Author's note: Characters from "The Matrix" are mentioned, which, of courseI do not own.

If you're reading this story, I'd be glad if you dropped me a few lines as to what you like about this or whether you recommend any changes - always up for some feedback :-)

Every bone in her body hurt. They had quite literally been dumped on the astral plane. Luckily their fall had been cushioned by a half-way soft landing on a green lawn. With a grown she slowly got to her feet, commanding her protesting limps to work. She squinted her eyes in concentration, as she looked around curiously. Long rows of tombstones were lying before them silently, framed by deserted pathways, which were shaded by old and crooked trees. Occasionally a few richly ornamented crypts were strewn in to break the monotony of the arrangement. They seemed to be in no imminent danger, as far as she could tell.

"Of course, of all places it had to be a graveyard. Not very inventive, this one," Spike frowned, as he brushed of the grass from his trousers that stemmed from their rather ungentle landing on the lawn.

"I guess he chose this setting, out of twisted sense of nostalgia. That's were we first crossed paths," Lisa explained calmly, looking around alertly. "Besides, technically this isn't a graveyard. We're still on the astral plane. It's a place were only the mind rules. Nothing is set in stone, everything can be altered: laws of nature, the passing of time…you name it. The problem is that we can only alter as much as we can imagine, because of the limited capabilities of the human mind. So things won't go completely wag or at least only to a certain degree. "

"So, your telling me this like the bit with Neo and Trinity standing in the White Room? Basically everything I will to appear actually does?" he asked incredulously.

"Yep, want a demonstration?" she asked, looking at him with her head tilted to the left. "I hate those ugly linen dresses anyways. They're looking like granny's nightgowns," Lisa added, trying to mask her rising anxiety with the wittiness. She snapped her fingers and was suddenly dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans and a simple black shirt. "Much more comfortable," Lisa remarked contently.

"Can we work this to our advantage?"

"If you wanted to make a fashion show with just one model. Sure."

"You know what I meant," he rolled her eyes at her.

"Sorry, couldn't resist," Lisa admitted guiltily. Their banter was something familiar to hold on to. It helped her fight done the ever-present feeling of discomfort, she had felt since their arrival. Lisa reprovingly shook her head at herself and continued their conversation, where she had left off, picking up Spike's question from before, "Can we work this to our advantage?…Only somewhat. It works both ways. Baku could also make use of this, but he'll be otherwise occupied, rest assured," her eyes sparkled dangerously, "In the meantime you will be very welcome to resort to violence."

"Ready and willing to," an equally evil grin spread on Spike's face. He couldn't even start counting the ways in which he wanted to maim, kill and torture this necromancer bloke.

He finally tore his mind away from gory revenge schemes and focused on the image of a scimitar instead. He wanted it to be simple, but effective and deadly sharp. To his wonder only seconds later the desired weapon materialized in his hand. It was exactly like he had wanted it to be. Spike smiled like a boy who had just gotten a new toy as he experimentally tried a few strikes. The metal blade cut the air with a high-pitched hiss.

"Who'd have thought…It actually worked," he nodded contently.

"I never doubted it would," she shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly as if swords appearing out of thin air were most normal thing in the world.

"So what do we do now?"

"My guess - he is playing hide and seek with us. I'd say we should start looking for him, but with the necessary carefulness. He has most definitely set up a trap for us," Lisa said grimly.

"We'll stay together, understood?" it was more an order than a question.

Lisa nodded hesitantly, then they silently snug off to search the graveyard. It was eerily calm - no singing birds, no rustle of foliage. No sound except for that of the blades of grass brushing against their legs as they walk through them, which was probably only there, because they knew it had to be.

They finally reached a crossway of paths. From a distance it was already visible that something was lying on the gravel surface of the pathway. Something incarnate and small. As they stepped closer, they got a much better look at it. It was a severed human hand that vaguely pointed eastward.

"Is that a necromancer's idea of a scavenger hunt?" Spike asked, tentatively tapping against the hand with his boot.

Lisa looked down at it wordlessly and then turned her head into the indicated direction. About a hundred meters from where they stood, the path opened out into a round square in front of a temple like building – a mausoleum.

"Well, that went fast. He'll most certainly be there, waiting for us."

"Guess so," Spike answered.

They stood there for a moment in silence. Neither of them was very keen on taking the next step that would eventually end in tragedy.

"He's only expecting me," Lisa said after a while, "It would be best if you stayed undercover until he's distracted." She better kept it straight to business or else she wouldn't be able to do what she had to.

"Sounds like a plan," Spike briefly kissed her on the cheek, "Be careful," he said, before he disappeared in the coppice left of the path.

Alright, this is it! She took a deep breath and then slowly started walking down the path on wobbly legs. The gravel crunched under her boots with each step she took. It seemed like an eternity until she finally came to a halt in front of the mausoleum. Her heart was racing inside her chest uncontrollably, but she simply ignored it like her sweaty palms and her trembling hands.

"Baku! I know you're there… Get the hell out, so we can finally get this over with," she called out, voice surprisingly strong and clear. Her angry words resounded loudly into the open space.

At first there was no response. Then she registered a movement from the corner of her eyes. Baku theatrically stepped out of the entrance of the mausoleum. His appearance had changed considerably. Before he had resembled a phantom, but now he looked remotely human again. His skin was unnatural pale, almost bluish and covered with age spots. His long white hair was thinning out in some places, hanging down in greasy tendrils over his shoulders. Necromancy if performed over a longer period of time did have some not so pleasant side effects, especially when you dove deep into the dark arts, taking lives and prolonging your own unnaturally.

"At first, I wanted to keep up our little game of hide and seek I little bit longer, but you must excuse me... I grew impatient," he hissed.

"I bet you did," she said sarcastically, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You've been staying in hiding for quite some time. I must have really scared you," he folded his long bony hands, baring a set of yellow teeth as he smiled at her devilishly.

"Don't flatter yourself. I just like to be prepared…"

"Which you are now?" Baku let out a raspy laugh.

"Yes," Lisa answered simply, "And I much preferred if you could press fast forward right to the part were we fight."

"If that is your wish…"

A stream of dark energy unexpectedly shot out of his palm and quickly came towards her. It moved over the ground like a snake, twisting and turning. Wherever it passed it left a trail of destructions: grass withered and died and even little pebbles turned to dust. It probably wasn't a good idea, getting into contact with this thing. Lisa's lips started moving soundlessly as she muttered a protection spell. The energy beam was now only a few inches from her, but was suddenly stopped by an invisible barrier. It let out an electric hiss before it disintegrated into thin air.

"You've certainly improved, my dear. That makes it even more entertaining," Baku chuckled delightedly.

"Let's see how you'll like this..," Lisa bent down and grabbed a handful of dust. She whispered a brief incantation, then blew on it. It left her palm quickly expanding to the size of a cloud, which engulfed her adversary completely. Lisa observed contently as the desired effect set in and Baku was shaken by a fit of coughs, oblivious to what happened around him.

"Spike! Now!" she screamed, hoping that he was close by and heard her call.

Spike let out an animalistic roar and left his hiding with a gigantic leap, making use of his vampiric powers. His duster pillowed dramatically behind him as he landed right in front of Baku, his scimitar poised to strike. Unfortunately he never got as far as to execute the blow, because the necromancer quickly recovered and knocked the sword right out of his hands. For a moment Spike looked confused, but then he smugly shrugged his shoulders, "It's fist and fangs then."

He threw a few bunches at Baku, but mostly uselessly. His opponent didn't even feel the urge to evade Spike's attacks. After a while he stifled a yawn and grabbed the blond vampire by the collar, unceremoniously throwing him into the dust next to Lisa's feet.

"Are you alright?" Lisa whispered to him concernedly, not leaving Baku out of the eye in the meantime

"Peachy," Spike coughed hoarsely.

"Ts ts ts, your minion is certainly enthusiastic, when it comes to fighting, but he most definitely is no match for me," Baku called out derisively, " I thought you were smarter than bringing a vampire into this fight. They can be so easily manipulated…"

He held out his arm in a authoritative gesture and momentarily looked confused, when Spike didn't obey his commands like a puppet on a string.

"Sorry, this one comes with a costume protection spell," Lisa informed him gloatingly.

"Clever, I have to give you that. He must be your pet vampire then…"

"Just, so we get this clear, Wormtongue… I'm not anyone's pet and definitely not a flunky," Spike had gotten to his feet again. He had slipped on his gameface and was ready to attack anew.

"Slow down, Don Quixote," Lisa lay a hand on his shoulder to hold him back, "No more windmill fighting for you today."

Until now she had refrained from delving too deep into the dark arts. Quite frankly it scared her beyond all means. Lisa had once been there, roughly 10 years ago, when she had carelessly experimented with necromancy as a teenager, now being more older and mature, she was concerned if she could control the powers she would conjure. It wasn't as if she actually had a choice anymore. Lisa had to do it or else all would be lost.

"Step aside," she muttered at Spike, her face was a mask of grim determination.

"Why?"

"Just do it!" Lisa yelled, suddenly uncharacteristic emotionally. He let out a protesting growl, but he eventually obeyed.

""Advoco potestates obscure..," when Lisa murmured the first words of the incantation, she felt the power rise inside of her, but this time it was more feral, more uncontrollable than usually. It was an exciting feeling, remotely arousing, but she couldn't bask in it or she would not be able to focus. She closed her eyes in concentration and when she opened them again they had turned completely black. All she knew was that she wanted to kill Baku more than she had wanted anything else in her life. So, she passed the last barrier. "Occidete!" Lisa screamed like a fury and a thunder like energy bolt shot out of her palm and hit Baku, who stumbled and then fell like a tree cut down by an axe.

All of a sudden this feeling of absolute power was gone and she collapse on the floor. She was breathing heavily like she had just run 5 miles at full speed. Spike kneeled down besides her, "Are you, okay?"

"Yes…I think so," Lisa managed to get out. "Go check, if I really got him."

"His sizzling like Thanksgiving Turkey dinner. I think I can even say from a distance that you got him pretty well," he smiled proudly, but the smug expression on his face quickly died away a few seconds later.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, boy," announced a terrible voice. It couldn't be and yet they could see it with their own eyes. Baku slowly got to his feet. Pieces of his burned robes - now completely black and still smoking – fell to the ground. His hair was mostly gone and his skin was reddened and forming blisters. He was a terrible sight to behold.

"Was that all you got, little girl?" he asked, his voice mockingly paternal.

Lisa averted her gaze with tears of desperation in her eyes. She couldn't withhold them much longer, as she realized what this meant. She had done all she could and failed miserable. Her chances of actually coming out of this alive had evaporated, as had her hopes on a future. A future she had desired with all her might…now, that for the first time in years, she was finally looking forward to it, because of the prospect of spending it with someone she loved. She would miss Spike. Their talks, the banter, his kisses, the way her body tingled with contentment, when he just held her in his arm. Now Lisa had to get used to the thought that there would be no happy end. None at all! She knew what she had to do. This was the moment she had feared the most, but always new would eventually come. There was no time for hesitation.

She grabbed Spike's hand and looked at him regretfully, "I'm sorry. I hope you'll understand, why I had to do this."

"What? Understand what?"

"I love you," she whispered regretfully and then muttered the spell to send him back to Wolfram&Hardt.