Disclaimer: Except for any references to the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"
movie, TV show, book series and comic books (i.e., Buffy and group,
Sunnydale, the First, the Order of Sages) the work and characters and
places are mine (i.e., Halo Crest, Laila, the Phantasma, Laila's group,
Zeke and his things, etc .)
Prologue
She was on a beach, one with luxuriously soft white sand and perfect turquoise waves. The sun hung high in the sky, a pleasant gold color that day, and only rarely did a cotton-puff cloud glide gently past the sun. The seals barked offshore somewhere, and seagulls gave out their cries as they circled around in the sky, whiling away their time as if on vacation from all things seagull-y. Laila Shroff was certain she could make out a dolphin out in the distance and was half-tempted to go swim up to it for nothing else but the sheer joy of being close to nature and not having to destroy something.
"Are you enjoying yourself?" a strong, deep baritone piped up next to her. The nineteen-year-old turned to her right and found her ex-Watcher, ex- boyfriend, and nemesis Zeke laying on the pale green beach blanket next to her, dressed only in a pair of board shorts. His upper body was more finely sculpted than it had been when they were in high school together, and now his biceps were visible without him having to flex. He grinned his sweet, nearly lopsided grin and his eyes shone with a mischief that Laila had not seen since her early slaying days.
"How can I not be, Zeke? I'm here, in this perfect place, with you by my side finally. It's just you and me.us, even, I guess I can say. Us." The Vampire Slayer smiled down at the one man she knew her heart would always belong to and smiled, her petite but full lips breaking out in a small that was two parts charming and one part sensual. Zeke reached out a tanned arm, his long, slim fingers playing with a burgundy curl as he peered into her eyes. Perfect eyes, they were, long-lashed with grey orbs that were bordered with pale yellow. Mystical eyes. The Slayer's eyes brightened as he peered into them. She couldn't remember ever being so happy.
Laila lay herself down on the beach blanket, the mark of the Alternate Slayer - a vaguely sword-shaped birthmark on the right side of her stomach - showing itself to the world, though at the moment the world was only Laila and Zeke. Zeke traced the birthmark as he leaned in to kiss Laila. Her black and burgundy curls cascaded down her back as he sat up and tilted her just so, cupping her tawny chin in his tan hand and kissing her gently, his sweet tongue exploring the warm, sweet-scented cave that was Laila's mouth. It was a long, deep kiss, full of passion and fire and tenderness, and Laila returned it more than willingly.
Zeke pulled away a few moments later, running his gentle and powerful hands through Laila's unruly curls, and then gently planting kisses on her neck, cheeks, forehead, and fluttering eyelids. All the while, Laila slowly forgot about the torment he and his team of spirits put her through. She forgot how they had constantly set one powerful demon after another upon her and her friends. She slowly forgot how they had taken her childhood friend Naina, an Indian snakewoman - proper noun Nagin - under their thrall, convincing her to kill Laila's second Watcher, Cole Maitland and her friend Apollo. The Slayer forgot all the mental abuses that Zeke and his team had put her through. All she remembered, all she knew, was her love for him, so intoxicating and full and powerful. She was drunk with love for him; it was all her nerves would let her feel.
"Zeke." Laila whispered in her low, throaty voice.
"Hmm?" he asked as he busied himself with kissing her neck and cheeks and eyelids all over again, once in awhile pecking her mouth.
"I love you."
Zeke pulled away then, and smiled down, his large brown eyes bright and sparkling. "I know you do Slayer. And you know what?" Slowly, Zeke's smile started to turn a little sinister. "It will be just us forever. Just you, me, and the others." He kissed her again, this time a little more roughly, his hands gently tugging at her hair.
The Slayer's eyes grew wide and the memories surged forth again. Laila tried to push Zeke away, but to no avail. He was stronger than he had ever been, and crueler too, it seemed. A telepathic message flashed through her mind as she struggled with him.
'We'll never leave you Slayer.' It said, cruelly and tauntingly. 'You mean too much to all of us. Especially Zeke and Ivan. One your Watcher, the other your lover. But no worries, we will live together happily, forever. This is just the beginning. You have so much to look forward to. We have so much to look forward to. Especially now, since the end is so near.'
Note: The Alternate Slayer is a young woman whose job is essentially the same as that of the actual Slayer, only here, the Alternate's job is also to close all impending Hellbreaches that could form into full grown Hellmouths. Laila is the first and last of her kind, given her station in life by Zeke, a very powerful source of power.
Prologue
She was on a beach, one with luxuriously soft white sand and perfect turquoise waves. The sun hung high in the sky, a pleasant gold color that day, and only rarely did a cotton-puff cloud glide gently past the sun. The seals barked offshore somewhere, and seagulls gave out their cries as they circled around in the sky, whiling away their time as if on vacation from all things seagull-y. Laila Shroff was certain she could make out a dolphin out in the distance and was half-tempted to go swim up to it for nothing else but the sheer joy of being close to nature and not having to destroy something.
"Are you enjoying yourself?" a strong, deep baritone piped up next to her. The nineteen-year-old turned to her right and found her ex-Watcher, ex- boyfriend, and nemesis Zeke laying on the pale green beach blanket next to her, dressed only in a pair of board shorts. His upper body was more finely sculpted than it had been when they were in high school together, and now his biceps were visible without him having to flex. He grinned his sweet, nearly lopsided grin and his eyes shone with a mischief that Laila had not seen since her early slaying days.
"How can I not be, Zeke? I'm here, in this perfect place, with you by my side finally. It's just you and me.us, even, I guess I can say. Us." The Vampire Slayer smiled down at the one man she knew her heart would always belong to and smiled, her petite but full lips breaking out in a small that was two parts charming and one part sensual. Zeke reached out a tanned arm, his long, slim fingers playing with a burgundy curl as he peered into her eyes. Perfect eyes, they were, long-lashed with grey orbs that were bordered with pale yellow. Mystical eyes. The Slayer's eyes brightened as he peered into them. She couldn't remember ever being so happy.
Laila lay herself down on the beach blanket, the mark of the Alternate Slayer - a vaguely sword-shaped birthmark on the right side of her stomach - showing itself to the world, though at the moment the world was only Laila and Zeke. Zeke traced the birthmark as he leaned in to kiss Laila. Her black and burgundy curls cascaded down her back as he sat up and tilted her just so, cupping her tawny chin in his tan hand and kissing her gently, his sweet tongue exploring the warm, sweet-scented cave that was Laila's mouth. It was a long, deep kiss, full of passion and fire and tenderness, and Laila returned it more than willingly.
Zeke pulled away a few moments later, running his gentle and powerful hands through Laila's unruly curls, and then gently planting kisses on her neck, cheeks, forehead, and fluttering eyelids. All the while, Laila slowly forgot about the torment he and his team of spirits put her through. She forgot how they had constantly set one powerful demon after another upon her and her friends. She slowly forgot how they had taken her childhood friend Naina, an Indian snakewoman - proper noun Nagin - under their thrall, convincing her to kill Laila's second Watcher, Cole Maitland and her friend Apollo. The Slayer forgot all the mental abuses that Zeke and his team had put her through. All she remembered, all she knew, was her love for him, so intoxicating and full and powerful. She was drunk with love for him; it was all her nerves would let her feel.
"Zeke." Laila whispered in her low, throaty voice.
"Hmm?" he asked as he busied himself with kissing her neck and cheeks and eyelids all over again, once in awhile pecking her mouth.
"I love you."
Zeke pulled away then, and smiled down, his large brown eyes bright and sparkling. "I know you do Slayer. And you know what?" Slowly, Zeke's smile started to turn a little sinister. "It will be just us forever. Just you, me, and the others." He kissed her again, this time a little more roughly, his hands gently tugging at her hair.
The Slayer's eyes grew wide and the memories surged forth again. Laila tried to push Zeke away, but to no avail. He was stronger than he had ever been, and crueler too, it seemed. A telepathic message flashed through her mind as she struggled with him.
'We'll never leave you Slayer.' It said, cruelly and tauntingly. 'You mean too much to all of us. Especially Zeke and Ivan. One your Watcher, the other your lover. But no worries, we will live together happily, forever. This is just the beginning. You have so much to look forward to. We have so much to look forward to. Especially now, since the end is so near.'
Note: The Alternate Slayer is a young woman whose job is essentially the same as that of the actual Slayer, only here, the Alternate's job is also to close all impending Hellbreaches that could form into full grown Hellmouths. Laila is the first and last of her kind, given her station in life by Zeke, a very powerful source of power.