Spells and Gasoline
"I don't see why I can't come with you," Oz said watching Dawn slide a stake into the sleeve of her shirt.
Dawn rolled her eyes, "Because Oz we decided that a demon, a sick slayer and a watcher equaled a werewolf and Xander. We need to do this right. Personal feelings have nothing to do with the way that this is going to work. Do you think that Xander wouldn't rather be with Willow when this all goes down. We've done this before. We do what we have to."
"I just want to be there if you need me," Oz said quietly.
Dawn looked at him intently.
"I know, but I'll be fine, baby. We're just burning things down. It doesn't involve much combat. I'll be fine. Giles will protect me."
Oz came up behind her and snuggled her into his shoulder.
"I just worry."
Dawn closed her eyes and let herself feel the protection of her boyfriend. She was safe right now. She inhaled the faith that she had to have in the situation.
"Oz," Xander yelled, "Time to hop on the fire train."
Oz kissed her temple, "Be safe."
Dawn smiled, "I'll see you soon."
Oz left the room and Dawn's smile faded. She knew that there was a very good chance that she had just completely lied to him.
She pulled a pendant out of her top drawer and put it around her neck. It had a huge star ruby on it. The necklace was for purifying the blood of the sick. It was a dangerous stone. It had the effect of caffeine. It could draw from a person's own energy and amplify it. However it had the down side of amphetamines. It could draw too much and put a person in a state of exhaustion where they didn't even know that they were exhausted.
Dawn had calculated that she could use this for three hours. She could be the Slayer for three hours.
Dawn touched the red stone around her neck and said the incantation. The stone glowed brightly and the red was echoed in Dawn's eyes.
She would do what was needed to get done. She would kill vampires. She hoped that Buffy would be able to do her job.
If she didn't Dawn would be dead in three hours.
*******
"I get to do arson," Xander sang as he poured gasoline over the wood structure.
It was exactly forty minutes until sunset. There was still plenty of direct sunlight to cover them.
"I think that the element of surprise would best be served without the music," Oz intoned.
Xander sighed a sigh of resignation.
"Sorry, it's just that since Buffy got back there is more fun again. No more simple vampires."
Oz picked up a new container of gas.
"I can see how you're excited," Oz monotoned.
Xander did a twirling pour, "No witches on the horizon except Willow, which is pretty neat, but there is definitely fun stuff in the fact that we get to do arson and breaking and entering. It's so cool."
"Slaying is definitely mundane," Oz agreed.
The pair continued in semi-silence with only Xander humming a happy tune. They were almost done when Xander caught sight of something in the shadows.
"Oz," Xander said seriously, "There is something over there."
Oz began to slip into wolf mode, "I kill you burn."
With that the Oz-wolf slipped away.
Xander began to whistle again. He picked up a box of matches and began to light them one by one. Each match was dropped into the golden liquid and sent blue flames to the wood. The factory began to burn. Xander watched in satisfaction, waiting for escaping vampires that would try to skulk off.
****
Half a town away Cordelia pressed a button. The steel frame bent in and the silo fell down upon the frame. It was a little more dangerous. The collapsing of the building would bring out more vampires. However Giles had a sort of mini flame thrower that Xander had made. It was an inferno.
Dawn smiled as the first of the vampires came out into the last rays of sunlight. Most of them were instantly dusted. There were a few that could think somewhat coherently and kept to the shadows. Dawn ran after those. She felt alive for a bit.
She had the ruby for a long time. She didn't want to use it because she knew it would kill her. She had a chance now and she used it for all it was worth.
Every breath felt so fulfilling and every move was done with a smooth motion, her muscles singing.
Dawn loved it. She was alive.
****
Buffy, Spike, and Angel rested on the edge of the cave that would lead them to the depths of the earth, to where the child lay.
Spike and Angel were in the shadows. Spike leaned against a wall his blonde at an angle, one leg against a wall. Angel was crouched on his haunches. Both were dressed in black and in leather. Both of them were perfectly still. Not even their hair moved. The only thing that moved on either of them was their leather dusters. Short for Angel, longer for Spike.
Willow and Buffy had a few minutes. They were both looking at the vampires who were looking off into space.
Buffy couldn't help but compare the completely off the runway look of these two with the commando gear that Riley wore. It was a big change from her ex. She liked how neither one of them thought about changing clothes for the job they had to do. They didn't put on any kind of uniform. She had always subscribed to the theory that anything that she wore during the day or clubbing she could wear on patrol. She never really got Riley's penchant for stalker wear. Much like her fought the same in leather and jackets as they did in lightweight Kevlar. This wasn't a job for them it was simply life. It wasn't pretty and it was regulated to the shadows, but it was their life. Buffy knew the distinction.
Willow had a grin on her face. Her thoughts were much simpler.
*Buffy could have done a lot worse.*
Then they saw it. Two towers of smoke. One from the silo and one from the factory.
"Your turn," Buffy said to Willow just as the sun set. Timing was going perfectly.
Willow nodded.
Spike and Angel joined them outside. There was no fear of direct sunlight anymore. Willow surrounded them all by salt and she chanted. After a few minutes it was time.
"We'll be undetectable until we reach the barrier," Willow said confidently.
"We're in stealth mode," Buffy nodded.
Angel and Spike slipped into game face and the quartet entered the caves.
****
For some reason I like how this chapter came out. What do you think?
"I don't see why I can't come with you," Oz said watching Dawn slide a stake into the sleeve of her shirt.
Dawn rolled her eyes, "Because Oz we decided that a demon, a sick slayer and a watcher equaled a werewolf and Xander. We need to do this right. Personal feelings have nothing to do with the way that this is going to work. Do you think that Xander wouldn't rather be with Willow when this all goes down. We've done this before. We do what we have to."
"I just want to be there if you need me," Oz said quietly.
Dawn looked at him intently.
"I know, but I'll be fine, baby. We're just burning things down. It doesn't involve much combat. I'll be fine. Giles will protect me."
Oz came up behind her and snuggled her into his shoulder.
"I just worry."
Dawn closed her eyes and let herself feel the protection of her boyfriend. She was safe right now. She inhaled the faith that she had to have in the situation.
"Oz," Xander yelled, "Time to hop on the fire train."
Oz kissed her temple, "Be safe."
Dawn smiled, "I'll see you soon."
Oz left the room and Dawn's smile faded. She knew that there was a very good chance that she had just completely lied to him.
She pulled a pendant out of her top drawer and put it around her neck. It had a huge star ruby on it. The necklace was for purifying the blood of the sick. It was a dangerous stone. It had the effect of caffeine. It could draw from a person's own energy and amplify it. However it had the down side of amphetamines. It could draw too much and put a person in a state of exhaustion where they didn't even know that they were exhausted.
Dawn had calculated that she could use this for three hours. She could be the Slayer for three hours.
Dawn touched the red stone around her neck and said the incantation. The stone glowed brightly and the red was echoed in Dawn's eyes.
She would do what was needed to get done. She would kill vampires. She hoped that Buffy would be able to do her job.
If she didn't Dawn would be dead in three hours.
*******
"I get to do arson," Xander sang as he poured gasoline over the wood structure.
It was exactly forty minutes until sunset. There was still plenty of direct sunlight to cover them.
"I think that the element of surprise would best be served without the music," Oz intoned.
Xander sighed a sigh of resignation.
"Sorry, it's just that since Buffy got back there is more fun again. No more simple vampires."
Oz picked up a new container of gas.
"I can see how you're excited," Oz monotoned.
Xander did a twirling pour, "No witches on the horizon except Willow, which is pretty neat, but there is definitely fun stuff in the fact that we get to do arson and breaking and entering. It's so cool."
"Slaying is definitely mundane," Oz agreed.
The pair continued in semi-silence with only Xander humming a happy tune. They were almost done when Xander caught sight of something in the shadows.
"Oz," Xander said seriously, "There is something over there."
Oz began to slip into wolf mode, "I kill you burn."
With that the Oz-wolf slipped away.
Xander began to whistle again. He picked up a box of matches and began to light them one by one. Each match was dropped into the golden liquid and sent blue flames to the wood. The factory began to burn. Xander watched in satisfaction, waiting for escaping vampires that would try to skulk off.
****
Half a town away Cordelia pressed a button. The steel frame bent in and the silo fell down upon the frame. It was a little more dangerous. The collapsing of the building would bring out more vampires. However Giles had a sort of mini flame thrower that Xander had made. It was an inferno.
Dawn smiled as the first of the vampires came out into the last rays of sunlight. Most of them were instantly dusted. There were a few that could think somewhat coherently and kept to the shadows. Dawn ran after those. She felt alive for a bit.
She had the ruby for a long time. She didn't want to use it because she knew it would kill her. She had a chance now and she used it for all it was worth.
Every breath felt so fulfilling and every move was done with a smooth motion, her muscles singing.
Dawn loved it. She was alive.
****
Buffy, Spike, and Angel rested on the edge of the cave that would lead them to the depths of the earth, to where the child lay.
Spike and Angel were in the shadows. Spike leaned against a wall his blonde at an angle, one leg against a wall. Angel was crouched on his haunches. Both were dressed in black and in leather. Both of them were perfectly still. Not even their hair moved. The only thing that moved on either of them was their leather dusters. Short for Angel, longer for Spike.
Willow and Buffy had a few minutes. They were both looking at the vampires who were looking off into space.
Buffy couldn't help but compare the completely off the runway look of these two with the commando gear that Riley wore. It was a big change from her ex. She liked how neither one of them thought about changing clothes for the job they had to do. They didn't put on any kind of uniform. She had always subscribed to the theory that anything that she wore during the day or clubbing she could wear on patrol. She never really got Riley's penchant for stalker wear. Much like her fought the same in leather and jackets as they did in lightweight Kevlar. This wasn't a job for them it was simply life. It wasn't pretty and it was regulated to the shadows, but it was their life. Buffy knew the distinction.
Willow had a grin on her face. Her thoughts were much simpler.
*Buffy could have done a lot worse.*
Then they saw it. Two towers of smoke. One from the silo and one from the factory.
"Your turn," Buffy said to Willow just as the sun set. Timing was going perfectly.
Willow nodded.
Spike and Angel joined them outside. There was no fear of direct sunlight anymore. Willow surrounded them all by salt and she chanted. After a few minutes it was time.
"We'll be undetectable until we reach the barrier," Willow said confidently.
"We're in stealth mode," Buffy nodded.
Angel and Spike slipped into game face and the quartet entered the caves.
****
For some reason I like how this chapter came out. What do you think?