If There Was No Buffy

Chapter Eight

Talking of Slayers

Just as soon as the back door closed on Spike and Dawn, the crystal took on a deep, dark green color. By the time they were on the front sidewalk, it had brightened just a bit. Dawn move in a semicircle, her hand out in front of her, until the stone brightened even more.

"This way," she said, and started in the direction indicated, with Spike looking out for trouble. Several times they had to change direction, telling them the Slayer twins were already on the move. After a while their destination was evident.

"Looks like they're at the Restfield Cemetery," Dawn told Spike. "Good a place as any to start patrolling."

"Just so long as they stay away from the SunnyD Cemetery. My crypt's still full of goodies."

"Spike, I hate to tell you this, but eventually they'll get to all of them. Does Giles know where it is?"

"Yeah, he does. After all the fun we had when that Ethan bloke changed him into a Fyarl demon, he came by the crypt to pay me off."

"Well, maybe he won't tell them which crypt it is. Or maybe they'll be too busy to care, what with this new big evil that's coming."

"Maybe."

The closer to Restfield they got the more cautious they became. By the time they reached the waist-high stone fence surrounding it, they were being overly cautious – not wanting to be seen, but still wanting to find them. After a few minutes scouting as much of the cemetery they could see, the sounds of fighting started.

"This way," Spike whispered as he took the lead. Dawn put the crystal in her pocket to keep it's brightness from giving them away. It wasn't long before they found where the action was. Both Slayers were battling two vampires. But rather than one on one, they seemed to switch off regularly, confusing their opponents. But it looked more like a dance than a fight. Each Slayer moved as if she were in a ballet – graceful in their turns, spins, kicks and leg sweeps.

Unlike Buffy, neither one threw any punches, yet their arms were always in motion, balancing and counterbalancing their fluid movements until all of a sudden long, thin spikes appeared, then were buried into the dead hearts of the vampires simultaneously.

Both Dawn and Spike froze. Mary and Marie were scanning the area, as if they knew they were being watched. But after a minute, satisfied they were alone, they continued toward the north end of the cemetery, and the main entrance. The watchful pair waited until they were out of sight, then Dawn took out the crystal to use it to track them while staying far enough behind to avoid being seen.

One more vampire was encountered, but the solitary female bloodsucker was dispatched quickly. Dawn and Spike arrived only moments before she was turned to dust with one of the slender, wooden spikes. Again, they waited until the twins were out of sight before they followed after in the direction of Cooper's Cemetery and Mausoleum a quarter mile away.

"I don't know about you," Dawn said, speaking in a normal voice, "but their Slaying technique is about as graceful as any dance I've ever seen – modern, ballet…."

"Yeah," Spike grudgingly agreed, "they do have the fancy footwork."

"And their coordination! It was like they could read each other's minds and knew just what the other was going to do."

"Well, Willow did say they were like one person. Kinda like to see how they'd handle a six hundred pound Chirago demon."

"Yeah, whatever that is. Or Adam."

Spike chuckled. "No way they could take the likes of him, two of them or not. Have to give it to the Scoobies, teaming up all mystical with the Slayer was ingenious. And probably the only way to kill him."

"And did you see what they were wearing? Was it a full-body leotard? Cool boots, though. And where did they hide those long skinny stakes? You know what they looked like?"

Spike just let her talk, knowing it was relieving her stress.

"You know those pool tables they sell for kids? They looked like the tiny pool cues that come with them."

"Not much farther now. Crystal still glowing?"

Dawn opened her hand to look at it, it was moderately bright, but still dim enough to let them know they were still a ways off.

"Spike, do you – do you think Buffy's suffering much in that hell dimension?"

"I try not to think about that. Not good for my not-soul."

"But what if there was some way to bring Buffy back? Like some kind of resurrection spell."

"Dawn, as much as I hate to think about what Buffy's going through, and as much as I want her to come back, I'd just as soon not have a zombie Slayer walking around, or something worse."

"Would that be worse than what she's going through? And don't you want her here? Really here?"

Spike stopped. "Okay, what's with all this?"

"Nothing. Just forget it."

Dawn started walking again but Spike grabbed her arm, stopping her, not hard enough to trigger his chip, or to activate the protection spell, but hard enough to let her know he was serious.

"You know something," he said. "And whatever it is, you're going to tell me."

"It – it's nothing. It's just something I heard Willow and Tara and the others talking about."

"And just what might that be?"

"They – were talking about trying to bring Buffy back, using magic."

"What! Are they sodding insane?"

"But they didn't do it! There was one ingredient they didn't have."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm sure. But I don't see understand what the big deal is? Willow's a great witch. She knows what she's doing."

"Let me tell you something, Little Girl. There are spells, and then there are SPELLS! Small stuff like this…" and Spike held out the charmed cross wrapped in plastic. "…is next to nothing. Anybody can do it with the right words and the right ingredients, as you put it. But then there are the Big Spells, like restoring somebody's soul, or bringing back the dead. The ones that can go wrong if a single word is mispronounced, or if the wrong incense is used, or if…."

"Okay! I get it, already," Dawn said, tired of the lecture, as she resumed the walk to Cooper's Cemetery.

"I don't think you do," Spike continued, following behind her. "And even if things do go right, there are always consequences, things that you don't expect to happen. Bad things!"

"I said okay!" Dawn all but yelled back at him. "Wait!"

"What now?"

"The crystal – it's stopped glowing."

"Did the spell wear off?"

"I don't know. I don't think it did."

Dawn put her hand out in front of her again, moving her arm left and right, but the crystal remained dark.

"I guess they're gone, or out of range maybe."

"Well, that's just great. So now I guess we head back to your house," Spike said. "Oh well, it wasn't a total loss. At least we know how they fight."

"Yeah, there is that. Come on."

To Be Continued