Chapter Six
She wasn't at the meeting, having called the watcher and claimed a headache. When the others were told this, the slayer announced that the witch had not been at the dorm the night before. Of course, the former vengeance demon had immediately deduced that Willow had 'had too much sex with her new orgasm friend and must be too tired to come.'
The vampire had already known the girl had stayed at her parent's home again, but he knew the real reason she wasn't at the apartment was because of the appointment she had made with her mystery guy. However, her call had given him the perfect excuse to leave. Stating that 'if the little witch doesn't have to put up with you bloody people, then I sure as hell ain't gonna' he had left the librarian's before anyone could argue. He was glad he had left when he did, having barely managed to get to the hacker's home in time. As it was, the girl and her friend had already been at the end of the block when he arrived.
Spike followed them to one of the small town's many cemeteries, where the duo headed directly for one of the large crypts. It appeared that they had met there before, since they had a blanket and bottles of water stashed inside. As the blonde stationed himself behind a nearby mausoleum, the two spread-out the blanket. Sitting down cross-legged, they faced each other and the man began speaking to her. The vampire assumed he was giving her instructions as she closed her eyes and began taking slow, deep breaths.
A faint image began to slowly appear between the pair, gradually taking shape and becoming more defined. The translucent apparition seemed to solidify, looking more and more real as the petite witch's brow creased in concentration. Within moments, Spike could make out facial features. The face grew more defined by the second until a startlingly familiar visage floated eerily in front of the now smiling girl. *Bloody hell! What the fuck is that chit playin' at?* He swallowed noticeably, too disturbed by the sight to form any other coherent thoughts.
"Alright, now relax your body. Take long deep breaths until you are completely relaxed. Now clear your mind. Picture the face in your mind's eye. Remember, it should be someone you know well so that you can picture it perfectly and make the image as realistic as possible. See it from all angles, see each part of the face; the eyes, the mouth, the chin, the nose, the ears, the hair. Weave the magical energies together to form exactly what you see. Picture the whole face, the more detailed, the better. This is supposed to look like a real live person. Give it an expression, think of the individual's personality. See shadow and light, this isn't a drawing, give it depth. Good, very good."
She recalled a conversation she had had with her teacher a month earlier and how he had told her that when performing illusions, you normally got the best results if you were creating something, or someone that you had strong feelings for. Whether it was a favorite toy from your childhood, or your very best friend, the more strong emotions you associated with it the more alive the product turned out to be. Especially if you were just starting. As she thought this, one face came into her mind.
It took little thought to give the face perfect detail, she had pictured it so many times that she seemed to know every aspect down to the way fluorescent lamp light played on the subtle waves of the short hair. The entire world fell away as Willow concentrated on the illusion. She saw the face in her mind, picturing the person in a thousand different situations before settling on the expression she wanted it to have. She focused on nothing but the face she saw so clearly behind her eyelids.
When she finally completed the task, she focused her gaze on the air between herself and her friend only to find herself staring into twinkling blue eyes. She let out a slight gasp as she took in the result of her labor. If it wasn't for the fact that the head seemed to sit on thin air, she would have believed he was actually standing right in front of her. The face seemed to exude confidence and sexuality, with the lips forming a sensuous smirk. Even though the cemetery was lit only by the moon overhead, it looked as if he was in a brightly-lit room with the artificial light shining on his platinum locks.
He was exactly how she had seen him in her head, exactly how she had pictured him so many countless nights as she repeatedly contemplated the hopelessness of her attraction to the neutered vampire. She smiled as her emerald gaze drifted over the face, allowing the evidence of her feelings for him to darken her eyes, knowing that she didn't need to hide it since it was not actually the blonde himself.
"Spike, I presume?"
The question broke through her reverie, shattering her concentration and causing the image to dissipate, clearing the air between them. She looked at her instructor, seeing the amusement in his dark eyes. "Yeah, how'd ya quess?" Her tone was flat and dry as she watched him laugh and shake his head.
"Well, considering how often his name seems to pop up in conversation, I pretty much expected he would be the one whom you would choose to use for the exercise. It is rather nice to finally have a face to put with the name now." She shrugged her shoulders, unable to form a suitably flippant reply as she wiped her wet brow with the sleeve of her shirt and took a long drink from her water bottle. "You look exhausted, why don't you head home. I'll put this stuff away."
Smiling warmly at him, she stood and moved off of the blanket so he could fold it back up. "Thanks Adam. I didn't think the illusion would make me so tired."
"No problem, and with the hours you normally keep, I'm surprised you had the energy to do such an excellent job." A light blush colored her cheeks as she gave him a small wave and headed towards the front of the cemetery.
"Night Trav."
"Night Mys."
End Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Willow exited the cemetery, turning onto the dimly lit street that would take her to her parent's home. It had been about a week since she had slept at the dorm. She was considering just moving back into the house to save on room and board, but was reluctant to leave Buffy without a roommate.
About a block from the house, she heard what sounded like a struggle coming from the shadowed alley ahead of her. Debating whether or not to interfere, she slowly approached the entrance. When she heard pain-filled whimpers from the darkness she pulled the stake from her waistband and cautiously stepped into the dark alleyway.
A vampire held a terrified young girl against the wall, his fangs hovering over her neck as he prepared to bite into the exposed jugular. Not wasting any time, the hacker struck out with her left foot, catching the young vampire on the side of the knee and breaking his leg in one swift movement.
As he howled in pain and turned to face his unexpected attacker, she spun and delivered a hard roundhouse to the side of his head with her right foot. Facing the enraged vampire, she quickly punched him in the gut while blocking his right-cross with her left arm. Before he recovered from the blow, the redhead lunged forward and plunged her stake into the vampire's heart. He exploded into dust and Willow went over to check on the crying girl. The brunette looked at her, shock and fear clouding her gaze.
"W-what w-was..." The girl's eyes shifted to look over the witch's shoulder, growing wide as her skin paled, her mouth opened in a silent scream.
Turning, the hacker found a pair of beady black eyes running over her body, the creature's lips twisting into a grotesque sneer, exposing vampiric-like fangs. This was no vampire, however. Telling the girl behind her to leave, the redhead watched the brunette run into the street before looking over the bulky demon in front of her. Its rough skin was mustard yellow with blotches of green across the face and chest. It had dark orange horns along its arms, across its shoulders and up the sides of its neck.
Kicking out, she connected with its jaw and aimed a left-cross at the side of its head. The demon simply laughed and backhanded her, sending the small witch into the brick wall behind her, pulling out a long sword as she struggled to her feet. Wincing, she swung her right leg into another roundhouse, knocking the broadsword from its hands. The demon smirked evilly at her as it reached behind itself to pull a second sword from a scabbard strapped to its back.
Eyeing the blade, she wished she had brought her own rapier with her to the meeting at the cemetery. As she thought of the meeting, she realized that her friend took a similar route to his apartment as she did to her parent's house. Hopping that he was nearby she called his name as loud as she could. The demon took advantage of her distraction, bringing the sword down and cutting deeply into her upper left thigh, causing her to cry out.
"Ow, that hurt, you asshole." Trying to ignore the pain, Willow turned her attention back to her opponent, attempting to remember her lesson from the night before.
Spike had been trailing the witch since she left the cemetery, his thoughts still on what he had seen, his mind too preoccupied to notice the hacker turn into the alley ahead of him. The girl's creation of an illusion had not surprised him, but he couldn't seem to figure out why she had created one of his face. If she was going to make anyone's image, he would have thought it would be someone like the slayer or moron. But it had been him. It was oddly pleasing to him that she would do so, but strange just the same.
A young girl rushed past him, the fear rolling off of her body in pungent waves. Watching her race down the street, he wondered what she was running from. Looking around, he saw nothing out of the ordinary. Actually, he saw nothing at all. *Where the 'ell is Red?* Thinking she must have gotten ahead of him while he was lost in his thoughts, he increased his pace slightly.
"AAADAAM!" The scream slammed into him. Recognizing the voice, he broke into a run, heading towards the source of the sound. He made it the four blocks to the alley in just minutes, but what he saw when he got there made him stop in his tracks.
A large demon had the redhead backed into a corner, it's bloody sword poised to strike. "No!" As the word left his lips, the demon plunged the blade into her stomach and an excruciating cry was torn from her throat. Seeing a second sword lying discarded on the ground, the vampire ran forward, picking it up and lunging at the demon. The sword the demon had been holding was still imbedded in the witch's stomach, leaving the demon without a weapon. Before the creature was able to fight back, the blonde swung the blade, cleaving its head from its shoulders.
Spike dropped the weapon and was at her side as the demon's head hit the ground. The hilt of the sword protruded from her stomach and her hands were wrapped around the blade in a desperate attempt to staunch the flow of blood. Despite her efforts, blood poured from the stab wound and the deep cut on her thigh, staining her clothes crimson.
Falling to his knees, the vampire carefully gathered her into his arms. Supporting her head with his right arm, he put his left hand over hers around the sword. He knew better than to pull it out, instead moving his left arm under her knees to try and pick her up and take her to a hospital.
"No...st-ay" Her voice was weak, barely carrying to him over the light breeze.
"Pet, we have to get you to a hospital. The doctors can-" His voice cracked when she shook her head, struggling to remain conscious.
"T-too l-ate."
"No, no, it ain't. You'll be fine. Just as soon as we get 'cha to a hospital." He looked down at her, not wanting to admit to the pain that surged through him at the sight. The color had drained from her face, leaving the skin a pasty white. Her expression betrayed the blinding pain that wracked her body as her life's blood pooled on the ground around them.
Slowly raising her right arm, the hacker placed her hand on his cheek, her blood-stained fingers making red smudges on his pale skin. His own hand came up, covering hers. "Sp-" She broke off, taking in a ragged breath. "Spike...don't...don't for-...don't forget...forget me."
"I could never forget you luv. Not even if I bloody well wanted to." Blue met green, and for the first time, she let the love shine in her emerald gaze as a slight smile played on her lips.
"Willow...I-" Her hand slipped from beneath his, falling limply to the ground as her head rolled back and her eyes closed.
"Noo, no..." The vampire lowered his head, his hand gently stroking her cheek, and did something he had sworn never to do again after Drusilla left him.
He cried.
The immortal had been on his way home when he heard his name called from several blocks away. If the night hadn't been so quiet and if he had taken the more direct route to his apartment he never would have been close enough to hear it. But he had, and somehow, he recognized the distant voice. He'd ran as fast as he could, but by the time he arrived, there was nothing he could do.
His chest constricted with pain. He knew it would happen eventually, but he had hoped it could've been avoided for at least a few years. He should have known better, they were on a hellmouth after all. From the alley's shadowed entrance, he watched the blonde hold his friend's lifeless body to him, the large broadsword still imbedded in her stomach.
The brunette's eyes took in the demon's dead body, it's head severed and lying next to a discarded sword. The older man assumed it had been the work of the grieving vampire, for although his young student's skills had been progressing daily, he knew she would not have been able to defeat such a foe. Especially unarmed and exhausted as she had been.
Shaking his head, his dark eyes tinged with sorrow, he left the blonde to mourn his loss. With his friend and student now dead, he would need to go to the city morgue soon. This would be the last night either himself or his new friend would spend in Sunnydale. As he headed towards his apartment to pack his things, he pulled his cell phone from his jacket and pressed speed dial.
"Hey Joe, it's Methos."
End Chapter Seven
