Turning the Tables

Part 7

I thank you all for reviews, but most especially to Miss Lesley for her REEEEEAAAAAAALLLLYYYYY long and helpful review! Someone actually believed I wanted suggestions!  I got lots of insight, and I pretty much stole everything she suggested so…muchissimas gracias a tu *awesome reviewer cookies to Miss Lesley*

Disclaimer: Spike is mine.  You can have the rest, but let me have Spike.

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LATER THAT NIGHT

            "I don't know what you're so tense about, we're all fine," Buffy said, crossing her arms while Spike paced aggressively back and forth through the crypt.

            "Barely!  I got staked, and poor Pentacle nearly burned," he growled angrily, "This is all my fault.  I just let you two wander around and didn't pay close attention.  I bloody well nearly got both of you killed!  Like it or not, you're my childe, so is Pentacle.  It's about time I took responsibility for you.  I'm your sire, it's my job to teach you two how to be vampires."

            "We know how to be vampires," Buffy sniffed, insulted.  Spike was making such a big deal over one little rough encounter.  Sure, she had been terrified out of her mind.  She had struggled to breathe…until remembering that she didn't.  But it was over.  Over and done, so she would get over it.

            "Not really.  You can hold your own in a fight at least, but Pentacle's got nothing."

            "I do not have nothing," Willow chimed in, "I have my majicks."

            "Sort of.  You can float small objects for short periods of time.  That doesn't make you dark sorceress of the millennia, pet."  Willow scowled and looked away sulkily.  Spike sharply inhaled, despite his lack of use for oxygen.  Still a habit after over a century.  There had to be something he could do.  How could he protect his girls?  Better yet, teach them to protect themselves.  His lips suddenly curled upwards. Now that's what I'm talking about…

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DAWN

            The three vampires sat in the crypt.  The atmosphere was still very tense after Spike's ranting earlier.  Buffy and Willow had not taken very kindly to being called helpless.  But he had a plan apparently.  He had ran off before the sun rose to 'make a call'.  Neither of them were sure what their sire had in store, but whatever it was, it was bound to be interesting.

            Turns out, 'interesting' was an understatement.  From an unseen fire, smoke began to curl.  Buffy scowled at it.  Was smoke usually purple?  The smoke billowed and soon was a large mass in the center of the underground room.  Willow and Buffy backed away slowly, growling quietly; but Spike grinned and stepped forward.  The smoke continued to build until it all disappeared and standing there was…

            "Willy! How are you!?  I was just ecstatic you called, ecstatic!"  An abnormally tall and thin woman with a loud, grating voice embraced Spike roughly.  She was at least two heads taller than he was.

            "Doing fine pet, glad you could make it on short notice," he drew back and noticed Buffy and Willow gaping at him, "Don't think you've met my new girls.  Cross and Pentacle, this is Ch'a'arl K' Koi.  Charlie, this is Cross and Pentacle."  'Charlie' stepped forward and held out a hand.  Her fingers were very long and tapered, and her skin had a green sheen to it.

            "Pleasure, I'm sure," she shook each cool hand in turn.  Buffy got the distinct impression she was shaking a dried piece of seaweed.  She surveyed the woman who had arrived so dramatically and had dared to hug her mate.  Her features were long and appeared stretched, when not moving them, her arms fell limply back at her side.  Her body looked very fragile, and she wore a simple violet smock.  Adding up the height, skin texture, greenness, and oddly pupilless eyes, Buffy deduced Ch'a'arl K' Koi was not human.  Originally, or presently.

            "What are you?" She asked suspiciously, not wasting time being subtle.  Charlie laughed, a sound reminiscent of clattering coins.

            "Well, I'm an old friend of Willy here, a shaman, and here to help, so you can stop glaring at me, hon."

            Buffy twisted her nose up but Willow was cautiously interested.

            "A shaman?" she asked slowly.  Charlie turned to give her a very wide grin.

            "That's right sugar plum.  And I'm assuming it's you I'm here to help out."

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NIGHT

            Buffy followed Spike out through the graveyard to a secluded clump of trees near the woods.  Willow and Charlie had been off somewhere all day, but Spike hadn't been particularly attentive to her.  Actually, he hadn't acknowledged she existed the entire day.  He just sat there and stared at the wall.  And now he was leading her into the trees without giving her any reason or explanation.

            "So," she began, feigning nonchalance, "What's up with Charlie?"

            "Hmm?" He said, obviously not paying attention.  She growled in frustration.

            "Charlie.  Char-lie.  Tall, green and in serious need of moisturizer?"

            "Oh…right.  She owed me a favor, thought she'd be just right to teach Pentacle some black arts."

            "Favor?"

            "Killed her tribe," he replied, pausing to quickly sniff the air and continuing.  Buffy had to start power-walking to keep up with him.

            "That's a favor?"

            "She was wasting all her considerable power on healing and growing and all sorts of namby-pamby good magic rot," he snorted at the memory, "Once the tribe was gone, she got into some deep, dark vengeance stuff and discovered her true talents.  Sort of like you, pet, come to think of it."  Buffy bristled.

            "Me? Like her?"

            "Yeah…spending your time trying to save the world and be the hero, when you have such potential to be wicked."  Her grumpiness at being compared to Charlie evaporated at the compliment and she felt her mood lighten considerably.

            "Where are we going Spike?" She asked after a few more feet through the underbrush.

            "We're going to do some testing, luv."

            "Testing?"
            "Well, yeah.  Gotta see how much Slayerness my favorite girl still has."  Buffy perked up even further, and discovered she was in a better mood than she had been in a long while.  His favorite girl.  Spike's favorite girl.  Spike liked her best.  Better than Willow, better than Drusilla…she was number one.  And that made her enormously happy.

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It's pretty short, and was a very long time in coming, very sorry, very sorry.  But there was Florida, and there was homework, and writer's block, and I discovered I needed an extra chapter and I have an hour of Angel everyday (I'm watching TNT) so I've been busy.  But I will try very hard to be better.  I will try.