A/N : Thanx muchly to; demonica mills, Freezyboncoolipants, vanillagigglez, Hellmouth2, SiriusSpikeLover, funkydevil206, boeketjebloemen, Archnemeses, Daniel Wesley Rydell, Brunettepet, nikstarr, Arisluv, Torrchy, Ape18, Moluvsnumber17, Alliegirl, and MaidenRo, for all the awesome reviews. I have some problems with writing this story, I think I'm much better at angst and romance and stuff, still I am determined to finish it both for myself and all of you guys.
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)
Chapter 12
Buffy was feeling very proud of herself as she escaped from the confines of the hotel room and bolted for the stairs. It didn't take much to persuade her friends to distract Joyce and Dawn so she could sneak away. She wanted to spend time with Spike, and she was also very curious to know what was happening with him and Giles and whatever spell they were doing.
The little Slayer was surprised when she reached the bottom of the stairs and found not just her Watcher and the vampire she adored standing in the entrance hall but also a woman with dark curly hair and a veiny face. Seemed she was a demon and Buffy was immediately worried the demon-woman would try to attack her man.
"Spikey?" she called to him, but he didn't seem to hear her, his back to her as he stared at the mystery girl. Her face dissolved from the demon visage to that of a human woman.
"How the soddin' hell did you...?" Spike began, frowning hard as he stared at a woman he hadn't seen in a hundred and twenty years.
"I could ask you the same thing" she smiled slightly, stunned by the sight of him.
"Spikey!" Buffy called more urgently, not liking the fact he was ignoring her. When he finally paid attention to her he did not look happy.
"Not now, Buffy!" he snapped at her, before looking straight back at Halfrek, who continued to stare in wonderment at a man she believed should be dead.
As Joyce came down the stairs, ready to give Buffy a stern telling off she met her daughter bolting up the other way in floods of tears and dutifully went after her to find out what was wrong.
Downstairs, Giles glanced between Spike and Halfrek as they stared at each other, the axe in the vampire's hand slipping between his fingers and falling to the floor.
"Er, might one ask... do you two know each other in some way?" the Watcher checked and Spike nodded slowly.
"Yeah, could say that" he said, eyes never leaving Halfrek's face, "Bloody lifetime ago" he smiled.
"Quite literally" she agreed, "How've you been William?"
"Good" he nodded, "Vampire mostly..." he mumbled as he fought to hold on to his bad ass attitude and not let out the mumbling fool he was deep inside, the man he'd been when he'd last looked upon her face, "Cecily" he said, the word feeling strange in his mouth, "How the bloody hell did you end up a soddin' Vengeance Demon?" he asked her, astonished by the concept.
"Er, perhaps we could save the catching up for later?" Giles suggested, coming to stand between the two, Spike's forgotten weapon held in his hand just in case things got ugly as they were prone to do amongst demons, "There is a rather more pressing matter at hand than old demon tales"
"'S not demon tales, Rupert" Spike rolled his eyes, "Me and Cecily here, when I say a lifetime ago I mean just that. We were human when we knew each other"
"Vengeance demons start out as humans?" the Watcher frowned, "Good Lord, I had no idea"
"It's true" Halfrek told him, "I was just a little slip of a thing when I met D'Hoffryn, not more than twenty..." she said, patting her hair, as Spike snorted.
"Twenty my ass!" he challenged, "You were twenty-five when I was turned you lying chit!" he reminded her.
"Moderate your tone, William" she told him sternly, "The power of the wish is not the only power I have"
"You want a smackdown, woman, you say the word" Spike told her with an angry glare, "Nobody I'd rather take apart than the woman who's cruel words led to my death"
"Oh yes, let's talk about that night" Halfrek smiled, folding her arms over her chest, "Let's tell your friend here about the man behind the vampire's badboy complex" she challenged and Spike gave her a warning look as she goaded him, "Come along, William whatever are you afraid of?"
"Not afraid of anything', you silly bint" he said, getting in her face, "And it's Spike now, not poncin' William"
"Spike?" Halfrek laughed out loud at that one, "Oh not the Spike, unholy grand-childe of Angelus, Scourge of Europe?" she giggled, "Oh dear sweet little William, look what's become of you. One of the darkest demons to walk the Earth" she said, her laughter dying as she stared at him, looking into his eyes, "Some friends of mine would be proud of me, knowing what I helped to create. You do have quite a fan club you know" she told him, her hand going to his shoulder and running down his arm, "At least you did, until you began to kill your own kind"
Spike knocked her hand away and had the axe out of Giles hands in one swift movement, levelling it at Halfrek's throat.
"No!" Giles yelled frantically, "Spike, think about what you're doing" he said, putting a hand on his arm and stilling any movement he might make, "We need her" he said firmly, making eye contact with the vampire who gave in and moved the axe away a moment later.
"You need little old me?" Halfrek asked amusedly, "Sorry sweetie, but I work to a strict set of rules and you don't qualify as worthy of my services" she smiled.
"Already had enough of your bleedin' services" Spike snapped, "Overheard somethin' said by a girl I know, granted a bloody stupid wish and made my woman and all her mates three feet soddin high, didn't you!"
"I couldn't possibly say" Halfrek shrugged her shoulders slightly as she inspected the nail polish on her right hand, "It would depend upon who this girl is that you know"
"Dawn!" Spike yelled up the stairs, "Little Bit get your backside down here now!" he bellowed and the teen soon did as she was told.
"Geez, Spike, loud much?" she rolled her eyes, "What's the big?"
He didn't answer her as she followed him down to the entrance hall and they faced Halfrek.
"Dawn Summers" he presented her to the demon woman, "Remember her? In Sunnydale, wishing big sis and her mates knew what it felt like to be the littlest?"
Dawn had the good grace to look ashamed of herself, her eyes going to her feet. She'd caused all this trouble and as much as she did find it slightly amusing to see Buffy and the Scoobies running around as kids, she knew neither Spike nor Giles felt that way. Even her mother was beginning to lose patience, and now here was a demon who was causing trouble for them all.
"Ah yes, I remember you" Halfrek smiled, "Well, aren't you the cutest little thing?"
"Little ain't the word now, is it luv?" Spike said, giving Dawn a look.
"Not anymore" she sighed, "Buffy still gets more attention than me even if she is little" she muttered and Halfrek took in every word, "I want my wish reversed" Dawn told her, "I want the gang back to how they were, at least I got some time to myself that way"
"C'mon then, Cecily" Spike snapped at her, "Kid here says she wants everything reversed, and I know Cordelia feels the same about her stupid wish. Get to it then, like a good little demon"
"Dear William" Halfrek sighed, "Despite your changes you're still terribly naive"
"Changes? William?" Dawn glanced at him, wondering what she'd missed, Spike just shook his head dismissively as he stepped towards Halfrek.
"You listen here, bitch" he said nastily, "Just about done bein' polite to you and Lord knows you never gave me any reason to years ago never mind now" he reminded her, "You're gonna change those kids back, and you're gonna go it now, before I get real pissed off and make you"
"And if he doesn't, we will" said Cordelia from half way up the stairs. She and Joyce looked so angry right now, if thunderbolts and lightening had shot from their eyes nobody would've been shocked.
"Oh look, the cavalry" Halfrek smirked as the kids ran ahead of their sitters, "How sweet"
"Hallie, how could you!" a little voice demanded to know, pushing her way through the little crowd to face the demon woman.
"Oh my... Anyanka?" she gasped at the sight of her old friend reduced to the size of a six year old.
"I don't like being this size!" she snapped, "I'm short and under-developed, and commanded around by people taller than me. I'm over a thousand years old damn it!"
"Anyanka, sweetie" her old friend smiled, "I had no idea you were one of the Slayer's friends these days. Good Lord what's happening to everybody?" she asked, eyes flitting between the little version of Anya, and Spike.
"Enough talking, now turn them back already" Cordelia demanded, hands on hips as she glared at the Vengeance demon. Halfrek glared back at first before a sickly sweet smile broke through.
"Er, no" she said, pretending to think about her answer before giving it, "You made a wish, honey, and you can't take that back. You want someone to blame for what's happened to your friends here, you look in a mirror, because this is all your doing, yours and little Dawnie here"
"I am not little!" the brunette protested, "Why does everyone always say that!"
"And it was that sort of stupid thinking that got us in this mess in the first place, Bit" Spike warned her, "So do us a favour and hush your noise, will you?"
"My, my, William, you really have changed" Halfrek smiled, "So very much the man in charge these days"
Buffy saw red as the demon woman made eyes at Spike and she ran full pelt at her, kicking her hard in the ankles.
"You're mean, and nasty, and you can't have Spike, he's mine" she cried, raving at Halfrek's feet. In one swift movement, the demon brought back her leg and kicked the child away. Buffy fell back into Willow and Tara making all three land on their backsides, looking very upset.
"You bitch!" Spike snapped, his game face slipping into place as he went at the woman whom he once professed to love, smacking her across the face til her demon face showed too. The fight was on and to her credit the girl who's name was once Cecily gave as good as she got.
"Spike, no!" Giles yelled, "If you kill her, how will we ever get Buffy and the others back to normal?" he shouted over the noises of the scuffle.
"Not gonna kill her" he promised, turning to look at the Watcher, Halfrek held firmly against the wall by the throat, "Just gonna bruise her a whole lot" he added menacingly as he pounded on her some more.
When she was finally unconscious he let her fall to the floor, her veiny visage fading away as she lie there. Spike looked down at her and felt strangely sick. The beautiful face of his once most dear and effulgent Cecily was battered and bruised almost beyond recognition, wounds of his infliction marring her skin. Though most of him was still so angry about what she'd done to him so many years ago, and the pain she'd caused his precious girl just seconds before, a tiny part of him wanted to die for having harmed her.
"Spike?" Buffy said in a small voice as she freed herself from Joyce's grasp and walked over to him and the unconscious demon. He glanced at the little Slayer without thinking and immediately turned away when she gasped.
"Sorry, little luv" he apologised, "Shouldn't see me like this" he said, shaking his head.
Buffy walked around him, til she could see his face again and she smiled as she beckoned for him to come down to her level.
"I'm not scared of your angry face" she told him solemnly, "I love you even when you get mad" she assured him and if he were less of a man Spike might've cried at the sweet innocence of it all.
"Nice to know, pet" he said softly, pulling her into a hug, "Even this size, you're a hell of a woman y'know" he smiled as she hugged him back.
To Be Continued...