumped back into his car and sped off into the horizon.
It was 45 minutes into the drive when he took out his cell phone Cordelia had given him and dialed Buffy's phone number. *Willow's probably there ... and if not there, she'll be at the hospital ... and if not there, she'll be at the shop...* His mind spun around as the phone rang and rang. His thoughts were broken when a familiar voice picked up.
"Hello..." *That voice.... Buffy?* "... Buffy //a distant voice from behind// 'and Dawn!' aren't here to take your call right now. So sorry, but please leave your name and number and we'll be back with you ASAP..." Angel took an unneeded breath as he listened to Buffy's voice. "... Dammit... Dawn, how do you turn this thing off? Oh ... here it-- *BEEP*" He chuckled to himself softly as he heard the last seconds of the message. *She never was good at electronics ... always made Will do all that technology stuff* He smiled to himself sadly. "Willow ... where are you?" He dialed the hospital number Willow had left him earlier.
"Hello?" a cheerful sounding nurse answered.
"Yes, hi, can you please connect me to a young lady in the ICU by the name of..." he drifted off realizing he didn't know Anya's last name ... or the last name she made up for herself.
"Excuse me, what's her name?" The nurse calmly asked.
"Anya.... Anya Harris." *Xander... she could've taken his name.* He could hear the tapping and clicking of the keyboard on the other end of the line. To his surprise the nurse came back in an instant.
"Yes,... Anya Harris in the ICU is it? I'll make the connection in one moment. Please hold." Within a millisecond the sounds of Beethoven filled his ear -- Bagatelle in G minor -- he noted. After ten seconds of speedy detached notes, he heard the phone ring twice. Then abruptly a hoarse female voice answered.
"Yes? Hello?" The voice was husky, but Angel could still recognize it.
"Dawn!" He was so relieved to know she had lived. "Hey...can I talk to Willow?"
"Angel? Hey...yeah...," she cleared her throat, "one second." That time her voice was more clear. In moments Willow's sniffs were heard.
"Angel? Are you coming?" Her voice was as husky as Dawn's. *They'd all been crying recently* he thought sadly.
"Yeah... I'm on my way. I'm bringing 4 books about resurrection...sorry that's all I could find."
"No, no...it's all right. Thanks so much for helping us out on this." She sniffed again.
"Yeah...well anything for Buffy..." he drifted off slowly.
Silence.
"Well, um, while I'm talking to you now, can you tell me a little about what's happening? Who...who..." Angel started but choked at the end. He couldn't get out that word...that dreadful, awful word. MURDERED. He regained his composure and tried to start again, only he started a little softer this time. "Who...murdered Buffy?"
Silence.
"Willow? Will?" Came his shaky voice.
"Well, um, it's kind of a long story actually." Her voice was getting staticky but Angel could still hear and make out her grief-struck words. He saw a bridge he'd have to go under nearing, and wanted to rush her, but he just couldn't. "You see... Spike, he-----" All words after that was cut off by static while driving underneath the wide bridge. Then to his dismay he heard a taunting dial tone.... *beep beep beep*... that rang in his ear.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" He yelled out. "DAMN YOU SPIKE! YOU DID THIS?" His stomach churned while his heart knotted. Pain was all he had his mind set out for right now... a delivery of pain and anguish to her killer. Spike.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Well, um, it's kind of a long story actually." She could hear the static pulsating at her every word, but after a moment she went on. "You see... Spike, he tried to help, but he just couldn't. He tried so hard...he feels awful Angel..." The static got louder and louder, then suddenly the phone just went silent. No static. Just silence. "Angel?" Her only response was the annoying *beep beep beep* of a dial tone. She frowned and gave a long sigh. *He'll just have to hear the story when he gets here.* He handed the phone back to Dawn and shook her head. She placed it back on the cradle silently. Willow gave Xander a hug from behind as he watched Anya intently.
"I better go. I'm going to do some research to get Buffy back...okay?" Her tone was a whisper as Xander nodded at every word, eyes still set on Anya's face.
He then got up after 15 seconds, but never turned his gaze from Anya. "I'll come with you...," he started, but was silenced by Willow's hands on his shoulders.
"Sit." She pushed him down onto the chair. "You stay here. When she wakes up...which she will Xander... she will... she'll need to see *your* face, not an empty room." Xander put his hand on top of Anya's, then his other on Willow's. He gave both a tight squeeze. Willow smiled a weary smile and squeezed back. "I'll call you if I need you." Xander nodded, never looking away from Anya's surreal face.
She turned around to leave as the rest of the party, except Xander, got up to leave with her. Giles was the last to go, turning around to say one last thing. "We'll be at the shop if you need us. If Angel comes here... send him down...the same with Spike." He hesitated to leave, and waited for Xander's silent nod. When he got one, he left the room and shut the door quietly.
Once they were gone Xander took Anya's hand and kissed it lightly. "You hear that Ahn? Everyone's trying really hard to get you and Buffy back with us.... come on. Beat them to it.... please wake up." Again he rested his next to hers and drifted off into sleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The vines held a tight grip on his body. He was sure if he needed oxygen...he wouldn't have access to it now. They crushed his ribs, and he stared at the wooden point with fear. He grumbled and tried to speak but the vines held tightly around his mouth too.
"What's that Spike? I didn't quite understand you." The brunette asked hardly, pressing the stake harder against his chest. Spike hollered through pressed lips, shutting his eyes tightly with pain. The girl gave a disgusted smirk and pulled back the stake. "Release," she simply stated as all the vines fell limp at his feet. She twirled the stake around in one hand with the greatest of ease and placed it in her pocket.
"Cora...," he grunted out, but that was all he could get to say before Cora gave him an unexpected roundhouse kick in the face. Spike flew to the side, almost falling off the porch steps. As soon as he looked up he saw a foot coming at his stomach which he grabbed with swift vampire speed. Once grabbed she alternated legs and kicked him straight in his sore ribs. He flew back again, his spine smacking the side of his DeSoto. He hugged his ribs in pain and saw Cora attacking again. She tried to step on his ribs again, but he caught her foot, and twisted. "Malicious lil 'bit now aren't you?" He managed out as she landed hard on the ground. Spike stood up, still grabbing his ribs, as she stood up too. "Are we done?" He asked.
"Not nearly," she spat out, then ran at him full speed, yelling to the top of her lungs. A set of punches, jabs, uppercuts, and combinations of kicks came his way as he tried to dodge and block them all. She moved with near speed of a slayer, and got 3 hits in out of what must have been 20 attempts. With her last punch Spike pulled in her arm, twisted it and pushed it against her back. She squirmed and fidgeted, trying to get out of his hold, but it just wasn't enough.
"*Now* are we done, Cora?" His voice was gruff, and irritation was detectable. She gave a small nod, and Spike loosened his grip. He never let go, though.
"So why are you here? Honestly." She panted out.
"I need your 'elp Cora... you an' Angita's." He let her go and she fell back, landing on her bottom. Spike stared deeply into her eyes, pleading with his own. Cora looked at him skeptically and finally spoke.
"You need *our* help? With what? What happened to your little Doc? Doesn't *he* help you now? You turned your back on our service years ago." Her tone was harsh, and her face grew red. She stood up, brushing the desert dirt off her tight pants.
Spike looked down with sad eyes, remembering last night and the tower, and answered in a grim tone. "Doc... he... he killed my true love. That's what I need your 'elp wit'. I need you ta bring 'er back ta life." He gazed sadly into her eyes and was shocked at her response.
She laughed. She laughed an evil laugh as if she were amused by his plea. His jaw tightened with anger as she stopped with a chuckle and looked back at him with another skeptic look. "Oh come on Spike. *Drusilla*? You want us to bring back *that* crazy bitch? I should thank the doc!" She laughed again as Spike clenched and unclenched his jaw.
"Well fo' *your* information, it's not Dru I'm tryin' to get back. I loved someone else." His sapphire eyes bore into Cora's, and at the moment she heard that he wasn't hooked on Drusilla anymore, her curiousity ran overload. She stared back, interest glinting off her eyes.
"Oh?" Was her only response for a few seconds. "Who Spike? Another insane vamp that talks to the stars?" Another chuckle escaped her lips. She stood with one knee bent, arms crossed, and awaited his answer. He opened his mouth but was beat to the answer by a familiar voice.
"The Slayer," came a Greek-Italian accent.
Both Cora and Spike whipped their heads around to find Angita standing in the doorway, holding a bowl and wooden spoon. "Keepin' tabs on me Angie?" Cora growled at Spike's remark.
"I heard about it on the way to the market this morning. A lot of bads out there are celebrating. And dont call me that, pig." She continued to stir the mixture in her bowl as she gave him a disgusted glare.
"What's wrong luv, juss an ol' nickname." He eyed her up and down. *Still looks the same as last time....* His eyes fixated on her golden locks. *Just like Buffy's.* His thoughts brought him back the mind-numbing pain.
"From a long long long time ago," Cora stated dryly.
"Look, whatever, I'm sorry 'bout the past, but I really need your 'elp." He switched his pleading gaze back and forth from the two witches as he waited for their response. After what seemed like an eternity Cora finally spoke.
"Fine, we'll do it, but the requirements for this spell.... are rather difficult." Spike looked at them with, confusion plastered all over his face.
"You two are the most talented and advanced witches I know. How can this be difficult?" Silence filled the air as the duo exchanged looks. To Spike's surprise, a book floated out of the house and into Cora's hands. She flipped a few pages and read the text quickly.
"You see," she started turning the book and handing it to him, "the ritual can not be performed by us. My family... *and* Angita's family already used this spell. This spell can only be used once by each family. Plus... you need a *real* powerful pair of witches to pull this off." As she finished, Angita further explained.
"And the ingredients are tough to gather. Some skin of the witches, yeah, that's easy... but the blood of her mother... I heard she was dead. The tears of a sibling. A few herbs... those are okay, 'cause I think we have those, *but* the very last ingredient... that's the hardest of them all." Her thick accent ran through his mind as he read the page of the spell thoroughly. When he read the last ingredient to make everything work he nodded with sad approval.
"The corpse of a loved one. Skin, bones, organs, 'n all." He read out loud realizing what he had to do.
~*~*~*~*~*
He drove in anguish... his heart burning, his soul screaming. Finally, after an hour of thinking all the possibile ways Spike could've killed Buffy, he pulled over to the side of the highway and took out his bag of weapons. He layed them out one by one on his back seat. Taking out two daggers he twirled them in his hands, studying the weight, the point, the curves of the design. He put them down softly. Then he took out a longsword. Every inch made of stainless steel. He layed that down carefully in the back. He searched his bags and found bottles, syringes, and other containers of holy water. Lastly, he took out a shortsword made of the same stainless steal of his other one, but the handle caught his eye. Engraved was a short story, the story of a pair of forbidden lovers. One lover was presumed dead, and the other lover wanted to be with her so much, he killed himself. The irony of it all was she was alive... only to find her soulmate dead next to her. Angel didn't bother to read the rest of the story. He only tilted his head up to the sky, letting the sun kiss his face as he thought of Buffy. "Romeo & Juliet...," Angel thought out loud. He thought for a moment, and shoved all the weapons back into the sack. He pulled back into the road quickly, and drove 20 miles per hour over the speed limit. "Dont worry Buffy... Romeo's coming..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The rage in my eyes
Could have compared to the eye of a sun."
~~ Creed, Line from "Is This The End?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Dun dun dun........... does Angel go and kill Spike before they do the spell? Who will Spike have to kill to make the ingredients to the ritual complete? Stay tuned for the next chapter of..... interesting music.... "This Is My Letter... *TO* The World."
Oh and again, sorry for the short chapter.
Summary: After Buffy's death Spike feels responsible for not being able to save her. While the Scooby gang find a way to get Buffy back, Spike tries to deal with his guilt. Will the gang be in time to save Spike from the unthinkable?
Rating: PG-13 for language
Spoilers: I will go through everything in "The Gift"
Distribution: I dont see why not, but please tell me first-- FlpDivA126@aol.com
Author's Note: This picks up RIGHT where the finale left off. The words that are in astrics (ex: *blah*) are said emphatically... or... you get the point. Thoughts are in double astrics (ex: **blah blah**). Oh and I really crave feedback! Please please do review and email if you want! =o)
Special Thankies: To my GREAT spankadelic beta readers-- Amy and Adrianna!! =o) Thanks to you guys for the outstanding feedback, and suggestions to make this story better! Adrianna, thanks sooo soo much for helping me find songs and stuff! Thank you 80! Thank you fellow begger! =o) And a VERY special thanks to Drusilla for giving me ideas, and ingredients that help out my spell! YOU ROCK!
Author's Note #2: I will be introducing Cora and Angita THIS chapter so here are the meanings to their names--
Cora: (Also named Kora) is a Greek goddess. Her name means "the maiden" or "the daughter" and it is a frequent epithet of Persephone. She is the daughter of Demeter and she is the wife of Hades *so basically what I'm gunna do is have her have the power that Demeter mostly was granted with. That power was kind of a green thumb. She brought forth the fruits of the earth and grains... in my story she's also a GREAT gardener and stuff. And because she's the wife of Hades, she's vicious! Just read*
Angita: An early Roman goddess of healing and witchcraft. *so basically here, she's a powerful witch of healing and witchcraft..... that was self exlplanitory. You just have to read the story to find things out*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The door creaked slightly as they opened the hospital room door. They quietly came in to find Xander sleeping silently next to Anya's still body. Tara followed Dawn as they sat down slowly on chairs opposite of Xander, and Giles stood at the foot of Anya's bed. He wiped his glasses with the bottom of his shirt and let out a long sigh. Willow approached Xander carefully and gently patted him on the back.
"Poor guy..." she whispered sadly. With the light pat he woke up. Through groggy eyes he turned to see his surroundings.
"I guess it wasn't all a big nightmare like I hoped..." His voice was low and raspy as he looked deeply into Willow's eyes. Willow nodded slowly, and Xander broke into sudden sobs. She pulled him close and tried her best to hush the cries away.
"We're getting her back Xander... we're getting both of them back. I promise, or I'll die trying." Willow's reassuring voice calmed him down a bit, but they still held on tight to each other.
Dawn watched, through blurry eyes, the desperate hope radiating from their bodies. It kept them strong. She reached for Anya's hand and grasped tight. **We'll get both of you back... the BOTH of you....**
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"When my strength dies, I will die."
~Sophocles (Antigone)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He rushed to his black convertible and threw all his bags in the back. The heat from the sun felt wonderful on his pale skin, and he looked around the sky thoughtfully. He rubbed the ring of Amara around his finger and climbed in the driver's seat. Wesley came out with two other stuffed duffel bags and dropped them on top of the rest of Angel's belongings. He watched as Angel started the engine, and was surprised at how Angel just sat there still... letting the engine run.
"You'll save her Angel... she saved *you* once, this is your chance to return the favor." Angel stared intensely at Wesley and slowly nodded. He got out of the car and gave him a quick, tight hug.
"Thank you Wes... remember to take care of Cordy while I'm gone." He jumped back into his car and sped off into the horizon.
It was 45 minutes into the drive when he took out his cell phone Cordelia had given him and dialed Buffy's phone number. *Willow's probably there ... and if not there, she'll be at the hospital ... and if not there, she'll be at the shop...* His mind spun around as the phone rang and rang. His thoughts were broken when a familiar voice picked up.
"Hello..." *That voice.... Buffy?* "... Buffy //a distant voice from behind// 'and Dawn!' aren't here to take your call right now. So sorry, but please leave your name and number and we'll be back with you ASAP..." Angel took an unneeded breath as he listened to Buffy's voice. "... Dammit... Dawn, how do you turn this thing off? Oh ... here it-- *BEEP*" He chuckled to himself softly as he heard the last seconds of the message. *She never was good at electronics ... always made Will do all that technology stuff* He smiled to himself sadly. "Willow ... where are you?" He dialed the hospital number Willow had left him earlier.
"Hello?" a cheerful sounding nurse answered.
"Yes, hi, can you please connect me to a young lady in the ICU by the name of..." he drifted off realizing he didn't know Anya's last name ... or the last name she made up for herself.
"Excuse me, what's her name?" The nurse calmly asked.
"Anya.... Anya Harris." *Xander... she could've taken his name.* He could hear the tapping and clicking of the keyboard on the other end of the line. To his surprise the nurse came back in an instant.
"Yes,... Anya Harris in the ICU is it? I'll make the connection in one moment. Please hold." Within a millisecond the sounds of Beethoven filled his ear -- Bagatelle in G minor -- he noted. After ten seconds of speedy detached notes, he heard the phone ring twice. Then abruptly a hoarse female voice answered.
"Yes? Hello?" The voice was husky, but Angel could still recognize it.
"Dawn!" He was so relieved to know she had lived. "Hey...can I talk to Willow?"
"Angel? Hey...yeah...," she cleared her throat, "one second." That time her voice was more clear. In moments Willow's sniffs were heard.
"Angel? Are you coming?" Her voice was as husky as Dawn's. *They'd all been crying recently* he thought sadly.
"Yeah... I'm on my way. I'm bringing 4 books about resurrection...sorry that's all I could find."
"No, no...it's all right. Thanks so much for helping us out on this." She sniffed again.
"Yeah...well anything for Buffy..." he drifted off slowly.
Silence.
"Well, um, while I'm talking to you now, can you tell me a little about what's happening? Who...who..." Angel started but choked at the end. He couldn't get out that word...that dreadful, awful word. MURDERED. He regained his composure and tried to start again, only he started a little softer this time. "Who...murdered Buffy?"
Silence.
"Willow? Will?" Came his shaky voice.
"Well, um, it's kind of a long story actually." Her voice was getting staticky but Angel could still hear and make out her grief-struck words. He saw a bridge he'd have to go under nearing, and wanted to rush her, but he just couldn't. "You see... Spike, he-----" All words after that was cut off by static while driving underneath the wide bridge. Then to his dismay he heard a taunting dial tone.... *beep beep beep*... that rang in his ear.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" He yelled out. "DAMN YOU SPIKE! YOU DID THIS?" His stomach churned while his heart knotted. Pain was all he had his mind set out for right now... a delivery of pain and anguish to her killer. Spike.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Well, um, it's kind of a long story actually." She could hear the static pulsating at her every word, but after a moment she went on. "You see... Spike, he tried to help, but he just couldn't. He tried so hard...he feels awful Angel..." The static got louder and louder, then suddenly the phone just went silent. No static. Just silence. "Angel?" Her only response was the annoying *beep beep beep* of a dial tone. She frowned and gave a long sigh. *He'll just have to hear the story when he gets here.* He handed the phone back to Dawn and shook her head. She placed it back on the cradle silently. Willow gave Xander a hug from behind as he watched Anya intently.
"I better go. I'm going to do some research to get Buffy back...okay?" Her tone was a whisper as Xander nodded at every word, eyes still set on Anya's face.
He then got up after 15 seconds, but never turned his gaze from Anya. "I'll come with you...," he started, but was silenced by Willow's hands on his shoulders.
"Sit." She pushed him down onto the chair. "You stay here. When she wakes up...which she will Xander... she will... she'll need to see *your* face, not an empty room." Xander put his hand on top of Anya's, then his other on Willow's. He gave both a tight squeeze. Willow smiled a weary smile and squeezed back. "I'll call you if I need you." Xander nodded, never looking away from Anya's surreal face.
She turned around to leave as the rest of the party, except Xander, got up to leave with her. Giles was the last to go, turning around to say one last thing. "We'll be at the shop if you need us. If Angel comes here... send him down...the same with Spike." He hesitated to leave, and waited for Xander's silent nod. When he got one, he left the room and shut the door quietly.
Once they were gone Xander took Anya's hand and kissed it lightly. "You hear that Ahn? Everyone's trying really hard to get you and Buffy back with us.... come on. Beat them to it.... please wake up." Again he rested his next to hers and drifted off into sleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The vines held a tight grip on his body. He was sure if he needed oxygen...he wouldn't have access to it now. They crushed his ribs, and he stared at the wooden point with fear. He grumbled and tried to speak but the vines held tightly around his mouth too.
"What's that Spike? I didn't quite understand you." The brunette asked hardly, pressing the stake harder against his chest. Spike hollered through pressed lips, shutting his eyes tightly with pain. The girl gave a disgusted smirk and pulled back the stake. "Release," she simply stated as all the vines fell limp at his feet. She twirled the stake around in one hand with the greatest of ease and placed it in her pocket.
"Cora...," he grunted out, but that was all he could get to say before Cora gave him an unexpected roundhouse kick in the face. Spike flew to the side, almost falling off the porch steps. As soon as he looked up he saw a foot coming at his stomach which he grabbed with swift vampire speed. Once grabbed she alternated legs and kicked him straight in his sore ribs. He flew back again, his spine smacking the side of his DeSoto. He hugged his ribs in pain and saw Cora attacking again. She tried to step on his ribs again, but he caught her foot, and twisted. "Malicious lil 'bit now aren't you?" He managed out as she landed hard on the ground. Spike stood up, still grabbing his ribs, as she stood up too. "Are we done?" He asked.
"Not nearly," she spat out, then ran at him full speed, yelling to the top of her lungs. A set of punches, jabs, uppercuts, and combinations of kicks came his way as he tried to dodge and block them all. She moved with near speed of a slayer, and got 3 hits in out of what must have been 20 attempts. With her last punch Spike pulled in her arm, twisted it and pushed it against her back. She squirmed and fidgeted, trying to get out of his hold, but it just wasn't enough.
"*Now* are we done, Cora?" His voice was gruff, and irritation was detectable. She gave a small nod, and Spike loosened his grip. He never let go, though.
"So why are you here? Honestly." She panted out.
"I need your 'elp Cora... you an' Angita's." He let her go and she fell back, landing on her bottom. Spike stared deeply into her eyes, pleading with his own. Cora looked at him skeptically and finally spoke.
"You need *our* help? With what? What happened to your little Doc? Doesn't *he* help you now? You turned your back on our service years ago." Her tone was harsh, and her face grew red. She stood up, brushing the desert dirt off her tight pants.
Spike looked down with sad eyes, remembering last night and the tower, and answered in a grim tone. "Doc... he... he killed my true love. That's what I need your 'elp wit'. I need you ta bring 'er back ta life." He gazed sadly into her eyes and was shocked at her response.
She laughed. She laughed an evil laugh as if she were amused by his plea. His jaw tightened with anger as she stopped with a chuckle and looked back at him with another skeptic look. "Oh come on Spike. *Drusilla*? You want us to bring back *that* crazy bitch? I should thank the doc!" She laughed again as Spike clenched and unclenched his jaw.
"Well fo' *your* information, it's not Dru I'm tryin' to get back. I loved someone else." His sapphire eyes bore into Cora's, and at the moment she heard that he wasn't hooked on Drusilla anymore, her curiousity ran overload. She stared back, interest glinting off her eyes.
"Oh?" Was her only response for a few seconds. "Who Spike? Another insane vamp that talks to the stars?" Another chuckle escaped her lips. She stood with one knee bent, arms crossed, and awaited his answer. He opened his mouth but was beat to the answer by a familiar voice.
"The Slayer," came a Greek-Italian accent.
Both Cora and Spike whipped their heads around to find Angita standing in the doorway, holding a bowl and wooden spoon. "Keepin' tabs on me Angie?" Cora growled at Spike's remark.
"I heard about it on the way to the market this morning. A lot of bads out there are celebrating. And dont call me that, pig." She continued to stir the mixture in her bowl as she gave him a disgusted glare.
"What's wrong luv, juss an ol' nickname." He eyed her up and down. *Still looks the same as last time....* His eyes fixated on her golden locks. *Just like Buffy's.* His thoughts brought him back the mind-numbing pain.
"From a long long long time ago," Cora stated dryly.
"Look, whatever, I'm sorry 'bout the past, but I really need your 'elp." He switched his pleading gaze back and forth from the two witches as he waited for their response. After what seemed like an eternity Cora finally spoke.
"Fine, we'll do it, but the requirements for this spell.... are rather difficult." Spike looked at them with, confusion plastered all over his face.
"You two are the most talented and advanced witches I know. How can this be difficult?" Silence filled the air as the duo exchanged looks. To Spike's surprise, a book floated out of the house and into Cora's hands. She flipped a few pages and read the text quickly.
"You see," she started turning the book and handing it to him, "the ritual can not be performed by us. My family... *and* Angita's family already used this spell. This spell can only be used once by each family. Plus... you need a *real* powerful pair of witches to pull this off." As she finished, Angita further explained.
"And the ingredients are tough to gather. Some skin of the witches, yeah, that's easy... but the blood of her mother... I heard she was dead. The tears of a sibling. A few herbs... those are okay, 'cause I think we have those, *but* the very last ingredient... that's the hardest of them all." Her thick accent ran through his mind as he read the page of the spell thoroughly. When he read the last ingredient to make everything work he nodded with sad approval.
"The corpse of a loved one. Skin, bones, organs, 'n all." He read out loud realizing what he had to do.
~*~*~*~*~*
He drove in anguish... his heart burning, his soul screaming. Finally, after an hour of thinking all the possibile ways Spike could've killed Buffy, he pulled over to the side of the highway and took out his bag of weapons. He layed them out one by one on his back seat. Taking out two daggers he twirled them in his hands, studying the weight, the point, the curves of the design. He put them down softly. Then he took out a longsword. Every inch made of stainless steel. He layed that down carefully in the back. He searched his bags and found bottles, syringes, and other containers of holy water. Lastly, he took out a shortsword made of the same stainless steal of his other one, but the handle caught his eye. Engraved was a short story, the story of a pair of forbidden lovers. One lover was presumed dead, and the other lover wanted to be with her so much, he killed himself. The irony of it all was she was alive... only to find her soulmate dead next to her. Angel didn't bother to read the rest of the story. He only tilted his head up to the sky, letting the sun kiss his face as he thought of Buffy. "Romeo & Juliet...," Angel thought out loud. He thought for a moment, and shoved all the weapons back into the sack. He pulled back into the road quickly, and drove 20 miles per hour over the speed limit. "Dont worry Buffy... Romeo's coming..."
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"The rage in my eyes
Could have compared to the eye of a sun."
~~ Creed, Line from "Is This The End?"
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A/N: Dun dun dun........... does Angel go and kill Spike before they do the spell? Who will Spike have to kill to make the ingredients to the ritual complete? Stay tuned for the next chapter of..... interesting music.... "This Is My Letter... *TO* The World."
Oh and again, sorry for the short chapter.