A/N: Wow. It has been practically an entire summer since I updated and
believe me I am INCREDIBLY sorry. But don't worry, updates will definitely
come more frequently.
~
Dawn grabbed a metal candleholder and slammed it into Darla.
"Oh, poor little girl. You forget that metal can't hurt me." Darla cooed and ran her hand over Dawn's face.
"But there is something that I know will." Buffy stated ominously. She pulled open a curtain and loud beams of light poured in, covering everyone in the capacity.
"SUNRISE!" Buffy exclaimed, triumph seething through her vocal cords. Darla cowered and screamed in agony. Buffy and Dawn exchanged amused glances before Buffy grabbed Darla by the neck and slammed her up against the church wall.
"It's in about nine hours, moron!" With a quick swoosh! She darted a stake into Darla's heart. Darla looked down in shock and up at Buffy.
"Little Bitc-" Darla disintegrated into ashes, just as Luke had.
"Nice diversion." Dawn said, smirking at the lamp outside of the stained glass window.
"Thanks. Duck." Buffy said calmly. A mace flew over their crouched heads. The Master, his yellow eyes gleaming with fury, sauntered slowly over to the girls. He knelt down beside Darla's ashes.
"You have ruined everything. The Vessel is inactivated." His voice was rough and coarse, back stiff. He stood up and faced Buffy.
"You will regret this night." He whispered.
"Ya know what you'll regret?" The Master, Dawn, and Buffy looked up in shock to see Spike taking a drag on a cigarette.
"William?" The Master coiled his lip in disgust. The last thing he wanted to see was that damned traitor.
"Hey pops, how's it goin'? So, where was I? Oh yeah, you didn't answer my question. Do you know what you will regret in about, oh." Spike looked down at an imaginary watch, " 45 seconds?" The Master sighed in exasperation, moving his feet into a defensive position.
"I'll bite."
"No pun intended." Dawn snickered to Buffy.
"What will I regret in 34 seconds?" He placed his pale body into full fighting stance.
"Yapping bullshit when you should have been paying attention to what was going on behind you." With that said, Spike flicked a fiery cigarette ash onto The Master's coat, which dissolved into flames. Piercing screams filled the church, as The Master was slowly incinerated. Spike shook his head in disgust. He flashed his eyes up to Buffy and Dawn.
"Bloke didn't even notice me pouring gasoline all over his bloody jacket." Buffy smiled and rolled her eyes good-naturedly.
"Welcome to the home team, Spike." She said, reaching her hand out again. Spike's eyes softened as he gently clasped her delicate, yet dangerous fingers. After giving them a gentle squeeze and deliberately staring a second longer into her eyes, Spike turned around and sauntered off into the night. Exhaling a breath she didn't know she was holding, Buffy turned to Dawn.
"So, ya wanna call it a night?" Dawn looked onto Spike's retreating back and then gave Buffy a knowing smile.
"Uh-huh." Buffy widened her eyes in false shock.
"What was that?"
"Nothing! Nothing at all."
"You gave me a look!"
"What look?"
"The look you just gave me."
"Could you describe the look?" Dawn asked innocently, smiling sweetly at Buffy.
"Help." A light, coarse voice called out. Buffy and Dawn halted in their tracks. Buffy raced over to a knocked over chair and lifted it up to reveal Cordelia.
"Cordy!" Dawn yelled, kneeling down by her side. How strange, Dawn thought, realizing she had genuine concern for Cordelia...so much concern that it was as if they were friends.
"What happened?" Buffy asked, her investigative voice coming on.
"This girl bit me! Then she patched me up, and told me I was bait, and then and then she-she broke my arm!" Cordelia wailed clutching the said arm.
"Did you lose a lot of blood?" Buffy asked, helping Cordelia to her feet.
"How should I know, freak? It's not like she used a measuring cup."
"So I'll take that as a no." Buffy retorted, sighing. Even when she was helping this girl, she was a total bitch. Dawn stopped Buffy.
"I'll get her home. I know where she lives." Oddly enough, Dawn added silently.
"Can you handle yourself?" Buffy asked.
"I should be okay. There probably won't be too much vamp action, anyway. They'll all be mourning the death of their dearly beloved Master." Dawn grabbed a hold of Cordelia's good arm and lead her away. Buffy clutched Dawn's open shoulder.
"Just...be careful, okay?"
"I always am." Dawn replied softly. She then gently led Cordelia away.
"I take it it's over?" Buffy jumped slightly, but exhaled in relief to come face to face with Giles, who was followed shortly by Willow, Xander, and Jesse.
"Did we win?" Willow asked, with a tone of excitement entering her voice.
"Well, we averted the apocalypse. I give us points for that." Buffy said.
"We?" Xander asked, inevitable jealousy entering his voice.
"Me, Dawn, and Spike. He was telling the truth, " Buffy directed to Giles, "He really is good. He dusted The Master."
"That's wonderful. We can always use a good fighter." Giles smiled, excited at the prospect of a good vampire. Imagine the research I could do, Giles thought, getting giddy at the idea. Xander, however, raised his shoulders in a sulk.
"Well, great for Spike. Let's throw him a damned party, why don't we." Xander muttered. Jesse stepped forward and stared down in disbelief at the piles of ashes that surrounded them.
"Well, one thing's for sure." He stated monotonously. "Nothing is ever going to be the same again."
~
Spike leaned up against the side of the church, listening in on the conversation. He took a shaky drag on his cigarette. Nothing would ever be the same, the boy said.
"You have no bloody idea." Spike muttered softly to himself. Throwing the fag onto the ground, Spike walked off, ready to face another night in his new reality.
~
tbc...
~
Dawn grabbed a metal candleholder and slammed it into Darla.
"Oh, poor little girl. You forget that metal can't hurt me." Darla cooed and ran her hand over Dawn's face.
"But there is something that I know will." Buffy stated ominously. She pulled open a curtain and loud beams of light poured in, covering everyone in the capacity.
"SUNRISE!" Buffy exclaimed, triumph seething through her vocal cords. Darla cowered and screamed in agony. Buffy and Dawn exchanged amused glances before Buffy grabbed Darla by the neck and slammed her up against the church wall.
"It's in about nine hours, moron!" With a quick swoosh! She darted a stake into Darla's heart. Darla looked down in shock and up at Buffy.
"Little Bitc-" Darla disintegrated into ashes, just as Luke had.
"Nice diversion." Dawn said, smirking at the lamp outside of the stained glass window.
"Thanks. Duck." Buffy said calmly. A mace flew over their crouched heads. The Master, his yellow eyes gleaming with fury, sauntered slowly over to the girls. He knelt down beside Darla's ashes.
"You have ruined everything. The Vessel is inactivated." His voice was rough and coarse, back stiff. He stood up and faced Buffy.
"You will regret this night." He whispered.
"Ya know what you'll regret?" The Master, Dawn, and Buffy looked up in shock to see Spike taking a drag on a cigarette.
"William?" The Master coiled his lip in disgust. The last thing he wanted to see was that damned traitor.
"Hey pops, how's it goin'? So, where was I? Oh yeah, you didn't answer my question. Do you know what you will regret in about, oh." Spike looked down at an imaginary watch, " 45 seconds?" The Master sighed in exasperation, moving his feet into a defensive position.
"I'll bite."
"No pun intended." Dawn snickered to Buffy.
"What will I regret in 34 seconds?" He placed his pale body into full fighting stance.
"Yapping bullshit when you should have been paying attention to what was going on behind you." With that said, Spike flicked a fiery cigarette ash onto The Master's coat, which dissolved into flames. Piercing screams filled the church, as The Master was slowly incinerated. Spike shook his head in disgust. He flashed his eyes up to Buffy and Dawn.
"Bloke didn't even notice me pouring gasoline all over his bloody jacket." Buffy smiled and rolled her eyes good-naturedly.
"Welcome to the home team, Spike." She said, reaching her hand out again. Spike's eyes softened as he gently clasped her delicate, yet dangerous fingers. After giving them a gentle squeeze and deliberately staring a second longer into her eyes, Spike turned around and sauntered off into the night. Exhaling a breath she didn't know she was holding, Buffy turned to Dawn.
"So, ya wanna call it a night?" Dawn looked onto Spike's retreating back and then gave Buffy a knowing smile.
"Uh-huh." Buffy widened her eyes in false shock.
"What was that?"
"Nothing! Nothing at all."
"You gave me a look!"
"What look?"
"The look you just gave me."
"Could you describe the look?" Dawn asked innocently, smiling sweetly at Buffy.
"Help." A light, coarse voice called out. Buffy and Dawn halted in their tracks. Buffy raced over to a knocked over chair and lifted it up to reveal Cordelia.
"Cordy!" Dawn yelled, kneeling down by her side. How strange, Dawn thought, realizing she had genuine concern for Cordelia...so much concern that it was as if they were friends.
"What happened?" Buffy asked, her investigative voice coming on.
"This girl bit me! Then she patched me up, and told me I was bait, and then and then she-she broke my arm!" Cordelia wailed clutching the said arm.
"Did you lose a lot of blood?" Buffy asked, helping Cordelia to her feet.
"How should I know, freak? It's not like she used a measuring cup."
"So I'll take that as a no." Buffy retorted, sighing. Even when she was helping this girl, she was a total bitch. Dawn stopped Buffy.
"I'll get her home. I know where she lives." Oddly enough, Dawn added silently.
"Can you handle yourself?" Buffy asked.
"I should be okay. There probably won't be too much vamp action, anyway. They'll all be mourning the death of their dearly beloved Master." Dawn grabbed a hold of Cordelia's good arm and lead her away. Buffy clutched Dawn's open shoulder.
"Just...be careful, okay?"
"I always am." Dawn replied softly. She then gently led Cordelia away.
"I take it it's over?" Buffy jumped slightly, but exhaled in relief to come face to face with Giles, who was followed shortly by Willow, Xander, and Jesse.
"Did we win?" Willow asked, with a tone of excitement entering her voice.
"Well, we averted the apocalypse. I give us points for that." Buffy said.
"We?" Xander asked, inevitable jealousy entering his voice.
"Me, Dawn, and Spike. He was telling the truth, " Buffy directed to Giles, "He really is good. He dusted The Master."
"That's wonderful. We can always use a good fighter." Giles smiled, excited at the prospect of a good vampire. Imagine the research I could do, Giles thought, getting giddy at the idea. Xander, however, raised his shoulders in a sulk.
"Well, great for Spike. Let's throw him a damned party, why don't we." Xander muttered. Jesse stepped forward and stared down in disbelief at the piles of ashes that surrounded them.
"Well, one thing's for sure." He stated monotonously. "Nothing is ever going to be the same again."
~
Spike leaned up against the side of the church, listening in on the conversation. He took a shaky drag on his cigarette. Nothing would ever be the same, the boy said.
"You have no bloody idea." Spike muttered softly to himself. Throwing the fag onto the ground, Spike walked off, ready to face another night in his new reality.
~
tbc...
