Angel sighed and stopped, running his fingers through his hair. This is
utterly pointless, he thought, scanning the area around him and Cordelia.
The tunnel seemed to stretch on forever, and stank of the waste of the city
above. The only light came from the small flashlight clutched in his
companion's hand.
"Of all the stinky places, we get the sewers. Buffy must really hate me,"
the girl fumed, toeing something on the ground with disgust.
"She doesn't hate you, she's just worried, Cordy." The vampire took a final
glance around. "I don't think we're going to find anything here. Let's
head back."
"Thank God." Cordelia muttered, stepping lightly behind him, shuddering.
They walked in silence for a long while, before the girl stopped Angel,
placing a small hand on his arm. He turned around, looking curiously at her
inquiring face.
"Spill," she said, raising her eyebrows slightly.
Angel sighed, and furrowed his brow.
"What?"
"I know you're all stressed out about something. What is it? It's Spike,
isn't it? You're jealous." She said the last with a touch of hurt in her
voice.
"No! I'm not..." He turned away, wanting to look anywhere else but her
eyes. "It's just...I worry about her, alright? Yes, I still love her...But
not like that. We both know that that part of our lives is over. I just
don't want Spike hurting her, is all."
He felt her step up behind him, and hesitantly, she slipped an arm around
his waist.
"I don't think he would, Angel. Did you see the way he looked at her?"
The vampire chuckled.
"Yeah. I did. And he's really possessive about Dawn. It's...." he
chuckled again. "Really funny, actually."
Cordelia chuckled as well, pulling him around to face her. Her face
had that look she got sometimes, almost motherly.
"No more worrying, alright?" Both of her eyebrows raised. "We have other
stuff to deal with right now."
Angel smiled a little sideways, and took her face in his hands. He brushed
a kiss on her forehead and petted her hair absently, before pulling her into
a hug. She sighed softly, and lay her cheek against his chest.
They stood there for awhile, simply content to hold each other. The moment
was soon over, as he felt her stiffen before her heartbeat increased. He
held her tighter, knowing what was coming. She cried out in pain, and her
knees gave out, her small frame supported only by the vampire.
"Oh god.." she gasped, holding her head. "The junkyard." Her muscles
seized, and the vision hit her with full force. "Spike...someone's got
him..." she trailed off, the vision fading away, leaving her weak and
disoriented. Angel still supported her, worrying his lip.
"We'd better get back." She nodded slightly against his chest.
He swept her up in his arms and hurried back to the Magic Box.
///
(Hey now...)
(All you sinners...)
(Put your lights on...)
(Put your lights on...)
(Hey now...)
(All you lovers...)
(Put your lights on...)
(Put your lights on...)
(Hey now..)
(All you killers...)
(Put your lights on..)
(Put your lights on...)
(Hey now...)
(All you children...)
(Leave your lights on..)
(You better leave your lights on...)
Everyone left in the magic shop looked up as the bell over the door chimed,
and Buffy slowly walked in. Alone. Dawn, who had arrived only moments
before with Tara, felt her heart stiffen.
"Buffy?" she asked, her lower lip trembling.
Willow shot out of her seat and crossed the room, putting an arm around her
friend, greatly disturbed by the lost look in her face.
"What happened?" the witch asked, biting her lip. Buffy shook her head. The
redhead opened her mouth to speak. "Where's Spike?"
As Willow said those words, Buffy choked back a sob.
"I...I lost him. There was fighting, and then he was gone...I looked for
ashes...I couldn't find any...." She broke down in earnest now, clutching at
Willow for support.
Flicking a glance to Giles, Willow guided the distraught Slayer to a chair.
Buffy fell forward and sobbed into her arms.
"He could be dead...somewhere...and we'd never know! He could be gone for
good..." she gasped out between tears.
Dawn felt tears slipping down her cheeks. She had lost so much, her Mom,
then her sister. It didn't matter that her sister was back now, she still
remembered the pain of losing her. She couldn't lose Spike. But she kept
it together.
"You'll find him, Buffy.." she whispered, wrapping her arms around her
sister. "You will..."
///
(Cause there's a monster..)
(Living under my bed...)
(Whispering in my ear...)
(And there's an angel...)
(With her hand on my head....)
(She say I got nothin' to fear...)
(But there's a darkness...)
(Living deep in my soul...)
(It's still got a purpose to serve...)
(So let your light shine...)
(Deep into my hole...)
(God, don't let me lose my nerve...)
(Don't let me lose my nerve...)
Spike came awake slowly, drifting back to awareness with the sluggishness
of one who'd slept for days. His eyes fluttered open, confused, trying to
figure out where he was.
"He awakens..." a soft voice spoke.
He licked his lips, stormy blue eyes darting around. He was chained,
again, though this time his feet were on the floor, much to his relief. He
was in a small cavern, underground, he could tell, by the coolness in the
air. A single torch lit the area in flickering waves, throwing shadows
around the cavern.
"No threats of violence?" the sublime voice continued. "Not what I
expected from William the Bloody..."
Spike cleared his throat, his head still aching from the blast from the
chip that had knocked him out.
"Who are you?" he asked, his voice sounding more cracked than he had
wanted.
She chuckled softly, stepping into his view. She looked weak, this
woman...vampire, he corrected, as he heard no heartbeat. She was very thin
and pale, a waif of a creature. Long, plaited black hair hung down her
shoulders in waves, extending past her waist.
"I am Kahamet, lover. And you are mine."
Spike scoffed, a little of his brashness returning.
"Like 'ell I am. Listen, you stupid git, let me go or.."
"Or what?" she interrupted. "You will curse at me from your bindings?"
she chuckled again. "Amusing, yes. A threat? No." she moved closer. "I
need you, Bridge. You will restore my health. It is your destiny. Why not
just accept it? You should be honored."
Spike rolled his head, and laughed, pulling at the chains.
"No one'd be 'honored' to be 'round you, luv. Got some scent issues..."
"Silence!" she barked, cracking him across the face with the back of her
hand. Not weak, he corrected, spitting out blood from a split lip. What
was it about it him that caused amazingly strong bitches to want to put him
in chains and make him bleed?
"You will help, no matter what you think. It is your nature." she grinned
sadistically, pulling out a long silver blade. Oh great, he thought, here
comes the bleeding part. He was suddenly reminded of the vision he had had,
after feeding off Buffy, of Drusilla, reminding him not to let them bleed
him. He found himself very disturbed.
"In your weakest state, you are nothing but an animal." she continued,
running the blade over his chest lightly, not drawing blood, but eliciting a
shiver from him. "You will do whatever I command. You know it."
"Sod off," he bit out bitterly. I am so royally fucked, he thought. She
lashed out again, smashing him in the nose with the butt of the blade.
Cursing, he shied back on instinct, turning his head to the side.
"Ahh...There you are." she whispered. Before he could turn his head to
look at her, he felt her fangs sink into his throat.
His eyes widened and he jerked, coughing out a yelp of surprise more than
of pain. It didn't hurt all that much, of course, but he struggled nonetheless.
Nothing felt more violating than to have one's life blood drained away by someone
stronger. Irony, he thought, feeling himself weaken. Now he knew how his victims
had felt.
He was finally able to lift up his leg and knee her away from him. She
chuckled manically, wiping away a touch of his blood from her lips.
"Delicious," she purred, watching him for a moment. He was breathing
hard, and wondering why, since he didn't have to breathe. Habit, he supposed.
He just hung there, glaring at her, trembling.
"Stay the hell away from me."
She giggled, swaying softly, and came closer.
(Hey now..)
(All you sinners..)
(Put your lights on...)
(Put your lights on...)
(Hey now...)
(All you children...)
(Leave your lights on...)
(You better leave your lights on...)
He kicked out blindly at her, with force enough to crack a brick wall. She
caught his ankle easily, clucking her tongue. She hit him again, hard, his
cheekbone cracking under the pressure. His vision swam, and she pressed up against
him, tilting his head to one side and biting into his flesh once more, making a new
mark on the side she hadn't touched.
He stiffened again, his eyes lolling. He could feel himself slipping away.
He knew if he did, she would have her beast. He wouldn't be able to control himself,
drained dry and starved for blood.
(Cause there's a monster...)
(Living under my bed...)
(Whispering in my ear...)
(And there's an angel...)
(With her hand on my head...)
(She say I got nothin' to fear...)
He summoned up the last of his strength, struggling uselessly. She enjoyed
it too much, purring as she drained him. Finally, as his vision darkened, he
pulled up the image of his girls, Buffy and Dawn, holding on to it, with
everything he had, willing himself to stay conscious.
(She said...)
(Hey la la...)
(We oughtta shine like stars...)
His eyes were glazed and unseeing, finally, when she pulled away. He hung
loosely, his breath slower than a mortal could stand, keeping the habit up,
concentrating on the pictures in his head. Buffy. Dawn.
(Don't let me fade away.......)
utterly pointless, he thought, scanning the area around him and Cordelia.
The tunnel seemed to stretch on forever, and stank of the waste of the city
above. The only light came from the small flashlight clutched in his
companion's hand.
"Of all the stinky places, we get the sewers. Buffy must really hate me,"
the girl fumed, toeing something on the ground with disgust.
"She doesn't hate you, she's just worried, Cordy." The vampire took a final
glance around. "I don't think we're going to find anything here. Let's
head back."
"Thank God." Cordelia muttered, stepping lightly behind him, shuddering.
They walked in silence for a long while, before the girl stopped Angel,
placing a small hand on his arm. He turned around, looking curiously at her
inquiring face.
"Spill," she said, raising her eyebrows slightly.
Angel sighed, and furrowed his brow.
"What?"
"I know you're all stressed out about something. What is it? It's Spike,
isn't it? You're jealous." She said the last with a touch of hurt in her
voice.
"No! I'm not..." He turned away, wanting to look anywhere else but her
eyes. "It's just...I worry about her, alright? Yes, I still love her...But
not like that. We both know that that part of our lives is over. I just
don't want Spike hurting her, is all."
He felt her step up behind him, and hesitantly, she slipped an arm around
his waist.
"I don't think he would, Angel. Did you see the way he looked at her?"
The vampire chuckled.
"Yeah. I did. And he's really possessive about Dawn. It's...." he
chuckled again. "Really funny, actually."
Cordelia chuckled as well, pulling him around to face her. Her face
had that look she got sometimes, almost motherly.
"No more worrying, alright?" Both of her eyebrows raised. "We have other
stuff to deal with right now."
Angel smiled a little sideways, and took her face in his hands. He brushed
a kiss on her forehead and petted her hair absently, before pulling her into
a hug. She sighed softly, and lay her cheek against his chest.
They stood there for awhile, simply content to hold each other. The moment
was soon over, as he felt her stiffen before her heartbeat increased. He
held her tighter, knowing what was coming. She cried out in pain, and her
knees gave out, her small frame supported only by the vampire.
"Oh god.." she gasped, holding her head. "The junkyard." Her muscles
seized, and the vision hit her with full force. "Spike...someone's got
him..." she trailed off, the vision fading away, leaving her weak and
disoriented. Angel still supported her, worrying his lip.
"We'd better get back." She nodded slightly against his chest.
He swept her up in his arms and hurried back to the Magic Box.
///
(Hey now...)
(All you sinners...)
(Put your lights on...)
(Put your lights on...)
(Hey now...)
(All you lovers...)
(Put your lights on...)
(Put your lights on...)
(Hey now..)
(All you killers...)
(Put your lights on..)
(Put your lights on...)
(Hey now...)
(All you children...)
(Leave your lights on..)
(You better leave your lights on...)
Everyone left in the magic shop looked up as the bell over the door chimed,
and Buffy slowly walked in. Alone. Dawn, who had arrived only moments
before with Tara, felt her heart stiffen.
"Buffy?" she asked, her lower lip trembling.
Willow shot out of her seat and crossed the room, putting an arm around her
friend, greatly disturbed by the lost look in her face.
"What happened?" the witch asked, biting her lip. Buffy shook her head. The
redhead opened her mouth to speak. "Where's Spike?"
As Willow said those words, Buffy choked back a sob.
"I...I lost him. There was fighting, and then he was gone...I looked for
ashes...I couldn't find any...." She broke down in earnest now, clutching at
Willow for support.
Flicking a glance to Giles, Willow guided the distraught Slayer to a chair.
Buffy fell forward and sobbed into her arms.
"He could be dead...somewhere...and we'd never know! He could be gone for
good..." she gasped out between tears.
Dawn felt tears slipping down her cheeks. She had lost so much, her Mom,
then her sister. It didn't matter that her sister was back now, she still
remembered the pain of losing her. She couldn't lose Spike. But she kept
it together.
"You'll find him, Buffy.." she whispered, wrapping her arms around her
sister. "You will..."
///
(Cause there's a monster..)
(Living under my bed...)
(Whispering in my ear...)
(And there's an angel...)
(With her hand on my head....)
(She say I got nothin' to fear...)
(But there's a darkness...)
(Living deep in my soul...)
(It's still got a purpose to serve...)
(So let your light shine...)
(Deep into my hole...)
(God, don't let me lose my nerve...)
(Don't let me lose my nerve...)
Spike came awake slowly, drifting back to awareness with the sluggishness
of one who'd slept for days. His eyes fluttered open, confused, trying to
figure out where he was.
"He awakens..." a soft voice spoke.
He licked his lips, stormy blue eyes darting around. He was chained,
again, though this time his feet were on the floor, much to his relief. He
was in a small cavern, underground, he could tell, by the coolness in the
air. A single torch lit the area in flickering waves, throwing shadows
around the cavern.
"No threats of violence?" the sublime voice continued. "Not what I
expected from William the Bloody..."
Spike cleared his throat, his head still aching from the blast from the
chip that had knocked him out.
"Who are you?" he asked, his voice sounding more cracked than he had
wanted.
She chuckled softly, stepping into his view. She looked weak, this
woman...vampire, he corrected, as he heard no heartbeat. She was very thin
and pale, a waif of a creature. Long, plaited black hair hung down her
shoulders in waves, extending past her waist.
"I am Kahamet, lover. And you are mine."
Spike scoffed, a little of his brashness returning.
"Like 'ell I am. Listen, you stupid git, let me go or.."
"Or what?" she interrupted. "You will curse at me from your bindings?"
she chuckled again. "Amusing, yes. A threat? No." she moved closer. "I
need you, Bridge. You will restore my health. It is your destiny. Why not
just accept it? You should be honored."
Spike rolled his head, and laughed, pulling at the chains.
"No one'd be 'honored' to be 'round you, luv. Got some scent issues..."
"Silence!" she barked, cracking him across the face with the back of her
hand. Not weak, he corrected, spitting out blood from a split lip. What
was it about it him that caused amazingly strong bitches to want to put him
in chains and make him bleed?
"You will help, no matter what you think. It is your nature." she grinned
sadistically, pulling out a long silver blade. Oh great, he thought, here
comes the bleeding part. He was suddenly reminded of the vision he had had,
after feeding off Buffy, of Drusilla, reminding him not to let them bleed
him. He found himself very disturbed.
"In your weakest state, you are nothing but an animal." she continued,
running the blade over his chest lightly, not drawing blood, but eliciting a
shiver from him. "You will do whatever I command. You know it."
"Sod off," he bit out bitterly. I am so royally fucked, he thought. She
lashed out again, smashing him in the nose with the butt of the blade.
Cursing, he shied back on instinct, turning his head to the side.
"Ahh...There you are." she whispered. Before he could turn his head to
look at her, he felt her fangs sink into his throat.
His eyes widened and he jerked, coughing out a yelp of surprise more than
of pain. It didn't hurt all that much, of course, but he struggled nonetheless.
Nothing felt more violating than to have one's life blood drained away by someone
stronger. Irony, he thought, feeling himself weaken. Now he knew how his victims
had felt.
He was finally able to lift up his leg and knee her away from him. She
chuckled manically, wiping away a touch of his blood from her lips.
"Delicious," she purred, watching him for a moment. He was breathing
hard, and wondering why, since he didn't have to breathe. Habit, he supposed.
He just hung there, glaring at her, trembling.
"Stay the hell away from me."
She giggled, swaying softly, and came closer.
(Hey now..)
(All you sinners..)
(Put your lights on...)
(Put your lights on...)
(Hey now...)
(All you children...)
(Leave your lights on...)
(You better leave your lights on...)
He kicked out blindly at her, with force enough to crack a brick wall. She
caught his ankle easily, clucking her tongue. She hit him again, hard, his
cheekbone cracking under the pressure. His vision swam, and she pressed up against
him, tilting his head to one side and biting into his flesh once more, making a new
mark on the side she hadn't touched.
He stiffened again, his eyes lolling. He could feel himself slipping away.
He knew if he did, she would have her beast. He wouldn't be able to control himself,
drained dry and starved for blood.
(Cause there's a monster...)
(Living under my bed...)
(Whispering in my ear...)
(And there's an angel...)
(With her hand on my head...)
(She say I got nothin' to fear...)
He summoned up the last of his strength, struggling uselessly. She enjoyed
it too much, purring as she drained him. Finally, as his vision darkened, he
pulled up the image of his girls, Buffy and Dawn, holding on to it, with
everything he had, willing himself to stay conscious.
(She said...)
(Hey la la...)
(We oughtta shine like stars...)
His eyes were glazed and unseeing, finally, when she pulled away. He hung
loosely, his breath slower than a mortal could stand, keeping the habit up,
concentrating on the pictures in his head. Buffy. Dawn.
(Don't let me fade away.......)