AGAINST DESTINY
Chapter Four : Possession
"Help me!! Somebody!!" Amy screamed as she was dragged out of a dark alley by two vampires. "Let me go!! Get your dirty hands off me!!" the former rat girl cried out.
The demons looked at the girl, then at each other and contemplated if they should gag her.
"Better do what the lady says, mates," a deep, British voice said from behind.
The vampires turned around to find Spike, hands deep inside his duster's front pockets with a sardonic grin and Darius right behind him with his arms crossed over his chest. The two let go of Amy and took a step forward.
With a yelp, the girl bolted to the other side of the street and hid behind a lamp post.
Spike darted forward quickly and staked one of the vampires. The peroxide blond's eyes widened and his jaw dropped a bit in surprise when the target didn't quite turn into dust. "What in the bleeding Hell is..."
He was cut off as the staked vampire punched him across the face and sent him flying toward a trash can. The demon yanked the stake out of its heart, crushed it, and stalked toward Spike with an angry snarl.
"It's starting..." Darius thought and went into a fighting stance as the other creature circled around him.
***
Buffy stirred the ice cubes around in her cup of diet coke lazily. She was alone on the table with her thoughts as her friends and Dawn were still at the dance floor. And her thoughts at the moment happened to be about a certain peroxide blond. She had known Spike for more or less than four years and she still couldn't completely figure him out. The British man was always full of surprises.
When she was back in highschool, she was taught that vampires and demons lived only for bloodshed and destruction. Spike proved her wrong when he said he loved the world and didn't want it to end and helped her save the planet from Angelus. She believed back then that beings without souls can't love or feel emotions. The peroxide blond wonder proved her wrong again when he fell in love with her. And now, Spike had been giving her the cold shoulder and felt different. Her Slayer senses still tingled whenever he was around but not like they used to. There was something strange about him. But what?
"Lousy enigmatic vampire..." Buffy muttered to herself and slumped on her seat.
The tiny blonde woman was brought out of her reverie when Willow, Tara, and Dawn came back and sat down with her.
"Hey there, Buffy," Willow greeted with a smile and noticed her exasperated look. "Are you tired already?"
"D-do you want to go home n-now?" Tara asked.
"Nah... I was just... you know, thinking about someone... something. No biggie," Buffy answered with a fake smile.
Dawn looked around. They seemed to be missing someone. "Hey, where's Xander? The band stopped playing to take a break."
"Probably went..." Willow said but was interrupted when someone from the dance floor yelled out something.
"EVERYBODY FORM A CIRCLE!!!"
"...to get a drink," the redhead finished when they all saw Xander at the dance floor, singing and dancing by himself.
"Put your left foot in. Your left foot out. Your left foot in. And shake it all about. You do the hokey pokey. And turn yourself around..." Xander sang while he performed the moves that came with the song though a bit clumsily.
Tara giggled. "I-I didn't know Xander knew the Hokey Pokey."
"He doesn't," Willow supplied with a frown.
"Guys, how much alcohol did he have?" Buffy asked, puzzled but amused.
***
"Damn that hurts..." Darius muttered to himself as he picked himself up from the ground after being thrown to a lamp post for the third time.
The Demoner's whole body was sore and ached with pain. He was tired and battered. He had tried almost every attack and strategy he knew and managed to get a few good hits in but his opponent was much stronger than him. His opponent overpowered him in every aspect and he would be tonight's main course if he didn't come up with something soon.
"If you can't beat 'em, burn 'em," Darius told himself as his vampire opponent growled smugly and started to advance on him slowly. The young man's pupils dilated and turned black as he put his right arm forward. "Super duper uber ouch ouch spell coming straight at ya!!" he taunted. A blast of flame flew out of his palm and hit the vampire right on the heart.
The undead fiend screamed in agony as its whole body was set on fire. The blood sucker dropped to the ground and rolled around to extinguish the fire but it was too late.
Darius watched the vampire transform into dust and sighed in relief. He then gasped, surprised to find his nose bleeding and his head spinning. "I've got to stop doing that trick... drains too much energy..." The dark haired youth collapsed on the ground on his knees and wiped the blood off of his nose.
"You lose, wanker," Spike hissed as he managed to pin his opponent down and then break his neck. He stood up when his vampire enemy turned into dust and went over to Amy to see if she was injured or anything.
"Um, uh, thanks for..." Amy started, a bit shyly.
"Save it," Spike snorted. "Don't help the helpless. Just happen to be up for bloodshed."
Darius went past the Ex-Vampire and knelt down in front of the girl. "Hey, you okay?"
"Yeah... I'm fine..." Amy answered and added, in a very low voice, barely above whisper, "but I also kind of... wet my pants."
Darius stood up and said nothing, not really knowing what to say.
Spike on the other hand, snickered a bit and grinned at the former rat girl's embarrassed look. "Look, girl, better go home and change into something dry," he suggested in a mischievous tone.
With that said, the Ex-Vampire sauntered back to the Bronze without looking back. He was more concerned with the vampires he had just encountered. They were immune to stakes and very strong. Only Master vampires like him possessed that much power and the two sure didn't look like it. Something was amiss... a new Big Bad come into town perhaps?
Spike knew he had to alert Buffy though one part of his brain asked why should he. If Buffy met more of the super vampires and got killed because she was taken by surprise, it was none of his business. But another part told him it would be nice to do some good. It would ease some of the guilt that weighed his heart down, even if it was just a little. And then there was also that teeny, tiny small part of his head that just wanted to see the blonde woman. He could spend all night watching her from the shadows and drowning himself in her beauty just like he used to. He could... "Not going there," he scolded himself before he could continue the thought. "Just going to see the Slayer to talk, is all, not to make moon eyes," he tried to convince himself.
The Demoner watched Spike go and turned back to Amy. "He's right. Better get out of here. More of their kind might come."
Amy said nothing and remained still, too scared to move.
Darius looked impatient. "Hey, lady, the minions of Darkness aren't coming this way to tell us about the neighbourhood bake sale," he snapped.
The witch straightened herself up and turned her gaze away from his piercing dark brown eyes. "Uh... do you mind walking me home? After almost being eaten, I'm still a little... skittish?"
"No, I don't," Darius relented. "Just lead the way."
***
Spike entered the Bronze in the hopes of finding Buffy and was surprised to find the crowd a little more livelier than usual. He wondered what the hell was going and pushed his way through the crowd that had gathered around the dance floor. What he saw in front of him almost made him fall down and break into a fit of laughter and he would have if he didn't have a reputation to keep.
Xander Harris was prancing and dancing around the dance floor like a ballerina. Spike watched in complete amusement as the brunette made an idiot out of himself while the rest of the audience whistled and urged him to keep the entertainment going.
The carpenter then stopped momentarily and started doing the Snoopy Dance. The Ex-Vampire let out a small laugh and wondered what possessed Xander to humiliate himself. Was he drunk? Was the break up with Anya too much and he went insane? Either way, Spike was enjoying the show too much to care and mentally berated himself for not bringing a camera. Maybe if he ran fast enough he could buy or steal one and make it back to take some pictures for blackmail purposes.
Spike turned around to leave but then found the Scoobies at the other side of the club. Their faces were a mixture of amusement, confusion, concern, and horror. He wondered why they still hadn't dragged Xander out of the dance floor after all this time. Too shocked maybe?
Just when the Ex-Vampire thought things couldn't get any better, the brunette got on all fours and started to sing the Scooby Doo theme song. The peroxide blond thought the carpenter had really lost it and looked at him closely. Xander's eyes were filled with nothing but fear. He looked like he was aware of what he was doing but had no control over himself like he was possessed or something. Something wasn't right.
Finally, Buffy and her friends broke through the crowd and dragged Xander out of the Bronze. Spike followed the Scoobies and watched from afar as the four girls talked to the carpenter.
"Xander, what happened to you?" Willow asked, still a little shaken from her best friend's performance.
"God, how much did you drink?" Buffy added.
"N-no... no alcohol induced behaviour back there..." Xander replied quickly and started to sweat heavily.
"He's right. Something w-wasn't right back there," Tara supplied.
Dawn frowned. "Then what was it?"
"I don't know! It felt like someone was playing around with my body... like I'm a puppet and someone was pulling my strings. Oh God, I can never go back there! I made a complete idiot out of myself!" he cried out, near hysteria.
"You ARE an idiot, you ponce!" Spike thought from his hiding place.
"Think it might have been a possession spell or something?" Willow questioned.
Tara nodded. "It could be now that you mentioned it. I felt something back there... something dark. Whatever it was, it's not the kind of Magick Willow and I use."
"Look, Xander, go home and get some rest. Tomorrow, we'll research this at the Magic Box, okay? Everything's going to be fine," Buffy assured.
"Thanks guys," Xander smiled weakly. "I don't know what I'd do without you."
Buffy and Willow gave their best friend a group hug and headed for home.
Spike watched the Scoobies leave and contemplated what Tara said. He did feel something dark back at the Bronze. He wondered who or what was strong enough to take control of a person's body. His guess was as good as anyone's.
The Ex-Vampire emerged out of the shadows and headed toward his crypt. With all of the excitement gone, he suddenly felt tired and battered. The peroxide blond decided to turn in for the night and hoped he wouldn't wake up dancing like a moron.
***
The following day, the Scoobies met at the Magic Box and looked up books that might carry information about possession spells. Buffy, Willow, Xander, Tara, and Dawn had spent two hours reading books while Anya took care of the customers as usual.
"Ugh, I can't find anything about a possession spell," Dawn groaned and leaned back on her chair. "It's hopeless."
"No, it's not hopeless. We have to find something to stop this. I don't wanna do the Hokey Pokey again," Xander grimaced.
"My brain's tired. Maybe we should take a break before our brains turn all mushy," Buffy suggested and closed the volume she had been looking at.
"Yeah, mushy's not healthy," Tara agreed.
"Hey, look at this," Willow called out to the others, who had been researching with her laptop. "This is so weird."
The rest of the gang gathered behind her.
"What is it?" Xander asked anxiously.
"They found a dead man at the Expresso Pump last night. According to this, he died from internal bleeding. His stomach had ten punctured holes," the redhead answered. "And here's another one, except this one was burned to death. Eye witnesses claimed that he just combusted into flames. Poof! Just like that."
The carpenter arched an eyebrow. "And this is related to me doing the Snoopy Dance in public because..."
"...it sounds like you've been cursed by a Voodoo spell," Anya interjected, having finished making a sale and joining the group.
"Voodoo?" Xander frowned.
"Yes. There's someone out there controlling you with a doll. And sooner or later dancing will be the least of your worries. Whoever cursed you might stick needles in your gut or burn you with a candle, putting you out of commission permanently," the Vengeance Demon stated casually.
Xander paled and looked ready to faint at any moment. "We... have t-to do something! I-Is there anyway to reverse it?"
Anya smiled brightly and then looked malevolent. "Don't look at me, HARRIS," she said with venom and acid in her voice. "Playing with dolls to torture men isn't my style. I'd rather put warts on a man's penis." She then whirled around and returned to the counter to greet a new customer.
The brunette man looked at his friends with hopeful eyes. "Guys, please tell me you have a plan. Because me dying is not of the good."
Buffy and the others hesitated to speak up and just exchanged glances with each other.
"Guys? How are we going to save me?"
Buffy stood up and put on a determined face. "Tara, Dawn, you two find anything that could counter Voodoo spells. Willow, see if there were anymore victims last night and check for leads on who could've done this. I'll go see Spike and see if he can help."
"What about me?" Xander asked nervously.
"Uh... you just stay here... you know, just in case the Voodoo man or lady thing person decides to pull your strings again," the Slayer instructed and headed for the door. "See you guys later. I'll be back in a few."
***
Spike woke up from his slumber abruptly and sat up with a sigh. His heart pounded against his chest heavily. His body was covered with sweat. He panted and gasped frantically, desperate for air. He dreamt about 'them' again, except this time 'they' took him to Hell and burned him alive. The Ex-Vampire slumped forward and covered his face with his hands as a few choked sobs escaped his lips when a wave of guilt washed over him.
He hated himself. He hated the world. He hated living. He hated having to live with nightmares of the people he killed in the past and having to carry the guilt and remorse that came with it. He knew he could always lose 'them' by focusing his thoughts on something else, getting drunk, or fighting demons. But he also knew he couldn't keep running away from his past for the rest of his mortal life. What kind of life would that be?
The peroxide blond got off the stone sarcophagus and put on some clothes. He then stalked out of his crypt and breathed in the fresh air, as fresh as it could get in the graveyard. Spike leaned against a headstone and looked up to the bright blue sky.
He wondered what he should do with his life now. Beating down demons, going to clubs, winning games of poker or pool, and running away from his past wasn't much of a life; that was his vampire self's life. He was mortal now and had to make a few adjustments. He knew it was going to be hard but not impossible. If someone like Anya could do it, so could he.
Spike's body suddenly tensed up and felt a familiar tingling at the back of his neck.
"The Slayer's coming," he whispered and ran back to his crypt.
He still didn't want Buffy to know that he had changed from a screwed up spell, yet. The Ex-Vampire straightened up and forced himself to look casual as his extra senses told him Buffy was closing in. A few seconds ticked by and the tiny blonde woman entered his home as expected.
"Slayer," the peroxide blond greeted in a neutral tone.
"Spike," Buffy replied automatically and took a step closer toward him.
"What brings you here?" Spike asked.
"I... we need your help. Weird things happened last night."
"No kidding," the Ex-Vampire snorted with a small grin at the memory of Xander prancing like a ballerina.
Buffy remembered it too. "Yeah... weird things," she chuckled. "Um, the guys think there's someone in town casting Voodoo spells."
Spike tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. "And you think that explains why the Glorified Brick Layer was acting more of an idiot last night, I wager."
"Y-you saw?" Buffy sputtered.
"Yeah. Caught at least half of the show. Too bad I don't own a bloody camera."
The Slayer didn't know what to say to that and remained quiet. She then started to shift from foot to foot as the silence between them began to feel awkward. "So... um, are you going to help me... err, us find out who's the doll master? You in or out?"
"In," he nodded with a smirk. "Meet you at the shop when the sun sets?"
"Yeah. Sure. It's a dat... we'll be there. And then we could hit the demon bars," she suggested and quickly added, "...to pump out information."
"Fine. I'll be there and get some help too. Know this bloke that does hocus pocus."
"Okay. That's good. The more the merrier."
"Yeah."
"Yeah."
"I'll be there."
"I'll be waiting."
"At sunset," they both said at the same time. The two looked away from each other as the awkward silence spread across the crypt again. Spike shoved his hands into his duster's front pockets and started to fidget with his fingers. Buffy did likewise when she put her hands behind her back.
"So... I guess I better be going now. Gotta keep an eye on Xander," Buffy announced with an uneasy chuckle.
"You do that... but do take a picture if he does the Snoopy Dance," Spike requested with a small smile.
"I'll try... but I'm not promising anything."
"Won't get my hopes up."
Another awkward silence.
"I'll be going now 'cause... yeah." Buffy whirled around and walked toward the door with Spike right beside her. "So, um... yeah. Later."
"Later," he nodded curtly and watched her leave. The Ex-Vampire closed the door gently and went over to the couch. He plopped down on the furniture and ran his hands through his hair. "What have I gotten m'self into?"
