*RITUAL VISIONS 2*
..."Rid us, Bydillok" he continued..."Of the Slayer"
****************************PART TWO***************************************
It was done. Bydillok had risen and victory for the Shrelta's felt close at hand. The tunnel had been vacated almost as soon as the God had appeared, and so now, Bydillok and the demon who had led the ceremony stood alone in the dark. The God towered over the leader as he inspected the chair where his Lord would need to be seated for the ritual.
"How long before the sacrifices will be completed?" Bydillok asked him in a chillingly calm voice. Rashtuk tried not to look at him as he answered.
"Three days, my Lord."
"And then?"
"Then, my Lord, you shall be fed the blood of *fifty* innocents, you shall leave this tunnel and rid us of the Slayer." Rashtuk allowed himself a small smile as he continued "Then the Shrelta will open the gates of the Hellmouth and Chaos shall reign."
Bydillok cocked his head to one side as he watched his loyal servant bow and prepare to leave. He raised his arm slightly and Rashtuk became frozen in place. Another movement of the Hell God's wrist, and the demon was brought forward and forced to look his master in the eyes.
"If you, or anyone else in your clan displeases me," he paused. "You shall all die the most horrific of deaths at my hand."
He smiled evily before releasing the acolyte from the spell and sat down in the throne-like chair which would be essential to the ritual. Rashtuk scrambled away as fast as he could, and didn't stop running until he almost collapsed from exhaustion. He prayed that none of the Shrelta he led failed in their tasks. If they did, he was as good as dead, and so was everyone else. For Hell Gods weren't renowned for their good nature.
*
Giles read the paragraph over and over again, checking for any possible mistakes. But there were none, the God, Bydillok, was going to be set upon Sunnydale in three days. The gang had taken it well enough, he'd thought, but no-one was exactly happy that a God had been called to kill Buffy and open the gates of Hell.
"We any closer to finding out how to kill this guy?" Dawn asked him hopefully as she leaned over his shoulder to try and view the passage herself.
"Unfortunately, no." The Watcher sighed, taking his glasses off to clean them as he thought. It was a classic Giles trademark.
"How about if you just, y'know, stab him with somethin' pointy," Spike suggested. He'd been drafted in to help as he'd known some Shrelta's in the past. "That seems to work for y'."
"Why are we paying you?" Buffy wondered, shaking her head "'Cause I'm pretty certain it's not for dumb-ass comments like that."
"Maybe it's 'cause I'm so breathtakingly gorgeous." he replied with a mocking grin and a wink. Buffy pulled a face and decided to ignore him.
"Willow?" she looked to her friend, who had been slaving over the computer for two hours.
"Sorry, there's a lot of mythology on him, but no ways to kill him." the Wiccan reported, getting up to stretch.
The Slayer put her head in her hands and groaned. Why did the research thing always have to take so long?
Grace had left half an hour earlier, claiming her mother would freak if she stayed out any longer. So now, the only good researchers were Giles and Willow, and they weren't having any joy.
"Well, everyone," Giles was saying "I suggest we all go home and get some rest."
"You don't have to tell me twice." Xander shot up from his chair and was out of there in seconds, with Anya in tow. Tara and Willow were the next to leave. Leaving just Dawn, Giles, Buffy and, strangely enough, Spike.
"I'll be paid tomorrow, right?" the vampire raised an eyebrow as he started towards the back room. Giles nodded slowly, still bent over the book.
"Okay then, don't stay out too late, kids." Spike said dryly and made a swift exit. Dawn yawned. She didn't intend to, not with a load of demons bent on bringing Hell to earth roaming the streets.
* *
Traklit was tired of being a Shrelta. She was sick of doing the same old rituals every day. It was always the same. Collect the blood, store it underground with the other containers, then, collect some more. Nothing was interesting anymore. The last collection her and two others had just done hadn't gone too well. The girl had lost too much blood for the rest to be of much use to anyone, so they'd dumped the body in a near by cemetary. Rashtuk would have their heads if he ever found out. Especially since Bydillok had just risen in the underground. A large clock above her head told her it was just past 3am as she passed beneath it. She kept to the shadows as she crept around Sunnydale's abandoned streets, just in case a human happened to walk by and wonder what the Hell she was. But the people of Sunnydale kept off the streets at night, she didn't have to wonder why. The only place which people went to after dark was the Bronze, and that was only because they felt there was safety in numbers. Traklit was absent mindedly sharpening her claws, when she was joined in the darkness.
"Nice night, isn't it?" the newcomer mused with a sigh. Traklit jumped up and glared at him, ready to fight, but then she recognised him as her old employer and leant against a wall, trying to calm herself.
"How've you been, Spike?" she asked politely as he lit a cigarette.
"Fancy makin' some easy cash?" he ignored her question and got to the point, she liked that about the vampire, he didn't mess around. She nodded eagerly. This sounded interesting, and a damn sight more profitable than chanting.
* * *
Buffy tossed and turned in bed as images shot through her mind. She saw rivers of blood pouring over a throne from a tube-like structure, and beside the throne stood Bydillok, laughing madly. She saw each of her friends being fed to him while she was frozen in place and forced to watch. Finally, she broke free of the invisible arms which held her and turned away, only to be met by the mute stares of hundreds of Shrelta demons. But the crowd wasn't just Shrelta, for in the front row, she saw Spike, looking up at her with his deceptively innocent eyes. She pointed to him and screamed for as long as her lungs would allow. Suddenly, she woke, and the scream was continued into real life. She staggered out of bed and hurried into Dawn's bedroom. Her younger sister was sat up in bed, after apparentally being woken by Buffy's screams.
"What is it?!" Dawn asked her in a panicky voice.
"Nothing," The Slayer panted, catching her breath "I was just checking you were still here."
"Is everything okay?" the red-head frowned, still concerned.
"Yeah, everything's fine," Buffy lied "I just had a bad dream."
Dawn wasn't convinced, but she didn't want to push her sister, she looked shattered. She gave her one last glance before lying back down.
"'Night." She called out.
"G'night Dawn, sleep well." Buffy whispered as she closed the door. She had the unshakable feeling like she wanted to run to her mum, but she knew she couldn't. Her mum had died just over three months ago of cancer. Buffy fought back tears as she fell back into bed, wishing Joyce was there to comfort her. To tell her everything was going to be okay. But, she had to come to terms with the fact that her mum wasn't coming back. She had to be the parent now. For Dawn.
* * * *
Giles unlocked the magic shop and shuffled inside, desperate for a decent cup of tea. He'd left all his tea bags here, and so had none at home. A small ray of light had escaped through the shutters which covered the large front window, and had snaked it's way over to the candles, melting a very nice red one. Giles tutted and removed the candle from the display. He poured himself a cup of Earl Grey and sat down to relax before it was time to open up.
"Finally," Spike moaned as he came through from the back room, causing Giles to spill the brown liquid all over the small brown table at which he sat.
"We thought you'd never show up." the vampire continued with a yawn.
"We?" The Watcher repeated, clearly irritated.
"Yeah, me and Traklit." Spike explained "We stayed the night in the back room so we'd catch y' before the Slayer gets 'ere."
"How did you get in?" Giles demanded, what he wouldn't give for a stake.
"Picked the lock." He told him matter-of-factly. "But I wouldn't have done it if my business wasn't important, like."
"And what might 'your business' be, hmm?"
"Only the way to kill a certain Hell God." Spike grinned at Giles' shock. This would *definitely* fetch him a few quid. Enough, he reckoned, to keep him alive for weeks. He licked his lips at the thought of all that blood."
"How the Hell did you find that out?" Giles was gob-smacked
"Giles, mate," He lifted his chin proudly "Let me introduce y' to my good friend, Traklit."
* * * * *
"See y' later, mom." Grace called as she grabbed her new leather jacket from the rack and prepared to leave.
"Where are you going?" her mum demanded as she stormed into the hall and stood infront of the door, blocking her daughter's way.
"I'm just gonna meet some new friends." Grace told her truthfully, still trying to pass her mother. But Franchesca stayed fast.
"You went out yesterday, Grace, why are you going out again?" she asked
"We're gonna do some studying, thats all." Grace smiled thinly, that was sort of true, they were going to try and find out out to kill Bydillok. Franchesca eyed her daughter carefully and chewed her lip. She couldn't stop her going out because of that one incident last year. That was done with now, Grace was all better. Wasn't she?
"Alright then," she conceded "Have a nice time with your new friends." She watched as her only child hurried away and her shoulders fell. She could be going out to do anything. But Fran had to trust her. She still blamed herself for what happened to Grace the previous year, for all the heartache that came upon her family when Grace was at that dreadful hospital. She made a promise to herself to never let that happen again. Grace was back with her for good.
* * * * * *
When Buffy and Willow arrived at the magic shop, they were shocked at what they found. Giles was sat driking tea with a disgusting green demon and Spike as if it were the most natural thing in the world to do.
"Ah, Buffy." Giles smiled at his Slayer "Nice to see you. Please sit down, you too Willow." The two did what was asked in silence. What was going on?
"What's *he* doing here?" Buffy demanded, glaring at her enemy.
"Who? Spike?" Giles glanced at the vampire, who finished his tea and leant back on his chair with an arrogant smile on his lips.
"Oh the usual." Spike decided to answer "Havin' a chat, drinkin' tea, providin' information vital to savin' everyone, y'know, that sort of thing."
"Vital Information?" Willow repeated "What sort of vital information?"
"I know how to kill Bydillok." He whispered to her secretivly. Willow jumped back with a gasp. Buffy wasn't amused, she grabbed Spike by the throat and squeezed tightly.
"What do you know, Spike?" she asked him in a calm voice. Giles went to answer her, but she stopped him "No, I want dear old Spike to tell me."
The vampire struggled, knowing all too well that he couldn't hurt her without one Hell of a bad headache, but he remained silent. He was too stubborn for his own good. His eyes darted in Traklit's direction, a signal for her to get the Slayer off him. Traklit obeyed, reminding herself of when she'd worked for him. She wrenched Buffy back with a growl.
"He knows how to kill Bydillok." She told her angrily. Spike grinned, he'd won. He hadn't told her anything.
"And what the Hell are you supposed to be?" The Slayer yelled, angered further by Spike's pleased expression.
"She's a Shrelta, Buffy." Grace informed her as she walked in. This could prove to be promising. A Shrelta on their side. Well, on Spike's side anyway. Which side was *he* on, was the big question. Grace smiled, she knew how to find out.
* * * * * * *
"Yeah...Okay...Be right there...Anya? No she's sick...Yeah I will...See y' soon, Will. Bye." Xander hung up the phone and looked to his girlfriend.
"What's happening?" Anya asked him with a sniffle, she'd somehow managed to catch a nasty case of the Flu.
"I'm going to the magic shop for a while," he explained "Spike's got a Shrelta demon to help us."
Anya frowned and sat up in bed "You're leaving me?"
"Just for about an hour whilst me and -"
"I can't believe you're leaving me while I'm dying!" she interrupted him
"Anya," Xander sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed to put his shoes and socks on "You're not dying, you've got the Flu, that's all." She wasn't impressed. He realised he wasn't going to win, so he said a quick goodbye and left Anya to sulk unhappily in bed.
* * * * * * * *
Giles looked over at Spike for the hundredth time as he talked quietly in a corner with Grace, it was beginning to irritate him. If the old man had something to say to him, he should say it to his face. The same went for the vision girl, just because she had 'special powers' it didn't mean she should get any special treatment in Spike's book. Another glance came his way and the vampire couldn't take it anymore. He stood up and thumped the table.
"What?!" he snapped at the pair, feeling his fangs come through and his eyes change colour as his face shifted. Grace shrank away, obviously scared of his transformation, but Giles came forward.
"We were just wondering if you would be willing to take part in a, well, sort of a test." He told him, also letting everyone else in on their little chat.
"A test?" Spike repeated, as his face shifted back, he'd been totally caught off guard. He'd been expecting some big scandal, not a 'test'. "What kinda test? For what?"
"Well, Grace suggested that she may be able to see if you really are on 'our side' by going into your mind." Giles explained.
"Oh she did, did she?" Spike glared at her, causing the girl to shy away further "For some crazy reason, I'm thinkin' no."
"Isn't that a bit over the top?" Xander asked, he'd only just arrived ten minutes ago, and so this was the first order of business to him.
"Not if we want the truth." Grace spoke up. She knew from personal experience that someone could easily pass a truth spell whilst lying about everything, it just took concentration. Everyone seemed to take that in, but Spike still wasn't having it.
"Why the Hell should I let y' into my head?" He yelled "I dunno if anyone else remembers the last time someone went in there, but it pretty much left me neutered."
"We'll pay you." Giles offered "Alot."
"I want enough to keep me alive for two years." Spike demanded, then paused to think " and some cigs...and a bit of someone in here's blood."
Giles' jaw dropped open, how dare he? He wanted someone's blood? That was ludicrous. The vampire caught his expression and changed his order.
"Okay, drop the blood," he sighed "But two years worth and I'll do it."
* * * * * * * * *
Bydillok paced through the large underground tunnel like a caged animal. He was dying to get out and wreak havoc among the people and demons of Sunnydale. He didn't understand why the stupid rituals were taking so long. He hated rituals anyway. They were always so boring and pointlessly dumb. He wished he could meet whoever made them up so he could tear them apart. What was the point of having him confined for three days after he had risen, and *then* having to take part in yet another ritual? Not that he minded having hundreds of demons hurrying about just so he could drink a lot of blood, it was just, he was bored. Simple as. All he did all day was pace up and down the same old tunnel. He decided a good old fashioned kill would cheer him up. But who to kill?
"Rashtuk!" He yelled with a sinister smile on his face. "Come here a minute."
* * * * * * * * * *
Spike was worried. Anyone could see it. He was wondering about the magic shop, grumbling to Traklit about something. Giles almost felt sorry for him. He wouldn't fancy having someone he barely knew poke about in his head. He grabbed a bottle and walked up next to Spike and the demon. The conversation between the two immediately stopped.
"Whisky?" Giles offered and, not to his surprise, Spike snatched the bottle off him and took a long swig of the pungent liquid inside.
"Ta." he muttered, still clinging on to the bottle. Giles realised he wasn't getting it back.
"Grace is almost ready to start," The Watcher told him "It won't be long."
"Great." Spike moaned, taking another gulp. Maybe if he got drunk, they couldn't do it. No. He shook his head, he wasn't scared of anything. He'd do it, and he'd do it well. As if Giles could read his mind, he patted the vampire on his shoulder.
"Thank you." he smiled before walking away.
"I aint scared." Spike mumbled to Traklit as he lit a cigarette "I aint even worried."
"I know." the demon lied enthusiastically. She could see that he was both those things. But the fact that he was still going to do it was admirable, she thought. She had to wonder, though, *why* was he doing it? It wasn't because he liked the humans, that was for sure, so why? Her only guess was because he was very proud. He never turned down a challenge. Plus, he was getting paid, so that was probably it.
"I swear, if they don't dish out the cash after this, chip or no chip, they're going down." Spike growled, narrowing his eyes at the Slayer as she looked in his direction. And he wasn't lying. If they came up dry, he'd tear them apart, even if it killed him.
Grace broke the silence as she emerged from the back room. "We're ready to start." she announced and Spike sighed. This was definitely one of the most stupid things he'd ever done.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Candles illuminated the small back room of Giles' magic shop which had been chosen for Grace to go into Spike's mind. Everyone was on strict instructions to be as quiet as possible whilst this was done, so Xander had gone to check on Anya. Spike would have prefered it if there was some background noise, but it was apparently essential that there was silence, so it was just tough luck. He sat where Grace had told him to and waited as she purified the room.
"How can y' purify the room if there's a vampire in it?" he asked, watching her as she worked around the room, muttering prayers and lighting incense.
"Through concentration." she snapped at him. She was beginning to regret suggesting this, all he did was talk and moan. How was she supposed to do this if he had the attention span of a three year old? He shrugged off his long leather coat and began to play with his Zippo lighter nonchalantly. Grace turned to him.
"Put that down and sit still." she commanded in the tone that a strict school teacher might use. Spike pulled a face, but did as she said, he didn't want to upset the girl who was preparing to stick herself in his mind.
"How long will this take?" he queried, feeling a tad more than bored.
"It'll take longer if you continue to talk!" Grace yelled, causing him to throw up his hands in mock surrender. What was her problem? He didn't ask for her to do all this.
Outside, Giles was looking concerned.
"What is it?" Willow whispered to him as quietly as she could.
"He's talking," Giles murmured back "So she can't concentrate. If this goes wrong, it may leave him brain dead."
"Brain dead?!" Traklit repeated sharply. No one had mentioned brain dead.
"Sshh!" Giles hushed her, reminding Willow of his short career as a librarian. Traklit shook her head. They should have told him everything. Well, it was too late now, they'd already started.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Grace said the final prayer and silence fell upon the room as she stared into Spike's eyes. This was creeping him out. He just didn't like having to stare at someone for *ages* without moving. Grace, however, was practiced at this sort of thing, and was concentrating intensly. If Spike had been a human, she would have synchronised breathing, but since he didn't breathe, she was having to deal. After ten minutes of feeling nothing, she finally began to reach out to him with her mind. She felt like she was in his eyes, but then something stopped her from going fully in. Something held her back.
"Let me in." she whispered, but she was still denied entry. He was stopping her, of that much she was sure, but *how* was he stopping her?
"Don't poke around in the wrong places," he breathed "Get what y' need and get out."
And then she was in.
*****************************END OF PART TWO******************************
..."Rid us, Bydillok" he continued..."Of the Slayer"
****************************PART TWO***************************************
It was done. Bydillok had risen and victory for the Shrelta's felt close at hand. The tunnel had been vacated almost as soon as the God had appeared, and so now, Bydillok and the demon who had led the ceremony stood alone in the dark. The God towered over the leader as he inspected the chair where his Lord would need to be seated for the ritual.
"How long before the sacrifices will be completed?" Bydillok asked him in a chillingly calm voice. Rashtuk tried not to look at him as he answered.
"Three days, my Lord."
"And then?"
"Then, my Lord, you shall be fed the blood of *fifty* innocents, you shall leave this tunnel and rid us of the Slayer." Rashtuk allowed himself a small smile as he continued "Then the Shrelta will open the gates of the Hellmouth and Chaos shall reign."
Bydillok cocked his head to one side as he watched his loyal servant bow and prepare to leave. He raised his arm slightly and Rashtuk became frozen in place. Another movement of the Hell God's wrist, and the demon was brought forward and forced to look his master in the eyes.
"If you, or anyone else in your clan displeases me," he paused. "You shall all die the most horrific of deaths at my hand."
He smiled evily before releasing the acolyte from the spell and sat down in the throne-like chair which would be essential to the ritual. Rashtuk scrambled away as fast as he could, and didn't stop running until he almost collapsed from exhaustion. He prayed that none of the Shrelta he led failed in their tasks. If they did, he was as good as dead, and so was everyone else. For Hell Gods weren't renowned for their good nature.
*
Giles read the paragraph over and over again, checking for any possible mistakes. But there were none, the God, Bydillok, was going to be set upon Sunnydale in three days. The gang had taken it well enough, he'd thought, but no-one was exactly happy that a God had been called to kill Buffy and open the gates of Hell.
"We any closer to finding out how to kill this guy?" Dawn asked him hopefully as she leaned over his shoulder to try and view the passage herself.
"Unfortunately, no." The Watcher sighed, taking his glasses off to clean them as he thought. It was a classic Giles trademark.
"How about if you just, y'know, stab him with somethin' pointy," Spike suggested. He'd been drafted in to help as he'd known some Shrelta's in the past. "That seems to work for y'."
"Why are we paying you?" Buffy wondered, shaking her head "'Cause I'm pretty certain it's not for dumb-ass comments like that."
"Maybe it's 'cause I'm so breathtakingly gorgeous." he replied with a mocking grin and a wink. Buffy pulled a face and decided to ignore him.
"Willow?" she looked to her friend, who had been slaving over the computer for two hours.
"Sorry, there's a lot of mythology on him, but no ways to kill him." the Wiccan reported, getting up to stretch.
The Slayer put her head in her hands and groaned. Why did the research thing always have to take so long?
Grace had left half an hour earlier, claiming her mother would freak if she stayed out any longer. So now, the only good researchers were Giles and Willow, and they weren't having any joy.
"Well, everyone," Giles was saying "I suggest we all go home and get some rest."
"You don't have to tell me twice." Xander shot up from his chair and was out of there in seconds, with Anya in tow. Tara and Willow were the next to leave. Leaving just Dawn, Giles, Buffy and, strangely enough, Spike.
"I'll be paid tomorrow, right?" the vampire raised an eyebrow as he started towards the back room. Giles nodded slowly, still bent over the book.
"Okay then, don't stay out too late, kids." Spike said dryly and made a swift exit. Dawn yawned. She didn't intend to, not with a load of demons bent on bringing Hell to earth roaming the streets.
* *
Traklit was tired of being a Shrelta. She was sick of doing the same old rituals every day. It was always the same. Collect the blood, store it underground with the other containers, then, collect some more. Nothing was interesting anymore. The last collection her and two others had just done hadn't gone too well. The girl had lost too much blood for the rest to be of much use to anyone, so they'd dumped the body in a near by cemetary. Rashtuk would have their heads if he ever found out. Especially since Bydillok had just risen in the underground. A large clock above her head told her it was just past 3am as she passed beneath it. She kept to the shadows as she crept around Sunnydale's abandoned streets, just in case a human happened to walk by and wonder what the Hell she was. But the people of Sunnydale kept off the streets at night, she didn't have to wonder why. The only place which people went to after dark was the Bronze, and that was only because they felt there was safety in numbers. Traklit was absent mindedly sharpening her claws, when she was joined in the darkness.
"Nice night, isn't it?" the newcomer mused with a sigh. Traklit jumped up and glared at him, ready to fight, but then she recognised him as her old employer and leant against a wall, trying to calm herself.
"How've you been, Spike?" she asked politely as he lit a cigarette.
"Fancy makin' some easy cash?" he ignored her question and got to the point, she liked that about the vampire, he didn't mess around. She nodded eagerly. This sounded interesting, and a damn sight more profitable than chanting.
* * *
Buffy tossed and turned in bed as images shot through her mind. She saw rivers of blood pouring over a throne from a tube-like structure, and beside the throne stood Bydillok, laughing madly. She saw each of her friends being fed to him while she was frozen in place and forced to watch. Finally, she broke free of the invisible arms which held her and turned away, only to be met by the mute stares of hundreds of Shrelta demons. But the crowd wasn't just Shrelta, for in the front row, she saw Spike, looking up at her with his deceptively innocent eyes. She pointed to him and screamed for as long as her lungs would allow. Suddenly, she woke, and the scream was continued into real life. She staggered out of bed and hurried into Dawn's bedroom. Her younger sister was sat up in bed, after apparentally being woken by Buffy's screams.
"What is it?!" Dawn asked her in a panicky voice.
"Nothing," The Slayer panted, catching her breath "I was just checking you were still here."
"Is everything okay?" the red-head frowned, still concerned.
"Yeah, everything's fine," Buffy lied "I just had a bad dream."
Dawn wasn't convinced, but she didn't want to push her sister, she looked shattered. She gave her one last glance before lying back down.
"'Night." She called out.
"G'night Dawn, sleep well." Buffy whispered as she closed the door. She had the unshakable feeling like she wanted to run to her mum, but she knew she couldn't. Her mum had died just over three months ago of cancer. Buffy fought back tears as she fell back into bed, wishing Joyce was there to comfort her. To tell her everything was going to be okay. But, she had to come to terms with the fact that her mum wasn't coming back. She had to be the parent now. For Dawn.
* * * *
Giles unlocked the magic shop and shuffled inside, desperate for a decent cup of tea. He'd left all his tea bags here, and so had none at home. A small ray of light had escaped through the shutters which covered the large front window, and had snaked it's way over to the candles, melting a very nice red one. Giles tutted and removed the candle from the display. He poured himself a cup of Earl Grey and sat down to relax before it was time to open up.
"Finally," Spike moaned as he came through from the back room, causing Giles to spill the brown liquid all over the small brown table at which he sat.
"We thought you'd never show up." the vampire continued with a yawn.
"We?" The Watcher repeated, clearly irritated.
"Yeah, me and Traklit." Spike explained "We stayed the night in the back room so we'd catch y' before the Slayer gets 'ere."
"How did you get in?" Giles demanded, what he wouldn't give for a stake.
"Picked the lock." He told him matter-of-factly. "But I wouldn't have done it if my business wasn't important, like."
"And what might 'your business' be, hmm?"
"Only the way to kill a certain Hell God." Spike grinned at Giles' shock. This would *definitely* fetch him a few quid. Enough, he reckoned, to keep him alive for weeks. He licked his lips at the thought of all that blood."
"How the Hell did you find that out?" Giles was gob-smacked
"Giles, mate," He lifted his chin proudly "Let me introduce y' to my good friend, Traklit."
* * * * *
"See y' later, mom." Grace called as she grabbed her new leather jacket from the rack and prepared to leave.
"Where are you going?" her mum demanded as she stormed into the hall and stood infront of the door, blocking her daughter's way.
"I'm just gonna meet some new friends." Grace told her truthfully, still trying to pass her mother. But Franchesca stayed fast.
"You went out yesterday, Grace, why are you going out again?" she asked
"We're gonna do some studying, thats all." Grace smiled thinly, that was sort of true, they were going to try and find out out to kill Bydillok. Franchesca eyed her daughter carefully and chewed her lip. She couldn't stop her going out because of that one incident last year. That was done with now, Grace was all better. Wasn't she?
"Alright then," she conceded "Have a nice time with your new friends." She watched as her only child hurried away and her shoulders fell. She could be going out to do anything. But Fran had to trust her. She still blamed herself for what happened to Grace the previous year, for all the heartache that came upon her family when Grace was at that dreadful hospital. She made a promise to herself to never let that happen again. Grace was back with her for good.
* * * * * *
When Buffy and Willow arrived at the magic shop, they were shocked at what they found. Giles was sat driking tea with a disgusting green demon and Spike as if it were the most natural thing in the world to do.
"Ah, Buffy." Giles smiled at his Slayer "Nice to see you. Please sit down, you too Willow." The two did what was asked in silence. What was going on?
"What's *he* doing here?" Buffy demanded, glaring at her enemy.
"Who? Spike?" Giles glanced at the vampire, who finished his tea and leant back on his chair with an arrogant smile on his lips.
"Oh the usual." Spike decided to answer "Havin' a chat, drinkin' tea, providin' information vital to savin' everyone, y'know, that sort of thing."
"Vital Information?" Willow repeated "What sort of vital information?"
"I know how to kill Bydillok." He whispered to her secretivly. Willow jumped back with a gasp. Buffy wasn't amused, she grabbed Spike by the throat and squeezed tightly.
"What do you know, Spike?" she asked him in a calm voice. Giles went to answer her, but she stopped him "No, I want dear old Spike to tell me."
The vampire struggled, knowing all too well that he couldn't hurt her without one Hell of a bad headache, but he remained silent. He was too stubborn for his own good. His eyes darted in Traklit's direction, a signal for her to get the Slayer off him. Traklit obeyed, reminding herself of when she'd worked for him. She wrenched Buffy back with a growl.
"He knows how to kill Bydillok." She told her angrily. Spike grinned, he'd won. He hadn't told her anything.
"And what the Hell are you supposed to be?" The Slayer yelled, angered further by Spike's pleased expression.
"She's a Shrelta, Buffy." Grace informed her as she walked in. This could prove to be promising. A Shrelta on their side. Well, on Spike's side anyway. Which side was *he* on, was the big question. Grace smiled, she knew how to find out.
* * * * * * *
"Yeah...Okay...Be right there...Anya? No she's sick...Yeah I will...See y' soon, Will. Bye." Xander hung up the phone and looked to his girlfriend.
"What's happening?" Anya asked him with a sniffle, she'd somehow managed to catch a nasty case of the Flu.
"I'm going to the magic shop for a while," he explained "Spike's got a Shrelta demon to help us."
Anya frowned and sat up in bed "You're leaving me?"
"Just for about an hour whilst me and -"
"I can't believe you're leaving me while I'm dying!" she interrupted him
"Anya," Xander sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed to put his shoes and socks on "You're not dying, you've got the Flu, that's all." She wasn't impressed. He realised he wasn't going to win, so he said a quick goodbye and left Anya to sulk unhappily in bed.
* * * * * * * *
Giles looked over at Spike for the hundredth time as he talked quietly in a corner with Grace, it was beginning to irritate him. If the old man had something to say to him, he should say it to his face. The same went for the vision girl, just because she had 'special powers' it didn't mean she should get any special treatment in Spike's book. Another glance came his way and the vampire couldn't take it anymore. He stood up and thumped the table.
"What?!" he snapped at the pair, feeling his fangs come through and his eyes change colour as his face shifted. Grace shrank away, obviously scared of his transformation, but Giles came forward.
"We were just wondering if you would be willing to take part in a, well, sort of a test." He told him, also letting everyone else in on their little chat.
"A test?" Spike repeated, as his face shifted back, he'd been totally caught off guard. He'd been expecting some big scandal, not a 'test'. "What kinda test? For what?"
"Well, Grace suggested that she may be able to see if you really are on 'our side' by going into your mind." Giles explained.
"Oh she did, did she?" Spike glared at her, causing the girl to shy away further "For some crazy reason, I'm thinkin' no."
"Isn't that a bit over the top?" Xander asked, he'd only just arrived ten minutes ago, and so this was the first order of business to him.
"Not if we want the truth." Grace spoke up. She knew from personal experience that someone could easily pass a truth spell whilst lying about everything, it just took concentration. Everyone seemed to take that in, but Spike still wasn't having it.
"Why the Hell should I let y' into my head?" He yelled "I dunno if anyone else remembers the last time someone went in there, but it pretty much left me neutered."
"We'll pay you." Giles offered "Alot."
"I want enough to keep me alive for two years." Spike demanded, then paused to think " and some cigs...and a bit of someone in here's blood."
Giles' jaw dropped open, how dare he? He wanted someone's blood? That was ludicrous. The vampire caught his expression and changed his order.
"Okay, drop the blood," he sighed "But two years worth and I'll do it."
* * * * * * * * *
Bydillok paced through the large underground tunnel like a caged animal. He was dying to get out and wreak havoc among the people and demons of Sunnydale. He didn't understand why the stupid rituals were taking so long. He hated rituals anyway. They were always so boring and pointlessly dumb. He wished he could meet whoever made them up so he could tear them apart. What was the point of having him confined for three days after he had risen, and *then* having to take part in yet another ritual? Not that he minded having hundreds of demons hurrying about just so he could drink a lot of blood, it was just, he was bored. Simple as. All he did all day was pace up and down the same old tunnel. He decided a good old fashioned kill would cheer him up. But who to kill?
"Rashtuk!" He yelled with a sinister smile on his face. "Come here a minute."
* * * * * * * * * *
Spike was worried. Anyone could see it. He was wondering about the magic shop, grumbling to Traklit about something. Giles almost felt sorry for him. He wouldn't fancy having someone he barely knew poke about in his head. He grabbed a bottle and walked up next to Spike and the demon. The conversation between the two immediately stopped.
"Whisky?" Giles offered and, not to his surprise, Spike snatched the bottle off him and took a long swig of the pungent liquid inside.
"Ta." he muttered, still clinging on to the bottle. Giles realised he wasn't getting it back.
"Grace is almost ready to start," The Watcher told him "It won't be long."
"Great." Spike moaned, taking another gulp. Maybe if he got drunk, they couldn't do it. No. He shook his head, he wasn't scared of anything. He'd do it, and he'd do it well. As if Giles could read his mind, he patted the vampire on his shoulder.
"Thank you." he smiled before walking away.
"I aint scared." Spike mumbled to Traklit as he lit a cigarette "I aint even worried."
"I know." the demon lied enthusiastically. She could see that he was both those things. But the fact that he was still going to do it was admirable, she thought. She had to wonder, though, *why* was he doing it? It wasn't because he liked the humans, that was for sure, so why? Her only guess was because he was very proud. He never turned down a challenge. Plus, he was getting paid, so that was probably it.
"I swear, if they don't dish out the cash after this, chip or no chip, they're going down." Spike growled, narrowing his eyes at the Slayer as she looked in his direction. And he wasn't lying. If they came up dry, he'd tear them apart, even if it killed him.
Grace broke the silence as she emerged from the back room. "We're ready to start." she announced and Spike sighed. This was definitely one of the most stupid things he'd ever done.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Candles illuminated the small back room of Giles' magic shop which had been chosen for Grace to go into Spike's mind. Everyone was on strict instructions to be as quiet as possible whilst this was done, so Xander had gone to check on Anya. Spike would have prefered it if there was some background noise, but it was apparently essential that there was silence, so it was just tough luck. He sat where Grace had told him to and waited as she purified the room.
"How can y' purify the room if there's a vampire in it?" he asked, watching her as she worked around the room, muttering prayers and lighting incense.
"Through concentration." she snapped at him. She was beginning to regret suggesting this, all he did was talk and moan. How was she supposed to do this if he had the attention span of a three year old? He shrugged off his long leather coat and began to play with his Zippo lighter nonchalantly. Grace turned to him.
"Put that down and sit still." she commanded in the tone that a strict school teacher might use. Spike pulled a face, but did as she said, he didn't want to upset the girl who was preparing to stick herself in his mind.
"How long will this take?" he queried, feeling a tad more than bored.
"It'll take longer if you continue to talk!" Grace yelled, causing him to throw up his hands in mock surrender. What was her problem? He didn't ask for her to do all this.
Outside, Giles was looking concerned.
"What is it?" Willow whispered to him as quietly as she could.
"He's talking," Giles murmured back "So she can't concentrate. If this goes wrong, it may leave him brain dead."
"Brain dead?!" Traklit repeated sharply. No one had mentioned brain dead.
"Sshh!" Giles hushed her, reminding Willow of his short career as a librarian. Traklit shook her head. They should have told him everything. Well, it was too late now, they'd already started.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Grace said the final prayer and silence fell upon the room as she stared into Spike's eyes. This was creeping him out. He just didn't like having to stare at someone for *ages* without moving. Grace, however, was practiced at this sort of thing, and was concentrating intensly. If Spike had been a human, she would have synchronised breathing, but since he didn't breathe, she was having to deal. After ten minutes of feeling nothing, she finally began to reach out to him with her mind. She felt like she was in his eyes, but then something stopped her from going fully in. Something held her back.
"Let me in." she whispered, but she was still denied entry. He was stopping her, of that much she was sure, but *how* was he stopping her?
"Don't poke around in the wrong places," he breathed "Get what y' need and get out."
And then she was in.
*****************************END OF PART TWO******************************