Spike knew following the slayer was a bad idea. Hell, all his ideas were basically bad. Kidnapping her and confessing his love wasn't his brightest moment, but he didn't always think with his brain. "Probably got a screw loose" he mumbled to himself. What a daft idiot he was. He was turning into one of the pansy's he always complained about. Damn chip was ruining him.
He had followed her to the outside entrance of the library. "The library?" "Is she off her rocker?" Since when does the slayer go to the library? It definitely was odd. She had looked like she was on a mission when she left the magic box. He thought for sure he was in for a grand night of watching his slayer fight some demons. He loved watching her. "What the hell is she doing at the library?"
Spike knew the library would be full of daft humans. Did he think he could just walk in unnoticed? It would be a bugger but he wanted, no needed, to know what was going on. He walked through the front door and spotted her taking the stairs to the upper decks. "I'll stay back so she doesn't notice me" he said in a soft whisper. You were supposed to whisper in the library right? Yes, that was the plan. Buffy was up to something and he sure as hell was going to find out what it was.
Buffy climbed the steps to the third floor. "A book. I just knew it. I told Giles that the library was all about books and here I am. Buffy. Looking for a book. Willow would have been handy about now, she told herself. Very handy.
She walked down the narrow row of books. It was very creepy in here. This section was not your typical area of the library. It was empty, except for her of course. "Not the popular section I guess" she said to the air. She followed the books to the end of the row and searched the shelves where the book in question should be located. There it was. The Keeper of the Dead. What a name for a book. This was going to be a long night. That she was sure of.
Spike reached the third floor with ease. The slayer must be losin' her touch he thought. She didn't even spot me yet. Maybe I am getting better at this. He had stalked a few bird in his day. He was fairly good at it. But the slayer usually caught him in the act. Her mind must be elsewhere. Whatever she is doing here, it must be important. He knew the slayer and she took her duty seriously. This was no casual trip to the library to look up the latest fashion tips from those rags she calls magazines. This was a mission. He could feel it. He could feel her.
Buffy felt a tingle and she turned around suddenly. Was someone following her? She hadn't seen a soul and this place certainly looked empty. She had that feeling though and it bothered her a little. "Just nerves I guess" she said to herself. "Must be the creepiness of this place. Sure could use a good dusting" as she took the book from the shelf and blew the dust off of the cover. She choked from the inhaled dust. "Great, not only is this an old dusty book but it is in a funny language too. How am I supposed to do anything with this? I can't read this silly stuff."
The pages were old and torn. It looked as if it had survived an apocalypse. Well, there was something they had in common. The hand drawn pictures of the King and the sorcerer were ugly but then again maybe he wasn't a very good artist. Mary had said he wrote the book himself. Yes, here is was. Looked like his name. King Ryman. Hmmm. Maybe I should take this back to Giles and let him figure it out. I did my part. I questioned the pasty desk girl and found the book. Surely he would be happy with that.
"Hey, is somebody in here?" Buffy felt that tingle again and it was making her nervous. Why would someone be following her? Just then she saw a shadow. Someone was in the room. Whey weren't they answering her?
Bugger! Spike was hiding behind a row of old books. He knew he was getting too close. Slayer senses. She has super powers for Christ's sake why give her special senses as well. It's this damn coat. All the swaying and bristling it's a wonder I can sneak up on anything! I'm caught. She won't quit her yappin so I might as well fess up.
"It's me slayer" Spike said as he stepped from behind the bookcase into the open hallway. "Don't go gettin' your knickers all in a twist. You can stop your yellin' anytime."
"Spike, I should have known. How long have you been following me anyway? Didn't I tell you to stop doing that? I don't like it. It's…….creepy.
"I know slayer, but since when do I do what you tell me to. Hell, I pride myself in goin' outta my way to do just the opposite. Vampire, remember? Not your lackey here to do your bidding. I am the King of my domain; you can't order me around to your fancy."
"King, right. Everything is about Kings these days. "Huh" Spike frowned and gave Buffy a look of utter confusion. "Are you daft or something?" "What are you going on about?"
"This book you idiot. It's the reason that I am here in the first place. Not that you would know anything about that since you seem to just enjoy stalking me. Slayer remember? Mission? Ringing any bells?
"Right, it's a mission. At the library. You on a mission to look up the latest do's and don'ts of fashion to make sure you aren't on the worst dress list? I mean, you aren't exactly the queen of literacy Buffy. It just doesn't make sense, that's all I'm sayin'."
"Look, bleach head, I don't have time to deal with you right now. I have important things to do. Girls are missing and it doesn't seem to be vampire or demon related. It is somehow connected to this book and I have to figure out how. Talking to you is getting me nowhere and frankly, it is always upsetting. Don't you have somewhere else to be right now? Like maybe getting drunk at Willy's or chasing cars or something?"
Just then the book crackled and Buffy remembered she had been holding it. Spike came running up beside her and grabbed it from her hand. "What is happening?" he gasped. "You don't even know what this book does Slayer. Why are you messing with things that you know nothing about? It's just like you to go open a portal or something and suck us all into hell. I happen to like my gig here in grand ole Sunnyhell. Who knows what this book will do with it crackin' sparks and all. I might turn into a horny toad or something."
"Well, that would be an improvement." Buffy wasn't in the mood and she certainly didn't need to be taking orders from the likes of Spike. It was bad enough that the council had sent her on this wild goose chase in the first place. She could be killing stupid vampires in the cemetery right now. Instead, she is standing here fighting with Spike. Nope, nothing new here.
"Very funny Slayer". The book continued to crackle and as Buffy grabbed the book to attempt to take it from Spikes grasp a bright light appeared along with a loud bang. The cloud of smoke was small but dense. The book fell to the floor of the library with a thud. The smoke soon cleared to reveal a very empty place where Buffy and Spike were standing. They were gone.
A shadow appeared from a secret compartment in one of the walls in the library. A man stepped forward, picked up the book, and placed it back on the shelf. "Well, that certainly didn't go exactly as planned." Mr. Hargis wasn't always known for his ingenious plans, but he managed to make most of them go his way. He was quite sure however, that the blonde vampire would put a damper on this plan. No, this was not good at all.