Faith absently chewed on her thumb, listening to the others' plan. She hung
back, leaning against the counter, not sure of her place anymore. After
all, she had tried to kill most of them in the past. They had no reason to
trust her.
Angel had given her a friendly hug when she walked in, which she stiffly
returned. No one else had said more than two words to her, aside from
business.
"We have to get Spike out first." Buffy said, crossing her arms.
At a look from Xander, she added. "Not just because I love him. If he's
killed, if the bridge is destroyed, the world ends. Right?" she asked,
turning to Giles for confirmation.
"Yes. I believe it has something to do with the balance that the powers
strive so hard to keep. Spike is the gray, he is both good and evil, and
someone connects to the two sides to one another. If he is killed, it will
be akin to cutting a thread in the center; both sides will fly apart. The
balance will be overthrown."
Buffy nodded, chewing on a hangnail.
"So.." Xander started. "We mount up, bust in, crack heads, get Spike out.
This chick you saw can't have that many minons...."
He looked around the table. "Right?"
"We've no idea what stands before us, but, sadly, Xander's plan, such as it
is, seems to be the most viable...." Giles sighed.
"Alright. Weapons. Xander, axe, stakes of course." The blonde Slayer
once again took charge.
"Willow? You're going to have to use big magic." she met her friend's eyes.
"Can you handle it?"
The redhead sighed, sliding a glance to Tara. "If...if Tara helps...I
think I can do it...."
Tara gave her a slight smile.
"Alright then. No sunlight spells, we've got two vamps on our side. Anya?
Can you stay here with Dawn?"
Dawn stood up, pouting.
"But, Buffy, I want to help! Spike is MY friend too..."
"Dawn, Buffy's right, we can't risk you, alright?" Angel said, earning a
glare from the girl that could curdle milk.
She slumped back into her seat, crossing her arms.
"Fine."
Anya nodded, keeping an eye on Faith, who was too close to the cash
register for her liking, given what she had heard about the girl's past.
"I can do that."
Faith gave her a snarky grin.
"What do I do, B?"
Buffy finally turned her eyes to the other Slayer, before looking away
again.
"Just...back me up. Kill anything that moves that's not us or Spike. You're
good at that." Her voice sounded slightly bitter.
Faith winced, and raised both eyebrows. She stretched an arm and muttered
under her breath.
"Ouch..."
No one seemed to hear her.
"Daybreak is in an hour. We'll hit it then, easier kills." Everyone
nodded. "Till then, rest, do...whatever...."
Finally backing down from leader Slayer mode, Buffy hugged herself and
turned away from the group.
Anya gathered up Dawn's things, figuring it best to take her home before
everything went down. The sulking girl in tow, she turned back and looked
at the room.
"I hope nobody dies. Good luck!" she said cheerily. Then flicked a
glance to Faith. "Don't steal anything."
And she and Dawn were gone.
///
Spike slumped to the floor as the chains were removed. Confused, since all
he had known were the chains, he looked up at his captor.
She smiled, petting him on the head like a dog.
"It's time, lover. You'll get fed if you do as I say."
Spike nodded, wide-eyed. She had his full attention at the word 'fed'.
"Rise." she commanded.
He tried. He really did. But his legs wouldn't hold the weight of his
body. Everything hurt, but that was alright. All he knew was pain. Must
be the way things are.
She chuckled lightly, and leaned down, grabbing his arm and hauling him to
his feet. She dragged him to the center of the room, and released him. He
fell back to the floor, hardly able to keep himself in a sitting position.
She gave him a patronizing smile and knelt before him. He didn't notice
the circle drawn in black coal around them both, or the candles placed at
strange intervals, or the demons and men chanting.
She picked up the silver athame, toying with the blade for a moment, before
handing it to him. He looked at it, confused, before looking up at her
again.
Her eyes flickered with amusement, and a smile tugged at her lips once
again.
"You will draw the blade across my wrist when I say. And then, you will
feed until I tell you to stop. Are we clear?"
At the hungry look in his eyes, and the twitching of his hands toward her,
she glared.
"WHEN I say, William."
Something sparked. Only for a moment. He frowned, trying to latch onto
the memory, and growling in frustration when it danced just beyond his
reach. The girls were still there, though. They were important. He
didn't know why.
She took his growl differently, thinking he was simply frustrated he
couldn't feed yet. She made a gesture, and the chanting grew louder.
Her arms spread out before her, her head lolling back slightly. She took
up the chant as well, intoning the words perfectly. The air crackled with
the power of the magics being cast.
Spike fidgeted. He didn't care about their silly chanting. He just wanted
to be fed. And they were taking too long. He whimpered a little, but was
good, and didn't try to move or take the woman's blood before he was told.
Something tingled at the back of his neck, and the pictures of the girls
grew stronger, the blonde more so than the other. He frowned and pushed
them to the side again. There were more important things going on at the
moment.
The chanting continued, swelling, rising. He was slightly frightened, the
magic made him feel itchy and strange, but he ignored it. More important
things. The girls tried to enter his vision again.
"Now, lover!" Kahamet cried, throwing her head back up to meet his eyes.
That's all it took. His weak and shuddering arms reached out, grabbing her
wrist with one hand and slashing hard with the blade in the other. Seeing
the blood welling up on her skin, he hesitated.
But only for a moment. Bloodlust soon swept him out of control, and he
latched his mouth onto her wrist, pulling in huge draughts of her blood,
filling his nearly empty veins.
It was glorious. Living, pumping blood. Much better than the cups that he
barely remembered. He was sure he would remember this. He continued to
drain her, shuddering and purring.
Kahamet's eyes gleamed and flashed, azure and red mixing with the dark
brown of her iris.
"The die has been cast..." she grinned, watching her new pet drain her.
back, leaning against the counter, not sure of her place anymore. After
all, she had tried to kill most of them in the past. They had no reason to
trust her.
Angel had given her a friendly hug when she walked in, which she stiffly
returned. No one else had said more than two words to her, aside from
business.
"We have to get Spike out first." Buffy said, crossing her arms.
At a look from Xander, she added. "Not just because I love him. If he's
killed, if the bridge is destroyed, the world ends. Right?" she asked,
turning to Giles for confirmation.
"Yes. I believe it has something to do with the balance that the powers
strive so hard to keep. Spike is the gray, he is both good and evil, and
someone connects to the two sides to one another. If he is killed, it will
be akin to cutting a thread in the center; both sides will fly apart. The
balance will be overthrown."
Buffy nodded, chewing on a hangnail.
"So.." Xander started. "We mount up, bust in, crack heads, get Spike out.
This chick you saw can't have that many minons...."
He looked around the table. "Right?"
"We've no idea what stands before us, but, sadly, Xander's plan, such as it
is, seems to be the most viable...." Giles sighed.
"Alright. Weapons. Xander, axe, stakes of course." The blonde Slayer
once again took charge.
"Willow? You're going to have to use big magic." she met her friend's eyes.
"Can you handle it?"
The redhead sighed, sliding a glance to Tara. "If...if Tara helps...I
think I can do it...."
Tara gave her a slight smile.
"Alright then. No sunlight spells, we've got two vamps on our side. Anya?
Can you stay here with Dawn?"
Dawn stood up, pouting.
"But, Buffy, I want to help! Spike is MY friend too..."
"Dawn, Buffy's right, we can't risk you, alright?" Angel said, earning a
glare from the girl that could curdle milk.
She slumped back into her seat, crossing her arms.
"Fine."
Anya nodded, keeping an eye on Faith, who was too close to the cash
register for her liking, given what she had heard about the girl's past.
"I can do that."
Faith gave her a snarky grin.
"What do I do, B?"
Buffy finally turned her eyes to the other Slayer, before looking away
again.
"Just...back me up. Kill anything that moves that's not us or Spike. You're
good at that." Her voice sounded slightly bitter.
Faith winced, and raised both eyebrows. She stretched an arm and muttered
under her breath.
"Ouch..."
No one seemed to hear her.
"Daybreak is in an hour. We'll hit it then, easier kills." Everyone
nodded. "Till then, rest, do...whatever...."
Finally backing down from leader Slayer mode, Buffy hugged herself and
turned away from the group.
Anya gathered up Dawn's things, figuring it best to take her home before
everything went down. The sulking girl in tow, she turned back and looked
at the room.
"I hope nobody dies. Good luck!" she said cheerily. Then flicked a
glance to Faith. "Don't steal anything."
And she and Dawn were gone.
///
Spike slumped to the floor as the chains were removed. Confused, since all
he had known were the chains, he looked up at his captor.
She smiled, petting him on the head like a dog.
"It's time, lover. You'll get fed if you do as I say."
Spike nodded, wide-eyed. She had his full attention at the word 'fed'.
"Rise." she commanded.
He tried. He really did. But his legs wouldn't hold the weight of his
body. Everything hurt, but that was alright. All he knew was pain. Must
be the way things are.
She chuckled lightly, and leaned down, grabbing his arm and hauling him to
his feet. She dragged him to the center of the room, and released him. He
fell back to the floor, hardly able to keep himself in a sitting position.
She gave him a patronizing smile and knelt before him. He didn't notice
the circle drawn in black coal around them both, or the candles placed at
strange intervals, or the demons and men chanting.
She picked up the silver athame, toying with the blade for a moment, before
handing it to him. He looked at it, confused, before looking up at her
again.
Her eyes flickered with amusement, and a smile tugged at her lips once
again.
"You will draw the blade across my wrist when I say. And then, you will
feed until I tell you to stop. Are we clear?"
At the hungry look in his eyes, and the twitching of his hands toward her,
she glared.
"WHEN I say, William."
Something sparked. Only for a moment. He frowned, trying to latch onto
the memory, and growling in frustration when it danced just beyond his
reach. The girls were still there, though. They were important. He
didn't know why.
She took his growl differently, thinking he was simply frustrated he
couldn't feed yet. She made a gesture, and the chanting grew louder.
Her arms spread out before her, her head lolling back slightly. She took
up the chant as well, intoning the words perfectly. The air crackled with
the power of the magics being cast.
Spike fidgeted. He didn't care about their silly chanting. He just wanted
to be fed. And they were taking too long. He whimpered a little, but was
good, and didn't try to move or take the woman's blood before he was told.
Something tingled at the back of his neck, and the pictures of the girls
grew stronger, the blonde more so than the other. He frowned and pushed
them to the side again. There were more important things going on at the
moment.
The chanting continued, swelling, rising. He was slightly frightened, the
magic made him feel itchy and strange, but he ignored it. More important
things. The girls tried to enter his vision again.
"Now, lover!" Kahamet cried, throwing her head back up to meet his eyes.
That's all it took. His weak and shuddering arms reached out, grabbing her
wrist with one hand and slashing hard with the blade in the other. Seeing
the blood welling up on her skin, he hesitated.
But only for a moment. Bloodlust soon swept him out of control, and he
latched his mouth onto her wrist, pulling in huge draughts of her blood,
filling his nearly empty veins.
It was glorious. Living, pumping blood. Much better than the cups that he
barely remembered. He was sure he would remember this. He continued to
drain her, shuddering and purring.
Kahamet's eyes gleamed and flashed, azure and red mixing with the dark
brown of her iris.
"The die has been cast..." she grinned, watching her new pet drain her.