Title: Demons from the past
Rating:PG-13
Disclaimer:Not smart enough, or enough money so it ain't mine. DAMN YOU WHEDON!
Summary: My first real sequel, all others have been fakes, kind of an AU of S7 so a bit more original than most.
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There have been very few times when Willow ever wished to have her old powers back. Don't get her wrong she loves her method now, makes her feel in control. But when you've had the habit of solving problems, fixing things with a flick of the wrist, exploring and researching a spell can be made out to be the most tedious thing in existence. Those moments have been fewer and far between.
But that's not what Willow wants now. What she's feeling now has been building up lately, with everything that's been going on, the death, fighting and anger. All of it slowly stripping the control away, she's been feeling that old hate. The silky voice she heard in her head when she lost herself in the magic.
Telling her to make the world burn.
More and more lately it's been gaining purchase. The number of times Willow felt it can be counted on one hand. But that mere fact terrifies her, and deep down, excites her as well.
This is one of those moments. She can feel it in her chest. That whisper in the back of her head telling her to make Xanders head explode, cause if she hears him use the argument "but it's spike" again there's going to be a bit of him on all of them.
"but it's Sp.."
"Xander please, we've all heard you. We understand that it's Spike. Now sit down before someone makes you."
Willow mentally breathed a sigh of relief and thanked Giles for keeping her from making the walls a new color. After Buffy left they had wasted no time in rooting Slice-n-Dice's identity out from her. After that she hadn't been able to say a word. Not for a lack of trying though. She watched with a strange detached fascination when she confirmed their suspicions the room broke into pandemonium.
The moment the redhead uttered the words "Yes it's Spike" Xander started talking in his "squeaky tirade" voice.
Goddess she hated that voice.
Giles had had enough when Xan started talking about hunting him down before he could hurt anyone.
Course while he was trying to take hold of the situation the Watchers, especially Winthrop, expressed that they didn't really disagree with him. Though not to that extreme they thought it best that they take measures to limit contact with such a volatile creature. Anya had the brilliant idea of telling them that it may be they don't have a choice in the matter.
The room gradually dissolved into disorder the watchers talking amongst themselves while arguing with Giles, the Scoobies fighting with Xander. All Willow could do was sit and try to keep herself contained.
Of course that was the moment the potentials decided to enquire what the noise was all about. They didn't know exactly what was going on, but from the commotion they could see that they were arguing about someone named Spike. Winthrop then decided to inform the Girls of thee colorful history of William the bloody.
If there was a head explody list the stuffy watcher would be second.
He made sure to highlight the especially interesting parts involving slayers, including some of the history when Spike made his grand entrance to Sunnydale. Course they didn't know anything about the good that he had done, or at least omitted it. The Scoobies and, even Giles, tried explaining to them that he had changed and the two were not the same. That was immediately silenced by Dawn's quiet voice.
"Yes they are."
"Dawnie..."
"No! you guys don't get it do you. He..."
When Willow saw Dawn's she was torn between a hundred different thoughts and emotions. She had never really thought about how the youngest member of the scoobies would react to this. How she would react to Spike being back.
The two had been close friends, the witch even might say best friends. But all of that was lost when...
When Willow sent him to hell.
Giles stepped in hoping to try and head this off.
Willow knew the watcher cared nothing for the vampire, but saw him as a powerful ally. If they were to lose his support, the incredible buffer he provided by slaying dozens if not hundreds of demons every night might be lost, and the mission with him. She also knew that this was hurting the girl he thought of as a daughter.
"Dawn please. I understand that you went through a great ordeal. But whether or not I or anyone else is pleased with it, he did change. If not for the better. And if anything he cared for you."
They could all see her face struggling to stay in control. Willow figured that Dawn wanted to believe the bleach blonde didn't care anything for her, made it easier to forget him and not have to deal. And for awhile there was silence between everyone while they heard the truth in those words.
"Um guys, not to break the uncomfortable silence, But I was wondering, didn't Spike die?"
Alice's question was valid, unfortunately Xander decided to mutter his answer.
"Probably been here all along."
Willow could almost feel her eyes starting to darken at the words, and was about to bite back a reply. She loved him, she did. He's one of her best friends. And Willow understood that he wanted to protect them all, but something else was going on. There was some other unknown reason he hated this particular vampire. Anya's voice broke her train of thought.
"Actually he's probably been in Balthrass the whole time."
Willow sunk in her seat and could see out of the corner of her eye Giles face pale and the others Watchers eyes widen. Apparently they had heard about the dimension. She could hear the wheels turning.
"That means he's been..."
The witch could see the tears fall from Dawns eyes as the girl realized her friend had been through something incomprehensible to any of their human minds.
"Six hundred million years by my guess, give or take a year."
Someone in the group might have spoken up if Anya's voice hadn't held a certain amount of sorrow. Even the unrepentant vengeance demon could feel sympathy for someone she cared about who got the short end of the stick in life.
"Wait, you knew didn't you. And you didn't say anything?"
Xanders accusation was clear and it made the anger in Anya's face come to full light. But to her credit she kept her mind.
"In any event I think perhaps we should let Buffy make this decision when she returns. She has that right in this matter more than all of us."
"Yeah! Let's trust her judgment..."
"Xander don't start."
"No I think I will start. I mean come on, who has to get hurt next before she puts down her undead boyfriend. That vampire did things I can't even think about without turning a shade of green and no one does anything because it's Buffy's call! I can't believe what I'm hearing. I mean sure we need the guy, but come on! This is Spike we're talking about. I can't believe it's happening again. He comes around does one good thing and you all go blind. I'm sorry but I'm not just going to stand around while Buffy lets him hurt someone else! Buffy didn't dust him no matter how many reasons he gave her. She let that thing in her house and..."
"Xander shut up!"
Dawns tear filled yell couldn't silence him.
"It almost raped her!"
At that moment everything stopped. There was no sound and even the wind outside was silent. Willows anger towards Xander came to a screeching halt, as did any sympathy for the vampire she sent to hell. Everything was so still that the movement of one of the potentials head caught everyone's attention and it was that moment they all noticed Buffy standing there.
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Hey people,
I'm back for a little while and have found time to write a chapter.
I felt the last chapter I did jumped to far ahead too fast so I removed it and replaced it with this. I'm going to do another one after that I give no promises.
It's been a long long time, and I've been drunk and sleeping for most of it. So I would suggest before you guys do anything else, reread the rest of the story if you haven't recently.
Oh and REVIEW! Or I'll go back into hibernation. It's blackmail I know but I give a sht.
