Per Aspera Ad Astra

Chapter Decem

***

.: Ok, guys, a quick note before anything. Some historical discrepancies you notice are usually just my artistic license (i.e. Tiberius' spectacles). However, that little part about the cross ... Just so you guys know, there were such things as crosses before Jesus Christ. They were crucifying Jews long before Jesus Christ was crucified. But let's not get into that. Let's just keep in mind this is fiction and that everything is not going to be perfect. :)
.: This chapter is dedicated to charisma1525 and Hannah Spikette who have stuck with me throughout everything. Thanks, guys. You're the reason I keep writing.
.: As always, I hope you enjoy.

"As sick as it sounds, in my little head, there's a little Sunnydale, and a widdle Spike and a widdle Buffy and Spike wubs Buffy." James Marsters on July 14, 2002 (one day before my birthday! ^-^)

***

The vampires kept on coming, their many numbers making up for their lack in combat abilities.

Xander was slowly being bogged down, but he continued to struggle, swinging his arms wildly and lashing out with his legs.

"Whelp!" he heard Spike call over all the struggling. Pushing madly at the vampire before him, he somehow managed to shove his stake into a heart, a cloud of dust automatically forming before him, clogging his vision.

"Right here!" he called back before, out of nowhere, a strong fist swung him around and knocked his head back with a sharp blow. A rivulet of blood formed at his brow. Automatically bringing his hand up to shield his face, his other hand searched the ground desperately for his dropped stake. His eyes widened slightly as he saw the vampire's face shift, recognizing the familiar crunch of bone, and lean in for the fatal bite. Inching backwards, his hand doubled its efforts in its search. The vamp lunged forward before suddenly exploding into a coarse powder.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Xander looked up at Spike's smirking face. He once again allowed his heart to resume its frantic beating and grinned in thanks. Grasping Spike's outreached hand, he was pulled back into a standing position. Spike handed him his dropped stake.

"Thanks, man," he offered.

"Just keep yourself alive," Spike told him quickly. "Anya would never forgive me if I let you die." Without another word, he resumed the fight, not even casting a glance at Lucius.

Xander noticed that both vampires were holding their own but were slowly being overwhelmed. Where were all the vampires coming from? And they just kept coming.

"We have to go!" Lucius yelled at both of them through the fighting. "The reinforcements aren't letting up!" In a single motion, he dusted two vamps, clearing a path towards Spike and Xander. Pushing through forcefully, "We have to leave."

Nodding at the swift directions, Spike grabbed Xander by the arm and commenced fighting his way free of the crowd. "Come on, whelp! Move!" he ordered.

Xander pushed into action, using his body weight to clear the way. Despite his efforts, the openings he made immediately refilled, and for every vamp they dusted, it seemed as if three more emerged.

When it finally seemed hopeless, a sharp blinding light filled their vision and an ocean of dust filled the air, forming a grainy mist.

Squinting, Xander held a hand over his mouth and coughed deeply, ridding his lungs of the vampire remains. "Spike?" he yelled through the fog. "You still alive?"

"Yeah," Spike answered gruffly. "Right here. Lucius?" They heard a snort from somewhere behind them.

Almost as suddenly, several sharp gusts of wind cleared the air of the dust. Remaining in its place were five figures. Waving a hand in front of his eyes, Xander struggled to make out the vision before him.

The figures apparently were all women, and four possessed a pairs of wings. Each beautiful in her own right, one stood majestic before the rest. A tall pale woman, she stood upright and proud, spear in hand and helmet perched on head. Her flashing gray eyes narrowed on them, twisted deep brown hair tied in a thick knot at the nape of her neck.

Smirking gently, she finally addressed them. "A valiant effort." Her voice rang deep and clear in their ears.

Xander absently pushed a palm over his face, smearing the blood across his cheek. He stood mesmerized by the beautiful woman, and the pain he felt throughout his body seemed almost muted.

Lucius frowned slightly. "You're ..."

"Minerva," she finished for him, her voice dignified. Her timber wolf eyes softened as she ran her eyes over their forms. "You are hurt from the battle."

Spike shrugged. "The whelp more so than the rest of us." He arched an eyebrow. "But that's because he's human. Too stubborn for his own good." He pocketed his stake and eyes the women warily.

"Perhaps we should ..." she suggested, her slim arm extending slightly in invitation.

Lucius glanced at Xander. "Maybe we should let you get cleaned up," he told him in agreement. "You're bleeding everywhere." His nose wrinkled in distaste.

"Gee, thanks," Xander muttered, once again wiping the blood out of his eyes and into his hair.

"I must agree," one of the other women finally spoke. Winged like the rest, this one had a crown of golden hair weaved through with wildflowers. "We should tend to your wounds before anything else occurs."

"Okay, can we get some names?" Spike asked, feeling impatient. He shifted his weight on his feet. Virtually unscathed, he was far luckier than Xander who would probably be left with several ugly bruises and cuts.

The blond woman smiled shyly, blue eyes twinkling. "I am Victoria." She folded her wings gently behind her and clasped her hands together in front of her, forming a sweet vision.

Another woman with long black hair and eyes as green as emeralds directed her gaze towards them. Divine wings graced her back. "I am Justicia," she told them, "and those two," she nodded at the last two women, "are Fortuna and Nemesis." She returned to her silence, her eyes watching them like a hawk.

They turned to the other women, obviously sisters. Both had hazel eyes and milky complexions, the only real difference between them being their hair color. Nemesis had flaming red hair and her sister, Fortuna, had a calming light shade of brown. Their hair twisted into braids over matching pairs of wings. Fortuna smiled kindly on them.

Nodding, Lucius turned on his heel to return to the villa, his steps long and hurried. However, at further scrutiny, there almost seemed to be a small limp marring his gait, and Xander spied a splotch of blood on his right thigh. A blade had caught him in the fight.

"Hey!" Xander called, rushing to catch up with him, wincing slightly at a small pain in his side. "What makes you think we can trust them?" he gestured back with a flick of his head.

Lucius glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. "Because," he said, his voice even, "if you haven't noticed by now, they are goddesses."

"Goddesses?" Xander asked himself, almost surprised. Then, shaking himself from his stupor, "That doesn't automatically make them good," he protested, glancing back at the women. He turned to Spike, "I mean, remember Glory?"

The women followed gracefully and effortlessly, almost seeming to glide over the soft grass. Minerva took the lead, her head held proud and sure. The other women followed in a small group, Fortuna and Nemesis side by side, their wings folded on their backs.

"Don't worry so much," he heard Spike from next to him. At second glance, he noticed a long tear in the back of his shirt over his shoulder blade and onto the expanse of his lower back. Blood seeped from the clean slash. "I don't think they're anything to worry about."

"And why's that?" Xander whispered loudly.

"Because Justicia's with them." Spike looked at him once more before continuing on with his stride.

Xander seriously considered asking another question but decided against it. They seemed to know what they were doing. The time for questioning would come later.

The walk back was surprisingly shorter than they remembered, the way back to the villa almost blurred and passing more and more quickly as they continued. They could almost make out the flickering lights of the villa's torches as it loomed large and beautiful overhead, and the light from the torches illuminated the grounds and flickered softly on the flora.

They stopped at the edge of the house's shadow. Spike trained his eyes behind him, lifting a shoulder uncomfortably at the absence of his duster's weight.

Minerva steadily approached, her grip loose on her spear. "The home of the Slayer." She smiled secretly, glimpsing at the villa. "Exactly where we need to be, William," she smiled proudly at him before continuing on, the other women following accordingly.

Frowning once more, Xander shot a wary look at Spike. Something definitely was up. His head throbbed heavily, and, bring a hand, still caked with blood, up to his brow, he winced, realizing the severity of his condition. A concussion, he groaned inwardly.

The small congregation made their way up the lined stone walkway. Xander stumbled lightly and Spike's arm immediately shot out to steady him. "Careful, whelp," he muttered almost incoherently.

Lucius strode ahead, trying to hold his pace steady despite the painful throbbing in his thigh. Still, however, he was still the most unscathed of the group. Cautiously, he pushed open the heavy oak entrance, only to find another small group anxiously waiting inside for them. Steadying himself, he pulled the door open wider to allow the others entrance.

Anya's eyes widened dramatically once she saw Xander and she rushed to him. "Xander!" She gingerly slung an arm around his waist and helped him to a seat. "What happened?!"

"Almost got our asses whipped," he told her jokingly as she fussed over him.

Buffy bit her lip nervously as she glanced at Spike's back. She looked over at Livia and was a little surprised to see her looking intently at Lucius.

Lucius rolled his eyes at Anya as he allowed the five women to enter into the villa. The group immediately fell silent, and Tiberius pushed himself to his feet in a sort of awe. Livia glanced around, wondering if she should do anything to take action against the women.

"Who are they?" Willow quietly asked finally.

"Williana," Minerva addressed her, gray eyes pleased. "Always so curious." She set her spear carefully against the wall.

Tiberius opened his mouth, but she shushed him gently. The other four women leaned lightly against the wall, waiting for their mistress to speak.

"I know you know who I am, Tiberius." Her voice rang lightly but confidently. "All will reveal itself in due time," she addressed the rest of the group. "In the meantime, I suggest you dress your wounds and rest." She smiled kindly. "Alexander," she called expectantly.

Xander's head shot up quickly as he looked over at the regal goddess.

"Rest," she told him simply. "You harbor the most wounds tonight. You will not be any help to us if you do not heal."

He nodded almost dumbly at her order. Nevertheless, she seemed quite placated, taking up her spear once more. "We shall return tomorrow to speak more. Expect us." With a finally nod, she turned on her heal and left, the other women following silently behind her.

"Okay, I can be the first to say that was really weird," Willow said from her position across the room. Blazing torches lit the atrium warmly and reflected waveringly in the cooling waters of the impluvium.

"Wh-who were those women?" Tara asked shyly.

"And why did they have wings?" Dawn added, grinning. "Did you see them?" she asked Portia excitedly. "Those were awesome!"

"Perhaps we should wait until tomorrow," Tiberius told him, looking quite disturbed. His brow furrowed. Shaking himself slightly, he allowed himself to look at the men and grimaced. "What on earth happened to you?"

Lucius shrugged. "They were just fledglings." He leaned against the fresco-covered wall to alleviate some of the pressure on his thigh.

"Nasty buggers," Spike added to himself.

"Just fledglings?" Willow asked curiously. "So why are you ..."

"Uh, Tara," Xander interjected. "Let's just say there was about a gaba-freaking-zillion fledglings!" he huffed and immediately grabbed his ribs, flinching.

"And what did those women have to do with this?" Buffy asked, looking directly at Spike.

"They killed all the fledglings," he told her simply.

"Five of them killed all the fledglings," Livia stated flatly, unbelieving.

"Actually," Lucius interrupted. "I think just one of them did." He raised an eyebrow, smirking.

Spike grinned. "Bloody brilliant, it was."

"What are you talking about?" Anya demanded, impatient. "I want to know how one of them could wipe out all of those stupid vampires," she caught herself and added as an aside, "no offense Spike," and as he shrugged, she continued, "could have done all this to Xander!"

No one said anything.

Anya frowned. "The lady who was talking? She was the one, wasn't she?" Xander nodded next to her. "She's a goddess."

"Minerva," Spike added, attempting to lean back against the wall and immediately jumping forward, hissing from the searing pain in his back.

"Okay, that's enough," Buffy said. "Enough talk, talk. We can do this more tomorrow, but presently these guys are bleeding everywhere." She pushed herself to her feet.

"Right. Do you have any bandages or anything?" Anya asked Tiberius, gently smoothing the blood-caked hair back from Xander's face.

"Oh," he quickly composed himself. "Bandages, of course." He cleared his throat. "There should be some in the trunk at the foot of your bed."

Anya nodded, helping Xander to his feet. "Let's go."

"I'll send someone up with some more bandages and some water," Tiberius said.

Tara stood from her spot across the room. "Do you need any help, Anya?"

Anya smiled tightly, half-supporting Xander's weight. "Sure." The three turned and continued onto Xander and Anya's room, Xander limping slightly.

Tiberius glanced over at Lucius and Spike's forms concernedly. "Are you both all right?"

Lucius pushed himself off the wall. "Wonderful." He rolled his eyes. "Think I'll be off now."

Livia rolled her eyes in return. "Stop whining." She strode quickly over to him. "Let me see," she chided him.

"No," he shot back stubbornly.

Willow grinned. "Spike, you need anything?"

"Nah, I'll be all patched up before the night is over. Don't you worry. Go on, go to sleep." He stood, already feeling the cut across his back slowly clotting.

"If you say so," she told him quietly. "Night, guys. Come on, Dawnie. Time to go visit the Sandman."

"Okay," Dawn agreed, stifling a yawn. "Good night." She and Portia got up to leave.

"Night!" Portia called over her shoulder, sending a final glance at Livia and Lucius. She immediately turned to Dawn, giggling quietly.

"Well, then, if I can be of any assistance, please let me know." Tiberius cleared his throat lightly. "Livia?"

Her head shot up. "What? Oh, yeah, sure."

Tiberius rolled his eyes, momentarily breaking from character. "Don't stay up too late. Buffy, Spike," he nodded to them before leaving.

Spike looked sideways at Lucius and Livia. She wanted to bandage him up.

Buffy cleared her throat nervously, catching Spike's attention. She slowly stood from her seat.

Livia's head shot over at the unexpected noise. "Come on," she murmured quietly. "Let's go get you cleaned up."

Lucius' mouth opened as if to protest, but Livia immediately shut him up by grabbing his arm and steering him towards the study.

"Well, if that wasn't blatantly obvious," Spike mused.

Buffy ignored his comment. "How's your back?"

"Fine," he told her. He started back for their cubiculum, Buffy following, her footsteps scurrying along the stone floors.

"Don't bullshit me," she told him. "You think I'm blind?" she almost demanded.

"No," Spike galled over his shoulder. "Just overly-concerned." He pushed the curtain to their bedroom aside as he stepped inside.

Buffy scoffed at him, pulling the curtain closed behind her. "Overly-concerned?!" She narrowed her eyes. "You just have a foot-long gash across your back. No biggie." She crossed her arms in front of her.

Spike grimaced. "It really that big?" he asked as he struggled to look over his shoulder at his back.

Buffy fought down the urge to smack him. Gripping the bottom of his t-shirt, she pulled it up and over his head sharply.

Spike cried out as the shirt was ripped from his back. The blood had slowly dried to the material, and the removal re-opened his burning cut. "Bloody hell!" he cursed to himself.

"Stop being such a baby!"

***

Severus stood in the darkness of the shadows, the torches burning brightly in contrast to the marble backing. He watched game-faced as many of his newly made minions lounged in the vast expanse of the underground room. Many were covered in blood from their evening hunt.

He turned towards a large altar, a dark and mysterious man perched atop the golden seat. An bejeweled cup of wine hung loosely in one hand as his head rested against the other. The obsidian black of his armor shone against the torches.

"Have you any news for us, Severus?" a woman asked, reclining lightly on the arm of the throne, her gray skirts falling dramatically over pale legs. Tangled, dark hair hung heavily to her waist, and her blood red lips curved into a malicious smile. "I understand you sent many of the minions out tonight."

"My lady," Severus began, licking his lips nervously, "the minions are," he cleared his throat lightly, retreating several steps, "are gone."

"Gone?" another smaller woman asked. Her fiery hair was pulled back tightly and she too was decked in armor. Black eyes loomed mysteriously in her head as she played with a small battle dagger. A man stood next to her sitting form in battle gear, his hair just as flaming as his sister's.

"Defeated," Severus repeated but added quickly, "but we can surely make more."

"Defeated by whom?" the man upon the throne asked. He leaned forward slightly, his eyes narrowing. The minions ceased in their activities at the annoyance in the man's voice. The roars of several ferocious animals could be heard in the background.

Severus stalled. "The minions tell me it was your sister, my lord," he approached the subject cautiously.

"Minerva," the man repeated quietly. He rose to his feet and stared solemnly upon the vampire. Tilting his head to the side, he abruptly hurled the golden cup upon him, red wine splashing into Severus' dark hair.

Without flinching, Severus slowly ran a hand over his face, already feeling the wine drying, leaving a sticky sensation. "I believe so, my lord."

"I should have known." The man began pacing, his footsteps stomping angrily.

"Calm down, brother," the woman with the dark hair said. She grabbed him by his arm and pushed him back onto the throne. "You knew all along they would send her. We must simply have more reinforcements."

The red-haired warriors exchanged glances. The boy opened his mouth to speak. "And since we are above the Hellmouth, Father ..." He smirked.

The man leaned back heavily. "Of course you are right, Timor." He drove his hand heavily through his hair. "We have nothing left to do but wait."

"Lady?" Severus drew the attention of the brunette.

Her head tilted in his direction, a muscle in her cheek twitching. "You may leave, Severus." She looked back over at her brother. "You know the plan, Mars?"

"Of course, I know the plan, Eris." He waved a hand at a minion to bring him another goblet of wine. He downed it quickly, his head tilted back slightly. "Don't I, Fuga?"

"Yes, Father," the girl agreed from her seat next to her brother. She ran the tip of her dagger sharply over her fingertip, drawing a bed of red blood to the surface. She tilted her head to the side, enthralled by the metallic smell.

"Yes, yes," Mars repeated quietly. "Only a matter of time. Jupiter himself will learn my anger."

***

Buffy secured the bandage tightly. "That wasn't so bad, now was it?" she teased Spike lightly as she rose from the bed. She wrung the cloth out over the bowl. The water was slightly stained red from the blood on Spike's back.

"I've had worse," he responded, looking at her from the side.

"New tune you're singing," she laughed quietly. "Well, you just ruined that shirt," she told him as she balled up the tattered remains of his black t-shirt. "I guess you'll just have to make due with your tunic."

"If you think for a minute that I'm going to fight in that dress," he began and was again greeted with Buffy's light laughter. Turning over onto his back, he grimaced as the movement jarred his wound.

"You're going to have to unless you want to fight bare," she told him as she turned around to reach into their trunk. Smiling, she hesitantly ran her fingers over the carvings on the cover of the piece of furniture. Shaking herself, she pulled the lid open and pulled out her tunica. Turning her back to Spike, she began to pull her clothes off to change.

Spike slid back to the pillows to watch her backside, grinning to himself. "I don't see anyone here complaining about me fighting bare."

Buffy turned around and glared at his expression, cocking her hip to the side. Reaching down, she pulled out his tunic and threw it at him. "You might as well dress while I'm gone."

"Gone?" Spike asked as she unbuttoned his jeans.

"Going to toss out the water." With that, she grabbed the bowl and headed off down the hall to the kitchen.

Shaking his head, he did as he was told and turned down the sheets on the thick feather down mattress to sleep. Flopping back onto the softness of the bed, he closed his eyes and waited for Buffy to return.

The curtain opened and he lifted his head to see Buffy re-enter the room. Her bare feet padded quietly on the ground as she made her way over to the bed. "All taken care of," she whispered to him. Climbing onto the bed beside him, she slipped under the sheets. Whispering, she settled down next to him, "You know, it's funny how everybody is quiet when everything becomes dark. I mean, you know everybody's up right now, but we can't hear them."

"That's because they're trying to let everybody go to sleep," he told her, looking curiously upon her golden crown.

After several moments of silence, "You were supposed to bite me."

Spike immediately frowned, but he remained quiet, his eyes focused on the darkness of their room.

"You don't want to bite me?" Buffy asked again, tilted her face towards him, her eyes shining in the dark.

Rumbling deep in his chest, Spike groaned. "Of course I want to bite you."

"Then, what are you waiting for?" Her fingers grasped the top of their sheets and pushed them down far enough for her to maneuver.

Spike didn't answer.

"I'm not going to break, you know." Smiling she rolled over onto her side. Pulling her hair to one side, she looked at him. "I tried to find somebody who could give me a cup of blood while I was out, you know, because you just lost a lot. But I couldn't. I guess this is the next best thing."

"Next best thing?" Spike asked, incredulously, placing a hand on her waist.

"Well, maybe." Grasping the back of Spike's head, she pulled it lightly towards her neck. "Would you just bite me and get it over with?"

"I think you actually want this more than I do," Spike told her jokingly as he licked her pulse point a couple times. Without giving her a chance to respond, he bit down lightly, enough to let her blood flow.

A moaned spilled forth from her lips and before it even started, it was over. "Huh?" she asked him, confused when she didn't receive an answer. Grasping his shoulders, she pulled him back far enough to realize he had fallen asleep.

Chuckling to herself, she rolled him gently onto his back and settled into his shoulder. Weaving a hand into his hair, she closed her eyes and welcomed sleep.

***

Well, guys, that's it for now. It's actually a pretty long chapter--ten pages! Consider it a New Year's gift!!
Are you surprised I updated early?! I am!! Winter Holidays have given me enough time to settle down and write this!! *Does the Snoopy Dance* But don't expect anything for a while. With first semester winding to an end within the month (what does that spell?! Mid-freaking-terms!) and my desperate struggle for an A in my English class, I highly doubt I'll have time for this. Anyway, my family and I are leaving on a mini-vacation tomorrow. Leave me some prezzies for when I get back! Please review!

Eva

P.S. Diana--what did I forget to add in?! You mentioned it in your review ...