Title: The shell without Humanity
Rating:PG-13
Disclaimer:Not smart enough, or enough money so it ain't mine. DAMN YOU WHEDON!
Summary: AU on Grave. During, not after so it's more original than most.
++++
Her footsteps on the soft grass almost echoed across the empty cemetery. Course she was stomping because the cemetery was empty.
It had been five days after the "incident" as the remaining few scoobies called what happened. It had been too much to take in. One of the founding group members of the gang had gone mad with power, and tried to kill everyone.
It was official, this was a mess. And things hadn't really changed five days after the fact. Little progress had been made. Willow had woken up screaming from nightmares. Of what they didn't know. When she wasn't having nightmares she was either crying or staring blankly at the wall. Xander had stood by her side all along. Though she often shied away from anyone's touch.
They still hadn't figured out what he did to her. The creepy black marble from hell hadn't left any clues. After hours of researching, on the adamant urgings of Xander, they had discovered it was a simple container for past events, emotions, or experiences. So whenever you touched it, it would release it, and you would get everything in it. Buffy leapt a whole eight feet when she saw Dawn try to touch it. The slayer remembered the look on Willows face when he slammed it into her hand. It was scorched into her memory.
She felt bad for her sister, after everything that had happened it was a wonder that things hadn't gone worse. Dawn had been frantic when She and a slightly battered Xander stumbled through the magically repaired door. Apparently they had caught him on his way back to his crypt, and from what she had gathered, blows were dealt ending with Xander bleeding and a concussion. It had taken a lot of restraint not to renew the flow after the slayer learned that her dear friend had decided to impart some knowledge to her sister about the incident in the bathroom. Course she had parried Dawns questioning with "this is not the time, we'll talk about it later" For some reason this sounded a bit familiar. Like she'd said these words a thousand times before.
'Denial Buffy' that's her.
Course she wanted the whole mess she labeled "Relationship with Spike" to disappear. But with the recent events it looked like that file was about to spill out to have it's contents picked apart and analyzed by everyone.
Anya had been helpful, sort of. They knew that technically Balthrass is a dimension created by a very old demon specializing in torture. That there is only incoming, no outgoing traffic, and that it has the fastest time distortion around. This brought up memories of when she was going through the whole "anne" thing and the dimension who's time moved faster, that was years in weeks.
Her heart clenched each time she thought of him stuck in that place for who knows how long.
Shaking her head to rid her of 'Spike' thoughts she noticed that she had slowed into a casual walk. Instantly she sped up.
They had moved Willow into Xanders place since he was sporting some freed up space. Giles had started researching 'Balthrass' trying to find out what he can. Dawn had returned to school. That was after a huge fight-n-cry between the sisters.
Dawn had gotten the determination to keep asking about what had happened between the slayer and the vampire. She had worn Buffy until she cracked, that then lead to a huge fight which lead to tears, then some hugging. Then somehow a agreement that Dawn was to start to train and patrol. It had been going smoothly except for the fact patrol was dead, excuse the pun.
There wasn't anything she could slay within a ten mile radius, she had checked. For four nights there hadn't been a single vamp or demon. By the fourth night she had gone to Willies to figure out what was going on. It had taken a few punches for her to learn that apparently it was a combination of powerful demons and warlocks disappearing and a huge dark energy arriving. So dark and ominous that all of the dark seedy underbelly of Sunnydale was slithering away as quickly as it could.
As much as she wanted to, Buffy couldn't write it off as coincidence. Spike hadn't shown a single hair of his bleach blonde head since his little love tap with Xander. Course they weren't exactly looking for him either.
Giles and Xander had convinced her not to go out looking for him. With there numbers depleted and in disarray it didn't look good for a confrontation. But with progress at a standstill she decided to confront, avoiding was never really her strong suit.
That explains why she's there at the moment. Stomping through the cemetery. Eyes fixed on the door of the crypt she has visited many times. The inhabitant being the subject of her mind. Walking straight up she paused. She didn't really know what to expect, the Spike she knew and had, dare she say it, feelings for, was gone. After years possibly decades in one of the worst places in existence, he had returned with power that outmatched the most powerful witch in the western hemisphere and the ability to turn that witch into a sobbing mess.
What could she expect. He had made it perfectly clear that if he wanted them dead he had the power to do so with ease. She suddenly felt like she was at the mouth of a lions den. Enter and possibly be devoured. Course that could have many different meanings considering their history with each other.
Shaking the wildly inappropriate naughty thoughts and memories that sprung to mind she returned to staring intently at the door. Should she knock or kick it in? Not sure what to do she shrugged and kicked in the door. Why break tradition. Calling on as much Slayer strength and confidence she could muster Buffy entered.
++++
A/N: There will probably be another chapter before a long delay.
Or I could write the whole thing in a week.
You don't know! BWAH AH AH AH AH!
Please review.
Rating:PG-13
Disclaimer:Not smart enough, or enough money so it ain't mine. DAMN YOU WHEDON!
Summary: AU on Grave. During, not after so it's more original than most.
++++
Her footsteps on the soft grass almost echoed across the empty cemetery. Course she was stomping because the cemetery was empty.
It had been five days after the "incident" as the remaining few scoobies called what happened. It had been too much to take in. One of the founding group members of the gang had gone mad with power, and tried to kill everyone.
It was official, this was a mess. And things hadn't really changed five days after the fact. Little progress had been made. Willow had woken up screaming from nightmares. Of what they didn't know. When she wasn't having nightmares she was either crying or staring blankly at the wall. Xander had stood by her side all along. Though she often shied away from anyone's touch.
They still hadn't figured out what he did to her. The creepy black marble from hell hadn't left any clues. After hours of researching, on the adamant urgings of Xander, they had discovered it was a simple container for past events, emotions, or experiences. So whenever you touched it, it would release it, and you would get everything in it. Buffy leapt a whole eight feet when she saw Dawn try to touch it. The slayer remembered the look on Willows face when he slammed it into her hand. It was scorched into her memory.
She felt bad for her sister, after everything that had happened it was a wonder that things hadn't gone worse. Dawn had been frantic when She and a slightly battered Xander stumbled through the magically repaired door. Apparently they had caught him on his way back to his crypt, and from what she had gathered, blows were dealt ending with Xander bleeding and a concussion. It had taken a lot of restraint not to renew the flow after the slayer learned that her dear friend had decided to impart some knowledge to her sister about the incident in the bathroom. Course she had parried Dawns questioning with "this is not the time, we'll talk about it later" For some reason this sounded a bit familiar. Like she'd said these words a thousand times before.
'Denial Buffy' that's her.
Course she wanted the whole mess she labeled "Relationship with Spike" to disappear. But with the recent events it looked like that file was about to spill out to have it's contents picked apart and analyzed by everyone.
Anya had been helpful, sort of. They knew that technically Balthrass is a dimension created by a very old demon specializing in torture. That there is only incoming, no outgoing traffic, and that it has the fastest time distortion around. This brought up memories of when she was going through the whole "anne" thing and the dimension who's time moved faster, that was years in weeks.
Her heart clenched each time she thought of him stuck in that place for who knows how long.
Shaking her head to rid her of 'Spike' thoughts she noticed that she had slowed into a casual walk. Instantly she sped up.
They had moved Willow into Xanders place since he was sporting some freed up space. Giles had started researching 'Balthrass' trying to find out what he can. Dawn had returned to school. That was after a huge fight-n-cry between the sisters.
Dawn had gotten the determination to keep asking about what had happened between the slayer and the vampire. She had worn Buffy until she cracked, that then lead to a huge fight which lead to tears, then some hugging. Then somehow a agreement that Dawn was to start to train and patrol. It had been going smoothly except for the fact patrol was dead, excuse the pun.
There wasn't anything she could slay within a ten mile radius, she had checked. For four nights there hadn't been a single vamp or demon. By the fourth night she had gone to Willies to figure out what was going on. It had taken a few punches for her to learn that apparently it was a combination of powerful demons and warlocks disappearing and a huge dark energy arriving. So dark and ominous that all of the dark seedy underbelly of Sunnydale was slithering away as quickly as it could.
As much as she wanted to, Buffy couldn't write it off as coincidence. Spike hadn't shown a single hair of his bleach blonde head since his little love tap with Xander. Course they weren't exactly looking for him either.
Giles and Xander had convinced her not to go out looking for him. With there numbers depleted and in disarray it didn't look good for a confrontation. But with progress at a standstill she decided to confront, avoiding was never really her strong suit.
That explains why she's there at the moment. Stomping through the cemetery. Eyes fixed on the door of the crypt she has visited many times. The inhabitant being the subject of her mind. Walking straight up she paused. She didn't really know what to expect, the Spike she knew and had, dare she say it, feelings for, was gone. After years possibly decades in one of the worst places in existence, he had returned with power that outmatched the most powerful witch in the western hemisphere and the ability to turn that witch into a sobbing mess.
What could she expect. He had made it perfectly clear that if he wanted them dead he had the power to do so with ease. She suddenly felt like she was at the mouth of a lions den. Enter and possibly be devoured. Course that could have many different meanings considering their history with each other.
Shaking the wildly inappropriate naughty thoughts and memories that sprung to mind she returned to staring intently at the door. Should she knock or kick it in? Not sure what to do she shrugged and kicked in the door. Why break tradition. Calling on as much Slayer strength and confidence she could muster Buffy entered.
++++
A/N: There will probably be another chapter before a long delay.
Or I could write the whole thing in a week.
You don't know! BWAH AH AH AH AH!
Please review.
