Chem
Chem had quickly removed all occupants from the room through sheer insistence, save for himself and Spike. Free to act as he chose now, the demon moved to the edge of the bed, stepping backwards up the wall and sitting on his haunches, gazing down at the wounded Vampire as he settled his arm over his lap. Reaching his right arm down, he lightly placed his index and forefinger against the damp temple and closed his own eyes in concentration. When the link had been established, and was strong enough to be maintained without direct contact, he withdrew and intertwined his fingers over his knees.
/I must confess Spike, your mind has changed little over the years since I have last been here/ he sent across the connection, listening through the mental 'static' intently for a response.
The body didn't move, but the mind, albeit slowly, began to pull itself together enough to make a coherent response. It took a few minutes, but the reply was strong through the link and in the characteristic tones of the Vampire's voice, both of which brought immense relief to the demon.
/What're you doing 'ere? /
A humourless chuckle. /I sought to stay in your company after you left the club to ensure that you heeded my warning, which, to my recollection, you did not. I witnessed the assault, from the point where the window was closed onward, unseen of course. I then left to follow Deparis, hoping to discern what his intentions were, or at least where he has been hiding himself during the treacherous hours between dawn and dusk. I have found nothing on the latter, but I have a theory on the former. /
/And what might that be? /
/I believe he is attracted to you. After all, you are fetching enough to be desirous as a potential mate, and he did seem quite intent on stroking your skin as much as possible. Tell me Spike, have you been sending him any signals that might indicate that you are interested in him, or is there already something that I am as of yet unaware of? /
Spike growled internally at Chem's ramblings. He was in no mood to tolerate the demon's habit of talking in spirals, closer to the truth on every pass but not enough to tell him what he wanted, needed to know, until he chose to reveal it. His body exhausted, he felt angry, frustrated and humiliated. He was a Master Vampire for Christ's sake! And yet, he could not remember offering any real resistance against his assailant. He should have been able to break free, snap that smug little head off, and then skip merrily through Sunnydale displaying it proudly on one of those damned spikes.
Still, whenever Chem had information of any description, it was usually worth knowing. Feeling even more defeated but too tired to care further, Spike decided to at least humour him.
/I reckon he's in love with me. You only hurt the ones you love, right? /
A moment of silence, then a softer reply. /Indeed. And as I love this extremely skilled individual so much, it would give me great pleasure to engage him in this game of his that he seems to so thoroughly excel at. Perhaps he would allow me to strip off his skin in single one-inch strips and have him bathe in a vat of boiling iodine. A worthwhile pursuit, wouldn't you say? /
/Yeah, well, you can go off and skin Mr. Precious as slowly as you like. Don't exactly feel up to another round of torture just yet. /
/Hmmm. I can wait. Concerning his intentions towards you, which seems to border on obsession, I believe that the cause of his fascination is due to something you alone posses. /
/What the hell are you yammering on about? /
/I'd like to examine you and see if I can find exactly what this amiable fellow is after. It will cause you no further discomfort, I need only ask of your permission. /
There was a period of silence as Spike turned the idea over in his head. /You're bloody lucky I trust you. /
/I am afraid I'm going to need you to say it, that you have granted me permission that is. /
/What? Yeah fine. You have my permission to do your mojo. That alright? /
/I'm sure that will suffice. /
Releasing his hold on the Vampire's consciousness, Chem blinked and flinched at the sensation of being isolated in his body once more before stepping down from the wall. Considering the prone form on the bed critically, he reached out a hand and ran it across the bare expanse of the pale chest, moving down the body and feeling for any sign that something was amiss.
Stopping just above the navel, Chem recalled the earlier actions of Deparis and slowly moved his hand to the side, fingers sliding across the cool marble flesh, ceasing their travels a few inches before striking the prominent right hipbone. There, just beneath the pale skin he could feel an almost electrical thrumming, an energy fluctuation so slight that it took immense concentration just to hold onto that whisper of feeling.
Fingers splayed over that area now, Chem quieted his mind and closed dark eyes as he sunk into that feeling. In his mind's eye he saw himself pushing through that barrier of flesh, the particles parting easily at the will of the body. Through skin and muscle, he weaved through the electrical conduits of nerves burning blue fire of abuse, and veins carrying blood sluggish with agony and drugs.
But there, nestled amongst the dead organs in the cool interior, was something that definitely did not belong. A bright mass of energy lay shimmering rhythmically in the dark, tendrils of itself spewed out and attached to the host it resided in. It was growing minutely, the colours within its substance darkening as its density increased; a swirl of burgundy amongst the crimson that dispersed and dissipated in a hypnotic cycle as it bulged and contracted.
Deciding that this entity was certainly something he would not tolerate if it were growing within his own body, Chem extended a sliver of his own energy against it with the intention of either obliterating it or at least detaching it from the host. The backlash caused his head to reel and nose to bleed, his head snapping back as if struck by the force of it. Retreating hastily, he pulled himself back from the body and drew his hand to himself, bringing a hand up to his nose curiously.
Giving the purple smear on his finger the barest of acknowledgements, Chem looked to the bed and was relieved to see that Spike had been spared any feeling of the confrontation that was sure to leave him with a considerable headache for the next few days. It disconcerted him; he had rarely come into contact with something possessing such strong psychic energy as to cause him that much pain upon interference. He had an idea of what it was, and after a moment grudgingly accepted that he did, in fact, know exactly what it was.
However loath he was to admit it.
*****
They had left Spike alone at Xander and Anya's apartment, the Witches having cast a variety of spells about it to ensure that the Vampire was indeed safe. He had slipped into another healing sleep, this once slightly unstable because of his body's considerably weakened state. It was vital that he be completely undisturbed less they inadvertently cause further damage.
Chem, having insisted that Spike be left entirely alone for at least a few hours, now sat calmly against the wall of the backroom in the Magic Box. He had not revealed his snippet of information just yet, nor did he plan to, as they seemed rather more intent on learning every iota of information concerning him. He laughed inwardly. Stupid mortals.
"Well what is it?" Anya asked with her usual directness, slightly perturbed that they had encountered a demon about which she knew absolutely nothing about. He knew about her though; anything information worth knowing always did pass through him at some point. She and the Slayer were the only ones he knew a fair amount about, but some hasty introductions had been made allowing him to identify every face that was currently watching him as if he were planning to slaughter the pack of them. Not that he was thinking of such a thing. They were a nice group in their own, quaint little way.
Giles sighed heavily and removed his glasses for the second time in five minutes to polish the already impeccable lenses, his gaze rising after a moment to Chem who was positioned across from him.
The Watched stepped around the table until he was only a few feet from him, amused eyes watching his every movement intently. "He's a Kharmala Demon I believe. Very rare. I've only read about them in the oldest texts we have here in the shop, and even then there were only the smallest descriptions and references."
Turning to address the entire group, he continued. "They possess the ability to attach themselves to almost any surface and can alter their outward appearance to match that of their environment."
"Like camouflage?" Xander piped with a glance to Chem, seeing the eyes click to him when he spoke.
"An extremely advanced type but yes. That would explain why they are almost unheard of."
Chem smiled at the human. "My kind prefers to be seen as a myth, and only that. By nature we live quietly. It makes it so much easier to gather knowledge and obtain worthwhile friends."
"Like Spike?" Buffy asked with some measure of disbelief. The demon was irritating her with his smooth tones and easy posture.
"Like Spike," he confirmed. "I have had the pleasure of his acquaintance for some years. He wished to obtain details of the whereabouts of a particularly wondrous trinket for his Drusilla, from a particularly nasty demon who knew of its location. The demon was proving quite stubborn about releasing that knowledge to him and he requested my help."
"What-what did you do?" Tara asked slowly, a sickening curiosity as to what exactly this creature's skills were.
A smooth smile, slow and easy, slicked Chem's lips. "I made it desire to greet its end most vocally, and it told us the location of the jewel loud enough for the entire mountainside to hear. Spike was suitably impressed with my talents and we have been friends ever since."
"Bonding over blood. How nice," Willow commented lightly to break the heavy veil that had descended over the group, all staring with horror and disgust at Chem, amazed that he could talk so easily, even fondly of that event.
Chem snapped his attention to the Witch, his interest perking at seeing the power leaking off of her aura in waves, as could be said of her partner. Scanning eyes over the entire group he began to see how Spike could tolerate them, maybe even like them. The young human male was irritating, but loyal to the group and he respected that. The Slayer was attractive in his eyes, and he could almost taste her strength from where he perched.
They cared about Spike as much as they cared about their furniture; it served a purpose and they were used to having it around. They would probably miss it if it were gone, but otherwise they moved around it comfortably, barely acknowledging it. Perhaps it was enough; he couldn't be sure at this point.
The group cared about this world though, and their insignificant place in the universe. It would be quite entertaining to watch them save it, which he was sure they could do. He had not been around when they had confronted Glory, only having seen the damage echoing across the horizon. But he knew when she had been defeated. The Slayer had sacrificed herself for the sake of this world and a million others. If they could defeat an insane hell-god and come through the trauma of loss and resurrection intact, then they should be able to combat this new evil.
Sighing as Buffy posed another question to him, one that he swiftly ignored, Chem stepped off the wall so as to gain their attention quickly. This was growing tiresome and time was of the greatest importance for them all. He could further examine them later, explore their backgrounds and characters to see if either contained something worth knowing, something he could use in the future perhaps.
"I have some information concerning Spike's tormentor that I believe you should know." That definitely got their attention.
"What?" Buffy prompted after he paused for a few seconds too long.
Chem surpressed a flare of irritation at her outburst. She was too young to truly know the virtues if patience, although her fire was appealing. "His name is Deparis, a rather unsavory character whom I have never had the pleasure of meeting in person, but who I know a fair bit about. He is currently in the employment of Vala, yet another less-than-balanced almighty demon who, being highly original, wishes to destroy the world. She is not worth taking action over, but Deparis most definitely is.
"Through methods which I do not desire to disclose, I have found that he has implanted a demonic life-form into Spike's body which is growing off of his unlife energy."
"What exactly are we dealing with here? Is he possessed? Do we have to kill him?" Buffy questioned standing, a curious note of genuine concern in her voice.
Chem shook his head, eyes closing as he sought to put what he had felt into words capable of relaying the experience. "You don't quite understand my dear. The creature is in a state of infancy, and barely identifiable as more than collection of extremely powerful energy as of yet. I do know what it will develop to be though."
"What?"
Tara this time. Bloody youths. "A Frisha Demon."
Those three words had the most impact on Giles, the others simply waiting for him to explain. The Watcher had turned a shade paler, eyes widening as he watched Chem for any sign that this information was false, seeing none.
"Oh my God," he breathed, already sensing their impending doom. "You're sure? There's no way that it could be anything else?"
"It came into contact with me and I distinctly remember that, sensation, being almost identical to a similar encounter I had with an older, larger version of itself."
"Oh come on, how bad can it be?" Buffy asked in an attempted light tone.
Chem and Giles exchanged somber, knowing looks before looking back to the young Slayer. "Oh."
****
I'm evil and well aware of this fact. I know this has been a bit of a hiccup in terms of moving the plot along, but I was asked for more information about Chem from an unbelievably great review (thanks guys!) and so I thought that my character warranted some attention and a whisper of a background. It'll get all angsty again next time, you have my word...
I must make an apology in advance regarding considerable delays in the production of this fic in the future. Due to circumstances beyond my control (bloody government) updates will be trickling in. But don't lose faith; I have no intention of letting this fic die. In the meantime, continue to review me because God knows I LOVE the encouragement (which is helpful to write with as all writers know), and hopefully the next chapter will be up soon.