How You See Me
Chapter 7
----
Out of the darkness, traveling towards the "bad" part of Sunnydale, emerged two black clad figures, hauling a variety of artillery. There was enough space between the two to suggest that they were together purely on business, and the speed of their gait showed it was urgent.
Xander stopped walking and turned to Spike, causing him to pause as well.
"Explain it all one more time for the dull crayon."
Spike rolled his eyes.
"We're wasting time Harris."
Xander nodded.
"Right. Buffy. In danger. Gotcha." He began to walk again.
"Good. Now as I was saying--"
Suddenly Xander halted again.
"Wait, tell me again why I'm here with you, a cold blooded murderer that massacred three hundred people within a matter of hours without even batting an eye?"
"Because it's this cold blooded murderer who is the only chance you have at getting Buffy out alive. Besides, that was then and this is now. Can't even bite one lousy human much less massacre hundreds."
"I thought you were oh so adamant that Buffy could take care of herself." Xander said, a worried note creeping into his voice.
"And I've also called you mate but it doesn't bloody well mean I meant it. Wake up and smell the blood Harris. I was just trying to be elegant in front of the ladies, 'Bit especially, when I said that. Between us men, Herctide has the power to snap Buffy in half without even touching her. Her slayer powers mean nothing to him. Right now we are the only chance Buffy has so I would appreciate it if you would shut your bleedin' mouth, alright..mate?" He glared at Xander, who shrank back.
There was a heavy silence while the seriousness of the situation, now exposed, sank in.
"And how do you expect to stop him if Buffy can't?"
"Simple. He has Buffy. We want Buffy and he wants me. Maybe you're too young to remember the days of bartering, but it's a fairly simple equation." Spike explained slowly, as if to a child.
"Okay..and then you bust out with the demon face and Buffy does her bashing and I'll..well..yeah and we clear them out for good right?"
Spike growled at Xander's eager expression and slow mind.
"Wrong."
"What?"
"You grab Buffy and run like hell and Herctide does whatever he came here to do. Likely to be a good old fashioned staking. End of story. Then they clear out." Spike turned and started to walk again. Xander only followed him with his eyes.
"Excuse me?"
"That's right mate, say 'Bye bye' to ole'Spikey. Please wait a decent interlude before you throw a party." Spike threw over his shoulder.
"Spike. I don't--"
"No need to thank me."
"But--" Xander jogged a few steps to catch up with the vampire.
"C'mon, this is it, keep quiet."
----
"Are you sure we should be just sitting around here doing nothing while letting oh so trustworthy Spike dash off to save the day? He is so not knight-in-shining-armor'ishy!" Anya whined.
"Anya please." Willow nodded her head towards Dawn, who was sitting, pretending to do her homework, but obviously eavesdropping on their conversation.
"Right. I know. We're supposed to stay calm so that little Dawn stays calm. Xander explained it all." She nodded and then called over to Dawn, "Everyone is calm here Dawn. How about you? Feeling calm?"
Willow moaned and turned helplessly to Tara.
"Anya, I-I think we should just let Dawn be. Don't worry, Spike and Xander can take care of things."
"Xander can't take care of anything. He's going to die. It will be all Spike's fault, as often things are..Isn't there a spell you could be doing?"
"Listen," Willow interjected, "Spike knows this guy, he knows what he's about and how to get rid of him and oddly enough I trust Spike in this. He'll get Buffy, and Xander home safely."
"It's kinda weird isn't it?" Dawn called out, and the three older women turned to her in surprise.
"Huh?"
"Well, y'know, how it's all 'Spike to the rescue' and it seems..natural?"
Willow and Tara shared a look.
"It's not..natural Dawnie, it's more of.." Willow began, but couldn't put her thoughts into words.
"..a last resort?" Anya supplied helpfully.
Dawn looked from one to the other.
"C'mon guys, you aren't serious? I mean, Spike's been around all summer helping us out. ALL of us. If he hadn't been here I might..well..anyhow, are you honestly saying you haven't come to think of him as a little less demony and a little more..scoobyish?"
"D-Dawnie, you can't forget that Spike i-is a demon. He doesn't get 'less' demony."
"Yeah, we can't get dependent on him. We can take care of stuff ourselves. Like Anya said, 'last resort'. One day Spike'll get a little less chippy and then we won't be able to rely on him to fight our biggest threat. He'll BE our biggest threat!"
"Spike's changed now." Dawn said, stubbornly.
"No Dawn, really he hasn't. Don't put so much stock in him."
Dawn slammed her textbook shut. "You don't know what you're talking about. You've never taken the time to understand him!" And with that she stormed into the back room.
----
Buffy stifled a groan as the hot poker slid its way down her bare arm.
"Not screaming yet? Hmm, time to turn up the temperature then."
She watched as he shoved the tip of the poker back into the fire pit, the reflection of the flames dancing in his eyes. And then those horrible pitless eyes were turned upon her and he grinned.
"You'll scream for me soon slayer."
"I may scream, but you'll never get whatever it is you want from me."
"Won't I?" He titled his head to one side, " I think I will."
"You'll never break me." She spat.
He chuckled softly and pulled the poker out, eyeing it's steaming tip.
"I never expected to, it's not you I need to break. It's him." He thrust the poker towards her, straight into her stomach. Within seconds it had burnt a hole through her shirt and was working on her flesh.
Buffy gasped at the pain and tried to twist away, only making things worse for herself. The end of the poker rubbed across her exposed skin and she could smell the stench of burnt flesh.
Suddenly the realization of what was happening hit her; she wasn't able to keep her cool any longer. She had no power against this cold-hearted man who seemed to relish in torturing her and her supply of hope was running out.
She screamed.
A smile spread across the old man's face.
"That's my girl." He drew the poker back, giving her a momentary release.
"I'm no one's girl."
"No, you're not are you? You would never let that happen, never let them in. I understand. You see, you and I, we're a lot a like."
Buffy snorted.
"I've heard that before. I belong on the dark side, yada yada."
"No, you're good. Sickeningly so. But we're as one in the line of keeping to ourselves. Let me guess," He stared into her eyes giving her that eerie impression that he was looking right into her again, "you prefer the pain of loneliness than that of the pain a lover can cause? Physical pain you can take, but emotional pain has you stumped because it's one you can't fight with your bare hands. Love exposes you, makes you vulnerable and you lose control. You can't fight that and you are a warrior, you need something to fight."
Buffy didn't reply, but her silence was answer enough.
The man's smile was softer now. "You'll learn soon enough that pushing them away makes it worse. There will be no one to come to your rescue. It's amazing after all you've put HIM through that he still comes for you."
"Who?" Buffy's curiosity got the best of her.
"The vampire of course."
Buffy's heart skipped a beat, "Angel?"
The man laughed, "Not him, never him. Spike."
"..Spike..?"
"Yes, I'd damn him to hell if he wasn't already heading there. That's what this is all about really. That vampire made an oath to me 100 years ago, we killed side by side. It was a wonderful partnership really. But now something's infected him, he has the ability to love; he'd rather help than hinder! He's offset the balance and I must have my revenge."
"Spike."
The man nodded and prodded her again with the poker out of boredom. It'd cooled some and Buffy could handle it.
"You're wasting your time. Spike won't come after me."
"Then you underestimate him my dear, for he's on his way as we speak."
Buffy closed her eyes to squeeze back the tears that were threatening to fall. Silently she willed him not to come.
She didn't want him to put his life out for her, she wasn't worth it. She'd rather die; she didn't want to be here anyway. Death would be a welcome interlude to the mental torment she'd be going through since she'd come back, and maybe this time it could be permanent.
Although she'd told Spike, and herself, many times that he wasn't good enough for her, maybe it was the other way around. When she'd died he had stuck by Dawn, taking care of her no matter what. If the tables had been turned, would Buffy have even gone to give his crypt one last look? Probably not. He was coming to save her now, knowing full well of what this man was capable of. Had she ever saved his life just for the sake of saving his life? Never.
The demon in him came nowhere close to the unfeeling, uncaring human in her. She was better off dead, if only this man wouldn't make it so slow and torturous.
"He'll be here. Doesn't matter if you want or deserve him. You're his slayer whether you believe that or not."
TBC...
Chapter 7
----
Out of the darkness, traveling towards the "bad" part of Sunnydale, emerged two black clad figures, hauling a variety of artillery. There was enough space between the two to suggest that they were together purely on business, and the speed of their gait showed it was urgent.
Xander stopped walking and turned to Spike, causing him to pause as well.
"Explain it all one more time for the dull crayon."
Spike rolled his eyes.
"We're wasting time Harris."
Xander nodded.
"Right. Buffy. In danger. Gotcha." He began to walk again.
"Good. Now as I was saying--"
Suddenly Xander halted again.
"Wait, tell me again why I'm here with you, a cold blooded murderer that massacred three hundred people within a matter of hours without even batting an eye?"
"Because it's this cold blooded murderer who is the only chance you have at getting Buffy out alive. Besides, that was then and this is now. Can't even bite one lousy human much less massacre hundreds."
"I thought you were oh so adamant that Buffy could take care of herself." Xander said, a worried note creeping into his voice.
"And I've also called you mate but it doesn't bloody well mean I meant it. Wake up and smell the blood Harris. I was just trying to be elegant in front of the ladies, 'Bit especially, when I said that. Between us men, Herctide has the power to snap Buffy in half without even touching her. Her slayer powers mean nothing to him. Right now we are the only chance Buffy has so I would appreciate it if you would shut your bleedin' mouth, alright..mate?" He glared at Xander, who shrank back.
There was a heavy silence while the seriousness of the situation, now exposed, sank in.
"And how do you expect to stop him if Buffy can't?"
"Simple. He has Buffy. We want Buffy and he wants me. Maybe you're too young to remember the days of bartering, but it's a fairly simple equation." Spike explained slowly, as if to a child.
"Okay..and then you bust out with the demon face and Buffy does her bashing and I'll..well..yeah and we clear them out for good right?"
Spike growled at Xander's eager expression and slow mind.
"Wrong."
"What?"
"You grab Buffy and run like hell and Herctide does whatever he came here to do. Likely to be a good old fashioned staking. End of story. Then they clear out." Spike turned and started to walk again. Xander only followed him with his eyes.
"Excuse me?"
"That's right mate, say 'Bye bye' to ole'Spikey. Please wait a decent interlude before you throw a party." Spike threw over his shoulder.
"Spike. I don't--"
"No need to thank me."
"But--" Xander jogged a few steps to catch up with the vampire.
"C'mon, this is it, keep quiet."
----
"Are you sure we should be just sitting around here doing nothing while letting oh so trustworthy Spike dash off to save the day? He is so not knight-in-shining-armor'ishy!" Anya whined.
"Anya please." Willow nodded her head towards Dawn, who was sitting, pretending to do her homework, but obviously eavesdropping on their conversation.
"Right. I know. We're supposed to stay calm so that little Dawn stays calm. Xander explained it all." She nodded and then called over to Dawn, "Everyone is calm here Dawn. How about you? Feeling calm?"
Willow moaned and turned helplessly to Tara.
"Anya, I-I think we should just let Dawn be. Don't worry, Spike and Xander can take care of things."
"Xander can't take care of anything. He's going to die. It will be all Spike's fault, as often things are..Isn't there a spell you could be doing?"
"Listen," Willow interjected, "Spike knows this guy, he knows what he's about and how to get rid of him and oddly enough I trust Spike in this. He'll get Buffy, and Xander home safely."
"It's kinda weird isn't it?" Dawn called out, and the three older women turned to her in surprise.
"Huh?"
"Well, y'know, how it's all 'Spike to the rescue' and it seems..natural?"
Willow and Tara shared a look.
"It's not..natural Dawnie, it's more of.." Willow began, but couldn't put her thoughts into words.
"..a last resort?" Anya supplied helpfully.
Dawn looked from one to the other.
"C'mon guys, you aren't serious? I mean, Spike's been around all summer helping us out. ALL of us. If he hadn't been here I might..well..anyhow, are you honestly saying you haven't come to think of him as a little less demony and a little more..scoobyish?"
"D-Dawnie, you can't forget that Spike i-is a demon. He doesn't get 'less' demony."
"Yeah, we can't get dependent on him. We can take care of stuff ourselves. Like Anya said, 'last resort'. One day Spike'll get a little less chippy and then we won't be able to rely on him to fight our biggest threat. He'll BE our biggest threat!"
"Spike's changed now." Dawn said, stubbornly.
"No Dawn, really he hasn't. Don't put so much stock in him."
Dawn slammed her textbook shut. "You don't know what you're talking about. You've never taken the time to understand him!" And with that she stormed into the back room.
----
Buffy stifled a groan as the hot poker slid its way down her bare arm.
"Not screaming yet? Hmm, time to turn up the temperature then."
She watched as he shoved the tip of the poker back into the fire pit, the reflection of the flames dancing in his eyes. And then those horrible pitless eyes were turned upon her and he grinned.
"You'll scream for me soon slayer."
"I may scream, but you'll never get whatever it is you want from me."
"Won't I?" He titled his head to one side, " I think I will."
"You'll never break me." She spat.
He chuckled softly and pulled the poker out, eyeing it's steaming tip.
"I never expected to, it's not you I need to break. It's him." He thrust the poker towards her, straight into her stomach. Within seconds it had burnt a hole through her shirt and was working on her flesh.
Buffy gasped at the pain and tried to twist away, only making things worse for herself. The end of the poker rubbed across her exposed skin and she could smell the stench of burnt flesh.
Suddenly the realization of what was happening hit her; she wasn't able to keep her cool any longer. She had no power against this cold-hearted man who seemed to relish in torturing her and her supply of hope was running out.
She screamed.
A smile spread across the old man's face.
"That's my girl." He drew the poker back, giving her a momentary release.
"I'm no one's girl."
"No, you're not are you? You would never let that happen, never let them in. I understand. You see, you and I, we're a lot a like."
Buffy snorted.
"I've heard that before. I belong on the dark side, yada yada."
"No, you're good. Sickeningly so. But we're as one in the line of keeping to ourselves. Let me guess," He stared into her eyes giving her that eerie impression that he was looking right into her again, "you prefer the pain of loneliness than that of the pain a lover can cause? Physical pain you can take, but emotional pain has you stumped because it's one you can't fight with your bare hands. Love exposes you, makes you vulnerable and you lose control. You can't fight that and you are a warrior, you need something to fight."
Buffy didn't reply, but her silence was answer enough.
The man's smile was softer now. "You'll learn soon enough that pushing them away makes it worse. There will be no one to come to your rescue. It's amazing after all you've put HIM through that he still comes for you."
"Who?" Buffy's curiosity got the best of her.
"The vampire of course."
Buffy's heart skipped a beat, "Angel?"
The man laughed, "Not him, never him. Spike."
"..Spike..?"
"Yes, I'd damn him to hell if he wasn't already heading there. That's what this is all about really. That vampire made an oath to me 100 years ago, we killed side by side. It was a wonderful partnership really. But now something's infected him, he has the ability to love; he'd rather help than hinder! He's offset the balance and I must have my revenge."
"Spike."
The man nodded and prodded her again with the poker out of boredom. It'd cooled some and Buffy could handle it.
"You're wasting your time. Spike won't come after me."
"Then you underestimate him my dear, for he's on his way as we speak."
Buffy closed her eyes to squeeze back the tears that were threatening to fall. Silently she willed him not to come.
She didn't want him to put his life out for her, she wasn't worth it. She'd rather die; she didn't want to be here anyway. Death would be a welcome interlude to the mental torment she'd be going through since she'd come back, and maybe this time it could be permanent.
Although she'd told Spike, and herself, many times that he wasn't good enough for her, maybe it was the other way around. When she'd died he had stuck by Dawn, taking care of her no matter what. If the tables had been turned, would Buffy have even gone to give his crypt one last look? Probably not. He was coming to save her now, knowing full well of what this man was capable of. Had she ever saved his life just for the sake of saving his life? Never.
The demon in him came nowhere close to the unfeeling, uncaring human in her. She was better off dead, if only this man wouldn't make it so slow and torturous.
"He'll be here. Doesn't matter if you want or deserve him. You're his slayer whether you believe that or not."
TBC...
