A/N: One reviewer kindly pointed out that Buffy and Spike and the other
humans are 15 years older. Are they really old? No. Recall in
"Confronting the Sun" that humans in the year 3000+ live on average 200
years. I just wanted to clarify any confusion! ;o)
an unknown dimension, five months later
"It's almost time," I remind Aimée as she hurries with the weapons she's fashioning.
"Almost done," she reassures me, giving me a handful of makeshift stakes. She continues her harried work on her bunk.
The weapons are a bit awkward, but what can I expect given our limited resources? Aimée's combined the metal spoons from our dinner trays with pieces of a broken mop handle that Jenn found on one of our many scavenging expeditions, creating the stakes we'll use on our sabotage attack.
Rhonda's anxious about her granddaughter, Aydin, and twists a stake in her hand. "What do you think they're doing to her?"
Dru's minions took Aydin away a week ago, and she hasn't been returned. This is cause for concern because she's normally gone for only about a day when her blood is needed for the temporary dimension openings. Jenn spoke to one of her contacts in a nearby cell two days ago, and the captive told her that the vampires are planning a large ritual or event of some kind for today or tomorrow.
Jenn pats Rhonda on the shoulder. Amazing how close we've become in fifteen years of living in a cramped cell together. "I'm sure she's fine. Well, as fine as she can be given our current state of captivity. We're going to rescue her before they do anything horrible to her. I have faith."
"Yes! We're all going to be fine. I'm going to make sure of it," I add. Protecting my friends seems to have become my goal in life. Jenn seems to feel the same way as a slayer-in-training.
"Done," Aimée announces. "That's all I've got. Think it'll be enough?" She passes three stakes to Rhonda and Jenn, keeping three for her own use.
"We'll make it enough."
"But how's Spike going to defend himself?" Rhonda asks, pulling her long curls back into a ponytail.
I've visited Spike twice since my initial contact with him. Each time, his beatings have rendered him weaker and more wounded. I could hardly touch him without causing him discomfort. Somehow, I don't think he'll be up to fighting with us. "He's actually been practicing with my ring. For most of the fight, he'll be invisible and going after Aydin while we distract Drusilla and her crew."
"Good idea," Jenn notes. "And after he gets Aydin? . . ."
"We cluster together and link arms while Buffy and Spike do the chant to open the dimensional portal to the place where they were reborn," Aimée reminds Jenn as she stows her stakes in her pockets and up her sleeve.
"Right," I concur. I never thought I'd be seeing Thayne, Theos, and Thalia again. I can't recall when I've felt so nervous about a plan. Maybe the others' reactions are making me uncertain about the feasibility of what we're about to do. Maybe being human leads me to feel more vulnerable about the impending battle.
Rhonda sighs. "I'm ready."
Gazing around our dimly lit cell that carries the familiar smell of decay and damp moss, I decide that I've never been more ready to leave a place where I've lived. Even living with Nabald's clan was cozier than this.
I nod my head. The vampire guards are between shifts. "Let's go."
* * *
an unknown dimension, a few minutes later
"It's a shame we can't set them all free," Jenn whispers as we wander through the halls. The captives in this facility are innocents, caged to use as an unending source of fresh blood for the hundreds of vampires banished from Earth. For some unknown reason, Drusilla had not targeted us. . . with the exception of Aydin.
"I know," I return, "and we will. But we need to gather our resources before we can do anything about that."
"I agree," Aimée adds, her voice carefully modulated to not show much emotion. "We need to wait until we're proportionally numbered and have better weapons. Otherwise, we'll do the other captives more harm than good. If we keep them out of it now, they'll have less of a chance of being punished by the vamps once we're gone."
I smile at Aimée in understanding. When she was seven-years-old, her entire family was killed by vampires. Since that time, she has made her life's mission to help others in need and create weapons with which to defend against vampires and other demons. Aimée also is the clown of the group, always making us laugh in the most dire of straits. Her humor reminds me a bit of Xander, but her personality is like Willow's, sweet and generous.
"We almost at Spike's cell?" Rhonda wonders, looking a bit lost in the maze of cellblocks. We've been cooped up far too long. Orienting takes a while.
"Yes, he's actually on this row," I explain, heart singing with the desire to have him physically by my side once again. I wish we still had the ability to communicate with our minds, but after the Council disbanded, their research was terminated.
"I wish I knew him like you guys do." Jenn sighs. She swings a stake as she walks, ready for action.
"You *will* get to know him," I reassure her. "We just have to get out of here first!" We reach Spike's door. "Here he is."
The others allow me to go to him. I am torn inside, partly with desire to rush to his side, to touch him, and partly with dread to view what Drusilla's minions have done to him now.
He is curled in an unmoving ball on the bunk.
"Spike?" My query carries my fear and concern.
His voice hoarse and raspy, he murmurs, "Ah, pet, you've come at a bad. . ." His words are disrupted by a harsh cough.
I am at his side instantly, trying to examine him. "Spike. What did they do to you?" He turns his head from me. "Let me see you."
He sounds tired. "Oh, I'm not sure you want to see this."
I rub his upper arm tenderly. "I don't care. I want to see you. And we have to go. Aydin's in trouble. Dru's doing something big today."
Relenting, Spike forgets his appearance and sits up quickly. "What?"
Before I have a chance to censor my reaction, I gasp, and my eyes widen. One of Spike's brilliant blue eyes is a gaping mess of blood and other unknown fluids. He's cleaned the wound up as best he can, but the effect is still horrific.
Spike chuckles softly and winces from the pull on his desecrated eye socket. "Dru decided to blind me. You know her. She decided I needed extra punishing."
"When?" I place a hand over his heart to reassure myself that the steady beat is still strong.
Although he can't form a proper facial expression due to the pain in his eye, his good eye sparkles with joy at my presence. "Today. Probably because she has something planned, and she wanted a reaction from me."
"Can you walk?"
Snorting lightly and gritting his teeth, he swings his legs to the ground and stands firm. "She didn't touch my legs, love."
I let him get away with his sarcasm because he's so hurt. "And you remember the plan?"
Holding up his ring, he nods. "Yeah. Got the plan and got the goods." He notes the tension in my shoulders and softens. "We'll make it out, love. We always do."
* * *
an unknown dimension, twenty minutes later
From his endless trips out of his cell, Spike leads us easily to the area where he believes Drusilla will likely conduct rituals. The room was vast and spacious with a landscape of interwoven shadows and dim lights. We five trespassers crouch at the edges of the arena. The air has no particular scent but is flavored with an essence of expectation.
Vampires blend with the darkness, standing well back but facing a brightly lit dais in the center. Rhonda inhales sharply as she witnesses Aydin being lowered onto the platform with her hands and feet bound. Her neck a mass of scars from being ripped and torn by vampires, Aydin proudly holds her head high, hair flowing over her shoulders, as if she is untouched by evil. Her mouth is not gagged, but she makes no sound.
Without preamble, Drusilla strides forth from one cluster of vampires, ebony skirts rippling around her long legs. She approaches Aydin and smiles at her, sharp teeth flashing.
Drusilla's voice is seductive and almost inaudible as she inquires, "Do you know why you're here today, little one?"
Aydin doesn't grant Drusilla a reply and stares through the vampiress as if she is not directly in front of her.
Drusilla's face transforms into her vampire mask, and she roars angrily, slapping Aydin's face and drawing her sharp fingernails across both her cheeks.
Oxygen-filled blood pours crayon red over Aydin's fair cheeks, gushing down her chin and covering the scars on her neck. The plump flesh of her cheeks is laid aside, revealing the ivory of her skull.
Aydin never reacts, but she doesn't seem absent from the situation. A fire only grasped by few lights her eyes.
Rhonda reacts to her granddaughter's torture by straining to run forward. Spike restrains her by holding her arms. The rest of us stare with grim silence.
Five vampires wearing hooded cloaks melt out and detach from the darkness, chanting together in a language I've never heard.
As Drusilla cackles and begins to lap up the life-giving fluid on Aydin's neck, I realize that our time is running short. My muscles bunch and prepare for action. Spike's hand is warm on my back. He knows.
As the chanting becomes louder and our group begins to advance, Drusilla speaks again, "We need your heart. A pulsing, living thing to complete the story. To open the door. To return us home. To Earth."
When I plunge my stake into the back of the first minion I reach, I catch Drusilla watching me out of the corner of her eye. She knew we were present all along!
Hand clawed, she plunges her hand into Aydin's ribcage and wrenches back, pulling out the girl's pounding heart. As Aydin's body momentarily hangs suspended and slowly collapses, Drusilla whirls and delicately places the vibrating organ into the bowl behind her.
As she raises her arms, bright luminescence erupts from the bowl, beaming upward and piercing the high ceilings. The others and I use the moment of awe to stake several other minions without mercy. The satisfying sound of dust bursts in my ears, and my arm aches from my now human effort.
My eyes find Spike's as he dons the ring and nods once, mouthing how much he loves me. Rhonda is close on his heels as they rush to Aydin's side. An invisible being slashes and destroys the minions that surround Rhonda and Aydin as Rhonda weeps over her fallen grandchild, touching her face and hair as if she can somehow bring her back to life.
Like a child enraptured by a toy, Drusilla is quivering with excitement, mesmerized by the glowing arc of light that is spreading by the second despite the obliteration of her minions' mantra. A spark of light reflects off her hand, and I recognize Spike's ring glinting on one of her fingers.
Our time is rapidly disappearing due to human weakness, and I note the presence of Jenn and Aimée fighting side by side. Making one last decision, I push past the minions in my path, thankful for my small size and years of experience. Two thoughts dominate my mind: destroy the ritual and get the ring.
Once on the platform, I rush at the ancient vampire, using the force of my leap to knock her to the ground in a tumble. My leg lashes out to catch the edge of the podium holding the ritual bowl, and the stone crashes to the ground with a loud thud. Drusilla smells of lilies and blood, and she growls as she shoves me back.
My body flying through the air and across the room, I land on my side, having no time to twist to a better falling position. Like a predator, she is upon me in seconds, baring her teeth and pinning my arms and legs down. I struggle in vain beneath her, making certain not to look too closely into her eyes to avoid be mesmerized by her eyes.
Her canines graze the edge of my neck, and I shiver, waiting for her to drain my life away. I recall the last time a vampire drained me, and I wish desperately for Spike's arms around me one more time.
"You're too late, nasty little slayer. The portal's opening, and there's nothing you can do about it," she whispers in my ear.
She's right. Over my shoulder, a gateway to Earth's dimension is slowly opening. The minions are drawn to the sight like a moth to a flame. My eyes widen, but I'm helpless to do anything.
Just as I brace myself for the end, something thumps onto the back of Drusilla, sending her forward into me with a loud squeal.
A second hit, and Drusilla is knocked unconscious beside me.
A familiar voice sends thrills over my spine. "Looked like you could use a hand, love." An invisible hand grasps mine and helps me to my feet.
"Great timing," I say with irony, neatly staking the minion that's sneaking up behind me.
"You're very welcome. Now let's get out of here." He notes my look. "Forget my ring. We'll replace it."
My eyes quickly scan the room as Spike speaks. We're badly outnumbered, but Rhonda, Jenn, and Aimée are conveniently nearby. "Right. Ready for the spell?" There's no way we can reach Earth's gates, but we can pay a visit to my invisible friends.
"Yeah." Reappearing before my eyes, Spike takes my ring off and slips the smooth metal over my knuckle. "Let's do it."
With no trouble, we reach Jenn, Rhonda, and Aimée because the minions are flocking to Earth in droves. My gut wrenches when I acknowledge that there's nothing we can do about what's happening. . . not as four human beings and one vampire.
Forming an interconnecting ring with the others, Spike and I start the spell we'd memorized off our computers. Something begins tingling deep within me, rising from my toes, up my waist, and into my torso. Spike's azure eyes slam into mine, and we are inextricably one being as the spell takes hold of all of us.
As the wave of magic washes over my upper body and into my head, my eyes blur as if someone is licking my brain and making my thoughts flicker. Just as I'm about to lose consciousness from the effort, something jolts next to me, and I hear Spike's words transform to a groan of agony.
The last words I hear before we slip into the next dimension are, "Bad boy. Shouldn't hurt Mommy so. Now you're dead where you belong."
TBC. . .
Hope this was enough action for ya! I promise more interesting twists await!!! :o) Like, what happened to Spike? And what will become of Earth?
Next up chapter four of "Three Wishes!"
Thanks for the beautiful reviews!!! *hugs* You are wonderful!! ;o)
Take care,
Sandy
Eternal Devotion: http://www.secretloft.com/ed/
an unknown dimension, five months later
"It's almost time," I remind Aimée as she hurries with the weapons she's fashioning.
"Almost done," she reassures me, giving me a handful of makeshift stakes. She continues her harried work on her bunk.
The weapons are a bit awkward, but what can I expect given our limited resources? Aimée's combined the metal spoons from our dinner trays with pieces of a broken mop handle that Jenn found on one of our many scavenging expeditions, creating the stakes we'll use on our sabotage attack.
Rhonda's anxious about her granddaughter, Aydin, and twists a stake in her hand. "What do you think they're doing to her?"
Dru's minions took Aydin away a week ago, and she hasn't been returned. This is cause for concern because she's normally gone for only about a day when her blood is needed for the temporary dimension openings. Jenn spoke to one of her contacts in a nearby cell two days ago, and the captive told her that the vampires are planning a large ritual or event of some kind for today or tomorrow.
Jenn pats Rhonda on the shoulder. Amazing how close we've become in fifteen years of living in a cramped cell together. "I'm sure she's fine. Well, as fine as she can be given our current state of captivity. We're going to rescue her before they do anything horrible to her. I have faith."
"Yes! We're all going to be fine. I'm going to make sure of it," I add. Protecting my friends seems to have become my goal in life. Jenn seems to feel the same way as a slayer-in-training.
"Done," Aimée announces. "That's all I've got. Think it'll be enough?" She passes three stakes to Rhonda and Jenn, keeping three for her own use.
"We'll make it enough."
"But how's Spike going to defend himself?" Rhonda asks, pulling her long curls back into a ponytail.
I've visited Spike twice since my initial contact with him. Each time, his beatings have rendered him weaker and more wounded. I could hardly touch him without causing him discomfort. Somehow, I don't think he'll be up to fighting with us. "He's actually been practicing with my ring. For most of the fight, he'll be invisible and going after Aydin while we distract Drusilla and her crew."
"Good idea," Jenn notes. "And after he gets Aydin? . . ."
"We cluster together and link arms while Buffy and Spike do the chant to open the dimensional portal to the place where they were reborn," Aimée reminds Jenn as she stows her stakes in her pockets and up her sleeve.
"Right," I concur. I never thought I'd be seeing Thayne, Theos, and Thalia again. I can't recall when I've felt so nervous about a plan. Maybe the others' reactions are making me uncertain about the feasibility of what we're about to do. Maybe being human leads me to feel more vulnerable about the impending battle.
Rhonda sighs. "I'm ready."
Gazing around our dimly lit cell that carries the familiar smell of decay and damp moss, I decide that I've never been more ready to leave a place where I've lived. Even living with Nabald's clan was cozier than this.
I nod my head. The vampire guards are between shifts. "Let's go."
* * *
an unknown dimension, a few minutes later
"It's a shame we can't set them all free," Jenn whispers as we wander through the halls. The captives in this facility are innocents, caged to use as an unending source of fresh blood for the hundreds of vampires banished from Earth. For some unknown reason, Drusilla had not targeted us. . . with the exception of Aydin.
"I know," I return, "and we will. But we need to gather our resources before we can do anything about that."
"I agree," Aimée adds, her voice carefully modulated to not show much emotion. "We need to wait until we're proportionally numbered and have better weapons. Otherwise, we'll do the other captives more harm than good. If we keep them out of it now, they'll have less of a chance of being punished by the vamps once we're gone."
I smile at Aimée in understanding. When she was seven-years-old, her entire family was killed by vampires. Since that time, she has made her life's mission to help others in need and create weapons with which to defend against vampires and other demons. Aimée also is the clown of the group, always making us laugh in the most dire of straits. Her humor reminds me a bit of Xander, but her personality is like Willow's, sweet and generous.
"We almost at Spike's cell?" Rhonda wonders, looking a bit lost in the maze of cellblocks. We've been cooped up far too long. Orienting takes a while.
"Yes, he's actually on this row," I explain, heart singing with the desire to have him physically by my side once again. I wish we still had the ability to communicate with our minds, but after the Council disbanded, their research was terminated.
"I wish I knew him like you guys do." Jenn sighs. She swings a stake as she walks, ready for action.
"You *will* get to know him," I reassure her. "We just have to get out of here first!" We reach Spike's door. "Here he is."
The others allow me to go to him. I am torn inside, partly with desire to rush to his side, to touch him, and partly with dread to view what Drusilla's minions have done to him now.
He is curled in an unmoving ball on the bunk.
"Spike?" My query carries my fear and concern.
His voice hoarse and raspy, he murmurs, "Ah, pet, you've come at a bad. . ." His words are disrupted by a harsh cough.
I am at his side instantly, trying to examine him. "Spike. What did they do to you?" He turns his head from me. "Let me see you."
He sounds tired. "Oh, I'm not sure you want to see this."
I rub his upper arm tenderly. "I don't care. I want to see you. And we have to go. Aydin's in trouble. Dru's doing something big today."
Relenting, Spike forgets his appearance and sits up quickly. "What?"
Before I have a chance to censor my reaction, I gasp, and my eyes widen. One of Spike's brilliant blue eyes is a gaping mess of blood and other unknown fluids. He's cleaned the wound up as best he can, but the effect is still horrific.
Spike chuckles softly and winces from the pull on his desecrated eye socket. "Dru decided to blind me. You know her. She decided I needed extra punishing."
"When?" I place a hand over his heart to reassure myself that the steady beat is still strong.
Although he can't form a proper facial expression due to the pain in his eye, his good eye sparkles with joy at my presence. "Today. Probably because she has something planned, and she wanted a reaction from me."
"Can you walk?"
Snorting lightly and gritting his teeth, he swings his legs to the ground and stands firm. "She didn't touch my legs, love."
I let him get away with his sarcasm because he's so hurt. "And you remember the plan?"
Holding up his ring, he nods. "Yeah. Got the plan and got the goods." He notes the tension in my shoulders and softens. "We'll make it out, love. We always do."
* * *
an unknown dimension, twenty minutes later
From his endless trips out of his cell, Spike leads us easily to the area where he believes Drusilla will likely conduct rituals. The room was vast and spacious with a landscape of interwoven shadows and dim lights. We five trespassers crouch at the edges of the arena. The air has no particular scent but is flavored with an essence of expectation.
Vampires blend with the darkness, standing well back but facing a brightly lit dais in the center. Rhonda inhales sharply as she witnesses Aydin being lowered onto the platform with her hands and feet bound. Her neck a mass of scars from being ripped and torn by vampires, Aydin proudly holds her head high, hair flowing over her shoulders, as if she is untouched by evil. Her mouth is not gagged, but she makes no sound.
Without preamble, Drusilla strides forth from one cluster of vampires, ebony skirts rippling around her long legs. She approaches Aydin and smiles at her, sharp teeth flashing.
Drusilla's voice is seductive and almost inaudible as she inquires, "Do you know why you're here today, little one?"
Aydin doesn't grant Drusilla a reply and stares through the vampiress as if she is not directly in front of her.
Drusilla's face transforms into her vampire mask, and she roars angrily, slapping Aydin's face and drawing her sharp fingernails across both her cheeks.
Oxygen-filled blood pours crayon red over Aydin's fair cheeks, gushing down her chin and covering the scars on her neck. The plump flesh of her cheeks is laid aside, revealing the ivory of her skull.
Aydin never reacts, but she doesn't seem absent from the situation. A fire only grasped by few lights her eyes.
Rhonda reacts to her granddaughter's torture by straining to run forward. Spike restrains her by holding her arms. The rest of us stare with grim silence.
Five vampires wearing hooded cloaks melt out and detach from the darkness, chanting together in a language I've never heard.
As Drusilla cackles and begins to lap up the life-giving fluid on Aydin's neck, I realize that our time is running short. My muscles bunch and prepare for action. Spike's hand is warm on my back. He knows.
As the chanting becomes louder and our group begins to advance, Drusilla speaks again, "We need your heart. A pulsing, living thing to complete the story. To open the door. To return us home. To Earth."
When I plunge my stake into the back of the first minion I reach, I catch Drusilla watching me out of the corner of her eye. She knew we were present all along!
Hand clawed, she plunges her hand into Aydin's ribcage and wrenches back, pulling out the girl's pounding heart. As Aydin's body momentarily hangs suspended and slowly collapses, Drusilla whirls and delicately places the vibrating organ into the bowl behind her.
As she raises her arms, bright luminescence erupts from the bowl, beaming upward and piercing the high ceilings. The others and I use the moment of awe to stake several other minions without mercy. The satisfying sound of dust bursts in my ears, and my arm aches from my now human effort.
My eyes find Spike's as he dons the ring and nods once, mouthing how much he loves me. Rhonda is close on his heels as they rush to Aydin's side. An invisible being slashes and destroys the minions that surround Rhonda and Aydin as Rhonda weeps over her fallen grandchild, touching her face and hair as if she can somehow bring her back to life.
Like a child enraptured by a toy, Drusilla is quivering with excitement, mesmerized by the glowing arc of light that is spreading by the second despite the obliteration of her minions' mantra. A spark of light reflects off her hand, and I recognize Spike's ring glinting on one of her fingers.
Our time is rapidly disappearing due to human weakness, and I note the presence of Jenn and Aimée fighting side by side. Making one last decision, I push past the minions in my path, thankful for my small size and years of experience. Two thoughts dominate my mind: destroy the ritual and get the ring.
Once on the platform, I rush at the ancient vampire, using the force of my leap to knock her to the ground in a tumble. My leg lashes out to catch the edge of the podium holding the ritual bowl, and the stone crashes to the ground with a loud thud. Drusilla smells of lilies and blood, and she growls as she shoves me back.
My body flying through the air and across the room, I land on my side, having no time to twist to a better falling position. Like a predator, she is upon me in seconds, baring her teeth and pinning my arms and legs down. I struggle in vain beneath her, making certain not to look too closely into her eyes to avoid be mesmerized by her eyes.
Her canines graze the edge of my neck, and I shiver, waiting for her to drain my life away. I recall the last time a vampire drained me, and I wish desperately for Spike's arms around me one more time.
"You're too late, nasty little slayer. The portal's opening, and there's nothing you can do about it," she whispers in my ear.
She's right. Over my shoulder, a gateway to Earth's dimension is slowly opening. The minions are drawn to the sight like a moth to a flame. My eyes widen, but I'm helpless to do anything.
Just as I brace myself for the end, something thumps onto the back of Drusilla, sending her forward into me with a loud squeal.
A second hit, and Drusilla is knocked unconscious beside me.
A familiar voice sends thrills over my spine. "Looked like you could use a hand, love." An invisible hand grasps mine and helps me to my feet.
"Great timing," I say with irony, neatly staking the minion that's sneaking up behind me.
"You're very welcome. Now let's get out of here." He notes my look. "Forget my ring. We'll replace it."
My eyes quickly scan the room as Spike speaks. We're badly outnumbered, but Rhonda, Jenn, and Aimée are conveniently nearby. "Right. Ready for the spell?" There's no way we can reach Earth's gates, but we can pay a visit to my invisible friends.
"Yeah." Reappearing before my eyes, Spike takes my ring off and slips the smooth metal over my knuckle. "Let's do it."
With no trouble, we reach Jenn, Rhonda, and Aimée because the minions are flocking to Earth in droves. My gut wrenches when I acknowledge that there's nothing we can do about what's happening. . . not as four human beings and one vampire.
Forming an interconnecting ring with the others, Spike and I start the spell we'd memorized off our computers. Something begins tingling deep within me, rising from my toes, up my waist, and into my torso. Spike's azure eyes slam into mine, and we are inextricably one being as the spell takes hold of all of us.
As the wave of magic washes over my upper body and into my head, my eyes blur as if someone is licking my brain and making my thoughts flicker. Just as I'm about to lose consciousness from the effort, something jolts next to me, and I hear Spike's words transform to a groan of agony.
The last words I hear before we slip into the next dimension are, "Bad boy. Shouldn't hurt Mommy so. Now you're dead where you belong."
TBC. . .
Hope this was enough action for ya! I promise more interesting twists await!!! :o) Like, what happened to Spike? And what will become of Earth?
Next up chapter four of "Three Wishes!"
Thanks for the beautiful reviews!!! *hugs* You are wonderful!! ;o)
Take care,
Sandy
Eternal Devotion: http://www.secretloft.com/ed/