Disclaimer: still don't own any of it.
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Chapter 5:
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Harry slid to the side avoiding the preacher's attack. Caleb recovered quickly and moved to attack Harry again, but a tap on the preacher's shoulder made him pause. Caleb turned to see Buffy standing behind him with an eager grin on her face. "You didn't forget about little ol' me, did you?" she feigned a hurt look, before she caught him in the jaw with a right hook.
She glanced up at Harry and shrugged. "I guess he did."
"Doubt he'll make that mistake again," Harry commented with a grin as he watched Buffy easily leap out of the way of Caleb's staff. He shifted the grip on his sword before charging at Caleb. His strike was blocked by the preacher's metal staff, the legendary sword only leaving a dent in the obviously enchanted pole. Caleb was only able to deflect Buffy's simultaneous attack, her blade only leaving a deep cut on his arm instead of taking off his head.
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"Can't you run any faster, Slayer?"
"Don't see you going any faster than I am, so shut it, blondie," Faith snapped, tired of his complaining. She knew he was just worried about Buffy, but he wasn't the only one.
"Can you two argue a little louder? I don't think the Bringers heard you."
Faith and Spike skidded to a stop as they heard the annoyed reprimand. "B?"
"Up here," Buffy said from above them. Their eyes searched the trees above them, until they noticed Buffy crouching on a branch high above them.
"Slayer? What are you doing up there?" Spike frowned slightly. Why would Buffy be hiding in a tree?
"Bringers. Lots of them."
"So, you're hidin'?" Faith's face scrunched up in confusion. "Where's Harry?"
"Um, we got separated. There were too many for us to handle."
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Buffy and Harry's well-coordinated strikes kept Caleb on the defensive. It was clear, however, that the preacher wouldn't be able to keep it up for too much longer. His blocks were becoming increasingly sloppy as he grew increasingly frustrated. In a desperate move to regain the offensive, he kicked out at Harry. His foot caught Harry in the stomach, sending the wizard tumbling back into several wine casks.
Buffy's eyes narrowed, and Caleb realized his mistake. Buffy's attacks increased in strength and speed. Her sword was almost a blur as he tried to block her attacks.
"Liz! Finish up with him. I found what we were looking for."
Caleb's eyes widened slightly and his gaze flicked over to the trap door that was no longer concealed by the wine casks. The moment of distraction was all Buffy needed. She drove her blade deep into his stomach and twisted it as she pulled it free. A hand futilely tried to stem the flow of blood, and Caleb collapsed to the ground.
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"Then stop messing around, B, and get down here. You got us for backup now."
A slow smile spread across Buffy's face as she began to climb down the tree. Spike's eyes narrowed. Something was… off.
"That's not B," Faith said as she felt the evil coming off the woman in waves.
Buffy applauded as she walked towards them. "Well done, Faith. And it only took you…" she glanced down at a non-existent watch before looking back up them with a smirk. "Just enough time to be unable to do anything to save Buffy and Harry."
Buffy watched as Spike and Faith ran off towards the Vineyard with a smug expression. "Time to make things interesting," she said to herself as she vanished.
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Buffy dropped through the trapdoor to the platform below and jumped over the railing, landing on the ground in a smooth crouch behind Harry. "So, that's it?" she asked as she stood and moved beside him.
"What do you think?" Harry asked. "An axe of some kind?"
Buffy frowned as she examined the weapon. "Something like that. It's mystical, whatever it is. I can feel the power radiating off of it."
Harry's eyebrows furrowed slightly in confusion. "I don't feel a thing." He glanced over at Buffy who just shrugged. "Maybe it's a Slayer thing," he suggested.
"It feels…" she struggled to find an appropriate word, "familiar?"
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A fine red mist poured in under the door and filled the main room of the Vineyard. It swirled around Caleb's body before slowly sinking into his corpse. His chest began to rise and fall gently as the last of the mist was absorbed into his body. His eyes opened and a wicked grin spread slowly across his face. Stiffly at first, Caleb rose to his feet and jumped down through the trapdoor. He landed on the wooden platform with a dull thud, causing Harry and Buffy to turn around.
"Well done," Caleb applauded mockingly as he descended the stairs.
"How many times do I have to kill you? Ballpark figure?"
"When are you going to realize that you can't kill me, little girl? You may have been able to slay my champion, but he was merely flesh and blood. Imperfect and ultimately insignificant, just like your pitiful attempts to stop me."
"I must be close to finding out how to stop you," Buffy retorted smugly. "Or else, you wouldn't be trying to keep this away from me," she gestured to the weapon embedded in the stone.
Caleb snorted, "Whatever you think, that wasn't meant for you."
"I think I have an idea about who it's for." Buffy grabbed the weapon's handle and easily pulled the blade from the stone. "Let's get out of here," she suggested to Harry.
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"Damn it. They must be inside already," Faith said as she stepped over a dead Bringer. "I swear, if she isn't dead, I'm gonna kill her myself."
Spike tried the door to the Vineyard. It was locked. He gave the door a sharp kick that sent it swinging open. "Buffy!" he called out. A fist shot out of nowhere. "Bloody hell!" he stumbled back, holding his nose. "What was that for, Potter?"
Harry smirked. "Sorry, Spike," he didn't sound the least bit apologetic, "I thought you were a Bringer."
"Right," Spike said skeptically. Before he could add anything else, Faith cut in.
"What the hell do you think you were doing?" she sent Buffy and Harry a glare.
"Faith," Buffy said calmly, trying to appease the younger woman, "Caleb's dead, we got what we came for, can we wait to do this when we get home?"
Faith held her glare for another moment. "Fine." She turned and started out of the Vineyard. "But then I want some answers, B."
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to be continued...
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