Disclaimer: The lights of Paris shine through the dark, making the city
look like a cavern of jewels. As I stand from the top of the Eiffel Tower,
his arms holding me tightly, the world seems suddenly at peace. I want
nothing more than to stay here forever. "Lily," he whispers into my ear, "I
know that I can never compare to your last guy . . ." "Please don't worry
about it," I sigh. "No," he insists, "I will. Lily, Joss Whedon's Buffy the
Vampire Slayer was an incredible inspiration for you. There's no hope that
I can ever be that for you." As he talks, he reaches into his back pocket,
and pulls out a small black box. "But," he adds, snapping open the box,
revealing an exquisite diamond, "Would you let me try?"
Rating: R- you had your sex, today it's just violence
Summary: Buffy, after running away from Sunnydale, comes home six years later with a new identity. While searching for some mysterious evil threatening to destroy all, she begins to see how much she was missed.
Author's Notes: It keeps coming! I am so going to finish! To hell with school, college applications, human contact, food, and taking a shower! I am going to finish my story! And, all my loves, remember my offer (see chapter thirteen for a reminder). Hopefully, you will get what you want. I love you all, but I still love money more.
PS: I don't know where that disclaimer came from. My parents came home a few hours ago from their twenty-year anniversary (they went to Las Vegas). Guess what my dad gave my mom for a present? A beautiful three stone diamond ring! She sure does know how to pick them. It just goes to show you: Diamonds are a girl's best friend.
Chapter Fourteen- An Explanation, A Duty
"Elyog, I am afraid that I have some doubts."
The minion stared in disbelief. "No, that can't be true sir!"
Giving a sad look, the Leader pitifully sighed. "I have, my dear, I have."
"About what?"
Moving away from the wall that held all the figures and charts, the Leader sat on the edge of his desk right in front of Elyog, who was seated in a chair.
"The countdown to the transformation has begun, we are on schedule with manufacturing and production, it's just . . . I'm a bit concerned about the Slayer and her friends."
"Ooo," she exhaled, her mouth in a perfect 'o' shape.
Nodding, his shoulders sagged a ways. "You know that at this point, I am quite vulnerable. The slightest attack could prove fatal for me. And if she decides to fight me, I cannot defend myself."
Kneeling in front of her master and kissing his knuckles, Elyog stared up in awe. "Tell me what to do."
"Good Elyog," he whispered, patting her on the head. "Krab's failed assassination of the witch hurt us greatly, and we cannot have another blow like that. I need you to be ready to kill the Slayer or anyone who associates with her, whether they are mortal or not. If you see them, don't simply hurt them. I want them all dead."
@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@
A light tickling on her stomach brought Buffy out of sleep. It had been a peaceful rest, no dreams. Just sleep. As she slowly woke, the tickling increased.
"Mmm, stop," she hoarsely whispered, patting the hands away. Laughing slightly, Spike rested his hands on her stomach.
They lay on his bed; him spooned up against her, his light silk blanket covering their naked forms.
Nuzzling his head into the curve of the back of her neck, he inhaled, taking in her scent. Something sweet, like honey or strawberries, mixed in with a spicy cinnamony fragrance, the exotic and dangerous part she hid. Intertwined was a newer smell, something he didn't recognize. It was warm and comforting, his own little taste of sunshine. Then he realized what it was. Her new perfume was pure, unquestionable love.
"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty," he whispered into the back of her neck.
As his cool breath washed over her neck, tiny mountain ranges of Goosebumps formed over her skin.
"No," she pouted, not wanting to get up from this perfect moment.
Buffy rolled over, giving her love a morning kiss. She could see tiny golden flecks in his deep blue eyes, which were half closed in pleasure. His hair was matted up on one side; the other side peaked with slight curls. The bed head gave him a child-like look. At this point, she would have sworn that no one existed that was more handsome than he did, and all she wanted at that moment was him.
Rubbing her thumbs suggestively up and down his abs, she looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
Getting the picture, Spike cocked his eyebrow up, but took his hands and snaked them around her waist.
"Nuh-huh," he purred, kissing her lightly on the lips, "We've done what you've wanted for years. Now it's my turn."
Sticking out her bottom lip, hoping to change his mind, Buffy whined. "Please, just once?"
"Nope, it's cuddle time." Pulling her closer to him, Spike began to rub her back. She buried her face into the crook of his neck.
"Fine, we'll do what you want." Moving her hands to his back, she let her fingers explore his skin. "For such a quote-unquote Big Bad, you sure have an obsession with cuddling."
"Well, luv, all men have their weaknesses, evil or not." They laughed as he kissed the top of her head. As he pulled away, he noticed something. "Hey Buffy, you need a color job soon. Your roots are showing."
"WHAT?!" she screamed, sitting up quickly. Pulling at her auburn hair, she began to look for the signs of her actual color. "WHERE?!"
God, women.
"Just at the top. 'S not a lot, just an inch or so at the part. A quick visit to the salon will take care of that."
Feeling relieved, she lay back down to resume their original positions. "Spike?"
"Yeah."
"What . . ." she sighed, unsure of what to say, "What color should I dye it?"
A small laugh erupted from his throat. "Well, I was always partial to the blonde Buffy, but it's up to you."
Looking up at his ceiling, Buffy contemplated it. "If I'm gonna be Buffy again, I guess I just better go back to what I was used to."
He too was thinking. "Um, luv? I . . . have something to ask you. What are we going to tell everyone? I mean, I take it no one else knows about your plans, but then there's this whole . . . 'us' thing."
Buffy leaned in, and caught his bottom lip with her mouth, lightly sucking and nibbling on it. "We'll just tell them the truth, and they can take it as they come."
"Really?"
"Spike," she exhaled, running her finger through his hair, "I'm done with keeping secrets."
@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@
"Guys, I have an announcement."
Buffy and Spike stood together in the doorway of the Scooby conference room, in front of all their friends. Her hair was now a light, summery blonde, and the two held hands, their fingers intertwined.
"I've decided to stay in Sunnydale, so get rid of all this Phoenix bullshit. I'm Buffy, and that's the way it's staying. Also," she glanced quickly at Spike, "If you can't tell, this loser and I have decided to, well . . . we're in love."
Shouts of laughter and joy erupted from the group as they all stood to congratulate their friends. As Xander and Giles both gave Buffy a huge hug, and Anya embraced Spike warmly, Willow started comforting a very emotional Tara.
"So happy . . ." cried the new mother, her hormones raging.
When all the excitement had subdued, they all took their seats around the conference table. Giles took off his glasses, wiped them, trying to figure out where to start.
"This is rather complicated, so bear with me." Before returning his glasses to his face, he pinched the bridge of his nose. "When Tara told us this demon was called Pitatch, we assumed it was his name, so we've been spending our time looking for a demon with this title."
"With no such luck," added Anya.
Pointing at her, Giles nodded. "Exactly. I couldn't figure out why we weren't finding anything on this creature, as powerful we assume him to be.
"Then, I had a brainstorm. I recalled a section a Watcher's journal dating 1785. During that time, there was an obscure war between demon clans, and they sectioned themselves as an army would, with generals and soldiers and such. Now, I thought, what if this was true in other demon wars, seeing as how they happened quite frequently during the Dark Ages.
"I found it. During the Gothic Era, the 13th century or so, there was a great war between demon clans, now referred to as the 'Cumberlon Clef of England'. A great many demon species, vampires, dobytins, aloquely, fought for the sacred territory of Cumberlon. In this war was a small army of demons called miots.
"Miots are a very rare species of demon. In the world today, fifty at the most survive. But they are quite powerful. They have the ability to manipulate their surroundings, alter the weather, powers beyond our comprehension. To receive this energy, they must consume . . ." he paused, looking down at his notes, "I'm afraid, the flesh of humans, one every month."
Willow grimaced. "Not a good sign."
"During the battle," continued the Watcher, "The clan was divided up in ranks. Leading the army was the general, given the title of Pitatch."
"Now the plot thickens," sighed Spike.
"There was no victor in the 'Clef of England'. A group of local human warlocks defended their territory and drove the demons away. As a warning, they held onto a demon of importance, apparently the Pitatch of the miots. He was frozen in time, then placed in a mystical barricade in Cumberlon, where no soul could reach him."
"And that barricade has held up for all this time?" hoped Xander, wincing at the inevitable.
"No," sighed Giles, "Unfortunately, the warlocks weren't counting on the barrier to be blasted apart by a demolition team excavating the area nine months ago. This Pitatch was released into the world, free to do what he pleases."
Buffy sighed, rubbing her head with her hands. "So, why would he come here?"
Looking at Tara, who returned his upsetting manner, Giles bit his lip. "Last night, Tara and I discussed this affair, exchanging information, and we have come to this conclusion."
Grabbing Willow's hand, Tara started speaking very softly. "As Giles said, Pitatch needs to eat a human every month to retain his powers. When the warlocks froze him, he was still conscious. So, the need to feed was still with him. He went nearly seven centuries without feeding."
"That's quite an amount to make up for, which he must do in order to gain his powers back," added Giles. "So, when he was awaken, he developed a plan so he could feed quickly. He's very intelligent and adapted to the 20th century quickly. He developed a . . ."
"Machine." Tara cringed. "A machine that stops the heart activity of all human beings within a twenty-mile radius. A lot of dead humans, and he can eat without hassle. To power it, he needed an incredible energy supply. So he came here, and is using the Hellmouth's energy to make it work. That's why everything's been going weird lately, he's been taking its force."
"What about the Flueruin demons?" asked Willow.
"They're his helpers. Flueruin's are very strong physically, yet weak willed," answered Giles.
"And all the baddies running away?" questioned Spike, clutching Buffy's hand.
Tara shook her head. "The one who I took the information from knew some things, but not everything. I do know that Pitatch's plan to feed does not stop with us humans. I think he's found a way to use vampires and other demon species as food."
"Super."
Buffy ran her thumb along Spike's knuckles, not wanting to think about this horrible plot. "So, what should we do?"
"We need to defeat Pitatch before he has a chance to use his machine, which I'm afraid, will be soon," Giles responded.
Anya looked at the Watcher in amazement. "Duh!"
@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@
Everything's just super shitty, ain't it?
Xander glanced at his watch. 12:03. In half an hour, he was calling it a night. His night of patrol had been uneventful, and he wanted to go home. He would forget all about the apocalypse and spend the night screwing Anya's brains out.
Happy thoughts, just keep thinking happy thoughts. Maybe I'll get her to wear that black silk number she wore for my birthday. And maybe I'll call in sick tomorrow and we'll do it again. After taking the kids to daycare, of course.
Immersed in his fantasy, he began to speed through the park, wanting to get home as quickly as possible.
Two minutes later, he came upon a familiar sight. The cave that he and Buffy and the gang once used to break into the Initiative.
Why can't it be simple like that again? I just wanna battle demon-robot hybrids.
Then, he heard a noise come from the depths of the caves. Hiding behind a rock, he kept his eyes on the opening, wanting to see the creature. Slowly it came out, a short, green, horned . . .
Flueruin demon!
"STOP!" he yelled, forgetting what danger it was in.
Elyog did stop, and eyed the human carefully. Slowly, she recognized him as one of the people who helped the Slayer.
Baring her sharp teeth, she lunged at the man, ready to tear his throat out for the Leader.
Xander was surprised at the strength of the small demon, but was able to fight back. Two sharp blows to the jaw sent the creature backwards, but she responded with a kick to his groin.
Falling to the ground in complete pain, Xander quickly searched for a weapon. He had none, except for the small wooden stake he held in his right hand.
As she attempted a roundhouse kick to his head, he caught her leg and jabbed the stake into her flesh. She fell to the ground in tears, crying out in her demon language.
Thinking the fight was over, Xander relaxed. But, the demon got up, removed the stake from her leg, and stabbed it into his left shoulder and again into his stomach. The man screamed in pain.
Bending down to stab him in the throat, to kill as she was commanded, Elyog was stopped. The pain in her leg was so intense, she couldn't think. As the human lay bleeding to death, she crawled into the cave, searching quickly for someone to patch her up.
Xander cried, the hot tears of pain and rage rolling down his face. He needed help, and he needed it fast. Ignoring the pain, he stood, then ran as fast as he could home.
Rating: R- you had your sex, today it's just violence
Summary: Buffy, after running away from Sunnydale, comes home six years later with a new identity. While searching for some mysterious evil threatening to destroy all, she begins to see how much she was missed.
Author's Notes: It keeps coming! I am so going to finish! To hell with school, college applications, human contact, food, and taking a shower! I am going to finish my story! And, all my loves, remember my offer (see chapter thirteen for a reminder). Hopefully, you will get what you want. I love you all, but I still love money more.
PS: I don't know where that disclaimer came from. My parents came home a few hours ago from their twenty-year anniversary (they went to Las Vegas). Guess what my dad gave my mom for a present? A beautiful three stone diamond ring! She sure does know how to pick them. It just goes to show you: Diamonds are a girl's best friend.
Chapter Fourteen- An Explanation, A Duty
"Elyog, I am afraid that I have some doubts."
The minion stared in disbelief. "No, that can't be true sir!"
Giving a sad look, the Leader pitifully sighed. "I have, my dear, I have."
"About what?"
Moving away from the wall that held all the figures and charts, the Leader sat on the edge of his desk right in front of Elyog, who was seated in a chair.
"The countdown to the transformation has begun, we are on schedule with manufacturing and production, it's just . . . I'm a bit concerned about the Slayer and her friends."
"Ooo," she exhaled, her mouth in a perfect 'o' shape.
Nodding, his shoulders sagged a ways. "You know that at this point, I am quite vulnerable. The slightest attack could prove fatal for me. And if she decides to fight me, I cannot defend myself."
Kneeling in front of her master and kissing his knuckles, Elyog stared up in awe. "Tell me what to do."
"Good Elyog," he whispered, patting her on the head. "Krab's failed assassination of the witch hurt us greatly, and we cannot have another blow like that. I need you to be ready to kill the Slayer or anyone who associates with her, whether they are mortal or not. If you see them, don't simply hurt them. I want them all dead."
@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@
A light tickling on her stomach brought Buffy out of sleep. It had been a peaceful rest, no dreams. Just sleep. As she slowly woke, the tickling increased.
"Mmm, stop," she hoarsely whispered, patting the hands away. Laughing slightly, Spike rested his hands on her stomach.
They lay on his bed; him spooned up against her, his light silk blanket covering their naked forms.
Nuzzling his head into the curve of the back of her neck, he inhaled, taking in her scent. Something sweet, like honey or strawberries, mixed in with a spicy cinnamony fragrance, the exotic and dangerous part she hid. Intertwined was a newer smell, something he didn't recognize. It was warm and comforting, his own little taste of sunshine. Then he realized what it was. Her new perfume was pure, unquestionable love.
"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty," he whispered into the back of her neck.
As his cool breath washed over her neck, tiny mountain ranges of Goosebumps formed over her skin.
"No," she pouted, not wanting to get up from this perfect moment.
Buffy rolled over, giving her love a morning kiss. She could see tiny golden flecks in his deep blue eyes, which were half closed in pleasure. His hair was matted up on one side; the other side peaked with slight curls. The bed head gave him a child-like look. At this point, she would have sworn that no one existed that was more handsome than he did, and all she wanted at that moment was him.
Rubbing her thumbs suggestively up and down his abs, she looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
Getting the picture, Spike cocked his eyebrow up, but took his hands and snaked them around her waist.
"Nuh-huh," he purred, kissing her lightly on the lips, "We've done what you've wanted for years. Now it's my turn."
Sticking out her bottom lip, hoping to change his mind, Buffy whined. "Please, just once?"
"Nope, it's cuddle time." Pulling her closer to him, Spike began to rub her back. She buried her face into the crook of his neck.
"Fine, we'll do what you want." Moving her hands to his back, she let her fingers explore his skin. "For such a quote-unquote Big Bad, you sure have an obsession with cuddling."
"Well, luv, all men have their weaknesses, evil or not." They laughed as he kissed the top of her head. As he pulled away, he noticed something. "Hey Buffy, you need a color job soon. Your roots are showing."
"WHAT?!" she screamed, sitting up quickly. Pulling at her auburn hair, she began to look for the signs of her actual color. "WHERE?!"
God, women.
"Just at the top. 'S not a lot, just an inch or so at the part. A quick visit to the salon will take care of that."
Feeling relieved, she lay back down to resume their original positions. "Spike?"
"Yeah."
"What . . ." she sighed, unsure of what to say, "What color should I dye it?"
A small laugh erupted from his throat. "Well, I was always partial to the blonde Buffy, but it's up to you."
Looking up at his ceiling, Buffy contemplated it. "If I'm gonna be Buffy again, I guess I just better go back to what I was used to."
He too was thinking. "Um, luv? I . . . have something to ask you. What are we going to tell everyone? I mean, I take it no one else knows about your plans, but then there's this whole . . . 'us' thing."
Buffy leaned in, and caught his bottom lip with her mouth, lightly sucking and nibbling on it. "We'll just tell them the truth, and they can take it as they come."
"Really?"
"Spike," she exhaled, running her finger through his hair, "I'm done with keeping secrets."
@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@
"Guys, I have an announcement."
Buffy and Spike stood together in the doorway of the Scooby conference room, in front of all their friends. Her hair was now a light, summery blonde, and the two held hands, their fingers intertwined.
"I've decided to stay in Sunnydale, so get rid of all this Phoenix bullshit. I'm Buffy, and that's the way it's staying. Also," she glanced quickly at Spike, "If you can't tell, this loser and I have decided to, well . . . we're in love."
Shouts of laughter and joy erupted from the group as they all stood to congratulate their friends. As Xander and Giles both gave Buffy a huge hug, and Anya embraced Spike warmly, Willow started comforting a very emotional Tara.
"So happy . . ." cried the new mother, her hormones raging.
When all the excitement had subdued, they all took their seats around the conference table. Giles took off his glasses, wiped them, trying to figure out where to start.
"This is rather complicated, so bear with me." Before returning his glasses to his face, he pinched the bridge of his nose. "When Tara told us this demon was called Pitatch, we assumed it was his name, so we've been spending our time looking for a demon with this title."
"With no such luck," added Anya.
Pointing at her, Giles nodded. "Exactly. I couldn't figure out why we weren't finding anything on this creature, as powerful we assume him to be.
"Then, I had a brainstorm. I recalled a section a Watcher's journal dating 1785. During that time, there was an obscure war between demon clans, and they sectioned themselves as an army would, with generals and soldiers and such. Now, I thought, what if this was true in other demon wars, seeing as how they happened quite frequently during the Dark Ages.
"I found it. During the Gothic Era, the 13th century or so, there was a great war between demon clans, now referred to as the 'Cumberlon Clef of England'. A great many demon species, vampires, dobytins, aloquely, fought for the sacred territory of Cumberlon. In this war was a small army of demons called miots.
"Miots are a very rare species of demon. In the world today, fifty at the most survive. But they are quite powerful. They have the ability to manipulate their surroundings, alter the weather, powers beyond our comprehension. To receive this energy, they must consume . . ." he paused, looking down at his notes, "I'm afraid, the flesh of humans, one every month."
Willow grimaced. "Not a good sign."
"During the battle," continued the Watcher, "The clan was divided up in ranks. Leading the army was the general, given the title of Pitatch."
"Now the plot thickens," sighed Spike.
"There was no victor in the 'Clef of England'. A group of local human warlocks defended their territory and drove the demons away. As a warning, they held onto a demon of importance, apparently the Pitatch of the miots. He was frozen in time, then placed in a mystical barricade in Cumberlon, where no soul could reach him."
"And that barricade has held up for all this time?" hoped Xander, wincing at the inevitable.
"No," sighed Giles, "Unfortunately, the warlocks weren't counting on the barrier to be blasted apart by a demolition team excavating the area nine months ago. This Pitatch was released into the world, free to do what he pleases."
Buffy sighed, rubbing her head with her hands. "So, why would he come here?"
Looking at Tara, who returned his upsetting manner, Giles bit his lip. "Last night, Tara and I discussed this affair, exchanging information, and we have come to this conclusion."
Grabbing Willow's hand, Tara started speaking very softly. "As Giles said, Pitatch needs to eat a human every month to retain his powers. When the warlocks froze him, he was still conscious. So, the need to feed was still with him. He went nearly seven centuries without feeding."
"That's quite an amount to make up for, which he must do in order to gain his powers back," added Giles. "So, when he was awaken, he developed a plan so he could feed quickly. He's very intelligent and adapted to the 20th century quickly. He developed a . . ."
"Machine." Tara cringed. "A machine that stops the heart activity of all human beings within a twenty-mile radius. A lot of dead humans, and he can eat without hassle. To power it, he needed an incredible energy supply. So he came here, and is using the Hellmouth's energy to make it work. That's why everything's been going weird lately, he's been taking its force."
"What about the Flueruin demons?" asked Willow.
"They're his helpers. Flueruin's are very strong physically, yet weak willed," answered Giles.
"And all the baddies running away?" questioned Spike, clutching Buffy's hand.
Tara shook her head. "The one who I took the information from knew some things, but not everything. I do know that Pitatch's plan to feed does not stop with us humans. I think he's found a way to use vampires and other demon species as food."
"Super."
Buffy ran her thumb along Spike's knuckles, not wanting to think about this horrible plot. "So, what should we do?"
"We need to defeat Pitatch before he has a chance to use his machine, which I'm afraid, will be soon," Giles responded.
Anya looked at the Watcher in amazement. "Duh!"
@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@
Everything's just super shitty, ain't it?
Xander glanced at his watch. 12:03. In half an hour, he was calling it a night. His night of patrol had been uneventful, and he wanted to go home. He would forget all about the apocalypse and spend the night screwing Anya's brains out.
Happy thoughts, just keep thinking happy thoughts. Maybe I'll get her to wear that black silk number she wore for my birthday. And maybe I'll call in sick tomorrow and we'll do it again. After taking the kids to daycare, of course.
Immersed in his fantasy, he began to speed through the park, wanting to get home as quickly as possible.
Two minutes later, he came upon a familiar sight. The cave that he and Buffy and the gang once used to break into the Initiative.
Why can't it be simple like that again? I just wanna battle demon-robot hybrids.
Then, he heard a noise come from the depths of the caves. Hiding behind a rock, he kept his eyes on the opening, wanting to see the creature. Slowly it came out, a short, green, horned . . .
Flueruin demon!
"STOP!" he yelled, forgetting what danger it was in.
Elyog did stop, and eyed the human carefully. Slowly, she recognized him as one of the people who helped the Slayer.
Baring her sharp teeth, she lunged at the man, ready to tear his throat out for the Leader.
Xander was surprised at the strength of the small demon, but was able to fight back. Two sharp blows to the jaw sent the creature backwards, but she responded with a kick to his groin.
Falling to the ground in complete pain, Xander quickly searched for a weapon. He had none, except for the small wooden stake he held in his right hand.
As she attempted a roundhouse kick to his head, he caught her leg and jabbed the stake into her flesh. She fell to the ground in tears, crying out in her demon language.
Thinking the fight was over, Xander relaxed. But, the demon got up, removed the stake from her leg, and stabbed it into his left shoulder and again into his stomach. The man screamed in pain.
Bending down to stab him in the throat, to kill as she was commanded, Elyog was stopped. The pain in her leg was so intense, she couldn't think. As the human lay bleeding to death, she crawled into the cave, searching quickly for someone to patch her up.
Xander cried, the hot tears of pain and rage rolling down his face. He needed help, and he needed it fast. Ignoring the pain, he stood, then ran as fast as he could home.