SotW 8- Don't They Know It's the End of the World.....
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"SO. FINALLY YOU DECIDE TO COME TO ME. THE DEATH OF THE HUMAN MUST HAVE FIRMED UP YOUR GUTS AT LAST. KNEEL, CHILDE OF DRUSILLA, GRAND-CHILDE OF ANGELUS. I VOW YOUR PAIN WILL BE BRIEF."
"Yeh, whatever. Get over yerself and jus do it, wouldya?"
"EAGER FOR OBLIVION ARE WE? THAT IS NOT SPIKE. WHERE IS THE CREATURE WHO PAINTED SUCH LOVELY PICTURES OF TERROR AND DESTRUCTION? WHERE IS THE DARK BEAST WHO TOOK SUCH UNBRIDLED PLEASURE IN THE SHEDDING OF SWEET WARM HUMAN BLOOD; IN THE EROTIC POWER OF THE CHASE AND THE KILL?"
"Look, shut the hell up and take me! I'd rather not go to my final fiery rest with a migraine...."
"NO. AT THIS MOMENT I SUDDENLY FIND MYSELF IN THE MOOD.... TO PLAY. YOU WILL INDULGE ME, SHADOW OF WHAT WAS ONCE A VAMPIRE. ANSWER MY QUESTIONS BEFORE YOU DIE.... AND YOU MAY DIE MORE GENTLY THAN YOU ANTICIPATE."
{Bloody hell....} Spike thought grimly to himself, head down as he knelt before his tormentor. {Why couldn't I find another Hellgod to piss off..... nice threat to yer existence once in a while.... s'good fer the blood. Crikey, even Chaos demons are a bit a'fun on a borin' Sat'day night..... But, no.... I had to muck about with one that wants to *talk* me to dust! I'm never gonna learn....} "Fine." He finally said to the darkness around him. "Ask yer questions. But after, you make it quick, yeh? An' you leave the ones in the house be."
"AGREED. YOUR AGONY WILL NOT LINGER UNNECESSARILY AND THE HUMANS WILL BE SPARED. SHALL WE BEGIN?"
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
"Here, Leo. Put him on the couch."
Leo began to comply, but transferred the young man's weight to Cole when he spied Buffy standing near the doorway into the sunroom, turned half away, arms crossed over her chest and shaking with repressed anger that he knew wouldn't stay contained much longer.
"Can you take him? I'll be right back, I promise."
Cole glanced briefly in the direction Leo was looking and nearly dropped Xander to the floor.
"The Slayer?! You let the Slayer in the house?! I knew you were naïve, but I didn't think that meant stupid...."
"Relax and watch over him, alright? Yell if he starts to have trouble breathing again."
"Leo, you don't get it..."
"Look, unless you have some reason to fear her, she won't bother you. You don't right?"
It took a moment, but Cole shook off his fear and responded.
"No. No, of course not. Gut reaction... from the old days, you know?"
"Good. Stay here.... just in case."
"Glad to."
Leo left Xander in the care of the two ex-demons and moved off to deal with Buffy.
"Where have you been?"
"I told you, there was an emergency in Sunnydale. One of your friends was hurt. I had to go help."
"Hurt? Who? What happened?" Buffy demanded, her own concerns forgotten for the moment.
"I think I heard W... one of the others call him Xander. The demon they're fighting poisoned the air around your house. He got caught out in it. I brought him here in case he needs me again."
"Needs you? I don't understand."
"I have the power to heal. It's limited, but I was able to save your friend."
"Where is.... never mind." She said, finally spotting Anya by the sofa. "Give me ten minutes with Xander, then you and I are going to talk."
"About what?" Leo asked, thought he knew perfectly well.
"Nice attempt at condescension. We are getting Dawn back if I have to tear that place apart cloud by cloud."
Tossing Leo a forbidding smile, Buffy turned away to see to Xander. Leo merely squeezed his eyes closed, laid a hand on the bridge of his nose, tilted his head up and vanished in a burst of glitter and light.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
"What?!" Willow shouted. "What do you mean he's gone again? Who let him go?"
Tara wrapped an arm around Willow's waist and began trying to soothe her lover with small touches and soft words.
"Willow... honey, it's nobody's fault. Spike... he's doing something good. He's doing what he wanted to do...."
"But... he can't die! We can't let him! What did the books say about how to beat the demon?"
Tara hesitated too long and Willow, knowing instinctively that her reticence only meant bad news, felt her hopes failing.
"No.... we can't even drive it away?"
"It'll go when.... well, when Spike...."
Willow turned into Tara's arms and began to sob, talking into her lover's shoulder.
"I don't want anybody else to die...."
"I know, baby. I know...."
Standing a few feet away, Pheobe felt moved to go and try to augment the comfort the young woman was receiving, even moving a step or two forward before Paige halted her.
"Don't Phebes. We shouldn't.... get in the middle. Let's get to work on one of our traditional 'save the day at the last minute' spells, okay?"
"She just said there's nothing we can do, didn't she?"
"Since when have we ever gone strictly by the book?"
Pheobe shot Paige a look that spoke volumes. "Well, *that* book, yeah, but that wasn't what I meant and you know it. We've done the impossible before. I know we can do it again."
The youngest Halliwell sighed and resigned herself to coming up with yet another eleventh hour save.
"Menaced by monsters? Deviled by demons? Dial 1-800-CHARMED-ONES for 24/7 spooky janitorial service." Pheobe joked disdainfully.
Stepping up on her sister's left side, Piper responded to the humor in the words rather than to Pheobe's mildly caustic tone.
"We don't advertise, remember? We're witches, sis, not the Ghostbusters."
"Yeah, well, I don't see much of a difference anymore."
"I do."
"Uh-huh. Pray, tell."
"You're *so* much cuter than Dan Ackroyd. And can you see Leo marrying Bill Murray?"
"Nah. Harold Ramis, maybe...."
"Sheesh! Enough, you two." Paige interrupted. "Spell? Save the poor, harmless vampire from becoming demon Cracker Jacks?"
"Harmless? What..." Pheobe began. Piper cut her off.
"We'll explain after we save him, okay? Let's get working on the spell. Willow? Tara? Can you find paper and some pencils? And the book with the info about Mychnederus....."
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"You're sure you're alright, Xander?"
"Better." he croaked, sitting up slightly as a mild coughing fit shook him. "I'll be okay.... Buff... I need to talk to you... what I saw...."
"Shhh. Not now. You rest. I have to go somewhere, but I'll be back. Anya will take care of you. Try to sleep, okay?"
"Buffy...."
"Lay back. I promise we'll talk when I finish what I have to do." she admonished Xander, rising and turning to Anya. "Don't let him get up. He's still weak from the poison. Sit on his legs if you have to, but keep him on the couch."
When she saw the smile blossoming on the other woman's face, Buffy added a final instruction. "And no sex."
Anya's gleeful grin dissolved.
"But, you said...."
"No."
"But..."
"Anya, no!"
The former demon grumbled under her breath, but she finally agreed, allowing Buffy to turn her attention back to the problem of how to retrieve Dawn. She'd barely begun to contemplate a solution when Leo appeared before her, in a swirl of darker fog without the attendant flickering lights.
"What was that about?"
"A gag order." He replied sadly, gazing up briefly, then back to the Slayer.
"A gag order? What's that supposed to mean?"
"I went back to try to talk to them again. I thought maybe I could make them see... All they did was punish me for daring to question their ruling. I'm suspended for forty-eight hours. They left me my healing in case your friend Xander gets worse.... but that's all I have."
"You mean.... you can't get back? How are we supposed to save Dawn?"
"We aren't. That's the point. By the time I'm able to orb.... do the swirly light thing again," he translated for her benefit. "the Elders will have done.... what they think they need to do."
Buffy responded to this vague hint immediately, her voice suddenly tense and quiet.
"Which is what?"
"They've decided the only option.... is to dissipate the energy of the Key. Noone will ever be able to steal it or use it for evil again."
"Dissipate.... they're going to kill her? Your holier-than-thou elders.... are going to kill... my sister?" Buffy intoned, very slowly and with such steel underlying the words that Leo was tempted to step back. Instead he stayed in her face, knowing his job was to make her see the truth, whether the end result was fury or calm.
"It isn't your sister. It never was. You needed to believe that because it needed to be protected. It's nothing but a gathering of power..... too much power to risk it ever being stolen and used by the forces of Darkness."
"She.... not it. Dawn..."
".... is in the best hands, now. You did your job well, Slayer. You did all you could and more than you were asked to. Now it's time to let someone else take over. Time to take care of your friends..... and yourself ."
"I can't.... you don't understand....." Buffy raged, tears beginning to flow as she backed away from Leo. He chose not to follow, realizing that even his ability wouldn't heal her heart or see her through the grief she was only beginning to feel.
"They told me about your mother and the man you loved and all the losses you've had to face. I wish I could make it all different, but, even if I had my power.... there'd be nothing I could do. The decision's been made. I can't interfere or even keep arguing for you. They've seen to that. I don't even really know what to say.... how to ease the hurt.... I'm sorry."
"It's okay. That's what we're for." came Xander's exhausted, shaky voice from just a few feet away. With Anya's reluctant help, he had managed to get to his feet and shuffle his way to Buffy's side.
"Xander! You get back on the couch this minute!"
"No way, Buff. You need me, this is where I'm supposed to be." he countered, urging Anya to let him go. She complied and Buffy did exactly what Xander had hoped she would; she caught him before he could hit the floor, embracing him tightly. From somewhere in his weary body, he found the strength to wrap his arms around her as well. "I heard everything, Buffy. It's gonna be okay. You'll see. We'll make it okay again.... I promise."
Over Xander's shoulder, Buffy stared at Leo for a long time, until he began to squirm slightly under her gaze. Only then did she ask the final, most important question, though it came out as more of a statement.
"They won't make me forget again."
"No. None of you who knew Dawn will ever be forced to forget. The Elders aren't cruel.... just pragmatic."
"Inhuman." Buffy growled.
"The standard doesn't apply. They've never been human. Sometimes.... I admit it's a problem. We get angry, sad, passionate; they just get.... more pragmatic. They don't always understand how humans work."
"Then why do they bother with us at all? Why can't they just leave us alone?"
"You don't want to even imagine where mankind would be if they did."
Sensing Xander wouldn't be conscious much longer, Buffy abandoned the fruitless conversation, lifted him into her arms and deposited him back on the couch. She and Anya proceeded to tend to the young man as best they could, pointedly ignoring Leo, who took his cue and moved upstairs.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
"Okay, are we ready to try this guys?"
"We have no choice. We need to do it now." Willow said, her eyes firmly on the paper that she held in her shaking hands.
"Okay." Piper ordered. "On three we start. One, two, three..."
On the agreed count, five voices rang out in nearly perfect unison.
"Ravager of soul and mind
a tribute here you will not find.
Release the heart that does not beat,
for in our words lies your defeat.
Demon, turn your face away.
Return to this house the light of day.
Vanish like the morning mist,
Demand we all, cease and desist!"
%%%%%%%%%%%%%
"Hey? You get bored or somethin? You said you'd make this quick. Ask yer next bleedin' question!"
"NO.... NO! WITCHES.... YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME, INSECT..... CRAWLING WORM THAT TAKES THE FORM OF A MAN! YOU SHALL PAY DEARLY FOR YOUR DECEPTION!"
Within seconds, Spike felt the darkness suddenly begin to swirl around him, molding tight to his body as if it were a living thing, binding his arms to his sides and dragging him forward on his knees.
"Well... knew it was gonna happen. Just didn't know when.... at least I got to give the Slayer somethin' nice before I went. Not enough of a good deed to get me a cool shady spot, I know.... I did love ya, Slayer. Wherever ya are, pet.... know that."
Anticipating the slice of needle sharp teeth into his flesh, Spike closed his eyes. In his years with and without Angel and the others, William the Bloody had gained a great deal of his own brand of courage, but it wasn't enough, he now realized, to make him want to see his death as it came for him. Admittedly, there had been humans that had found the strength to keep open eyes in the face of Spike's attack. They had been rare, but the demon within him had treasured those memories. Moments from becoming a victim himself, Spike screamed silently and berated himself for not possessing even as much genuine bravery as the humans he'd killed; for not being able to face death with his eyes open.
Wrapped in misery and self-flagellation, Spike failed to notice when the sensation of being tugged forward began to slow and falter. He continued failing to notice until the demon made it all too clear.
"NO! YOU CAN'T..... HOW DARE YOU.... MY TRIBUTE! I WILL HAVE MY TRIBUTE..... DAMN all witches to hellllll......."
With these final, fading words of rancor from the demon, Spike finally risked opening his eyes. To his delight, he could see everything around him clearly and the air no longer held the taint of poison. Whooping his relief and his joy, Spike leapt to his feet and ran back into the house, grinning like a maniac and determined to hug every witch he could get his arms on, whether they wanted him to or not.
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TBC: Just an epilogue left. I'm really glad you enjoyed this little train of thought. There may be more to come if I can finish a couple WIPs first. Thanks for the reviews!
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"SO. FINALLY YOU DECIDE TO COME TO ME. THE DEATH OF THE HUMAN MUST HAVE FIRMED UP YOUR GUTS AT LAST. KNEEL, CHILDE OF DRUSILLA, GRAND-CHILDE OF ANGELUS. I VOW YOUR PAIN WILL BE BRIEF."
"Yeh, whatever. Get over yerself and jus do it, wouldya?"
"EAGER FOR OBLIVION ARE WE? THAT IS NOT SPIKE. WHERE IS THE CREATURE WHO PAINTED SUCH LOVELY PICTURES OF TERROR AND DESTRUCTION? WHERE IS THE DARK BEAST WHO TOOK SUCH UNBRIDLED PLEASURE IN THE SHEDDING OF SWEET WARM HUMAN BLOOD; IN THE EROTIC POWER OF THE CHASE AND THE KILL?"
"Look, shut the hell up and take me! I'd rather not go to my final fiery rest with a migraine...."
"NO. AT THIS MOMENT I SUDDENLY FIND MYSELF IN THE MOOD.... TO PLAY. YOU WILL INDULGE ME, SHADOW OF WHAT WAS ONCE A VAMPIRE. ANSWER MY QUESTIONS BEFORE YOU DIE.... AND YOU MAY DIE MORE GENTLY THAN YOU ANTICIPATE."
{Bloody hell....} Spike thought grimly to himself, head down as he knelt before his tormentor. {Why couldn't I find another Hellgod to piss off..... nice threat to yer existence once in a while.... s'good fer the blood. Crikey, even Chaos demons are a bit a'fun on a borin' Sat'day night..... But, no.... I had to muck about with one that wants to *talk* me to dust! I'm never gonna learn....} "Fine." He finally said to the darkness around him. "Ask yer questions. But after, you make it quick, yeh? An' you leave the ones in the house be."
"AGREED. YOUR AGONY WILL NOT LINGER UNNECESSARILY AND THE HUMANS WILL BE SPARED. SHALL WE BEGIN?"
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
"Here, Leo. Put him on the couch."
Leo began to comply, but transferred the young man's weight to Cole when he spied Buffy standing near the doorway into the sunroom, turned half away, arms crossed over her chest and shaking with repressed anger that he knew wouldn't stay contained much longer.
"Can you take him? I'll be right back, I promise."
Cole glanced briefly in the direction Leo was looking and nearly dropped Xander to the floor.
"The Slayer?! You let the Slayer in the house?! I knew you were naïve, but I didn't think that meant stupid...."
"Relax and watch over him, alright? Yell if he starts to have trouble breathing again."
"Leo, you don't get it..."
"Look, unless you have some reason to fear her, she won't bother you. You don't right?"
It took a moment, but Cole shook off his fear and responded.
"No. No, of course not. Gut reaction... from the old days, you know?"
"Good. Stay here.... just in case."
"Glad to."
Leo left Xander in the care of the two ex-demons and moved off to deal with Buffy.
"Where have you been?"
"I told you, there was an emergency in Sunnydale. One of your friends was hurt. I had to go help."
"Hurt? Who? What happened?" Buffy demanded, her own concerns forgotten for the moment.
"I think I heard W... one of the others call him Xander. The demon they're fighting poisoned the air around your house. He got caught out in it. I brought him here in case he needs me again."
"Needs you? I don't understand."
"I have the power to heal. It's limited, but I was able to save your friend."
"Where is.... never mind." She said, finally spotting Anya by the sofa. "Give me ten minutes with Xander, then you and I are going to talk."
"About what?" Leo asked, thought he knew perfectly well.
"Nice attempt at condescension. We are getting Dawn back if I have to tear that place apart cloud by cloud."
Tossing Leo a forbidding smile, Buffy turned away to see to Xander. Leo merely squeezed his eyes closed, laid a hand on the bridge of his nose, tilted his head up and vanished in a burst of glitter and light.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
"What?!" Willow shouted. "What do you mean he's gone again? Who let him go?"
Tara wrapped an arm around Willow's waist and began trying to soothe her lover with small touches and soft words.
"Willow... honey, it's nobody's fault. Spike... he's doing something good. He's doing what he wanted to do...."
"But... he can't die! We can't let him! What did the books say about how to beat the demon?"
Tara hesitated too long and Willow, knowing instinctively that her reticence only meant bad news, felt her hopes failing.
"No.... we can't even drive it away?"
"It'll go when.... well, when Spike...."
Willow turned into Tara's arms and began to sob, talking into her lover's shoulder.
"I don't want anybody else to die...."
"I know, baby. I know...."
Standing a few feet away, Pheobe felt moved to go and try to augment the comfort the young woman was receiving, even moving a step or two forward before Paige halted her.
"Don't Phebes. We shouldn't.... get in the middle. Let's get to work on one of our traditional 'save the day at the last minute' spells, okay?"
"She just said there's nothing we can do, didn't she?"
"Since when have we ever gone strictly by the book?"
Pheobe shot Paige a look that spoke volumes. "Well, *that* book, yeah, but that wasn't what I meant and you know it. We've done the impossible before. I know we can do it again."
The youngest Halliwell sighed and resigned herself to coming up with yet another eleventh hour save.
"Menaced by monsters? Deviled by demons? Dial 1-800-CHARMED-ONES for 24/7 spooky janitorial service." Pheobe joked disdainfully.
Stepping up on her sister's left side, Piper responded to the humor in the words rather than to Pheobe's mildly caustic tone.
"We don't advertise, remember? We're witches, sis, not the Ghostbusters."
"Yeah, well, I don't see much of a difference anymore."
"I do."
"Uh-huh. Pray, tell."
"You're *so* much cuter than Dan Ackroyd. And can you see Leo marrying Bill Murray?"
"Nah. Harold Ramis, maybe...."
"Sheesh! Enough, you two." Paige interrupted. "Spell? Save the poor, harmless vampire from becoming demon Cracker Jacks?"
"Harmless? What..." Pheobe began. Piper cut her off.
"We'll explain after we save him, okay? Let's get working on the spell. Willow? Tara? Can you find paper and some pencils? And the book with the info about Mychnederus....."
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
"You're sure you're alright, Xander?"
"Better." he croaked, sitting up slightly as a mild coughing fit shook him. "I'll be okay.... Buff... I need to talk to you... what I saw...."
"Shhh. Not now. You rest. I have to go somewhere, but I'll be back. Anya will take care of you. Try to sleep, okay?"
"Buffy...."
"Lay back. I promise we'll talk when I finish what I have to do." she admonished Xander, rising and turning to Anya. "Don't let him get up. He's still weak from the poison. Sit on his legs if you have to, but keep him on the couch."
When she saw the smile blossoming on the other woman's face, Buffy added a final instruction. "And no sex."
Anya's gleeful grin dissolved.
"But, you said...."
"No."
"But..."
"Anya, no!"
The former demon grumbled under her breath, but she finally agreed, allowing Buffy to turn her attention back to the problem of how to retrieve Dawn. She'd barely begun to contemplate a solution when Leo appeared before her, in a swirl of darker fog without the attendant flickering lights.
"What was that about?"
"A gag order." He replied sadly, gazing up briefly, then back to the Slayer.
"A gag order? What's that supposed to mean?"
"I went back to try to talk to them again. I thought maybe I could make them see... All they did was punish me for daring to question their ruling. I'm suspended for forty-eight hours. They left me my healing in case your friend Xander gets worse.... but that's all I have."
"You mean.... you can't get back? How are we supposed to save Dawn?"
"We aren't. That's the point. By the time I'm able to orb.... do the swirly light thing again," he translated for her benefit. "the Elders will have done.... what they think they need to do."
Buffy responded to this vague hint immediately, her voice suddenly tense and quiet.
"Which is what?"
"They've decided the only option.... is to dissipate the energy of the Key. Noone will ever be able to steal it or use it for evil again."
"Dissipate.... they're going to kill her? Your holier-than-thou elders.... are going to kill... my sister?" Buffy intoned, very slowly and with such steel underlying the words that Leo was tempted to step back. Instead he stayed in her face, knowing his job was to make her see the truth, whether the end result was fury or calm.
"It isn't your sister. It never was. You needed to believe that because it needed to be protected. It's nothing but a gathering of power..... too much power to risk it ever being stolen and used by the forces of Darkness."
"She.... not it. Dawn..."
".... is in the best hands, now. You did your job well, Slayer. You did all you could and more than you were asked to. Now it's time to let someone else take over. Time to take care of your friends..... and yourself ."
"I can't.... you don't understand....." Buffy raged, tears beginning to flow as she backed away from Leo. He chose not to follow, realizing that even his ability wouldn't heal her heart or see her through the grief she was only beginning to feel.
"They told me about your mother and the man you loved and all the losses you've had to face. I wish I could make it all different, but, even if I had my power.... there'd be nothing I could do. The decision's been made. I can't interfere or even keep arguing for you. They've seen to that. I don't even really know what to say.... how to ease the hurt.... I'm sorry."
"It's okay. That's what we're for." came Xander's exhausted, shaky voice from just a few feet away. With Anya's reluctant help, he had managed to get to his feet and shuffle his way to Buffy's side.
"Xander! You get back on the couch this minute!"
"No way, Buff. You need me, this is where I'm supposed to be." he countered, urging Anya to let him go. She complied and Buffy did exactly what Xander had hoped she would; she caught him before he could hit the floor, embracing him tightly. From somewhere in his weary body, he found the strength to wrap his arms around her as well. "I heard everything, Buffy. It's gonna be okay. You'll see. We'll make it okay again.... I promise."
Over Xander's shoulder, Buffy stared at Leo for a long time, until he began to squirm slightly under her gaze. Only then did she ask the final, most important question, though it came out as more of a statement.
"They won't make me forget again."
"No. None of you who knew Dawn will ever be forced to forget. The Elders aren't cruel.... just pragmatic."
"Inhuman." Buffy growled.
"The standard doesn't apply. They've never been human. Sometimes.... I admit it's a problem. We get angry, sad, passionate; they just get.... more pragmatic. They don't always understand how humans work."
"Then why do they bother with us at all? Why can't they just leave us alone?"
"You don't want to even imagine where mankind would be if they did."
Sensing Xander wouldn't be conscious much longer, Buffy abandoned the fruitless conversation, lifted him into her arms and deposited him back on the couch. She and Anya proceeded to tend to the young man as best they could, pointedly ignoring Leo, who took his cue and moved upstairs.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
"Okay, are we ready to try this guys?"
"We have no choice. We need to do it now." Willow said, her eyes firmly on the paper that she held in her shaking hands.
"Okay." Piper ordered. "On three we start. One, two, three..."
On the agreed count, five voices rang out in nearly perfect unison.
"Ravager of soul and mind
a tribute here you will not find.
Release the heart that does not beat,
for in our words lies your defeat.
Demon, turn your face away.
Return to this house the light of day.
Vanish like the morning mist,
Demand we all, cease and desist!"
%%%%%%%%%%%%%
"Hey? You get bored or somethin? You said you'd make this quick. Ask yer next bleedin' question!"
"NO.... NO! WITCHES.... YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME, INSECT..... CRAWLING WORM THAT TAKES THE FORM OF A MAN! YOU SHALL PAY DEARLY FOR YOUR DECEPTION!"
Within seconds, Spike felt the darkness suddenly begin to swirl around him, molding tight to his body as if it were a living thing, binding his arms to his sides and dragging him forward on his knees.
"Well... knew it was gonna happen. Just didn't know when.... at least I got to give the Slayer somethin' nice before I went. Not enough of a good deed to get me a cool shady spot, I know.... I did love ya, Slayer. Wherever ya are, pet.... know that."
Anticipating the slice of needle sharp teeth into his flesh, Spike closed his eyes. In his years with and without Angel and the others, William the Bloody had gained a great deal of his own brand of courage, but it wasn't enough, he now realized, to make him want to see his death as it came for him. Admittedly, there had been humans that had found the strength to keep open eyes in the face of Spike's attack. They had been rare, but the demon within him had treasured those memories. Moments from becoming a victim himself, Spike screamed silently and berated himself for not possessing even as much genuine bravery as the humans he'd killed; for not being able to face death with his eyes open.
Wrapped in misery and self-flagellation, Spike failed to notice when the sensation of being tugged forward began to slow and falter. He continued failing to notice until the demon made it all too clear.
"NO! YOU CAN'T..... HOW DARE YOU.... MY TRIBUTE! I WILL HAVE MY TRIBUTE..... DAMN all witches to hellllll......."
With these final, fading words of rancor from the demon, Spike finally risked opening his eyes. To his delight, he could see everything around him clearly and the air no longer held the taint of poison. Whooping his relief and his joy, Spike leapt to his feet and ran back into the house, grinning like a maniac and determined to hug every witch he could get his arms on, whether they wanted him to or not.
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TBC: Just an epilogue left. I'm really glad you enjoyed this little train of thought. There may be more to come if I can finish a couple WIPs first. Thanks for the reviews!