Chapter 21
"Where do you think Corbett's lair is?" Buffy asked.
Spike shrugged, "Haven't been here for ten years. I don't really know."
"Well, vampires don't change much. Where would he have been ten years ago?"
"I don't know. Maybe holed up in one of those abandoned factories."
"What is it with vamps and factories?"
"They're large enough for all the minions. And what's the alternate? A hole in the ground? Besides, there's an awful lot of abandoned factories and warehouses in Sunnydale."
"Property values aren't that high. Can't imagine why." She shouldered her axe, "Let's start checking then. Wanna take the car?"
Spike shuddered, remembering the ride home from Angel's place. "No, let's just hoof it."
"Whatever."
Spike watched Buffy closely, looking for any sign of weakness that resulted from the shock and horror of losing Joyce. She seemed fine, but Spike was acutely aware of the power of the Slayer, barely contained in her small body. She was furious, and Spike was thankful that her anger wasn't directed at him.
They reached the industrial side of town quickly, and Spike wasn't very surprised to see that it was seedier and more run down than when he left. It seemed everything was closed or abandoned, and he could hear and smell the scurrying vampires and demons everywhere.
"I bet you get more action here than in the graveyard these days," Spike commented.
"Yeah," she agreed, "Compared to the factory district, the graveyards are dead." She paused and grimaced, "No pun intended."
"I don't think we have the time to knock on all these doors," Spike pointed out.
Buffy shifted her weight and thought about their options. It seemed rather stupid to just barge into several large nests, but every second that passed put Joyce in more danger. She was distracted by her thoughts by a large, lumbering vamp running towards her at full speed. She rolled her eyes and sidestepped. He ran straight into the wall behind her and fell flat on his back, dazed.
She stood above him, one foot firmly planted on his massive chest, a stake raised menacingly.
"Who's the master vampire around these parts?" She asked.
"I don't know."
She ground her heel into the vampire's chest and repeated her question. "Michelle."
Buffy looked at Spike. "Good a place as any to start." She looked down, "Where does she live?"
He pointed to the factory directly behind them and Buffy smiled brightly. "Thanks for your help." Before the vamp could blink, she plunged the stake into his heart and took a step back, wiping the dust off of her clothes.
"There probably won't be too many vamps now, they're all out feeding," Spike pointed out.
"So you're saying we should just barge in?"
"Yeah."
"Sounds like a plan to me."
Buffy walked forward purposely, and kicked the door in. "So much for the element of surprise," Spike muttered.
"What's that supposed to me?" Buffy demanded.
"Just saying, you've announced our presence to every vamp in this place."
"Doesn't matter, I'm in the mood for a good fight. Need to flex my muscles." Buffy led the way into the dark corridors of the factory, dusting the minions as she came to them. Spike was happy to have her back, but she never needed his help.
"Where's Michelle?" She asked each one before turning them to dust, but she didn't get an answer until the ninth vamp. "In the back," it growled before it burst into a million little pieces.
"Fantastic."
They finally found the vampiress, holed up in a backroom, being attended to by three female minions. She was tall with long brown hair and a malicious face. Her chocolate eyes sparkled when Buffy and Spike entered the room. "Let me guess," she drawled, "You're the Slayer." She didn't wait for the response before turning her attention to Spike. "But who is that?" She stood up, unwinding her body gracefully. She sniffed the air delicately. "You're a vampire," she said with surprise.
"Well, yeah." He turned his attention to Buffy. "Can you believe nobody remembers me?"
"She was probably turned after you left town."
"Maybe." Spike took a step forward. " 'Lo princess. I'm Spike."
"What's a vampire doing with the Slayer?"
"Passin' time. You the big name in town?"
"For now."
"You expecting visitors?"
The minions stood around their master, waiting for word to attack. Buffy stood with her arms cross, looking casual but ready to fight. "Maybe," Michelle answered.
Spike took another step forward and lowered his voice. "Why don't you share?"
"What's in it for me?"
"The Slayer will kill you quickly instead of prolonging the pain."
Michelle laughed and waved her hand. The minions launched themselves at Buffy, and she took them all out with the same stake. "Is that all you got?"
Michelle moved as if to run right past both of them, but Spike grabbed her by the collar of her dress and slammed her into the floor. "So, 'bout those visitors you're expecting."
The Master vampire hadn't survived so long by being stupid, and she knew when she was beat. Spike was obviously old, and the Slayer was extremely powerful. "Corbett is in town."
Buffy caught her breath. "Since when."
"Last night. He's laying low for now."
"Where?" Spike asked.
"I don't know."
Spike grabbed her hair and tugged it sharply. "Where?"
"I don't know."
Spike drove her face into the ground. "Where?"
"The mansion outside of town."
Buffy rolled her eyes, "On Crawford Street?"
"Yeah."
Spike smiled, "Peaches is gonna be pissed someone's squatting in his house."
"Can I go now?" Michelle asked.
"Yeah," Spike said, as he caught the stake Buffy tossed at him. "Bye." He stood up, brushing the dust from his hands.
"Off to the mansion then?"
"Yeah."
"This is gonna be real fun," Spike muttered as he followed the slayer out of the factory and into the..
***
.cemetery. "Buffy, you aren't ready to patrol yet!"
"Leave me alone, Spike."
"Slayer, listen. You're still weak."
"I think I know my own body," she said coldly.
"So do I," Spike responded, catching up with her. "What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing. What are you doing out here anyway?"
"Dawn asked me to come check on you."
Buffy rolled her eyes. "I don't need you, or anybody else, to check on me. I'm the Slayer, remember?"
"Yeah, I remember. And do you remember that you haven't even trained in at least six.." Spike's voice faltered and he looked at her helplessly. "Could you train first at least?"
"No. I'm fine." Buffy turned and began walking again, this time faster.
"Dawn's scared," Spike called after her.
"About what?"
"Losing you."
Buffy snorted, "I'm not going anywhere. I'll be stuck here for eternity."
Spike caught up with her and grabbed her arm, "I know this is hard but.."
"How could you possibly know?" She demanded. "How can you possibly know what I'm going through?"
Spike blinked, "I pulled myself out of the grave too, pet."
"You remember where you were before that, Spike?"
"No," he answered slowly.
"I do," she answered softly. "So you can't know what I'm going through."
"Then tell me, Buffy. You don't trust your friends anymore, but you can still trust me."
She stopped and faced him, "You don't want to know, Spike."
"You told me you loved me, Buffy. Do you still?"
"I was in Heaven."
Spike gaped. He shouldn't have been surprised, she was the Warrior of the People, but he was surprised she could remember it. Wasn't there usually a veil spell on these types of spells? Spike sighed, but this was Willow, notorious for botching spells.
"That's where you deserve to be."
"I know."
"Is that why you are being so foolish?"
Buffy's face hardened, "I'm not being foolish. Apparently, I'm still the Chosen One. So I have a job to do."
"I'll do it for you, Slayer."
"Leave me alone, Spike. I just want to.."
***
".fight," Buffy said.
"It's close to dawn," Spike replied. "It may not be the best time to fight."
Buffy frowned. "Let's go check it out, then decide what to do."
They made their way as quickly as possible to the mansion, pausing only twice to slay a few demons. Buffy really enjoyed having Spike watch her back again, even if she didn't need his help. With each year, she grew stronger and Giles once told her that she was the strongest Slayer on record. She tried to not let it go to her head.
"He's definitely there," Buffy said, several minutes later as she peered into the window.
"Any sign of Joyce?" Spike asked.
She shook her head. "Should we go in anyway?"
Spike looked up at the sky. It was already turning pink. "Whatever we do, we've got to do it quickly. I'm running out of time."
"Joyce could be in there."
"Let's do it then."
Buffy hefted her axe and smashed through the window. She jumped through the window. "We're the Sunnydale Welcoming Wagon," she announced. "Heard you're new in town."
Corbett was about the same height as Spike and had long, black hair. It hung past his shoulders. His skin was extremely painful, and it looked like he was wearing stage make-up. He was also wearing a cape. "What are you? A Dracula wannabe? Cuz honestly, I've met the man, and even he can't pull off that look."
Corbett growled, "Who are you?"
She rolled her eyes, "Who do you think?"
"Not you, him." Spike sighed, "Ok, he has no excuse. He's old enough to remember me."
Buffy shrugged, "Maybe it's because you don't have blonde hair anymore. Guess we'll have to kill him."
"You can't take all of us on," Corbett said, his voice confident.
"Well, care to make a bet?" Spike asked with a smirk.
Most of the minions who were there were full of blood and languid, the approaching sun making them drowsy. They were also very young and inexperienced, and it wasn't difficult for Buffy and Spike to dispose of them quickly and efficiently.
"Is that everybody?" Buffy asked.
Corbett stood and removed his cape. "I'll fight you myself."
"That's hardly necessary. You know why we're here," Buffy said.
Corbett vamped out and settled into an attack stance, daring Buffy to beat the answers out of him. Spike rolled his eyes, "Fine, we'll play it your way."
The battle was long, and Spike had to admit that Corbett was a skilled fighter. As far as vampires went, he was a difficult opponent. But after everything that Buffy had been through, a Master Vampire was hardly a challenge anymore.
Spike was there for support, but he enjoyed watching her fight. She still moved with a style and grace that was unmatched by anybody he had ever seen. He knew that she enjoyed the fighting, but that early morning, she was all business. She was trying to keep the fight as short as possible because she wanted answers as soon as possible.
Finally, she had him pinned, the stake touching his chest. "Where is she?" Buffy demanded.
"Who?"
She drove the stake into his chest slightly, "You know who."
"The girl?"
"Yeah."
"I don't have her."
The stake moved deeper and Corbett winced in pain. "What did you do to her?"
"I didn't do anything. It was a paid job."
"Since when do Master Vampires do other people's dirty work?" Spike asked.
"I didn't have a choice."
"Explain it to me."
"It was a God, he wanted me to get him the child. You don't say no to a God."
Buffy's eyes widened. "Who?"
"Why should I tell you? You're just going to kill me anyway."
"That's true," Buffy said, "But if you tell me I can make it fast. If you don't," she nodded at Spike, "he can make it slow."
Corbett eyed Spike who was grinning coldly, armed with a large, wicked looking axe. He was beat. "It was Hades."
"Where do you think Corbett's lair is?" Buffy asked.
Spike shrugged, "Haven't been here for ten years. I don't really know."
"Well, vampires don't change much. Where would he have been ten years ago?"
"I don't know. Maybe holed up in one of those abandoned factories."
"What is it with vamps and factories?"
"They're large enough for all the minions. And what's the alternate? A hole in the ground? Besides, there's an awful lot of abandoned factories and warehouses in Sunnydale."
"Property values aren't that high. Can't imagine why." She shouldered her axe, "Let's start checking then. Wanna take the car?"
Spike shuddered, remembering the ride home from Angel's place. "No, let's just hoof it."
"Whatever."
Spike watched Buffy closely, looking for any sign of weakness that resulted from the shock and horror of losing Joyce. She seemed fine, but Spike was acutely aware of the power of the Slayer, barely contained in her small body. She was furious, and Spike was thankful that her anger wasn't directed at him.
They reached the industrial side of town quickly, and Spike wasn't very surprised to see that it was seedier and more run down than when he left. It seemed everything was closed or abandoned, and he could hear and smell the scurrying vampires and demons everywhere.
"I bet you get more action here than in the graveyard these days," Spike commented.
"Yeah," she agreed, "Compared to the factory district, the graveyards are dead." She paused and grimaced, "No pun intended."
"I don't think we have the time to knock on all these doors," Spike pointed out.
Buffy shifted her weight and thought about their options. It seemed rather stupid to just barge into several large nests, but every second that passed put Joyce in more danger. She was distracted by her thoughts by a large, lumbering vamp running towards her at full speed. She rolled her eyes and sidestepped. He ran straight into the wall behind her and fell flat on his back, dazed.
She stood above him, one foot firmly planted on his massive chest, a stake raised menacingly.
"Who's the master vampire around these parts?" She asked.
"I don't know."
She ground her heel into the vampire's chest and repeated her question. "Michelle."
Buffy looked at Spike. "Good a place as any to start." She looked down, "Where does she live?"
He pointed to the factory directly behind them and Buffy smiled brightly. "Thanks for your help." Before the vamp could blink, she plunged the stake into his heart and took a step back, wiping the dust off of her clothes.
"There probably won't be too many vamps now, they're all out feeding," Spike pointed out.
"So you're saying we should just barge in?"
"Yeah."
"Sounds like a plan to me."
Buffy walked forward purposely, and kicked the door in. "So much for the element of surprise," Spike muttered.
"What's that supposed to me?" Buffy demanded.
"Just saying, you've announced our presence to every vamp in this place."
"Doesn't matter, I'm in the mood for a good fight. Need to flex my muscles." Buffy led the way into the dark corridors of the factory, dusting the minions as she came to them. Spike was happy to have her back, but she never needed his help.
"Where's Michelle?" She asked each one before turning them to dust, but she didn't get an answer until the ninth vamp. "In the back," it growled before it burst into a million little pieces.
"Fantastic."
They finally found the vampiress, holed up in a backroom, being attended to by three female minions. She was tall with long brown hair and a malicious face. Her chocolate eyes sparkled when Buffy and Spike entered the room. "Let me guess," she drawled, "You're the Slayer." She didn't wait for the response before turning her attention to Spike. "But who is that?" She stood up, unwinding her body gracefully. She sniffed the air delicately. "You're a vampire," she said with surprise.
"Well, yeah." He turned his attention to Buffy. "Can you believe nobody remembers me?"
"She was probably turned after you left town."
"Maybe." Spike took a step forward. " 'Lo princess. I'm Spike."
"What's a vampire doing with the Slayer?"
"Passin' time. You the big name in town?"
"For now."
"You expecting visitors?"
The minions stood around their master, waiting for word to attack. Buffy stood with her arms cross, looking casual but ready to fight. "Maybe," Michelle answered.
Spike took another step forward and lowered his voice. "Why don't you share?"
"What's in it for me?"
"The Slayer will kill you quickly instead of prolonging the pain."
Michelle laughed and waved her hand. The minions launched themselves at Buffy, and she took them all out with the same stake. "Is that all you got?"
Michelle moved as if to run right past both of them, but Spike grabbed her by the collar of her dress and slammed her into the floor. "So, 'bout those visitors you're expecting."
The Master vampire hadn't survived so long by being stupid, and she knew when she was beat. Spike was obviously old, and the Slayer was extremely powerful. "Corbett is in town."
Buffy caught her breath. "Since when."
"Last night. He's laying low for now."
"Where?" Spike asked.
"I don't know."
Spike grabbed her hair and tugged it sharply. "Where?"
"I don't know."
Spike drove her face into the ground. "Where?"
"The mansion outside of town."
Buffy rolled her eyes, "On Crawford Street?"
"Yeah."
Spike smiled, "Peaches is gonna be pissed someone's squatting in his house."
"Can I go now?" Michelle asked.
"Yeah," Spike said, as he caught the stake Buffy tossed at him. "Bye." He stood up, brushing the dust from his hands.
"Off to the mansion then?"
"Yeah."
"This is gonna be real fun," Spike muttered as he followed the slayer out of the factory and into the..
***
.cemetery. "Buffy, you aren't ready to patrol yet!"
"Leave me alone, Spike."
"Slayer, listen. You're still weak."
"I think I know my own body," she said coldly.
"So do I," Spike responded, catching up with her. "What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing. What are you doing out here anyway?"
"Dawn asked me to come check on you."
Buffy rolled her eyes. "I don't need you, or anybody else, to check on me. I'm the Slayer, remember?"
"Yeah, I remember. And do you remember that you haven't even trained in at least six.." Spike's voice faltered and he looked at her helplessly. "Could you train first at least?"
"No. I'm fine." Buffy turned and began walking again, this time faster.
"Dawn's scared," Spike called after her.
"About what?"
"Losing you."
Buffy snorted, "I'm not going anywhere. I'll be stuck here for eternity."
Spike caught up with her and grabbed her arm, "I know this is hard but.."
"How could you possibly know?" She demanded. "How can you possibly know what I'm going through?"
Spike blinked, "I pulled myself out of the grave too, pet."
"You remember where you were before that, Spike?"
"No," he answered slowly.
"I do," she answered softly. "So you can't know what I'm going through."
"Then tell me, Buffy. You don't trust your friends anymore, but you can still trust me."
She stopped and faced him, "You don't want to know, Spike."
"You told me you loved me, Buffy. Do you still?"
"I was in Heaven."
Spike gaped. He shouldn't have been surprised, she was the Warrior of the People, but he was surprised she could remember it. Wasn't there usually a veil spell on these types of spells? Spike sighed, but this was Willow, notorious for botching spells.
"That's where you deserve to be."
"I know."
"Is that why you are being so foolish?"
Buffy's face hardened, "I'm not being foolish. Apparently, I'm still the Chosen One. So I have a job to do."
"I'll do it for you, Slayer."
"Leave me alone, Spike. I just want to.."
***
".fight," Buffy said.
"It's close to dawn," Spike replied. "It may not be the best time to fight."
Buffy frowned. "Let's go check it out, then decide what to do."
They made their way as quickly as possible to the mansion, pausing only twice to slay a few demons. Buffy really enjoyed having Spike watch her back again, even if she didn't need his help. With each year, she grew stronger and Giles once told her that she was the strongest Slayer on record. She tried to not let it go to her head.
"He's definitely there," Buffy said, several minutes later as she peered into the window.
"Any sign of Joyce?" Spike asked.
She shook her head. "Should we go in anyway?"
Spike looked up at the sky. It was already turning pink. "Whatever we do, we've got to do it quickly. I'm running out of time."
"Joyce could be in there."
"Let's do it then."
Buffy hefted her axe and smashed through the window. She jumped through the window. "We're the Sunnydale Welcoming Wagon," she announced. "Heard you're new in town."
Corbett was about the same height as Spike and had long, black hair. It hung past his shoulders. His skin was extremely painful, and it looked like he was wearing stage make-up. He was also wearing a cape. "What are you? A Dracula wannabe? Cuz honestly, I've met the man, and even he can't pull off that look."
Corbett growled, "Who are you?"
She rolled her eyes, "Who do you think?"
"Not you, him." Spike sighed, "Ok, he has no excuse. He's old enough to remember me."
Buffy shrugged, "Maybe it's because you don't have blonde hair anymore. Guess we'll have to kill him."
"You can't take all of us on," Corbett said, his voice confident.
"Well, care to make a bet?" Spike asked with a smirk.
Most of the minions who were there were full of blood and languid, the approaching sun making them drowsy. They were also very young and inexperienced, and it wasn't difficult for Buffy and Spike to dispose of them quickly and efficiently.
"Is that everybody?" Buffy asked.
Corbett stood and removed his cape. "I'll fight you myself."
"That's hardly necessary. You know why we're here," Buffy said.
Corbett vamped out and settled into an attack stance, daring Buffy to beat the answers out of him. Spike rolled his eyes, "Fine, we'll play it your way."
The battle was long, and Spike had to admit that Corbett was a skilled fighter. As far as vampires went, he was a difficult opponent. But after everything that Buffy had been through, a Master Vampire was hardly a challenge anymore.
Spike was there for support, but he enjoyed watching her fight. She still moved with a style and grace that was unmatched by anybody he had ever seen. He knew that she enjoyed the fighting, but that early morning, she was all business. She was trying to keep the fight as short as possible because she wanted answers as soon as possible.
Finally, she had him pinned, the stake touching his chest. "Where is she?" Buffy demanded.
"Who?"
She drove the stake into his chest slightly, "You know who."
"The girl?"
"Yeah."
"I don't have her."
The stake moved deeper and Corbett winced in pain. "What did you do to her?"
"I didn't do anything. It was a paid job."
"Since when do Master Vampires do other people's dirty work?" Spike asked.
"I didn't have a choice."
"Explain it to me."
"It was a God, he wanted me to get him the child. You don't say no to a God."
Buffy's eyes widened. "Who?"
"Why should I tell you? You're just going to kill me anyway."
"That's true," Buffy said, "But if you tell me I can make it fast. If you don't," she nodded at Spike, "he can make it slow."
Corbett eyed Spike who was grinning coldly, armed with a large, wicked looking axe. He was beat. "It was Hades."
