Doesn't Anyone Stay Dead Around Here?
Chapter 18
"First, I will try and engage the demon in conversation and learn his name," Father Mike explained. "That's imperative to exorcising him."
"We already know his name," Buffy said. "It's the Master."
"Yes, but I suspect that's more a ceremonial title, and not his actual name."
"It's not. His name is Heinrich Nest," Anya said.
"What?" Buffy asked. "I thought it was Aurelius."
"It's not. Aurelius is the name of his clan, his bloodline. But it's not his name," the other woman insisted. Seeing the slayer open her mouth to question the information, Anya continued. "He and D'Hoffryn didn't get along too well."
"Okay. Heinrich Nest. We can skip that step then," he said. "The most important thing to remember is that you must not go near him. He will taunt, insult, and even outright lie in order to get you upset enough that you forget to stay away from him. I don't think he can jump into any of us since vampire demons traditionally need a dead body to inhabit, but these are unusual circumstances. If he is able to transfer, he would be greatly enabled by physical contact. Or, he might just try to hurt us instead. Don't get close enough to let him do either."
He paused and took a deep breath. Tara felt a shiver go down her spine.
"There's more, isn't there?" she asked.
"Yes." He nodded. "In cases of human possession, the demon often has access to the victim's mind and memories. It uses them to attack. You should be prepared to hear things from him that only your friend should know."
"What?" Buffy asked sharply, the color draining from her face.
Tara grabbed Buffy's arm and said quietly, "Can I talk to you for a minute?" Without waiting for an answer she pulled the startled slayer across the room.
Noticing the confused look on the priest's face, Anya explained. "She's probably worried he'll tell us stories from Spike's past. They know Spike's a vampire, but they try not to think about what he did before he started helping."
"And his past doesn't bother you?" Father Mike asked, unsure whether to be amused or concerned at the young woman's nonchalant exclusion of herself from the group who preferred to be ignorant about Spike's history.
Anya shrugged and pouted slightly. "Then never want to hear my stories either."
***
On the other side of the room, the slayer and the witch talked in hushed whispers.
"You should tell her," Tara said.
"Are you kidding?" Buffy's eyes widened and her voice rose.
"Well, it's either her or Xander. And while I do think Xander would accept your relationship with Spike, given time, I . . . he's easily baited, especially about certain subjects."
"Of which, I'm one." Buffy understood Tara's logic. Although she wasn't as optimistic about Xander's acceptance as Tara, she knew her and vampires was a touchy subject with Xander. Tara was right. He was likely to stake first and ask questions later if he participated in Anya's place.
"It might not come up," Tara suggested.
"Oh, if he has access to Spike's mind, it will," Buffy said with certainty. "And it's better Anya know ahead of time."
"Okay. I'll send her over."
"Um, Tara? Could you, could you tell Father Mike? He should know, too."
The witch nodded and crossed the space between the two groups. "Anya? Buffy wants to talk to you for a minute."
As Anya walked away, Tara noticed the priest looked ill at ease, but dismissed the observation, associating it with the upcoming exorcism. She took a deep breath and considered exactly what to tell the man about Buffy and Spike.
Before she could decide, though, he spoke.
"Was she really a demon?"
*Leave it to Anya!* The white witch shook her head and smiled slightly, imagining the exchange, before reassuring the man.
"She was. She's human now."
"Oh," was all the priest said.
"Father?" Tara asked. "There's more. Not about Anya, but . . ."
The man shook his head as if to clear the confusion that had arisen after Anya's revelation. He looked at Tara questioningly.
"Spike and Buffy . . . they. . . they've been s-s-seeing each other."
Father Mike nodded, remembering when Buffy had first approached him about the exorcism, a few short hours before. He had wondered at the pause before she described Spike as her friend. But after learning Spike was a vampire, he had assumed the pause was because of Buffy's reluctance to disclose that fact. However, it seemed their relationship was even more complicated than he had previously thought.
"The others . . . they don't know," Tara continued. "Buffy's telling Anya now, but . . ."
"Don't worry," the priest assured her. He raised his voice as he saw Buffy and Anya approaching so they would hear him too. "Anything I hear during the exorcism will remain confidential."
Considering the slayer hadn't decked Anya, Tara assumed that her admission must have been received at least moderately well. Tara made eye contact with Buffy. She raised her eyebrows and then quickly glanced at Anya and back.
The demoness turned shopkeeper began talking to Father Mike, continuing with the story she had been telling before going to speak with Buffy.
Buffy leaned over to Tara and whispered, "All she said was that it explained why I wasn't interested in that Richard guy they set me up with at the party and she was glad someone else had an orgasm friend."
"And Xander?" Tara's reply was equally low.
"She said she wouldn't tell him, but . . ." Buffy shrugged, knowing Anya's track record with discretion.
"You should probably tell them when this is over," Tara said.
"I know." The slayer sighed. Over Tara's shoulder, she saw the chained vampire open his eyes groggily and raised her voice to address everyone. "He's waking up."
***
As the vampire swam into awareness, the first thing he noticed was four people standing in front of him: one man – a priest, and three women, one of which he recognized as the slayer he had killed and been killed by.
"Do you remember what I told you the first time we met, Slayer?"
"How much you liked my dress?" she responded dryly.
"How prophecies are tricky things. They don't tell you everything. I knew, even as I fell, that I would return. It was written."
"Great. Did it say how I kill you this time?"
"You don't."
"Like I didn't kill you last time?" Buffy smirked at the vampire who wore Spike's face. She was grateful for the vocal differences between the two. She wasn't sure she could handle the Master looking ~and~ sounding like Spike. "You'll find prophecies don't hold a lot of water when it comes to me."
"You know what else it didn't say?" he asked, ignoring her retort.
"Should I even bother to answer that?" she asked, rolling her eyes. "You're just going to tell me anyway."
"That I would kill your lover." He paused, as if confused. "Your vampire lover. What happened? Didn't you get the Slayer Handbook?"
"For crying out loud!" she exclaimed. "Does everyone besides me have a copy of the damn thing?"
"The most . . . interesting part of the bargain, though, is that he's gone, yet I have all his memories." He looked at her and she shuddered when she saw something akin to respect in his eyes. "I should have turned you when I had the chance."
"What?"
He ignored Buffy's glare and continued, sounding very much like a proud parent describing an offspring's accomplishments. "He loved you. The weak, pathetic creature loved you. And you . . . your cruelty. You would have put even my two greatest progeny, Darla and her Angelus, to shame."
Buffy stood unmoving, her knees going weak in shock and anger at the Master's words. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She closed it and tried again, still unsuccessfully.
"You don't know what you're talking about," Anya said. "She's the Slayer. All she does is save people."
The vampire looked at Anya and paused, a slow smile spreading across his face. "Hello, Anyanka. How's the business treating you?" Catching an unexpected scent on the air, he paused and sniffed again. "You're human!"
He glared before closing his eyes, as if shifting through Spike's memories. When he opened them again, he began to laugh. "You're human and marrying the Slayer's faithful sidekick! What is it about this town, makes good demons go soft? Human or not, you're losing your touch, Anyanka. The way your slayer treated her vampire could easily have put you back in the game."
Buffy had regained control of her body as shock and anger had transformed into rage, not only at the Master, but also at herself because she knew the truth behind his words. However, Buffy was never one to reprimand herself when there was a demon close enough to take her anger out on. She opened her mouth and drew in a deep breath to speak, but the Master cut her off.
"He was a pathetic excuse for my bloodline." He paused, considering before he resumed speaking to Buffy. "What you think you want, that idea of normal you cling to? The irony is that before he was turned, William fit the bill perfectly. But you need monster in your man, too. You would have loved William without reservation, but you need Spike."
"What?" Buffy asked in confusion, recalling Spike's words from that night at the Bronze over a year ago when he'd told her of his past.
*What can I tell you, baby? I've always been bad.*
"Your big bad vampire was a cowardly, stuttering poet who hid in corners and wrote appalling poems about his lady love. They called him 'William the Bloody' because of his 'bloody awful poetry.' I believe some even said they'd rather have a railroad spike driven through their heads than listen to his words. She, wisely, wanted nothing to do with him. Told him he was beneath her."
During his speech, all three women's eyes had grown wide in surprise. However, Buffy had begun backing away as his words registered and a few more pieces of the puzzle that was Spike clicked into place. Why hadn't he told her the truth? Why the lies about his violent and destructive human past? *Because that would have made him vulnerable. He was right not to trust you!* she chastised herself. Then, she remembered with horror her own cruel words to him in the alley behind the Bronze that same night. *It wouldn't be you, Spike. It would never be you. You're beneath me.*
The back of her legs hit the edge of the bed and she sat down, grateful for the support. Seeing her making the connections, the Master pressed on.
"That barely counts, though, because you didn't know. But then, he loved you and you knew it. And you used him for everything he was worth. Punching bag, sex slave, escape. Your dirty little secret. He certainly was . . . convenient. For an evil, disgusting thing, that is. Physical pain is nothing compared to the emotional torture you've inflicted on him. I have to say, I'm impressed."
As he neared the end, Buffy had risen from the bed and stalked toward him. She pulled back her fist, ready to punch him in the nose to stop his litany of her sins. Father Mike saw the intent and jumped in front of her, blocking her path.
"Don't touch him," he warned. "That's what he wants."
Buffy nodded, but continued to glare at the Master.
The Master smirked, shifting his lips into a ghastly parody of Spike's lustful leer. He ran his borrowed, oh-so blue eyes up and down Buffy slowly, appreciatively inspecting her body. Her eyes narrowed even further, and he spoke.
"He was right. His first slayer, that was a magnificent kill. But there is one thing better than killing a slayer . . ."
Buffy had pulled a stake from the waistband of her pants and she held it up threateningly. "You don't want to finish that sentence."
The vampire just laughed. "And you don't want to kill me. You think he's still in here. He's not. But there's something else. You don't kill me. It was written."
Buffy turned and retucked the stake in at the small of her back. Looking at Father Mike, she jerked her thumb over her should in the Master's direction.
"Let's get this show on the road. I'm done playing catch up."
"Okay." The priest moved forward and gestured for the three girls to join him. They formed a line directly behind him and joined hands. He held a large wooden cross out in front of him and took a deep breath. He muttered a prayer under his breath.
"Heinrich Nest, Master of the line of Aurelius, do you renounce Satan?" the priest asked. "And all his works? And all his pomps?"
"No." The Master rolled his eyes at the man. "Do you really think it's that easy? Foolish man."
"Pomps?" Buffy whispered.
"Fancy special effects," Anya replied.
"You know?" Tara added. "Like the graduation song. Pomp and Circumstance?"
"Oh," the slayer replied.
"The Lord rebuke you, Heinrich Nest!" Father Mike continued. "Depart, Heinrich Nest, evil spirit, and leave Spike in peace! Leave immediately, Heinrich Nest!"
The Master continued to eye the priest disdainfully. Suddenly his eyes rolled back in his head and he began to convulse just like when the Master had first entered Spike's body. The convulsions continued longer this time, with Spike's features rapidly changing between his human and demon faces. Grunts and words slipped out as control switched between the two. Buffy nearly smiled when she recognized a few "bloody hells" and once she thought she heard "wanker." Father Mike continued to wave the crucifix in front of the vampire and command Nest to leave.
The seizures slowed and then stopped. The vampire's human face had won the battle. But when he opened his eyes, Buffy's heart sank. They were devoid of any of the love and warmth she had come to associate with Spike's private side.
"I told you it wouldn't be that easy, little girl," the Master's gleeful tones jeered.
A quick seizure and Spike wrested control away from the Master. He spoke quickly, his familiar gaze staring at Buffy imploringly.
"Kill me," he begged. "He's too strong, pet."
His head snapped back as the Master once again won control. Before he could speak though, Spike re-gained the position of power.
"Kill me. I love you, Buffy. I always will. But I can't win."
A dart from the tranquilizer gun impaled itself in his chest and he glanced down at it. He looked back up and as consciousness left him, pled one last time.
"Kill me, luv."
tbc
Chapter 18
"First, I will try and engage the demon in conversation and learn his name," Father Mike explained. "That's imperative to exorcising him."
"We already know his name," Buffy said. "It's the Master."
"Yes, but I suspect that's more a ceremonial title, and not his actual name."
"It's not. His name is Heinrich Nest," Anya said.
"What?" Buffy asked. "I thought it was Aurelius."
"It's not. Aurelius is the name of his clan, his bloodline. But it's not his name," the other woman insisted. Seeing the slayer open her mouth to question the information, Anya continued. "He and D'Hoffryn didn't get along too well."
"Okay. Heinrich Nest. We can skip that step then," he said. "The most important thing to remember is that you must not go near him. He will taunt, insult, and even outright lie in order to get you upset enough that you forget to stay away from him. I don't think he can jump into any of us since vampire demons traditionally need a dead body to inhabit, but these are unusual circumstances. If he is able to transfer, he would be greatly enabled by physical contact. Or, he might just try to hurt us instead. Don't get close enough to let him do either."
He paused and took a deep breath. Tara felt a shiver go down her spine.
"There's more, isn't there?" she asked.
"Yes." He nodded. "In cases of human possession, the demon often has access to the victim's mind and memories. It uses them to attack. You should be prepared to hear things from him that only your friend should know."
"What?" Buffy asked sharply, the color draining from her face.
Tara grabbed Buffy's arm and said quietly, "Can I talk to you for a minute?" Without waiting for an answer she pulled the startled slayer across the room.
Noticing the confused look on the priest's face, Anya explained. "She's probably worried he'll tell us stories from Spike's past. They know Spike's a vampire, but they try not to think about what he did before he started helping."
"And his past doesn't bother you?" Father Mike asked, unsure whether to be amused or concerned at the young woman's nonchalant exclusion of herself from the group who preferred to be ignorant about Spike's history.
Anya shrugged and pouted slightly. "Then never want to hear my stories either."
***
On the other side of the room, the slayer and the witch talked in hushed whispers.
"You should tell her," Tara said.
"Are you kidding?" Buffy's eyes widened and her voice rose.
"Well, it's either her or Xander. And while I do think Xander would accept your relationship with Spike, given time, I . . . he's easily baited, especially about certain subjects."
"Of which, I'm one." Buffy understood Tara's logic. Although she wasn't as optimistic about Xander's acceptance as Tara, she knew her and vampires was a touchy subject with Xander. Tara was right. He was likely to stake first and ask questions later if he participated in Anya's place.
"It might not come up," Tara suggested.
"Oh, if he has access to Spike's mind, it will," Buffy said with certainty. "And it's better Anya know ahead of time."
"Okay. I'll send her over."
"Um, Tara? Could you, could you tell Father Mike? He should know, too."
The witch nodded and crossed the space between the two groups. "Anya? Buffy wants to talk to you for a minute."
As Anya walked away, Tara noticed the priest looked ill at ease, but dismissed the observation, associating it with the upcoming exorcism. She took a deep breath and considered exactly what to tell the man about Buffy and Spike.
Before she could decide, though, he spoke.
"Was she really a demon?"
*Leave it to Anya!* The white witch shook her head and smiled slightly, imagining the exchange, before reassuring the man.
"She was. She's human now."
"Oh," was all the priest said.
"Father?" Tara asked. "There's more. Not about Anya, but . . ."
The man shook his head as if to clear the confusion that had arisen after Anya's revelation. He looked at Tara questioningly.
"Spike and Buffy . . . they. . . they've been s-s-seeing each other."
Father Mike nodded, remembering when Buffy had first approached him about the exorcism, a few short hours before. He had wondered at the pause before she described Spike as her friend. But after learning Spike was a vampire, he had assumed the pause was because of Buffy's reluctance to disclose that fact. However, it seemed their relationship was even more complicated than he had previously thought.
"The others . . . they don't know," Tara continued. "Buffy's telling Anya now, but . . ."
"Don't worry," the priest assured her. He raised his voice as he saw Buffy and Anya approaching so they would hear him too. "Anything I hear during the exorcism will remain confidential."
Considering the slayer hadn't decked Anya, Tara assumed that her admission must have been received at least moderately well. Tara made eye contact with Buffy. She raised her eyebrows and then quickly glanced at Anya and back.
The demoness turned shopkeeper began talking to Father Mike, continuing with the story she had been telling before going to speak with Buffy.
Buffy leaned over to Tara and whispered, "All she said was that it explained why I wasn't interested in that Richard guy they set me up with at the party and she was glad someone else had an orgasm friend."
"And Xander?" Tara's reply was equally low.
"She said she wouldn't tell him, but . . ." Buffy shrugged, knowing Anya's track record with discretion.
"You should probably tell them when this is over," Tara said.
"I know." The slayer sighed. Over Tara's shoulder, she saw the chained vampire open his eyes groggily and raised her voice to address everyone. "He's waking up."
***
As the vampire swam into awareness, the first thing he noticed was four people standing in front of him: one man – a priest, and three women, one of which he recognized as the slayer he had killed and been killed by.
"Do you remember what I told you the first time we met, Slayer?"
"How much you liked my dress?" she responded dryly.
"How prophecies are tricky things. They don't tell you everything. I knew, even as I fell, that I would return. It was written."
"Great. Did it say how I kill you this time?"
"You don't."
"Like I didn't kill you last time?" Buffy smirked at the vampire who wore Spike's face. She was grateful for the vocal differences between the two. She wasn't sure she could handle the Master looking ~and~ sounding like Spike. "You'll find prophecies don't hold a lot of water when it comes to me."
"You know what else it didn't say?" he asked, ignoring her retort.
"Should I even bother to answer that?" she asked, rolling her eyes. "You're just going to tell me anyway."
"That I would kill your lover." He paused, as if confused. "Your vampire lover. What happened? Didn't you get the Slayer Handbook?"
"For crying out loud!" she exclaimed. "Does everyone besides me have a copy of the damn thing?"
"The most . . . interesting part of the bargain, though, is that he's gone, yet I have all his memories." He looked at her and she shuddered when she saw something akin to respect in his eyes. "I should have turned you when I had the chance."
"What?"
He ignored Buffy's glare and continued, sounding very much like a proud parent describing an offspring's accomplishments. "He loved you. The weak, pathetic creature loved you. And you . . . your cruelty. You would have put even my two greatest progeny, Darla and her Angelus, to shame."
Buffy stood unmoving, her knees going weak in shock and anger at the Master's words. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She closed it and tried again, still unsuccessfully.
"You don't know what you're talking about," Anya said. "She's the Slayer. All she does is save people."
The vampire looked at Anya and paused, a slow smile spreading across his face. "Hello, Anyanka. How's the business treating you?" Catching an unexpected scent on the air, he paused and sniffed again. "You're human!"
He glared before closing his eyes, as if shifting through Spike's memories. When he opened them again, he began to laugh. "You're human and marrying the Slayer's faithful sidekick! What is it about this town, makes good demons go soft? Human or not, you're losing your touch, Anyanka. The way your slayer treated her vampire could easily have put you back in the game."
Buffy had regained control of her body as shock and anger had transformed into rage, not only at the Master, but also at herself because she knew the truth behind his words. However, Buffy was never one to reprimand herself when there was a demon close enough to take her anger out on. She opened her mouth and drew in a deep breath to speak, but the Master cut her off.
"He was a pathetic excuse for my bloodline." He paused, considering before he resumed speaking to Buffy. "What you think you want, that idea of normal you cling to? The irony is that before he was turned, William fit the bill perfectly. But you need monster in your man, too. You would have loved William without reservation, but you need Spike."
"What?" Buffy asked in confusion, recalling Spike's words from that night at the Bronze over a year ago when he'd told her of his past.
*What can I tell you, baby? I've always been bad.*
"Your big bad vampire was a cowardly, stuttering poet who hid in corners and wrote appalling poems about his lady love. They called him 'William the Bloody' because of his 'bloody awful poetry.' I believe some even said they'd rather have a railroad spike driven through their heads than listen to his words. She, wisely, wanted nothing to do with him. Told him he was beneath her."
During his speech, all three women's eyes had grown wide in surprise. However, Buffy had begun backing away as his words registered and a few more pieces of the puzzle that was Spike clicked into place. Why hadn't he told her the truth? Why the lies about his violent and destructive human past? *Because that would have made him vulnerable. He was right not to trust you!* she chastised herself. Then, she remembered with horror her own cruel words to him in the alley behind the Bronze that same night. *It wouldn't be you, Spike. It would never be you. You're beneath me.*
The back of her legs hit the edge of the bed and she sat down, grateful for the support. Seeing her making the connections, the Master pressed on.
"That barely counts, though, because you didn't know. But then, he loved you and you knew it. And you used him for everything he was worth. Punching bag, sex slave, escape. Your dirty little secret. He certainly was . . . convenient. For an evil, disgusting thing, that is. Physical pain is nothing compared to the emotional torture you've inflicted on him. I have to say, I'm impressed."
As he neared the end, Buffy had risen from the bed and stalked toward him. She pulled back her fist, ready to punch him in the nose to stop his litany of her sins. Father Mike saw the intent and jumped in front of her, blocking her path.
"Don't touch him," he warned. "That's what he wants."
Buffy nodded, but continued to glare at the Master.
The Master smirked, shifting his lips into a ghastly parody of Spike's lustful leer. He ran his borrowed, oh-so blue eyes up and down Buffy slowly, appreciatively inspecting her body. Her eyes narrowed even further, and he spoke.
"He was right. His first slayer, that was a magnificent kill. But there is one thing better than killing a slayer . . ."
Buffy had pulled a stake from the waistband of her pants and she held it up threateningly. "You don't want to finish that sentence."
The vampire just laughed. "And you don't want to kill me. You think he's still in here. He's not. But there's something else. You don't kill me. It was written."
Buffy turned and retucked the stake in at the small of her back. Looking at Father Mike, she jerked her thumb over her should in the Master's direction.
"Let's get this show on the road. I'm done playing catch up."
"Okay." The priest moved forward and gestured for the three girls to join him. They formed a line directly behind him and joined hands. He held a large wooden cross out in front of him and took a deep breath. He muttered a prayer under his breath.
"Heinrich Nest, Master of the line of Aurelius, do you renounce Satan?" the priest asked. "And all his works? And all his pomps?"
"No." The Master rolled his eyes at the man. "Do you really think it's that easy? Foolish man."
"Pomps?" Buffy whispered.
"Fancy special effects," Anya replied.
"You know?" Tara added. "Like the graduation song. Pomp and Circumstance?"
"Oh," the slayer replied.
"The Lord rebuke you, Heinrich Nest!" Father Mike continued. "Depart, Heinrich Nest, evil spirit, and leave Spike in peace! Leave immediately, Heinrich Nest!"
The Master continued to eye the priest disdainfully. Suddenly his eyes rolled back in his head and he began to convulse just like when the Master had first entered Spike's body. The convulsions continued longer this time, with Spike's features rapidly changing between his human and demon faces. Grunts and words slipped out as control switched between the two. Buffy nearly smiled when she recognized a few "bloody hells" and once she thought she heard "wanker." Father Mike continued to wave the crucifix in front of the vampire and command Nest to leave.
The seizures slowed and then stopped. The vampire's human face had won the battle. But when he opened his eyes, Buffy's heart sank. They were devoid of any of the love and warmth she had come to associate with Spike's private side.
"I told you it wouldn't be that easy, little girl," the Master's gleeful tones jeered.
A quick seizure and Spike wrested control away from the Master. He spoke quickly, his familiar gaze staring at Buffy imploringly.
"Kill me," he begged. "He's too strong, pet."
His head snapped back as the Master once again won control. Before he could speak though, Spike re-gained the position of power.
"Kill me. I love you, Buffy. I always will. But I can't win."
A dart from the tranquilizer gun impaled itself in his chest and he glanced down at it. He looked back up and as consciousness left him, pled one last time.
"Kill me, luv."
tbc