A/N.- This is chapter Twenty of the ENOUGH series. Thanks to all who have read this story and reviewed. Hang in there, this chapter relates what Spike really wants from the Council. Maybe not all of you will like this decision or find it unoriginal. Sorry, that's the way I want it to be.
Disclaimer.- You all should know this belongs to Joss Whedon and the parties involved in getting this show on the air.
Feedback.- As you wish.
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The Deal.
"You want my blood?" Travers asked, visibly frightened by the sudden revelation of the vampire. And yet, throughout all his fear, he found something intriguing. Why had the vampire taken all the precautions he did if he only wanted to eat them?
"There must be something else to it," Travers said, feeling a little bit relieved, "isn't it, William?"
"Well, yeah," Spike said, "a lot more, and don't call me William."
Spike turned his eyes back to their human color and walked around.
"When I said that I wanted your blood I wasn't lying," Spike said, "but I don't want to drink it. I want to give it a better use."
"Meaning what?" Travers asked.
"Here, read this." Spike said, as he held a paper up to Travers so that the watcher could read it. As soon as Travers finished reading he turned pale and stared at the vampire.
"You must be crazy!" Travers said. Spike chuckled.
"Yeah, a side effect when the chip went out," Spike said, "but that's not the point here."
"You're insane," Travers repeated, "what you want is impossible."
"I don't think so, watcher," Spike growled, "I have done some research, your people can get me what I want, or else they will find you a bit different than how you are right now."
Travers turned pale and then a few shades of green. Straub was staring at him and didn't know what was going on.
"Mr. Travers?" Straub asked, "are you allright?"
Travers was silent. What he had read on the paper was worst than anything he had ever read before. He knew that they were on the hands of this psycopathic vampire. But the price for their lives was even a greater harm to the world.
"Oh, and there's something else, Travers." Spike said. "Read this other paper." Spike took out a folder from inside his coat. He took out one paper and held it in front of Travers.
"I don't want to read it." Travers said.
"Stop being a pain and read the bloody thing." Spike growled. Travers sighed and opened his eyes. He read calmly and then stared back at the vampire.
"You must be joking." The man said.
"Do you see me smiling?" Spike answered. "I want you to sign it in ink and with your blood."
"What makes you thing that I'm going to sign it?" Travers spat at him.
"Well, let me see," Spike said, as he paced around the large room, "I have in my power the three most important men of the council." He paused and looked at Mrs. Straub, "No offense there, lady. And I'm asking for a perfectly reasonable ransom, and more importantly, if you don't sign this in a few hours, you'll be dead."
"You need us," Travers said, "we're of no use to you if we're dead."
Spike just laughed and stared at Travers.
"Wrong, old chum," Spike said, "I needed the head watcher of the council, their financial advisor and their security chief. I wasn't searching for the individual, I was searching for the title and the influence."
"What do you mean?" Travers asked.
"If you die, they'll simply choose another chief of staff, another financial advisor and a new security chief," Spike answered, "that's why there's a time limit. If the council doesn't give me what I want, then you die and the hunt begins anew."
"They won't give you what you want." Travers stated.
"Ooh, wrong, mate," Spike said, "you realize that when I said you'd die I was referring to another type of death."
Travers and Straub once again stared at each other. They were not sure of what was Spike trying to tell them.
"Picture this," Spike said, "imagine you're the one dealing with this situation. Imagine that you received tthe same letter I made you read a few minutes ago, the first one. But I also wrote something else on that particular letter."
Spike walked towards the other entrance to the warehouse. The larger entrance.
"See this door?" Spike said, pointing to it, "behind it, there are at least four vampires that I captured four nights ago. They haven't fed since then. If my demands aren't met, I'll unleash them on you."
Spike walked back to where the watchers were.
"But you won't die, not that way," he said, as he sat back on the wooden box, "I won't let them kill you, in fact, you will be turned into one of us."
"What?!" Straub and Travers asked at the same time. Spike laughed at the panic he saw in their eyes.
"Think about it," Spike said, "you'd have enough knowledge of the council and their methods. They can't allow that to happen to you. That's what I wrote on the letter. If they don't give me what I want in ten hours, then they'll have three watchers turned vampires against them. Not a pretty scenario, huh?"
"So, if I were you," Spike continued, "I'd sign the contract I just gave you. That might give you a few more time, until the council delivers what I want."
"You will pay for this." Travers said.
"Don't worry, mate," Spike said, "as soon as they deliver what I want and you sign the contract, then I will be out of your life forever. I promise."
"What good is the promise of a vampire?" Travers asked.
"If you don't sign the contract, then you'll find out how much a vampire is worth," Spike said, "you'll be one of us."
Spike took out two more pages from the folder he had discarded besides the box and once again offered the contract to Travers.
"If you bothered to read, you'll see that this thing also is profitable to you." Spike said, "Now, sign the stupid paper and let's get on with this."
Travers once again seemed to think about the thing he was about to make. He even considered the idea of becoming a vampire. All to avoid giving William the Bloody what he wanted. But finally, his self-preervation and all his life as a watcher convinced him otherwise.
"Will you keep your part of the deal?" Travers asked. Spike stared seriously at him and nodded.
"Of course," Spike said, "as soon as you three sign these papers and I get what I asked then I will inform someone of where you are."
Travers' face scrunched a bit.
"You didn't expect that I'd hang around for a while, huh?" Spike asked. Travers just shook his head and looked down.
"Fine," the watcher said, "untie one hand so I can sign the damn thing."
Spike smiled and took out of his pocket a small, silver key.
"Don't try anything funny, old man," Spike said, as he circled Travers and knelt in order to have the handcuffs removed. Carefully, he got the handcuffs and loosened the knot a bit, but as soon as Travers' right hand was free, Spike snagged it quickly.
"You won't have any freedom, Travers," Spike said, "sorry for the lack of trust but you watchers are filled with surprises."
Travers only growled. He knew that he couldn't do a thing, not with a normal vampire and even less with a master vampire as Spike. Soon, Traver's hands were handuffed in front of him, in order to allow him to sign the contract but not to get free. Spike repeated the maneuver with Mrs. Straub and with the unconscious Michener.
"Now, please sign the three copies," Spike said, "in ink and in blood." The vampire then took out three syringes and took out a bit of blood from each one of them. He couldn't risk having the smell of blood exciting the vampires he held captive. Should they smell blood they'd go on a frenzy and they'd probably kill each other. He needed them alive, or unalive, whatever was the case. Travers cursed all the time, but he signed the contract. All three copies. Straub did the same. Spike woke Michener not so pleasantly and required some more violence in order to get the security chief to sign the contracts. After placing the blood in fountain pens, the three also signed the contract with their bloods.
"May I ask why you wanted us to sign it in blood?" Straub asked, a bit timidly.
"You see, Mrs. Straub," Spike said, "having a signed contract binds you to fullfill it in London, mostly in England, legally. But a contract signed with blood, along with a slight spell, and the contract binds you forever, even your offspring are tied to it."
Travers' fury was almost palpable. The man didn't expect that Spike would have covered all aspects of his plan.
"Now tell me something, William," Travers said, "what do you expect to get out of this?"
"For me? Nothing," Spike answered, "and don't call me that."
"Fine, Spike," Travers corrected, "but you must be getting something out of this."
Spike growled, and once again his eyes flashed yellow.
"I'm not getting anything out of this," Spike hissed, "don't presume anything and shut the hell up."
Travers seemed to understand the danger he was in, so he decided to keep his ideas to himself.
"Now I have to go," Spike said, "and don't worry, I assume that Michener may be able to free himself and you two in about two hours."
Michener looked surprised. He thought that Spike hadn't noticed what he was doing.
"If you are a security chief, then you must know how to get out of this restraints." Spike said. He took the wooden box in which he had been sitting down and opened it.
"There are crucifixes and holy water in here," Spike said, "you can always break the box and make stakes out of it."
The three watchers looked puzzled. They didn't understand why was Spike giving such things to them.
"The door won't hold the vampires long," Spike said, "so you'd better hope that one: the council hurries and give me what I want; two: that Michener manages to free you quickly, and three: that you three may be able to fight four vampires with these things."
"I don't understand." Mrs. Straub said, "Why are you giving us a chance?"
"I alredy got what I wanted from you," Spike said, as he secured the three signed contracts, "your deaths are of no interest to me."
Spike began walking away and climbed up the stairs. He was about to open the door when Travers shouted at him.
"Even after we're dead the council will chase you!" Travers exclaimed. Spike didn't turn around. He just chuckled a bit and left. The watchers only heard when he locked the door from the outside.
"It was the weirdest thing I've seen a vampire do." Mrs. Straub said. Travers and Michener nodded.
"I know," Travers said, "I never thought I'd sign a contract such as that one."
"Tell me one thing, sir," Michener asked, "what is it that the vampire requested from the council?"
Travers looked down, and his face turned into a mask of despair.
"Something that no vampire should ever have." The old man answered. Straub and Michener didn't like the expression their boss had on his face.
"Sir?" Michener asked. Travers lifted his head and looked at them.
"The price for our lives was a very expensive one, my friends." Travers finally stated.
"William the Bloody asked for the Ring of Amarra."
End of Chapter.
