Chapter 13
"I can't believe we failed!" wailed Drusilla, trembling. "We should have had her, and her pretty friends, too!"
"We'll have 'em next time, pet. I know we will." Spike dropped his Marlborough cigarette and stamped on it with his heavy black boot.
"But we should have them now! Why can't we have them now?" she moaned, doubling over.
"Tonight, pet," Spike answered, pulling his paramour upright, "I'm in a killing mood. Yer want me ter kill 'em? I thought you wanted to do the spell?"
"I do, but." Drusilla's voice trailed off. She walked around Spike and slid her slender fingers over the golden stalactite where Buffy had been chained. "Let's get 'er, Spike. Tomorrow, when she goes out to patrol."
* * * * * * "It says here that a witch can be summoned by vampires when the stars have just moved out of alignment. She will serve the vampires for up to seven months, and for each month she serves them, they must wait a year before they can summon her again, or she'll kill them," Willow read from the computer screen.
"D'you suppose Crystal was summoned?" Xander queried.
"It is possible. Perhaps we should ask her should we cross paths again." Giles returned to his books, adding, "That information, however, is not terribly useful or important."
"Yeah, but then we're not finding anything, and its more important than nothing," Xander stated.
"Yes, I was summoned. Alright? They were nicer than most; paid me. But they hurt people. They freed me, and now I'm on your side. So who cares if they summoned me?"
"We don't, but it's all we've got, or we wouldn't even have noticed it," Willow pointed out. "It may or may not be important. Though I have to wonder why you care so much."
"I. I don't." Crystal stuttered.
"Alright, spill, what's the big?"
* * * * * * "Big? There's nothing, much less somethin' big, so why are we talking about it?" Crystal shook as she babbled.
"I don't think you're getting me. By 'big', I don't mean 'huge' or 'the opposite of small'. I mean 'what's going on that has you so nervous'?"
"Oh. Um, I really should talk to Buffy about it first."
"You can tell us. We're Buffy's friends," Willow encouraged.
Crystal paused, then nodded her consent.
"Okay. There can be a. complication with a counter spell cast on a spell performed for another. Even if the rest of the spell goes according to plan, if those the spell was originally performed for interrupt in any way, then."
"Then. what?" Giles put forward tentatively.
"Then the person or thing on which the spell is being placed - in this case, your friend, the Slayer - will die."
* * * * * * Kevin slumped back against the wall of his prison. The one with the bleached-blond hair - hadn't someone called him Spike? - had caught him again, locked him up again. Apparently Kevin was 'bait' for the Slayer.
* * * * * *
Buffy smiled sadly.
"You're already dead."
"Than I'll die again." Angel tenderly stroked Buffy's hair, then lay her back down and brushed her lips with his.
"We can't. I can't." Angel trailed off. "I wish there was some way we could be together. There's nothing I want more."
"Me, too."
Angel gazed intently into Buffy's eyes, amazed that he saw his love for her mirrored there. He felt an overwhelming urge to get into the bed with her; he fought to resist. But it was one battle he would almost certainly lose.
* * * * * * Angel pressed his lips more firmly to Buffy's as he lay partially across her body.
"Angel," she gasped. "We can't. your soul. the curse!"
"Shh! It doesn't matter. I can't stop thinking about it, so I'll not forget the people I hunted. killed. So I won't be truly happy, will I?"
"I guess, but. you never know. We should still be careful."
Sighing, Angel nodded and moved away from Buffy.
"I know." The pain of his barely expressed love for the girl in front of him gave Angel's voice an edge that brought tears to the Slayer's eyes as he sat back on the chair he's placed beside her bed.
"I can't believe we failed!" wailed Drusilla, trembling. "We should have had her, and her pretty friends, too!"
"We'll have 'em next time, pet. I know we will." Spike dropped his Marlborough cigarette and stamped on it with his heavy black boot.
"But we should have them now! Why can't we have them now?" she moaned, doubling over.
"Tonight, pet," Spike answered, pulling his paramour upright, "I'm in a killing mood. Yer want me ter kill 'em? I thought you wanted to do the spell?"
"I do, but." Drusilla's voice trailed off. She walked around Spike and slid her slender fingers over the golden stalactite where Buffy had been chained. "Let's get 'er, Spike. Tomorrow, when she goes out to patrol."
* * * * * * "It says here that a witch can be summoned by vampires when the stars have just moved out of alignment. She will serve the vampires for up to seven months, and for each month she serves them, they must wait a year before they can summon her again, or she'll kill them," Willow read from the computer screen.
"D'you suppose Crystal was summoned?" Xander queried.
"It is possible. Perhaps we should ask her should we cross paths again." Giles returned to his books, adding, "That information, however, is not terribly useful or important."
"Yeah, but then we're not finding anything, and its more important than nothing," Xander stated.
"Yes, I was summoned. Alright? They were nicer than most; paid me. But they hurt people. They freed me, and now I'm on your side. So who cares if they summoned me?"
"We don't, but it's all we've got, or we wouldn't even have noticed it," Willow pointed out. "It may or may not be important. Though I have to wonder why you care so much."
"I. I don't." Crystal stuttered.
"Alright, spill, what's the big?"
* * * * * * "Big? There's nothing, much less somethin' big, so why are we talking about it?" Crystal shook as she babbled.
"I don't think you're getting me. By 'big', I don't mean 'huge' or 'the opposite of small'. I mean 'what's going on that has you so nervous'?"
"Oh. Um, I really should talk to Buffy about it first."
"You can tell us. We're Buffy's friends," Willow encouraged.
Crystal paused, then nodded her consent.
"Okay. There can be a. complication with a counter spell cast on a spell performed for another. Even if the rest of the spell goes according to plan, if those the spell was originally performed for interrupt in any way, then."
"Then. what?" Giles put forward tentatively.
"Then the person or thing on which the spell is being placed - in this case, your friend, the Slayer - will die."
* * * * * * Kevin slumped back against the wall of his prison. The one with the bleached-blond hair - hadn't someone called him Spike? - had caught him again, locked him up again. Apparently Kevin was 'bait' for the Slayer.
* * * * * *
Buffy smiled sadly.
"You're already dead."
"Than I'll die again." Angel tenderly stroked Buffy's hair, then lay her back down and brushed her lips with his.
"We can't. I can't." Angel trailed off. "I wish there was some way we could be together. There's nothing I want more."
"Me, too."
Angel gazed intently into Buffy's eyes, amazed that he saw his love for her mirrored there. He felt an overwhelming urge to get into the bed with her; he fought to resist. But it was one battle he would almost certainly lose.
* * * * * * Angel pressed his lips more firmly to Buffy's as he lay partially across her body.
"Angel," she gasped. "We can't. your soul. the curse!"
"Shh! It doesn't matter. I can't stop thinking about it, so I'll not forget the people I hunted. killed. So I won't be truly happy, will I?"
"I guess, but. you never know. We should still be careful."
Sighing, Angel nodded and moved away from Buffy.
"I know." The pain of his barely expressed love for the girl in front of him gave Angel's voice an edge that brought tears to the Slayer's eyes as he sat back on the chair he's placed beside her bed.