Part 5 - Too Easy
"You let him kill me. You didn't do anything to stop him," Lizzy
accused, ignoring the tears flowing from her cheeks. And his.
Spike remembered now. It was a memory he tried so hard to forget.
Buried it so far in the back of his mind that he did. Forget.
Until Lizzy told him. Told him of how he simply stood and watched
his grandsire kill his beloved sister.
But he didn't recognize her until it was too late. She had grown
from the lovely girl he loved and knew as his sister to the beautiful
woman who cried out for him to save her. Afterwards, Spike remembered
going to her body and just looking at her. Perhaps he was in shock.
He couldn't remember. He just looked at her until the others pulled
him away. He never told them about her. They wouldn't have understood.
They couldn't.
"Lizzy, I'm sorry. God, I'm so sorry. I didn't know... I didn't
know," Spike repeated over and over.
"Of course, you're sorry. But it doesn't change things, does it?
I'm still a vampire. You're still chained to that ceiling, crying.
Imagine, you, a Master Vampire, Slayer of two Slayers, lover of
another, crying. You're quite a sight, you know? You're also
quite the conundrum."
"What are you talking about?"
"You came to Sunnydale five years ago, intent on bagging your third
Slayer. Instead, you've become her lap dog, ready to do whatever
she says. She says 'Jump,' and you ask 'How high?'"
"I'm not her lap dog," Spike responded angrily.
She laughed, "No, of course, you're not. You're more of her willing
sex slave."
Buffy walked into the magic shop at sunset. She noticed the books
scattered across the table and her friends busy shifting through them,
looking for whatever they could find.
"Anything yet?"
Willow shook her head.
"Damn," Buffy muttered.
"So, are you going to go on patrol and look for her...and Spike?" Dawn
asked.
"In a little while."
Darren nodded, accepting her answer.
"I'm going to go train, first." She left for the training room in the
back.
Punch!
Buffy had hoped that training would help her focus. But it wasn't
doing the job. She was being bombarded by feelings of hate and worry
and confusion. Hate for that vampire skank she came across the other
night. She knew...Elizabeth was up to no good. And what the hell as
all the talk about her causing pain to Elizabeth's brother? Huh?
She was worried about Spike, even though she tried desperately to
ignore it. It wasn't like him to not show up for three days. She
knew he didn't skip town. She stopped by his place again earlier today.
Just in case. Everything was exactly the same. That monstrosity he
called a car stood out front. Next to it, that loud motorcycle he
claimed from the demon pack that came to town the same time she was
resurrected. He was here in Sunnydale somewhere.
A series of 'what-if's' popped into her head. What if he didn't leave
town but was now a nice neat pile of ashes somewhere? What if he was in
serious danger? What if that vampire Elizabeth was responsible for his
disappearance? What if he was this 'brother' Elizabeth spoke of? What
if he went with her willingly? What if he and she were--?
No! She couldn't think about that. And, besides, even if they were,
why should she care? She and Spike weren't together. The only thing
they had was the sex. Which was amazing. But it was nothing more than
that. She didn't love him. Right?
Further thought was interrupted when she heard the bell of the front
door ding. Curious about who it could be so late at night, Buffy decided
to return to the front room.
"I'm sorry, but we're closed," Anya spoke from the table, cautiously
eyeing the woman who had entered.
"Oh, my apologies. I saw people inside so I thought-" the woman spoke
with a surprisingly cultured British accent which was contrasted with
the tight black leather ensemble she wore.
Anya approached her, shaking her head, "Oh, it's okay. You know, I
normally don't sell to customers after closing, but I think I'll make
an exception this time. What can I help you with?"
"I need holy water. Do you carry it?"
"Of course. How many bottles do you need?"
"Oh...I'd say about five."
"Okay," Anya said, turning around to the cabinet where she stored the
item.
Buffy entered the main room and looked at the customer in front of
her. Elizabeth.
Elizabeth also chose that moment to look at Buffy. She grinned,
"Slayer."
"Vampire."
Lizzy bolted out of the magic shop in lightning speed. Buffy was
close behind. The Scoobies, always curious, followed her outside.
When Buffy exited, she was met by a seemingly empty street.
"Wha-"
Lizzy tackled her from above. Buffy collapsed to the ground, startled.
Lizzy rolled away and jumped to her feet. Buffy jumped up and charged
Lizzy. Fists from both sides were flying. One would throw a punch
and the other would block, retaliating with blows of their own.
Buffy finally got the upper hand and threw the vampiress against
the nearby building. Lizzy was back on her feet with the speed only
a vampire possessed. She spun around and performed a roundhouse kick,
connecting with Buffy's face. The impact sent Buffy stumbling. She
managed to keep herself from falling. She, in turn, swung around low
to the ground, trying to trip Lizzy, who jumped up, avoiding Buffy's
leg. As she landed, she brought her first down and swiped the Slayer,
momentarily stunning her.
As Buffy returned to her feet, she heard Xander yell her name. Looking
at him, she saw the stake he threw to her and caught it easily. She
spun around quickly to face Lizzy, raising her stake, ready to drive
it home.
Lizzy grabbed her weapon hand and twisted, forcing Buffy to drop the
stake.
"Uh-uh. I wouldn't do that if you value your vampire's life."
Buffy knew immediately who she was talking about.
"Where's Spike?" Worry and concern were etched in her voice.
Lizzy muttered to herself about the absurdity of his new name before
saying to Buffy, "Oh, he's hanging around somewhere."
"Tell me where he is," Buffy demanded.
Lizzy laughed, "You think I'm just going to simply tell you where is
because you demanded it? That's the funniest thing I've ever heard.
Well, maybe not as funny as William screaming in pain. Or was it his
tears?" She shrugged her shoulders, "Oh, hell, it was all hilarious."
Anger boiled to the surface, "What did you do to him?"
"Nothing he didn't deserve."
"What does that mean?"
Lizzy ignored her question and continued, "I tell you what, as a
personal favor from me to you, I'll give him back after I'm finished.
But not before. I'll drop a line when it's time, assuming, of course,
he'll want to go with you." With that, she jumped up to the roof of
the magic shop and disappeared.
The Scoobies approached Buffy. Xander spoke first, "What was that all
about, Buffy?"
"I'm not sure. Damn it, I hate it when my Slayer instincts are right."
"So, what are we going to do now?" Will asked.
"The only thing we can do: wait."
"That's all? You're not going to do anything else? You're just going
to leave him with her? Who knows what she could be doing to him," Dawn
yelled.
"Dawnie."
"She might kill him for all we know! And you're just going to leave
him there till *she* decides it's time. I thought you were the Slayer.
I thought you made all the rules, not some vampire bitch-"
"Dawn!"
The Slayer's sister quieted down.
Buffy spoke, "Okay...okay. I'll search the local vamp and demon haunts,
see if I can get any information. But if I don't, we'll have to wait.
Okay?"
Dawn nodded.
"Okay. I want you guys to continue the research, just in case there's
still something in there. And, also, keep a few stakes, holy water,
you know, nearby just in case she decides to drop by again, though I
don't really think she will."
The Scoobies nodded and Xander spoke, "Buffy, shouldn't you take some
backup? Just in case something gets out of hand."
She didn't really want company because she had to think about a lot
of things...mostly about Spike. But he was right. She was going to
drop by a few demon bars; who knew what was going to happen there.
An extra pair of hands could prove useful.
"You volunteering?" she asked.
He nodded hesitantly.
"Then let's go."
Xander and Buffy walked into the bar bustling with demons who all
stopped their current activities to look at them.
Awkwardly, Xander just waved at them and leaned down towards Buffy,
"How do you know about this place?"
She shrugged, "Spike brought me here."
"*Spike* brought you here?"
"Yeah, I was down and he said a big fight was just what I needed."
Xander just nodded and followed her into the back room where a demon
poker game was being played, complete with kittens.
"Why do you people insist on using kittens for money?" Buffy asked.
The demon she recognized as Clem glanced up from his cards and waved
at her. She smiled and waved back.
"Slayer," the demons with the X-ray vision spoke, "What brings you
here?"
"Information. I need it." She grabbed a chair and straddled the back.
"What makes you think we know anything?"
"I need information on a new vampire in town. Calls herself 'Elizabeth.'
Heard of her?"
"Elizabeth?"
"Oh, you'd remember her. Brunette. Tall. Has a fondness for black
tight leather. Speaks with a British accent."
Clem spoke first, "Oh, you mean Lizzy!"
The rest of the demons joined in a collective 'Oh.'
"Hell of a card player."
"I think she cheats."
"She's hot."
Xander and Buffy shared a look. "Okay," she spoke loudly, causing the
demons to shut up. "So I take it you know her."
X-ray vision regarded her, "Yeah. What of it?"
"Did she happen to mention what she's doing here?"
"I think she said something about visiting her brother in town.
Yeah, yeah. She said they had a lot of catching up to do," Clem
answered enthusiastically.
"Do you know where she's staying?"
Clem started to answer.
The four-eyed demon looked at the floppy-eared, loose-skinned demon,
"Clem, what the hell is the matter with you? Don't you know that's
exactly what the Slayer wants? You want her to kill Lizzy?"
"Do you want me to kill you if you don't talk?" Buffy asked sweetly,
staring Four-eyes down.
"She mentioned an abandoned warehouse off Spin Drive and Affirmation
Blvd," he responded quickly, taking her threat seriously.
"Thank you."
"Well...that was easy. A little too easy," Xander said as he and
Buffy left.
"Tell me about it."
End Part 5
A/N: Okay...I predict one to three more parts and an epilogue and I'll
be finished with this baby. And my other story, Within My Heart Are
Memories...I plan on working on that after this story...I just sorta
hit a really really big brick wall and just stalled. I will finish it.
I'm determined to finish it. Just afte this one...
"You let him kill me. You didn't do anything to stop him," Lizzy
accused, ignoring the tears flowing from her cheeks. And his.
Spike remembered now. It was a memory he tried so hard to forget.
Buried it so far in the back of his mind that he did. Forget.
Until Lizzy told him. Told him of how he simply stood and watched
his grandsire kill his beloved sister.
But he didn't recognize her until it was too late. She had grown
from the lovely girl he loved and knew as his sister to the beautiful
woman who cried out for him to save her. Afterwards, Spike remembered
going to her body and just looking at her. Perhaps he was in shock.
He couldn't remember. He just looked at her until the others pulled
him away. He never told them about her. They wouldn't have understood.
They couldn't.
"Lizzy, I'm sorry. God, I'm so sorry. I didn't know... I didn't
know," Spike repeated over and over.
"Of course, you're sorry. But it doesn't change things, does it?
I'm still a vampire. You're still chained to that ceiling, crying.
Imagine, you, a Master Vampire, Slayer of two Slayers, lover of
another, crying. You're quite a sight, you know? You're also
quite the conundrum."
"What are you talking about?"
"You came to Sunnydale five years ago, intent on bagging your third
Slayer. Instead, you've become her lap dog, ready to do whatever
she says. She says 'Jump,' and you ask 'How high?'"
"I'm not her lap dog," Spike responded angrily.
She laughed, "No, of course, you're not. You're more of her willing
sex slave."
Buffy walked into the magic shop at sunset. She noticed the books
scattered across the table and her friends busy shifting through them,
looking for whatever they could find.
"Anything yet?"
Willow shook her head.
"Damn," Buffy muttered.
"So, are you going to go on patrol and look for her...and Spike?" Dawn
asked.
"In a little while."
Darren nodded, accepting her answer.
"I'm going to go train, first." She left for the training room in the
back.
Punch!
Buffy had hoped that training would help her focus. But it wasn't
doing the job. She was being bombarded by feelings of hate and worry
and confusion. Hate for that vampire skank she came across the other
night. She knew...Elizabeth was up to no good. And what the hell as
all the talk about her causing pain to Elizabeth's brother? Huh?
She was worried about Spike, even though she tried desperately to
ignore it. It wasn't like him to not show up for three days. She
knew he didn't skip town. She stopped by his place again earlier today.
Just in case. Everything was exactly the same. That monstrosity he
called a car stood out front. Next to it, that loud motorcycle he
claimed from the demon pack that came to town the same time she was
resurrected. He was here in Sunnydale somewhere.
A series of 'what-if's' popped into her head. What if he didn't leave
town but was now a nice neat pile of ashes somewhere? What if he was in
serious danger? What if that vampire Elizabeth was responsible for his
disappearance? What if he was this 'brother' Elizabeth spoke of? What
if he went with her willingly? What if he and she were--?
No! She couldn't think about that. And, besides, even if they were,
why should she care? She and Spike weren't together. The only thing
they had was the sex. Which was amazing. But it was nothing more than
that. She didn't love him. Right?
Further thought was interrupted when she heard the bell of the front
door ding. Curious about who it could be so late at night, Buffy decided
to return to the front room.
"I'm sorry, but we're closed," Anya spoke from the table, cautiously
eyeing the woman who had entered.
"Oh, my apologies. I saw people inside so I thought-" the woman spoke
with a surprisingly cultured British accent which was contrasted with
the tight black leather ensemble she wore.
Anya approached her, shaking her head, "Oh, it's okay. You know, I
normally don't sell to customers after closing, but I think I'll make
an exception this time. What can I help you with?"
"I need holy water. Do you carry it?"
"Of course. How many bottles do you need?"
"Oh...I'd say about five."
"Okay," Anya said, turning around to the cabinet where she stored the
item.
Buffy entered the main room and looked at the customer in front of
her. Elizabeth.
Elizabeth also chose that moment to look at Buffy. She grinned,
"Slayer."
"Vampire."
Lizzy bolted out of the magic shop in lightning speed. Buffy was
close behind. The Scoobies, always curious, followed her outside.
When Buffy exited, she was met by a seemingly empty street.
"Wha-"
Lizzy tackled her from above. Buffy collapsed to the ground, startled.
Lizzy rolled away and jumped to her feet. Buffy jumped up and charged
Lizzy. Fists from both sides were flying. One would throw a punch
and the other would block, retaliating with blows of their own.
Buffy finally got the upper hand and threw the vampiress against
the nearby building. Lizzy was back on her feet with the speed only
a vampire possessed. She spun around and performed a roundhouse kick,
connecting with Buffy's face. The impact sent Buffy stumbling. She
managed to keep herself from falling. She, in turn, swung around low
to the ground, trying to trip Lizzy, who jumped up, avoiding Buffy's
leg. As she landed, she brought her first down and swiped the Slayer,
momentarily stunning her.
As Buffy returned to her feet, she heard Xander yell her name. Looking
at him, she saw the stake he threw to her and caught it easily. She
spun around quickly to face Lizzy, raising her stake, ready to drive
it home.
Lizzy grabbed her weapon hand and twisted, forcing Buffy to drop the
stake.
"Uh-uh. I wouldn't do that if you value your vampire's life."
Buffy knew immediately who she was talking about.
"Where's Spike?" Worry and concern were etched in her voice.
Lizzy muttered to herself about the absurdity of his new name before
saying to Buffy, "Oh, he's hanging around somewhere."
"Tell me where he is," Buffy demanded.
Lizzy laughed, "You think I'm just going to simply tell you where is
because you demanded it? That's the funniest thing I've ever heard.
Well, maybe not as funny as William screaming in pain. Or was it his
tears?" She shrugged her shoulders, "Oh, hell, it was all hilarious."
Anger boiled to the surface, "What did you do to him?"
"Nothing he didn't deserve."
"What does that mean?"
Lizzy ignored her question and continued, "I tell you what, as a
personal favor from me to you, I'll give him back after I'm finished.
But not before. I'll drop a line when it's time, assuming, of course,
he'll want to go with you." With that, she jumped up to the roof of
the magic shop and disappeared.
The Scoobies approached Buffy. Xander spoke first, "What was that all
about, Buffy?"
"I'm not sure. Damn it, I hate it when my Slayer instincts are right."
"So, what are we going to do now?" Will asked.
"The only thing we can do: wait."
"That's all? You're not going to do anything else? You're just going
to leave him with her? Who knows what she could be doing to him," Dawn
yelled.
"Dawnie."
"She might kill him for all we know! And you're just going to leave
him there till *she* decides it's time. I thought you were the Slayer.
I thought you made all the rules, not some vampire bitch-"
"Dawn!"
The Slayer's sister quieted down.
Buffy spoke, "Okay...okay. I'll search the local vamp and demon haunts,
see if I can get any information. But if I don't, we'll have to wait.
Okay?"
Dawn nodded.
"Okay. I want you guys to continue the research, just in case there's
still something in there. And, also, keep a few stakes, holy water,
you know, nearby just in case she decides to drop by again, though I
don't really think she will."
The Scoobies nodded and Xander spoke, "Buffy, shouldn't you take some
backup? Just in case something gets out of hand."
She didn't really want company because she had to think about a lot
of things...mostly about Spike. But he was right. She was going to
drop by a few demon bars; who knew what was going to happen there.
An extra pair of hands could prove useful.
"You volunteering?" she asked.
He nodded hesitantly.
"Then let's go."
Xander and Buffy walked into the bar bustling with demons who all
stopped their current activities to look at them.
Awkwardly, Xander just waved at them and leaned down towards Buffy,
"How do you know about this place?"
She shrugged, "Spike brought me here."
"*Spike* brought you here?"
"Yeah, I was down and he said a big fight was just what I needed."
Xander just nodded and followed her into the back room where a demon
poker game was being played, complete with kittens.
"Why do you people insist on using kittens for money?" Buffy asked.
The demon she recognized as Clem glanced up from his cards and waved
at her. She smiled and waved back.
"Slayer," the demons with the X-ray vision spoke, "What brings you
here?"
"Information. I need it." She grabbed a chair and straddled the back.
"What makes you think we know anything?"
"I need information on a new vampire in town. Calls herself 'Elizabeth.'
Heard of her?"
"Elizabeth?"
"Oh, you'd remember her. Brunette. Tall. Has a fondness for black
tight leather. Speaks with a British accent."
Clem spoke first, "Oh, you mean Lizzy!"
The rest of the demons joined in a collective 'Oh.'
"Hell of a card player."
"I think she cheats."
"She's hot."
Xander and Buffy shared a look. "Okay," she spoke loudly, causing the
demons to shut up. "So I take it you know her."
X-ray vision regarded her, "Yeah. What of it?"
"Did she happen to mention what she's doing here?"
"I think she said something about visiting her brother in town.
Yeah, yeah. She said they had a lot of catching up to do," Clem
answered enthusiastically.
"Do you know where she's staying?"
Clem started to answer.
The four-eyed demon looked at the floppy-eared, loose-skinned demon,
"Clem, what the hell is the matter with you? Don't you know that's
exactly what the Slayer wants? You want her to kill Lizzy?"
"Do you want me to kill you if you don't talk?" Buffy asked sweetly,
staring Four-eyes down.
"She mentioned an abandoned warehouse off Spin Drive and Affirmation
Blvd," he responded quickly, taking her threat seriously.
"Thank you."
"Well...that was easy. A little too easy," Xander said as he and
Buffy left.
"Tell me about it."
End Part 5
A/N: Okay...I predict one to three more parts and an epilogue and I'll
be finished with this baby. And my other story, Within My Heart Are
Memories...I plan on working on that after this story...I just sorta
hit a really really big brick wall and just stalled. I will finish it.
I'm determined to finish it. Just afte this one...