Reclaiming Willow
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the maniac plot bunny that's been stomping my brains out.
Summary: Desperate measures to save a friend.
Reviews: Yes please. Readers Rock but Reviewers Rule!
A/N: I know it's been a long time but I think I've finally got something worth reading on this fic. Thanks for patiently waiting and thanks for your unfailing support of my other insanities. There's one more chapter left guys!
The name of the demon will be recognizable to anyone who has read/heard Jim Butcher's incredible book, Storm Front. I don't know if I spelled it right, forgot to borrow my son's copy to check, I only go by the audio version read by the incomparable James Marsters. The demon has changed only the name stayed the same.
Many, many thanks to WayWard Childe for his invaluable contribution to Willow's rant.
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Spike frowned at the expression on Giles's face and the paleness of his features.
"Rupert? What's wrong?" He moved over to take the papers from the elder Brit's lax grasp. He scanned the first page, his frown increasing in ferocity. He quickly flipped to the next page and snarled. His laser blue gaze focused on Tara.
"Did you help her? Other than the ritual at the cemetery, I mean. Did you know which spell she was going to use?" His questions were flat and harsh.
"No, she didn't tell me which spell she was using, I trusted her to know." Tara replies softly. "I should have known better."
"Bloody right you should have. Anya?" Spike turned toward the blonde ex-demon.
"Yes?" She asked.
"Do you know anything about Kalshalzak?" Spike nodded when she blanched. "Thought so."
Buffy hesitantly approached her Watcher. "Giles? What's he talking about?"
Giles removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "The spell that Willow used to resurrect you allowed a demon to return to this dimension. But he has done so by way of possession of the one who cast the spell. He was a demon that was very powerful in the black arts and was banished to another dimension several centuries ago. Not many people have heard of him. I'm frankly surprised that Spike knows of him."
"Dru was into magic for a while but she couldn't concentrate long enough to make a spell work so she gave up on it. Kalshalzak was one of her role models. Very into evil, was my Dru." The vampire explained with a wistful half smile. "How do you know?"
Giles grimaced. "Some of my friends wanted to resurrect a demon, he was one of the candidates. Fortunately his reputation scared us out of actually going through with it." He cleaned his glasses thoughtfully. "And now an amateur has managed to unleash him."
"He may not be fully unleashed yet, Rupes." Spike ran his hand through his hair distractedly. He returned to the table and began to absentmindedly return his papers to their folder, making sure everything was placed precisely in the proper order. He sighed, his lean features taking on his version of Willow's 'resolve face'. "If there's still a bit of Red left in there we can get her back."
Summers house…
Willow closed the door as soon as Tara and Dawn were out of sight. She paced in agitation while she waited. Long minutes later, she knew that her lover and the teenager had reached their destination. She stood in front of the large mirror on the dresser in the room she shared with Tara.
"Revelare." She commanded. The mirror immediately rippled and she saw the interior of the Magic Box shimmer into view. Her pretty face darkened in anger as she saw her lying lover hand over some papers. She watched as Giles read whatever it was Tara had given him. The blond vampire next took the papers and Willow watched the anger spread over his face. He could be a threat. The demon residing in Willow realized. He knew. Somehow the vampire knew. He had to be stopped. She waved a hand across the mirror and restored its reflective state. Her head bent for a moment then snapped up. Her eyes were now completely black. A smirk crossed her face as she began to disappear. It was time for some fun.
Magic Box…
Spike turned to Faith. "Take Niblet, Gerry and go. Get a newspaper and go back to the house we stayed in last night. Do me a favor and check the real estate ads. See if you can find something you'd like to look at."
Faith frowned, not understanding why he wanted her to leave. "I want to help."
Spike pulled her into his arms and kissed her protest away. "I want you safe. Please, go protect Dawn. I need to know she's out of this. Besides, don't you want to find out how much money I have? Gerry can tell you. Then you and Dawn can conspire to try to spend as much of it as you can." He murmured in her ear.
Gerald stood up. "Really, Lord William, I prefer to be called 'Gerald'." He protested.
Spike turned with a snarl. "Be happy I don't call you 'Magnum'. Just go with my girl and get away from here."
Faith snagged Dawn's hand and pulled her toward the training room so they could go out the back door. Her slayer senses were screaming at her and she knew they needed to leave. The private detective sputtered but when Giles took him by the arm and propelled him after the dark haired slayer, he gave up and went along quietly.
"Stay out of sight. I'll call you when it's over. Stay safe." Spike had followed his two favorite girls to the door of the training room. He cupped Faith's face in his hands. His deep blue eyes gazed intently into her dark brown ones. "I love you." He stated clearly.
Gasps were heard around the room. The parting couple ignored them. "I love you, too. You die on me I'll kill you." Faith put her hands over his as tears rose in her eyes. Spike dropped his forehead onto hers. He knew it was possible he wouldn't survive the coming confrontation but had hoped she wouldn't realize it. He should have known better. He bit his lip and inhaled deeply.
"Go." He ordered. They went. Just in time. Almost before the back door swung shut the front door blew open and Willow floated in. Literally, her feet were at least six inches above the floor. She gazed around the room haughtily, happy to see the fear on the faces of almost everyone there. She frowned when she realized that a couple of people were missing. The younger slayer and the kid had left. She gave a mental shrug and decided to go after them as soon as she dealt with the current threat.
Spike cursed as he moved back into the main portion of the shop. He'd hoped they would have time to go over the counter-spell to rid themselves of the demon before he completely took over Willow. One look into the witch's black eyes told Spike that time was short. They needed to get rid of the parasite quickly.
Buffy moved to take a position between Willow and Giles. A move that caused Giles to smile a little. He gently took her arms and shuffled her behind him.
"What are you doing?" She whispered.
"I have more experience with magic than you do." He murmured near her ear. "Let me do this."
Spike glanced at them, hearing the exchange. He nodded approvingly at the Watcher's actions and words. Anya and Xander clung together while Tara unobtrusively shifted her position to stand nearer to Spike.
"Well, well. What do we have here?" The voice coming from their friend was deeper than her normal perky tones. "Ripper! My, you have aged since you and your mates considered bringing me back. Too bad you all chickened out. We could have had so much fun." The demon shook its head mock-mournfully.
"Xander! You knew. You knew what they were doing, knew that what all of you were doing was wrong and you did it anyway. You just wanted your precious Buffy back. How can I thank you?" Willow crooned.
Anya inched closer to Xander, grasping his hand almost painfully. The action drew attention to the ex-demon. "Anyanka! Too bad you're not in the vengeance game anymore. Think of the mayhem we could have caused. I see you're a blonde. Does that mean you realized you need to be more like Xander's beloved Buffy?"
The unnatural dark eyes turned to Xander again. "I bet you love it now that Anya has that pretty blond hair with those delicious dark roots. Easier to pretend you're doing Buffy that way, isn't it? Bet you close your eyes during the whole thing, huh? In and out, in and out of the slayer. Your all-mighty superhero, perfect girl, her crying out your name, and then you hit your spot and explode, biting your lip because you almost said 'Buffy'. It's ok... I do it with Tara, too."
The viciousness of the statement caused Tara to pale and gasp. She stepped closer to Spike and grasped his forearm.
The venomous demon turned her black eyes toward the blonde witch. "You really think you're a proper mate to one like me? You're pathetic. You with your stuttering and green magic. Only good deeds. No using the power for personal purposes. Always lecturing on the right way to perform spells."
Feeling Tara's hand tremble on his arm, Spike felt a surge of anger. "Enough!" He spat. "Kalshalzak! Leave this plane. Return the witch and go back to the dimension you were banished to." The vampire commanded.
The demon shook its head pityingly. "William. Forced to depend on the food for survival. Aren't you tired of being a sorry, pathetic excuse for a demon?"
"I have no problems with the way things are now." Spike tried to sound more positive than he felt. He'd been fed up with his existence until Faith had entered his life. Now that he was in the position to provide for her and take care of his new love, he didn't want to endanger that. The entire time he'd existed, all he ever wanted was for someone to love him. Now he had that and he was willing to fight to keep it.
"Oh, I don't think so." The demon disagreed.
"Kalshalzak! Leave this dimension. You are not wanted." Spike repeated. His voice was firm and confident. He knew the spell to rid them of this menace. He began the chant.
"Lasci questa dimensione.
Dalmio ordine.
Denomino il vostro nome tre volte.
Farete la mia volonta.
Ritorno!"
Tara recognized the Italian command. She repeated the chant. Rupert's eyebrows climbed up his forehead when he heard Spike's curse but his voice jointed Tara's. Anya glanced at the blond vampire in surprise.
Kalshalzak became incensed. "No! You will not banish me!" The demon's voice boomed throughout the shop. She raised her hand and pointed at Spike. Spike's slim body stiffened. He rose into the air, Tara's hand dislodging as he levitated. The chant stopped as they watched Spike convulse in mid-air.
"I could help you." The demon crooned. "I think I'll fix your little problem. Join me, William."
Blood began to seep from Spike's nose and ears. His body shuddered before going limp. Kalshalzak motioned with her hand and Spike flew across the room to land in a bloody heap against a bookshelf. He lay there unconscious. The others moved closer together and clasped hands. They took up the chant that Spike had started. Ending the chant by repeating the demon's name three times as directed by the curse. Once finished, they began again. Repeating the chant over and over until the demon began to quake from the force of the magic pounding it.
Kalshalzak shrieked. Willow's petite body shuddering as the demon fought to remain in possession. Her head fell backwards and her mouth opened wide in an earsplitting scream. If Spike had been conscious, his sensitive vampiric ears would have been ringing. The humans in the room winced at the volume but continued with the chant, determined to rid Willow of the parasitic demon. A cloud of black particles poured from Willow's mouth, eyes and ears then flew through the air. It circled the room and, unable to find another suitable vessel, began to dissipate. With a roar that shattered the plate glass window, the demon vanished. Willow collapsed onto the floor, unconscious.
Shaky and exhausted, the Scoobies moved over to their fallen friends. Giles and Buffy went to check on Spike's injuries. He was out cold and was still bleeding from his ears and nose.
"What did it do to him?" Buffy asked shakily. She sat on the floor and eased Spike's head onto her lap, unmindful of the blood seeping into her jeans. Giles took out his handkerchief and tried to apply pressure to the vampire's nose.
"I'm not sure but I think maybe it removed the chip." The Watchers said quietly. "Will that be a problem for you?" His sage green eyes searched her tear-filled depths.
"No." She said, gazing down at the unconscious vampire. "Unless he goes on a killing spree, he's safe."
"I seriously doubt that will happen." Giles smiled gently. "He is quite unique."
The blonde slayer carded her fingers through Spike's hair. "Yes, he is. I just realized it way too late."
Xander scooped the limp body of his life-long best friend into his arms and carried her to the sofa in the back of the shop. He tenderly placed her on the cushions. Tara sat with Willow's head in her lap and caressed her love's ashen face. Xander backed away from the couple on the sofa and pulled Anya into his arms.
"Ahn, Honey, you know that thing was lying. Right?" The carpenter asked shakily.
Anya nodded. She raised a hand to Xander's face, caressing his cheek and wiping away a tear he hadn't realized he'd shed. "I love you." She whispered.
"I love you, too. So much. You can't imagine." Xander murmured into her hair. He pulled her tighter into his embrace.
Anya snuggled into his chest. His grip was tight but there was no way she was going to protest. It felt safe and right.
Willow's eyelids fluttered. Tara leaned forward over her love's awakening form. "Willow? Baby? Are you all right?" The blonde witch asked softly.
"Tara?" The redhead's voice was weak. "What happened?"
"Just a little consequence of the spell to bring Buffy back but don't worry, we vanquished it." Xander told her as he stood there with his arms folded firmly around his fiancé.
"What? What consequence? What's he talking about?" Willow asked, confusion on her pretty face.
"We'll discuss it later." Giles moved over to check on the rest of his children. He knelt next to the sofa and took Willow's hand. "Are you all right?"
"I think so. I don't remember much. I feel like it's been so long since I've seen any of you." She struggled to sit up. Tara eased her gently back down.
"Rest now, we'll talk later." Tara soothed.
"Yes, please. Rest." Giles smiled at Willow.
Buffy's frightened voice rang out in the quiet room. "Giles! Help!"
They all turned to see what was wrong. The blonde slayer was trying to hold onto Spike's convulsing body. Blood continued to gush from his nose and ears. A growl of pain burst from his lips as his head dropped backwards into Buffy's lap. His throat was taut and strained. His eyes were still closed and he appeared to be unaware of his surroundings.
Xander let go of Anya and rushed to grab onto Spike's feet. He struggled to contain the thrashing legs while he dug into a pocket. He withdrew his pocketknife and tossed it toward Buffy. "Slayer blood. Buff, that will heal him. Quick before he bleeds out." He grunted.
Buffy's wide green eyes stared at her best friend in disbelief. Anya grabbed the knife and Buffy's arm. Her big brown eyes caught the slayer's gaze. "Do you trust me?"
Buffy nodded numbly. Anya quickly made a shallow cut on Buffy's wrist and held it to Spike's mouth. A small stream of the potent blood trickled into the vampire's mouth and down his throat. He swallowed convulsively. The quaking eased and the stiffness of his limbs lessened. His lips fastened on the cut and he pulled two or three more gulps before whimpering and turning his head away. The bleeding from his nose and ears slowed and then stopped completely. The thrashing of his body ceased and Xander eased off the now still legs. The brunette ran a shaking hand through his shaggy hair. Anya moved around and drew him into her arms again.
Buffy returned to running her fingers soothingly through Spike's hair. The vampire was quiet again, the bleeding having stopped completely. He was still unconscious.
Giles had watched in stunned amazement as Xander worked feverishly to save his mortal enemy. Now that the crisis seemed to have passed he approached the shaking Scoobies. "Xander, that was astonishing. I'm very proud of you." The elder Brit said softly.
"Yeah, well. He knew how to save Willow. That counts." Xander mumbled as he cuddled Anya and stared at the floor in embarrassment.
A groan drew their attention to the still prone vampire. "Bloody Hell." Spike's voice was raspy. "My head hurts. Did anyone get the number on the sodding bus?" He moaned when relieved laughter assaulted his poor aching head.