Problems and Solutions--Chapter VIII to Challenge
Chapter VIII
A few hours later, everyone had pretty much calmed down; Faith wanted to wait until Buffy got there to explain what she knew. Spike was still sporting spines; they just wouldn't go away.
"Hey! I have an idea!" the others could almost see the lightbulb flashing over Willow's head as she stood up and paced, wringing her hands in explanatory nervousness.
"Spike used to be a vampire, right? Well, we all know that, so I won't go into it . . . But, what if you did what you did to get rid of your vamp face? Maybe that'll get rid of the Bracken face too . . ."
Willow trailed off, realizing she had been babbling again. Oz--although he didn't show it--thought to himself Same old Willow . . . Tara smiled at the redhead's idiosyncracies . . . she couldn't get enough of Willow.
Spike broke in, excitedly interrupting the witch and werewolf's thoughts.
"Now, why didn't I think of that?" concentrating, Spike pictured the face he had briefly seen in a mirror at the Summers' home the night before, and the other breathed a collective sigh of relief when they saw the face that they had all come to label as "friendly."
"You'd think that after 124 years as a vampire, I'd know how to get rid of a non-human face." He walked over to the table chuckling as he pecked Willow on the cheek, startling her. "Thanks, Red."
Willow eeped at his affectionate display.
"Y-You're wel-welcome, Spike." she stuttered, blushing and nervously fiddling with the pen she had been using to take notes a few hours before. Before the halt that all the research went through a few hours ago, anyway.
Just then, Dawn walked in, Buffy not far behind. The younger Summers, still in shock at seeing the peroxided ex-vampire again, sat across the table from him, staring discreetly in his direction from time-to-time as though she feared he'd be gone again if she didn't check.
Buffy, however, knew from personal experiences that that kind of behavior made one uncomfortable, so she sat on the counter next to where Spike was leaning and rested her head on her now-living lover's shoulder. Her gesture of affection surprised Spike to no end.
"'Allo, Luv. Thought you had to work late." he said nonchalantly.
"Yeah, I did, but it was really slow so I asked if I could go early." she replied softly.
"Thought you needed the money," he replied, just as softly.
"I do, but I haven't seen you in months and couldn't wait any longer." she put her arms around Spike's waist and snuggled closer, surprising him even more.
Spike gulped. Before he could question the Slayer's actions, however, Giles finally noticed that the Summers women had arrived.
No one else had said anything when Buffy cuddled up to Spike out of respect for the revelation she had made at the memorial. They had made a silent agreement to give the pair a couple minutes to talk, but now that Giles was ready, that time was up.
"Ah, good." the Watcher began. "Buffy, apparently, we've found out not only what the prophesy means, but also what Bracken's Puffer does, and to whom."
"Wow." Buffy blinked. "That was fast. I was thinking I'd have to do at least the tail end of the research, but--goody for me--it's all done . . . So, what did you find?"
"Well," Willow interjected, "we didn't so much find anything, as much as it kinda already happened . . . And Faith knows the how's and huh's, so I'll just let her take it from there."
"Ooo-kee . . . Faith, whatcha got?" Buffy was getting an eerie "I-might-not-like-this" feeling in the back of her mind.
"Alright. I already told you what the first part of the prophecy meant, so I'll just skip on to the second." the younger Slayer began.
"This part of the prophecy is a lot more vague because it doesn't tell how or what was going to happen, only why--to save the world.
The how is that magic puffer fish thing sitting up on the counter. The what is Spike isn't human anymore--again."
"'Isn't' as in 'already happened?' And Spike was the one to get changed? How?" confused, Buffy tightened her hold on Spike's waist, afraid for the worst.
"Well, for one, he's a Bracken demon hybrid now . . . show her, Blondie." Buffy lifted her head to see what Spike had to show her, eyes widening when he brought the spines to the surface.
"Cool!" Dawn exclaimed--she had been staring at just that moment, and caught the face change. "Cooler than the vamp face!"
Buffy was speechless.
"You alright, Luv?" Spike asked, concerned as he brought his human mask back to the foreground.
Shaking her head to clear it, Buffy reached behind her head, unclasping the seemingly unbendable strand of gold she had been wearing for weeks. "I guess you won't be needing this anymore then . . . but I'll give it back to you anyway," she whispered, handing him Freyja's strand.
Spike's eyes widened and twinkled with the love he had for this woman who would trust him with such a powerful--and, in the wrong hands, dangerous--item. He couldn't wait to talk to her alone; he had so many questions about the time he had been gone.
Buffy got back on track, turning to Faith with another question. "And somehow, a spiney face is supposed to save the world?"
"There's more." Faith said mysteriously. "Just after seeing his demon reflection, Spike mentioned having a vision of some sort . . . What did you see, Spike?"
"I saw some bloke . . . dark hair, part Bracken like me now, looked kinda familiar too . . . don't know why. Then, I saw the Cheerleader . . . After that, just a jumble of flashes."
"Cheerleader?" Faith wasn't familiar with the blonde's naming system; she hadn't been around him long enough yet.
"Cordelia." Buffy answered, eyes widening.
She hurried over to the phone, dialing a number while everyone looked on, confused by her sudden action.
"Cordy? It's Buffy . . . Yeah, it's good to hear from you too . . . Anyway, I have a question. That guy that you used to work with, the Irish one? . . . Was that his name? . . . Oh, okay. Anyway, was he part-demon? . . . He was? What kind? . . . Okay, thanks, Cordy . . . No, that was it . . . I'll let you know what's going on when I find out myself. Tell Angel and Wes 'Hi' from me. See ya . . . Bye."
The Slayer hung the phone back on its cradle as Spike and the others looked on, the light of recognition in their eyes becoming brighter and brighter by the second.
"You see where I'm getting at now, B?" Faith asked as the other Slayer settled back into her place beside Spike.
Buffy nodded somewhat woodenly.
"Alright. Now, for the rest of us, who have only figured out some of the situation, would one of you mind explaining?" Giles asked.
"B?" Faith conceded the "floor."
Her face hidden by Spike's torso, Buffy mumbled, loud enough for everyone else to hear, "Doyle had visions, which he gave to Cordelia. He was part demon--part Bracken demon. The visions help Angel to save people. The only thing I can guess is that Spike's future visions will help us to save the world."
"Exactly." Faith agreed. "And therein lies the prophecy."
"But what are we saving the world from this time?" Giles was always thorough in his questioning.
Just then Spike spoke up. "Uh oh."
"Is that a good 'uh oh,' or a bad 'uh oh?' 'Cause last time you said that, it wasn't as bad as we thought." Xander asked.
"Don't know whether it's good or bad, but expect a visit--during the day, so it won't be tonight--from Johnathan . . . Looks like he's gonna be running for his life."
"Well, whatever events are gonna end the world, I guess they've started." Dawn interjected.
"Yeah, but what do we do about it for now?" the blonde Slayer asked.
"What you always do, B." Faith answered. "Find a way to save it."
Author's Notes: To all of you who were confused... Is it starting to come together yet? Some have mentioned that the reactions to Spike's return were a bit "Down-played"... Well, it was all so sudden, and I did have Willow faint... I was just trying to add a little bit of humor too (I guess that part didn't come across the way I had intended)... anyway, Buffy's BIG reaction comes later... once she's had a chance to deal... which probably means in the next chapter or two--or AFTER they save the world... you never know with me. :) I hope that clears everything up for now.
Chapter IX
True to form–or at least Spike's new visions–Jonathan was found pounding on the Summers' door the next day.
"Hurry up and get in here, Jonathan, before whatever you're running from catches up!" Buffy chided as she flung the door open, not even bothering to check his identity.
Gasping for breath, the poor guy walked in, panting. "How-How d-did you know it was me?"
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you . . . Let's just say we knew you were coming last night."
"Ad you're not killing me, so I-I-I guess you know I'm switching sides, huh?"
"The not killing part remains to be seen." Spike spooked the young man, walking up behind him.
Jonathan jumped back, eyes widening in fear and incomprehension. "A-A-Aren't . . . I mean, haven't you ben d-d-dead?"
"And how the whelp knows that when he ran away like a nancy-boy before it happened, I, for one, would like to know–later." He said, then turned to face Jonathan once more. "Right now, why are you here, shrimp?"
"Before I tell you, I have to do something real quick . . ." the young man was followed through the house, the ex-vampire and the Slayer's eyes widening when he pulled cameras from various places in the house and yard. "Smash these. Warren and the others have been watching you for months. You'll find more in the Magic Box, Spike's crypt, Xander's apartment, and Tara's place, as well as Giles' old apartment and hotel room," he explained as the blondes did just that.
"Alright, now what?" Buffy asked, impressed by Jonathan's show of integrity.
"Warren is insane." Both Slayer and former-vampire snorted at the same time. "But Rack is even worse. He's threatening things of apocalyptic proportions. If Willow isn't brought to him within the week, Rack threatens to open a portal and summon–"
"--What? Two hellgods?" Spike couldn't help but laugh at Buffy's flip comment, even though the mention of her last demise still tugged at the ex-vampire's heartstrings.
"No, not quite that apocalyptic, but bad nonetheless . . . Listen, I know you'll want everyone else here to hear this, and I really don't wanna repeat it, so could you please just call them . . . I'll tell you where they can find the various cameras, and then I'll explain what I know, okay?" the young man was starting to feel all the stress he'd been bottling up since Katrina's murder, and he needed a few minutes to pull himself together. "Please. I haven't slept in three days . . . I promise to explain, but I could really use somewhere to rest."
Buffy's eyes softened at the young man's bravery to do what he'd just done. "Alright. Go lie on the couch, I'll call the others, and then you better explain," she was a Slayer, not a philanthropist . . . it was nice enough–to her–that she was letting him sit at all.
An emergency Scooby Meeting was called once everyone had destroyed the cameras.
The two slayers, one former vampire, on werewolf, one watcher, one ex-vengence demon, two witches–one practicing, one not,–one key, one puny, scared human, and one Zeppo all crammed into the Summers' living room a few hours later.
It was a tight fit.
Buffy sat on Spike's lap in the armchair–she still hadn't had much of a chance to be alone with him yet–with Dawn sitting on the arm, her head resting on Spike's shoulder.
Oz and Willow sat on the couch, Tara in between them.
Anya and Xander sat against the wall, still leery about getting too close, but sitting next to each other nonetheless.
Faith stood in the doorway, arms crossed over her chest, and Jonathan cowered on the floor in the middle of the room, knees pulled up to his chest, held by his arms as he recounted the happenings of the last few months from his point of view.
"Well, the three of us–Warren, Andrew, and I–were all sitting around doin' nothing and we decided to take over Sunnydale. We did a few things to rile up everyone–at the time it was like a game–it still was, even after Spike's visit-"
"-Spike's WHAT?!?!?" Buffy and Xander said at the same time.
"Thanks, you bloody wanker!" the ex-vampire glared at the young man, who had reverted to cowering when the yelling began again.
Spike turned to the blonde Slayer.
"It was just before the whole 'frost monster' thing happened . . . remember the muggers?" Buffy nodded. "Well, I had to make sure it still worked, 'cause I knew that if it didn't and you found out, I was buggered whether I'd hurt anyone or not, so I went to 'bot boy to get it checked out, and that's when I realized it only didn't work on you."
Filing that information into the ever-filling box in her head labeled "To Discuss Later–AFTER the Big, Mushy Scene," Buffy nodded her understanding, not taking her gaze off of Spike's as she motioned for the man–who was still in so many ways a boy–on the floor to continue.
"After Katrina was--you know--killed, it wasn't a game to me anymore. And, to top it all off, Warren wanted to 'kill two birds with one stone' and blame Buffy for the murder-"
"-Been there, done that, didn't work." Faith interjected. When everyone started to stare at her, she quickly recovered. "What? It's not like I'd do it now!"
"It's alright, Faith. We trust you . . . Just, please, no more comments like that." Giles stated.
"Yeah, they give me the wiggins." Buffy shivered, gesturing for Jonathan to continue again.
"Anyway, long story short, Warren made me tell him about Rack after that one battle, and you wiped the floor with us again in the next one. Now, Rack is planning on opening a portal to a dimension very similar to the one that Vampire Willow came from that one year, but not quite the same."
"How did you know about her?" Willow asked, intrigued.
"I was playing wall flower in the Bronze that night, and, after I figured out about Buffy's calling and stuff, I just figured that that was the case," was the simple answer.
"Just how is this dimension different, or similar to Vampire Willow's?" Giles cut to the chase. "And how do you know?"
"How do I know? That's easy. Every dimension has a name–sometimes two or more–I just looked up this dimension's name after I overheard a conversation between Rack and Warren, and cast a spell to be able to see between dimensions . . . Had spontaneous nosebleeds for three days afterward too.
As for similarities and differences to the other dimension, that's where it starts to get bad. In the Anti-Pupilomus Dimension–that's its name–Angelus never got his soul, and that's not the half of it.
Angelus, the Master, Darla, Drusilla, Vampire Willow, Vampire Xander, and Spike, in that universe, all held the Slayer before Buffy captive and tortured her to the point of dying. Then, just before the previous slayer died, they killed that Buffy before she could be called. There was no Slayer in Sunnydale.
The Powers that Be, meanwhile, knowing that Glory would show up in that dimension as well, had the monks make the Key human early–too early. She showed up in Sunnydale just as Buffy was killed and the other Slayer died. Joyce was found, beaten, and ultimately killed in that dimension."
"And the Key?" Giles asked softly, voicing everyone else's question.
"Alone in Sunnydale, with no family, that Dawn was captured by the Master's group and tortured for four years. She was turned on her eighteenth 'birthday.' It is these eight vampires that will be summoned by Rack when he opens the portal."
Everyone started chattering at once, then Spike noticed that Jonathan had more to say.
"EVERYBODY, QUIET!" he got their attention. "The whelp has more to say."
"T-T-Thank you." the young man stuttered.
"I've managed to steal one of the key ingredients to Rack's spell," he pulled three gold coins from his pocket. "They're relatively easy to find, but it'll take a few days for Rack to get more from his source. If Rack is stopped before he can find more coins, then the portal will not open. If he is, there is a loophole that Rack doesn't know about that will help to defeat them all."
"What kind of loophole?" Xander was getting impatient; he was tired of being cramped in the living room.
"The Powers in that dimension have linked that Slayer to the eight vampires. If they come through the portal, she will be pulled here as well. Rack doesn't know this, so, either way, there is a possibility to defeat them all . . . provided they can be found," Jonathan explained.
"Three Slayers, three times the fun." Faith quipped. "Who will the other Slayer be, anyway?"
"Whoever was called after Buffy, I would assume," Jonathan answered.
"Kendra." Xander, Buffy, Giles, Willow, and Spike all said at once.
"And what do you mean, if they can be found?" Buffy demanded. "Wouldn't they just show up at the Hellmouth? That is where he'll be casting the spell, correct?"
"Yes, he's going to cast there, but the portal will move in rapid succession in this dimension. There's no telling where any of them will show up, but it would most likely be in places that they've each been before, and each vampire will not necessarily have been to the place they end up at, but one of the others WILL have been there. They should all show up in Sunnydale, though, so it would be relatively easy to find them" the young man finished his explanation.
"Okay, we need to come up with a plan. Do you know where Rack's hiding out, Jonathan?" Buffy started to get down to business.
"Hold on, Luv. I think it's too late. The spell's been cast . . . Last night, I would expect. Seems Rack had extra ingredients." Spike interjected.
"How do you know, Spike?" Giles queried.
"Just had a vision. We don't need to worry about finding Darla." he chuckled. "She ended up burning in the Sahara as soon as she got to this dimension."
Buffy quickly came up with a plan.
"Alright. We need to find everyone and kill them while they're still separated. Giles, you go to the mansion, Spike, you've got the factory, Xander you've got your parents' basement. Anya, see if anyone's shown up in Xander's apartment. Wills, Tara, I need you to go to the Hellmouth and stop Rack from doing anything else. I'll take Bronze duty. Dawn, you stay here with Faith and Jonathan. Once you've checked everywhere, meet back here and we'll find out who's still not dead." Everyone jumped to get car keys and coats as the blonde Slayer gave her orders.
"Buffy-"
"-Not now, Dawn. I know you can help, but it would be faster if you just stayed here. There's no where for you to watch, and you haven't had enough training yet. Next time, maybe, but it depends on how far away that is. Ok? But please, don't fight me on this right now," the Key nodded her acquiescence, going to the kitchen to get some food.
"Faith, if any of them show up here . . ."
"I know, B. I won't let them get her, I'll die first."
Starting to get choked up by the sincerity in the brunette's tone, Buffy couldn't respond. Instead, she grabbed her coat and walked out in the direction of the Bronze.
Her trip to the apartment fruitless, Anya headed toward Xander's parents' basement. She saw her ex-fiancé through the window, staking the vampire Willow, and ran inside to help in case another of the vampires had been dumped there.
Xander was having a little trouble with himself–literally. The Anti-Pupilomus Vampire Xander was wigging the human Zeppo . . . he couldn't stake himself.
Seeing Xander's predicament, Anya grabbed the stake from him and, while Xander distracted "himself," she plunged the stake into the vampire's chest.
Seeing no other vampires–from this dimension, or otherwise–Anya and Xander headed back to Revelo Drive.
"You're all wrong!" Drusilla said when she saw Spike walk through the doors of the abandoned church. "Your blood sings off key."
"Sorry, Baby." Spike said, unapologetically as he quickly got behind his ex's dopplegänger. He plunged the stake into her breastbone, quipping as the dust fell, "I never did like singing for you."
Job done, Spike headed to Buffy's house, glad he didn't have to stake this dimension's Drusilla . . . that one, even though he wasn't in love with his Sire anymore, was hard enough.
Confident that he knew which vampire would show up at the mansion, Giles carried a bag of supplies, revenge on his mind.
"Well, if it isn't the watcher!" Angelus exclaimed.
"Angelus," was the cool reply.
Quickly casting a paralyzation spell,–leftover from his Ripper days–Giles chained Angelus to a chair.
Grabbing the bag, the Watcher pulled a chainsaw from its depths, ready to have some fun with the double of the bastard who had killed his love.
About two hours later, Giles walked back to his charge's home, one sentence ringing in his mind: Revenge is so sweet.
Buffy, marveling at the lessons she'd picked up over her years with Angel and Spike, lurked in the shadows of the Bronze.
"No!" she whispered to herself when she saw the vampire she'd have to kill.
Afraid she couldn't go through with it, she tentatively walked up behind the vampire version of her sister, nervous quip at the ready.
When the other Dawn turned around in game face, Buffy knew she'd have no trouble staking her.
After the dust settled, Buffy swiped it off her clothes and headed home.
Willow and Tara, having heard fighting in the old, burnt up library, ran toward the Hellmouth.
They found Kendra fighting Rack with all her might, and decided to help.
Tara knelt and cast the most powerful, yet good, spell she knew, trying to take him off guard.
Willow joined the African Slayer in the physical fight, knowing that it wouldn't be a good idea to try and argue later with the casting witch about using her powers only for good.
In no time, Rack was dead, decapitated by the sword Kendra had brought with her.
The three walked triumphantly to the Summers' house, the witches leading the way.
Once everyone had found their way back to the house, Buffy took stock.
"Okay, who's dead? I got Vamp Dawn in the Bronze," she shivered, remembering the shock of seeing fangs and ridges on her sister's facial duplicate.
"Vamps Willow and Xander were in the basement." Anya quipped. "No one was at the apartment, and Xander had a little trouble staking himself."
Xander blushed, embarrased, and the inventory continued.
"Dru in the factory," Spike added. "And, next time, Slayer, you do it. I may not be in love with the bint, but she is my Sire." Buffy nodded in understanding. She knew how hard the task must have been for her lover.
With a smug look on his face, Giles said, "Angelus is well and done for. I found him in the mansion. Good thing I kept the chainsaw from that haunted house party a few years back."
Spike smirked. "Ripper! I didn't know you had it in you!" That was a lie. He had seen the Watcher's capabilities when he had stood up to Angelus' torture four years before.
Willow, from the living room doorway, said, "W-W-Well, Rack is dead. And we found Kendra."
Tara, walking past her former lover, led the African girl into the room. "She hadn't ever met Buffy in her dimension, so I thought it might be nice to introduce everybody all at once."
"Good idea, Tara. Hello, Kendra. I am Giles. You may not know any of us at the moment, but we in this dimension, knew another you. The blonde slayer is Buffy, your predecessor, and the brunette, Faith, the one who was called after your double. The werewolf is Oz. The witches, whom you've met already, are Tara and Willow. This is Spike, as you probably know, but he's not to be slain in this dimension-"
"-Thanks for that, Rupes." the peroxide blonde interjected.
"Quite welcome . . . Now, who else is left? Ah yes. The young man here is Jonathan, then Anya, the ex-vengeance demon, and Xander sitting next to her. The girl sitting with Spike and Buffy is Dawn, Buffy's younger sister. Did I miss anyone?"
Everyone waved or said "Hi." as the Watcher made the introductions.
"Okay, that's six piles of dust, and one extra slayer. Who are we missing?" Buffy got everyone back on track.
"I believe it's the Master and the other Spike." Giles replied.
"Alright, Faith, Kendra, why don't you see if either of them are in the abandoned church. Spike, you and I are going to your crypt. Everyone else, wait here."
Dispatching the last two vampires had been relatively easy, with two super-strong fighters against each. The four had returned to the house relatively unscathed, and now were just trying to figure out a way to get everything back to the way it should be.
"All we need is a way to send you back, and then close the portal." Dawn spoke up, directing her comment to Kendra.
"I do not wish to go back. I have nothing there." Kendra said.
"Very well. We will have to find a way that will work. Your staying here could have dire repercussions on the space-time continuum. We will need to find a way to counteract those consequences."
"I know how to close the portal." Jonathan said. "It's a spell similar to the one Rack used to open it, and, since I stole the coins for that spell, we have the key ingredient for the closing spell as well."
"Looks like it's research mode to find a way for Kendra to stay." Buffy said as they all filed out the door toward the Magic Box, and Giles' book collection.
Epilogue
The solution to Kendra's problem was not as complex as they had imagined. Just a simple modification to the portal closing spell.
It had been three weeks, and everyone was glad that things had finally died down. Warren and Andrew were found and imprisoned. The gang saw fit to put in a good word for Jonathan, he was let go the day after the police took him away, and made an official Scooby when he helped them in the magic department so that Willow could fully recover from her addiction.
Kendra, who was staying with Faith in a motel until they could find places of their own–and after Kendra could find a job, was happier than she'd ever been in her home dimension.
And Buffy had finally found time to be with Spike. He had been pleasantly shocked–despite all the hints and clues she'd been dropping with her behavior toward him–when, after an amazing welcome back "shag session," she had said the four words he'd never hoped to hear from her: "I love you, Spike."
Author's Notes: It's done! It's finally done! Now I can start on some other fics!
The Challenge-As Posted By Nocte
Requirements:
Set story sometime in Season Six.
Spike dies and is brought back.
Buffy brings about Spike's demise inadvertently, you decide how.
The PTB bring Spike back for a reason, you decide how and why.
Spike returns as something other than a vampire or still a vampire but different somehow.
One month goes by before the Scoobies and Buffy learn Spike is alive, you decide why.
Show Xander, Willow, and Buffy's reactions to Spike's death and resurrection.
Include a fight scene.
Include a Big Bad.
Follow through on PTB's reason for sending Spike back.
Please Include Reference to:
Mr. Pointy
A glass of V8 juice
Three gold coins
A silver medallion
A yellow knit afghan
A biblical quote
You can end the story with a Buffy/Spike pairing or not, it's your fic!
Author's note: I consider my Little Bad the Troika, and my Big Bad Rack.