Humanitas | Spike and Talia faced each other. "You have something of mine," he said, trying desperately to keep the emotion out of his voice. "I want it back." She smiled, and reached into the back pocket of her pants. Pulling out the picture of Dawn and Buffy, she held it lightly between her fingertips, teasing him with it. "You mean this?" Her tone was light, almost coquettish. "Come and get it." Spike lunged for the photograph. Talia pulled it out of the way and smacked him across the face. "You didn't ask nicely, lover." "You want nice?" Spike rolled his shoulders as his fangs grew and his forehead set into distinct ridges. Time to show this wanna-be what it means to be the Big Bad, he thought and leaped at Talia, delighting viciously in the demonic power, his eyes flashing amber as he fell on her. She stumbled backwards under his weight, the picture slipping out of her grasp. She punched him but he smoothly blocked her fist, and followed the block with a hail of blows on her face, head and shoulders. He laughed as he punched her repeatedly, wildly, reveling in the violence. "I've. Done. The. Nice. Thing." Spike's voice was raised, and with each syllable, he emphasized his scorn with another blow. He pulled back, grabbing Talia's hair. "I'm bloody well over it." He yanked her to her feet and held her there for a moment, her back arched, his face just inches from hers. "I just got her back, see, and nobody gets to take her away from me again, got it?" He shoved Talia hard, sending her crashing into the wall. In two steps he was leaning over her. "Not to mention we've had our fill of two-bit floozies." Talia looked up at Spike, a sarcastic smile despite the bruises already forming across her forehead. A stream of blood ran from one nostril. "Well, aren't you heroic," she jeered as she curled her feet up and kicked out. The unexpected force sent Spike flying backwards. "I heard you used to kill Slayers." She got to her feet, sauntered over to him, and put one foot on his chest, keeping him from rising. "Now you fall in love with them. You're a pathetic lapdog." Spike only snarled in response and grabbed her ankle, rolling to the side. His movement threw her off-balance, and she fell heavily to the floor beside him. He climbed on top of her and grabbed her hair once again with his other hand on her shoulder. "Maybe," he replied, running the tip of his tongue over his fangs. "But this lapdog still bites, baby." He barred his teeth wickedly as he got a better purchase on her hair and slammed her head against the floor. Before he could attack again, Talia surprised him with a strong shove, and he fell backwards off of her. He rolled and got his feet under him, only to be knocked down again as she slammed her shoulder into his stomach. He landed on his back. Before he could sit up, Talia was beside him with a knee on his chest holding him down. "Poor, pretty-boy vampire," she mocked. Spike punched her squarely in the jaw, but the angle wasn't enough to get much momentum and she grabbed ahold of his wrist with her opposite hand, tightening her grip until her talons cut into his arm. He growled as she shoved him back down, her other knee painfully pinning his wrist to the floor. Spike kicked with one leg but couldn't dislodge her. "Doubt the girls will still think you're still handsome with your face all cut to ribbons," she spat, and raised her other hand. Extending her talons, she swept her hand towards Spike's face. The blow never connected as someone grabbed her wrist. "What-" Talia looked up. "Marcus?" "That's enough, Tal." Her cousin's face was grim as he added both hands to his grip on her arm, twisted, and kicked her hard in the ribs. Spike rolled out from under her and got to his feet as Marcus pulled Talia up by the arm. Spike's visage appeared behind her. "Not just yet, it's not," he told Marcus. Spike put a hand on either side of Talia's head and twisted. Her neck snapped audibly and she crumpled to the ground. Spike picked up the photograph and his face relaxed, the ridges fading as his eyes lost their amber glow. He glanced at the photograph quickly before looking Marcus in the eye. "Now it's enough." "Willow!" Dawn's voice was tight. She'd jumped up as Simon was pulled to his feet by an unseen energy. His slight form was bathed in energy, and his back was arched. He stood painfully on his tiptoes, every muscle in his body tight. Lightning of various colors played wildly across him, and blood began to seep through his shirt. |
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"I need help!" Her voice was clear, but somehow distant. Muttering a quiet prayer for his soul, Giles nodded, and opened his mind to the young witch. Aeralyus' eyes lit up as he caught sight of Dawn leaning over Simon. "Time to change partners, Slayer." Reaching out with his mind, he tossed Buffy towards the Hellmouth's gaping entrance. Willow, turning in shock, cried out again and Buffy hit an invisible wall, bouncing off with a thud. Aeralyus' eyes were focused on Dawn. She'd closed the book and set it aside, transfixed by the energies playing over Simon's body. |
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"Lady of the Silver Wheel, Keeper of the Cauldron of Life, I beg thee," she cried, impervious to Aeralyus' enraged roar as he strode towards her. "Heal thou his pain. Give life-" |
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Her invocation was cut short as Aeralyus pointed a hand in her direction, muttering a single word in Greek. Willow was thrown across the room, slamming into the wall and sliding down it without a sound. Her small cup was thrown into the air, arcing gracefully before beginning its downward descent. Buffy's eyes widened and she nearly screamed, seeing her best friend knocked unconscious. Giles was scrambling towards Willow as the small cup impacted an invisible boundary over Dawn and Simon's heads. A blinding light eclipsed the circle, crackling intensely as a kaleidoscopic array shot through the old library. Simon pulled Dawn down to the ground, shielding her body with his as the burst sent Aeralyus back two paces. The light faded almost as quickly, and Dawn looked up first, seeing Aeralyus heading towards them. The lines of the circle crackled in purple energy, bordering the circle and lighting Dawn with an unnatural glow as she immediately scrambled to her feet. In one step, she'd placed herself between Aeralyus and Simon, with only her defiant expression to protect herself and Simon. "You can't have him," she told Aeralyus, who laughed. Dawn didn't flinch as he closed the gap between them. |
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Spike hurled himself across the intervening space, tackling Dawn out from under Aeralyus' closing grasp. A single talon grazed the side of Dawn's forehead, and the blood began to flow. Buffy crashed into Aeralyus from behind, sending him hurtling headfirst into the wall. "Nobody cuts my little sister," she shouted. Her words were lost on the demon however, who merely slid down the wall, and did not move. There was a sudden silence in the room. Marcus gazed at Buffy standing over the still form of his cousin. |
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"Simon?" Dawn sat up, Spike following her closely, unwilling to let her out of arm's reach. She knelt beside him. A small crackle of energy arced across his form as she reached out, shook his shoulder gently. "Wake up," Dawn repeated and shook Simon a little harder. Dawn looked up at Spike, eyes wide with shock. "It's done, why isn't he waking up?" Spike knelt beside her, searching for the right words. He felt Buffy's presence as she and Marcus came to stand behind him, then all his attention was focused on Dawn. "Dawn, honey, he's not going to wake up. He's dead." She shook Simon gently, then harder. "No, no he's not dead." Spike put his hands over hers. "Look at me." Her eyes were filling with tears. "It's my fault. It's all my fault. I did this to him." He closed his eyes briefly as memories raced through his mind. Pain wracking his body. I'll tell you who the sodding key is. Doc's hands hard on his shoulders, a knife in his gut. Dawn's horrified look as Doc threw him off the platform. Until the end of the world, even if it is tonight. Crying as if he would never stop when he saw her body. My fault, all my fault. "Luv, listen to me. Have I ever lied to you?" She shook her head, wordlessly begging him to somehow make sense of this newest loss for her. "This is not your fault," he repeated. "You were only trying to help him. You did help him." "No, he was scared. He didn't want to do this. I made him do it." He squeezed her hands harder. "You didn't make him do anything. He wanted to do this. It should never have happened to him, it's unfair and it sucks. But you helped him. You... loved him. And sometimes that's all you can do." |
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"Little cousin." Marcus started at the words breathed in his ear, and found himself face-to-face with Aeralyus. He had no time to react as his cousin grabbed him and threw him roughly across the room. Aeralyus followed him, his face a mask of fury. "You killed Talia. You're a traitor to your clan and to your mother's memory." Aeralyus' voice broke Buffy out of her reverie. She turned and saw the demon advancing on Marcus, who was getting to his feet. The wall behind him was cracked from the impact of his body being thrown. "Spike. Get Dawn out of here," Buffy shouted over her shoulder as she looked for an opening in the fight between the cousins. "No way. Let Giles do it. I'm not leaving you to fight that thing." "Don't argue. I need you to protect her, and Willow. Just go." She turned and dove after Aeralyus. Giles got to his feet. "I've got Willow." He pulled the young witch's arm across his shoulders, and headed for the door. She moaned softly at the movement, her feet moving automatically. |
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"No!" She sobbed as she fought against his firm hands. "We can't leave him here. Not like this. He wouldn't like it. Let go of me, I won't-" Spike half-dragged, half-carried Dawn as she continued to fight him, her sobbing becoming a keening sound, anguished and wordless. Buffy hollered at them. "What are you waiting for, Christmas?" Spike continued to cajole Dawn as the girl clawed at his arms. "I promise, I swear to you, I'll come back when it's safer," Spike told her, then yelped as one of her flailing fists accidentally catching him in the jaw. Frustrated, he grabbed Dawn by both arms and spun her around, prepared to throw her over his shoulder. "But we have to get out now." Dawn twisted in his grasp and fell silent, her eyes blazing as the blood drained from her face. Spike risked a quick look back. Simon's body was aging before their eyes. Dawn continued to stare, and Spike shoved her back several steps. Dawn remained frozen in shock, watching as Simon's body gently crumbled into dust. |
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Buffy knocked Aeralyus down. Dammit, I just met this guy. I'm not going to let him get killed! She pressed the attack, and was surprised as he raised his hand and muttered something in Italian. She felt herself pushed aside, and came to rest just at the edge of the hole in the floor that led down into the Hellmouth. Fortunately, the delay gave Marcus enough time to get to his feet. He went after his cousin, talons out. He slashed at Aeralyus' side, and was rewarded with the sight of blood. Aeralyus clutched at his wound, and delivered a vicious backhand slap to Marcus' face. The force of the blow knocked Marcus back, slamming him again into the wall. He lurched back onto his feet, leaving a widening crack in the wall behind him. Aeralyus thrust his talons into Marcus' shoulders, enjoying the feel of the blood running down his fingers. Marcus screamed in pain, and Aeralyus smiled, enjoying the moment before he administered the final cut to Marcus' throat. His attack was interrupted by Buffy's arm sliding around his neck. She pulled him to her, choking him. He grabbed her arms, and dropped to the floor, practically sitting on her feet. Rolling back, he jammed his feet up against her chest, and rolled his body forward, kicking out as he did so. The blood on his hands caused her wrists to slip out of his grasp, and she, too, flew into the wall, as Marcus ducked out of the way. Bits of the ceiling fell around her as Buffy hopped to her feet. She saw Marcus driving Aeralyus back, and moved to assist. Aeralyus saw her coming, as he blocked Marcus' attacks, backing toward the center of the room. Casting around for a weapon, he spied a pile of rubble lying near the door. He reached out with his mind, and sent a chunk of cinder block flying toward the slayer. It caught her in the side, and she paused. Taking yet another step back to avoid a kick from his cousin, he reached out again, this time coming up with a long piece of rebar. As it came toward the slayer, she spun and plucked the steel bar out of the air. "What, you think I never saw Star Wars?" She spun her newfound weapon in her hand, and charged towards the two men. Running at full speed, she planted the bar in the floor, and vaulted into a kick, catching Aeralyus full in the chest. He flew back, and hit the wall next to the hole in the floor. A crack formed in this wall as well, running across the ceiling to join with the crack already formed on the other side of the room. The building began to groan. Spike looked up at the sound, as they moved through the hall. "That can't be good. C'mon, people, we've got to move faster, or this thing'll come down around our ears." Giles grunted, burdened by Willow's weight. Spike took over, lifting Willow off her feet. "I've got her. You two go on. We'll be right behind you." Aeralyus got up, saw his opponents waiting for him, the Hellmouth off to his right. He plunged in between them, kicking Marcus in the stomach. Marcus stumbled back, and swung his arms in the air, trying to keep his balance at the edge of the hole. Buffy swung the bar at Aeralyus, who caught it, and shoved with both body and mind, knocking her to the ground, forcing her to let go. He spun the end of the bar towards her, and stabbed it at her, like a spear. She rolled aside as the end thunked into the floor, then rolled back, grabbed the weapon, and lashed out with her foot. The kick forced him to release his grip, and she slammed the far end of the bar into his chest, sending him stumbling backwards. Marcus had just regained his balance when he saw his cousin come hurtling toward him. Marcus bit back a cry from the pain and threw himself forward, catching Aeralyus and bringing them both down. Sitting up, he leveled a solid punch at Ari's chin and had the satisfaction of hearing a solid thud as Ari's head hit the floor. Marcus gazed at his cousin as he straddled him, the rebar still planted in his cousin's chest. Goodbye, Ari. He became aware of Buffy's hand on his shoulder. "Come on," she said urgently, "We've got to get out of here." The noise of the building's collapse was growing louder. "No," Marcus spat out, and threw her hand off him. "I won't make it-" "Yes, you will," Buffy shot back, taking in the blood still seeping from the severe gashes on his shoulders, and the wild look in his eyes. "I'm not leaving you-" "I'll make it if you get the hell out!" Marcus suddenly roared at her, and Buffy took a step back as she saw his eyes, obsidian in the flickering light. "Go!" he yelled. Angrily, she hesitated a last second before turning and sprinting out. A large chunk of the ceiling fell nearby as Marcus yanked the rebar from his cousin's chest. I took the Rite, he thought, I know what to do. Giving in to his demonic heritage, he opened himself to the waves of pain radiating from Ari's body. With an animal scream, he plunged the rebar back into his cousin's body, and his cousin's responding pain echoed back at him, flooding him with power. My turn now, you bastard, Marcus thought, afire. He yanked the rebar up and thrust it down again, nearly screaming a second time as the energy crackled from his cousin's body and poured into him. Throwing the rebar aside, he lifted his cousin's body. He felt a final surge of energy as the heartbeat ceased, and threw the corpse into the pit with a howl. As he watched the body fall, there was a resounding crash, and the ceiling over the Hellmouth caved in. Spike rushed out of the old school building into the light drizzling rain. Giles and Dawn were just ahead of him, standing on the lawn, looking back at the building. Giles had his hand on Dawn's shoulder as she sobbed, her hands clenched into fists. Spike set Willow down on the grass next to them, and turned to look as a section of the building crashed in on itself with a dull roar. His jaw dropped open. Beside him, Dawn screamed, a wordless anguished cry. "Oh, God, no. Not again." Tears blinded his vision as he started towards the building. I can't bear to lose her again. He was stopped even as he began by Giles' voice. "Spike, wait." The ex-Watcher put his hand on Spike's shoulder. "If she's alive, she and Marcus can get out on their own. If she's gone, there's nothing you can do, except take care of Dawn." Spike blinked the tears away, and stared into the darkness of the entry to the ruined building. Is that...? He thought at first his eyes were playing tricks on him, then whooped with joy as a lone figure emerged slowly out of the dark. He shook off Giles' hand, and rushed to her, unable to stop himself from enfolding Buffy in an enormous hug. Dawn joined them quickly, not waiting until Spike had let go before she, too, wrapped her sister in a hug. Pulling back, she scanned the space behind Buffy, glancing at her sister with puzzled eyes. "But..." Buffy shook her head, and Dawn's eyes teared up, acknowledging her sister's anger and loss. She wrapped her arms around her sister a second time, and the two clung to each other for several seconds. "Don't mean to interrupt, but I'd appreciate a hand." The two sisters sprung apart, spinning to find Marcus swaying as he did his best to smile at them, his jacket hanging loose in his hand as the drizzling rain beat down on him. Dawn gasped and shrunk back behind Buffy. Her eyes wide took in the cruel gash running down Marcus' cheek, the bruises on his forehead and cheek, the matted shirt, caked with blood and dust, and the wide slices across his shoulders and torso where he'd been cut. "I know," he said, trying to chuckle, "I must look a sight." Before Marcus could say anything else, Spike had stepped forward and gripped Marcus' arm, hoisting the young man as he wrapped his free arm around Marcus' body to keep him upright. "It's okay, mate, I've got ya," Spike said. Together, he and Marcus followed the two sisters back to Giles and Willow. With a tremendous crack, the old high school gave one last crash as the skies opened. The light rain became a thundering downpour, bathing the streets of Sunnydale.
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~ continue to next chapter ~ | |