***WARNING(again): distuirbing images within, not rape or assault perse, but still disturbing***
*********
suffering
*********
Spike held his cards in a tight fist, his face impassive as he watched the others at the table. Poker hadn't changed much over the decades. The stakes of the game had been altered a bit, but not the game itself.
"I'll see your Scythian blade and raise you a transmogrification conduit."
Spike slowly exhaled. He'd been involved in the game ever since he left Buffy and her friends at Xander's apartment while they tried to retell every stupid anecdote they knew about Anya. He'd taken all he could of the giddily gloomy quartet and walked out in the middle of their little game of let's-make-believe-everything's-normal-and-we're-not-suffering-from-losing-Anya.
Stumbling across the poker game had been a pure stroke of luck. And finding out that one of the players had a vengeance amulet in his stash was all he needed to convince himself to ante up.
So far he'd won a glowing green crystal, two fertility idols, a Bavarian fighting axe, and even a bit of cash. The crystal, the axe, and the idols he had figured he could sell to the watcher in exchange for more cash so everyone was having a good night. If he could just raise the stakes enough to get the Shylok demon to add his coveted vengeance amulet to the mix, he'd be even more pleased with the turn of events.
He watched as the bet went around the players again and the pile of goods on the battered table grew: five Scythian blades, two transmogrification conduits, another glowing crystal, an autographed picture of Marilyn Monroe, sixty-seven dollars, one corn dolly, and three Irish protection amulets said to have been blessed by Brighid herself.
Finally the bet returned to the Shylok. "One wish amulet I pulled off a dead vengeance demon back during the Crusades." He dropped the chained trinket on top of the pile and all hands folded but Spike. "Not too rich for you, boy?" the demon asked, barely concealing a chuckle. "They said you were loosin' it since you got taken in by the Initiative, I just never believed it. I guess the rumors are true."
"Let's see your hand, pally," Spike intoned, laying his cards down on the table and displaying a royal flush.
The Shylok roared with laughter, dropping his own hand. "All I've got is two pair, neut. It's your hand."
Spike reached out a pocketed the amulet and the cash, gathering up the rest of his winnings into a canvass sack he'd seen laying on the floor. "Been a joy, mates, but I've got matters to attend to."
"Sure, Spike, whatever you say," the good-natured demon chuckled. "Another game's set for next Friday. You won't be so lucky then."
Spike paused at the door and turned back toward the table. "We'll see."
~~~~
"What's going on?" Lisenka demanded. When she'd entered the courtroom, it was empty, there was no sign of Anyanka or any of the consulates. "Where is she? What did you do to her?"
Jharahalien stepped up behind her, his breath stirring her hair and sending chills down her spine. "Not so much fun being in the dark is it? That's what I thought when I heard about this ridiculous trial you concocted. You see, I knew you wouldn't leave the realm without Anyanka, I knew you felt responsible for her being called back. And you're right, you are responsible. I arranged it so that she would be the last witness called, so that I could have you both to myself once and for all."
She spun around, fear clenching at her heart. "Fine, I'm responsible, so take out your revenge on me. Let Anyanka return to her mortal world. I'll stay and you can do whatever you wish to me."
Jharahalien grinned. "No. You do not get your way in all things, Lisenka. I want you both. You because this blasphemy was your doing, and Anyanka bacause... because she's Anyanka."
"Please, Jharahalien..."
"Ah, begging does so suit you, Lisenka. You're not like Anyanka in that aspect, not at all." He lightly drew his sharp claws along her jawline, relishing the tremble his touch illicited. "Oh yes, this will be quite enjoyable."
~~~~
Spike walked along the sidewalk, following the path to the watcher's home by memory while he mulled over the events of the past month. The chit had gotten to him, he couldn't even pretend to deny it. With all her kewpie-doll expressions and bluntly unedited comments, she'd somehow wedged herself into his life. Not to the same extent that she had managed with the Scoobies, but she was there nonetheless and he couldn't deny that the longer she stayed away, the more concerned he grew.
Turning the corner onto Giles' street, he saw the lights still on in the watcher's home. At least he wouldn't have to rouse the man from sleep by banging on the door.
~~~~
Giles jerked awake at the sound of someone loudly wanting admission into his home. He'd fallen asleep at the kitchen table, a dozen texts spread across the surface. Who it could be at his front door so late at night, he could only guess.
"Spike."
The vampire's peroxided head bobbed at the incredulous expression on Giles' face. "And you were expecting who exactly? The goddess Iseult? A selkie perhaps?"
"Spike, it's late. Perhaps you could come back tomorrow..."
"I've got something you might want to see tonight, old man." He brushed past Giles and swept the books from the tabletop with one hand.
"Spike! Those texts are..." Giles stopped his complaint when Sike dropped the amulet on the now bare surface. "Good lord, where did you get that?"
"Not from your 'good Lord', I'll have you know." Scoffing at Giles' answering glare, he explained, "it came up in the pot at a poker game I was in with a Shylok. Thought you might find the trinked useful in getting demon-girl back."
"A wish amulet..." Giles trailed off. "I thought they had all been destroyed."
"Seems not," Spike answered. "Now can it help get the girl or did I waste my time playing cards all night for nothing more than an ugly old pendant?"
"I need to conduct some more research, but yes, it should be able to open the portal." Giles reached out and lifted the chain that held the amulet. There were some books at the shop that should have the answers he needed.
"What do you mean, do more research? Isn't that what you've bloody well been doing?"
Taking exception to the vampire's tone, Giles straightened up. "Yes, Spike, it is. However, since I was under the impression that there were no surviving wish amulets save the ones currently in use by vengeance demons, I did not wish to waste time researching their individual properties. Now that I see I was given false information, I can remedy my lack of knowledge."
"Just see if it'll work or not. I can't imagine Pet'll be too upset to cut her visit short."
~~~~
It was dark, so dark that Anya couldn't see her hand in front of her face, couldn't even be sure that she was holding it in front of her face until she bumped her nose with her palm.
The trial was over, thrown out for lack of substantial evidence or something demonically equivalent to that. She had watched the consulate file out of the courtroom in silence. She had been right after all, the whole ordeal was just a waste of time, a very dangerous waste of time.
She didn't know exactly what had happened after the consulate had left. She had turned around to leave and suddenly everything went black. Judging from the knot on the back of her head, she imagined she'd been knocked unconscious, but that didn't make much sense. Violent force was a bit of an over-kill when she could barely stand up straight without swaying.
Jharahalien, she decided, had to be responsible for her confinement, he was the only demon in the realm who would use force when none was needed. Her worst nightmare come back to haunt her. The only thing that could possibly make her situation any worse would be if the room she was in were to suddenly fill with rabbits.
No one understood her fear of rabbits. They'd never asked and she'd never volunteered the information. That fear was one of the few things she had carried with her from her first experience with mortality.
She'd only been a child when she had stumbled across the boys from the neighboring cottage while they skinned the rabbits they had raised for fur. The boys had always been cruel, tormenting children and animals alike with their antics and when they saw her they knew they could indulge in their cruelty.
She had tried to leave before she was detected but she wasn't quick enough. They'd picked up her small body and tossed her into the wooden trench they'd been using to hold the skinned rabbits, laughing as she screamed and tried to scramble out of the blood-slick trough. It hadn't been until she was in the trough that she realized they weren't killing the rabbits before they skinned them.
She'd had nightmares for weeks afterward. At first the rabbits in her dreams were all skinned, attacking her with their sharp teeth and claws, but as she grew older, the dream rabbits regained their fur but still attacked her relentlessly.
She knew that it wasn't the rabbits that she had truly been afraid of, it was the boys who delighted in causing so much torment. But as a child, she knew she could never fight back against them. No one complained about their actions, they just avoided them, and so her young mind had transfered her fear to the rabbits.
The eldest and cruelest of those boys was the same man Lisenka's father had betrothed her to. Anya shuddered. Lisenka was correct, she never would have survived a year as his wife.
tbc...
(sorry it's so short, please excuse any spelling errors--my spell-check is on holiday)
*********
suffering
*********
Spike held his cards in a tight fist, his face impassive as he watched the others at the table. Poker hadn't changed much over the decades. The stakes of the game had been altered a bit, but not the game itself.
"I'll see your Scythian blade and raise you a transmogrification conduit."
Spike slowly exhaled. He'd been involved in the game ever since he left Buffy and her friends at Xander's apartment while they tried to retell every stupid anecdote they knew about Anya. He'd taken all he could of the giddily gloomy quartet and walked out in the middle of their little game of let's-make-believe-everything's-normal-and-we're-not-suffering-from-losing-Anya.
Stumbling across the poker game had been a pure stroke of luck. And finding out that one of the players had a vengeance amulet in his stash was all he needed to convince himself to ante up.
So far he'd won a glowing green crystal, two fertility idols, a Bavarian fighting axe, and even a bit of cash. The crystal, the axe, and the idols he had figured he could sell to the watcher in exchange for more cash so everyone was having a good night. If he could just raise the stakes enough to get the Shylok demon to add his coveted vengeance amulet to the mix, he'd be even more pleased with the turn of events.
He watched as the bet went around the players again and the pile of goods on the battered table grew: five Scythian blades, two transmogrification conduits, another glowing crystal, an autographed picture of Marilyn Monroe, sixty-seven dollars, one corn dolly, and three Irish protection amulets said to have been blessed by Brighid herself.
Finally the bet returned to the Shylok. "One wish amulet I pulled off a dead vengeance demon back during the Crusades." He dropped the chained trinket on top of the pile and all hands folded but Spike. "Not too rich for you, boy?" the demon asked, barely concealing a chuckle. "They said you were loosin' it since you got taken in by the Initiative, I just never believed it. I guess the rumors are true."
"Let's see your hand, pally," Spike intoned, laying his cards down on the table and displaying a royal flush.
The Shylok roared with laughter, dropping his own hand. "All I've got is two pair, neut. It's your hand."
Spike reached out a pocketed the amulet and the cash, gathering up the rest of his winnings into a canvass sack he'd seen laying on the floor. "Been a joy, mates, but I've got matters to attend to."
"Sure, Spike, whatever you say," the good-natured demon chuckled. "Another game's set for next Friday. You won't be so lucky then."
Spike paused at the door and turned back toward the table. "We'll see."
~~~~
"What's going on?" Lisenka demanded. When she'd entered the courtroom, it was empty, there was no sign of Anyanka or any of the consulates. "Where is she? What did you do to her?"
Jharahalien stepped up behind her, his breath stirring her hair and sending chills down her spine. "Not so much fun being in the dark is it? That's what I thought when I heard about this ridiculous trial you concocted. You see, I knew you wouldn't leave the realm without Anyanka, I knew you felt responsible for her being called back. And you're right, you are responsible. I arranged it so that she would be the last witness called, so that I could have you both to myself once and for all."
She spun around, fear clenching at her heart. "Fine, I'm responsible, so take out your revenge on me. Let Anyanka return to her mortal world. I'll stay and you can do whatever you wish to me."
Jharahalien grinned. "No. You do not get your way in all things, Lisenka. I want you both. You because this blasphemy was your doing, and Anyanka bacause... because she's Anyanka."
"Please, Jharahalien..."
"Ah, begging does so suit you, Lisenka. You're not like Anyanka in that aspect, not at all." He lightly drew his sharp claws along her jawline, relishing the tremble his touch illicited. "Oh yes, this will be quite enjoyable."
~~~~
Spike walked along the sidewalk, following the path to the watcher's home by memory while he mulled over the events of the past month. The chit had gotten to him, he couldn't even pretend to deny it. With all her kewpie-doll expressions and bluntly unedited comments, she'd somehow wedged herself into his life. Not to the same extent that she had managed with the Scoobies, but she was there nonetheless and he couldn't deny that the longer she stayed away, the more concerned he grew.
Turning the corner onto Giles' street, he saw the lights still on in the watcher's home. At least he wouldn't have to rouse the man from sleep by banging on the door.
~~~~
Giles jerked awake at the sound of someone loudly wanting admission into his home. He'd fallen asleep at the kitchen table, a dozen texts spread across the surface. Who it could be at his front door so late at night, he could only guess.
"Spike."
The vampire's peroxided head bobbed at the incredulous expression on Giles' face. "And you were expecting who exactly? The goddess Iseult? A selkie perhaps?"
"Spike, it's late. Perhaps you could come back tomorrow..."
"I've got something you might want to see tonight, old man." He brushed past Giles and swept the books from the tabletop with one hand.
"Spike! Those texts are..." Giles stopped his complaint when Sike dropped the amulet on the now bare surface. "Good lord, where did you get that?"
"Not from your 'good Lord', I'll have you know." Scoffing at Giles' answering glare, he explained, "it came up in the pot at a poker game I was in with a Shylok. Thought you might find the trinked useful in getting demon-girl back."
"A wish amulet..." Giles trailed off. "I thought they had all been destroyed."
"Seems not," Spike answered. "Now can it help get the girl or did I waste my time playing cards all night for nothing more than an ugly old pendant?"
"I need to conduct some more research, but yes, it should be able to open the portal." Giles reached out and lifted the chain that held the amulet. There were some books at the shop that should have the answers he needed.
"What do you mean, do more research? Isn't that what you've bloody well been doing?"
Taking exception to the vampire's tone, Giles straightened up. "Yes, Spike, it is. However, since I was under the impression that there were no surviving wish amulets save the ones currently in use by vengeance demons, I did not wish to waste time researching their individual properties. Now that I see I was given false information, I can remedy my lack of knowledge."
"Just see if it'll work or not. I can't imagine Pet'll be too upset to cut her visit short."
~~~~
It was dark, so dark that Anya couldn't see her hand in front of her face, couldn't even be sure that she was holding it in front of her face until she bumped her nose with her palm.
The trial was over, thrown out for lack of substantial evidence or something demonically equivalent to that. She had watched the consulate file out of the courtroom in silence. She had been right after all, the whole ordeal was just a waste of time, a very dangerous waste of time.
She didn't know exactly what had happened after the consulate had left. She had turned around to leave and suddenly everything went black. Judging from the knot on the back of her head, she imagined she'd been knocked unconscious, but that didn't make much sense. Violent force was a bit of an over-kill when she could barely stand up straight without swaying.
Jharahalien, she decided, had to be responsible for her confinement, he was the only demon in the realm who would use force when none was needed. Her worst nightmare come back to haunt her. The only thing that could possibly make her situation any worse would be if the room she was in were to suddenly fill with rabbits.
No one understood her fear of rabbits. They'd never asked and she'd never volunteered the information. That fear was one of the few things she had carried with her from her first experience with mortality.
She'd only been a child when she had stumbled across the boys from the neighboring cottage while they skinned the rabbits they had raised for fur. The boys had always been cruel, tormenting children and animals alike with their antics and when they saw her they knew they could indulge in their cruelty.
She had tried to leave before she was detected but she wasn't quick enough. They'd picked up her small body and tossed her into the wooden trench they'd been using to hold the skinned rabbits, laughing as she screamed and tried to scramble out of the blood-slick trough. It hadn't been until she was in the trough that she realized they weren't killing the rabbits before they skinned them.
She'd had nightmares for weeks afterward. At first the rabbits in her dreams were all skinned, attacking her with their sharp teeth and claws, but as she grew older, the dream rabbits regained their fur but still attacked her relentlessly.
She knew that it wasn't the rabbits that she had truly been afraid of, it was the boys who delighted in causing so much torment. But as a child, she knew she could never fight back against them. No one complained about their actions, they just avoided them, and so her young mind had transfered her fear to the rabbits.
The eldest and cruelest of those boys was the same man Lisenka's father had betrothed her to. Anya shuddered. Lisenka was correct, she never would have survived a year as his wife.
tbc...
(sorry it's so short, please excuse any spelling errors--my spell-check is on holiday)
