Title: Hurricane, Chapter 5: Merging Maelstrom
Author: Sandy S.
E-mail: ssoennin@juno.com
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I own nothing. All belongs to Joss and UPN.
Spoilers: Set a few years after season 6
Dedication: For Thia...who is a new and dear friend and whose creativity
inspires me! :o)
Summary: Dawn, a lot of blood, a disappearance, a search. Buffy's worst
nightmare comes true. Spike's POV. Spike and Callie are traveling to
Texas when they run across a little problem.
Merging Maelstrom
"Roaming in thought over the Universe, I saw the little that is Good steadily hastening towards immortality,/And the vast that is evil I saw hastening to merge itself and become lost and dead." -From Roaming in Thought by Walt Whitman
"Every time I try to give us space,/I see your picture/That angelic face,/And I know I can't last another day./For without you,/I've lost my way." -From Heartache Central, a song by my brother, John, (June 6, 2002)
Running my finger over the wrinkled picture of Buffy that I always carried with me, I closed my eyes, pulling forth the memories of her sweet scent, her golden hair that glinted in the lights, her brilliant green eyes that shone with love for me (for *me*?), and her soft tiny fingers that stroked the skin on my face. Even after three years with her, I remained amazed that I was with her at all. I wondered what she was doing now. For a brief instant, I had thought I sensed in the jazz club in New Orleans. Maybe I just missed her.
"What are you thinking about?" Callie was driving, but she noticed the change in my demeanor.
"Not what...who. I'm thinking about Buffy. I miss her. I wish I'd taken the time to try and call her again before we left New Orleans." I opened my eyes, taking one last glance at Buffy's image before shoving the photo in my jeans pocket. I was partially irritated at being caught daydreaming about Buffy again.
Since I'd rescued Callie from Paul, she and I had traveled across the states together. We'd become rather close. She knew that I worked for and loved the Slayer, that I had a soul, and that I was searching for Dawn who was almost like my little sister. Callie didn't seem to care about anything except the fact that I'd rescued her from Paul, and therefore, she granted me her loyalty and assistance until she felt her debt was pain.
"How many times have you tried to call now?"
"I can't remember. Every time, I keep getting the sodding answering machine."
Glancing over at me with her red curls floating across her shoulders, she smiled. "Why don't you try leaving her a message, silly?"
"Because I don't want to tell her what's going on in a message. I'd rather tell her live and in-person...even if over the phone. I'd *like* to get Dawn back before something else goes wrong."
"Do you really think Buffy's sitting around waiting for your phone call?"
I sighed unnecessarily. "No, of course not! That isn't who Buffy is. She'll be figuring this out on her own. But, it's not like I could stop her even if she knew I was on it. Sod it! I don't know what to do! So, I'm just going to continue on with this path! Buffy can take care of herself, and this way, I don't have to deal with her bitching about what I should and shouldn't be doing!"
"It would interfere with your ability to think?" Callie surmised aloud, not hiding the sarcasm in her tone.
I slouched in the seat. "Yea." I punched the car door in frustration. "I hate this being in the car business! Can't do anything in the car."
Callie switched gears. "Shouldn't you be sleeping? It's my shift to drive; your's to sleep."
"Sleep? I normally sleep during the day...awake at night," I grumped. "I *am* a vampire the last time I checked."
"Well, did you at least drink your dinner?"
"No," I replied sulkily, closing my eyes. Despite the fact that I was over one hundred years older than Callie, sometimes I felt like a little kid around her mothering nature.
A second later, a strange feeling twisted in my gut...the kind of uncomfortable but not quite painful feeling I only received around magick...extremely powerful magick. So much for sleep.
My muscles and skin tingling violently, I sat up abruptly.
"Stop the car, Callie!" I knew Callie must feel the magick, too, but I didn't question why she wasn't reacting. "Now!"
* * *
Thirteen six-foot tall, well-muscled K'Charra demons stood with their arms linked in an up-raised clearing beyond moss-laden trees rooted in the sinking marsh lands just beyond the edge of the highway. Torches were attached to the trees, lighting the clearing. Arranged around the demons, twenty-six men dressed in light grey sweat suits were tied with thick ropes to thirteen jagged wooden posts that jutted up above the men's heads. Their mouths were gagged with rags, and the heady scent of fear rolled off their bodies, causing an unintentional growl to emit from my throat.
The horned, dark grey demons were chanting simultaneously in a deep guttural language. K'Charra demons were known for drawing the energy of souls from their victims and channeling the energy to a source who could then use the energy to cast a variety of dangerous spells. When the K'Charra ritual was complete, the bodies of the victims disintegrated into nothing.
Without a doubt, I knew who the source was. And comprehending that information, I recognized that I was walking into a trap. And sod everything in hell and on earth! My conscience notified me that I couldn't just walk away from the situation...not as I would have in the past.
When Callie spoke softly behind me as she peered over my shoulder, I noticed that my jaw and fists were clenched. "Spike, what's going on?"
The demons' voices were increasing in volume and becoming a constant hum, and a glowing mist was rising from the men and merging in the middle of the circle over the demons' heads.
Leaping through the underbrush ready for battle, I called back at her, "I'm gonna stop this ritual, ducks! If you want to help, follow my lead!" When I jerked the first demon from his position in the chain, the shimmering vapor dissipated, and the ritual was disrupted. The men recovered the soul energy they had lost and slipped into unconsciousness. They would likely sleep through their entire rescue.
Callie scrambled after me. "What do I do?"
Punching the demon in the face, I replied calmly, "Go for the neck. The only way to kill them is to break the neck."
As Callie joined the fray, I grasped the first demon's head and twisted as he flailed his limbs helplessly at me. I smiled grimly at the satisfying crunching sound.
One down...about twelve.... Clinging to the back of one of the giant scaly demons, Callie overpowered him, breaking his neck. Landing neatly on her feet as the lifeless demon body fell, she grinned at me. Eleven to go.
We had the advantage of surprise, but now the K'Charra demons were recovering from the shock and were moving as a unit toward us. We were badly outnumbered. Damn! Why couldn't they attack us one at a time like good little demons?
"Spike, we're stuck!" Callie lamented.
Even as adrenaline rushed through my borrowed blood, an uncanny repose washed over me. Oh, well. I shrugged my shoulders. I loved a challenge, especially when the risk involved fighting. Shaking my head, I forced on my vamp face with minimum effort. If the demons were advancing on us, I would advance first.
Lunging at the K'Charra demon leading the pack, I knocked him back with a sharp kick to his head, deftly dodging his neighbor's arm that swung through the air where my head once was.
Donning her ridges and fangs in imitation of me, Callie snarled and scooted into the fight after me, punching, kicking, and scratching with her vamp fingernails. "You're crazy!"
"I know," I answered, sweeping another demon off his feet as I grabbed another's forearm, wrenched it behind his back, and cracked his neck.
Time passed quickly, and the K'Charra demons' muscular advantage and our waning endurance became apparent. We somehow managed to kill three more demons. My shirt got torn off at some point, and Callie's ponytail fell so that she was constantly blowing and shaking curls out of her face. I was now pushing most of the demons away from me, and Callie fought them off with her back to mine. We were on the defensive.
Suddenly, I felt cool air rush over the bare skin on my back as one of the demons ripped Callie back.
"Spike!" Her voice was frightened.
I whirled just in time to see the K'Charra demon slam her against the closest tree, an exposed branch narrowly missing her heart. Before I could help her, a demon fist smashed into my upper back, stunning me and knocking me to the moist ground. The owner of the fist sank to his knees over me. I felt his hands gripping my neck. I closed my eyelids, waiting for the expected crunch of my neck.
Just then, Callie shrieked as the demon holding her against the tree slapped her cheek with a taloned hand, leaving deep grooves in her cheek. The demon hovering over me paused, and my eyes shot open. Blood poured over Callie's cold skin, and the metallic odor reinvigorated my body. Intending to decapitate her, Callie's demon closed his large hand around her pale, slender neck.
In one motion, I dug my fingers into the damp clay, shifted my weight onto to my forearms, and twisted my hips so that my legs tossed the demon on my back over my head. His hands loosened automatically as he tried to avoid landing on his head. Springing toward Callie, I shoved the other demon away from her.
Callie sank to the ground, rubbing her neck gently with the muddy, blood-covered fingertips of one hand. With the other hand, she pushed the flapping skin of her cheek back up to its original position on her face.
"Are you okay?" I asked with concern.
She didn't look at me and didn't respond with words. Instead, her expression told me everything I needed to know. The converging demons were reflected in her eyes.
We were in big, big trouble.
* * *
The clear, incisive voice that rose over the din of the K'Charra demons' approaching grunts was like heavenly music to my ears.
"So, what's it take for a girl to get an invite to the fun?"
As the demons turned toward the new sound, they parted to reveal the Slayer with her legs spread, and her hands placed lightly on her hips. Tilting her head so that her blond hair swayed to the right, she smiled at them. A scarlet-capped, grim-faced Willow stood slightly in the background, an ax held firmly in a ready position.
"Cause I must say, it looks like you've started on the party games. And Willow and I want to play."
Brandishing the ax, Willow stepped out of the shadows. "What do you say here in Louisiana? Laissez les bon temps rouler? I'm ready to let the good times...uhm, heads roll."
Leaving their backs vulnerable, the K'Charra demons flew at the two women as a group. While Buffy and Willow began their attack, Callie and I completed the offense from behind. The battle gained a new energy in our favor. Willow hacked at the demons until they fell and then chopped their heads off. Buffy was kicking, punching, ducking, and rolling as she confused and beat down each demon in her path. Callie and I fought hard as well but were evidently more exhausted than the two newcomers.
At one point, Buffy reached my side.
"So, Spike. What's with the...the...your partner?" she asked casually as she flipped a demon so that his head crashed into the ground, breaking his neck cleanly.
"Her name is Callie." I smirked, blocking a demon's blows. "Jealous, love?"
Even though I couldn't look at her, I could almost visualize her eyebrows lift at my comment. "No," she asserted firmly as she danced around the demon I just felled. "Just wondering is all."
"Uh, huh."
Buffy didn't have time to formulate a response because the fight separated us again. I noted that Willow and Callie had paired together to rally against the demons attacking them. As I wrestled with my own K'Charra demon, I witnessed Willow being picked up and thrown across the clearing. She landed with a thunk, losing consciousness. Callie continued working, protecting herself and the fallen woman.
I managed to kill the demon assaulting me and saw Buffy in front of me with the final demon. In a second, the demon maneuvered Buffy near one of the long broad poles that held two of the still senseless men. He tipped the wooden pole, successfully pinning Buffy to the ground. As soon as I knew that she was struggling to no avail, I rammed into the demon's body and reached up, ending his life.
At Buffy's side, I squatted, tenderly brushing her hair out of her face. "Buffy? Are you okay? Can you move?"
Tears glistened in her eyes as she grimaced. "I t-think I'll be okay...I'm just stunned. Give me a sec." Raw pain registered on her face as she tried to push up with her arms. "Ouch. Damn." She laid back down.
I circled her worriedly. The men attached to the pole were still gone to the world. "I don't want to move anything until I find out where you're injured....And I think I'll have to get Callie to help me move this thing that's on top of you."
"Spike. Come here." Her voice sounded urgent.
Kneeling beside her again, I caressed her cheek. Despite her injury, her heartbeat sounded steady and strong. "What, pet?"
"I-I still love you."
Bending forward, I kissed her forehead, inhaling the familiar scent of her sweat and shampoo. "I love you, too," I reassured her, clasping her hand briefly and awkwardly.
To my surprise, she seemed relieved.
"Did you think I stopped, Buffy?"
"I don't understand what's happening."
"Neither do I. But I have some theories."
Buffy closed her eyes, wincing from the pain. When she opened her lids, her attention returned to the immediate situation. "Spike? How's Willow?"
Callie's stance near Willow mirrored my own next to Buffy. "Callie's tending to Red."
"Is she okay?" She paused. "Willow, I mean."
My eyes detected Willow's chest rising and falling. "She's alive but unconscious."
The log shifted, and Buffy groaned, almost slipping into the darkness of oblivion. I couldn't stand to see her in pain.
"Callie! Could you assist me in getting this off of Buffy?"
"Sure!"
As Callie approached, I kept my eyes fixed on Buffy, so when a needle pricked my arm, I was caught off guard. My muscles immediately began to weaken, but my vision was clear as I saw Callie sneering at me from above.
"Callie?"
Merely watching me, Callie said nothing in response. The truth thundered through my brain. I turned back to Buffy who was striving against the pain to free herself from her burden.
Feeling like my mind was melting away, I left Buffy with a final message.
"Find Dawn first."
End of chapter 5
Merging Maelstrom
"Roaming in thought over the Universe, I saw the little that is Good steadily hastening towards immortality,/And the vast that is evil I saw hastening to merge itself and become lost and dead." -From Roaming in Thought by Walt Whitman
"Every time I try to give us space,/I see your picture/That angelic face,/And I know I can't last another day./For without you,/I've lost my way." -From Heartache Central, a song by my brother, John, (June 6, 2002)
Running my finger over the wrinkled picture of Buffy that I always carried with me, I closed my eyes, pulling forth the memories of her sweet scent, her golden hair that glinted in the lights, her brilliant green eyes that shone with love for me (for *me*?), and her soft tiny fingers that stroked the skin on my face. Even after three years with her, I remained amazed that I was with her at all. I wondered what she was doing now. For a brief instant, I had thought I sensed in the jazz club in New Orleans. Maybe I just missed her.
"What are you thinking about?" Callie was driving, but she noticed the change in my demeanor.
"Not what...who. I'm thinking about Buffy. I miss her. I wish I'd taken the time to try and call her again before we left New Orleans." I opened my eyes, taking one last glance at Buffy's image before shoving the photo in my jeans pocket. I was partially irritated at being caught daydreaming about Buffy again.
Since I'd rescued Callie from Paul, she and I had traveled across the states together. We'd become rather close. She knew that I worked for and loved the Slayer, that I had a soul, and that I was searching for Dawn who was almost like my little sister. Callie didn't seem to care about anything except the fact that I'd rescued her from Paul, and therefore, she granted me her loyalty and assistance until she felt her debt was pain.
"How many times have you tried to call now?"
"I can't remember. Every time, I keep getting the sodding answering machine."
Glancing over at me with her red curls floating across her shoulders, she smiled. "Why don't you try leaving her a message, silly?"
"Because I don't want to tell her what's going on in a message. I'd rather tell her live and in-person...even if over the phone. I'd *like* to get Dawn back before something else goes wrong."
"Do you really think Buffy's sitting around waiting for your phone call?"
I sighed unnecessarily. "No, of course not! That isn't who Buffy is. She'll be figuring this out on her own. But, it's not like I could stop her even if she knew I was on it. Sod it! I don't know what to do! So, I'm just going to continue on with this path! Buffy can take care of herself, and this way, I don't have to deal with her bitching about what I should and shouldn't be doing!"
"It would interfere with your ability to think?" Callie surmised aloud, not hiding the sarcasm in her tone.
I slouched in the seat. "Yea." I punched the car door in frustration. "I hate this being in the car business! Can't do anything in the car."
Callie switched gears. "Shouldn't you be sleeping? It's my shift to drive; your's to sleep."
"Sleep? I normally sleep during the day...awake at night," I grumped. "I *am* a vampire the last time I checked."
"Well, did you at least drink your dinner?"
"No," I replied sulkily, closing my eyes. Despite the fact that I was over one hundred years older than Callie, sometimes I felt like a little kid around her mothering nature.
A second later, a strange feeling twisted in my gut...the kind of uncomfortable but not quite painful feeling I only received around magick...extremely powerful magick. So much for sleep.
My muscles and skin tingling violently, I sat up abruptly.
"Stop the car, Callie!" I knew Callie must feel the magick, too, but I didn't question why she wasn't reacting. "Now!"
* * *
Thirteen six-foot tall, well-muscled K'Charra demons stood with their arms linked in an up-raised clearing beyond moss-laden trees rooted in the sinking marsh lands just beyond the edge of the highway. Torches were attached to the trees, lighting the clearing. Arranged around the demons, twenty-six men dressed in light grey sweat suits were tied with thick ropes to thirteen jagged wooden posts that jutted up above the men's heads. Their mouths were gagged with rags, and the heady scent of fear rolled off their bodies, causing an unintentional growl to emit from my throat.
The horned, dark grey demons were chanting simultaneously in a deep guttural language. K'Charra demons were known for drawing the energy of souls from their victims and channeling the energy to a source who could then use the energy to cast a variety of dangerous spells. When the K'Charra ritual was complete, the bodies of the victims disintegrated into nothing.
Without a doubt, I knew who the source was. And comprehending that information, I recognized that I was walking into a trap. And sod everything in hell and on earth! My conscience notified me that I couldn't just walk away from the situation...not as I would have in the past.
When Callie spoke softly behind me as she peered over my shoulder, I noticed that my jaw and fists were clenched. "Spike, what's going on?"
The demons' voices were increasing in volume and becoming a constant hum, and a glowing mist was rising from the men and merging in the middle of the circle over the demons' heads.
Leaping through the underbrush ready for battle, I called back at her, "I'm gonna stop this ritual, ducks! If you want to help, follow my lead!" When I jerked the first demon from his position in the chain, the shimmering vapor dissipated, and the ritual was disrupted. The men recovered the soul energy they had lost and slipped into unconsciousness. They would likely sleep through their entire rescue.
Callie scrambled after me. "What do I do?"
Punching the demon in the face, I replied calmly, "Go for the neck. The only way to kill them is to break the neck."
As Callie joined the fray, I grasped the first demon's head and twisted as he flailed his limbs helplessly at me. I smiled grimly at the satisfying crunching sound.
One down...about twelve.... Clinging to the back of one of the giant scaly demons, Callie overpowered him, breaking his neck. Landing neatly on her feet as the lifeless demon body fell, she grinned at me. Eleven to go.
We had the advantage of surprise, but now the K'Charra demons were recovering from the shock and were moving as a unit toward us. We were badly outnumbered. Damn! Why couldn't they attack us one at a time like good little demons?
"Spike, we're stuck!" Callie lamented.
Even as adrenaline rushed through my borrowed blood, an uncanny repose washed over me. Oh, well. I shrugged my shoulders. I loved a challenge, especially when the risk involved fighting. Shaking my head, I forced on my vamp face with minimum effort. If the demons were advancing on us, I would advance first.
Lunging at the K'Charra demon leading the pack, I knocked him back with a sharp kick to his head, deftly dodging his neighbor's arm that swung through the air where my head once was.
Donning her ridges and fangs in imitation of me, Callie snarled and scooted into the fight after me, punching, kicking, and scratching with her vamp fingernails. "You're crazy!"
"I know," I answered, sweeping another demon off his feet as I grabbed another's forearm, wrenched it behind his back, and cracked his neck.
Time passed quickly, and the K'Charra demons' muscular advantage and our waning endurance became apparent. We somehow managed to kill three more demons. My shirt got torn off at some point, and Callie's ponytail fell so that she was constantly blowing and shaking curls out of her face. I was now pushing most of the demons away from me, and Callie fought them off with her back to mine. We were on the defensive.
Suddenly, I felt cool air rush over the bare skin on my back as one of the demons ripped Callie back.
"Spike!" Her voice was frightened.
I whirled just in time to see the K'Charra demon slam her against the closest tree, an exposed branch narrowly missing her heart. Before I could help her, a demon fist smashed into my upper back, stunning me and knocking me to the moist ground. The owner of the fist sank to his knees over me. I felt his hands gripping my neck. I closed my eyelids, waiting for the expected crunch of my neck.
Just then, Callie shrieked as the demon holding her against the tree slapped her cheek with a taloned hand, leaving deep grooves in her cheek. The demon hovering over me paused, and my eyes shot open. Blood poured over Callie's cold skin, and the metallic odor reinvigorated my body. Intending to decapitate her, Callie's demon closed his large hand around her pale, slender neck.
In one motion, I dug my fingers into the damp clay, shifted my weight onto to my forearms, and twisted my hips so that my legs tossed the demon on my back over my head. His hands loosened automatically as he tried to avoid landing on his head. Springing toward Callie, I shoved the other demon away from her.
Callie sank to the ground, rubbing her neck gently with the muddy, blood-covered fingertips of one hand. With the other hand, she pushed the flapping skin of her cheek back up to its original position on her face.
"Are you okay?" I asked with concern.
She didn't look at me and didn't respond with words. Instead, her expression told me everything I needed to know. The converging demons were reflected in her eyes.
We were in big, big trouble.
* * *
The clear, incisive voice that rose over the din of the K'Charra demons' approaching grunts was like heavenly music to my ears.
"So, what's it take for a girl to get an invite to the fun?"
As the demons turned toward the new sound, they parted to reveal the Slayer with her legs spread, and her hands placed lightly on her hips. Tilting her head so that her blond hair swayed to the right, she smiled at them. A scarlet-capped, grim-faced Willow stood slightly in the background, an ax held firmly in a ready position.
"Cause I must say, it looks like you've started on the party games. And Willow and I want to play."
Brandishing the ax, Willow stepped out of the shadows. "What do you say here in Louisiana? Laissez les bon temps rouler? I'm ready to let the good times...uhm, heads roll."
Leaving their backs vulnerable, the K'Charra demons flew at the two women as a group. While Buffy and Willow began their attack, Callie and I completed the offense from behind. The battle gained a new energy in our favor. Willow hacked at the demons until they fell and then chopped their heads off. Buffy was kicking, punching, ducking, and rolling as she confused and beat down each demon in her path. Callie and I fought hard as well but were evidently more exhausted than the two newcomers.
At one point, Buffy reached my side.
"So, Spike. What's with the...the...your partner?" she asked casually as she flipped a demon so that his head crashed into the ground, breaking his neck cleanly.
"Her name is Callie." I smirked, blocking a demon's blows. "Jealous, love?"
Even though I couldn't look at her, I could almost visualize her eyebrows lift at my comment. "No," she asserted firmly as she danced around the demon I just felled. "Just wondering is all."
"Uh, huh."
Buffy didn't have time to formulate a response because the fight separated us again. I noted that Willow and Callie had paired together to rally against the demons attacking them. As I wrestled with my own K'Charra demon, I witnessed Willow being picked up and thrown across the clearing. She landed with a thunk, losing consciousness. Callie continued working, protecting herself and the fallen woman.
I managed to kill the demon assaulting me and saw Buffy in front of me with the final demon. In a second, the demon maneuvered Buffy near one of the long broad poles that held two of the still senseless men. He tipped the wooden pole, successfully pinning Buffy to the ground. As soon as I knew that she was struggling to no avail, I rammed into the demon's body and reached up, ending his life.
At Buffy's side, I squatted, tenderly brushing her hair out of her face. "Buffy? Are you okay? Can you move?"
Tears glistened in her eyes as she grimaced. "I t-think I'll be okay...I'm just stunned. Give me a sec." Raw pain registered on her face as she tried to push up with her arms. "Ouch. Damn." She laid back down.
I circled her worriedly. The men attached to the pole were still gone to the world. "I don't want to move anything until I find out where you're injured....And I think I'll have to get Callie to help me move this thing that's on top of you."
"Spike. Come here." Her voice sounded urgent.
Kneeling beside her again, I caressed her cheek. Despite her injury, her heartbeat sounded steady and strong. "What, pet?"
"I-I still love you."
Bending forward, I kissed her forehead, inhaling the familiar scent of her sweat and shampoo. "I love you, too," I reassured her, clasping her hand briefly and awkwardly.
To my surprise, she seemed relieved.
"Did you think I stopped, Buffy?"
"I don't understand what's happening."
"Neither do I. But I have some theories."
Buffy closed her eyes, wincing from the pain. When she opened her lids, her attention returned to the immediate situation. "Spike? How's Willow?"
Callie's stance near Willow mirrored my own next to Buffy. "Callie's tending to Red."
"Is she okay?" She paused. "Willow, I mean."
My eyes detected Willow's chest rising and falling. "She's alive but unconscious."
The log shifted, and Buffy groaned, almost slipping into the darkness of oblivion. I couldn't stand to see her in pain.
"Callie! Could you assist me in getting this off of Buffy?"
"Sure!"
As Callie approached, I kept my eyes fixed on Buffy, so when a needle pricked my arm, I was caught off guard. My muscles immediately began to weaken, but my vision was clear as I saw Callie sneering at me from above.
"Callie?"
Merely watching me, Callie said nothing in response. The truth thundered through my brain. I turned back to Buffy who was striving against the pain to free herself from her burden.
Feeling like my mind was melting away, I left Buffy with a final message.
"Find Dawn first."
End of chapter 5