A/N: Thanx to my exams comin' up, how much of this I can upload and how frequently may decline until I'm totally free of them...couple of months now. Just so you're forewarned.
Disclaimer. Three words: So. Sue. Me.
Dedication: To all of YOU guys out there who r/r my fics. Luv the reviews!
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Spike was walking through the graveyard close to midnight- alone, of course. But he was fine with that.
It had been a pretty quiet night all in all. He'd only encountered one vamp and that one was attempting to lure its prey- a bookish-looking girl of about twenty- away so it could feed. He'd managed convince the girl to flee before staking the vamp after a short fight. It really didn't seem worth it, being out here awaiting fights that would never come, and he was just about to head for his crypt when somebody spoke.
In an Irish accent.
"So, you have any ideas yet on who's doing this witchcraft?"
He almost started but managed to stop himself in time. He turned to see the Slayer walking beside him with a smile on her face directed at him. He stopped in irritation- irritation at how he hadn't noticed her approach. She stopped too, her expression becoming mischevious as she realised what he was thinking.
"What the bloody hell do you want?" he demanded angrily.
She shrugged, and he noticed for the first time the stake she was casually twirling between her fingers. "Nothing. Just patrolling and decided to say hi."
"Go patrol some other place, this is my ground."
She laughed slightly. "How? And you think I intended on seeing you tonight? No, just a lucky coincidence I guess."
"My crypt is in this cemetary. Go patrol somewhere else."
"What can I say?" Her smile became wry. "I tried and the vampires don't wanna come out to play tonight."
"Why does that lead to me putting up with you?"
Offense flashed through Gracia's eyes. "You shouldn't speak to a lady like that." She deliberately sounded more like a stuck-up nobleman's daughter than a highschool student.
Spike smirked. "No need to get all hoity-toity. What century are you from?"
He'd meant it as an insult, but she answered it like it was a serious question. "Eighteenth, actually. Born in 1737, died in 1753." She looked at him with a small smile as she recalled her past life. "At least you don't find it as hard to believe as the twins did."
"So, your little friends know about it now?" Spike was more interested than he allowed himself to sound. "What they do? Chase you with torches and pitchforks?"
She laughed. "Not quite. But if you don't know much about the demonic world, imagine how hard it is to accept something like that." She shrugged. "They need time to think it over. They've only known for two days."
There was a short silence in which they just watched each other. Then Spike decided to speak up.
"Where's your big brother then? Not doing the protective act tonight, then?"
"He's not here." Spike saw something in her face, some measure of worry and sisterly fear. "Haven't seen him since...well, since Luke and Keisha found out about him being a vampire." She smirked a bit. "Why, not scared of him, are you?"
"You realise how bloody stupid you sound?"
"Sure." There was just the smallest hint of sarcasm in her voice, just enough to annoy him. "You realise you've got onto the level of sharing insults with my sister Brianna?"
He just glared at her, and she returned his look impishly. Suddenly, a noise not so far away triggered off both the vampiric and Slayer senses, and they both turned towards where it had come from. There was another, something like very low voices, coming from the same place. After exchanging another, somewhat quizzical, glance, Spike and Gracia crept quietly forward, following the noise.
They came across another expanse of graves, most of them slightly older than the ones they'd left behind, screened off from where they had stood by a row of trees. These trees masked them from whoever it was as the Slayer and the vampire searched for them.
Then Gracia saw them. Five or six vampires scrabbling at the earth heaped on a grave, seemingly near the end of their task. Judging by their expressions and tones of voice, Gracia could tell they were quite annoyed at something or someone. She grabbed Spike's wrist beside her and pointed them out to him as she listened to their conversation.
"I don't see why Zachary couldn't have had Ambulo Mortuus obtain this for us." one vamp hissed. "Why should we scrape away in the mud for something a simple spell could get for us?"
"Shut up, Iain," the vampire next to him whispered angrily. "Zachary picked us to get this, our lives depend on its retrival."
"Didn't know you feared him so much Kenwin." A girl vampire was the next speaker, jeering as she tossed aside clods of dirt. "And Ambulo Mortuus...what do any of us know? Maybe Old Mysterious ain't as powerful as they all made them out to be."
"All of you, hush!" The obvious leader had cut in, leaning down into the grave and pulling out something. "Here it is! We have the scriptures!"
Gracia had decided that now was the time to make her presence known. She let go of Spike's wrist and slipped out of the plants, clutching her stake hard.
"Gees, and I thought you could've all said your goodbyes at the funeral." she mocked. They all looked up abruptly, and five (except the leader) rose to their feet, snarling. They charged and she leapt out of their way.
As she was beating one particular toughie into submission, she became aware that Spike was fighting too. The idea of somebody actually fighting with her against the vampires that she feared the motives of made her feel a lot more confident. She plunged the stake through the guy's heart and he collapsed into ashes.
Together, it didn't take Spike and Gracia long to defeat the vamps and they found themselves in a silent graveyard once more. Gracia was about to say something, to thank him or anything, when a shadow of unease crossed her mind.
Frowning, she turned and counted the piles of dust. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Five piles of dead demon.
How many vampires had there been? She wasn't too sure. Spike noticed her recounting.
"What?"
She turned her dark brown eyes up to him perplexedly. "How many vamps were there?"
Spike shrugged, thinking back. "I dunno...six?"
"Six?" Gracia queried doubtfully, chewing her lip as she took a third recount.
"That's what I said."
Then Gracia's eyes flew wider open in horrified realisation and she twisted slowly to view the grave.
Nothing.
The vampire leader had fled during the distraction with the scriptures.
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Hope ya liked it! Review if you did, aw heck, review even if ya didn't! **Shrugs** I ain't gonna stop ya! Cheers!
Disclaimer. Three words: So. Sue. Me.
Dedication: To all of YOU guys out there who r/r my fics. Luv the reviews!
********************************************************************************
Spike was walking through the graveyard close to midnight- alone, of course. But he was fine with that.
It had been a pretty quiet night all in all. He'd only encountered one vamp and that one was attempting to lure its prey- a bookish-looking girl of about twenty- away so it could feed. He'd managed convince the girl to flee before staking the vamp after a short fight. It really didn't seem worth it, being out here awaiting fights that would never come, and he was just about to head for his crypt when somebody spoke.
In an Irish accent.
"So, you have any ideas yet on who's doing this witchcraft?"
He almost started but managed to stop himself in time. He turned to see the Slayer walking beside him with a smile on her face directed at him. He stopped in irritation- irritation at how he hadn't noticed her approach. She stopped too, her expression becoming mischevious as she realised what he was thinking.
"What the bloody hell do you want?" he demanded angrily.
She shrugged, and he noticed for the first time the stake she was casually twirling between her fingers. "Nothing. Just patrolling and decided to say hi."
"Go patrol some other place, this is my ground."
She laughed slightly. "How? And you think I intended on seeing you tonight? No, just a lucky coincidence I guess."
"My crypt is in this cemetary. Go patrol somewhere else."
"What can I say?" Her smile became wry. "I tried and the vampires don't wanna come out to play tonight."
"Why does that lead to me putting up with you?"
Offense flashed through Gracia's eyes. "You shouldn't speak to a lady like that." She deliberately sounded more like a stuck-up nobleman's daughter than a highschool student.
Spike smirked. "No need to get all hoity-toity. What century are you from?"
He'd meant it as an insult, but she answered it like it was a serious question. "Eighteenth, actually. Born in 1737, died in 1753." She looked at him with a small smile as she recalled her past life. "At least you don't find it as hard to believe as the twins did."
"So, your little friends know about it now?" Spike was more interested than he allowed himself to sound. "What they do? Chase you with torches and pitchforks?"
She laughed. "Not quite. But if you don't know much about the demonic world, imagine how hard it is to accept something like that." She shrugged. "They need time to think it over. They've only known for two days."
There was a short silence in which they just watched each other. Then Spike decided to speak up.
"Where's your big brother then? Not doing the protective act tonight, then?"
"He's not here." Spike saw something in her face, some measure of worry and sisterly fear. "Haven't seen him since...well, since Luke and Keisha found out about him being a vampire." She smirked a bit. "Why, not scared of him, are you?"
"You realise how bloody stupid you sound?"
"Sure." There was just the smallest hint of sarcasm in her voice, just enough to annoy him. "You realise you've got onto the level of sharing insults with my sister Brianna?"
He just glared at her, and she returned his look impishly. Suddenly, a noise not so far away triggered off both the vampiric and Slayer senses, and they both turned towards where it had come from. There was another, something like very low voices, coming from the same place. After exchanging another, somewhat quizzical, glance, Spike and Gracia crept quietly forward, following the noise.
They came across another expanse of graves, most of them slightly older than the ones they'd left behind, screened off from where they had stood by a row of trees. These trees masked them from whoever it was as the Slayer and the vampire searched for them.
Then Gracia saw them. Five or six vampires scrabbling at the earth heaped on a grave, seemingly near the end of their task. Judging by their expressions and tones of voice, Gracia could tell they were quite annoyed at something or someone. She grabbed Spike's wrist beside her and pointed them out to him as she listened to their conversation.
"I don't see why Zachary couldn't have had Ambulo Mortuus obtain this for us." one vamp hissed. "Why should we scrape away in the mud for something a simple spell could get for us?"
"Shut up, Iain," the vampire next to him whispered angrily. "Zachary picked us to get this, our lives depend on its retrival."
"Didn't know you feared him so much Kenwin." A girl vampire was the next speaker, jeering as she tossed aside clods of dirt. "And Ambulo Mortuus...what do any of us know? Maybe Old Mysterious ain't as powerful as they all made them out to be."
"All of you, hush!" The obvious leader had cut in, leaning down into the grave and pulling out something. "Here it is! We have the scriptures!"
Gracia had decided that now was the time to make her presence known. She let go of Spike's wrist and slipped out of the plants, clutching her stake hard.
"Gees, and I thought you could've all said your goodbyes at the funeral." she mocked. They all looked up abruptly, and five (except the leader) rose to their feet, snarling. They charged and she leapt out of their way.
As she was beating one particular toughie into submission, she became aware that Spike was fighting too. The idea of somebody actually fighting with her against the vampires that she feared the motives of made her feel a lot more confident. She plunged the stake through the guy's heart and he collapsed into ashes.
Together, it didn't take Spike and Gracia long to defeat the vamps and they found themselves in a silent graveyard once more. Gracia was about to say something, to thank him or anything, when a shadow of unease crossed her mind.
Frowning, she turned and counted the piles of dust. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Five piles of dead demon.
How many vampires had there been? She wasn't too sure. Spike noticed her recounting.
"What?"
She turned her dark brown eyes up to him perplexedly. "How many vamps were there?"
Spike shrugged, thinking back. "I dunno...six?"
"Six?" Gracia queried doubtfully, chewing her lip as she took a third recount.
"That's what I said."
Then Gracia's eyes flew wider open in horrified realisation and she twisted slowly to view the grave.
Nothing.
The vampire leader had fled during the distraction with the scriptures.
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Hope ya liked it! Review if you did, aw heck, review even if ya didn't! **Shrugs** I ain't gonna stop ya! Cheers!
