Disclaimers : I own nothing other than Liz, Kyle, Adam, Michael, and Diana.
(A/N: I am sorry for the recent lack of updates; I'm trying to get as much done as possible, and I'm aware some things seem rushed, I'll try and go back and fix them later. If you note any outstanding mistakes, please let me know and I'll fix them. And can anyone let me know what on earth a Mary-Sue is?)
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Elizabeth was in the back of the house when she heard what sounded like the door getting busted down. She didn't even bother to turn around; she just kept pulling weapons off the shelves in front of her. She had her gun ready; and there were plenty of other weapons to choose from. She braced herself for what she knew was charging through the house.
The voice that spoke surprised her, and she gave a bewildered look at the direction that it was coming from.
"Liz?! Dawn?! Anyone?!"
She turned to find Buffy running past the door down the hallway.
"Buffy!" She slowed down and reversed herself, coming into the doorway.
"Where are Spike and Dawn?" Buffy asked. When Elizabeth didn't reply, Buffy knew what had happened.
"You just, let them go?" She said, her voice incredulous and tinged with anger.
Elizabeth looked up sharply. "I did no such thing! How did you want me to attack those things, hmm? Looks like you did pretty well against them yourself" she said, surveying Buffy's torn clothing and scattered bruises.
She regretted the tone she had used, but was in too much of a hurry to apologize for it.
"They're at the Magic Box" Elizabeth said, throwing some more weapons onto the table in front of her.
"I know. I just came from there." Buffy said. Elizabeth gave her a look. "And you're lecturing me on leaving people behind?" she said. The look on Buffy's face made her curse her stupidity.
Me and my big mouth, she thought.
"Can you handle a gun?" she asked, keeping her tone deliberately light. Buffy thought of the times she had tried to use one before with the Initiative. . .and wisely decided against it.
"Fine; take your pick" she said, spreading her arm to indicate the amount of choices available to her. Buffy picked up a broadsword and a double headed ax; glancing at Elizabeth she saw the girl had no such similar weapons. In fact, other than two small guns at her side and a dagger she was putting up her sleeve, she didn't have any.
"Where did you get all of this?" Buffy asked.
" Did you see Kyle and Adam?" Elizabeth asked, continued her inspection of the knife and ignoring Buffy's question. Buffy glanced up at her as she chose another weapon to add to her arsenal.
"No; I think they're being held in the back. Everyone else is up front; I didn't see Spike and Dawn; they might be with them."
Elizabeth gave a grim smile and savagely attacked a corner of the table with her knife.
Not looking at Buffy, she spoke.
"I'm sorry."
Buffy looked at her, confused. Elizabeth looked up and gave a sigh.
"It's my fault this has all happened. And I know that it means absolutely nothing at this point; but I'm sorry."
"And if anything happens to any of them; feel free to take it out on me."
Buffy didn't know what to say. She knew that something was going on; and the way Giles had spoken she knew it involved Liz to some extent. But only then did it dawn on her exactly what it could be.
"Oh God. . ." she whispered, staring at Liz. Liz cringed at the words.
"You; you could have done something; some magick, something that would have stopped this-" Buffy started. Elizabeth looked at her, wounded.
"I was in no condition to do anything the last time I saw one of those things. And I can't believe that you would think that if there was something I could have done to help Dawn I wouldn't have done it." Buffy knew that, and she could see she was telling the truth. Liz continued. "I don't know what you're thinking of, but I don't have as much power as you think I do."
"And yea, I am part of the Key."
The girl had spoken so bluntly that Buffy almost dropped what she was holding. She looked at Elizabeth, who suddenly seemed much smaller and younger than she was. Buffy used to envy her; Elizabeth had her entire life ahead of her, lived away from the Hellmouth, and had a great career. And she had been married, while Buffy's own relationships had fallen apart. But here she saw that maybe Elizabeth didn't have as easy a life as she thought.
Elizabeth waited for a reaction, and tried to brace herself for whatever choice of words Buffy chose to throw at her. . . and was surprised, but grateful, by the small hug the Slayer gave her. She looked up at Buffy, and the look she gave her was not lost on the Slayer; she had seen the same look in Dawn's eyes a little over a year ago.
"Come on; let's go get our friends back." The two girls took their weapons to the front of the house, where Elizabeth unlocked the car. She got into the drivers seat, and Buffy got in beside her. Buffy knew she could probably run the whole way there, but it was clear Elizabeth did not have such options.
They sped off, and Buffy glanced down at the clock. It was almost 11. How long was I out? She thought to herself.
She just hoped that they were all right.
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They pulled up along the side of the street, careful to park away from the Magic Box.
"Front or back?" Elizabeth said. Buffy suggested the back would be better; Elizabeth nodded, not caring either way. Buffy had noticed her increasing silence as they drove, and she wondered just how well she was coping with this entire ordeal.
Elizabeth gave a grim smile at the thought Buffy had. She had been through worse, and seen worse; this was nothing to her. The fact that at this moment every single person she had bothered to even attempt to get close to was in danger meant nothing to her almost stopped her in her tracks.
I hate living, she thought angrily.
"You know" she said out loud, "they're probably waiting for us."
Buffy nodded. She had already thought of that.
"If they do catch us. . ."
Buffy shook her head. "They won't."
"Right." The two girls crept towards the door. Buffy moved to kick the door open, when suddenly Liz grabbed her wrist.
"Don't move." She said, gritting her teeth. Buffy started to turn her head and then quickly faced forward again at the sight of the two demons behind them.
"Crap" she muttered. She contemplated attacking them, but, like Liz, she was afraid for the others.
Otherwise I would love to give them a world of the hurt, she thought to herself.
Suddenly, the door opened, and the two girls were ushered inside, towards the front of the store. Elizabeth bit back a gasp at the sight of everyone; Willow and Anya looked all right with the exception of a few bruises, but Xander and Giles were a mess; so were Kyle and Adam. Dawn seemed to be fine with the exception of being shaken up, and Spike stood rigidly between two other demons. Elizabeth couldn't understand why until she saw yet another stake behind him. Buffy saw it too, and felt her breath catch in her throat.
"Fine mess you got us into" Spike said through his teeth, his voice strained. Although Elizabeth didn't reply, Buffy saw Spike visibly relax ever so slightly in the moments that followed.
The Lokardik demons filed into the room; one of them, much taller than the rest, seemed to be the leader. He motioned towards them, and each Scooby was surprised when they were released, with the exception of Spike and Buffy. One of the other demons roughly grabbed Dawn. Kyle and Adam were still held fast by some of the others.
The leader turned to Giles. "You and your kind are free to go."
Xander held onto Anya for support. "What about them?" he asked, gesturing towards Buffy, Spike, Dawn, and the three band mates.
"Those two" the demon said, pointing at Dawn and Elizabeth, "are ours. The vampire is one of only two with a soul and will prove useful to us. And the girl's two companions will be punished for breaking a bargain with us."
"Oh, well, at least you have good reasons" Xander said, his voice full of sarcasm. "And Buffy?"
"She is part of our bounty" he said, unmoving.
"She wasn't. . . part of the contract" Kyle said, his voice rasping. The others looked at him, suddenly very interested in what the man was saying.
The demon laughed. "There is always a contract on the Slayer."
"What do you mean, she wasn't part of the -" Giles started to say, but he was cut off.
"Let us go." It was Elizabeth who had spoken. She hadn't moved once since their capture, but she was running on empty, and the only thing keeping her going was her anger at this point. It was stupid to argue to a demon twice your size and when there were ten of them, and she knew that. She also knew that if she didn't fight now, she wouldn't be able to later.
Her demand was met by a rough smack on the back of her head by the demon that held her, which made Giles start forward towards her. She was thrown forward, and used the opportunity to 'spark' him with a simple spell, making it possible for her to free herself from his grasp. She spun around and cracked him over the head, sending him backwards. Turning, she pointed her gun at the head of one of the demons holding Spike.
"Leave" she said simply, and Xander, Anya, and Willow ran outside. Giles hesitated for a moment, then went with them. Whatever Buffy and Elizabeth were going to do, it would only complicate things for them to be there.
The demons tightened their grip on their captives, causing Kyle and Dawn to whimper in pain. The stake was dangerously close to Spike, making him shift uncomfortably.
What the bloody hell are you doing? Spike thought to himself. He could now feel the pressure of the stake behind him; a little more and he wouldn't feel anything anymore.
Elizabeth sent an answer to him, slowly and deliberately. I have an idea, she thought. But you aren't going to like it. . .Suddenly images flashed in Spike's head, showing him what she meant. Buffy also saw these, but she had no idea what was going on; a moment later, Liz was thought-speaking again.
It's the only way to get both Dawn and Spike out of here and get rid of all these guys. There are too many to take on straight.
Buffy wasn't sure what was going on in her head, but a nod of reassurance from Elizabeth was enough for her. Elizabeth turned her attention back to the Lokardik leader, who had been speaking to her during the last few moments.
"I'm sorry, you were saying? I was blatantly ignoring you."
For a moment the demon's calm exterior gave way to visible signs of anger; the demon cleared his throat and began again. "You cannot kill us with guns. Put away your weapon and allow us to sedate you so that you won't be a threat to anyone."
She snorted. "Funny, I really don't feel like listening at the moment. Buffy and I are leaving, and we're taking them with us."
The demon laughed. "You'll never take them all; one move and the vampire is nothing more than ash. Your friends will die anyway; do you really want it to be at your hands?"
Elizabeth made a mental note to Buffy who then focused her attention on Dawn.
Are you sure this is going to work? She thought.
Liz glanced at the clock on the wall. 11:54.
Yea, she said.
She raised the gun higher, aiming for the demon's throat.
"I'm sorry" she said to Spike.
And she pulled the trigger.
(A/N: I am sorry for the recent lack of updates; I'm trying to get as much done as possible, and I'm aware some things seem rushed, I'll try and go back and fix them later. If you note any outstanding mistakes, please let me know and I'll fix them. And can anyone let me know what on earth a Mary-Sue is?)
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Elizabeth was in the back of the house when she heard what sounded like the door getting busted down. She didn't even bother to turn around; she just kept pulling weapons off the shelves in front of her. She had her gun ready; and there were plenty of other weapons to choose from. She braced herself for what she knew was charging through the house.
The voice that spoke surprised her, and she gave a bewildered look at the direction that it was coming from.
"Liz?! Dawn?! Anyone?!"
She turned to find Buffy running past the door down the hallway.
"Buffy!" She slowed down and reversed herself, coming into the doorway.
"Where are Spike and Dawn?" Buffy asked. When Elizabeth didn't reply, Buffy knew what had happened.
"You just, let them go?" She said, her voice incredulous and tinged with anger.
Elizabeth looked up sharply. "I did no such thing! How did you want me to attack those things, hmm? Looks like you did pretty well against them yourself" she said, surveying Buffy's torn clothing and scattered bruises.
She regretted the tone she had used, but was in too much of a hurry to apologize for it.
"They're at the Magic Box" Elizabeth said, throwing some more weapons onto the table in front of her.
"I know. I just came from there." Buffy said. Elizabeth gave her a look. "And you're lecturing me on leaving people behind?" she said. The look on Buffy's face made her curse her stupidity.
Me and my big mouth, she thought.
"Can you handle a gun?" she asked, keeping her tone deliberately light. Buffy thought of the times she had tried to use one before with the Initiative. . .and wisely decided against it.
"Fine; take your pick" she said, spreading her arm to indicate the amount of choices available to her. Buffy picked up a broadsword and a double headed ax; glancing at Elizabeth she saw the girl had no such similar weapons. In fact, other than two small guns at her side and a dagger she was putting up her sleeve, she didn't have any.
"Where did you get all of this?" Buffy asked.
" Did you see Kyle and Adam?" Elizabeth asked, continued her inspection of the knife and ignoring Buffy's question. Buffy glanced up at her as she chose another weapon to add to her arsenal.
"No; I think they're being held in the back. Everyone else is up front; I didn't see Spike and Dawn; they might be with them."
Elizabeth gave a grim smile and savagely attacked a corner of the table with her knife.
Not looking at Buffy, she spoke.
"I'm sorry."
Buffy looked at her, confused. Elizabeth looked up and gave a sigh.
"It's my fault this has all happened. And I know that it means absolutely nothing at this point; but I'm sorry."
"And if anything happens to any of them; feel free to take it out on me."
Buffy didn't know what to say. She knew that something was going on; and the way Giles had spoken she knew it involved Liz to some extent. But only then did it dawn on her exactly what it could be.
"Oh God. . ." she whispered, staring at Liz. Liz cringed at the words.
"You; you could have done something; some magick, something that would have stopped this-" Buffy started. Elizabeth looked at her, wounded.
"I was in no condition to do anything the last time I saw one of those things. And I can't believe that you would think that if there was something I could have done to help Dawn I wouldn't have done it." Buffy knew that, and she could see she was telling the truth. Liz continued. "I don't know what you're thinking of, but I don't have as much power as you think I do."
"And yea, I am part of the Key."
The girl had spoken so bluntly that Buffy almost dropped what she was holding. She looked at Elizabeth, who suddenly seemed much smaller and younger than she was. Buffy used to envy her; Elizabeth had her entire life ahead of her, lived away from the Hellmouth, and had a great career. And she had been married, while Buffy's own relationships had fallen apart. But here she saw that maybe Elizabeth didn't have as easy a life as she thought.
Elizabeth waited for a reaction, and tried to brace herself for whatever choice of words Buffy chose to throw at her. . . and was surprised, but grateful, by the small hug the Slayer gave her. She looked up at Buffy, and the look she gave her was not lost on the Slayer; she had seen the same look in Dawn's eyes a little over a year ago.
"Come on; let's go get our friends back." The two girls took their weapons to the front of the house, where Elizabeth unlocked the car. She got into the drivers seat, and Buffy got in beside her. Buffy knew she could probably run the whole way there, but it was clear Elizabeth did not have such options.
They sped off, and Buffy glanced down at the clock. It was almost 11. How long was I out? She thought to herself.
She just hoped that they were all right.
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They pulled up along the side of the street, careful to park away from the Magic Box.
"Front or back?" Elizabeth said. Buffy suggested the back would be better; Elizabeth nodded, not caring either way. Buffy had noticed her increasing silence as they drove, and she wondered just how well she was coping with this entire ordeal.
Elizabeth gave a grim smile at the thought Buffy had. She had been through worse, and seen worse; this was nothing to her. The fact that at this moment every single person she had bothered to even attempt to get close to was in danger meant nothing to her almost stopped her in her tracks.
I hate living, she thought angrily.
"You know" she said out loud, "they're probably waiting for us."
Buffy nodded. She had already thought of that.
"If they do catch us. . ."
Buffy shook her head. "They won't."
"Right." The two girls crept towards the door. Buffy moved to kick the door open, when suddenly Liz grabbed her wrist.
"Don't move." She said, gritting her teeth. Buffy started to turn her head and then quickly faced forward again at the sight of the two demons behind them.
"Crap" she muttered. She contemplated attacking them, but, like Liz, she was afraid for the others.
Otherwise I would love to give them a world of the hurt, she thought to herself.
Suddenly, the door opened, and the two girls were ushered inside, towards the front of the store. Elizabeth bit back a gasp at the sight of everyone; Willow and Anya looked all right with the exception of a few bruises, but Xander and Giles were a mess; so were Kyle and Adam. Dawn seemed to be fine with the exception of being shaken up, and Spike stood rigidly between two other demons. Elizabeth couldn't understand why until she saw yet another stake behind him. Buffy saw it too, and felt her breath catch in her throat.
"Fine mess you got us into" Spike said through his teeth, his voice strained. Although Elizabeth didn't reply, Buffy saw Spike visibly relax ever so slightly in the moments that followed.
The Lokardik demons filed into the room; one of them, much taller than the rest, seemed to be the leader. He motioned towards them, and each Scooby was surprised when they were released, with the exception of Spike and Buffy. One of the other demons roughly grabbed Dawn. Kyle and Adam were still held fast by some of the others.
The leader turned to Giles. "You and your kind are free to go."
Xander held onto Anya for support. "What about them?" he asked, gesturing towards Buffy, Spike, Dawn, and the three band mates.
"Those two" the demon said, pointing at Dawn and Elizabeth, "are ours. The vampire is one of only two with a soul and will prove useful to us. And the girl's two companions will be punished for breaking a bargain with us."
"Oh, well, at least you have good reasons" Xander said, his voice full of sarcasm. "And Buffy?"
"She is part of our bounty" he said, unmoving.
"She wasn't. . . part of the contract" Kyle said, his voice rasping. The others looked at him, suddenly very interested in what the man was saying.
The demon laughed. "There is always a contract on the Slayer."
"What do you mean, she wasn't part of the -" Giles started to say, but he was cut off.
"Let us go." It was Elizabeth who had spoken. She hadn't moved once since their capture, but she was running on empty, and the only thing keeping her going was her anger at this point. It was stupid to argue to a demon twice your size and when there were ten of them, and she knew that. She also knew that if she didn't fight now, she wouldn't be able to later.
Her demand was met by a rough smack on the back of her head by the demon that held her, which made Giles start forward towards her. She was thrown forward, and used the opportunity to 'spark' him with a simple spell, making it possible for her to free herself from his grasp. She spun around and cracked him over the head, sending him backwards. Turning, she pointed her gun at the head of one of the demons holding Spike.
"Leave" she said simply, and Xander, Anya, and Willow ran outside. Giles hesitated for a moment, then went with them. Whatever Buffy and Elizabeth were going to do, it would only complicate things for them to be there.
The demons tightened their grip on their captives, causing Kyle and Dawn to whimper in pain. The stake was dangerously close to Spike, making him shift uncomfortably.
What the bloody hell are you doing? Spike thought to himself. He could now feel the pressure of the stake behind him; a little more and he wouldn't feel anything anymore.
Elizabeth sent an answer to him, slowly and deliberately. I have an idea, she thought. But you aren't going to like it. . .Suddenly images flashed in Spike's head, showing him what she meant. Buffy also saw these, but she had no idea what was going on; a moment later, Liz was thought-speaking again.
It's the only way to get both Dawn and Spike out of here and get rid of all these guys. There are too many to take on straight.
Buffy wasn't sure what was going on in her head, but a nod of reassurance from Elizabeth was enough for her. Elizabeth turned her attention back to the Lokardik leader, who had been speaking to her during the last few moments.
"I'm sorry, you were saying? I was blatantly ignoring you."
For a moment the demon's calm exterior gave way to visible signs of anger; the demon cleared his throat and began again. "You cannot kill us with guns. Put away your weapon and allow us to sedate you so that you won't be a threat to anyone."
She snorted. "Funny, I really don't feel like listening at the moment. Buffy and I are leaving, and we're taking them with us."
The demon laughed. "You'll never take them all; one move and the vampire is nothing more than ash. Your friends will die anyway; do you really want it to be at your hands?"
Elizabeth made a mental note to Buffy who then focused her attention on Dawn.
Are you sure this is going to work? She thought.
Liz glanced at the clock on the wall. 11:54.
Yea, she said.
She raised the gun higher, aiming for the demon's throat.
"I'm sorry" she said to Spike.
And she pulled the trigger.