Disclaimer: I don't own BtVS or Angel just borrowing.
_Sorry for the wait had a few computer problems
Relive
Chapter 8 'A price on his head'
Spike woke with a start when he heard something crash through the crypt door and voices overhead. He'd fallen asleep the other night after talking to Angelus. It had been weird and awkward as hell and he didn't really know how he felt about it. At least his headache was mostly gone. His stomach wasn't swimming violently and he was hungry. Sitting up Spike rubbed his skull and scanned the remains of his crypt for a moment and caught sight of Angel slumped in a chair sleeping. So, Spike mused, 'the poof didn't leave after all, wanker.'
"Empty. Good hideout."
Spike sat up his slight headache suddenly forgotten. Someone was in his crypt, and they weren't speaking English. In fact they were speaking Terian. Those were mostly harmless demons; lived in the darker portions of the sewers fed off rats and other such sewer dwellers. They hardly ever ventured to the surface unless the food in the sewers had run out occasionally they snacked on small children, not very bright though.
"He will be pleased. We will gather here."
Spike narrowed his eyes and listened closely as he listened to them shuffling through the top level of his former crypt. There were three of them, three wayward demons that were about to die. Spike smiled slowly. He was definitely due for some violence. Peaches had refused to take his bait last night and he tended to get cranky if he didn't get to kill anything.
"Before you kill all of don't you want to know why they're looking for a hideout?" Angel asked as Spike brushed past him.
"Not too interested." Spike said sincerely. "You wouldn't rise to the challenge last night; I missed out on my violence nightcap."
"Didn't miss out on the nightcap part," Angel said raising a brow. "I remember you being quite wasted."
"Whatever poof, do you wanna help or not?" Spike asked agitated.
Angel shrugged. "If you let me question them first..."
"Do whatever you want." Spike whispered. "I'm not promising anything."
With that said Spike clambered up the latter and into the upper half of the crypt. "Well, well, what have we got here?" Spike asked a small smile quirking his lips. "If it's not two little Terian demons."
One of them turned around his gray scaly skin covered in a green mold. His tiny black eyes widened slightly and his mouth opened as he roared trying to scare Spike away. "Leave." It called. "Our place."
"Sorry." Spike said. "But I was here first." With that Spike charged foreword his fist flying. He caught the first demon across its scaly face with a roundhouse kick. He watched it fly across the cross with crypt and smash into the wall. Dancing on the balls of his feet Spike turned to the side punched the other one in the face. The small demon roared and jumped onto Spike knocking him off his feet for a moment. Spike grinned as they crashed to the ground and punched it in the gut. The demon flew off him and Spike jumped to his feet. He looked for the other one, but saw Angel already had his fist around its throat. Spike groaned and turned to the demon and kicked it. It was still down, hadn't really moved since he'd thrown it off.
Spike groaned, bored, and picked up the demon and snapped its neck. There really wasn't much more of a reason for him to fight it. It obviously didn't feel up to it. He guessed he'd gotten the lazy one. Angel's was still snarling and talking rapidly.
'I pledged. I promise. I give my life for him and my essence his his.' The demon spouted angrily and struggled. 'All who don't join will die.'
Angel snarled and pushed him further against the wall. "Who are you talking about?" Angel asked in English knowing the demon knew what he was saying.
'He has no name no form, but he will kill you.' The demon's voice was suddenly more fluid and clear. 'He comes seeking the slayer's blood. Her blood will make...' The demon's voice suddenly gurgled to a stop as a thin stream of green blood ran down the side of his mouth and down his chin. Its small black eye shook and rolled in its grotesque skull and it shuddered. 'Sorry.' It ground out and Angel let it go. The demon slumped to the ground and shuddered one last time and died.
"What did you do to him, peaches?" Spike asked as he looked over his sire's shoulder. "Whatever it was looked painful."
Angel turned around and caught Spike just as he was lighting a cigarette. "I didn't do anything." Angel said slowly. "I didn't kill him."
"Right and he shuddered bled and died all by himself." Spike inhaled the cigarette smoke deeply and blew it out letting a smirk cross his face. "That was kinda fun."
"What do you think he was talking about?" Angel asked ignoring Spike's violence induced happy. "Who knows? Don't care." Spike said lazily. "My crypt here has become quite the hot spot. I'm guessing that my stay here will be quite a bit of fun." He let the cigarette fall from his fingers and ground it out with the toe of his boot. Anything was better than thinking about her. Fighting was a distraction, fighting was a release.
"Do you ever care about anything?" Angel asked exasperated. "There are sewer dwelling rat eating demons coming out during the day and looking for hideouts while spouting something about slayer blood and you don't seem too concerned."
"I told you before. That's not my gig. I don't save the world. I don't fight the 'big bad'." Spike said and frowned. He swaggered past Angel back to the lower part of his crypt. "Now, I'm going to go back to sleep. You know creature of the night, sleeps during the day, all that rot."
Just as Spike was lowing himself back into his lower crypt the door opened again and a tall form appeared in the doorway. Spike narrowed his eyes for a moment his mind flashing to all the times Buffy had done that her form blacked by the sun at her back. Then she would step in her eyes glazed and piercing. Spike felt his heart constrict as Cordelia stepped through the doorway.
"When you didn't come home last night I figured you were here." Cordelia said brushing her hair off her shoulder. "I just hoped you two hadn't gotten into a fight."
"The poofter here didn't want to fight. Too afraid I'd wager. I think he's gotten a little soft." Spike said and grinned lopsidedly.
"More like he was too drunk to remember what he was doing." Angel commented steadily. "I..."
"You guys don't have to prove you're tough to me." Cordelia said as she shut the door behind her. "And...what are those? Terian demons?" Cordelia wrinkled her nose. "Jeez they don't smell too good."
"Well hiding out in the sewers doesn't make you smell that great." Angel said crossing the room and wrapped Cordy in a hug.
Spike watched them and felt the hurt wash over him again. No matter what Angel had said he had no idea how he felt. "You would know all about that wouldn't you Peaches."
"Shut up Spike." Angel said ignoring him and kissed Cordy on the cheek. "Sorry." He mouthed in her ear. "I didn't mean to stay out all night."
"How about you two love birds drag those corpses out of my crypt on the way out. I don't really fancy their bodies rotting above me." With that said he dropped to the lower level.
"So how was your talk?" Cordelia whispered quietly in Angel's ear in an attempt to keep Spike from overhearing.
"About as good as last time," Angel said and shook his head.
"You can't expect him to jump into your arms, Angel. I mean you two kind of hate each other and he has always had your shadow hanging over him." Cordelia said and handed him the blanket she had had over her arm. "Come on I've got the car out front and I figured we could go and talk to Kirk. With this little attack it seems we might have a little more info for him."
Angel sighed and glanced toward the bodies of the demons. "Let's take one of them with us. It was weird how he was talking. Its voice was different, not exactly normal."
"As I recall, they never really were too normal." Cordelia glanced at them and back at Angel. "Of course we're the judge for that." She started to say more but Angel cut her off.
"I've had enough of those little snippy comments to last me a life time." Angel looked shortly at the entrance to Spikes lower crypt and shook his head. "Maybe Kirk can do a spell on one of the bodies; see if there was a spell on it or something. As I recall they don't have very accurate memories as far things go. Their behavior was just weird."
Cordelia snorted. "Fine, but you get to carry. I'll make sure your body is all covered but you get demon carrying privileges, and not to mention the fact that you'll be cleaning out the car this time."
Angel smiled. "Only the best for you sweetie."
Cordelia rolled her eyes. "So do you want one on each shoulder or are you going to carry them one under each arm."
~~~~~~~~~~~~``````
"She'll fall into my trap." The nameless demon said and smiled lazily at the fledgling Vampire. "You have served me well."
The fledgling, Amace smiled but inside he screamed. Even if Amace never new his real name he knew what he was to be called, a bastard. It was ridiculous; he wanted to curse the son of a bitch that had ruined his unlife but there were no words for it. It had stolen his life, or unlife, from him with false promises of some sort of salvation and he had fallen in without a second thought. He had brought thousands of followers to his master in a loyal fashion, briefing them and turning them over before they were turned back into the world unconscious followers. He was one of those brainless fools. The only difference between him and them was that he knew it.
"But I know you hate me."
His brown clad head shot up and he gave the master a fearful look and almost fell to his knees in order to beg forgiveness, but something told him it was no use. He merely stood his eyes wide waiting for his death like a small animal caught in the headlights of a car.
"And fear me." It continued its dark black eyes flashing in the dim light. "Your fear will bind you to me and when you fail me I'll know, and I'll kill you."
"I know." The brown headed-fledgling murmured his eyes never meeting the demon's. He was considered the master's right hand man. He was feared and respected like he had never thought possible, but the freedoms he should come with being a vampire were null. He hunted when given permission and here he hunted in fear. Somewhere with in the shadows of the once witch protected Sunnydale the Slayer lurked. No matter how much dark energy floated from the hell mouth a curse was settled on the town, one that hadn't been lifted for over a hundred years.
"You have more news for me." The demon said almost impatiently. "I wait for it."
"A vampire by the name of Spike has returned to town." Amace started cautiously. "Used to be William the Bloody, he killed two slayers, until...he..."
The demon narrowed his eyes at his stuttered minion before he finally opened them wide and almost laughed. It was ludicrous. "He fell in love with the Slayer," the demon said evenly, "how poetically sickening."
"He's back and we fear he still works for 'them'." Amace swallowed hard. "He needs to be taken care of."
The demon narrowed his eyes again trying to see an illusive future surrounding the Vampire. He wanted to know if he was a threat or not, but the future was clouded with a thick mist that refused to be lifted. That rarely ever happened. "Find him, kill him." I don't think he'll be much of a threat. "His alliance lay with his deceased Slayer. He had no reason to carry on in that manor, he has no soul."
Amace was about to say more but didn't. He had also heard of the former Angelus coming to town, but he figured the news would be handled much the same way. Angel was slightly a different case, but just as easy to kill. He died when staked just like every other Vampire. The fact that he'd been alive for nearly four hundred years was of little consequence to him. The master knew best and if he didn't stop questioning the orders he was going to get himself staked or something far worse by his 'savior'. He turned on his heel slowly and headed for the exit of the abandoned building and back into the night. He still had work to do before the Friday. In two days Sunnydale would be theirs and he would be at the top, or at least close to it. He may have lost his freedom but all the resentment and anger did nothing to quell the happiness over his new found respect.
It was daylight out, not exactly the best time to send demons searching for something, but he didn't want to put it off incase the traitor-vampire decided to cause some trouble. He stepped into the darkened lobby of the building to find a few demons milling around. One of them was a Mathen demon, strong and quite smart. He had a mostly humanoid look to him except for snake-like eyes and skinned ridges running down the side of his face and down his back. It looked agitated as it paced the halls probably waiting to talk to him, or his master. If it was the second it wasn't going to happen the Master rarely saw anyone. Thinking about it for a moment he realized that the Mathen would be perfect for this new little project. He could go out during the day and aside from his cunning nature he was strong.
"You!" Amace called as he stalked across the warehouse in an intimidating swagger.
The humanoid demon looked up his eyes narrowed in a slight perturbed expression. A snarl like smile came to his lips and he met the high ranking Vampire half way. His expression, this close, was anything but pleased. The demon made a deep growling sound in his throat and blinked his slitted eyes.
"What has this done to me? I feel different." The demon demanded angrily. He clenched his fist and looked as though he was going to punch Amace, but something was holding him back.
Amace almost laughed so he wasn't the only one that felt it, that was good to know at least. He wasn't alone in knowing the misery they had all subjected themselves to. "So you feel it do it. You feel the loss of your free will. You know you're a slave."
The demon growled, but still did nothing to fight. "I can't, all I want to do is please him. My mind screams for it and no matter what I do I can't fight it. It's anguish." His face softened for a moment. "The calls I can't ignore him."
"Most can't feel it." Amace admitted. "I know because I work closely with him, I know what he is doing."
"Yet you still comply." The demon asked.
"I can fight it no more than you can. I hate him, he knows it, but he keeps be around because he knows I fear him and no matter how much I want him dead I want to please him more. He holds my essence and there's nothing I can do to escape him."
"You must help me." The demon begged suddenly. "If I do not help him I will go crazy. The hunger is only greater because I know what it is that ails me."
Amace smiled. "I have a mission for you as it is. The master wants a certain someone dead, a demon that refuses to fall into the ranks with us. He works for the slayer, he's a threat."
"Tell me who." The Mathen demon demanded.
"They call him Spike. He's a bleached blond vamp. He's holed up somewhere in the Southside Cemetery. The master wants him dust. Bring me his ashes when he's gone and I'll make sure the master puts you in his ranks."
The demons eyes flashed with the joy of a new task to diminish the insatiable thirst that burned within him. "I will do it and I will serve the master because, like you said, no matter how much I want him dead I want to please him more." The demon turned to leave and Amace watched him for a moment before calling to him.
"Take back up. I have a feeling he won't go easily."
~~~~~~~~```````
Spike was jarred awake with the slamming of his door for the third time in the span of a day and a half. He growled and rolled over hoping that it was Angel and he'd trip and fall on something wooden and pointy ending his sire's pathetic little life quickly. His headache was less and his didn't feel nearly as much nausea as he had last time he'd woken up. His hangover was fading but slowly. Sliding off the bed and to his feet he heard the stomping getting louder as it neared the cover over the lower level of the crypt. There were spurts of brief angry talk overhead as they stomped around his dwelling. Spike listened to the steps. It sounded like there were at least five of them. One of them was speaking Terian... Spike got to his feet quietly and pulled on his shoes. The Mathen's voice trailed off and was replaced by the thick lumbering speech of the Fyral demon.
'Great.' Spike mused angrily. 'Fyral Demon.' They were known for brawn not brains and they followed the orders of those who paid them appropriately religiously. Spike growled under his breath and wondered what a Mathen and a couple of Fyral lackey's were doing in his crypt. Terian rarely if ever called for help from anything let alone as widely used help as Fyral's. They preferred help with brains.
"Don't see him." A Fyral said loudly overhead. "He is not here."
"Don't be so quick." The Mathen said in halting Fyral. "I think I hear something. I know he's here. He was spotted early by a couple of vampires that nest near here."
Spike frowned and turned grabbed his jacket off the back of one the chairs and crept across the floor hoping he could make it into the sewer tunnels and a good distance away before they discovered the lower level of the crypt. He paused for a moment looking over his shoulder at his bag of stuff. He wondered briefly if they would mess with any of it. In the small pocket on the side he had a few very special photos. Most of them were dog-eared and worn, but in basically good condition. A couple of them were from a very long time ago, the time before he was turned. He didn't have much of Buffy and Dawn and even the rest of his life, some of which he didn't like to remember but he still didn't want to loose it. Visibly annoyed with his inability to leave the bag he stalked quietly across the room. Just as he picked up his bag and flung it over his shoulder and across his back he heard the tell tale scrap of the level cover as it was pushed out of the way and scraped across the stone floor overhead.
"Room below," one of the Fyral demons said his voice louder echoing through the lower level.
Spike hissed and cussed without saying anything his jaw set in firm annoyance. He moved quickly across the crypt and positioned himself underneath the lower level entrance and into the shadow hoping to the catch the Fyral off guard putting him at less of a disadvantage. He didn't have anything to fight with, most of his scant furniture had been taken, pawned off and probably a long time ago and what was left was old and hardly stable. Spike rolled his neck slightly as he caught sight of the thick skin and clawed feet of the first feral. Not waiting for him to become all the way visible Spike morphed into gameface and grabbed hold of the Fyral's leg and yanked him the rest of the way into the lower level.
"There's something down there." The Mathen shouted overhead. "Get down there."
Spike grabbed the foot of the stunned demon and dragged him directly under the hole. Within seconds the second demon tumbled through and onto the ground as he hit his friend and fell over. The demon tumbled backward and hit the wall, but he wasn't stunned as the first one was. Spike balled up his fist and hit the horned demon in the jaw trying to push it backward. A deep growl came from the demon's throat he jumped forward and knocked Spikes body to the ground.
While the two of them rolled exchanging hurtful punches and kicks the rest of the demons and the Terian jumped through the whole and joined the fray. Spike looked up as he rolled his legs up underneath his body and kicked outward knocked the demon away from him momentarily. One of his eyes was already swollen shut and stinging painfully as he tried to focus on the Mathen that was obviously the brains of the operation. He wondered briefly if they would tell him why they were trying to kill him. The you-work-for-the-slayer-you-traitor excuse had run out a long time ago. He wasn't really a threat to anyone, well unless he wanted to be.
To his surprise the Mathen didn't say a word but nodded to the other demons. Spike watched stoically as the Fyral he had been fighting got to its feet and backed into the shadows behind the Mathen. Spike was confused if the Mathen could the others to do the job then why did he want the privilege. Had he done something to royally brass of this particular demon? He couldn't really remember.
Wincing slightly with a sharp pain in his rib cage Spike scrambled to his feet still keeping a smirk on his lips and addressed the Mathen. "Well mate, looks like we've got a little problem here." Spike said smiling. "It seems you want me for something. Why not just ask? Saves a lot on the pain."
The Mathen's face was blank as he looked at the vampire. He spoke swiftly in English, the words coming more quickly then they had in Fyral. "We don't want information, we want you dead." Mathen said his voice betraying little to no emotion. "Nothing personal."
"Well I consider it right personal. You know you trying to kill me and all. You can't get more personal than that." Spike said backing up a little. "Had to bring the entire posy didn't you. Couldn't' do it all on your own."
The Mathen growled but still refused to speak. He looked like he was about to pounce when one of the Fyral's began to speak rapidly. "My essence is his. I'll do anything. He..." His words trailed off abruptly and the demon's eyes rolled back in it's head. With in seconds it began to shake violently and thick foam ran down its chin and dripped to the floor.
The entire episode vaguely reminded Spike of the two demons that had died in his crypt earlier; maybe Angel really hadn't done anything to it after all. As the demons were momentarily distracted by the Feral Spike turned and ran quietly from the crypt and dropped into the sewers. Spike could already hear them coming after him, but hoped that somehow he knew the sewers better than they did. He didn't really know where he was going, but he had to find a place to hide until nightfall.
So how you likes?