A/N: Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!! Pop Idol is back on tonight!!! And even if Will DID win...they're still showing Gareth Gates singing! ;-D He was the one I voted for like 3 times...and then there was this whole campaign...**shakes head** it was weird, but very funny!
Disclaimer: Ho hum, not mine!!!
Dedication: All my mates, luv yas!
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"Zachary." Keisha repeated, trying out the name. It was quite strange. "So this guy's name is Zachary."
"That's right." Gracia sighed, dumping the next pile of books onto the table in the only spare space- in front of Luke. He raised his eyebrows.
"Wow, and I thought homework was bad." he muttered, taking the first book from the top of the pile.
Keisha slid from the table and into a seat with a smirk. "That's alright, we don't expect such a dumb blonde to be able to handle heavy studying."
Luke's eyebrows now threatened to disappear off the top of his head. "Oh, so says the girl who needed three days of cram revision for a short Biology test."
"Guys, guys!" Gracia said, deciding to step in as referee before the bickering escalated. Two pairs of aqua eyes turned to her. "Please, issue at hand."
There were two "sorry"s as each of the trio reached for a different book and silent searching ensued. However, it was not long before the stillness was broken by a sardonic voice from the doorway of the office.
"So you've decided that a little project is in order. I know that we should all be grateful that you have blessed us with spending your time actually studying, but trawling through manuscripts for some abstract vampire character."
Gracia didn't even look up as she flicked through the pages of the book. "You know, we're just saying good morning nowadays. It's a little less formal."
"And he might not be as 'abstract' as you think, Cecelia," Luke said, shooting her a glance before looking at the expectant girls and smirking at Keisha. "Score one for the 'dumb blonde'."
"Luke," Keisha snapped. "Hurry up and tell us what you've found before your ego grows any larger."
Luke looked down at the book on his lap and began to read it aloud. Cecelia started to prowl stealthily closer, arms folded and expression sour, so that they wouldn't hear her.
"'Zachary, Sired in 1673 by the Master. A particularly strong vampire who proved himself to be a useful member of the Brethren of Aurelius when he worked for over a century as an assassin of traitorous vampires and demons not allied to them. The amount he himself Sired remains unknown, but he is known to have travelled the world, spreading havoc wherever he went.'" Luke broke off, looking back up at them. "Can anyone translate that for me? It's pretty much all doom and gloom."
"What else does it say?" asked Gracia.
Luke glanced back down at the book and was about to continue reading when Cecelia pulled the book from his hands and snapped it shut.
"Gracia!" she barked. "It is time for you to start your physical training! Leave this idle task at once!"
Gracia quirked an eyebrow with heavy sarcasm as a result of deep annoyance. "So you want me to...?"
Cecelia's nostrils flared until Luke could have sworn you could probably stick two golf balls up them with ease. Her voice was quieter now, as dangerously poisonous as the look in her narrowed grey eyes was.
"Do not irk me, child, for it is you who will suffer the consequences. Now get up and do as I say!"
Gracia glared at her for a moment; then, realising that she had no choice, sighed and slammed her tome shut, dumping it on the table. She got up from her seat and stormed past the pale Watcher to the weapons closet, which she flung open and seized two long daggers from a shelf inside. Twirling them expertly around her fingers, she watched Cecelia glancing critically over the books. She mimed throwing them at the English librarian's back, earning sniggers from the twins that evaporated under the woman's steely gaze.
"You two will clear up this mess then leave immediately for your classes." she ordered, turning to the innocent-eyed Slayer and stalking towards her for another session of heavily-disparaged training.
The twins exchanged glances and Luke motioned Keisha to do as they were told. Picking up some books each, they went deep into the stacks where nobody could see or hear them.
Eventually, when Luke thought it was safe, he said, "What is Cecelia's problem?"
"Uh, bad attitude, terrible fashion sense, and a huge hatred complex." Keisha answered, ticking them off on her fingers. "Why, what else?"
"No, I mean..." He sighed, wondering how to explain it. He eventually optioned for the straightforward approach. "It's almost like...like she didn't want us to find out about this Zachary dude."
Keisha frowned in thought. "Yeah, I know. Wonder why?"
"We could get more brainier than her?"
Keisha smiled, suppressing her laughter as she replied playfully, "Don't think you'll ever be brainy, not after sixteen years as a cretin."
Little did they know, but Gracia's mind wasn't concentrating on drop kicks and roundhouse punches. She, too, was confused as to why the Watcher seemed not to want them to research Zachary.
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Willow Rosenberg sat cross-legged on the floor beside her bedroom bookcase in a house in Boston. She was also researching but her subject was not vampires.
It was dark magic.
After receiving a phone call from Angel five days ago, she had done little else but study the numerous evil spells that could have been cast upon the new Slayer and her associates. A list of all the happenings sat next to her as she struggled to read through the huge volume of possibilities. Her diminishing concentration got a welcome break when a voice broke the reverie.
"Honey? Are you OK?"
Willow looked up to see Tara walking towards her, a concerned expression on her face as she sat next to Willow. Willow managed a small smile as she reached out and clutched Tara's hand.
"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just difficult, you know..."
Tara nodded understandingly. She had also been seeking possible answers to the problems in Sunnydale, but to no avail. The list was still hopelessly long, but defining it as the wrong spell could be fatal. They were both quite stressed, having not slept much in ages.
"Willow, you've hardly eaten in the past few days. Do you want me to get you something?"
Willow shook her head. "No, no, I'll be fine. I..." She trailed off with a heavy sigh. "I don't know. I just feel useless."
Tara moved over to hug her girlfriend. "Oh sweetie, you're not useless. You've been working so hard."
Willow leaned against Tara, closing her eyes. "But I still can't find anything."
"Willow, we have so many huge books on magic. To find anything would take awhile. Do you see what I'm saying?"
The redhead nodded, pulling away from Tara's arms and sitting upright again. "Yeah. I know that I'm doing all that is humanly possible for me, but I just wish that I could be of more use."
Tara rubbed Willow's back consolingly. "Come and have a break. When you're refreshed properly, I'll help you look. OK?"
Willow nodded and Tara smiled. Willow returned it, slightly happier. "That's my girl. Come on then."
The two women left the room, hand in hand. Hush reigned for a moment before one of the tomes toppled off of the hastily stacked shelf and fell to the carpet with a thump. It was a huge thing, quite dusty, with a gilded title reading 'MAGICKS OF DARKNESS'.
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Spike had nothing to do that day except sit with a bottle of alcohol thinking. Thinking about how his life had changed in three encounters.
After Buffy had died for a second time and the messengers of the Powers That Be forbade her resurrection, his despair had driven him to leaving town for six months. For that half of the year, he travelled, expecting to find some kind of help in any town, yet knowing it wouldn't come.
Who was he sounding like know, Angel the bloody poofter?
They had all cried when Buffy died, even Spike and Faith, right there in front of each other. But the worst thing, the most awful thing of all, is that nobody knew just how much he loved her. Not even Buffy- at least, that's what he had thought most of the time. They expected Angel's pain to somehow be more than his.
Bloody poofter got the girl, whilst Spike was stuck watching from the sidelines. Story of his life.
He had returned to Sunnydale, but preferred to spend time away from the Scoobies. He didn't brood exactly- it wasn't in the demon part of his nature- but time alone allowed him to think about Buffy, about all the time they had had together. About how he had felt, knowing that she was still into Angel.
And now he had met the other Slayer- Gracia. She was different to Buffy and Faith, and he supposed that was what he had held against her during their first meeting. She had experienced death before she had been born. She had lived and she had died before he was born even.
When he had found out just who she was and worked out just how she was related to Angel, he remembered several occasions on which Angel would recount various killings he had carried out for the enjoyment of Darla and Drusilla, whilst Spike lurked in the backround making snide comments.
One that Darla had loved particularly was the tale of how he had murdered his family. Parents, brother, three sisters, all within a week or so. What was mostly brilliant about how he had done this was how he had picked out his oldest sister, Grace, and broken her down by slaughtering people one by one. Spike had thought it was all too cliché really, but the girls had adored hearing it. Angel would always laugh when he described Grace's death.
So now Grace- or Gracia- was back and also the Slayer. The irony almost made Spike want to laugh. The tale had fallen to bits in his mind over the decades, but he vaguely remembered its basis. But he recollected Angel relating how very big and frightened her eyes had been on the night of her death.
Her eyes, when she had spoken to Spike, were large and deep down there was the slightest hint of fear. Fear for her friends and family, not for herself, against whatever had happened to them. Even he had to admit that so many accidents to so small a group of people within such a short space of time pointed straight to dark witchcraft.
There was something other than her otherwise confident nature that had unnerved him a little. It was how intriguing he had found her, like she was something he had to find out more about.
Oh great. Now he was obsessing over a Slayer. Again.
Spike rolled his eyes, thinking, Bloody hell, I need to get out of here.
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Hope y'all liked that! Just something for all you other big Spike fans out there! ;-D I hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. Please review now and tell me what you do n' don't like. Cheers!
Disclaimer: Ho hum, not mine!!!
Dedication: All my mates, luv yas!
********************************************************************************
"Zachary." Keisha repeated, trying out the name. It was quite strange. "So this guy's name is Zachary."
"That's right." Gracia sighed, dumping the next pile of books onto the table in the only spare space- in front of Luke. He raised his eyebrows.
"Wow, and I thought homework was bad." he muttered, taking the first book from the top of the pile.
Keisha slid from the table and into a seat with a smirk. "That's alright, we don't expect such a dumb blonde to be able to handle heavy studying."
Luke's eyebrows now threatened to disappear off the top of his head. "Oh, so says the girl who needed three days of cram revision for a short Biology test."
"Guys, guys!" Gracia said, deciding to step in as referee before the bickering escalated. Two pairs of aqua eyes turned to her. "Please, issue at hand."
There were two "sorry"s as each of the trio reached for a different book and silent searching ensued. However, it was not long before the stillness was broken by a sardonic voice from the doorway of the office.
"So you've decided that a little project is in order. I know that we should all be grateful that you have blessed us with spending your time actually studying, but trawling through manuscripts for some abstract vampire character."
Gracia didn't even look up as she flicked through the pages of the book. "You know, we're just saying good morning nowadays. It's a little less formal."
"And he might not be as 'abstract' as you think, Cecelia," Luke said, shooting her a glance before looking at the expectant girls and smirking at Keisha. "Score one for the 'dumb blonde'."
"Luke," Keisha snapped. "Hurry up and tell us what you've found before your ego grows any larger."
Luke looked down at the book on his lap and began to read it aloud. Cecelia started to prowl stealthily closer, arms folded and expression sour, so that they wouldn't hear her.
"'Zachary, Sired in 1673 by the Master. A particularly strong vampire who proved himself to be a useful member of the Brethren of Aurelius when he worked for over a century as an assassin of traitorous vampires and demons not allied to them. The amount he himself Sired remains unknown, but he is known to have travelled the world, spreading havoc wherever he went.'" Luke broke off, looking back up at them. "Can anyone translate that for me? It's pretty much all doom and gloom."
"What else does it say?" asked Gracia.
Luke glanced back down at the book and was about to continue reading when Cecelia pulled the book from his hands and snapped it shut.
"Gracia!" she barked. "It is time for you to start your physical training! Leave this idle task at once!"
Gracia quirked an eyebrow with heavy sarcasm as a result of deep annoyance. "So you want me to...?"
Cecelia's nostrils flared until Luke could have sworn you could probably stick two golf balls up them with ease. Her voice was quieter now, as dangerously poisonous as the look in her narrowed grey eyes was.
"Do not irk me, child, for it is you who will suffer the consequences. Now get up and do as I say!"
Gracia glared at her for a moment; then, realising that she had no choice, sighed and slammed her tome shut, dumping it on the table. She got up from her seat and stormed past the pale Watcher to the weapons closet, which she flung open and seized two long daggers from a shelf inside. Twirling them expertly around her fingers, she watched Cecelia glancing critically over the books. She mimed throwing them at the English librarian's back, earning sniggers from the twins that evaporated under the woman's steely gaze.
"You two will clear up this mess then leave immediately for your classes." she ordered, turning to the innocent-eyed Slayer and stalking towards her for another session of heavily-disparaged training.
The twins exchanged glances and Luke motioned Keisha to do as they were told. Picking up some books each, they went deep into the stacks where nobody could see or hear them.
Eventually, when Luke thought it was safe, he said, "What is Cecelia's problem?"
"Uh, bad attitude, terrible fashion sense, and a huge hatred complex." Keisha answered, ticking them off on her fingers. "Why, what else?"
"No, I mean..." He sighed, wondering how to explain it. He eventually optioned for the straightforward approach. "It's almost like...like she didn't want us to find out about this Zachary dude."
Keisha frowned in thought. "Yeah, I know. Wonder why?"
"We could get more brainier than her?"
Keisha smiled, suppressing her laughter as she replied playfully, "Don't think you'll ever be brainy, not after sixteen years as a cretin."
Little did they know, but Gracia's mind wasn't concentrating on drop kicks and roundhouse punches. She, too, was confused as to why the Watcher seemed not to want them to research Zachary.
********************************************************************************
Willow Rosenberg sat cross-legged on the floor beside her bedroom bookcase in a house in Boston. She was also researching but her subject was not vampires.
It was dark magic.
After receiving a phone call from Angel five days ago, she had done little else but study the numerous evil spells that could have been cast upon the new Slayer and her associates. A list of all the happenings sat next to her as she struggled to read through the huge volume of possibilities. Her diminishing concentration got a welcome break when a voice broke the reverie.
"Honey? Are you OK?"
Willow looked up to see Tara walking towards her, a concerned expression on her face as she sat next to Willow. Willow managed a small smile as she reached out and clutched Tara's hand.
"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just difficult, you know..."
Tara nodded understandingly. She had also been seeking possible answers to the problems in Sunnydale, but to no avail. The list was still hopelessly long, but defining it as the wrong spell could be fatal. They were both quite stressed, having not slept much in ages.
"Willow, you've hardly eaten in the past few days. Do you want me to get you something?"
Willow shook her head. "No, no, I'll be fine. I..." She trailed off with a heavy sigh. "I don't know. I just feel useless."
Tara moved over to hug her girlfriend. "Oh sweetie, you're not useless. You've been working so hard."
Willow leaned against Tara, closing her eyes. "But I still can't find anything."
"Willow, we have so many huge books on magic. To find anything would take awhile. Do you see what I'm saying?"
The redhead nodded, pulling away from Tara's arms and sitting upright again. "Yeah. I know that I'm doing all that is humanly possible for me, but I just wish that I could be of more use."
Tara rubbed Willow's back consolingly. "Come and have a break. When you're refreshed properly, I'll help you look. OK?"
Willow nodded and Tara smiled. Willow returned it, slightly happier. "That's my girl. Come on then."
The two women left the room, hand in hand. Hush reigned for a moment before one of the tomes toppled off of the hastily stacked shelf and fell to the carpet with a thump. It was a huge thing, quite dusty, with a gilded title reading 'MAGICKS OF DARKNESS'.
*******************************************************************************
Spike had nothing to do that day except sit with a bottle of alcohol thinking. Thinking about how his life had changed in three encounters.
After Buffy had died for a second time and the messengers of the Powers That Be forbade her resurrection, his despair had driven him to leaving town for six months. For that half of the year, he travelled, expecting to find some kind of help in any town, yet knowing it wouldn't come.
Who was he sounding like know, Angel the bloody poofter?
They had all cried when Buffy died, even Spike and Faith, right there in front of each other. But the worst thing, the most awful thing of all, is that nobody knew just how much he loved her. Not even Buffy- at least, that's what he had thought most of the time. They expected Angel's pain to somehow be more than his.
Bloody poofter got the girl, whilst Spike was stuck watching from the sidelines. Story of his life.
He had returned to Sunnydale, but preferred to spend time away from the Scoobies. He didn't brood exactly- it wasn't in the demon part of his nature- but time alone allowed him to think about Buffy, about all the time they had had together. About how he had felt, knowing that she was still into Angel.
And now he had met the other Slayer- Gracia. She was different to Buffy and Faith, and he supposed that was what he had held against her during their first meeting. She had experienced death before she had been born. She had lived and she had died before he was born even.
When he had found out just who she was and worked out just how she was related to Angel, he remembered several occasions on which Angel would recount various killings he had carried out for the enjoyment of Darla and Drusilla, whilst Spike lurked in the backround making snide comments.
One that Darla had loved particularly was the tale of how he had murdered his family. Parents, brother, three sisters, all within a week or so. What was mostly brilliant about how he had done this was how he had picked out his oldest sister, Grace, and broken her down by slaughtering people one by one. Spike had thought it was all too cliché really, but the girls had adored hearing it. Angel would always laugh when he described Grace's death.
So now Grace- or Gracia- was back and also the Slayer. The irony almost made Spike want to laugh. The tale had fallen to bits in his mind over the decades, but he vaguely remembered its basis. But he recollected Angel relating how very big and frightened her eyes had been on the night of her death.
Her eyes, when she had spoken to Spike, were large and deep down there was the slightest hint of fear. Fear for her friends and family, not for herself, against whatever had happened to them. Even he had to admit that so many accidents to so small a group of people within such a short space of time pointed straight to dark witchcraft.
There was something other than her otherwise confident nature that had unnerved him a little. It was how intriguing he had found her, like she was something he had to find out more about.
Oh great. Now he was obsessing over a Slayer. Again.
Spike rolled his eyes, thinking, Bloody hell, I need to get out of here.
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Hope y'all liked that! Just something for all you other big Spike fans out there! ;-D I hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. Please review now and tell me what you do n' don't like. Cheers!
