***************
Taking On Torture
***************
"Take him to the interim room," Giles told Angel. Angel nodded and picked up the fallen form of Travers. The interim room was a smaller room where Holden would give up his control.
Wilson came up next to Giles, "There are some people who are opposed. They feel that perhaps we are taking things too far. There is a large group who sees your coup as temporary."
Giles looked at Buffy who was sitting next to Willow. He heard the undertones in Wilson's voice. Slayers were fleeting. After a few years they figured that both Buffy and Melinda would be gone. The rebels wouldn't have indefinite control if they couldn't have slayers on their side.
Giles' determination returned, "Well they'll just have to see about that."
Wilson smiled a wild grin, "That is what I like to hear. Daddy Wyndham is backing us. That is why we are getting full backing from older members of the group. We need Wesley back soon or else we're going to have more questions than we can answer."
Giles rubbed the bridge of his nose, "He wants to discuss things with Wesley?"
Wilson nodded, "When is he coming back?"
Giles shook his head, "No, Wesley said that he would bring Spike back after this is over. Spike is weak and they've decided that he is still a liability for a few more days.
Wilson shook his head, "I don't know. We have the Wicca faction, because they adore Tara. Their leader was a good friend of Tara's grandmother. Those witches would follow Tara into hell, they trust her. However we need Wesley to be here."
Giles looked at him, "I can't get into contact with him."
Wilson backed away. No one messed with the Ripper.
******
Buffy was scared. She didn't want to do this alone. She had gotten used to Spike in the shadows ready to back her up. He was her strength, her silent partner that was her strength.
She touched her belly, she knew that nothing was wrong. Moreover she knew that somewhere Spike was safe. He was in pain, but he was safe.
She didn't want to get up until his hand helped her up, but she had to. She had to make the world safe.
Buffy rose, still a bit shaky. She went over to where Giles stood.
"What do you need me to do?" Buffy asked.
Giles shook his head, "You can just rest. We need to get some answers."
"No," Buffy said defiantly, "I am part of this. You can't just go into another room and pretend that I'm a non-participant."
"Buffy it isn't going to be pretty," Giles said gently.
"What he's human so I am supposed to turn my back? I am supposed to pretend that he didn't do things to me and my family?"
Willow came and stood next to her, "We are part of this. We're adults now. We're more mature and we think that we can help. You can't just think that you need to shelter us anymore. This expedition will be more successful if we're all in it together."
Giles looked at the two of them. They had come a long way from the wayward children that he had found so many years ago in the library of Sunnydale High.
"See this," Buffy said pointing to her face and then Willow's, "This is resolve face. This can't be anything worse than we've faced before."
Giles took off his glasses and considered, "Well in a way it is. This is a human and we will inflict some pain on him. Angel and I know how to press his buttons. Will you still look at us the same?"
Buffy rolled her eyes, "We grew up with the idiot box."
Giles tried not to smile, "I don't get a vote on this do I?"
"Do you ever?" Buffy shrugged.
Angel came to the door. He had of course heard all of the exchange, vampire hearing is definitely that of a voyeur.
Angel nodded to Buffy, "I'll take her. You refine some techniques with Willow. She should be able to pull off some nice mind bending things. I remember Dru knew some great ones."
Giles shot Angel a look of death. There was no love lost between the pair. However Giles knew that buried inside of Angel's head was a very knowledgeable idea of how to coerce a person into telling. That was the sole reason that Giles was putting up with him.
****
Buffy sat in the corner while Angel began.
Holden surveyed the pair.
"So this is your intimidation?" he asked, nonplussed, "The pregnant bint and the mopey vampire?'
Angel gave him a smile that was eerily Angelus, "Cliff, Cliff, the mouth on you. You should try some decorum. The nicer you are the nicer we are."
Holden raised an eyebrow and looked at Buffy, "Wow, he sounds evil. Did you sleep him again."
Buffy looked innocent, "Isn't that all I do. I'm the whore of the underworld."
Angel hit him in the gut.
"What did I tell you about hurting the lady's feelings?"
"She said it not me," Holden muttered.
Buffy got up rather gracefully, considering her girth. She came and stood in front of him. She put her hands on the arm rests and leaned in. She didn't fear him. She feared no man.
"Have you ever killed anything. A fly, a gnat, a vampire?"
Her voice was very soft, it made Holden's skin crawl. Buffy ran her fingers over his.
"No," he admitted, "But I never fucked one either."
There was a crack as Buffy bent back the man's finger, "I think that perhaps everyone is very aware that I made love to two vampires. The first awareness would be something in the arena of a big bad vampire trying to end the world. The second awareness would be the fact that I am pregnant."
Buffy thought about that for a moment.
"Well maybe that wouldn't be an awareness of me sleeping with a vampire, but the fact remains that you're getting a little redundant."
"Ready for phase two?" Holden asked non-plussed, "Lets talk about your father complex."
Buffy rolled her eyes, "Isn't this just an extension of part one. Let's see I date older men. Therefore they are stand ins for my father. I can do pop psyc, I had a great teacher until she was killed by one of her own demon-y creatures."
Holden smiled, "No that isn't what I am talking about. I am talking about the fact that your surrogate father will be condemned to death or worse once all of this is found out. The council doesn't stand for things like this."
Buffy giggled, then she began to laugh so hard that she had to move away. She attempted to cover her mouth as she looked up at Angel guiltily.
"I'm not good at this am I," she asked while attempting to be sober, "I mean he's just so funny I can't help myself. He still thinks that he has some type of control."
Angel smiled, but there was something very scary about her laughing. While he would never compare her to Drusilla, his deranged childe was in his mind as he watched Buffy. It wasn't the torture that was similar in both women, it was their loyalty. Both of them held steadfast in their faith in Spike. They would do anything for him.
Buffy leaned in again. She had found a rationale. This creature in front of her was more dangerous than a whole pack of wild demons. He had a soul, but it was dark. She could smell the grossness on it.
"The council doesn't have any choice but to accept my Watcher and my rules. They are helpless. I'm not a rouge Slayer and he is not a rouge Watcher. We are the new order and you will respect us."
Buffy nodded to Angel and then she left the room. At the door she turned around again.
"You may not respect us now, but you will, we will make you by any means possible," she told him and left the room.
***
Okay this is all new. I have just written this because everyone is enjoying the council gets its cupuppance. I am happy to oblige those who enjoy this story. To tell you the truth the original was a bit on the weak side when it came to resolution. Since I'm taking a little bit of a cue from you guys is there anything more that you would like to see in the fall of the council? Is there a moment that you are looking for (besides Buffy's reaction to Spike's condition and the reason why?) Just let me know and review. I like reviews.
Taking On Torture
***************
"Take him to the interim room," Giles told Angel. Angel nodded and picked up the fallen form of Travers. The interim room was a smaller room where Holden would give up his control.
Wilson came up next to Giles, "There are some people who are opposed. They feel that perhaps we are taking things too far. There is a large group who sees your coup as temporary."
Giles looked at Buffy who was sitting next to Willow. He heard the undertones in Wilson's voice. Slayers were fleeting. After a few years they figured that both Buffy and Melinda would be gone. The rebels wouldn't have indefinite control if they couldn't have slayers on their side.
Giles' determination returned, "Well they'll just have to see about that."
Wilson smiled a wild grin, "That is what I like to hear. Daddy Wyndham is backing us. That is why we are getting full backing from older members of the group. We need Wesley back soon or else we're going to have more questions than we can answer."
Giles rubbed the bridge of his nose, "He wants to discuss things with Wesley?"
Wilson nodded, "When is he coming back?"
Giles shook his head, "No, Wesley said that he would bring Spike back after this is over. Spike is weak and they've decided that he is still a liability for a few more days.
Wilson shook his head, "I don't know. We have the Wicca faction, because they adore Tara. Their leader was a good friend of Tara's grandmother. Those witches would follow Tara into hell, they trust her. However we need Wesley to be here."
Giles looked at him, "I can't get into contact with him."
Wilson backed away. No one messed with the Ripper.
******
Buffy was scared. She didn't want to do this alone. She had gotten used to Spike in the shadows ready to back her up. He was her strength, her silent partner that was her strength.
She touched her belly, she knew that nothing was wrong. Moreover she knew that somewhere Spike was safe. He was in pain, but he was safe.
She didn't want to get up until his hand helped her up, but she had to. She had to make the world safe.
Buffy rose, still a bit shaky. She went over to where Giles stood.
"What do you need me to do?" Buffy asked.
Giles shook his head, "You can just rest. We need to get some answers."
"No," Buffy said defiantly, "I am part of this. You can't just go into another room and pretend that I'm a non-participant."
"Buffy it isn't going to be pretty," Giles said gently.
"What he's human so I am supposed to turn my back? I am supposed to pretend that he didn't do things to me and my family?"
Willow came and stood next to her, "We are part of this. We're adults now. We're more mature and we think that we can help. You can't just think that you need to shelter us anymore. This expedition will be more successful if we're all in it together."
Giles looked at the two of them. They had come a long way from the wayward children that he had found so many years ago in the library of Sunnydale High.
"See this," Buffy said pointing to her face and then Willow's, "This is resolve face. This can't be anything worse than we've faced before."
Giles took off his glasses and considered, "Well in a way it is. This is a human and we will inflict some pain on him. Angel and I know how to press his buttons. Will you still look at us the same?"
Buffy rolled her eyes, "We grew up with the idiot box."
Giles tried not to smile, "I don't get a vote on this do I?"
"Do you ever?" Buffy shrugged.
Angel came to the door. He had of course heard all of the exchange, vampire hearing is definitely that of a voyeur.
Angel nodded to Buffy, "I'll take her. You refine some techniques with Willow. She should be able to pull off some nice mind bending things. I remember Dru knew some great ones."
Giles shot Angel a look of death. There was no love lost between the pair. However Giles knew that buried inside of Angel's head was a very knowledgeable idea of how to coerce a person into telling. That was the sole reason that Giles was putting up with him.
****
Buffy sat in the corner while Angel began.
Holden surveyed the pair.
"So this is your intimidation?" he asked, nonplussed, "The pregnant bint and the mopey vampire?'
Angel gave him a smile that was eerily Angelus, "Cliff, Cliff, the mouth on you. You should try some decorum. The nicer you are the nicer we are."
Holden raised an eyebrow and looked at Buffy, "Wow, he sounds evil. Did you sleep him again."
Buffy looked innocent, "Isn't that all I do. I'm the whore of the underworld."
Angel hit him in the gut.
"What did I tell you about hurting the lady's feelings?"
"She said it not me," Holden muttered.
Buffy got up rather gracefully, considering her girth. She came and stood in front of him. She put her hands on the arm rests and leaned in. She didn't fear him. She feared no man.
"Have you ever killed anything. A fly, a gnat, a vampire?"
Her voice was very soft, it made Holden's skin crawl. Buffy ran her fingers over his.
"No," he admitted, "But I never fucked one either."
There was a crack as Buffy bent back the man's finger, "I think that perhaps everyone is very aware that I made love to two vampires. The first awareness would be something in the arena of a big bad vampire trying to end the world. The second awareness would be the fact that I am pregnant."
Buffy thought about that for a moment.
"Well maybe that wouldn't be an awareness of me sleeping with a vampire, but the fact remains that you're getting a little redundant."
"Ready for phase two?" Holden asked non-plussed, "Lets talk about your father complex."
Buffy rolled her eyes, "Isn't this just an extension of part one. Let's see I date older men. Therefore they are stand ins for my father. I can do pop psyc, I had a great teacher until she was killed by one of her own demon-y creatures."
Holden smiled, "No that isn't what I am talking about. I am talking about the fact that your surrogate father will be condemned to death or worse once all of this is found out. The council doesn't stand for things like this."
Buffy giggled, then she began to laugh so hard that she had to move away. She attempted to cover her mouth as she looked up at Angel guiltily.
"I'm not good at this am I," she asked while attempting to be sober, "I mean he's just so funny I can't help myself. He still thinks that he has some type of control."
Angel smiled, but there was something very scary about her laughing. While he would never compare her to Drusilla, his deranged childe was in his mind as he watched Buffy. It wasn't the torture that was similar in both women, it was their loyalty. Both of them held steadfast in their faith in Spike. They would do anything for him.
Buffy leaned in again. She had found a rationale. This creature in front of her was more dangerous than a whole pack of wild demons. He had a soul, but it was dark. She could smell the grossness on it.
"The council doesn't have any choice but to accept my Watcher and my rules. They are helpless. I'm not a rouge Slayer and he is not a rouge Watcher. We are the new order and you will respect us."
Buffy nodded to Angel and then she left the room. At the door she turned around again.
"You may not respect us now, but you will, we will make you by any means possible," she told him and left the room.
***
Okay this is all new. I have just written this because everyone is enjoying the council gets its cupuppance. I am happy to oblige those who enjoy this story. To tell you the truth the original was a bit on the weak side when it came to resolution. Since I'm taking a little bit of a cue from you guys is there anything more that you would like to see in the fall of the council? Is there a moment that you are looking for (besides Buffy's reaction to Spike's condition and the reason why?) Just let me know and review. I like reviews.